When The Loonies Came To Town Pt. 1
Some Nailed coverage has been delayed due to short staffing and illness. Top hats and peacock feathers abounded. The assembled
Read more
Author: Jo Kirk
Opinion Column: On Populism
In Ece Temelkuran’s “How To Lose A Country: The Seven Steps From Democracy To Dictatorship” (4th Estate, 2019) Temelkuran problematizes
Read more
Review: Short Play Festival
In a packed “Little Theatre” in the Old King’s Head there was an attentive audience for the Short Play Festival
Read more
Book Review: The Nature of Spring by Jim Crumley
For a view from Northern Scotland and the Islands and a weather eye on the climate with a sensitivity to
Read more
Poetry: Kingfisher
“My observations from a bridge overlooking the river Derwent on 18th February 2019.” Kingfisher by Jo Kirk I am
Read more
Poem: Birdwatch Hour
Marking the end of the Big Garden Birdwatch run by the RSPB from 26th-28th January 2019, which asked members of
Read more
Opinion: Protest To Save Babington Echoes Start Of Fightback
‘SAVE BABINGTON HOSPITAL’ read the placards. Protests stopped the traffic and cars tooted their horns in support. Many people believe
Read more
Was The Brexit Referendum Democratic?
In “Democracy And Its Crisis” A C Grayling states that the proportion of the electorate that voted to leave the
Read more
Book Review: Rainforest, Dispatches from Earth’s Most Vital Frontlines
Rainforest is a personal story, drawing on Tony’s many years’ experience at the frontline of the fight to save the
Read more
Book Review: Ground Work – Writings On People And Places
We are living in the anthropocene – an epoch where everything is being determined by the activities of just one
Read more
Jo Kirk: Short Story ‘Keeping Cool’
A green corner in the shade. She felt the cold stone bring relief to her feet. What a summer! The
Read more
Spring Observations: Jo Kirk
I didn’t see any nuthatches last year so was delighted to see one early in March looking for insects on
Read more
Celebrate Dylan Thomas Day With Nailed
May 14th is officially Dylan Thomas Day. It commemorates his life and work and is the 65th anniversary of Dylan
Read more
Jo Kirk: Narcissi
Narcissi Trumpets unpleated from a bud, held tight their heads an elegant stretch their stems slender necks, drifting birds
Read more
Opinion: The Hermeneutics Of A Hermit Of The Real
Social media and Facebook have been in the news lately. As someone who may seem a bit of an anachronism
Read more
Winter Observations: Jo Kirk
January and February are often the coldest months of the year and although snowdrops are flowering another cold spell is
Read more
Plastic Free February: Schools Library Service Presents New Exhibition
The Schools Library Service has an exhibition of beautiful objects made from recycled materials which are currently on display in
Read more
Autumn Observations: Jo Kirk
This autumn (late August – mid November) I have seen young collared doves, terns riding the thermals, a large black/brown
Read more
Book Review: The Plant Messiah by Carlos Magdalena
Having spent much of his childhood in the mountains of the Basque country, his mother a florist and a great
Read more
Review: 60 Degrees North by Malachy Tallack
At this time of year, as our thoughts turn to the North and the weatherman forecasts a weather front from
Read more
Review: One in a MILLion Exhibition – Belper North Mill
Twinkly guitar music plays in the basement of Belper’s North Mill as I look at the shimmering threads in a
Read more
Jo Kirk: On Freedom
On Freedom When I think of freedom I think of birds and words for we live in language and
Read more
Birds, Moths and Amphibians
Birds are perhaps our closest meeting with the wild and may be the reason why the RSPB (Royal Society for
Read more
Well Worth Celebrating
This weekend’s Well Dressings at the River Gardens provided a wonderful outdoor gallery of creative endeavour as people ambled down
Read more
Belper Goes Green Poem: Festival
Butterfly mandalas and colours and lights and pancakes and oatcakes and tee-shirts and bikes and badges and raffles and
Read more
International Dawn Chorus Day: Birds At Dawn
The short poem was written while I was listening to Radio 4’s six and a half hour broadcast of birdsong
Read more
Election Special: Zeitgeist
General election electorate inspection Brexit for the nation remainers’ consternation Scotland losing patience Europe fearing racists May wants
Read more
Fracking Month: Spell
N is for nature, wondrous and wild, O for the ozone that nearly retired, F for forget-me-not, fennel and furze,
Read more