Art Work of the Week - Piazza Navona, Rome by Caspar van Wittel, 1699 - When I visited Rome last year, it was autumn, so there were fewer crowds and it was less hot than in the summer months. The best cities are walkable, and there is a lot of ground to cover in Rome, although the metro is excellent. One of the reasons I like Wittel’s painting is the glimpse it gives of ordinary people going about their business. I’m not sure what the two hooded figures in white outside the church are doing though.
An article that made me think - We might soon be speaking whaleish - Given the terrible harm being done to the world’s oceans, what would happen if we could understand what whales are saying? Researchers are now close to unravelling the code and we might be able to hear what whales are saying as soon as next year. Project Ceti is applying advanced machine learning and state-of-the-art robotics to listen to and translate the communication of sperm whales in the Eastern Caribbean. I dread to think what we will soon find out.
Something I learned this week - We are not ready to deal with the mental health implications of climate change - Climate change is already causing great harm to the natural world and many societies today. What I hadn’t fully grasped is the mental health toll it is exerts. Extreme heat is associated with mental health conditions such as suicide, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Despite the evidence of harm, a recent study shows that of 83 action plans for heat-related health problems, less than a third addressed mental health needs and only a fifth had an action plan. Our already struggling healthcare systems will soon have to grapple with further avoidable harm with all the downstream consequences for capacity and access. This is one more example of a failure for us to take the Long View.
Something happy - I went to see The Salt Path this week - Having read the book, I was worried the film might not do it justice, but my fears were groundless. Not only was the film able to sensitively reveal the difficulties Ray and Moth face (ill-health and homelessness), but it also reveals the wild beauty (and wild weather) the coastal path offers. I liked the ending too which, spoiler alert, left the couple still out there walking. Joyous and wonderful.
Where I found hope this week - The company of friends - I have written about loneliness and solitude and my journey from the first to the second. A critical part of my current happiness is derived from my friendships, many of which are relatively new. It’s not just about receiving comfort and support, it’s also about giving it. I have long maintained that kindness is a super-power, and there is plenty of evidence to back this up.
Something inspiring - Reading poetry aloud - I’ve done a couple of readings of my poetry in the last week. It’s a fun thing to do, not least because you often hear other poet’s work too. Reading a draft of your own poem aloud is essential - nothing reveals its little kinks in the same way. I found David Yezzi’s piece about Frost and sound fascinating and a reminder that writing is not an exercise in excision, it’s a journey into sound.
A poem to enjoy - The Whitsun Weddings by Phillip Larkin - I wrote about meeting Larkin while at university and how The Whitsun Weddings nudged me in the direction of writing poetry. The poem runs to eight, ten line stanzas, and displays Larkins acute eye for detail. It rounds off with another characteristic of Larkin’s poetry, moving from the particular to the universal. Larkin is always an unflinching observer.
A Substack to savour - Learning How Land Speaks by Peter Reason - Peter’s writes a series of posts sharing the theories, the experiences, and the practices arising from a series of co-operative inquiries exploring Living in a Sentient World. I particularly enjoyed this piece about the River Fowey and the reflections strike me as both poetic and deeply meaningful.
Music I enjoyed this week - Bumbles Playlist - A friend asked me to put together a playlist and I went mellow. It was a really fun thing to do. Sometimes the old ones are the best ones.
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What a lovely post … a lot of richness there… 😀❤️