Shows
Marc’s AlmanacTo The Sea – 4th June, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Philip Larkin, To The Sea.
"Everything crowds under the low horizon:
Steep beach, blue water, towels, red bathing caps..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 4th June, 1940, Britain completes the miracle of Dunkirk, rescuing 338,226 stranded troops from France with an improvised flotilla...
2021-06-0406 minMarc’s AlmanacReminder – 28th May, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Mark Jarman, Reminder.
"You're here and God's in heaven..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 28th May, 1936, Alan Turing submits his paper On Computable Numbers, setting out the theoretical basis for modern computers
On this day: 28th May, 1908, Ian Lancaster Fleming, the...
2021-05-2805 minMarc’s AlmanacThe Hug – 14th May, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Thom Gunn, The Hug.
"I dozed, I slept. My sleep broke on a hug..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 14th May, 1796, Edward Jenner inaugurates the science of vaccination by infecting his gardener's son with cowpox, protecting him from smallpox. And while the Covid-19...
2021-05-1406 minMarc’s AlmanacFor The Fallen – 7th May, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Laurence Binyon, For The Fallen.
"At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 7th May 1945, General Jodl signs Germany's unconditional surrender, ending the Second World War in Europe
2021-05-0707 minMarc’s AlmanacToday – 30th April, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Billy Collins, Today.
"If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze
that it made you want to throw
open all the windows in the house..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this...
2021-04-3006 minMarc’s AlmanacBrave Horatius – 16th April, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Lord Macaulay, an extract from Horatius.
"And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 16th April, 1953, the Queen launches the Royal...
2021-04-1607 minMarc’s AlmanacThe Goodly Fere – 2nd April, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Ezra Pound, The Ballad of the Goodly Fere.
"No capon priest was the Goodly Fere
But a man o' men was he..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 2nd April, 2020, the world's recorded cases of Covid-19 passed one million. As of yesterday...
2021-04-0207 minMarc’s AlmanacLoveliest of Trees – 26th March, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by AE Housman.
"Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 26th March, 1953, Jonas Salk announces he has successfully tested an experimental polio vaccine on himself and his family. In less than...
2021-03-2605 minMarc’s AlmanacAbsent in the Spring – 19th March, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a sonnet by William Shakespeare.
"From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 19th March, 1982, Argentines, claiming to be scrap...
2021-03-1905 minMarc’s AlmanacThe Just – 12th March, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Jorge Luis Borges, in a translation by Alastair Reid, The Just.
"A man who cultivates his garden, as Voltaire wished.
He who is grateful for the existence of music..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 12th March, 1710, Thomas Augustine Arne is born in...
2021-03-1207 minMarc’s AlmanacThe Skylark – 5th March, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by John Clare, The Skylark.
"Up from their hurry, see, the skylark flies,
And o'er her half-formed nest, with happy wings
Winnows the air..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 5th March 1756, Thomas Linley the Younger, the "English Mozart", was born...
2021-03-0506 minMarc’s AlmanacThe Passionate Shepherd – 26th February, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Christopher Marlowe, The Passionate Shepherd to his Love.
"Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 26th February 1564, Christopher Marlowe, poet and dramatist, was born in Canterbury
...
2021-02-2605 minMarc’s AlmanacThe Summer Day – 19th February, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Mary Oliver, The Summer Day.
"Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?..."
From the show:
Opening/closing music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 19th February, 1717, David Garrick is born in Hereford, in the Angel Inn.
On this day: 19th February, 1910, Mary...
2021-02-1906 minMarc’s AlmanacNow Winter Nights Enlarge – 12th February, 2021Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Thomas Campion, Now Winter Nights Enlarge.
"Now winter nights enlarge
The number of their hours..."
From the show:
On this day: 12th February, 1554, Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days Queen, is executed for treason.
On this day: 12th February, 1567, Thomas Campion, poet, physician and composer, is born in London
Music to wake you up – Where Did Our Love Go...
2021-02-1205 minMarc’s Almanac5th February, 2021 – EveningFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, Evening, in a translation by Stephen Mitchell.
"The sky puts on the darkening blue coat
held for it by a row of ancient trees..."
From the show:
Opening music courtesy of Chillhop: Philanthrope, Leavv - What Was Before https://chll.to/d6b0ec27
On this day: 5th February, 1723, the great exponent of common sense John Witherspoon...
2021-02-0505 min
Marc’s Almanac21st December, 2020 – The Shortest DayFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Susan Cooper, The Shortest Day.
"And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away..."
From the show:
Luke, 2:1;4-5
The winter solstice
William's Truthful Christmas by Richmal Crompton
On this day: 21st December, 1117...
2020-12-2107 minMarc’s Almanac14th December, 2020 – The Darkling ThrushFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Thomas Hardy, The Darkling Thrush.
"I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-grey..."
From the show:
Ecclesiastes 9:7
Ice in the Bedroom by PG Wodehouse
On this day: 14th December, 1901, the first major ping pong tournament, for men and women, takes place in London's Royal Aquarium
On this day: 14th December, 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen...
2020-12-1405 minMarc’s Almanac7th December, 2020 – A Winter Blue JayFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Sara Teesdale, A Winter Blue Jay.
