100th Water Story ~ January 2023

We realised it was three whole years since we had gathered on the barge... how appropriate to be back there again for our 100th celebration, albeit poignantly with some precious members too ill to come and some challenging diagnoses swilling about among the (mostly alcohol free) mulled wine. 

Oh yes, there was writing as well as feasting!

I really love this pic where Cap’n Bev is telling stories as usual, Helen’s wondering what on earth she’s on about, Angie is planning something evil and John, May and Pat’s bums are really starting to feel the cold!

Huge thanks to Navvies' Barge for hosting us; the barge is looking wonderful.

Thanks to funders

Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's "Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund" (managed by Impact Funding Partners).

Water Story 21st October 2022 ~ Luss & Inchcailloch

Sea Lines

This was our theme today with Cap'n Bev hunting out a number of prompts from sea poems (courtesy of the anthology "Poems of the Sea"). We had the splendid factual commentary by Archie Waters as we travelled around Luss and the islands weaving magic from the lyrical inspiration of the lines of famous poets (see below).

one port, methought, I like they sought ~ clough

lies a calm along the deep ~ goethe

past the houses, past the headlands ~ dickinson

the beacon in the storm ~ hugo

the masts with all their rigging ~ longfellow

the winged galley flies ~ pope

far as the breeze can bear ~ byron

this is the end of the whaleroad ~ lowell

break at the foot of thy crags ~ tennyson

desolate shores with  mighty swell ~ keats

uplifted, and secure with beaked prow ~ milton

before him only shoreless seas ~ miller

moorings, the bleaching quay, the heat ~ merwin

a tall ship and a star to steer her by ~ masefield

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And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

"A tall ship and a star to steer her by"

by Debbie Macrae 

She stood at the bow of the ship.

All others behind her,

aiding her mission, 

awaiting her command. 

She had to be the Captain. 

She knew she mustn’t fail,

as the tall ship set sail.  

Being at the helm steadied her,

empowered her. 

She took calming breaths of sea air 

and became the compass,

steering the ship towards her star - 

her one true guiding light

Ready to fight

the monsters from the deep. 

As she navigated the dark waters,

the brilliant luminescence from the star above,

gave her focus and purpose.

The surface

of the water, glistened in the starlight,

reflecting her determination

to sail on unscathed into another day. 

“break at the foot of thy crags” ~ Tennyson

by Cap’n Bev

How to sail my sweet yacht 

on waves of otherworldliness

how to tug at the stays

slacken sails when the blow is too strong

how to watch for the swell

the lift and the roll that are not my control.

All that's for me is to sail this live sea

for good and for bad 

just to be surely afloat on my own tiny boat

 and not break at the foot of the crags.

Pulp and Perpetuity

by Cap'n Bev 

(this new poem was used to introduce the session, encouraging all to keep questioning rather than fixing on answers)

The pen presses down in pulp and perpetuity

commits new truth to strident strokes of black and white

yet even as I write the verity evolves

to new and different understanding

mutates to something else quite inconceivable.

Who are these that lay down law?

In tablet and in tome, perception pinned to fact

an attempt to hunt down truth

end its movement

eat its organs

stretch its hide on tenterhooks

let it dry to brittle parchment on which they write...

the story!

how fast and ferocious was this animal

how powerful the hunter who caught and slaughtered it

ate its heart and meat till they were full, replete

and stronger all the more because they know the animal

know it all

Around the fireside

the children feel their bubbling questions burst unanswered

find no pause to ask about the beast

was it beautiful

what did it eat, could we eat the same

how magnificent was its movement

and when you looked it in the eye

could you find the question

to which our answers are all blind?

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Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

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Thanks to funders

Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's "Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund" (managed by Impact Funding Partners) and, of course, Cruise Loch Lomond.

Water Story 7th October 2022 ~ Tarbet to Inversnaid

With waves of flu assailing our regular crew we had a very small turnout today, valiantly arriving at Tarbet pier even as Glasgow disappeared in a deluge of rain. Within minutes of our departure the sun came out... as is always the way with Water Story!

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Our focus today, in the sloppy wake of presidential disaster, was POWER.

And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

Well nothing has come in as yet but as we prepare for the xmas perty on the canal Maggie has reminded us of this:

'Oh the Crinnan Canal for me;

I don't like the wild raging sea!

T' would be too terrific to sail the Pacific

Or sail to japan or Figi - 

 

 I don't fancy leaving my bones

in a locker beside Davy Jones!

The big foaming breakers would give me the shakers -

the Crinan Canal for me. 

