Ieuan the poet asked how I am. I was first tempted to quote my uncle Harold, another Welshman, but from the chapel-blasted, dour valleys in the south. When I asked him the same question at my Nan’s funeral, he gave the crushing reply: “with old age, ill-health and poverty, what do you expect?” It was even grimmer, down South. I’m older and wiser now, and a better reply is deserved.
I suppose I’m knocking on a bit.
I recall a knock on moonlit door,
as mum read bedtime poems
of silvered wonders, now no more.
I recall when knocking-up came
from carefree, thoughtless, youthful flurries.
Now knocking up’s a neighbour’s hope
just drawn-curtained oversleeps are their worries
The beams and boards have their knock
as the lonely house creeks cold at night,
each advent calendar door holds a nail,
no longer a key to adventurous tale
and a solemn knocking right on cue
the sombre tape-bearer with politest cough:
“that’s solid wood – he’d want no less”
I hope I’ve not left too great a mess
now it’s time to think of knocking off.
About pdellwand
I am enjoying my liberation!
• this resulted from an early retirement from work in local government, after extensive experience in Youth, Community & Adult Education. An escape to be celebrated.
• I've also finished work at Ofsted, the crown service responsible for inspecting the quality of education and services for children and their families. It used to be more conscious of its independence from the civil service, from politics, politicians and political positioning, from parties, powers and principalities, press, prejudice, pressures and striving for popularity and proud of acting without fear and favour and on the basis of evidence and performance. The following of these principles is currently less clear and although I miss my inspection work and former colleagues, I do not miss the pressures and current tends.
Still lots of projects, contracts and commissions, providing management, consultancy, evaluations and inspections in education, heritage, arts & culture; giving individuals & organisations challenges: critical friendship; mentoring; leadership; management; quality improvement; adaptation to change; inclusive or ethical policies / practices.
• Contracts include music production, unique participative music events and research.
• Clients have included Help the Aged, with commissions for me to create projects for elders to make music in inspirational settings & to evaluate a pilot project for elders creating a radio station as a voice for their generations. For National Museums, Liverpool, the Musicians' Gallery, which brought new music, spoken word and dance into treasured spaces to invite a new way of appreciating them. From New Art Exchange, a commission to create a performance art installation during the Liverpool Biennial,. This took the ideas of volunteers, old and young: their hard work and beauty of movement and song into a successful, intriguing and soulful performance.
• After many years of fighting for and sustaining arts work with young people and their communities, then for creative skills for adult learners while I was head of a centre of excellence - now MY turn: my free-lance work has helped me find my own voice and put my hands to work directly and creatively in music, environment & 3D art. Opportunities for making things directly, working with talented and good-hearted friends, sharing the delight in broadcasts, publications, presentations and performances –
That is liberation.
Ellwandery 