"Crisply the bright snow whispered,
Crunching beneath our feet..."
From the show:
1 Thessalonians 5:4-5
On this day: 7th December, 521, St Columba is born in Gartan, Ireland
On this day: 7th December, 1732, the Theatre Royal holds its first performance. Today we know the venue as the Royal Opera House. Get a ticket for...
2020-12-0705 minMarc’s Almanac30th November, 2020 – Advent CalendarFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Rowan Williams, Advent Calendar.
"He will come like last leaf’s fall.
One night when the November wind..."
From the show:
Psalm 100: 4-5
Jeeves and the Yuletide Spirit by PG Wodehouse
On this day: 30th November, 1016, Canute the Great claims the English throne
On this day: 30th November, 1667, the great satirist Jonathan Swift is born in Dublin...
2020-11-3000 minMarc’s Almanac23rd November, 2020 – Children of Our AgeFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Wislawa Symborska, Children of Our Age.
"All day long, all through the night,
all affairs – yours, ours, theirs –
are political affairs..."
From the show:
Ecclesiastes 11:4
On this day: 23rd November, 1644, Areopagitica, John Milton's great defence of the liberty of the press, is published
On this day: 23rd November, 1963, the first episode of Doctor Who – An Unearthly Child – is broadcas...
2020-11-2300 minMarc’s Almanac16th November, 2020 – Wild GeeseFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Mary Oliver, Wild Geese.
"You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting...."
From the show:
Isaiah 45:8
The letters of Emily Eden
On this day: 16th November, 2002, the first recorded case of SARS, in Guangdong, China.
On this day: 16th November, 1961...
2020-11-1600 minMarc’s Almanac9th November, 2020 – In Flanders FieldsFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by John McCrae, In Flanders Fields.
"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row..."
Donate to this year’s Poppy Appeal here.
From the show:
John 15:13
Operation Torch sees Allied forces successfully invade Vichy French territories in North Africa, 8th November, 1942
On this day: 9th November, 1985, Gary Kasparov becomes world ch...
2020-11-0900 minMarc’s Almanac2nd November, 2020 – The Wild Swans at CooleFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by WB Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole.
"The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry..."
From the show:
Psalm 69:33
Hot Water by PG Wodehouse
On this day: 2nd November, 1996, the blues singer Eva Cassidy dies aged 33
2nd November was established as All Soul's Day a thousand years ago by Odilo of Cluny...
2020-11-0200 minMarc’s Almanac26th October, 2020 – Batter My HeartFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by John Donne, one of his Holy Sonnets.
"Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you
As yet but knock..."
From the show:
Song of Solomon 2:14
The charge of the Light Brigade – here's a rare wax cylinder recording from 1890 of Tennyson reading his poem
On this day: 26th October, 899, King Alfred the Great, educator, reformer and warrior, goes to glory...
2020-10-2600 minMarc’s Almanac19th October, 2020 – The Way Through The WoodsFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Rudyard Kipling, The Way Through The Woods.
"They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago..."
From the show:
Proverbs 17:17
Boswell's Life of Johnson
On this day: 19th October, 1781, Lord Cornwallis surrenders to George Washington at Yorktown, ending the American Revolutionary War
On this day: 19th October, 1889, Arthur Satherley, country music pioneer, was born in Bedminster
2020-10-1900 minMarc’s Almanac12th October, 2020 – All My Friends...Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Christian Wiman, All My Friends Are Finding New Beliefs.
"All my friends are finding new beliefs.
This one converts to Catholicism and this one to trees..."
From the show:
Psalm 59:16
On this day: 12th October, 1492, Christopher Columbus lands in the New World
On this day: 12th October, 1915, the nurse and Anglican martyr Edith Cavell is executed by firing...
2020-10-1200 minMarc’s Almanac5th October, 2020 – A Day in AutumnFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by RS Thomas, A Day in Autumn.
"Having looked up
From the day’s chores, pause a minute..."
From the show:
Proverbs 2:8
Samuel Pepys sneaks a look backstage at Drury Lane in 1667
On this day: 5th October, 1919, the character actor Donald Pleasence is born in Worksop, the son of a stationmaster
On this day: 5th October, 1930, the ai...
2020-10-0500 minMarc’s Almanac28th September, 2020 – The Ruined MaidFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Thomas Hardy, The Ruined Maid.
"O 'Melia, my dear, this does everything crown!
Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town?..."
From the show:
Colossians 3:23
Just William's Luck by Richmal Crompton
On this day: 28th September, 1066, the invasion force of William the Conqueror lands at Pevensey Bay
On this day: 28th September, 1836, Thomas Crapper...
2020-09-2806 minMarc’s Almanac21st September, 2020 – At The WellheadFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Seamus Heaney, At The Wellhead.
"Your songs, when you sing them with your two eyes closed
As you always do, are like a local road
We’ve known every turn of in the past..."
From the show:
Joel 2:23
On this day: 21st September, 1819, John Keats writes a letter from Winchester, mentioning that he has composed a new poem on...
2020-09-2106 minMarc’s Almanac14th September, 2020 – SeptemberFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Ted Hughes, September.
