The Chiltern Hills from boyhood have been a backdrop inspiration of my work. I compose in the direct tradition of the great English ‘Romantics’ Wordsworth, Byron, Keats and the poets of the East Midlands John Clare, William Cowper and Gray. The Rhythms and flow of line and sound retain a modern dynamic; the cornerstone is to give beauty and even ugliness the brushstroke of a memorable setting. My work celebrates the challenge of feeling joy and sorrow in the world in which we live. Where being human we recognise our individual gifts in nature and in the modern world. The emotion and tranquillity of poetry is a relationship of sharing in the joy of being alive and human. Poetry like song and dance is a pleasurable pastime sometimes with deeper meaning.