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Canals and railways are often very close near neighbours and so trains can be a frequent part of the canal soundscapes. This week we explore why the sound of a train in the distance (thanks to Paul Simon) can be so evocative which gives me the opportunity to reminisce about my childhood and revisit some wonderful poems. 

Journal entry:

  24th January, Tuesday.

“Racing head. Not much sleep.
 So I am out here, trying to walk it out.

The ground crunches and splinters into Icy shards.
 The kingfisher pool has now frozen over.
 Today, the ice, the cold, seem to exhibit a deliberate malevolence.

In front of me the morning sun emerges above the trees
 Making the canal ice and frosted towpath glitter with golden fire.
 I stride out of the woods.
 Today, for a while, I walk on jewels and sun light. 

Episode Information:

In this episode I read the following poems:

Philip Larkin – ‘Whitsun Weddings’ (excerpt)
Edward Thomas – ‘Adlestrop’
Paul Simon – ‘A Poem on the Underground Wall’ (excerpt)
Robert Louis Stevenson – ‘From a Railway Carriage’
WH Auden – ‘Night Mail’

You can watch the film, Night Mail, free (and I highly recommend it!) at the BFI website: Night Mail.
You can watch Vanessa and Zephyr on The Mindful Narrowboat.

For more information about Nighttime on Still Waters

You can find more information and photographs about the podcasts and life aboard the Erica on our website at noswpod.com. It will also allow you to become more a part of the podcast and you can leave comments, offer suggestions, and reviews. You can even, if you want, leave me a voice mail by clicking on the microphone icon. 

General Details

In the intro and the outro, S

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For more information about Nighttime on Still Waters

You can find more information and photographs about the podcasts and life aboard the Erica on our website at noswpod.com.