A quiet notice V2Melody closes at midnight on , Spanish time.

Closes

A note from Richard

V2Melody will close at midnight on 20 January 2028

This site has been a retirement project in musical poetry: poems chosen with care and set to music, offered freely for as long as it felt right to keep the garden open.

The work no longer holds the place it once did in my life. I have gone as far with it as I wish to go. Like a sand mandala, it was made to be completed and then released. I am not attached to its permanence, and I do not believe any of it needs to last beyond the time it was given. The poems were already here before I arrived and began to experiment with them. They will still be here when these musical experiments, and indeed myself, have been swept away, like the sand of a mandala. Nothing has been lost.

I want a simpler end to my life, days of simple love and enjoyment with my wonderful wife of 20 years. The work of maintaining a server, the monitoring, and the residual obligations that come with keeping a site alive no longer fit that life.

From 4 November 2026 I will not be adding new poems or musical poems to the site.

Until midnight on 20 January 2028, Spanish time, everything remains available exactly as it is. That is when my VPS server contract comes to an end, and it will not be renewed. After that, the server will be switched off and the site will disappear.

The Mandala Is Finished explains this more fully.

Thank you to anyone who found a poem, a track, or a quiet moment here.

The pleasure was in the making.

Richard


On 24 July in poetry and history

Poets born or who died on this date, plus historical events that happened on this day across history.

610 poets with calendar dates · 6,535 events with calendar dates in the catalogue

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1 birthday · 6 world events on 24 July

Birthdays

World events on this day

  • 24 July 1847

    Mormon Pioneer Trek to Salt Lake Valley

    In 1847, Brigham Young led the first major wagon train of Mormon pioneers from Illinois to the Great Salt Lake Valley in present-day Utah. Fleeing religious persecution after the murder of Joseph Smith, the group of 148 pioneers established a new settlement, with Young famously declaring, 'This is the place'. From 1847 to 1868, when the transcontinental railroad reached Utah, nearly 70,000 Mormons would follow the trail to the valley. The migration was a monumental feat of organization and endurance, shaping the settlement of the American West.

    Event 1847

  • 24 July 1911

    Rediscovery of Machu Picchu

    American explorer Hiram Bingham III, guided by local farmers, reached the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu high in the Andes mountains of Peru on July 24, 1911, bringing the 'lost city' to global attention after it had been largely forgotten outside local knowledge. Built around 1450 and abandoned after the Spanish conquest, the site featured terraces, temples, and sophisticated stonework overlooking the Urubamba River. Bingham's expeditions publicized it widely through National Geographic. This rediscovery in the Cusco Region illuminated Inca engineering and culture.

    Event 1911

  • 24 July 1913

    Milne Marries Dorothy de Sélincourt

    A. A. Milne married Dorothy 'Daphne' de Sélincourt in London in 1913, a union that would prove enduring and personally significant. Daphne was the god-daughter of the editor of Punch, Owen Seaman, which reflected Milne's deep integration into London's literary social world. The marriage grounded Milne domestically and provided the stable home life from which his family-centred writing would eventually spring.

    Event 1913

  • 24 July 1936

    The Durruti Column

    On July 24, 1936, the Durruti Column, an anarchist militia named after the legendary Buenaventura Durruti, left Barcelona for the Aragon front to fight against the Nationalist forces. The column, which was composed of some 3,000 anarchist volunteers, played a significant role in the early defense of the Republic, fighting in the battles for Zaragoza and Madrid. Durruti himself was killed in the Battle of Madrid on November 19, 1936, becoming a martyr for the anarchist cause.

    Event 1936

  • 24 July 1847

    Mormon Exodus to Utah Influences British Converts

    In 1847, a significant migration of British Mormon converts to the Utah territory marked a pivotal moment in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This exodus was driven by the desire for religious freedom and the search for a promised land where they could practice their faith without persecution. The journey, often perilous and arduous, not only shaped the demographics of the region but also established a lasting cultural and religious community that would influence American society and the West.

    Event 1847

  • 24 July 1865

    The Locomotive Acts Hinder Steam Car Development in Britain

    The British Parliament passed the Locomotive Act of 1865, commonly known as the 'Red Flag Act,' which imposed severe restrictions on road vehicles, including steam cars. The act required a person to walk ahead of the vehicle carrying a red flag, limiting speeds to 4 mph in the country and 2 mph in towns. This legislation severely hampered the development of steam-powered road vehicles in Britain for decades, favoring the railway.

    Event 1865
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