"We sit late, watching the dark slowly unfold:
No clock counts this..."
From the show:
Psalm 27:9
The Code of the Woosters, by PG Wodehouse – first serialised in Britain in the Daily Mail in 1938, beginning on this day
On this day: 14th September, 1752, Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar, leaping to September 14th from September 2nd. Years later, so...
2020-09-1406 minMarc’s Almanac7th September, 2020 – Autumn JournalFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in East London, as the capital starts to wake up. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Louis MacNeice, an extract from Autumn Journal.
"September has come, it is hers
Whose vitality leaps in the autumn..."
From the show:
Lamentations 3:22-23
On this day: 7th September, 1895, the first games of what would become rugby league are played across the north of England
On this day: 7th September, 1533, Elizabeth I is born, daughter of Anne Boleyn and...
2020-09-0705 minMarc’s Almanac10th August, 2020 – Dane-geldFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Rudyard Kipling, Dane-geld.
"Though we know we should defeat you,
we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away..."
From the show:
Matthew 24:27
The Gardener's Year, Karel Capek
On this day: 10th August, 991 AD, the Anglo-Saxons failed to turn back a Viking invasion at the Battle of Maldon. The defeat leads King Ethelred...
2020-08-1005 minMarc’s Almanac3rd August, 2020 – How At OnceFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Edward Thomas, How At Once.
"How at once should I know,
When stretched in the harvest blue..."
From the show:
1 John 2:17
The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton
On this day: 3rd August, 1914, Edward Grey says "the lamps are going out all over Europe"
On this day: 3rd August, 1803, Joseph Paxton, designer of the Crystal Palace is born in Bedfordshire
2020-08-0304 minMarc’s Almanac27th July, 2020 – The OtherFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by RS Thomas, The Other.
"There are nights that are so still
that I can hear the small owl
calling..."
From the show:
Ezra 10:4
Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo
On this day: 27th July, 1586, Sir Walter Raleigh introduces tobacco (and potatoes) to the English court
On this day: 27th July, 1857, Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge is born in Bodmin. He would rise...
2020-07-2705 minMarc’s Almanac20th July, 2020 – Ancient MaximsFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With an extract from Virgil's Georgics.
"So all things are fated
to slide towards the worst, and revert by slipping back..."
From the show:
Song of Solomon 5:2
A letter from John Keats to his brother Tom, written on a walking tour of Scotland
On this day: 20th July, 1304, Edward I takes Stirling castle
On this day: 20th July, 1804, Richard Owen, who gave dinosaurs...
2020-07-2005 minMarc’s Almanac13th July, 2020 – Praise the Mutilated WorldFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Adam Zagajewski, Try to Praise the Mutilated World.
"Remember the moments when we were together
in a white room and the curtain fluttered..."
From the show:
Deuteronomy 31:8
The amazing (and perhaps even lucky) hummingbird hawk-moth
The Mating Season by PG Wodehouse
On this day: 13th July, 1568, Alexander Nowell, Dean of St Paul's, accidentally invents bottled beer on a fishing...
2020-07-1305 minMarc’s Almanac6th July, 2020 – Ale's The Stuff To DrinkFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by AE Housman, an extract from Terence, This Is Stupid Stuff.
"And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God’s ways to man..."
From the show:
Proverbs, 15:29
The Gardener's Year, by Karel Capek and the Growing Stone of Blaxhall, Suffolk
On this day: 6th July, 1348 – Pope Clement VI issues the first of two papal bulls stating that Jews were falsely accu...
2020-07-0605 minMarc’s Almanac29th June, 2020 – The VagabondFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Vagabond.
"Wealth I seek not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I seek, the heaven above
And the road below me..."
From the show:
The Rings of Saturn by WG Sebald
Isaiah, 3:4-5
On this day: 29th June, 1613 – The Globe theatre, where some of William Shakespeare's greatest plays were first performed, burns do...
2020-06-2905 minMarc’s Almanac22nd June, 2020 – RaptorFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by RS Thomas, Raptor.
"You have made God small,
setting him astride
a pipette or a retort
studying the bubbles..."
From the show:
Jeremiah 20:9
Sam the Sudden by PG Wodehouse
On this day: 22nd June, 1633 – Galileo Galilei is forced to deny in public that the earth goes around the sun. By tradition, immediately afterwards he stamped his foot on the ground an...
2020-06-2205 minMarc’s Almanac15th June, 2020 – Waiting for the BarbariansFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by CP Cavafy, Waiting for the Barbarians.
"What are we waiting for, assembled in the forum?
The barbarians are due here today...."
From the show:
On this day: 15th June, 1215, King John sets his seal to Magna Carta, explicitly establishing the rule of law, governing the ruler and the ruled alike
On this day: 15th June, 1911, Wilbert Vere Awdrey was born in Ampfield, Hampshire...
2020-06-1506 minMarc’s Almanac12th June, 2020 – The Guy in the GlassFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Dale Wimbrow, The Guy in the Glass.
"When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day..."
From the show:
Proverbs 18:21
Weekend Wodehouse: Ice in the Bedroom
On this day: 12th June, 1381 – John Ball preaches to a crowd at Blackheath during the Peasants Revolt. He asks, "When Adam delved and Eve sp...
