I Call to You

                                                                         The North Star
 

 

Dear reader,

The North Star is revered for its unchanging position in the night sky.  It has guided sailors, explorers and dreamers for centuries.  Beyond its astronomical role, the North Star has deep cultural, spiritual and personal significance.  It symbolizes guidance, hope and constancy.

In Norse tales, Polaris was the end of a spike around which the sky rotates.  In Mongolian mythology it is a peg that holds the world together.

If you are in the Northern Hemisphere it can help you orient yourself and find your way as it is located in the direction of true north. In the biblical sense the Star of Bethlehem or the Christian Star appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew where the three wise kings from the East are inspired by the North Star to travel to Jerusalem.  The star leads them to the Baby Jesus where they worship Him and give Him gifts.

In the context of life the "North Star" metaphorically represents a guiding principle, a deep sense of purpose, or a core value that provides direction and motivation.  It is a personal beacon that help individuals navigate life's journey, make decisions and pursue goals with clarity and conviction, especially during challenging times.

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From Dorothy Wordsworth  June 21st  1802 in Westmorland

'We lay upon the sloping turf.  Earth and sky were so lovely that they melted our very hearts.   The sky to the north was of a chastened yet rich yellow, fading into pale blue and streaked and scattered over with steady islands of purple, melting away into shades of pink.   It made my heart almost feel like a vision to me.'

From William Cowper   June 23rd   1788 in Buckinghamshire

'The meadows have been parched to a January brown, and we have foddered our cattle for some time, as in winter.'

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I Call to You

I am the winter snow

the summer sun

I am the birdsong

the first snowdrop

I am the seagull's cry

the gold red sunset

I am the butterfly, the ladybird

the falling leaves

I am the blue mountains

the oak tree

I am whispering trees

the silver stream

I am the Southerly wind

the Northern Star

I am the sound of the sea

the gentle rain

I am the light, peace

love and sisterly soul

 

 

I call to you

 

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With very best wishes, Patricia

Journeys

The Silk Road

 Dear Reader, 

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that connected East and West, primarily from the Han Dynasty in China to the 15th century, facilitating economic, cultural and political exchange.  

The routes were not a single road but a complex web of land and sea routes, the term "Silk Road" was coined in the 19th century.

The Silk Road traded in goods like silk, spices and other luxury items, as well as the exchange of ideas, religions and even diseases.  Buddhism spread westward along the routes.  The Silk Road was the longest ancient overland trade route and its total length was about 9000 kilometers.

Marco Polo is arguably the most famous western traveler to have journeyed on the Silk Road.  As a young merchant, he began his journey to China in 1271 and his travels lasted for 24 years.

During the centuries the Silk Road existed, bandits were an ever present threat that merchants had to worry about.  Bandits could attack and rob a caravan at any time during the long journey from China to Europe, spelling disaster for the merchants.

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 From S.T. Coleridge   June 18th  1801 in Westmorland

'A hollow place in the rock like a coffin - a sycamore bush at the head, enough to give a shadow for my face, and just at the foot one tall foxglove - exactly my own length - there I lay and slept.  It was quite soft."

From James Woodforde   June 19th   1799 in Norfolk

'Very cold indeed again today, so cold that Mrs. Custance came walking in her spencer with a bosom-friend.'

Mrs. Custance, a a lady of fashion , would have worn her gowns low cut, in the bosomy manner so often drawn by Rowlandson: in cold weather she would have needed the fashionable item of clothing known as the 'bosom-friend'.

 

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Journeys

 

Young,
we fly to distant places,
walk the Silk Road,
swim in the Nile,
climb Kilimanjaro,
sail the great seas,
picnic in the desert
under the stars.

 

Middle aged, with children,
we travel to Europe,
walk in the hills,
ski, surf board, visit museums,
exclaim at the Eiffel Tower,
swim in rivers,
raid the High Streets.

Grandparents, and old now,

we travel all over the world,
enjoy lions in Africa,
natives dancing in Bali,
big white whales in vast oceans,
and explore National Parks

while drinking cups of tea,
preparing for the unknown

and longest journey.

  

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With best wishes, Patricia
                      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Man from Middlesbrough

The Cleveland Hills and a Shipyard

Dear Reader,

Shipyards have a long history with evidence of early dockyards dating back to the Indus Valley civilization around 24,00 BC.  From these ancient beginnings shipyards evolved with shipbuilding technology playing a crucial role in maritime trade, warfare and exploration.  

