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Sharon WIllan's avatar

Looking forward to your return. Happy listening and seeing into the depths of the Earth’s soul.

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India Flint's avatar

an airbrushed whisper of wilderness. Love.

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David Knowles's avatar

Hi Mike. No, I didn't know that. It must give you a whole universe of rich, under-reported memories. Such a wonderful, self-contained place. I've been a bit of nomad myself. Started out in a sort of march land on the south Wales border and travelled around ever since, listening to accents and places. Even the wrens have their local dialects :-)

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Barbara Churcher's avatar

Well, blow me over, fall me down! I have not been a traveller except the one journey to England some years ago and now I have been to Kirkby Stephen on a chilly Melbourne morning. Not only been there today but down the centuries. A time traveller. All in the space of a cuppa. You are a magician, David.

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David Knowles's avatar

Thanks Barbara, that made me laugh out loud :-) Glad you could make the trip.

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Clare Jackson's avatar

'All the great travelling players who performed in the marketplace had a backcloth of swift.' So evocative, I love this connection through time, place and nature.

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David Knowles's avatar

Thanks Clare, that is kind. Yes, it felt a bit over-ambitious :-) But sometimes it’s fun to take a leap!

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Clare Jackson's avatar

I think you nailed it.

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Karen Hackett's avatar

I will miss your words and be eagerly waiting for their return in September.

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David Knowles's avatar

That’s kind of you, Karen. I’ll see what I can dig up :-)

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Ivar Gabot's avatar

David Knowles

Few Beuks from MY Cleadon ( Reference ) Library :-

First Beuk got Over TWO THOUSAND VIEWS on Slinked-In within One Week ( Most only ever reached One Thousand after Six Months.)

Possibly could be my Song I attached but you only see the Beuk Title & Author on screen

I had Over 178,000 Views on SLinked-In until Barred by “ The English Teacher - Sir “ & his Sidekick “ Shenanigans Trick “ after 87,000 Views Out of Petty Spite ( Chief Spokesman for The Empress at the time now CEO XTC-QC )

Second Time - No Reason after 91,000 Views . Third Time - Lasted Three Days

ALL Autobiographical & TRUE !!!

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Other ( Fellow ) Poet's Thoughts :-

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Celtic Magpie / Did I Espy

( Song on Everyday Gaelic Blog on Slinked-In - TWO Thousand Views in One Week )

Celtic Woman / Stand by Me on Land & Sea

Odin's Daughter / Norse God's Wrath

Lady of the Loch / To Err is Human - To Forgive is Divine

Celtic Beauty/Red Head in my Bed ?

( Think I may possibly get a " Jarra Kiss " if I ever published that one )

( She did tell me I should get myself a girlfriend as I " Had Good Patter " & I was " HOT !!! " )

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Everyday Gaelic

Morag MacNeill

( TWO Thousand Views in One Week )

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Sources for Irish History - A listing of books and articles on the history of Irish Families

James G Ryan

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The Poulbeg Book of Irish Poetry for children

Collected by Shaun Traynor

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The Penny Poets - XVI - Irish Melodies and Other Poems

by Thomas Moore ( B Dublin May 28th 1779 D. Feb 1852 )

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An Irish Exile's Verse

Charles O'Connor ( Signed )

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A Book of Irish Verse

Yeats

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Another Very Interesting one featured on :-

Cleadon Library - Beuk O'The Daze - Friday 4th July 2025

For your own Interest & if you Love Music I suggest :-

Karine Polwart - Pockets of Wind Resistance - Substack ( Twelve Month Writing Residency in Edinburgh I believe - Scottish Folk Singer , Musician & Poet )

Julie Fowlis - Gaelic Singer you may already know ( Saw both at The Fire Station recently & tickets for Julie Fowlis in October )

Lisa O'Neill - Cavan Girl - Poet & One of my Favourites ( " Sang a Few Songs " with Pogues on recent tour - also got tickets for solo gig )

Radie Peat - Lankum & Others - Lisa's mate & another favourite of mine

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F Mc of the Clan Mc of the Isle of Skye - Gaelic Speaking ( Claymore Owner ) Radiographer who was on my Quiz Team together - Worked with her husband for My Sins.

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Ivar Gabot

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Bard of Cleadon

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Barred of SLInked-In

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Other ( Fellow ) Poet's Thoughts :-

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Le Poete / Irish T'inker

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Rodin's Thinker

Irish T'inker

Represent Intellect

Le Poete - Respect !

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Lyrics by © HughofDurham@Gmail.com

© BardofCleadon@Gmail.com

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Ivar Gabot

Chartered Management Accountant

Lowest Paid Qualified Accountant for The Empress for over Twenty Years

( & THE BEST )

Philosopher Pauper and a Poet

Chilled Skilled Wordsmith

One Hundred and Sixty-Two Songs since Lockdown

One Hundred and Eighty-Eight in Total

Cleadon Library - Not a Business but a Mission to Educate the World One Book at a Time

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Ivar Gabot's avatar

David Knowles / Linda Clark

Few Beuks from MY Cleadon ( Reference ) Library :-

The Mid-Northumbrian Dialect

Thomas Moody

( Quite Pricey - Oxfam Glass Case - Left it for few weeks then asked to see it - 2007 Non for sale Online) Bought couple of weeks ago.

Joe the Grafter ( Never let Anyone View his Biographical Song ) lived Over the Hills but I believe was Northumbrian - " Shy Bairns Get Nowt " & Always on getting his Bacardi & Coke - 10.30 after Hard Day's Graft - " How Much For Cash ? "

Other ( Fellow ) Poet's Thoughts :-

Farmer Joe - Grafter/ Shy Bairns Get Nowt - How much for Cash ?

