We climbed the slopes of Solsbury Hill,
So steep, they made our hearts go boom.
But oh, the view! No eagles here
But rolling hills beneath the blue
And twinkling lights reflected on
The windows far below, the crisp
And crescent shapes of Bath, a song
of angelic soul and limestone bliss.
Enjoyed a walk with friends up Solsbury Hill today (yes, that Solsbury HIll!). What a glorious view.
(22.08.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
‘The Conqueror has it surrounded,
This dreary isle of Ely,
His men have marched around its bounds,
No one is free to flee here.
Before too long they will drawn in
And squeeze this human noose,
Be wise your fools and join with us,
Or gasping you will lose!’
At this the Wake’s men laughed aloud
At Warenne’s men’s attemps,
To lure them from their loyalty
To Hereward, to across the sea,
An impotent act of conspiracy,
That inevitably failed to ferment.
‘How long, you wretch, will you moan on,
And try to turn our heads,
We won’t betray our Lord, be gone,
And whine at him instead.
Withdraw in haste and tell your man
The one he seeks is here,
Now run away as fast as you can,
Or our javelins you’ll fear!’
Hereward’s men are not for turning!
(21.08.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Bohdan Hyrovych on Unsplash
I will not be defeated
By a lack of meter,
Or abandon rhyme
For a lack of time,
And so this offering,
Although a little thin,
To keep the juices flowing
As now I must be going
That’s all folks…
(21.08.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Packing for Greenbelt
Stripping back to the basics
God and rain ready
Canvas is beckoning!
(20.08.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Sat in the back of a foodbank van, the sun
is beating on my face. Right now this is
a happy place. I note the irony.
I tell myself it doesn’t matter what
you have, that things don’t fill a soul or make
you whole. That’s easy to say when you have things.
I have things. Too many things it’s true.
So many things I freely throw them in
the dump. That’s not a boast but a confession.
Once, a wise man found the secret of
contentment in plenty and in debt. Perhaps
I need to find it. …But maybe not just yet.
Musings whilst sitting on the back of the foodbank van today…
(19.08.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Autotrader UK on Unsplash
The perfect tonic
An evening spent with good friends
Making time stand still
A lovely evening.
(18.08.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by OurWhisky Foundation on Unsplash
‘If only one who stands with him,
Would willingly betray,
That rascal deep in bog and sin,
Before late in the day.’
‘We do not wish to dwell in marsh,
Amongst the dismal reeds,
The penalty will be too harsh,
If we are forced to seek.’
‘His foolish men should have no doubt,
We’ll have to kill the lot,
If we are forced to seek him out,
And leave their limbs to rot!’
The Earl of Warenne’s men seek to persuade Hereward’s to betray him.
(17.08.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash
One for each of you
Twelve stones for remembering
Promises still held
This morning at church we remembered the story of Elijah taking on the prophets of Baal. At the heart of the story, Elijah builds an altar of twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel.
(16.08.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Tyger Ligon on Unsplash
Soon the Earl and his men arrived
Upon the opposing bank.
One of them drew close and called,
Enquiring if they were with that appalling
Hereward, who’d caused the fall
Of many within their ranks.
Keeping things ticking over with another stanza.
(15.08.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash
It’s hot.
So hot that I’ve started to melt.
I find myself dreaming of
a long refreshing drink,
hallucinating visions
of a pint; can you see it?
And so, upon returning
home, I find I am
inevitably pouring myself…
…onto the sofa and leaking
absolutely everywhere.
It’s hot, so very, very
hot.
It’s been a tad warm in the foodbank warehouse this week…
(14.08.26)
© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash
Ode for the Day 