English Romanticism: Emotion captured in verse
For the poets of the Romantic movement, emotion was everything…
For the poets of the Romantic movement, emotion was everything…
Finally, after the long winter, spring is beginning to bloom…
Spring: beautiful, hopeful and a great source of inspiration for poets…
‘In Flanders Fields, the poppies grow / Between the crosses, row on row…’
A call to travel, and to experience cultures: ‘I should like to rise and go…’
Welcome to Poetry Week on my blog! Here’s an article on passionate poems from the ancient civilisation of Egypt.
‘Come autumn’s scathe — come winter’s cold — / Come change — and human fate! / Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound, / Can ne’er be desolate.’ The seasons are changing… but we can find hope and comfort in poetry.
‘Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!’ From a William Wordsworth sonnet, inspired by a moment of reflection and connection he experienced during a visit to London and written 218 years ago today…
‘Love consists of this: two solitudes that meet, protect and greet each other…’ I love poetry, its ability to capture and convey a sentiment in so few words; and for me, the more lyrical, the more beautiful. That is why I love the poems of Rainer Maria Rilke.
‘Bees are buzzing, wildflowers are swaying in the breeze, cotton-candy clouds are drifting across the bluest of skies – ah, summer…’
‘Solitude is fine, but you need someone to tell you that solitude is fine.’ So wrote French novelist Honoré de Balzac. For me, this quotation perfectly encapsulates the
Happy Christmas! Wherever you are, I wish you a day filled with warmth and love and companionship.
I am writing this in darkness, but for a lamp by my desk. It is only four o’clock in the afternoon, but already in Ireland darkness has fallen. Everything feels different now the sun has set. I can make my home cosy with candles and lamps and firelight, but what if I could not? What if I were trapped in the darkness?
‘True love stories never have endings.’ So wrote American author Richard Bach.
‘Inspiration strikes’ is a common term, and as a writer, I understand why. Once you let writing into your life, your imagination is always active, always open, and sometimes out of nowhere an idea comes to you, like a bolt from the blue. Invariably, this happens when you are doing something completely unrelated to writing – cooking, bathing, walking.
The Ancient Greeks were a passionate people, as reflected in their colourful, dramatic myths. Love is a common theme in those stories – but so
Happy New Year! I love waking up to a new year, full of promise and potential. But as the following poem conveys, we can have
A very happy Christmas to you all. Here, infused with the spirit of Christmas, is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem ‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas
‘You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one’ So wrote John Lennon and Yoko Ono for the song ‘Imagine’. Aren’t we
This week, I smiled when I heard on the news that the zoo in Dublin, Ireland, has found a novel way to cool its elephants:
In the 16th century, French poet Joachim du Bellay travelled to Italy. He was most keen to live in this country, the birthplace of the Renaissance
Happy New Year! I wish you peace and fulfilment in all you do in 2018. Have you woken up with that wonderful feeling of
Happy Christmas! I hope that wherever you are, your day is filled with warmth and joy – and most of all with love. ‘Love be
No doubt you’ve heard the term ‘opening a Pandora’s box’ before. It’s used to express that an action that may seem small or inconsequential may
“There is the heat of Love, the pulsing rush of Longing, the lover’s whisper, irresistible – magic to make the sanest man go mad.” So
‘Layla, you’ve got me on my knees. Layla, I’m begging, darling, please. Layla, darling, won’t you ease my worried mind.’ So sang Eric Clapton. ‘Layla’
My home in the South of France – a French mas (Provençal farmhouse) in Ste Maxime – affords beautiful views over the Mediterranean. I often
This holiday season, I have been fortune enough to do some stargazing. The night skies have been velvety blankets sprinkled with stars, and the moon…
My romantic trilogy – comprising Indiscretion, Masquerade and the forthcoming Legacy – is set in Andalucía, Spain. As part of my research for the series,
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