Carol Tierney...Nobody Knows

The theme of the battle of the bards 09 is wolves (as chosen by last years' winner). Here is a poem written by entrant Carol Tierney.

Nobody Knows

Ginger and silver and ebony dark;
Playground and tea house and swings in the park;
Waitress and princess and sailor at sea;
Nobody knows who the wolf's gonna be.

Hidden and hiding and hide-and-go-seek;
Bold as a lion or office mouse-meek;
Typewriter-tethered, or open road-free;
Nobody knows who the wolf's gonna be.

So look for the shadows wherever you are.
Be certain the wolves are never that far.

Physicists, waitresses, stay-at-home wives;
wolves concealed within everyday lives;
Teaching the secrets of man's history;
Nobody knows who the wolf's gonna be.

Giving an inch while they're taking a mile;
Unpainted faces and lipstick-laced smiles;
Planting a dream or just planting a tree;
Nobody knows who the wolf's gonna be.

So look for the shadows wherever you are.
Be certain the wolves are never that far.

Northern and southern and right by the sea;
Nobody knows where the wolf's gonna be.
Snow-bound or rain-bound or sunlit and free;
Nobody knows when the wolf you will see.
They've hidden the locks, and they've hidden the key;
Nobody knows who the wolf's gonna be.

Ginger and silver and rainbow array;
Here just to go and forbidden to stay;
Somewhere too close for your own eyes to see;
Nobody knows who the wolf's gonna be.

Little blond singers with vagabond curls;
Rose-topped sopranos and fiddler girls;
They're hidden in her, and they're hidden in me;
Nobody knows who the wolf's gonna be.

Nobody knows who the wolf's gonna be.

Eisteddfod - Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June 2009

A poetic tease...

Two contestants hoping to be crowned Chief Bard of the Fens on Sunday 28th June in the Battle of the Bards have come up with some wonderful poems which they will be performing before the main competition...

Pearl Burdock...






















Peter Cox...

What you can look forward to at Eisteddfod 2009...

We are pleased to announce that author C.A.Chance will be in the Iron Age Roundhouse reading from her magical “Trepets” series of books on the hour from 11am through to 3pm, and the illustrator, Vanessa Champion, will be running some fun craft activities on the day too. The author will be signing the books and they’ll be doing a special show price (all proceeds support wildlife charities).

You’ve heard of fairies, elves and pixies? Well, The Trepets are another magical species, who love to hang out with wildlife and make things out of things they find… in fact they’ve been recycling for hundreds of years and can FLY when their noses glow!

“We are delighted to have been invited by Flag Fen to entertain the children and read from the Trepets books…”said author C.A.Chance “The Trepets are thrilled too, and will be floating around the sky and trees while we’re there, so watch out for them!”

There are three books in the Trepets series, each with 6 or 7 short stories in each. You can buy them from any Waterstones and Amazon, but buy on the day to get them signed and for a special show price (usually £4.99 each, but will be £10 for the three books).

“And, we’ll be running some fun arty crafty activities for kids to come along and muse themselves with throughout the day!” said Vanessa Champion, illustrator of the books.

Book One: ISBN 0-9551289-0-0 £4.99
Book Two: ISBN 0-9551289-1-9 £4.99
Book Three: ISBN 0-9551289-2-7 £4.99

www.trepets.com

More info about the Trepets...

The books were written by C.A.Chance who’s a passionate conservationist. The idea of the Trepets books is that the children learn about nature through the magical short stories.

We work with the Wildlife Trusts, museums, libraries, etc to encourage children to really “see” and “engage in” the natural world and wildlife around them.

The characters in the book series, The Trepets are magical tiny flying folk, who live in an Oak Tree and take care of nature around them. They are only 5 centimetres tall and so could fit in your hand! The kids love it that they are small and could fit in their hand. They don’t have wings, but can fly when they make their noses glow!!! And when they laugh and giggle their noses glow on and off, making them bounce around as they lift off from their chairs…!!

The idea behind the books is that children learn about nature through the magical fantasy fiction. They follow the stories of the Trepets, as they meet dragonflies, moles, fieldmice, frogs, etc, who each have characters to bring them alive and to help children recognize that wild animals, even the tiniest insect is living thing and needs protecting.

Battle of the Bards 2009 (at Eisteddfod Festival, 27th & 28th June)

Battle of the Bards 2009...
Watch local contestants wage a war of words as they fight it out to be crowned Chief Bard of the Fens 2009.
Last year was the first time the Battle of the Bards was held in Peterborough where judges crowned Robin Hearne Chief Bard of the Fens after his compelling performance. This year Robin returns to the competition, but as a judge rather than a competitor. Robin has also selected the theme for the competition this year which is wolves.

General Manager from Flag Fen Neil Hart explains, “This is the second year we have held the Eisteddfod event at Flag Fen. We already have five entrants to the Battle of the Bard competition including Peterborough’s Poet Laureate from 2007-2008, Mark Grist. If there are any more potential competitors that would like to take part now is the time to get in touch!”

To enter the competition please contact Nyree Ambarchian: n.t.ambarchian@hotmail.co.uk or call 07917793928

Entrants need to fill in a quick easy registration form by Wednesday 24th June, and be ready to perform for 15 minutes on Sunday 28th June. Each entrant will get 15 minutes to wow the judges. Entrants can perform three poems or one story in this time.

Picture shows: Robin Hearne, Chief Bard of the Fens 2008-2009 just after he was crowned winner last year!

Eisteddfod - Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June 2009

The upcoming Eisteddfod event at Flag Fen on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June will see something for everyone at this celebration of creativity, art, poetry, storytelling, music, performance and arts & crafts. Fun for the whole family!

The Eisteddfod event is based on the ancient Celtic festival which our ancestors who lived at Flag Fen took part in every year. The festival can be traced back to the 12th Century.

Throughout the weekend there will be a host of activities and events to get involved in, including: story-telling in a Bronze Age roundhouse, poetry readings, children’s workshops, arts and crafts stalls, music, dancing and a delicious hog roast.”

Highlights to look forward to on Saturday 27th June...
· The Peterborough Young Poet of the Year competition with Peterborough Library
· Story telling from the Ramsey Story Tellers
· Poetry readings from Poets United

Highlights to look forward to on Sunday 28th June...
· Traditional folk music from Eel Pie
· Performances from local dance groupsThe Battle of the Bards – who will be crowned Chief Bard of the Fens 2009?

Full details of the event:
The Eisteddfod event will run from 10.30am - 4pm on both Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June. Admission for an adult costs just £5.00 with free entry for children under five. No need to pre-book, simply come along for one or both days!

How to get to Flag Fen:
Flag Fen can be accessed by bicycle and foot via the Green Wheel (approximately 5 miles or 1.5 hours from Peterborough Railway and Bus Station on foot and 45 minutes by bicycle). By car Flag Fen is just ten minutes away from Peterborough city centre and can be accessed from Junction 5 of the A1139 or via the B1040 from Whittlesey or Thorney, turning at the Dog in the Doublet Pub. Brown signs direct travellers from Peterborough but not from Whittlesey or Thorney.

Visit www.flagfen.com for more details.

Welcome

Welcome to the blog for Flag Fen.

Visit http://www.flagfen.com/ to keep up to date with what's going on at the Park.