April = spring?

Hooray, it's spring... well, April anyway. That's spring, isn't it? Used to be anyway. (I'm in the UK, by the way, so if you're the other side of the world this particular climate conundrum probably doesn't apply to you.)

Yes, the weeds are all up in my garden, the grass is starting to spring up again in all the wrong places, and the April showers are here... never left last year actually, so I'm hoping some new poem ideas will soon start springing up too, in my pen and eventually on these pages. Will let you know when.

Meanwhile, in case you're a teacher and may be interested, I might as well mention that I'm now preparing my summer term poetry workshop themes. These will include sparkling seasides, wild tempests, sea-bed secrets, and the odd - very odd, probably - sea monster. Jungles are also on my summer agenda, with petrifying prowls, growls and howls amid the twisty tangles below, and mad monkey mayhem in the towering treetops above - or whatever else my classes may wish to conjure up. The fascinating world of insects is also buzzing round my head, inside it, that is - hopefully not outside, though I have encountered the odd spider daring its way into our house recently, and no doubt some kids will be itching to freak me out with more of the things. True, spiders aren't actually insects, but my theme will cover 'mini-beasts' of all nasty, knobbly kinds, and beautiful ones too. Yes, delicate, transparent wings will be flitting before our eyes, and, hopefully, across some of our pages too, through silky blue skies and lush green foliage as we lead the way from one poetry style to another. So despite the ongoing murkiness of the weather, I'm already gearing up for summer, and if it doesn't show up, we'll magic it through our poetry, or rather, the children will. They never let me down!

Will keep you posted of latest poems and other updates meanwhile.

Happy Easter!

Kate