Magpie haiga

a magpie preens

on a chimney pot -

a sudden breeze

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collage made from waste paper and found magpie feather

What does home mean to you?

From film festivals to football tournaments, comedy nights to carnivals, exhibitions, workshops, parties and much, much more, Refugee Week Scotland (15-21 June 2009) is an exciting programme of events happening across the country to celebrate diversity and raise awareness of refugee issues.

This year the theme of Refugee Week is HOME. For many refugees and asylum seekers, a new home in Scotland means safety from persecution and a life without fear. But what does home mean to you?

For me a large part of what home means to me relates to the natural environment. When I was a child, our garden was as important a part of what home meant as was our house. Now I've moved to a different city, the landscape and wildlife in and around Edinburgh mean home to me. When I lived in Malawi for a couple of years, the birds and the lake were as much a vital part of being there as were the students I taught, the friends I made and the colleagues I worked with. When I returned to the UK, I was returning home to the greenery and the familiar birds as much as to friends and family.

Now as I look up into the sky and see the swifts, enjoying their summer home, I know that if there ever comes a summer when they're not there, I will feel as though I've lost a vital part of my home.

Home for Refugee Week

What does home mean to you?
If you're in Scotland and want to include your thoughts on home on your blog, please include the first two paragraphs of this post and link to Refugee Week Scotland 09.

Summer Haiku

There are often discussions about whether Summer starts at the beginning of June or on the summer solstice or whenever your local wildife tells you that summer has arrived in your locality. Well, according to the Summer Haiku blog, summer started on 1 June and there is already an excellent array of haiku there, including one of mine here.

Think of the Environment when you vote in the European Elections

Just a reminder to all European readers of this blog to vote in the elections and think of the environment as you do so!

The Grocer's Son

This is a beautiful, thoughtful and gently humourous film shot in the mountains of France. The story revolves around Antoine, a surly young man who has left his rural home to go to the city but who returns reluctantly when his father becomes ill. Antoine takes over his father's mobile grocery but is rude to customers left right and centre. However, helped by his friend Claire, he soon begins to improve his customer care skills....

The scenery is wonderful and the film touches on issues of rural depopulation and the difficulties of maintaining successful businesses in rural areas, without ever becoming preachy or overloaded with issues. It also nicely promotes the use of mobile community services and shows how a mobile shop has the potential to be so much more than that to its customers.

The Grocers Son is showing in selected cinemas in the UK.

Haiku on the Water of Leith

As some readers will have seen, I've started a scrapbook of poetry collages. Well now I've started a second, specifically to include haiga (illustrated haiku) and other poetry (with or without collages) inspired by the Water of Leith. I'm aiming to write a haiku every time I patrol the river and to illustrate them where possible using my own sketches and found material from the Water of Leith walkways. The book itself (bought second hand) has a cover that could be designed for riverside walks!

The first haiga in the book is actually based on a haiku that was originally part of a haibun that I shared here, but the elm fruits in the haiga were collected from the Water of Leith yesterday.

Transitions in Nature and Interesting Bird Behaviour

fallen tree being colonised by rosebay willow herb and other plants
sycamore tree - dying flowers under developing 'keys' (fruit) click on the photo to see more detail

a coal tit rips through elm fruits looking for insects.....

gnats above the river - a chaffinch behaves like a flycatcher

along the Water of Leith

and wow, on the way home, a swallow swoops in front of me as I cross a city centre car park!