Farewell pink swabs of rosebay willowherb
Farewell fields awash with barley gold
Farewell Ericht, your waters blue and fast
Farewell Blairgowrie, your starlit nights alive
Today we said a sad farewell to our campsite for the week and headed back to Edinburgh and then to home. Car returned to to the rental base, a bright red Fiat 500.
(16.08.24)
© Ben Quant 2024
Poem 262 – Dampened Spirits?
Today a hazy veil of rain
hangs over Perthshire’s gentle hills.
Yesterday’s yellow barley fields
have run, their colours washed away.
The buzzards’ mewling ceased, the only
whine belongs to windscreen wipers.
The drenching lasts until Dundee
where, even seeking refuge, we
are met by a generosity
that contrasts to the downcast skies.
Today is our day of rain. This hasn’t stopped if heading out to track the Dewar family’s passage through Dundee. What has most impressed me is the friendliness of the Scots, even on a day like this. (The sun came out mid-afternoon and the rain soon seemed a distant memory, especially when significant graves were found.)
(15.08.24)
© Ben Quant 2024
Poem 261 – Stones
Tall stones
Short stones
Flat stones
Wonky stones
Old stones
New stones
Pict stones
Standing stones
Mossy stones*
Flakey stones
Funny stones
John Lennon’s stone**
Dewar stones
Stewart stones
Kilgour stones
Skull & crossed bones
*No rolling stones!
**Not the John Lennon…
Spent the day today exploring areas connected to my wife’s family history in and around Blairgowrie. This inevitably means graveyards. Lots of them.
(14.08.24)
© Ben Quant 2024
Poem 260 – Camping Dawn Chorus
The clicking of bones:
a warm up stretch,
accompanied by
a yawn.
The sound of zips:
first fumbling with
the sleeping bags,
then doors,
inner and outer,
up and down,
a campsite’s rowdy
percussion.
Urgent feet
then crashing doors –
seems someone desperately
rushing.
It sounds as if
the whole world’s playing
just metres from
your pitch.
You check your watch
it must be late
but no it’s barely
six.
What is this madness?
With bleary eyes
you peer out but
to find,
there’s no one up
and all is still
but one child on the
horizon.
This morning wasn’t at all like this, although there a number of bird calls overnight. The familiar sound of zips, however, triggered many early morning campsite memories…
(13.08.24)
© Ben Quant 2024
Poem 259 – Frankie Boyle Is On Our Bus
Frankie Boyle is on our bus
Berating latecomers for holding us up.
He declares he’d have said no
if it wasn’t for their children.
I believe him. Relenting he moans
under his breath. Loudly.
A heckler winds him up.
He has a go at him too and then
is sent back to apologise.
He’s not having a good day
and you sense it isn’t over…
Our latecomers cannot whisper.
At four am they still haven’t mastered it.
I might become Frankie too.
My neck compresses every time I relax,
and although my legs go to sleep, I cannot.
The rain begins and the wipers break.
But just as all looks grey the Scottish
hills emerge to save the day
and all is good. Except for Frankie.
He has to find a replacement bus
for those going to Glasgow…
Overnight we travelled to Edinburgh on the Megabus. If I’m honest, I’m not quite with it yet today! I hope our conductor has a better day…
(12.08.24)
© Ben Quant 2024
Poem 258 – Banksy’s Cat
Crowds gather
Traffic slows
Police pace
Tension grows
Excited chatter
Selfies shown
Meaning pondered
Headlines flow
Oblivious to it all
Our feline stretches
And wanders off
Yesterday we visited his latest in a series of animal themed street art pieces in London, this time Cricklewood
(11.08.24)
© Ben Quant 2024
Poem 257 – Old Man Toad
We keep an old metal bin lid upturned
and full of water for the birds.
On a hot day in spring it’s hilarious.
The young sparrows flock,
flapping their wings at a furious pace.
Splashing each other like teenagers,
their laughter fills the lawn.
Today I went to top it up.
Tipping out the water, I found Old Man Toad
huddled underneath in a grump,
like a grouchy grandad sat by the pool,
complaining about the youth of today.
He glowered at me.
Carefully, I covered him back up
and left him to it.
(10.08.24)
© Ben Quant 2024
Photo by Jaunathan Gagnon on Unsplash
Poem 256 – For Five Days of Scotland
For five days in Scotland my true love packed for me….
Five bat-ter-ries
Four khaki t-shirts
Three pairs of socks
Two walking boots
And a can of insect repellent
Almost all set for five days under canvas near Blairgowrie… (Batteries for the lantern!)
(09.08.24)
Poem 255 – 1,000
1,000 standing shoulder to shoulder,
a peaceful declaration that
enough’s enough, it’s time to stop
1,000 saying silently that
the rowdy aren’t the loudest and
their voices will be swamped by love
1,000 showing bravely that
our country isn’t built on borders,
false lines between the few and many
1,000 shouldering responsibility
for the nature of our land
and asylum seekers seeking safety
Inspired by the communities gathering in response to the recent riots.
(08.08.24 – edited 09.08.24)
© Ben Quant 2024
Poem 254 – To-Do
[ x ] Today’s
[ x ] To-Do list
[ x ] Is nearly
[ x ] Done
[ x ] Just one
[ x ] More job
[ x ] To do
[ ] My poem
I’m going on holiday soon, can’t wait! The catch is this means a longer to-do list this week…
(07.08.24)
© Ben Quant 2024
Ode for the Day 