The Salmon leap on the river dee,
known as the bridge of Feugh,
where the water flows and tumbles,
and the salmon make the jump.
Heading onwards upstream,
towards their nurseries,
up in the cairngorms park,
where the water’s cool and clean.
A pristine nature park,
if your ever up that way,
head through the dee valley,
take a trip to bridge of Feugh,
where the salmon leap,
and the view is great…
Large and small,
famous and humble,
safe refuge from weather,
a place to recharge.
Harbor is a safe place,
refuge from the storm,
start of new adventures,
at sea and on land.
No finer sight than the breakwater,
home is in sight,
then after two days,
head back out again.
A life spent at sea,
the ultimate mistress,
through good times and bad,
she entices you back.
Safe harbor an oasis,
a center of calm…
Sunny days and golden rays,
shine down the dee valley,
the river flowing to the sea,
narrow, rough and rapid.
Salmon there they leap and climb,
life born in the dee valley.
A microclimate full of grace,
sheltered from the wind and rain,
hidden jewel of Scotland.
If you ever visit my home land,
make sure you travel there,
to the heartland of the North East,
the Dee Valley paradise.
Hot and humid in July,
cold and windy in December,
one thing we can always trust,
the ever changing face of the weather.
It can make or break the day,
vacations spent underneath umbrella,
or in hot golden sunshine,
the ever changing face of the weather.
Working outside in the frost,
hand and fingers nipping,
or outside in hot sun,
burning up with the sweat dripping,
one thing we all agree on,
the ever changing face of the weather.
Danny took a seat again. He was getting old no doubt about it.
No longer one of the boys, he was the old boy aboard the ship. A life spent at sea meant some days he felt old as well.
Being the old boy has its benefits though, a chance to pass on experience and wisdom. It’s also a chance to take a life a bit easier and let the young boys take up the slack.
Life has been good, sure I have made mistakes and have some regrets. But I would do it all over again. Thought Danny as he sat on watch on the bridge that sunny afternoon.
An eight-hour workday and four hours on a watch is a typical shift length for a deckhand like Danny. Then it’s off to bed for eight hours.
The older you get the smarter you work and so it was for Danny. A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor as the saying goes. Experience and knowledge are like compound interest. It builds up over time.
Knowing all the tricks and tips to make life easier is one of the joys of age.
Danny, after all, was only 18 with 42 years of experience.
Life is what we make it, smooth seas never make a skilled sailor. It’s the challenges and bumps in the road, that we learn from.
Without that life would be boring. We would have few opportunities to learn and life would not be so enjoyable.
Life is meant to be a blast, learn, live fast, and have fun while it lasts.
Board games or,
bored games,
I’m not really sure.
They rarely come out,
only rainy days for sure.
It’s a mystery why,
because there such good fun.
Winning or losing,
it just doesn’t matter.
Time with the family,
playing games,
having fun.
Summer days,
spent in the sun.
Family time
made of memories and fun.
Barbecues
and paddling pools.
Epic water fights,
warm summer nights,
filled with fun and games.
At the end of day,
I have to say,
summer is endless joy.
Summer is the season,
for this man to play the chef,
its BBQ season and I won’t let you forget!
If it can be set on fire,
I’ll flame grill it for you,
sipping on a cold beer,
thinking I’m cave man.
Cooking with fire feels so primeval,
sounds silly but it’s true,
man creating fire,
it’s what I was born to do!
A day at the beach,
on the golden sand,
warm sun above,
ice cream in hand.
Playing with sand castles,
so big and grand,
brothers and sisters,
all lending a hand.
Into cold water,
with arm bands we go,
waves all around us,
small fish below.
Those days at the seaside,
so clear to recall,
a nostalgic reminder,
of life when I was small.
Poetry, the ultimate in short storytelling.
If you have been thinking of flexing your creative writing muscles. It’s a great place to start.
There are very few rules in poetry at least when you’re starting out. It’s more about free thinking and expression.
You need some structure to the verses but that’s really about it. What you do within those is up to you.
As a way to start writing short stories and fiction, poetry is pretty hard to beat.
Got writer’s block or need an exercise that gets you into the zone?
Poetry again is great for that, you don’t need to share it and it doesn’t need to make sense. What it will do is open up your mind, get you writing, and provide some inspiration.
Since there is no word count and minimal editing required, the pressure to produce the goods is not there.
If you have ever thought about trying it, I’d say give it a go.
Poetry as an art form for a writer is seriously underrated. It’s a very useful tool to get your mind ready for a day’s writing. It will also take you to places as a writer that you never thought you would go.
Poetry has taken me into the world of short storytelling and longer fiction pieces. Something I never thought possible.
Switching to poetry on my writing days when I start to struggle also keeps me in the zone for longer.
What are you waiting for? Give it a go today!
Writing for thought - expanding creativity through the joy of writing 