I just can't keep away from Brigit Pegeen Kelly's The Orchard. I've been reading widely over the last few months but always find myself coming back to Kelly's work. The experience of reading her poems aloud is incredible - such wondrous, otherworldly and yet dark and gritty poems. And always something new in every read - her work is so dense! I will definitely need to order her other collections.

I've been enjoying working on tree and flower poems over the last while but starting to feel the stirrings of a bigger project on the horizon - no idea what yet! Today I slaved over a rhododendron poem, I wrestled with it all day but think now I have a good first draft!

I was interested to hear Carol Ann Duffy read in Dunoon last week. When I heard her read at StAnza a number of years ago I assumed she was having a bad day i.e. she read morosely and looked miserable. But now having heard her read in exactly the same manner here in Dunoon I see that's just the way she is as a reader!