Christmas Night 2012

The work I do at the dog rescue home, which takes in plenty of boarders as well as caring for unwanted and ‘unrehomeable’ animals, provides a complete contrast to my writing life.

That’s obvious really, but that work does have an effect on my creative ideas. I find that the time I spend out in all weathers working with the animals somehow grounds me - and supports what I do elsewhere.

These are the lines I wrote after the evening feeding rounds on Christmas Night, 2012.

Feeding the dogs

Eyes shining in darkness -

orange, or yellow, or lapis lazuli.

That is all I can see as

I take the evening meals to the dogs.

They wait in quiet expectation,

just watching as I work my way along

… up the line with my weighty load.

Most devour the food,

lick bowls clean -

and grateful looks follow.

I watch their faces in the beam of the head-torch.

Some need help or encouragement

and I feed them by hand,

gathering the food and offering it

with kind words.

The nervous ones take their meal gently,

thankful for my patience.

The smell of hay rises around warm bodies

as the animals gradually settle with their full bellies.

I have to make one more round –

the calming, quieting time,

reassuring any remaining nerves.

I hand out their night-time treats

from my bucket of biscuits;

muzzles soft to my hands in the darkness,

tender talk bids them to hush.

They lie together in their comfy beds,

I shut them in, secure the pens …

all safe and warm.

While I wait for the last two to eat

I turn the head torch off .. .

watch the watery moon and the few stars

that show between the shadow-clouds.

Outlines of winter trees stand out.

All is quiet … tranquil-still,

an owl calls … but there is no answer.

The last two dogs bed down, I close their door.

Silence …. all are safe…

And I am content - thanks to them.

Sad loss of charity

Very sad to hear the news this week of the demise of a great little local charity that has helped thousands of people with terminal illness, and their carers, in my home area.

The Beacon of Hope, which ran a hospice-at-home service as well as providing much help, support and respite for carers, has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of 17 full and part-time jobs.

The charity was founded in 2000 by retired teacher Elizabeth Murphy. It had offices in Aberystwyth, Cardigan and Machynlleth.

While liquidators PKF, said Beacon of Hope's collapse would have ‘no impact on its patients and they had been placed in health officials' care’ there are also real concerns for the many people who care for relatives with terminal or life-limiting illnesses.

The love, care – and yes, hope – given by the workers and volunteers at Beacon of Hope cannot be replaced.

Mrs Murphy’s  work as founder was recognised in 2008 with an MBE for services to the community in Ceredigion.

PKF said the charity relied heavily on donations and had cashflow problems:

"Whilst Beacon of Hope nursing services were funded by the health authority and the Welsh assembly, its ancillary services were unfunded and relied upon public donations.

"Unfortunately these had proved insufficient to cover the outgoings and, despite a public appeal for donations and the support of the dedicated and hard-working staff, the company's directors were left with no alternative in the face of the resulting insolvency but to place it into liquidation.

"However, in the prevailing economic climate many organisations have suffered, no matter how worthy the cause, and it is regrettable that despite the excellent work being done in Beacon of Hope's name it has had to cease all activities."

The Beacon of Hope was the nominated charity of the Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University for 2012/13.

When the announcement was made earlier this year the charity’s  chair and founder, Elizabeth Murphy said: “Many hospice charities receive support from large industry. There are few large private sector companies based in Ceredigion, and the opportunities for funding are limited. So the announcement that the oldest University in Wales is supporting the smallest hospice in Wales was a great boost to us all.”

Alan Axford, the charity’s voluntary medical adviser said of the Beacon of Hope: “Conventional NHS care is very much focused on the patient and not so much on the carers who often provide support in very difficult circumstances.  Their dedication can mean they become socially isolated and this is where the services provided by Beacon of Hope were so valuable, and the support of organisations such as the University so important.”

The Beacon of Hope  -- and its dedicated and hard working staff and volunteers --will be sadly missed by many.

Palestine, November 2012

A girl holds a candle next to a photo of three-year-old Ranan Yousef Arafat, who was killed in the Israeli strike on Bethlehem's Manger Square, where Palestinians had gathered to mourn victims of the slaughter.

  People gather in Manger Square to mourn.

One-hundred-and-forty were murdered last week.

More than thirty of the dead were children.

In Gaza, Jabaliya, Rafah, Beit Lahiya …

Hundreds of families have been decimated.

They have no escape from this Hell.

A mother weeps in the devastation that was her home,

There is nowhere to go.

There is no escape.

Those who are left come to remember their dead,

And Israel makes sure they will never forget.

Monstrous new airstrikes massacre these mourning crowds.

Three-year-old Ranan Yousef Arafat dies.

Jumana and Tamer Eseifan, both under four, die.

