One of the great things about having a web site is that all sorts of nice people get in touch to talk to you about it. Sometimes it's an old friend getting back in touch, sometimes it's a complete stranger! Here are just a few examples of letters I've received because of this web site....

(You can also check out some of the strangest sites that mention me or this site)

Dear Mr. Knight,

I thought this might interest you. I teach 4th grade at a school in  
California. We memorize a new poem each week. Because of the unusual  
freeze we have been having here lately, I wanted to find a new poem  
about ice. We'd already done Stopping By Woods and, frankly, I'm sick  
of Fire and Ice, so I went hunting. Most of the poems I found were  
either too cute or too tedious. Then I came across your site, with  
not one, but two terrific poems, Northern Lights and Ice which were,  
like Mama Bear, just right.

So this week 41 fourth graders in California will be learning your  
poetry by heart. Oh, the wonders of the Internet Age. Thanks for  
posting them on your site.

--Matt B...
 

From Tiffany, NY.

Hello,
My name is Tiffany P...., and I'm a stay-at-home-mom in Upstate New York.
I home school my two little boys' and have been searching the web for fun facts and resources
about glaciers (as the winter season is rapidly approaching here!), which ultimately led me
to your page: http://www.petergknight.com/glaciers/links.html
Your website has been a great help, thank you!

From Lattana Sourivong

Hello there,
I came across your poem Arctic and thought it was great!  I just had a wonder what inspired you to write this and why did you entitle Arctic? 
If you could get back to me that'd be great!   
Best regards,
Lattana

From: "stillatthetop"

I make and trade ATC with fellow artists. These are one of a kind works
of art, baseball card size. I only trade them, I do not sell them. I
would like permission to use your Textures of the Heart poem on a card.
I wish to handwrite the poem in the swirl shape of a fingerprint,
center swirling out. The original art will be much larger than the 2 1/2" x
3 1/2" size of the card. I will scan and shrink it to fit. I will mail
you the original artwork as a gift, if you wish. As a trade for being
allowed to use the poem. I love the poem. I enjoyed your little "ditty"
fies, too. I attached a file of the swirl design I plan to handwrite
the poem in. I will do water ripples in the background part beyond the
print, as if the water was touched. I think it illustrates your poem
quite wonderfully. I do so hope the text will still be legible when I
shrink it. I googled fingerprint poem, and found you. Thanks.

Hello,
My name is Jorge, and I'm from Portugal.
I would like to ask you if we could use your picture of Gustav Mahler
in a brochure for a concert of kindness, where all the profits revert
to an association of social solidarity, "Via Nova". It will be played
the fourth symphony of Gustav Mahler. That's why we would like to use
it.
Thank you very much,
Jorge A....

Jane R...

Dear Peter
I have just spent a delightful hour perusing your website. I headed there looking for some papers to recommend to a couple of undergrads and found myself completely distracted by the photos/stories/enjoyment of glaciers group etc. However, it was one of the photo's under the school section that prompted this missive. I too was at KES but thought it would be far too 'old-boyish' to say how much I enjoyed reading your school reports. However, the photo of Dave Haywood was too much and I had to write! So, thanks for providing one of the most enjoyable hours at wk for a long time and I'm delighted that you also experienced the wisdom of Dave Haywood (and it looks like Jeff Bridges on the snow belay!).
All the best
Pete N
PS. I actually returned to KES in Oct - we had a reunion for the class of 1983. It was tremendous fun and despite numerous severe bouts of hair loss, all but one of the 'old-boys' was instantly recognisible. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that we sang a rousing rendition of the School Song.

I am a Geography Teacher at (...) School, St Ives, Cambridgeshire. I am currently doing some re-planning of my Glaciation unit for my Year 13 students (feel I need a fresh approach) and I have been reading your fantastic book - Glaciers and Glacial Landscapes which I bought at the GA conference this year. From the references at the back I found my way to your website which has some excellent images on. With the advent of the interactive whiteboard - I have no excuse not to be able to bring Glaciation to life for my students and hopefully to enthuse them on the subject! - although it helps when you have some good photos!! I noticed that you say on your website that you have more photographs available on CD. I am writing to enquire as to how much a CD would be?

