A Dance of Firelight (and After the Fireworks)

Send us Fan MailWhat is it about fire that holds our fascination? Last weekend the clocks went back and in the span of one night darkness began to lap at the edges of our late afternoons. The encroachment of night leading the tide of winter into our daytimes can no longer be ignored and it is understandable that at this time of year we are so drawn to the image of an open fire. In this episode, with the help of the poet Robert Service, we explore the ways that fire can touch us so deeply emotionally, reawakening old memories and feelings.Journal entry:“5th November, FridayA chill greyness has seeped into the landscape That silvered dawns And sunsets of fiery bronze  Cannot shift. COP26 started this week.  Twitter and newsfeeds are not good places to be. So I stand by the big oak Listening for the raven’s call And the windsong of geese.Above me contrails flower the cobalt sky And, at my feet,  A clover leaf Laced with ice.                  Episode InformationIn this episode I read extracts from a number of poems by Robert W Service (1874-1958). These are:‘The Ballad of One-Eyed Mike’ ‘The Lure of Little Voices’ ‘The Logger’ ‘The Song of the Campfire’There are a number of collections of his works. The one I have been using is Dan McGrew, Sam McGee and Other Great Service Poems published by Taylor (1987).  For more information about Service’s life and work, see: Robert W. Service.For more information on research relating to the psychological and physiological effects of sitting by an open fire:C.D. Lynn. (2014) ‘Hearth and Campfire Influences on Arterial Blood Pressure: Defraying theCosts of the Social Brain through Fireside Relaxation’. Evolutionary Psychology 12(5). 983-1003.   General DetailsIn the intro and the outro, Saint-Saen's The Swan is performed by Karr and Bernstein (1961) and available on CC at archive.org. Two-stroke narrowboat engine recorded by 'James2nd' on the River Weaver, Cheshire. Uploaded to Freesound.org on 23rd June 2018. Creative Commons Licence. Piano interludes composed and performed by Helen Ingram.All other audio recorded on site. ContactFor pictures of Erica and images related to the podcasts or to contact me, follow me on:Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/noswpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nighttimeonstillwaters/Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoswPodI would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] the showBecome a 'Lock-Wheeler'Would you like to support this podcast by becoming a 'lock-wheeler' for Nighttime on Still Waters? Find out more: 'Lock-wheeling' for Nighttime on Still Waters.ContactFacebook at https://www.facebook.com/noswpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nighttimeonstillwaters/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/noswpod.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.world/@nosw  I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or drop me a line by going to the nowspod website and using either the contact form or, if you prefer, record your message by clicking on the microphone icon. For more information about Nighttime on Still WatersYou can find more information and photographs about the podcasts and life aboard the Erica on our website at noswpod.com.