Yesterday over thirty people gathered at the Richard Jefferies/Alfred Williams Memorial Stone at Burderop Downs to pay tribute to the writers as part of the Swindon Literary Festival celebrations.
A sky-lark singing in the background, the breeze, the setting and the ambience made the event special to remember.
The Swindon Advertiser recorded the occasion as follows:
2 comments:
earth lovers by Tony Hillier
thirty folk
rise above the breeze
float indeed on the breeze
the free breeze of free words
Williams’ words
Jefferies’ words
sliding the Barbury slopes
singing around the Stone
the Memorial Stone
the Writers’ Stone
earth lovers
writers now
listening to the festive larks
FROM BURDEROP DOWN TO HODSON - TIME WARP by Wendy Gilford
From Burderop Down stone readings I descend
Through fields of yellow rape and spring green wheat.
Then prompted by old memories of my childhood days
I turn into a narrow lane to Hodson - almost unchanged.
The old thatched cottages nestling in shady dells
With primroses peeping through lush grass and bluebells -
In what remains of Hodson Wood - rudely, crudely cut in two
By the mad M4 motorway.
Jefferies' fond writings about life around Coate long ago
Gives a bitter-sweet view of long lost tranquillity.
At least I also knew how it was
Fifty years ago - peaceful and slow.
My soul set free in field and hedgerow,
Woods and sky - watching sun through traceries of leaves
And clouds of butteflies floating on warm summer air.
Then on to Liddington castle - the familiar clump of trees
Surrounded on all sides by alien crops of rape and wheat -
Oh! for the unploughed sheep downs of years gone by
With cowslip carpets and mushroom rings.
At least the trees are still intact
Just as I remember seeing them from afar
From my bedroom window when I was a child.
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