On the Grave of Winter

Send us Fan MailAt the beginning of the week we were waking up to snow and each nights the temperatures have been slipping below zero. However, the days are filled with sunshine and warmth, and a vibrancy fills the word. Spring has arrived.  A few years ago, I discovered something wonderful that the isophenes of Spring tell us about the the progress of the season.   We also join the poet, writer, and naturalist, Edward Thomas, at the end of his 1913 bicycle ride in Pursuit of Spring and finds, high on the Quantocks Hills, the grave of Winter.   Journal entry:“15th April, Thursday.Today was one of those perfect Spring days. The air still had that edge of ice to it, But the day was filled with a thick, syrupy, warmth      that was heavy with blossom and insects. And there was that light that you seem to get only in April;      the flooded, chalky, palettes you find      in the paintings of Krøyer and the other Scandinavian artists.  The day, and the season, is as fresh and as sweet as Spearmint Chewing Gum.                                                           Episode InformationIn this episode refer to and read a short passage from Edward Thomas’ (1914) In Pursuit of Spring. A free (open access) copy can be found on the Project Guttenberg site which incidentally features a rather lovely picture of two narrowboats on the Paddington canal as a frontispiece -  Edward Thomas: In Pursuit of Spring.For those interested in Edward Thomas’ wife, Helen, you can read her two lyrical and poignant autobiographies, As it Was and World without End in the collected edition, Under Storm’s Wing (2012) published by Carcanet. I also read a very short extract from Miles Hadfield (1950) An English Almanac published by JM Dent and Sons.For progress on the ducks and swans – see the Nighttime on Still Waters Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.  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.