BurnedThumb

Website of poet Elizabeth Rimmer

Putting the garden to bed

The cuttings are tucked up in the greenhoouse

I planted the garlic. It’s very early, because of last year’s frost. Imeant to do it towards the end of November, and around the sixteenth the cold started and the ground froze solid until the end of January, and the green shoots are up already.

The patio is swept, the summer bedding is gone and the bulbs are all planted.

And the winter jasmine has begun to flower.

There’s a little more to do before the real bad weather starts, but already my mind is moving indoors and I’m thinking about making over the web-sites, the study programme for next year, and new ventures in poetry.

One thing I’m thinking, though, and that is that I’m going to delete the Lúcháir web-site. There will still be a page for it on the burnedthumb site,and here, and the core of the project goes on. The lúcháir way of thinking, living and writing is as important as ever, but the project never quite gelled as I had hoped.

This is because I don’t work or write quite the way I had always imagined I would. I love to meet people and explore what they are doing and learn from them, but essentially my creativity comes from solitude. It’s not just finding peace and quiet, or escaping from distracting responsibilities – it’s the way I process what I learn and turn it into poetry.

Kenneth White has a phrase which resonates with me just now. “Poet, use well, the winter”. I plan to.


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7 responses to “Putting the garden to bed”

  1. Floss Avatar

    Good to see your garden, and to read your thoughts on how you work. The final quote is fantastic and one I’d like to take to heart too, although having written three poems(since your Poetry Reading at the Festival) I can’t really claim the title of ‘poet’. I still intend to use well the winter. Thanks.

  2. withoutwordswouldyouknow Avatar

    yes.
    i too find the long nights full of inspiration..more books are read, there seems to be more time to explore new music, craft projects get the time they deserve and the writing bursts forth.
    my favourite time of year.

  3. Elizabeth Rimmer Avatar

    Wow! I’m really thrilled that you have started writing.It’s one of the most satisfying things you can do, I think. I hope you keep it up.

  4. Elizabeth Rimmer Avatar

    Nice to meet you – ‘Without words’ you have a really interesting blog there!

  5. bythewobblydumdumtree Avatar

    I need to tidy my garden for winter too – though I must confess I like it a little wild! I shall miss your blog here, but good luck with the winter writing.

  6. Elizabeth Rimmer Avatar

    You will still be able to access the blog via the burnedthumb site, or blogger or networkedblogs – it’s just the Lúcháir site that’s going!

  7. Nat Hall Avatar

    Brilliant read, E 🙂

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