The Crinan Canal for me;

from sea terrors there you are free

There's no shark or whale that would make you turn tail

or quiver or quake at the knee.

Aye, the Crinan canal for me 

it's neither too big or too wee

You can sit in its locks while you're darning your socks,

or drinking a nice cup of tea...'

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Thanks to funders

Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's "Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund" (managed by Impact Funding Partners) and, of course, Cruise Loch Lomond.

Water Story 12th August 2022 on Loch Lomond

Only pictures can describe the day we had on the water thanks to Cruise Loch Lomond

Many thanks for the photos Deb!

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And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

lets be having it sweeties!

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Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

Thanks to funders

Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's "Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund" (managed by Impact Funding Partners) and, of course, Cruise Loch Lomond.

Noren Haq Water Story 26th Febrary 2022

Noren’s session was a gift for our hardworking writers with some sound advice to some of the shining stars who are heading into the rough waters of the publishing world. She focused on her experience of three common problems that writers face:

• the pressure to write perfectly
• lack of confidence
• isolation that often makes writing more daunting.

 

"Finding a writing community is vital to keep you going when things get difficult. There are many ways of doing this via writing groups and events." Here are some links offering advice and support that Noren has found helpful during her writing journey:

Screenwriter Sarah Dollard on writing:

"Write. Write every day, in one way or another. If you don’t love writing, then choose another dream. Sometimes writing is hard. Sometimes it’s the worst and you hate it and you hate yourself, and you think you should probably stop for the good of all humanity and maybe make cabinets instead because at least cabinets are useful. Those feelings are normal, don’t worry. But if you go through all that guff and still wake up the next day and love writing all over again, then you’re a writer. Congratulations/commiserations."

Taken from:  BBC Blogs - BBC Writersroom - "My dream is to be a screenwriter (especially for Doctor Who). Do you have any advice?" Yes it turns out I do.

Glasgow Women’s Library is an amazing place that provides generous support to writers. Here’s a link to their events and learning opportunities page:

Events | Glasgow Women's Library (womenslibrary.org.uk)

Writing a play? Find support at:

https://www.playwrightsstudio.co.uk/support-for-playwrights.aspx

NaNoWriMo is a wonderful thing to help and encourage you to get your novel written:

Welcome | NaNoWriMo

Twitter is a brilliant place to connect with other writers and find new opportunities, competitions and mentorship programmes. It is also a great place for joining in writing prompts. 

The following writing prompts used in the session were taken from @MirandaKeeling

1) Man on the bus: I’ve just missed my stop. What an idiot.

Woman: That’s nothing. I once got off the plane in the wrong country.

2) Woman in a bar: The restaurant sacked me today.

Man: Why?

Woman: I dropped a pizza. Face down. From a spiral staircase. Onto a bald man’s head.

3) A green-coat-wearing woman at a bus stop shoots an imaginary, two-fingered gun, twirls it and puts it back into an imaginary holster.

‘where’s ma pizza’

by Kay Ritchie

my stomach cramps

my head thumps

rap   reggae   hip hop

as I hop over handbags

negotiate chairs

answer cheek

then this idiot

bald as a coot

hoots up the stairs

‘where the fuck’s ma pizza’

and his table cheer & 

I think ‘spill a beer down his front’

instead, before I even get there

I’ve tripped   ripped my shoe &

tipped a pizza   

cheese-sizzling 

chilli-scalding 

spin-spiralling 

down the spiral stair

down onto his head

where there once grew hair &

I can’t repeat what he said

or what I said

but all I know is 

I’m now unemployed

my stomach still cramps &

my head still thumps

 

Thanks to funders

Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Scottish Book Trust,
Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's "Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund" (managed by Impact Funding Partners).

Lorna Hill Water Story 12th February 2022

Lorna's session today was a memorable lesson in self care that cast us into the weekend on a warm sea of calm. Her RAW method calls us to

Read     Assess and be Aware     Write

Here prompt for the writing session was: 

Write about something you want to do 

and describe what it is and how it makes you feel

 

María Sabina

She drew on the wisdom of Mexican healer and poet Maria Sabina who would, I believe, have thoroughly approved:  

You are the medicine

Cure yourself with the light of the sun and the rays of the moon.

With the sound of the river and the waterfall.

With the swaying of the sea and the fluttering of birds.

Heal yourself with mint, with neem and eucalyptus.

Sweeten yourself with lavender, rosemary, and chamomile.

Hug yourself with the cocoa bean and a touch of cinnamon.

Put love in tea instead of sugar, and take it looking at the stars.

