Author: margaretkendall

We talked about what “home” means for us. We talked about where and when we feel at home, about the people who make or made us feel that way and about the comforts of our own homes. We shared our sadness for those who’ve had to flee their homes, for those for whom home is not a safe place to be and for those who have no homes. The strong emotions of those conversations inspired some of us to share our thoughts in the poetry and prose which follows. We hope that our insights are meaningful to you too. We hope also that, after reading them, you may experience the same sense of gratitude for “home” that we experienced as we left our meetings.

In our most recent storytelling meeting, Jolene began the session by asking each participant to share their initial associations with the theme.  The words ‘‘ridiculous”, “survival”, “cover-up”, “cartoon”, “daft”, “you’ve just got to laugh”, “joy”, “release”, “laughter”, “electric fence”, “dark” and “caring” were suggested.

As the meeting progressed and everyone shared memories and associations, she said she had a fun time weaving those words into the poem which follows, in the spirit of play inspired by the theme.

On Dover Beach

“The sea is calm tonight.

The tide is full, the moon lies fair

Upon the straits; on the French coast the light

Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,

Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.

Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!…”

This famous poem by Matthew Arnold, read out to us by Jolene at the start of the session, really got us all thinking and sharing our thoughts and experiences of oceans and coastlines. Our responses were varied, as shown by the poems, memories and reflections which follow. We hope you enjoy reading them.

Memories stirring, emotions raising, ideas simmering:  what a lot we cooked up as we shared our stories about kitchens, and the times we’ve spent in them!

What follows is a buffet set out with our stories, poetry and photographs for you.  Bon appétit!

We found lots to say on this topic, at both the online and face-to-face sessions.  “Variety” was one of the words that came up at the beginning, as most of us, now retired, looked back at our experiences of paid and unpaid work we’d had at different times of our lives.  For some, it was easier to talk about short term, temporary jobs we’d had, at the beginning of our working lives, than about the jobs at which we’d worked over many years about which there’d be just too much to say!   Also, as one member of the group put it, we never really stop working as we carry on using the skills that we’ve acquired throughout our lives in new situations we face. 

The writing some of us have chosen to share in this blog post will give you a flavour of our discussions. Why not join us next time? You’d be very welcome.