I’ve just returned from five days in the depths of Wales. I could feel myself slowly unwinding, decompressing or somesuch thing as we drove up the unnamed road towards Ty Newydd, the national writers’ centre for Wales. Perched as it is between the sea and the river, the house is a marvel, beautiful restored, set in landscaped grounds. I had my own room with own bathroom (so nice that, not keen on walking down corridors in my nightie with a toothbrush).

 

However there was not much unwinding to be done. As usual on these workshops, I drove myself hard, slept badly and thought too much. But what a perfect place to do those things in. I was surrounded by poets who were serious about their work and had the gift of two great teachers, so the motivation was all there to absolutely make the most of it. Nothing like being surrounded by people with the poetry obsession. Anyone watching who wasn’t part of that world would definitely think we were all slightly nuts. But I must say that the usual token mad person didn’t materialise. Everyone was lovely; considerate, interesting, interested.

 

We had one particularly uproarious evening, known as ‘secret poem night’ where we had to guess who had written anonymous poems that had been submitted and critiqued by the group. This became less and less disciplined as we became more and more tired and drunk (well some of us, anyway), and culminated in a tie-break - we had to come up with definitions of poetry. ‘Poetry is well bing-bing’, said Ella, Carol Ann Duffy’s thirteen year old daughter. And I quite agree, as it happens.

 

All sounds too small and precious for words, doesn’t it? Yet some fine poetry was produced that week, and fine poetry is IMPORTANT.

 

I am proud to say that although there is wireless internet at Ty Newydd and I could have accessed my emails all week, I didn’t. Of course I came home to a very full inbox. And a family who REALLY missed me and once more are reminded that I do actually perform quite a valuable function in the household.

 

School holidays. Ah yes. Yum. Whoopee.