"A CUMBRIAN KALEIDOSCOPE” is the fourth book of selected poetry and prose from the Mungrisdale Writers.
My dictionary for “kaleidoscope” mentions:
“a delightfully diverse and unpredictable sequence of sights and events” which is certainly appropriate here.
There are light and shadow; mist and clear skies; the colours of spring to the overall whiteness of snowy winter; all the flora and fauna of “magnetic” Cumbria. We delight in fields, roadsides, woods, streams, and, of course, the fells. As might be expected from this locality, Blencathra is the dominant looming presence.
We read of coming to Mungrisdale, and of leaving Cumbria; of lambing and shearing; Earthshine and topaz crags; climbing and carol singing. And it is unpredictable, for suddenly there is a cathedral choirboy, or a pheasant in the garden perhaps related to a dinner or two, an inquisitive ermine, an ancient runic stone, or even watercress soup.
My dictionary also says: “an ever-changing variety of beautiful colours and forms”. And there you have it.
Glyn Matthews,
Poet,
President,
Cumbrian Literary Group.
Sue Banister's poem 'Spring Willy Nilly ' is a distinctive take on the season. Sally Bohling's 'Autumn Mist on the Glenderamackin ' leads us into ghostly mystery; her 'Blencathra' expresses the attraction, for some, of the 'eternal' mountains; and 'Rune Stone' encourages us to bridge the gap of years. Dorothy Chalk's poem recalls 'One Spring Day' behind her home, (for those disturbed by the last line, the farmer lives next door); her 'First Impressions' a prose piece remembers her first sight of that house; and her second 'November 1965', her first winter in residence, viewing the garden path from the other direction. Dorothy Crowther's prose piece charts her connection with 'Mungrisdale'; and her poem 'Magnetic Cumbria' helps us to feel that magnetism. Sally Dalglish gives us two poems, one describes the making of a delightful meal and the starter is 'Watercress Soup'; the second 'The Glistening Journey' leads us up a familiar track, always seen anew. In both her love of water refreshes. Jill Faux gives us two prose pieces, one takes us on 'A Walk in the Woods' through the seasons; the second 'Transformation' warns us of the sudden changes in our everyday Cumbrian weather. Clare Goulder takes us with her to a 'Carol Service' in a Cumbrian church. Jill Jackson's poem 'Earthshine', read it aloud to enjoy the music. Her two prose pieces take us back half a lifetime to some of the regular problems of hill farming; 'A Pint at the Pub' was earned at lambing time; and later we read of 'Shearing Time'. Elizabeth Josh's poem 'Like the Beech Tree' looks at the human diversity of our countryside. Her two prose pieces depict winter, 'Happiness was a Winter's Day' enhanced by a two-year -old's enjoyment; 'The Watcher' gives us one of Elizabeth's intriguing interactions with the fauna of her neighbourhood. Hazel Lee's prose piece 'Our Heritage' links Wordsworth and Westminster Bridge with her own experience of the Newlands Valley. She charts the progress of her Game season in 'Game, Set and Match'. Angela Locke's poem 'Fibula' uses knowledge, skill and imagination to recreate the past of a museum piece. Ann Miller, in one of her rare prose pieces 'Stainmore to Brough', fights her way home through the snow. Sylvia Stevens poem 'Blencathra Evening' paints an evocative picture. Vi Taylor's poem "The Choir Boy" blends art and music to record one of the moments when a mother realises her son is growing up and away. Her second "The Tryst at the Crown and Mitre" recalls past youth; the third "Blencathra" faces up to old age. Finally "The Renegade" gives the other side of the coin to Elizabeth Josh's "Like the Beech Tree". We
could not resist ending with one of her Lakeland limericks.
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| Available for £3 from: | The Bluebell Bookshop, Penrith, Book Ends, Keswick and The Post Office, Caldbeck |
| or by post for £3.50 from: | Mungrisdale Writers, Fell End, Mungrisdale. CA11 0XR |