My wife was sitting by the window writing The Shifting Sands of Carbis Bay

It was her sixth book of verse in just three years

Caron was wearing a white blouse blue jeans and a pair of navy sneakers

During the warmer months she would often compose naked

But today was cooler with a harsh westerly breeze eclipsing the warm sun

The weather in this part of Cornwall has not really changed for over a week which is a little unusual

Last year in March we visited Japan to witness the Hanami season

The beauty of the cherry blossom assaulted our senses

But all beauty is transient and by the time we left Japan it was beginning to fade

We have cherry trees in our sloping garden but the force of the sea winds

Removes the blossom with little mercy leaving the young trees without their music

Our house which was built in the 1920s overlooks Carbis Bay

We have lived here since our marriage and it is likely that we will never move

Although we travel widely as Caron’s work is quite celebrated

I have always sat in the background which is my preferred geography

My wife has often called me L’ homme tranquille  which is I believe is true

As I drift through my hours with a certain gentleness and to those who do not know me

I appear to live in the thin shadows of all the seasons never offering a full reflection

Even on the brightest and warmest of summer days