2020-06-1205 minMarc’s Almanac11th June, 2020 – MowingFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Robert Frost, Mowing.
"There was never a sound beside the wood but one,
And that was my long scythe whispering to the ground..."
From the show:
Colossians 3:13
On this day: 11th June, celebrating Barnabas the apostle
On this day: 11th June 1578, Sir Humphrey Gilbert receives letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I, giving him authority to colonise north America and begin the...
2020-06-1105 minMarc’s Almanac10th June, 2020 – Bright is the Ring of WordsFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, Bright is the Ring of Words.
"Bright is the ring of words
When the right man rings them..."
From the show:
Daniel 3:16-18
'William the Reformer' from William – Again, by Richmal Crompton
On this day: 10th June 1540, Thomas Cromwell is arrested and stripped of property and titles at the orders of King Henry VIII
On this day, 10th...
2020-06-1005 minMarc’s Almanac9th June, 2020 – TarantellaFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Hilaire Belloc, Tarantella.
"Do you remember an inn, Miranda?
Do you remember an inn?..."
From the show:
Matthew 6:14
St Ignatius of Loyola, author of the Spiritual Exercises and the evening Examen ritual
On this day: 9th June, 597 – St Columba dies, warrior saint, Scottish evangelist and founder of the abbey of Iona
On this day: 9th June, 1549 – the Church of Engl...
2020-06-0905 minMarc’s Almanac8th June, 2020 – The PylonsFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Stephen Spender, The Pylons.
"The secret of these hills was stone, and cottages
Of that stone made..."
From the show:
Isaiah, 1:7
On this day: 8th June, 1949 – George Orwell publishes his novel of technological totalitarianism, 1984
On this day: 8th June, 1955 – Sir Tim Berners-Lee OM, inventor of the worldwide web, is born in London
Music to wake you up – Poor Wayfaring Stranger by The...
2020-06-0805 minMarc’s Almanac5th June, 2020 – It is not growing like a tree...Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Ben Jonson.
"It is not growing like a tree
In bulk doth make Man better be..."
From the show:
Exodus 4: 10-12
Weekend Wodehouse: Something Fresh, a Blandings novel
On this day: 5th June, 1833 – Ada Lovelace meets Charles Babbage for the first time
On this day: 5th June, 1723 – Adam Smith is baptised in Kirkcaldy, Fife
Friday film: Groundhog Day
2020-06-0505 minMarc’s Almanac4th June, 2020 – Ah, for a man...Five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, an extract from Maud.
"Ah God, for a man with heart, head, hand,
Like some of the simple great ones gone..."
From the show:
Proverbs 15:1
On this day: 4th June, 1927 – play begins in the first Ryder Cup
On this day: 4th June, 1940 – Winston Churchill gives perhaps his famous speech, "We shall fight on the beaches"
Music to w...
2020-06-0405 minMarc’s Almanac3rd June, 2020 – An English LightFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Felix Dennis, An English Light.
"9:45 on a fine June night,
I watch from the window and write and write..."
From the show:
2 Corinthians, 3:2-3
William – The Dictator, by Richmal Crompton
On this day: 3 June, 1989 – the Tiananmen Square massacre begins. It will see up to four thousand pro-democracy activists shot, bayoneted and deliberately crushed to death beneath the treads of tanks
On t...
2020-06-0305 minMarc’s Almanac2nd June, 2020 – Drummer HodgeFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Thomas Hardy, Drummer Hodge.
"They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest
Uncoffined – just as found..."
From the show:
A Month in the Country by JL Carr
On this day: 2 June, 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, remarkably similar in its ceremonial to that of King Edgar, which took place on 3 June, 973, almost a thousand years earlier.
On this day: 2 June, 1840, Thomas Hardy, po...
2020-06-0205 minMarc’s Almanac1st June, 2020 – The Lake Isle of InnisfreeFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by William Butler Yeats, The Lake Isle of Innisfree.
"I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made..."
From the show:
On this day: 1st June, 1785, King George extends a grudging hand of friendship to John Adams, first US ambassador to the Court of St James.
On this day: 1st June, 61, the...
2020-06-0104 minMarc’s Almanac29th May, 2020 – The Whitsun WeddingsFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Philip Larkin, an extract from The Whitsun Weddings.
"All afternoon, through the tall heat that slept
For miles inland,
A slow and stopping curve southwards we kept..."
From the show:
Weekend Wodehouse: "Honeysuckle Cottage" from Meet Mr Mulliner
On this day: 29th May, 1940 – the evacuation of Dunkirk continued
On this day: 29th May, 1953 – Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the...
2020-05-2905 minMarc’s Almanac28th May, 2020 – East CokerFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by TS Eliot, and extract from East Coker.
"I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope
For hope would be hope for the wrong thing..."
From the show:
Silas Marner by George Eliot
On this day: 28th May, 1883 – the architect of Portmeirion, Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis is born in Gayton, Northamptonshire
On this day: 28th May, 1936 – Alan Turing submits his groundbreaking pape...
