“There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away”
Emily Dickinson
About Me
Hi, my name’s Ide. I’m 13 years old, and I’m a big sister and a writer (currently trying to publish my first novel, Written in Shadows). I also write poetry – my poems are Here.
My favourite things are sunsets, beautiful mornings, twisted tree-trunks, thunderstorms, sketching, daydreaming, the Renaissance, snowdrifts, the Greek goddess Athene, climbing trees, folklore, and the smell of old books. I’m a real bookworm – a few of my favourite writers of poetry and prose are Jane Austen, William Wordsworth, Tennyson, Emily Dickinson, Thomas Hardy, Elizabeth Gaskell, and the Brontës. I’m also interested in Greek mythology, fairy-tales and other legends. I love tradition and like to feel we’re keeping links with the past. I like strong female characters from novels, myths and history – Jane Eyre, Artemis, Boudicca, Atalanta, Elizabeth I, and a million others. I’m very interested in history of all sorts. At the moment I also have an obsession with the 18th century Royal Navy and sailors in general, fired by Patrick O’ Brian’s Master and Commander and Elizabeth Gaskell’s wonderful and very-much underrated Sylvia’s Lovers. I never weary of broadsides and brigs, cutting-out expeditions, commadores and carronades.
I’m home-educated, and I have two younger brothers, Tasgall, aged 8, and Cormac aged 3, and I love looking after them (although they do put me in constant fear for my life). I like wandering around romantic, isolated places far away from civilisation which look like they might have magic in them. I love mountain ranges and the sea, because they give me a feeling of hugeness and eternity. “Great things are done when men and mountains meet”. I now live in Cheshire, but I used to live on Anglesey and miss mountains, waves and wide horizons.
Newborough Beach, where I used to live on Anglesey
I’m a bit of a Catherine Moorland (from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey). I am always fancying that there’ll be a skeleton or an ancient treasure in locked drawers and old chests – and am constantly disappointed I generally find there! It was an old magazine the last time.
I love nature, and happily for me, I have a wonderful garden packed with flowers and trees, (though as I’m writing this in winter they aren’t out now). My house is very messy, but it has a lot of books in it. I also have a shop on Etsy with my Mum – Our Tangled Garden.
Me Reading
Me with my younger brother Cormac, playing the autumn leaves from the Copper Beech
Life
About Copper Beech School
In Copper Beech School you will find poems, short stories, essays on literature, and passages of description and musings on nature and my favourite authors, dispersed with nature photos taken by me. Copper Beech School is dedicated to the huge Copper Beech tree in my garden. I spent a lot of my time sitting underneath its branches, watching the leaves change with the seasons. It is a wonderful tree and it has been the inspiration for some of my best poems and stories.
The Copper Beech Tree
Copper Beech Blog 
We are enjoying your blog very much so far, can’t wait to read more….
Thanks for your lovely moment Poppy! Which blog post have you read? Don’t look at Jane Austen or anything else in Books and Films category until I say because they are not finished yet. If you want you can read the Persuasion bit of the Jane Austen one, though it does give away the story so I would advise you not to read anything about books you have not read. The snorkeling one and the preserving leaves one I would like you to read; I am particularly proud of those two posts.
Beautiful blog! I like Greek mythology too …
Thanks! Whose your favourite goddess?
I don’t really know, I like all of them! The Greeks are so interesting.
Yes! And so clever too. You’ve got Archimedes and Sophocles and all the rest.
Dear Ide, I am so happy to find your blog and can’t wait to tell Theo!
Thanks Auntie Michelle! I will be emailing Theo shortly; Grandma gave me his email address.
I hope you both like the blog!
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Ide! I just now came across this “about” page! You remind me so much of myself as a child, with your interest in the Bronte’s and Greek mythology, the tree climbing, the literary ambitions and most importantly being a big sis! You are so sweet, and so is your little brother 🙂 Keep the posts coming , I cannot wait to read more ! ^_^
Thank so much! Do you like greek mythology?
