This is my own edit of an appearance I made on Radio Scilly last month. I've been a frequent visitor to the islands for twenty-five years, and they feature a lot in my work.

Linda Thomas is Scilly's estimable librarian, and it's great to be able to give her this shout-out as she's been a real champion of my work for several years now. The show itself was a blast (although you may not get that f...

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For Gwen, Anne and Eryl

In that happy heady grass-green Spring of my years

A time of lambent lamb slow lamb full days around a whited cottage

Lent us space and ease beneath the sun long sky

Golden glorious hours together in a single thought

With close chicken scrape and distant herd

When the swallows dipped to the fly buzz

When the kite climbed to a gliding speck

     ...

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I heard 'King Arthur' on the 'mike'

In a place that they called Orgreave

Fronting Miners out on strike

Urging them all to 'Believe'

He told them it was "Coal not Dole"

Said Thatcher was a clown

And every Miner has a role

To take the Tories down

From Notts. and Derby and the Met

Cleveland, Avon and Somerset

After their luncheons

Drew their truncheons

On...

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Jack Frost silvering the grass,

Crunching underfoot like glass,

Adding to a rider's woes,

Freezing fingers, numbing toes.

Steaming horses tread with care,

Warm breath misting in the air;

In line across a windswept hill

Where their master waits until -

In the gloom they surge and fade,

Strengths and weaknesses displayed,

Ghosts beneath a leade...

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