A Change Is As Good As A Rest

On September 8, 2025 By Mick CanningIn autumn, weather16 Comments

The last couple of weeks have seen a real mix of weather – typically autumnal. At times it’s been absolutely hammering it down here. After what feels like an impossibly long spell of parched heat, in the last week we’ve had some marvellous rainstorms.

These rains have freshened the tired summer greens as though they’ve suddenly been woken up and sparked into life again. As summer drifts into autumn, we’re suddenly presented with the lusciousness of spring.

The heat had left me both mentally and physically exhausted, but I’m finally reviving a little. Autumn, like spring, is a season of change and I’m feeling the effects.

I’m also celebrating the return of mud. No doubt in the depths of Winter I’ll be sick of the stuff, but right now it appears like a magical substance. To walk upon ground that gives, ground that reacts other than by producing a puff of dust, is magical.

Even the birds seem more chipper.

‘Likes’ Update

On August 3, 2025 By Mick CanningIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Well, I tried clearing the cache on the browser, and it made no difference. But I tried opening posts from my phone, and that worked. Help suggested that might mean it’s the browser at fault, so I might change my browser at some point. So for those of you having similar problems, my browser is Chrome. At the moment.

‘Likes’

On August 2, 2025August 2, 2025 By Mick CanningIn Uncategorized12 Comments

Just to say either WordPress has had a wobbly, or my account has – I don’t seem to be able to leave ‘likes’ at the moment; they disappear as soon as I leave the page. In case it’s just my reader, if I’ve successfully left a ‘like’ on anyone’s blog in the last hour or so, can you let me know?

Where Do The Dead Go?

On July 30, 2025 By Mick CanningIn novels, poetry, publishing, short stories, writing30 Comments

I know. It’s been a while.

I’ve been thinking about how I publish my poetry and stories, and concluded that the simple way is the best way. I don’t wish to spend a lot of time and money submitting them to competitions and magazines, putting them to one side where they may end up forgotten or just unpublished while I decide to submit them ‘just one more time.’ I’m not interested in putting a lot of time and energy into chasing the best deal or the most prestigious publications.

The whole purpose of writing is firstly for myself, and secondly because (naturally) I’d like to be read. It doesn’t have to be a large audience, I’m quite chuffed when anyone let’s me know they’ve read something of mine and enjoyed it. In which case I might as well just write some more zines and publish work on this blog. It feels like far less pressure. And the novel I’ve finished (Long Shadows) and which is still being edited I might submit to an agent or two, but I’ve no intention of spending months and years trying. If I’ve no luck I will quite quickly just self-publish it.

Anyway, putting my writing where my mouth is, here’s a poem.

Writer’s Notebooks (2) – The Purge

On February 16, 2025 By Mick CanningIn Work in progress, writing38 Comments

I’ve been doing some clearing out.

I must have had around twenty notebooks on my shelves. However, once they’re filled up, they are almost never opened again. Once finished, they’re put in a drawer, or on a shelf, and then pretty well forgotten.

Taking up space.

Occasionally I might be writing something and vaguely remember noting down something that might be relevant, but I’d never be able to find it again, so I usually didn’t bother. Anything worthwhile I might have written down while out for a walk or on a journey someplace, never seen again.

Yet when I actually come to sit down and read through them again, there tends to be nothing I want to use. Nothing that seems relevant. Either superseded by other ideas, or simply not any good.

Then there are the notebooks I used to develop novels, short stories, etc. No longer needed when the work is finished. Why hang onto those?

So they’ve all gone. It feels very cathartic.

Blue Monday

On January 20, 2025 By Mick CanningIn Blue Monday, winter34 Comments

The third Monday in January – Blue Monday – is supposedly the worst day of the year for those who suffer from depression. So here we are on the 20th, Blue Monday. But there is no scientific reason for this date to be singled out, it is just a modern myth invented, apparently, by a UK travel company who presumably intended it to prompt people to take foreign holidays to cheer themselves up. However, I can see some justification for the claim, while also seeing a certain hope. Justification, because I tend to feel depressed and miserable at this time of the year. Tired. Lacking in energy or, indeed, motivation.

But also a certain hope; by now the daylight hours are lengthening, which becomes apparent when we are fortunate enough to have clear skies around sunrise or sunset. New growth is apparent, with new shoots finding their way up through the earth and leaf or blossom buds swelling on trees and bushes.

I feel so tired at this time of the year. I just feel I need to survive this winter, just get through it. I shall light a fire, wrap up warm, pour a beer and read a pile of books. I am in touch with my inner dormouse and intend to essentially hibernate until Spring.

Winter Solstice

On December 21, 2024 By Mick CanningIn mumming, solstice, winter15 Comments

I’m always pleased to see the Winter Solstice.

Today is the shortest day of the year. Where I live, we will get approximately half the daylight hours that we will get during the Summer Solstice. Actually, slightly less. We get up in the dark and it is dark again long before supper time. The weather is cold and predominantly miserable.

But from today the daylight hours lengthen – at first imperceptibly, but gradually it becomes noticeable the hours of daylight are increasing. Finally, there is an end to the relentless lengthening of darkness, and within a few weeks it will become obvious that the world is, indeed, moving towards a time of warmth again.

Yet there are already new plants coming up; new growth that has been prompted by…what? When they broke the surface of the ground a few weeks ago the days were still getting shorter and certainly no warmer. Nature is strong and determined. Winter is never a lifeless time of death and decay. There is dormancy and rest, but also a lot of growth if one takes the trouble to look for it.

I’m thinking longingly of Spring, of renewal and growth. In a couple of hours I’m off to see a mumming play – perhaps I’ll leave you to Google that one – down on the Kent coast. Beer will be involved, of course, in line with the best folk traditions. Old – possibly ancient – celebrations of the turning of the year and the approach of Spring.

Stormy Weather. Again.

On December 18, 2024 By Mick CanningIn editing, Nepal, winter16 Comments

Well, it’s blowing a hooley out there at the moment. Winds howling around the eaves of the house and rain spattering the windows. What a miserable winter we seem to be having so far. Not particularly cold, but at times the damp makes it feel about a hundred below zero.

Sort of.

Not a day for going out and achieving stuff. A day for staying in and achieving other stuff. There, that’s me at my literary best. Talking of which, it seems a good day to get some editing done on my novel now I’ve got feedback from my kind beta readers.

So here’s a picture of some yaks in the Nepalese Himalaya.

You’re welcome.

Echoes And Imaginings Issue #2

On December 14, 2024 By Mick CanningIn Echoes and Imaginings, Folk traditions, hauntology, psychogeography, Zines4 Comments

It’s out.

Issue #2 of Echoes and Imaginings has arrived. It’s available both in my Etsy shop or directly from me – message me on the contact page. The format is similar to the first issue, with articles folkloric and psychogeographical. Poetry and photographs. A bit of re-hash from this blog, and new stuff.

And speaking of this blog, I’m slimming it down. It may not be immediately obvious, but I’ve already deleted a third of the posts, with more to go. For all sorts of reasons. Just tidying up, really.