Woodpeckers does poetry

...apparently in maternity wear, with a nice little bun in the oven! I tell you, it's not true! Just because I work in a nursery...

CleanSteve took this shot. I have changed it for the one I posted earlier, as it sums up the evening better. The guy standing opposite me is Adam Horowitz, who's a real poet.

After eight hours in the nursery (it's quiet on Friday) I made a dash to collect my tickets for the Stroud theatre festival, before catching the bus home. An hour later, I rushed out again to see one of the first performances of the festival, Meet the Real Maggie Thatcher, which is touring the UK. The ticket said Star Anise Cafe on it, so I went there first, but... no performance!. After hanging about awhile, I nipped out to the British School, a fine old Cotswold stone building opposite the cafe, and found a seat at the very back of the hall. I'd only missed ten minutes, but I wish now I knew what I'd missed. Something about Thorium and nuclear power and Chernobyl.... Do go and see the show: whatever you think it's going to be, it probably isn't ! Don't be put off by the name, either.

The next engagement was at a poetry gig in honour of Laurie Lee's anniversary. A total of thirteen poets were asked to write a poem, each choosing a different chapter heading from Cider with Rosie. Mine was The Kitchen. I wrote about my mother's kitchen in Scotland. (I will make the poem text available, if any blipper wants to see it). The poems have been published as a small booklet called Set Down, published by local poet and impresario Phillip Rush, under the name of Yew Tree Press. Lovely paper, too, for those who, like me, are slightly obsessed with paper as well as with words.

The gig went well, and there were some interesting exhibitions in the museum and galleries, too. The informal atmosphere made for a relaxed evening, Afterwards, we returned home (CleanSteve had joined me by now) and I discovered that there was a whole night of vintage heavy metal music on BBC4. Could be just what the doc ordered!