Category: White Pebbles Haiku Group

White Pebbles Haiku Group Winter Meeting

June 15th, 2019

Unexpectedly, it was under bright blue skies that six of us gathered for our winter meeting.

Present were Colleen Keating, Marilyn Humbert, Maire Glacken, Samantha Sirimanne Hyde, Verna Rieschild and Beverley George. Apologies and kind thoughts were received from Kent Robinson, Gail Hennessy and Wendy Stringer, each of whom was unavoidably unable to attend on this occasion.

As usual we gathered informally at the café for coffee and brief chat, before we set off in silence at 10:30 for our ginko. Once again the Gosford /Edogawa Commemorative Gardens and Regional Gallery proved an apt and inspiring venue for exploring the Japanese genre of haiku written in English. Each member carries with them a worksheet with some pre-prepared material and prompts for writing new haiku in this lovely garden with its waterfall and ponds, tea hut and bridges and the pebble garden with large boulders to remind us of Ryōan-ji. Close observation and original ideas are sparked, with sound and scent playing their roles too.
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White Pebbles, Autumn Meeting 2019

The poet of ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’, John Keats, would be proud of our group of Haikuists taking an autumnal walk around the Gosford /Edogawa Gardens on the Central Coast this past Saturday 9th March 2019.  We were aware of the concept of ichi-go ichi-e, the Japanese idiom ‘treasuring the unrepeatable nature of the moment.’ Continue reading “White Pebbles, Autumn Meeting 2019”

White Pebbles Haiku Group Summer Meeting

December 8th 2018

Six members of the White Pebbles Haiku Group attended our summer meeting. We brought with us a pre-distributed work sheet for some prepared haiku relevant to the season, and on which to write new observations on our unhurried ginko around the garden.

We then came together at a round table in a quiet room to workshop our haiku. By request Kent kindly brought two very appealing haiga that members absent last meeting hadn’t seen. Very inspiring and perhaps other members will create something similar in due course.

We discussed Echidna Tracks 2: Landscapes currently featured on the Echidna Tracks website and were pleased to note that a number of members’ work already has been published there with more to come during January and February. We also spoke of possible new projects our group might explore.

Beverley George
Convenor
White Pebbles Haiku Group

White Pebbles Spring Meeting

September 8th 2018

Early morning brought light rain and mist as a shared love of haiku brought members together at the lovely Gosford/Edogawa Commemorative Gardens. Some travelled very long distances: Gail from near Newcastle, and Kent on a four-hour drive from Bathurst. Colleen came from The Entrance and Maire and I even closer by. Sadly a number of our members were unable to attend for reasons beyond their control and they were missed.

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White Pebbles Winter Haiku Meeting June 16th 2018

It was a lively meeting at Gosford/ Edogawa Gardens and Regional Gallery and one which has sparked warm responses from those who attended. Present were Samantha Hyde, Marilyn Humbert, Kent Robinson, Gail Hennessy, Wendy Stringer, Maire Glacken, Verna Rieschild, Colleen Keating, Beverley George and our newest member, Gwen Bitti. Anne Birt and Rozanne Collins were unable to attend and were missed. We hope to see them in September. Membership is capped at twelve people but of course we will welcome visitors from time to time. Continue reading “White Pebbles Winter Haiku Meeting June 16th 2018”

White Pebbles Haiku Group Autumn 2018

The autumn meeting of the White Pebbles Haiku Group took place at Gosford / Edogawa Gardens on March 10th. Present were Marilyn Humbert, Gail Hennessy, Maire Glacken, Verna Rieschild, Kent Robinson, Beverley George, Colleen Keating, Rozanne Collins and Wendy Stringer. Apologies were received from Samantha Hyde and Anne Birt, both of whom were travelling. We look forward to seeing them at our winter meeting on June 16th.

As usual, we met at 10 for an informal half hour chat and coffee on the café patio, before commencing our ginko promptly at 10:30. We work from a pre-distributed handout which includes prompts and examples to get us comfortably started and soon we are scattered throughout the garden’s expanse individually writing what we are observing.
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White Pebbles Haiku Group Christmas Meeting and Ginko

Present on this pre-Christmas occasion were Maire Glacken, Gail Hennessy, Samantha Hyde, Colleen Keating, Verna Rieschild and Beverley George.

We slipped easily into our optional routine of catching up briefly for coffee and chat prior to our ginko but at 10:30 sharp we were all out of the door and walking silently in the beautifully designed Gosford/Edogawa garden, noting seasonal changes and listening to the waterfall, cicada hum, the flurry of duck wings and the splash of koi. Red dragonflies skimmed over reeds and water lilies and the bed of white pebbles beside the pond were gleaming in sunlight.

Armed with worksheets of suggested haiku topics we strolled and jotted before meeting up in the tea-hut to exchange our ideas.

Seasonal busyness meant that several members were unable to attend this particular occasion but we all look forward to catching up for our autumn meeting on March 10th.

Beverley George
Convenor: White Pebbles Haiku Group
December 9th, 2017

White Pebbles Haiku Group

lantern and white pebbles crop The Gosford/Edogawa Japanese Gardens on the Central Coast was the venue for the inaugural meeting of this group on September 23rd. Members travelled from Sydney, Newcastle and various parts of the Coast to attend. We began with a relaxed orientation session on the terrace overlooking the garden while we determined our group name, frequency of meetings and general procedures.

It was unanimously decided that we would meet four times a year, once in each season, and would bring several haiku in response to prompts sent in advance of the meetings. However the main activity would be a ginko to observe and record the changes the seasons brought to this authentically designed garden, with many of its features gifted from Japan.

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