2020-05-2804 minMarc’s Almanac27th May, 2020 – PragueFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Christian Wiman, Prague.
"When I was learning words
and you were in the bath
there was a flurry of small birds
and in the aftermath..."
From the show:
Poetry by the remarkable Christian Wiman
Marilynne Robinson's prize-winning novel...
2020-05-2705 minMarc’s Almanac26th May, 2020 – i thank You, GodFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by ee cummings, i thank You, God.
"i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees..."
From the show:
Backpacking with the Saints by Belden Lane
On this day: 26th May, 604 – the death of Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury
On this day: 26th May, 1868 – the last public hanging in England sees the execution of Michael Barrett for...
2020-05-2604 minMarc’s Almanac22nd May, 2020 – The Rolling English RoadFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by GK Chesterton, The Rolling English Road.
"Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode,
The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road..."
From the show:
Weekend Wodehouse: Thank You, Jeeves – in which Bertie and Jeeves struggle over the master's banjolele habit
On this day: 22nd May, 1945, the RAF drops the first issue of The Flying Hollander, a propaganda newspaper de...
2020-05-2206 minMarc’s Almanac21st May, 2020 – A WalkFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, A Walk.
"My eyes already touch the sunny hill.
going far beyond the road I have begun..."
From the show:
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
On this day: 21st May, 1894, Queen Victoria opens the world's longest river navigation canal, the Manchester Ship Canal
On this day: 21st May, 1602, Captain Bartholomew Gosnold of Otley Hall, Suffolk, sights an unexplored coastline covered...
2020-05-2105 minMarc’s Almanac20th May, 2020 – The School of YorkFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a poem by Alcuin, The School of York.
"To some he made the grammar understood,
And poured on others rhetoric's copious flood..."
From the show:
Just William by Richmal Crompton
Remembering Alcuin of York, who died May 19th, in the year 804. Listen to the BBC's In Our Time episode on Alcuin.
On this day: 20 May, 1772 – William Congreve, second Baronet, was born, inventor of the Congreve ro...
2020-05-2005 minMarc’s Almanac19th May, 2020 – Ode to a NightingaleFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With an extract from Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats.
"I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs..."
From the show:
Dunstan by Conn Iggulden
On this day: 19th May, 988 – The death of Dunstan, politician, priest, silversmith and scholar, who pulled the devil by the nose with red-hot tongs
On this day: 19th May, 1649 – England is d...
2020-05-1905 minMarc’s Almanac18th May, 2020 – When in Disgrace with FortuneFive minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. Sign up at https://marcsalmanac.substack.com
With a sonnet by William Shakespeare.
"When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state..."
From the show:
Wilding: The return of nature to a British farm by Isabella Tree
On this day: 18 May 1742, Lionel Lukin, inventor of the "unsinkable" lifeboat born in Great Dunmow, Essex
On this day: 18 May 1830, Edwin Beard Budding, inventor of the lawnmower, goes into...
2020-05-1805 minMarc’s Almanac15th May, 2020 – The Things That Haven't Been DoneHello from Suffolk, England.
Sit back and enjoy five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. With a poem by Edgar Guest, The Things That Haven't Been Done Before.
"The things that haven’t been done before,
Those are the things to try..."
From the show:
Weekend Wodehouse: a visit to Blandings castle with Summer Lightning
On this day: May 15, 1718, James Puckle registers the first patent for a machine gun
On this weekend: May 16-17, 1943, Operation Chastise, better-known as the Dam Bu...
2020-05-1505 minMarc’s Almanac14th May, 2020 – Pied BeautyHello from Suffolk, England.
Sit back and enjoy five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. With a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, Pied Beauty.
"Glory be to God for dappled things –
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow..."
From the show:
The Middle Years, Henry James
Gonio castle, resting place of St Matthias the apostle
On this day: May 14, 1796, Edward Jenner tests the world's first vaccine
(Bonus: the always-excellent In Our Time on Jenner and immunisation)...
2020-05-1405 minMarc’s Almanac13th May, 2020 – IfHello from Suffolk, England.
Sit back and enjoy five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. With a poem by Rudyard Kipling, If.
"If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you..."
From the show:
Winston Churchill takes over as Prime Minister in 1940
On this day in 1842, Arthur Sullivan, composer of The Pirates of Penzance and Onward Christian Soldiers is born
On this day in 1914, RE "Tip" Foster, the only man...
2020-05-1305 minMarc’s Almanac12th May, 2020 – Invitation to the CountryHello from Suffolk, England.
Sit back and enjoy five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. With a poem by George Meredith, Invitation to the Country.
"Cast off the yoke of toil and smoke
As Spring is casting winter's grey..."
From the show:
William Wilberforce begins his 18-year campaign to end the slave trade in Parliament
King John takes a fateful step down the road to Magna Carta
Music to wake you up – One Mint Julep by Louis Prima
...
2020-05-1205 minMarc’s Almanac11th May, 2020 – The WaltzHello from Suffolk, England.
Sit back and enjoy five minutes of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. With a poem by Lord Byron, The Waltz.
"Waltz—Waltz alone—both legs and arms demands,
Liberal of feet, and lavish of her hands..."