Dear Peter,
I'm writing a (supposedly) funny book about (mostly minor) public schools,
which will be published by Atlantic Books next autumn. I came across your
part rendition of the KES school song on your website, and it had me in fits
of laughter. I wonder whether you could let me have a copy of the whole
song, or could tell me where I could get one from? I'd be very grateful if
you could help - though all I can offer in return is an invitation to the
launch party!
Best wishes,
B...

Hi Peter,
....I can't find a copy on the school site, though they
seem pretty keen on dropping the 'fop or idler' phrase into their prose. I
suppose the answer is as you suggest - to ask them. Though, as I tend to be
honest, I'm not sure how the request "Can I have a copy of your school song
so I can make fun of it?" will go down... 
B...

Dear Mr. Knight,
After reading your email and thinking about it, I have come to believe that
it would be better if I linked your poem instead of displaying it on the web page
I wanted to create.It seemed like the appropriate thing to do and I thank you again for your permission.
Please know that your work is outstanding and very inspirational. You are very talented
Sir and I wanted to let you know this.
Sincerely,
Mrs. M...J...

                          I was recently on your web site and discovered your terrific portrait of the late Steve McQueen. Sir, what do you think the original drawing is worth as I'am interested in it. Please E mail me at ......@hotmail.com   This is the portrait you drew of the photo from the Paris Match Magazine taken shortly before Steve's passing.
                                               Thank you,
                                              sincerely
                                              Kevin .....

I happened to find your site by chance, while
searching at Google for glacial pictures. My name is
....., I live in Sweden and I'm a composer
of ambient music. I'm planning to make an album with
winter/snow/ice/glacier-inspired atmospheres, and
for that I need some pictures for the CD sleeve. I
really liked some of the pictures on your site, and
I would like to ask if you have them available in
high resolution, and if you would be interested in
having me using one or perhaps a couple of your
pictures? Please note that nothing's for sure yet,
and I have just started working on the album. Things
might change as time passes by.

Anyway, if you think this sounds interesting then
please get back to me so we can talk more about it.
Thanks for your time!

Kind regards,
.....

Dear Mr. Knight,

I am a fourth grade science teacher in Glen Rose, Texas, USA.  We are
studying ecosystems and I have been letting my students look at your
gorgeous photographs.  How lucky you are to have visited so many
beautiful places.  You have been blessed to see so much of God's
handiwork.  Thanks for providing this lovely website.

LM

I just tripped over your site while I was looking for some stuff about Pete Atkin. I scooted through a few bits of it, and I thought I'd say that I enjoyed what I saw, and appreciate the effort you've put in to it. We seem to have a bit in common: some of the films, music, books, poems, are on my list of greats as well. Looking at your "reasons to put stuff on the web" number 6, have you read "memoirs of ant proof case" by Mark Helprin? I really enjoyed it, (and some other Mark Helprin, particularly "Winter's Tale"). 

I also enjoyed your stuff (can't think of a better word) about Stoke... And I do know someone (once-removed, so to speak) who's been to Ulaan Bator... He went there as a side trip on the way to NZ by train (the long way, I know). I met him in NZ, where I'll be returning in a few weeks -- good glaciers, volcanoes, mud pools, etc, etc. Have you been there? 

I'm a pom by birth and education but New Zealander by inclination. I was at University across the road from your secondary school, and, if my recolection serves me, we used the King Edwards indoor shooting range in the small bore rifle club. If it wasn't the King Edwards range, then it was next door. But I'd have missed you, becuase I went to B'ham in 79. 

Anyway, as I said: thanks for the work you've put in, and at least one stranger appreciates it.

Cheers

Nic 

Dear Peter
I enjoy reading your letters even though I'm not family or friend. I got a chuckle about the seven hours viva as mine was very long too. I was not amused either. Anyway it brought a smile to my face for the first time reading about someone else. Keep on writing. By the way I go to Wales almost every summer for vacation

June
University of the West Indies
Jamaica

Dr. Knight:

I stumbled across your website whilst looking for photo's of glaciers and for some reason i was drawn to keep browsing through your site!!

I'm writing to say "well done on the site!" and "hello" i suppose!

