I was invited to run a poetry session for a retreat earlier this week. It was a Rookhow, a beautiful old building with its own ancient woodland in a quiet corner of the Lake District. Typically for a summer's day in the Lakes, it rained and was quite chilly but this did not detract from the writing.
We chatted for a while in the beautiful old hall then wandered into the woods and wrote. After around half an hour we shared what we had written, standing under the trees as rain dripped onto our shelter.
It was a peaceful and contemplative way to write and we produced some interesting pieces. Afterwards we walked back to the hall and talked about writing in nature and poetry about the natural world. Overall it was a wonderful way to spend a rainy day in August, one that I hope to repeat again soon.