From the show:
The Great Exhibition, 1851
The arrival of the waltz in England
The assassination of the Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval
Byron on the public scandal of the waltz
Music to wake you up – I Don't Need Y...
2020-05-1105 minMarc’s Almanac8th May, 2020 – Railway RhymesHello from Suffolk, England. Take five minutes for a dose of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. With a poem by Charles Larcom Graves, Railway Rhymes.
"When books are pow'rless to beguile
And papers only stir my bile,
For solace and relief I flee
To Bradshaw or the A. B. C.,
And find the best of recreations
In studying the names of stations..."
From the show:
Weekend Wodehouse: The Code of the Woosters
...
2020-05-0805 minMarc’s Almanac7th May, 2020 – The Pied Piper of HamelinHello from Suffolk, England. Take five minutes for a dose of civilised calm, recorded in the peace of the English countryside. With the opening of Robert Browning's poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
"Rats!
They fought the dogs, and killed the cats..."
From the show:
Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household
HMS Victory, launched today in 1765
Robert Browning
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Music to wake you up – Bluebird by Miranda Lambert
(Listen to the full playlist on YouTube)
Sign up...
2020-05-0704 minMarc’s Almanac6th May, 2020 – Ninetieth BirthdayHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm recorded in the peace of the English countryside. With a poem by RS Thomas, Ninetieth Birthday.
"You go up the long track
That will take a car, but is best walked..."
From the show:
Anne Boleyn's last days
The battle of Edington, 878
The world's first postage stamp, the penny black
Collected poems of RS Thomas
Music to wake you up – I Still Believe by Frank Turner
(Listen to the full playlist on Yo...
2020-05-0605 minMarc’s Almanac5th May, 2020 – Nuns Fret NotHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm. With a poem by William Wordsworth, Nuns Fret Not.
"Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room;
And hermits are contented with their cells..."
From the show:
The Peregrine by JA Baker
Robert "Black Bob" Crauford
Relive Amy Johnson's record-making solo flight to Australia with a daily podcast
Music to wake you up – Lovely Day by Bill Withers
(Listen to the full playlist on YouTube)
Sign up to receive email aler...
2020-05-0505 minMarc’s Almanac4th May, 2020 – The Quiet LifeHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm. With a poem, The Quiet Life by Alexander Pope.
"Happy the man whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound..."
From the show:
All Among The Barley by Melissa Harrison
Melissa's podcast, The Stubborn Light of Things
The Carthusian martyrs of London
Rhode Island is the first American colony to declare independence
Music to wake you up – In The Jailhouse Now by The Soggy Bottom Boys
(Listen to the full playlist on...
2020-05-0405 minMarc’s Almanac1st May, 2020 – Aurora LeighHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With an extract from Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
"The tangled hedgerows, where the cows push out
Impatient horns and tolerant churning mouths..."
From the show:
Weekend Wodehouse – Uncle Fred in the Springtime
The tomb of Saints Philip and James the Less
The Act of Union, 1707
Friday film: Seabiscuit
Music to wake you up – Over The Rainbow sung by Eva Cassidy
(Listen to the full playlist on Y...
2020-05-0105 minMarc’s Almanac30th April, 2020 – The Promised GardenHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Theo Dorgan, The Promised Garden.
"There is a garden where our hearts converse,
At ease beside clear water, dreaming..."
From the show:
Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village by Ronald Blythe – also a wonderful film
John Wilkes and Liberty
Jerry Lordan, who wrote Wonderful Land for The Shadows, was born today in 1934
Celebrate Walpurgisnight with Cunning Folk
Music to wake up to – Summer Is Icumen In s...
2020-04-3005 minMarc’s Almanac29th April, 2020 – Everyone SangHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Siegfried Sassoon, Everyone Sang.
"Everyone suddenly burst out singing;
And I was filled with such delight..."
From the show:
Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham
Catherine of Siena
The 2011 Royal Wedding
Music to wake up to – One Love by Bob Marley
(Listen to the full playlist on YouTube)
Sign up to receive email alerts and show notes with links when a new episode go...
2020-04-2904 minMarc’s Almanac28th April, 2020 – OzymandiasHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Percy Shelley, Ozymandias.
"I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert..."
From the show:
The Mutiny on the Bounty
Captain Cook's landing place at Botany Bay
The Sanctuary of Peter Chanel, Futuna Island
Wild Earth virtual safaris
Music to wake up to – Living in a Ghost Town by The Rollin...
2020-04-2805 minMarc’s Almanac27th April, 2020 – The Rubaiyat of Omar KhayyamHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem translated by Edward Fitzgerald, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
"Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring
The Winter Garment of Repentance fling..."
From the show:
Fitzgerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Why Paradise Lost matters, and In Our Time on John Milton
A Vindication of the Rights of Women
The Alde Valley Spring Festival
Music to wake up to – Just a Cl...
2020-04-2705 minMarc’s Almanac24th April, 2020 – Portrait of a LadyHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by T.S. Eliot, Portrait of a Lady.
"Now that lilacs are in bloom
She has a bowl of lilacs in her room..."
From the show:
Weekend Wodehouse: Joy in the Morning
Halley's comet, which menaced the skies in 1066, taken as a portent of the Norman Yoke.
