Simon Zonenblick - Writing and more

Today I'm remembering my trip to County Down in Northern Ireland, where I traveled in 2019 for research on my illustrated talks project Bronte Beginnings. I stayed in the small town of Rathfriland, but the trip took in days in Belfast, Newry, Downpatrick and more. During my trip, I visited a variety of historical places, including churches and cultural sites, the childhood home of football legend George Best, and the surrounding countryside of Rathfriland, which includes the dramatic Mourne mountain range. It seems like a different age now, a year or more into the era of covid, but my visit to Co. Down is a journey I very much intend to take again in better times.  The experience prompted a number of videos, such as this one which features a slideshow of the places visited, and includes a selection of shots from the Downpatrick St Patrick's Day parade.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRSmpSK65L4   I have added below this post a full list of all videos taken on the trip. Below

Last year I read   Maarja Pärtna's superb poetry pamphlet Vivarium (The Emma Press 2019)  reprinted in an English translation by Jayde Will, and wrote the following review, which I was very pleased to see published on Sabotage Reviews a few days ago: http://sabotagereviews.com/2021/03/01/vivarium-by-maarja-partna-translated-by-jayde-will/

I have not felt up to much creativity of late, having lost my mother earlier this year. I have, though, found the completion of various pre-existing projects quite therapeutic, such as this video which I began making late last year and finished today. It is a celebration of five years' worth of flowers, photographed around the Calder Valley and elsewhere in the North of England, and I have dedicated it to my mum, who was a life-long lover of plants and nature, and played a big role in encouraging my own love of gardening and flowers.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-rjv-B91Ng