Corstorphine Sycamore

The Lord of Corstorphine, a drunken philanderer
neglected the family estates,
flew into a rage and attacked his love
with a sword that she wrested from him.
She killed him and fled
but was caught and hung
dressed in a hood of white.

White Lady wailing, haunted Corstorphine’s sycamore,
blood on the blade of the sword
with which she had slain her lord.
She wailed with the wind on Boxing Day Night,
the night of the terrible storm.
Four hundred years of tree and ghost
brought to a splintering end.

There was no treasure at the roots of the tree
but the wood was dried and preserved.
In the hands of a craftsman, the legend restored
took the shape of a violin.
On moonlit nights, when the fiddler plays
the white lady wails once more
and the sycamore lives again.

Festival of the Trees is up

Festival of the Trees 28 is up at Arboreality and it focuses on Art and Trees and includes one of my recent posts.

Festival of the Trees is up

The latest Festival of the Trees is up at Exploring the World of Trees. You can browse it here. It includes Gordon Mason's poem L'Etang, Mougins, which featured on Bolts of Silk in August.

Festival of the Trees

This months Festival of the Trees is now up at Via Negativa. Why not pop over and browse! It includes Sue Turner's poem Echoes from Tomorrow as posted in Bolts of Silk.

Festival of the Trees

Festival of the Trees is now up at Words and Pictures . It includes my haiku and painting of a dead tree in Malawi.

Dead Tree

Another painting from the archives! This is an oil painting I did when I was in Malawi. There seemed to be lots of dead trees everywhere in southern Malawi....

dead tree

stark against cloudy sky -

distant thunder

Stormy Weather - Trees

Edinburgh has had terrible weather the past few days, constant rain and gale force winds. In the middle of the Botanic Gardens:

tree torn up in storm

fallen across the pathway -

robinsong.

Trees have also been uprooted along the Water of Leith that runs through Edinburgh. Hopefully some of the dead stumps and branches will be left to grow fungi, lichen and moss. Hopefully one day I'll get some good photos of lichen and fungi, because there are some beautiful examples along our woodland, riverside walks.

Save the Children's Festival of Trees

This year, Save the Children's Festival of Trees is being held in Glasgow for the very first time, in the newly refurbished Main Hall of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The event centres on uniquely designed Christmas trees, created by some of the best contemporary designers and decorated with sought-after gifts. In contrast to the trees created by famous names and brands, one special tree was created, with support from the Glasgow office of Ernst & Young, by children and young people who are involved in Save the Children's projects in Glasgow. It is 'The Glasgow Tree' and every penny raised from the auction of this Tree will be spent by Save the Children on children's projects in the city.


Event details here: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/scuk/jsp/resources/details.jsp?id=4321&group=getinvolved§ion=event&subsection=details

News item in Herald: http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/75790.html

Festival of the Trees Blog Carnival

I am delighted that my poem Corstorphine Sycamore, has been included in this month's Festival of the Trees Blog Carnival, hosted by Hoarded Ordinaries. Go along and check out the wealth of material about trees - poetry, photos and articles - posted by bloggers around the world!