John Graunt, father of epidemiology
Pro Corda's Piano Sanctuary, live from Leiston Abbey, every Friday at 7pm, on Soundcloud
2020-04-2405 minMarc’s Almanac23rd April, 2020 – The Glory of the GardenHello from Suffolk, England. Happy St George's Day. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Rudyard Kipling, The Glory of the Garden.
"Our England is a garden that is full of stately views,
Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues..."
From the show:
The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett
The tomb of St George, in Lod and Winston Churchill's wartime aeroplane, Ascalon
Why is Shakespeare so great?
Music to wake up to – Making of a Man by...
2020-04-2305 minMarc’s Almanac22nd April, 2020 – Summer FarmHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Norman MacCaig, Summer Farm.
"Straws like tame lightnings lie about the grass
And hang zigzag on hedges..."
From the show:
Figurehead of the Sirius in Hull Maritime Museum, and Around the World in 80 Days
Phil May's groundbreaking cartoons
Heaven in Ordinary, Malcolm Doney's Something Understood
Music to wake up to – Spring, from the Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite, by Paul Reade
(Listen to the full pl...
2020-04-2205 minMarc’s Almanac21st April, 2020 – This Royal Throne of KingsHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by William Shakespeare, John of Gaunt's speech from Richard II.
"This royal throne of kings, this sceptr'd isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars..."
From the show:
Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, just one of the remarkable novels from her richly-talented family
The Single Petal of a Rose, from Duke Ellington's Queen's Suite
Nub.news – hyperlocal news sites around the UK, sharing Marc's Almanac on its Suffolk sites fo...
2020-04-2104 minMarc’s Almanac20th April, 2020 – Pangur BanHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by a 9th-century Irish monk, Pangur Ban.
"I and Pangur Ban my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at..."
From the show:
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
John Halifax, Gentleman by Dinah Craik
Leslie Phillips: "Ding Dong!"
The White Cat and the Monk
Art History at Bedtime, read by Dr Bendor Grosvenor
A song to wake up to – The Bones, by Ma...
2020-04-2004 minMarc’s Almanac17th April, 2020 – The Canterbury TalesHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer, the opening of his prologue to The Canterbury Tales.
"When April's gentle rains have pierced the drought
Of March right to the root..."
From the show:
Weekend Wodehouse: The Aunt and the Sluggard
The Canterbury Tales
Henry Vaughan and Philip K Dick
A Canterbury Tale, Powell and Pressburger's meditation on what it means to be English in wartime
The Private Life of...
2020-04-1704 minMarc’s Almanac16th April, 2020 – Norman and SaxonHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Rudyard Kipling, Norman and Saxon.
"My son," said the Norman Baron, "I am dying, and you will be heir
To all the broad acres in England that William gave me for share...
From the show:
The Pilgrim's Progress
An interview with Sir Isaac Newton
Sir Hans Sloane, founder of the British Museum and hot chocolate salesman
The history of Rudyard Kipling's history poem, Norman and Saxon
2020-04-1606 minMarc’s Almanac15th April, 2020 – I Wandered Lonely as a CloudHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by William Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.
"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills.."
From the show:
Dorothy Wordsworth and her Journal
Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language
Amelia Edwards and the Egypt Exploration Society
Carry You Home, by Ward Thomas
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2020-04-1505 minMarc’s Almanac14th April, 2020 – The Tuft of FlowersHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Robert Frost, The Tuft of Flowers.
"I went to turn the grass once after one
Who mowed it in the dew before the sun..."
From the show:
Recreations of a Country Parson
Virtual tour of the Pitt Rivers museum, Oxford University
Dan Dare and The Eagle – here's the first-ever cover
Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour on the Bedpost Overnight?, sung by Lonnie Donegan
...
2020-04-1405 minMarc’s Almanac13th April, 2020 – TreesHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Alfred Joyce Kilmer, Trees.
"I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree..."
From the show:
The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis, which contains the sequence where Aslan sings Narnia to life
Beowulf, in a new translation by Seamus Heaney
Tim Brooke-Taylor, singing one song to the tune of another
Sir Stirling Moss
The Book of Numbers, by John Conway
2020-04-1305 minMarc’s Almanac10th April, 2020 – Love, iiiHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by George Herbert, Love, iii.
"Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back
Guilty of dust and sin..."
From the show:
Weekend Wodehouse: Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey
Save the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The half-forgotten genius of William Hazlitt
Friday night films: The Secret of Roan Inish and I Know Where I'm Going
July Skies, See Britain by the Train (Pevsner version)
Music to wake up...
2020-04-1004 minMarc’s Almanac9th April, 2020 – AdlestropHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Edward Thomas, Adlestrop.
"Yes. I remember Adlestrop..."
From the show:
The Cottage Garden
The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
George Peacock, mathematical reformer
Easter services at St Bartholomew the Great: available from Thursday at 7pm, Good Friday 2.30pm, Saturday 7pm and Easter Sunday at 11am.
Lord, I hope this day is good, Lee Ann Womack
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2020-04-0904 minMarc’s Almanac8th April, 2020 – The TygerHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by William Blake, The Tyger.
"Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night..."
From the show:
Blake's illustrated poem, The Tyger
The Natural History of Selborne by Gilbert White
12th-century sword from the Battle of Fornham
Winchester cathedral
When I Get to Heaven, by John Prine
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2020-04-0805 minMarc’s Almanac7th April, 2020 – The Lambs of GrasmereHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Christina Rossetti, The Lambs of Grasmere.
"Day after day, night after night,
From lamb to lamb the shepherds went..."
From the show:
Sutton Hoo on Twitter, @NT_SuttonHoo
The Best Seat in the House, from the Not Forgotten Association
Tori Amos, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, from the Good Omens TV series
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2020-04-0705 minMarc’s Almanac6th April, 2020 – 'Hope' is the thing with feathersHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Emily Dickinson, 'Hope' is the thing with feathers.
"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul..."
From the show:
Three Men in a Boat
Lost in the Middle by Catherine McGrath
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Please share this with anyone who might need a touch...
2020-04-0604 minMarc’s Almanac3rd April, 2020 – Home Thoughts, From AbroadHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Robert Browning, Home Thoughts, From Abroad.
"Oh, to be in England
Now that April's there..."
From the show:
Uncle Dynamite
Discipline, by George Herbert
Return of the Pink Panther
A Canterbury Tale
It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow
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Please share...
2020-04-0305 minMarc’s Almanac2nd April, 2020 – The TreesHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Philip Larkin, The Trees.
"The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said..."
From the show:
Radar history at Orford Ness and Bawdsey.
Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets
Melody Gardot, Morning Sun
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2020-04-0204 minMarc’s Almanac1st April, 2020 – Upon Westminster BridgeHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by William Wordsworth, Upon Westminster Bridge.
"Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty..."
From the show:
William Harvey's demonstration rod
The Habit of Art available to stream
Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran
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2020-04-0105 minMarc’s Almanac31st March, 2020 – The Sun RisingHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by John Donne, The Sun Rising.
"Busy old fool, unruly sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us..."
From the show:
The Detectorists
Frank Turner, Going Nowhere
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Please share this with anyone who might need a touch of calm...
2020-03-3104 minMarc’s Almanac30th March, 2020 – SpringHello from Suffolk, England. Here’s five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a moment from Wind in the Willows and Spring by Gerard Manley Hopkins.
"Nothing is so beautiful as Spring –
When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush..."
From the show:
Stream The Wind in the Willows at willowsmusical.com
Play games like Sushi Go with friends far and near at boardgamearena.com
Donate to feed hard-pressed doctors and nurses at mealsforthenhs.com
Workin' Man's PhD
Si...
2020-03-3004 min
Marc’s Almanac27th March, 2020 – On A Lane In SpringHello from Suffolk, England. Here’s five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With some weekend Wodehouse and John Clare's On a Lane in Spring.
"A Little Lane, the brook runs close beside
And spangles in the sunshine while the fish glide swiftly by..."
From the show:
The Custody of the Pumpkin
Intimations of Immortality by William Wordsworth
It is Well With My Soul, performed by a virtual cellphone choir in Nashville
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2020-03-2704 min
Marc’s Almanac26th March, 2020 – On His BlindnessHello from Suffolk, England. Here’s five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With John Milton's On His Blindness.
"They also serve who only stand and wait."
From the show:
"Learning in Wartime" by CS Lewis
The Gilgamesh Flood Tablet, first translated by George Smith
@crcuthbert
@seaskycraster (SeaWindowCraster)
Rock Island Line, sung by Lonnie Donegan
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Please share th...
2020-03-2604 min
Marc’s Almanac25th March, 2020 – Sir Gawain and the Green KnightHappy new year from Suffolk, England. It’s Lady Day and here’s five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With an extract from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
"Both the ground and the groves put on green garments;
Birds begin to build, and brightly sing"
From the show:
In Our Time on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
NHS Volunteer Responders
How Can I keep From Singing, sung by Eva Cassidy
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2020-03-2504 min
Marc’s Almanac24th March, 2020 – Seaside GolfHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by John Betjeman, Seaside Golf.
"How straight it flew, how long it flew,
It clear'd the rutty track..."
From the show:
Live at the Abbey from Pro Corda
Machineries of Joy by British Sea Power
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Please share this with anyone who might need a touch of calm...
2020-03-2403 min
Marc’s Almanac23rd March, 2020 – LockdownHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by Brother Richard Hendrick, OFM, Lockdown.
"The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love..."
From the show:
Brother Richard on Facebook
The Royal Opera House on YouTube
Sign up to receive email alerts and show notes with links when a new episode goes live at marcsalmanac.substack.com
Please share this with anyone who might need a touch of...
2020-03-2305 min
Marc’s Almanac22nd March, 2020 – The Bright FieldHello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With a poem by RS Thomas, The Bright Field.
"I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field..."
From the show:
St Bartholomew the Great's services on YouTube
The Ash Tree read by Robert Lloyd Parry
Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
Sign up to receive email alerts and show notes with links when a new episode goes live at marcsalmanac.substack.com
Please share this...
2020-03-2203 min