‘A snake came to my water-trough On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat, To drink there.’
Snake, D.H. Lawrence, early 1920s.
With the great heat of a long summer rearing its head once more, nature has never been more relevant in our lives. The D.H Lawrence Festival, taking place from the 2nd to the 11th September, looks to rekindle and celebrate our relationship with nature, in all its forms. Observe the wonders of the environment, vocalised through the inspired poetry of Lawrence.
“As we are increasingly aware of climate change and the irreversible effect on our precious planet, we shall attempt in this festival to see how experiences of music and literature, along with local walks can reveal the urgent need to preserving vulnerable environmental sanctity”
Alan Wilson, Chairman of the D.H. Lawrence Society
The full festival listings can be found on the D.H. Lawrence Museum website www.lleisure.co.uk/dhlawrence but here is a taste of what’s on offer;
Take a step backward, and experience nature as renowned poet D.H. Lawrence once did, with delight and hope for a beautiful future we can all help make. With a vast range of activities, there is something for everyone within the D.H. Lawrence Festival, and something for each to reconnect to nature with. Perhaps an engaging, inspired conference on music, writing, landscape, and climate change itself- ‘The Countryside of our Hearts’ on Saturday 3rd , or a visit to St Mary’s Greasley’s Church on Thursday 8th for an organ recital, tours, discussions and tea. Or, in the atmospheric Hill Top Catholic Church on Friday 9th at 7,30pm, surround yourself with concert, music and readings that interweave the local landscape.
Nature and creatures of the countryside are constantly changing, and both sunrise and sunset offer brief, beautiful glimpses into a unique world of quiet growth and beauty.
Just as the sun rose for Lawrence 100 years ago, on Monday the 5th, we will gather at Colliers Wood for a dawn ceremony, ending near Lawrence’s own Moorgreen Reservoir (‘Willey Water’). This is followed by, on the evening of Thursday the 8th, a dusk ceremony that will occur in the ruins of the iconic Beauvale Priory, and reawaken folk fables of woodland and nature as the sun sets. If a daytime walk and talk is more to your liking, September 7th offers two, free guided talks for Mine2Minds Education new digital trail from 10:15am to 2:30pm. This brings together a deep history of mining, community, and its coexistence with nature.
Friends of Brinsley Headstocks also invite you to a Nature and Heritage Trail, followed by a fun for all table-top sale, at Brinsley Headstocks on the 11th of September, from anywhere between 10:30am to 2:30pm.
Posted on 25 August 2022
