Albert and the Cosmic Wellies

Albert Flower had a leaky raincoat. He also had problems with his second hand wellies, which were a size too big and made running around almost impossible. While the other children at school jumped in puddles and had bags of fun during rainy playtimes, Albert stood miserably under the bike shelter. He’d tried to join…

Hippolyta’s Hobby

It was a lovely day and had just reached the point in mid-summer when parents began to gaze wistfully at September dates on the calendar. Down in the basement of number 41 Beluga Terrace, little Hippolyta Bushwhacker, the noisiest nine year old north of the equator, was feeling rather bored … “MOTHER!” she rasped, rattling…

Lobelia Panscrub And The Secret Garden Plot

It was Friday and the children at Bogandell School were crammed into the assembly hall like large biscuits in a particularly small biscuit box. They were all enduring Reverend Hedgely’s talk on flower pressing when suddenly … PUFF !!! … he disappeared in a flash of zig-zag lightning bolts and clouds of lilac smoke. Eyes…

Wok Juggling With Dave And Enoch

By Jonathan Humble In a little house down a quiet lane by the side of a disused welly factory lived Enoch and Dave. Enoch sat at the table in their kitchen while Dave prepared the evening meal. “Here Enoch,” said Dave, placing a sandwich before him. “I expect you’re hungry after a hard day at…

Cumbrian Story Project #NotPoetry

Popped over to the Brewery Arts Centre today to record a true story for a local project … ‘Street’ If You Go Down To The Woods Today … a tale from the chalk face by Jonathan Humble About thirty years ago, as a young teacher, I took my class of 10 year olds on an…

Fledge #Poetry

It’s Sunday morning. I’m nursing a cup of coffee after last night’s excellent Verbalise featuring Big Charlie Poet and many other local poets who made Saturday evening in the Warehouse at The Brewery a really memorable occasion. We don’t often manage a photo, but there were so many folk reading who I admire that it…

Quick August Update

Over half way through the summer break and not nearly enough poetry stuff attempted. The new work includes the short story mentioned earlier and an entry into the BBC Proms Poetry Competition run in association with The Poetry Society (for which I have renewed my membership and gained a shiny Poetry Society card which is…

Amsterdam and all that jazz

After finishing for the summer break at school, I’ve just spent a few days in Amsterdam. We were staying at the Prinz Hendrik Hotel, just across the square from Amsterdam Central Station. The time was spent visiting museums, eating out and wondering what the strange smell was that pervaded most areas outside coffee houses, restaurants…

Port by Simon Stephens

Sometimes, you come across words and music which hit a chord … This trailer for Leeds University Union Theatre Group’s excellent production of Simon Stephens’ play Port and the performance by the cast and crew at the University’s Stage Theatre last night has managed to do that very thing. Off to do a bit of…

Rainbow Friday by JH

“I once knew this girl. Small like a mouse she was … big eyes. And colourful ribbons; dancing kite ribbons in the playground. Red one day, blue the next and rainbow ribbons Friday. Didn’t say anything in the uniform rules about it; no mention of ribbons. Nothing I can remember about how far the socks…