Family Business? My question for Aebbe
‘a mother of the handmaidens of Christ, called Aebbe, who ruled over the monastery situated in a place called Coldingham, a woman honoured among all as well for her piety as for her noble birth, for she was [the] sister of King Oswiu.’ Bede, Life of St Cuthbert
When did you realise – if ever - that each gifted remote spot
the Nook, old fort on river Derwent, and last Urbs Coludi
all three, even Oswald's, were lookout stations, outposts
of a military regime? Was it like sun burst into a cloudy day,
or slow trickle of light through shimmering trees,
or an ever-shaded place where the sun took fright,
not permitted to shine? Filled with plants, mosses
growth of various kinds, but without clear light.
Did gentle rain come after? The kind that cleanses,
softens the ground for growth.
Or was there a waterfall, as on the Derwent Water
noisy, driving out all other reflection?
Or was the sun proud in the sky, everlasting shafts
of light. No rain clouds. Just basking.
Endnote: Aebbe’s brothers were Northumbrian Kings Oswald, Oswiu and Oswine, who made her gifts of land to found religious communities.
Barbara Usher cares for retired ewes who bring their lambs at foot, and ex-commercial hens on her animal sanctuary, Noah’s Arcs (barbaraushernoahsarcs.com). Her poetry has been published in various journals including Amethyst Review, Last Stanza (Editor’s pick) and in anthologies including Thin Places & Sacred Spaces. She is the representative for the Fife Stanza of the Poetry Society, and led a workshop at the St Andrews International Literary Festival in 2026. She is co-editing an anthology Crossings: writings from Fife and Edinburgh, which will be published in November 2026.
