Gilly Flower

. . . in which I have two poems, as previously mentioned. I received details of the book launch yesterday. Unfortunately I won't be able to go as I'll just have nicely arrived in the UK on 10th September. A flying visit (literally!) to see my mother during the two-week school holiday break here. Actually, I squeezed another week out of school, which I'm able to do because my colleague is able to work fulltime for that week, God bless her cotton socks, but given travelling time the time at home will be little more than a fortnight. Hopefully summer will still be lingering though and the weather will not be too autumnul. Signs of spring are on the rise here. The swallows are back already (at least a month earlier than usual), and the chooks are already laying, (also about a month earlier than normal). Not quite time to pack away the winter woollies, but warmer days are certainly here.

As for the mill - well the feeling is that we are reaching a crisis point. Loads happening & when I'm not working, writing articles, media releases, or submissions, then I seem to spend my life going from meeting to meeting in relation to all the different strands of the desperate fight to stop this polluting monolith from wrecking our valley and our lives. We are much closer to the ultimate position of blockading the road. What could be the dress rehearsal for this is planned for next week. And I'm very sweaty-palmed at the thought of it.

More later. Or that's the plan.