The beauty is ever present, if the eyes choose to see it.
The orange, milky sun rising above the airfield, the cold mist clinging to the earth, refusing to be dispelled by the still weak rays of ochre light – the beauty is ever present, if the eyes choose to see it. The air so sharp, the long-drawn intake of breath crackles and stings on its journey to the lungs – what a glorious and poetic start to the day here in the Shire.
‘A Portable Paradise’ by Roger Robinson – from ‘Poetry Unbound’, edited by Pádraig Ó Tuama
And if I speak of Paradise,
then I’m speaking of my grandmother
who told me to carry it always
on my person, concealed, so
no one else would know but me.
That way they can’t steal it, she’d say.
And if life puts you under pressure,
trace its ridges in your pocket,
smell its piney scent on your handkerchief,
hum its anthem under your breath.
And if your stresses are sustained and daily,
get yourself to an empty room – be it hotel,
hostel or hovel – find a lamp
and empty your paradise onto a desk:
your white sands, green hills and fresh fish.
Shine the lamp on it like the fresh hope
of morning, and keep staring at it till you sleep.
Our bestselling Coles Signed Edition novel this year has been Bob Mortimer’s ‘The Satsuma Complex’ – an enjoyable romp as charming and funny as the author himself; we’re heading towards the time of year when the kitchen becomes the busiest room in the house – if you’re looking for some culinary inspiration then a Coles Signed Edition from our kitchen collection might just whisk things up a bit; Lucy Worsley’s ‘Agatha Christie’ has been very popular and we now have Signed Editions with a bookplate signed by Lucy; James Acaster’s ‘Guide to Quitting Social Media’ has hit the spot with lots of readers and Richard E. Grant’s ‘A Pocketful of Happiness’ is the most tender and gentle of memoirs; Kraftwerk’s Karl Bartos has signed some bookplates for us and we’ve popped them in his very popular ‘The Sound of the Machine’; a while ago now Tim Burgess of The Charlatans wrote about his voyage into and love of vinyl records and all they meant to him – his ‘Tim Book Two’ was the result and we have some of the Signed Limited Editions available; West Ham’s Mark Noble gives a textbook performance when it comes to loyalty and finally, for the petrolheads amongst us, Lee McKenzie talks us through the detail and James May looks at the bigger picture.
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