The history of shipyards is also intertwined with the development of various shipbuilding materials including wood, iron, and steel as well as technological advancements like the steam engine and the introduction of dry docks.

Despite its ups and downs Sunderland had long been hailed as the largest shipbuilding town in the world.

The shipbuilding industry experienced a significant boom during World War 11 due to the increased demand for both naval and merchant ships, which were crucial for both the war effort and maintaining supply lines.   The demand spurred the mobilization of resources, including labour and industrial capacity leading to a rapid expansion of the industry.

While the industry has now declined, particularly in commercial shipbuilding, there are still active shipyards, including those involved in ship repairs and some new building projects.

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From Francis Kilvert    June 7th  1874 in Wiltshire

'Another glorious day of sunshine and unclouded blue.  But every day the drought grows drier and the predicted water famine is stealing upon us.  Every day the pasture grows whiter and more bare and slippery.....Later the warm soft night was laden with perfume and the sweet scent of the syringa.'

From Dorothy Wordsworth   June 9th  1802 in Westmorland

'A soaking all day rain.....The hawthorns on the mountains sides like orchards in blossom.'

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The Man from Middlesbrough

 

 

ordered another cup of tea,

lit another cigarette.

 

He held his head

in his history-stained hands,

nicotine fingers clutching

tufts of dirty grey hair.

He stared, not-seeing, at

the plastic tablecloth,

his mind numb.

 

His father, his grandfather,

worked in this shipyard

watched ships lovingly grow

from steel plates to proud traders,

built to sail from the Tees estuary,

into the North Sea

and the world’s great oceans.

 

In his head the man heard the noise,

music to him, of drag chains,

when a ship pushed along

the greasy slipway, slid into the sea.

And the man thought of his mates,

of shared experiences from school days,

first girlfriends, first kisses,

walks in the Cleveland hills.

And he thought of the old canteen,

warm with steam from the tea urn,

from brotherhood.

 

The man wiped his eyes

with the back of his hand,

 

ordered another cup of tea,

lit another cigarette.

 

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With very best wishes, Patricia

My new collection of poetry has now been published.  You can obtain a copy from Amazon.  Put the name:   Patrica Huth Ellis into Amazon and click and you will get there.

 

 

Camel

Saddlebags

 

Dear Reader

Nomadic saddlebags or Khorjins and heybes, have a rich history as essential tools for Nomadic tribes in the Middle East and Central Asia.

These double saddlebags were woven to carry a variety of goods, from personal belongings to supplies for the family's journey.  The bags were often woven by women on small portable looms, using materials like wool and goat's hair.  Various weaving techniques were employed including hand-knotted pile. plain weave (kilim) and soumac.  

Saddlebags were not just practical tools but also expressions of tribal identity and artistic skill, reflecting centuries-old weaving traditions.   The bags came in various sizes and styles, ranging from small pouches to larger handbags and saddlebags.  

Saddlebags were a common accessory used on horses in the 1800s particularly in rural and frontier areas. They were typically made of leather or canvas and designed to be hung over the horse's saddle to provide extra storage space for supplies and equipment.

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From Thomas Hardy  June 2nd  1865 in London

'Walked about by moonlight in the evening.  Wondered what woman, if any, I should be thinking about in five years' time.'

 

 

From Gilbert White   June 5th   1782 in Hampshire

'My brother Thomas White nailed up several large scallop shells under the eaves of his house at South Lambert, to see if the house-martins would build in them.  These conveniences had not been fixed up half an hour before several pairs settled upon them; expressing great complacency, began to build immediately.'

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Camel

 

The woman stares at me

into my rheumy eyes, my sad face

sees a dusty, dirty animal

mud sticking to my coat

my miserable tail hanging loose

my hooves cracked, hump matted.

 

 

But I want her to know

that this is not me.

I came from a land of warmth

of sun, of sand,

my Arab owner loved me

understood me

he spoke to me softly

he stoked my coat.

He rode on my back

Kelim rugs hugging my haunches

water in large panniers

strung to my side.

We rode to oases, to Petra Rose,

he was my friend

I weep for the want of him.

 

The woman walks away

but something glistens on her cheek.

 

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My book of poetry BETRAYAL has been published on Amazon.  If you would like a copy  just put:

Patricia Huth Ellis  into Amazon and there it will be.  It is to be my last book since the muse seems to have left me.

 

My partner Prof Alan Harrison is working on a large A I website at  https://www.alanfharrisonandai.com/

I know less than nothing about AI and found it very interesting; you might too.

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With very best wishes, as always, Patricia