I’ve always been inspired by them! I love Athena too 🙂 Have you read the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Its based on Greek mythology.
Tagged you for this tag 🙂 https://cinderzena.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/reader-problems-book-tag/
Thank you! I’ve got two tags to catch up on now, for I still haven’t done the first one. I may not be able to do either for a little while because I’m trying write an History in Art essay and I’ve got a deadline, but thanks! I’m really looking forward to doing them!
I’ve not read the Percy Jackson books (I don’t read many new books in general) but two of my friends love them so I’m planning to. Do you like them?
Having been given a nudge in the right direction by your grandmother, I am so happy to have found your blog! Although I am infinitely more ancient than you are, we clearly have some important things in common, e.g., ‘I am romantic, and like wandering round quite, isolated places far away from civilisation which look like they might have fairies in them’. Also I love the past, care deeply about Greek [and Roman] goddesses, Tennyson, don’t read many new books, have a messy house with plenty of old books, and am lucky enough to have a garden with a lawn, flowers (at the right time of year anyway) and also a big copper beech tree.
Your blog is a joy. In the future I want to comment on a few specific posts (not least Monet at the RA recently – I saw this too but, genuinely, your review got me thinking more than any of the big newspaper reviews did) but for now, please just keep photographing, seeing, thinking and writing! Sometimes I worry (as ancient people do, alas) that the future is nothing but a world of barbarians who live for Minecraft, reality television and half-intentional stupidity. Your blog reminds me that civilisation still has life in it. And when you are a very ancient person too, you’ll understand what an enormous amount that means.
All best wishes
Barendina Smedley
Blakeney, Norfolk
Thank you so, so, so much for your lovely long comment! I am really so happy you like my blog! It sounds as if we have incredibly much in common! I too get that worry – and I have been trying to not be so bad in that way as the rest of the world, and hopefully make a few people realise that reading Tennyson or sitting in the sunshine is about ten million times better than sitting in the dark playing Minecraft. I would love to meet you some time.
Thank you – I do like your blog so very much. If you are ever in Norfolk, do please let me know, as I think you would find our house funny / interesting / inexplicably familiar (mess, books etc.) And it would be a joy to meet you. Barring that, we have a London place too, so perhaps you and I might meet up at the RA someday? You are so right about light versus darkness.
Do you ever read Auden? “Yes, the fight / Against the false and the unfair / Was always worth it. So was gardening. Civilize.”
I do want to comment on your Monet piece soon – more to the point though, do please keep writing, because you have a very distinctive voice that is worth hearing.
I would love to meet you in the RA! We did go on holiday to the Norfolk Broads awhile ago – and it was lovely so we are planning to go again next year.
I haven’t read Auden – I will look at him.
I really don’t know what to say – I am so pleased you like my writing so much!
I looked at your and it looks lovely – I mean to read more of it as soon as I get a chance.
Hi, Ide! 🙂 I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to read your blog!
That’s fine! You aren’t bound by law to LOOK AT MY BLOG IMMEDIATELY! Thanks for taking trouble to visit it at all.
Haha thanks. No worries.
That’s totally okay!
I’ll delete your comment right now, Elsie.
Just wanted to say I enjoyed reading your entry to that Alan Garner competition! Your writing is so sophisticated. I wasn’t aware you were trying to publish a book, that’s awesome! I hope to read it some day 🙂
If you’d like, you could take part in some little writing competitions I’m doing on my blog each month until December. I’d love to see more of your writing!
Simi ~ simizat.wordpress.com
Thanks so much! 🙂 I had a look at your competition and the August theme is so intriguing – the first 60 words of a book… I might not be able to make it though, since I’ve got two competitions and a holiday to Northumberland already in hand at the moment. But if you’re doing them all the way up to December, I should be able to find time to enter one at least – I’ll definitely try. What a fantastic plan!
Thank you, I hope you’ll find some spare time! But it’s alright if not 🙂
I’m sure I will, you’re holding them over such a lovely long stretch…