The Hatching, 2015 part 1

Stoneyholme Community Primary School

22nd January 2015

as blue as the sky

and as green as grass,

the river rolls and rambles

while leopard-spotted fish watch

in the waving, wonderful water

artists at work

The Hatching 2015 begins. This year 8 schools are hatching trout eggs as part of the Ribble Rivers Trust's hatch and release scheme for Burnley rivers

My colleague Steve Brown and I are visiting all the schools again and working with our Trout-keepers to offer a creative take on the hatching process. First sessions have just happened…

Deep pool, quiet, still, slow water

where big fish swim and children splash, 

Water like a mirror reflecting trees and clouds

Steady stream, swirling slowly,

Slithering, splishing, splashing,

Slicing, squashing

Surrounding sharp stones,

Gathering speed, faster and faster,

Racing to the rapids

Running to the rapids

Rolling with rage and

Rampaging round the rocks

A waterfall washing

warily

waving wildly

weaving through

woody wildlife

Slow as a turtle

The water washes the huddled rocks,

Water walking as the fish swam

Slow, shallow water, as calm as a dream

a golden spotted trout swims through the green weeds

watching for food,

watching for danger,

a flicker as fast as lightning,

over the golden pearls of the gravel

Stoneyholme wrote and drew a river in words and pictures. They also captured the rhythms and patterns of trout-life in a soundscape…

This link will also (hopefully) take you to a recording of that soundscape. Despite it being my face you see, this work was done by Steve and the children - I'm storyteller, poet and maker for this project. (We've not tried this sort of link before so I hope it works!)