Two things I have been doing off and on since March 2020 are: one, watching gigs on YouTube and cursing my past self for missing them and two, watching walking programmes on TV. I love a good walk through the British countryside, and whilst the kids and I do go out everyday for a local walk, and are blessed with nearby countryside, what I miss are moors, having grown up near the Peak District. Where I live now is very nice, and it has some good woodland and grassy hills, but there are definitely days when I miss the bleakness of a windswept moor.
It’s for this reason that I was attracted to the BBC’s Winter Walks around Yorkshire and Cumbria, and itv’s Cornwall and Devon Walks with Julia Bradbury, now that I can’t travel to either.
I have watched most of the Winter Walks now (can’t bring myself to watch Baroness Warsi -petty, I know, but I can’t stand the woman) and can particularly recommend the episodes with Lemn Sissay and Simon Armitage. Watching Armitage reminded me of his excellent book Walking Home, which I thoroughly recommend, and also the poem he wrote last year called Lockdown.
Having decided to find the poem again to make it February’s Poem of the Month, I discovered there is a version set to music and, wow, it’s absolutely stunning. To read the poem and watch the musical version go to February’s Poem of the Month.
In the Devon Walks programme I got a pleasant surprise when suddenly up popped Seth Lakeman playing some of Kitty Jay and talking about the myths and legends of Devon. I am a big fan of Seth’s music, and it’s about time he got a Music Monday outing so you’re in for a treat tomorrow!
Abigail's Library 