I am sometimes asked how I started writing... it
goes back to childhood, my parents were
'different' in that they had a wider view of the
world. My mother was born and brought up in
Italy. She was bubbly, creative and eternally
optimistic, my father had farmed in Kenya and had
a deep love of the wild. I remember being taken
to a primrose wood in Kent at dusk to listen to
the nightingales. He would sit puffing away at
his pipe, teaching me to recognise birdsongs, the
texture of flowers and how to read sky...
Pim
Claridge
When I was about seven I contracted polio. This
meant no school, but a succession of governesses
and tutors whom my brother and I regularly
despatched. So because I spent a lot of time
lying flat, reading became my escape. They read
me yards and yards of Tennyson, Byron etc and I
used to let my mind wander, but was always aware
of the rise and fall, the sheer music of the
words. My Father loved poetry, and when he read,
I did listen to the words! Kipling, Keats,
Wordsworth, Rosetti, Alice Meynell, Flecker, and
The Cautionary Tales! Eventually at the age of 15
I was sent to boarding school where maths,
algebra, geometry, dusty history and French fell
on my 'barren ground'. But in Latin and English I
excelled!
Through the years I have had amazing ups and downs, jobs of all descriptions, but always seemed out of step, my ideas were viewed with amazement or derision... even despair! I couldn't conform, I can't conform now.
So now here I am, tucked away amidst the green gentleness, where my ancestors, adept at sheep rustling once occupied a romantic, wild and windblown Border fort. I have space, and silence, and wonderful night skies which, combined with the generousity of Border folk, is indeed Soul Comfort.
Living amongst the richness of the Scottish Borders inspires me to write in my own style, regardless of fashion. I write from the heart, as it is 'given' to me, so that I can pass on my love of this beautiful world through beautiful words. Over the last few years I have received awards for my work, and have been published in various magazines and anthologies, the most recent being a collection of contemporary Scottish poets.
You can find out more about my life and my poems by visiting my website here.
Through the years I have had amazing ups and downs, jobs of all descriptions, but always seemed out of step, my ideas were viewed with amazement or derision... even despair! I couldn't conform, I can't conform now.
So now here I am, tucked away amidst the green gentleness, where my ancestors, adept at sheep rustling once occupied a romantic, wild and windblown Border fort. I have space, and silence, and wonderful night skies which, combined with the generousity of Border folk, is indeed Soul Comfort.
Living amongst the richness of the Scottish Borders inspires me to write in my own style, regardless of fashion. I write from the heart, as it is 'given' to me, so that I can pass on my love of this beautiful world through beautiful words. Over the last few years I have received awards for my work, and have been published in various magazines and anthologies, the most recent being a collection of contemporary Scottish poets.
You can find out more about my life and my poems by visiting my website here.