Best known for A Shropshire Lad, the poems of AE Housman reflect the dooms and disappointments of youth in the English countryside. Popular throughout the Victorian and Edwardian periods running up to the Great War, this two stanza poem by Housman transitions from first romantic love to death and grief, followed by hope and new love. It was his simplicity of style that appealed, and his nostalgic nature settings.
Here is the first verse.
‘Along the field as we came by
A year ago, my love and I,
The aspen over stile and stone
Was talking to itself alone.
‘Oh, who are these that kiss and pass?
A country lover and his lass;
Two lovers looking to be wed;
And time shall put them both to bed,
But she shall lie with earth above,
And he beside another love.’
‘The Picador Book of Funeral Poems’ ed. by Don Paterson [UK: Picador]
Read these other excerpts, and perhaps find a new poet to love:-
‘Cloughton Wyke I’ by John Wedgwood Clarke
‘Elegy’ by Carol Ann Duffy
‘Sometimes and After’ by Hilda Doolittle
And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
A #poem to read in the bath: ‘Along the field as we came by’ by AE Housman https://wp.me/p5gEM4-3dN via @SandraDanby
“I first read it when I was about fifteen. I have always loved westerns, but this is probably the best western I have ever read. I bought it because I like the author’s style and stories. He is above all a great storyteller. I bought it in the winter and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a great sense of ‘place’ with writing truly evocative of a cold, frozen climate. I read it every winter and never tire of it. It would in reality be strange to read it in the summer.
The plot: “King Mabry, an aging gunfighter and cattleman, is travelling to Cheyenne across frozen wastes and is being hunted for what he knows and the gold he is carrying. Thwarting his pursuer, he comes across a troupe of players (being led astray by outlaws), he is attracted to one of troupe and returning to help against his better judgement, tracks them and tries to help. Wounded, he is aided by one of the troupe who escapes. Travelling together they fight Indians, the weather and finally the outlaws in a tense action filled showdown. It is a perfect story of relationships, growth of spirit, survival and romance.”
Rupert Brett is back and it is 1995, with the property markets raging and the Sub-Prime madness just beginning. The Irish Sea, a shipment of drugs is intercepted, the IRA lose the cocaine and their most feared enforcer, Tir Brennan, is captured. Deauville, a wealthy French aristocrat has a terrible accident with far reaching consequences. Bogota, the head of the old drug cartels is dead and Ballesteros is now running new routes to the US and beyond. The events are all linked and somehow drugs are being smuggled with impunity across the globe. With a source originating in Palm Beach, US, Rupert Brett is again asked to go undercover, with SAS Sergeant Chris Adams as protection. They must find out how the drugs are being smuggled into the corporate world of property, polo and high finance. The answers run deeper than either could imagine and a dangerous former nemesis returns, throwing their lives into turmoil.
Song of the Robin is a tale of destiny and love, tragedy and joy. The story of a young woman’s weeklong struggle for survival amidst whispered voices, unsettling dreams and disturbing visions.
“I don’t read it often, probably once every five or six years, the last time about three years ago. I remember being surprised at how dated some of the dialogue came across, but it was written in the early ‘70s! Even so, I still enjoyed it. There are no particular circumstances that prompt me to read it, but, unusually for me, once in a while I like to go back to it: I know I’m going to love it, and I’ve usually forgotten enough to be surprised. I have bought this book as a present more than any other.
Martin Gates left the village fifteen years ago because he didn’t belong any more. Now he’s back, and looking for answers. The problem is, no one wants to hear his questions. Well, maybe Tanya McLean, but she has an ulterior motive and her husband won’t like it. In the meantime, a horrific accident leaves a farm worker fighting for his life; a brutal killing triggers a police investigation; and even the locals are falling out amongst themselves. Is Martin’s arrival more than a coincidence? Do the villagers really want reminding of the past? And why are ravens gathering in Sherwood Forest?
“We used to foster children, and 
It’s about an American woman in her thirties who decides her perfectly normal life is unfulfilling and leaves her husband and home to find herself abroad, travelling to Italy to find love in food, to India for enlightenment, and to Bali for love and peace. I re-read it, or at least parts of it, at least once a year. It’s one of those books where you feel as if you’re reading your own thoughts. There’s a real comfort in reading again how Elizabeth overcame her challenges. I also love the way she uses language so I get a double-whammy of the feel-good factor every time I delve back in.
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