Heal yourself with the kisses that the wind gives you and the hugs of the rain.

Get strong with bare feet on the ground and with everything that is born from it.

Get smarter every day by listening to your intuition, looking at the world with the eye of your forehead.

Jump, dance, sing, so that you live happier.

Heal yourself, with beautiful love, and always remember: you are the medicine.

You can find more of this "Hot Soul Soup" and the Caribbean Housewife

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SHARING RESOURCES:

Among the sharing and feedback today there were some several recommendations:

Giovanna's website has audio 

Lynnda: Am listening to a wonderful book by Irish author Sinead Gleeson - 'Constellations'  Essays about the body - her experience of chronic pain, giving birth, cutting hair, having cancer and this poem 

Doreen and Lynnda recommended free courses at WEA Scotland

And as Lorna's prompt took many of us out for a cycle Lynnda suggested that the more wobbly among us might benefit from Free Wheel North

All of our guests in this series are in the process of contributing to the Lapidus Scotland Toolkit; do feel free to use this free resource either for your own practice or in group work.

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Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

Catrice: Good morning, everyone! 🌿🌷🌿🌳

Karen: Hello lovely people

Lorna Hill: Good morning Catrice!

Kay: good morning catrice    lovely to see you  kx

Catrice: Hi Jo!!!

Catrice: Sheila 💚

Lynnda: Sounds like amazing therapy Sheila : )

Doreen: What do the A and W stand for in R.A.W. if R = Read? Please.

Lorna Hill: Read, Assess and aware and write

Lorna Hill: Write about something you want to do and describe what it is and how it makes you feel

Lorna Hill: Patricia let me know if this makes sense

Bev: nest in my chest!

Karen: That’s not depressing, it’s uplifting!

Lynnda: So good to have that experience and to have that feeling to hold onto Giovanna!

Doreen: I agree with Aileen

Bev: https: //giovannamackenna.com/

Catrice: Such peace Sheila.

Giovanna: “let the ashes of me loose” and how you continued the fire images in this

Lynnda: I want lose the parts of me that have done their job - such a powerful line

Bev Schofield: my head says no! diet, my tum says yum yum yum, between them my heart groans "oh good grief, not this again"

Lynnda: Am listening to a wonderful book by Irish author Sinead Gleeson - 'Constellations'  Essays about the body - her experience of chronic pain, giving birth, cutting hair, having cancer and this poem reminded me of these - such beautiful embodied writing

Catrice: Thank you, Lynnda.  I must check that out too.  Thanks for sharing this suggestion.

Doreen: I have just remember breakfast. Sorry

Lynnda: I love Aldis. Go in to buy carrots and come home with a cat play apparatus and I don't even have a cat!!

Catrice: Lol!

Giovanna: 😂

Aileen Paterson: yeah I can't go to Aldi's for that reason

Giovanna: that’s the best bit!

Giovanna: “I want to switch off the past” ❤️

Giovanna: “I want to live like today is the only moment I have in this world”

Lynnda: I want to find Patricia, who I am and where I'm going - so powerful xx

Aileen Paterson: beautiful

Catrice: So beautiful.  Heartfelt.

Lynnda: I heard a manifesto too!

Lynnda: A declaration!

Bev Schofield: https: //www.wea.org.uk/

Lynnda: https: //www.weascotland.org.uk/Project/creative-writing

Doreen: I might want to share but I felt that I was too brave last time and my piece didn't fulfil Kenneth's task. Also I wrote for longer than 7 minutes this time, it just kept flowing.

Lynnda: So great! I have just recently re-discovered cycling!!

Lorna Hill: Great thanks Lynnda

Lynnda: https: //www.freewheelnorth.org.uk/led-rides

Giovanna: So much generosity and loving observation of others in there Doreen, just beautiful. I hope you are able to give as much kindness to yourself in some way. ❤️

Karen: So heartfelt and moving. Thankyou for sharing x

Louise: Lovely gentle morning of self care in words and care for others in support - thank you Lorna

Lynnda: I loved the way they are shocked to be outside!!

Catrice: “Salt splashing my lips”. — Loved that line - Lesley!

Giovanna: “I want to just be me again, now” ❤️

Kay: what a wonderful session today   thankyou lorna and thankyou to everyone for sharing so generously   kx

Doreen: 🥰

Giovanna: Huge thanks to Bev, Lorna, and everyone for the generosity, support and inspiration I’ve found here today. 🥰

Sheila Buchanan: Thanks for everyone exposing truth and honesty and commonality of lives.

