No need to hurry
"It is on these walks that I invent stories, ponder and dream, maybe rehearse the stories aloud or hum along a remembered song, no one can hear me down hear, only the ducks and heron." Award-winning author and playwright Michael Morpurgo invites us to accompany him on a walk in his local neighbourhood. We learn that it is a daily walk that he has taken for more than 50 years, that has carried him into his 80s and he hopes will carry him into his 90s, as he says he still has so much to do. If you are able and not 'geo-blocked' you can listen to Michael and the gorgeously rich soundscape (thanks to Andy Fell and other nature) on the most recent episode of BBC Radio 4's 'A Point of View'.
A Point of View is a weekly short essay usually written by a UK celebrity and recorded in a studio, so this episode is an exception, taking you out into the semi-rural neighbourhood close to the River Torridge in Devon. The river itself made famous by another author, this time Henry Williamson, who in the 1920s penned 'Tarka the otter'.
Tarka the otter was a book I was once given as a child at Christmas - I didn't have it for long as my elder sister snatched it from me. Who needs sisters like that?
What books will be exchanged this Christmas? What's on your wish list? I also associate Christmas with walks. There is always a walk, whether to church, to the newsagent, or to a local shop, but there's one for working up an appetite, and there is sure to be one for working off the pudding and all those trimmings. Often there walks in the company of family, some of whom you haven't seen (or haven't wanted to see) for several months, if not for a whole year. They could be walks in places that bring back childhood memories or they could be in unfamiliar places, but they will prompt lots of thoughts and stories. That's the beauty of walking.....
As the end of the year draws near, reflecting on what's happened over the last 12 months, I always regret that I haven't kept a diary. Not that I would have the discipline of making writing a daily habit, but at least some aide memoire of the highlights of the year, the routes walked, the places visited, the books read, the movies watched.... there's hope in 2024 as Nicky Torode has devised a workshop-cum-walk for everyone to try their hand at keeping a regular journal. Join her for Outlines on Friday 5th January.
Wishing Season's greetings, Andrew
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Co-founder of walk · listen · create
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Free for supporting members, open to everyone
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09 Jan · Tue · 19:00 (UTC)
· Online
Meet the authors who are writing about walking and the landscapes through which we walk, at walk · listen · create’s Walking Writers Salons. We start the new year i... Keep reading
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New walking pieces
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Soundwalkscapes December
The FINAL WORK in this year-long project!
My rule was to take a walk on the first Monday of every month in 2023. In December I walked Cen... Keep reading
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Upcoming events
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24 Dec · Sun · 20:45 (UTC)
· Preston, Maryland, USA
Join us for a three and a half mile sunset walk on the former plantation where Harriet Tubman rescued her three brothers from bondage. At the end of the walk, lante... Keep reading
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From our network
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Compilation aquatique
Bassins Versants, l’oreille fluante
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Day 174 - Surveillance and 4.8 km drawing.Lamellae and 1.3 km drawing. Keep reading
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Le paysage est aussi sonore, en tout cas fondamentalement multisensoriel. iI s’écoute autant qu’il se regarde, se touche, se sent, se ressent…Le sonore est aussi pa... Keep reading
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Fictions de la forêt – Huit cartes postales sonores, forêt de la Double (Libournais) Cliquez pour écouter Carte postale sonore N°1 Carte postale sonore N°2 Carte po... Keep reading
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A Sound Walk around the boundary of Camallera town in Cataluna Keep reading
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Stuff we found
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A walk threading through the city follows in the footsteps of the Yorkist king vanquished in 1485, whose remains were found – beneath a car park – in 2012 Source: W... Keep reading
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