Category: Children

Tree of Life

A medieval tale of family love. The present of a downy rose (a type of English rose) on marriage day represents the couple’s Tree of Life. But the Black Death of 1563 brings death and sadness. The 1563 Black Death (a bubonic plague) plague killed between a quarter and a third of all Londoners.

300

300

The battle of Thermopylae took place in 480 BC when 300 Spartan warriors held the pass for three days, to delay the invading Persians. In fact, the 300 Spartans were only part of a larger Greek army of a few thousand, but it is the fighting valour of the Spartans that has proved immortal. They stood and died in a ‘glorious’ delaying action. For those three days they held the gap between two narrow cliffs, until they were eventually outflanked when the Persians were told of a goat path around the cliffs. The music includes extracts from the theme music of the 2006 cartoon film (which was, in turn, based on a 1990’s comic series). There are numerous books on the battle of Thermopalae but ‘Gates of Fire’ by Steven Pressland is an acclaimed faction novel – highly recommended.

A Party in Paddock Wood

A Party in Paddock Wood

A fantasy: at Michaelmas, all the animals on the South Downs get together for a party. The hedgehog is playing the violin, the owl is signing in an operatic voice, and there is dancing around the old oak tree. Animals that normally enemies are playing and talking together. All is harmony – as long as Man will keep away! Michaelmas is traditionally 29 September (the end of the farming year).

That God-damned Spot

That God-damned Spot

Children are sometimes told that if they have a spot on the tongue it is because they have a told a lie. That is why small lumps on the tongue are often called ‘lie-bumps’. So this is the tale of a husband who puts that childhood knowledge to use.

The Golden Hour

The Golden Hour

The Golden Hour is the hour before and after dusk (and also before and after dawn), when the light is soft and tinged with colour. It is when the daytime animals settle down – and when nocturnal animals begin to hunt. It is a time of peace, transition, and soft, magical, light.