Doreen: Lovely Aileen. I feel so calm now

Giovanna: “earth scents and green things growing” another for the collection Aileen

Catrice: What an inspiring piece, Aileen.

Lorna Hill: https: //thecaribbeanhousewife.com/you-are-the-medicine/

Doreen: 🥰

Lesley O'Brien: loved that Aileen..'trees beneath my fingertips' and the image of your cat curled up beside you. x

Patricia: Thank you for having me today. I really appreciate everyone and I want you all to know that I feel happy to be part of the amazing ladies. I am moved by everyone's story and you gave me a feeling I thought I lost for a long time. Thank you!

Lynnda: Such a healing poem … Thank you everyone - such an encouraging, uplifting session! I found hope and joy in this time with you all. Came into the room feeling a bit sad today but have cheered up considerably!! Thanks Lorna for holding the space so wonderfully well

Giovanna: It was wonderful to hear you Patricia, I hope to find you hear again

Jo Beth Gray: Thank you lorna and thank you everyone.

Yvonne: Thank you all for sharing - you’ve all given me the courage to share today and that has given me strength  love to all xxx

Jo: Thanks all, especially Bev and Lorna,

Doreen: Thank you

Karen: Wonderful morning. Thank you all so much 💖

Sheila Buchanan: Thanks Lorna and everyone

 

Thanks to funders

Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Scottish Book Trust,
Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's "Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund" (managed by Impact Funding Partners).

 

Kenneth Steven Water Story 29th Jan 2022

The gentle voice of Kenneth Steven led us through a winter morning. As storms battered the west coast of Scotland, winds of up to 80mph howling about our rooves, we sank ever more contemplatively into the minute detail of life, the simplicity of being.

From his poem "Winter Light" he prompted some timed writing with

writing through the dark

and what astonishing insights came out of the shared writing.

Huge thanks to Ken and our other facilitators will be contributing to the 

Lapidus Scotland Toolkit  

Please feel free to use the wealth of experience shared free on this website if you are ever gathering a group of writers.

You can keep abreast of Ken's publications at his website

kennethsteven.co.uk

The BBC regularly repeats episodes that he has made or contributed to and you can immerse yourself in Scotland (or the arctic!) with that voice any time by searching the BBC Sounds. Unfortunately the 

Something Understood: The Poetry of Healing episode is no longer available but try the link - I'm sure it will probably be available again as they are all regularly repeated.

NB: searching on Google, for "Kenneth Steven BBC" for example, will often yield more comprehensive results than searching on the BBC Sounds app or website - curious!

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And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

inspired by Kenneth Steven’s Winter Light

by Kay Ritchie

still white headed

these black headed gulls cause chaos

their Busby Berkeley routines terrorise the swans

through the yellow-framed window 

by Kay Ritchie

through the yellow-framed window

I swipe-wipe memories

as if steam on my bathroom mirror

outside   thrawn

a temperamental storm thrashes branches

all leaves gone

a golden sodden bed    re-made

beneath stark trunks

and yet

grey clouds reveal blue sky &

I am given hope

as snow white snowdrops clump   sway &

promise brighter days

Economy

by Helen Elsley

I notice a shadow on the cauliflower

sat a day too long in my fridge

but longing for soup

I take the knife to trim

away a little grey

a crumble from the floret

then another 

and suddenly I am shaving it smooth

whittling it to a snowball

carving out cream

Forsythia

by Helen Elsley

A straggle of twigs

their spindly tips flick

with the wind

lighter than the brown

background wash 

curving towards me

in reproach

that the autumn work

was not done

years of neglected pruning

made this wispy

bunch of broomstraws

grown tall enough 

to lean over 

and drily tap my window

don’t forget

I am the Easter tree

I will surprise you soon.

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Thanks to Kenneth Steven and to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

Catrice: Thank you, Lorna!  💚

Giovanna:😆

Doreen Kelly: 😒

Catrice Greer: Thank you, all.

Lorna: Thank you for a lovely session!

Giovanna: Wonderful morning, huge thanks Bev and Kenneth

Bonbon: Thank you Kenneth, Bev and all…..a wonderful morning x

Jo: Hear hear, Giovanna

Angie: Thank you.  I have found the workshop inspiring, enjoyable and beneficial.

Kay: thankyou so much for a terrific and inspirational workshop  kx

Jo Beth: Thank you!

Giovanna: Where can we find that programme?

Lou: see you later Kenneth on our celebration journey of the simple small focus - so lovely thank you

 

Thanks to funders

Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Scottish Book Trust,
Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's "Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund" (managed by Impact Funding Partners).