One-year-old Iyad Abu Khoussa dies.

There is no escape from Hell.

We should remember them all,

but we do not know their names.

Israel does not want us to know.

They bomb the media centres

and slaughter the journalists.

Truth may be the clichéd first victim of war,

But we will not stay down.

They cannot suppress news of this carnage.

The realities, the facts, all the names will be known…

… estimated 1,643 missile strikes over the last six days…

Many dead, more injured, medical facilities failing...

Mourners around the bodies of the al-Dalu family at their funeral -- four adults, four children

The bodies of Jumana and Tamer Eseifa carried by mourners

We are ashamed to be human…. 

But we are compelled to act.
We will not stay silent.

They cannot kill compassion.

The house of imagination

In praise of writing groups...

As a writer there is nothing like the immense buzz you get when a new idea forms. Inspiration works in many ways – but it can be less of a solitary experience than many people may think.

The hint of an idea for a new story or poem can just wink at you from somewhere unexpected, or the concept for a whole novel can hit you right in the face. Sketches of outlines and great detailed plans emerge from the least likely places. It can happen anywhere, anytime.

Sometimes solitary walks on deserted beaches work for me, but I have found that writing workshops in groups with others can also be productive places for ideas.

You never know where these things will take you.  A visualisation exercise in one I attended recently introduced me to the House of My Imagination.  I was very surprised by what I found there.

Standing before the closed front door I was scared, would there be anything inside? Might the place actually be empty?  

At the same time I was slightly annoyed that I was being told by the workshop leader that my imagination is contained in a building, albeit an imaginary one -- because I felt walls would constrain ideas and inspiration.

Wrong on both counts. Fear keeps the door closed.

Cold walls of granite face me, no sound escapes, no light. Turn the handle, open the door….

I found myself in a large hallway – I walked straight into a huge party with loads of people, music, laughter, dancing. And I saw that I could walk through all this into quieter spaces, full of light, if I chose. I could make it all whatever I wanted, or simply watch what happened. And plenty happens there.

This is a place to dance and to play, to laugh and to rest and wait, all in the same moment. It is whatever you want it to be. It is the home of the fire of your ideas – and we all have one of those. Finding the door and daring to open it is the important part.

We were told in this visualisation exercise to bring just one object out of the house with us. I couldn’t do that either without resisting the leading voice – I wanted two items! But because this was the house of my imagination I could do what I liked, of course, and I brought two objects back.

One was a stone jar, the kind my Dad once used for preserving vegetables and fruit. It is an empty vessel, that can hold all the ideas I choose, a source of endless inspiration.  The other item was a beautiful crystal glass, empty but flashing in the sunshine, sending light rays in all directions – ready to spark off new ideas.

So, maybe fear is the only constraint.  You simply have to imagine your imagination  -- and it is there.

You alone can give that imagination permission to do exactly as it wishes….

CAMPAIGN TO SAVE TOWN’S ARTS VENUE

A project has launched this week to save the popular Cellar Bar in Cardigan – a place very close to my heart as it is the venue for our poetry group, The Cellar Bards.

The Bards open mic night was the first event I went to after leaving my full time job this June – and I felt like I had come home.

Since then I have read my work there and enjoyed the work of many other local and visiting writers.

There is a great deal of talent here and we need to keep this venue going, not just for the writers, but for all the musicians and other artists that find a platform here.

Campaigners are looking for 500 people to put up £500 each to make a community bid to buy the building, which also houses the Castle Café and flats above.

The venue is under threat because of financial problems faced by the owners. While the business is still operating profitably,  the bank has called in the loan and they are unable to remortgage to the level they need to. As a business this could be a profitable community project and the owners are  happy to support the Cellar Bar 500  idea.

The project was announced this week by regulars. Some are already arranging fundraising events in a bid to find the cash to buy a share in the scheme.

Regulars say:  ‘We believe the Cellar Bar is a vital part of the social infrastructure of Cardigan and the wider area and we will do all we can to save it.

‘The idea is that the place would be owned by the community for the community. At present we are collecting pledges and will formulate a clear policy and organisation before we proceed.

‘The Cellar is a haven for so many people and it’s a great platform for the arts locally. We must save it if we possibly can.’

One local musician said he would sell his guitar to raise money if it would help – this means that much to people.

As well as investors the group is seeking people with expertise in various areas to help out – including finance, law, grants and fundraising.

Anyone who wants to find out more can contact the project co-ordinators on the Cellar Bar 500 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/521839721179416/

Once initial contributions are received the money will be held by a secure third party and will be fully refundable should the project be cancelled at any stage. The aim is to set up a social enterprise company to buy or lease the building.

If you can't help directly, please share the news.