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A Northumberland and Durham Word Book - An introduction to the living dialect and a glossary of words - The Living Dialect

Cecil Gleedon

( Two Copies - One Saturday gone )

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Dialectology

JK Chambers & Peter Trugill

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A Dictionary of North East Dialect 2nd ed

Bill Griffiths

( Worth a Search on Bill Griffiths - Interesting Life )

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Fishing Folk : Life and dialect on the North Sea Coast

Bill Griffiths, Compiled by

( Two Copies - All Published by Northumbria University , Newcastle )

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Pitmatic : The Talk of the North East Coalfield

Bill Griffiths, Compiled by

( Two Copies )

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Stotty 'n' Spice Cake

Bill Griffiths 2nd ed

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The right word at the right time A guide to English Language & how to use it

Ed John Ellison Khan MD D Phil Readers Digest 1st ed 1985

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The Origins of Words & Phrases

Readers Digest

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Dictionary of Word Origins

Linda and Roger Flavell

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Todd's Geordie Words and Phraes

George Todd

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Veils and Words - The Emerging Voices of Iranian Women Writers

Farzanek Milani PhD ( 1992 First Edition ? ) Assistant Professor of Persian at the University of Virginia. Herself a Poet & PhD in comparative literature from the University of California , Los Angeles

( Came up in My Search - Thought might appeal - MY Cleadon ( Reference ) Library )

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Lyrics from Old Song Books

Gumonstoune Duncan

( 1927 )

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The Story of English - How an obscure dialect became the World's most spoken language

Joseph Piercy

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Ivar Gabot

Bard of Cleadon

Barred of SLInked-In

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Other ( Fellow ) Poet's Thoughts :-

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Le Poete / Irish T'inker

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Rodin's Thinker

Irish T'inker

Represent Intellect

Le Poete - Respect !

-

Lyrics by © HughofDurham@Gmail.com

© BardofCleadon@Gmail.com

-

Ivar Gabot

Chartered Management Accountant

Lowest Paid Qualified Accountant for The Empress for over Twenty Years

( & THE BEST )

Philosopher Pauper and a Poet

Chilled Skilled Wordsmith

One Hundred and Sixty-Two Songs since Lockdown

One Hundred and Eighty-Eight in Total

Cleadon Library - Not a Business but a Mission to Educate the World One Book at a Time

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David Knowles's avatar

Thanks Ivar. That’s a mighty handy set of sources. Chambers and Trudgill by my left hand, by coincidence, as I wrestle down the last couple of chapters of my PhD thesis on Irish Gaelic dialectology :-)

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DANA's avatar

Another beautiful and evocative piece... I love your writing, David! Thank you!

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David Knowles's avatar

Thanks, DANA. That’s kind of you.

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Heather's avatar

You’re kind of an archaeologist of the tiny details of life. I love the the way you present the North of England to our eager ears, David. I echo others’ recognition of the magic that informs your portraiture. Have a wonderful small journey seeing what finds you. I shall be awaiting! Keep well!

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David Knowles's avatar

Thanks. Have a good summer :-)

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Linda Winn's avatar

Thank you so much for the joy, insights and shifts in perception your words offer

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David Knowles's avatar

Hi Linda. Thanks for taking the time and for your kindness. I did smile to think that my weird way of looking at things might have refracted your vision too, for a moment.

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Erin Littlewood's avatar

Such a lovely piece, a feast for the imagination and a pace the ears can sink into. The accent is a welcome memory of my dad’s near-enough home near Durham. Thank you.

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David Knowles's avatar

Thanks, Erin, that is kind. Isn’t it marvelous how evocative a tiny change in pronunciation can be :-)

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M. Iggy's avatar

That first paragraph 🥹

Enjoy your hiatus ✨🕊️

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David Knowles's avatar

Thanks. I’ll see what finds me and hopefully have some tales to tell.

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Kimberly Warner's avatar

Wonderful, and painfully true. I close my eyes gladly and often, only to discover worlds so much more alive and immediate.

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David Knowles's avatar

Hi Kimberly. Oh yes, I’ll have been taking coals to Newcastle for you :-) That’s the great thing, writing here - always people ahead of you on one path or another.

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Susie Mawhinney's avatar

I wish you wonderful adventures David, filled with astonishment and learning...

"Besides, it is fearsome early in the morning. The heavy July air still carries the sticky dew which it failed to sell to the restless night fields, bereft of their flower-rich hay." I loved this, I loved it all, I always do, but this, after my day of battling unusually damp meadow grass, a dew that won't lift due such humid days, calmed blue air and aching bones alike. Now, I will sleep with the sweet song of swift and the learned discourse of Jackdaw - thank you ❇︎

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David Knowles's avatar

Ah, Susie, you are a rock :-) I’m not going anywhere much geographically speaking but I’ll see what the cracks and crevices here have to offer and report back.

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Vanessa Fielding's avatar

What a lovely and very evocative piece of the Old North to leave us with for your summer break. Oh, you've captured the essence of Kirkby in that Cumbrian jackdaw chatter! I love the way too that you've given the birds an immortal role - actors who've known these historic nooks and crannies forever. Hope you'll spend the next two months storing up magic for us!!

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David Knowles's avatar

Thanks Vanessa. You’ve lived these places well, for sure. I’ll go and see what finds me and report back :-)

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