...Thanks a lot,

Steve ...

Thank you for some excellent glacial photographs on your homepage.  If I may, could I print some out and use them in my A Level geography teaching. Despite being an economic geographer at University, I am passionate about teaching glaciers.  I would be most grateful if you were able to send me a copy of the CD that you mention on the website.  I should be able to send some passionate geographers in the direction of Keele!

Liz ...
(Assistant Headteacher)

Dear Dr. Knight,

I am geology professor at State University of New York.... I started making movies for my geology classes. The first one I did this year on Santorini volcano. My faculty is pleased with it and apparently I can get funds to do another film. Since I started doing some work with glacial deposits on Hudson River I decided to make a film about glaciers, their movements and impact on our past and contemporary life. Definitely my choice of filming ice margin and glacier movement was Greenland. I found your wonderful web site and would like to ask your advice about camping near the ice margin. ...... I understand that it is busy time and apologize if my request create problems for you. Nevertheless I decided to write because your web site is so good!

Best regards,

Yuri ....
New York

Peter,
just a brief note out of the blue to say thank you for putting the school song on the Net. I was just conversing about it with a friend from King Edward's Aston who had the same song, and I wondered idly if I could find the text, and there it was.
Isn't Google wonderful? And now I will leave you to your glaciers, while I go back to calculating my the windflows for my windfarms.

Chris ...  Old Ed - 1973-1980.

PS "I recall one occasion when a new Head Master, perhaps concerned that the extraordinary enthusiasm shown by the boys for the singing of this song might alarm the VIP guests at some such event, declined at the traditional moment to call for it to be sung, but instead skipped straight to the next section of the programme, which was the formal procession of the masters off the stage and out of the hall. Having none of this, the entire hall of about seven hundred lads aged 11-18 erupted into a thundering fortissimo rendition that was, and in the memory remains, truly magnificent."

I still tell that story too.

Peter:
    I am taking a graduate class in geology at my alma mater this spring (2001) semester.  It is "Quaternary Stratigraphy"!  I graduated with my M.S. in 1953; the young Prof teaching the class was born in 1953; I will be 70 years old (or young) this coming 23 Jun 01; now this is why I am boring you with my life's details...... Your textbook "Glaciers" has been a sort-of-inspiration for me--your style is what I can read, understand, and comprehend.......with your book, his lectures, and the notes from e-mail dialogue .... I hope to get through it all---after forty years it is a great and tremendous feeling....thanks for your help via your book....Sincerely, Roy ...,  Illinois, USA  PS..If only I could see a glacier!!!

Don't suppose you remember me at all!?! I was actually one of your students
from 1990 - 1993 I think. I did most of your options, though I was never in
any tutorials with you as far as I can remember. 

Anyway I was just having that friday afternoon feeling where the mind
wanders and it happened to wander across you for some reason or other. I
thought I would do a search on the internet to see if you had posted any of
your recent papers on glaciology and such like, basically to see if I could
still understand anything that was in them. Yes I really was THAT
bored!!!:) Anyway lo and behold up pops your web page at the top of my
search list.
To cut a long story short I have had a quick look through them and thought
I would email you to congratulate you on them. I have rarely seen a more
honest web page and if I am totally honest I was quite transfixed by how
different you really are (according to the page) to the persona that you
portrayed as a lecturer when I was at Keele:)) It seems you really have a
HEART!!!:)) I seem to remember you as this sarcastic heartless beast who
ruled the physical geography department with the equally sarcastic Tony
Parsons whom you sparked off whenever you were in each others presence. One
of my most ingrained images of you is that of you ripping up most of your
tutorial groups' first piece of work for you saying it was rubbish and
putting it in the bin....

Anyway its great to see that I may have formulated a totally wrong opinion
of you. I love the paintings and drawings on your page and of course the
poetry, I am a big fan of both art forms myself. The photos are beautiful
as well, I always remember sitting looking at those in your lectures..
incidentally I thought you were a great lecturer:) This email isn't a pull
Pete to bits one.. just an honest one!

Dear Dr. Knight:
    My name is Roy .... and I am a retired elementary-teacher/principal.I live in Illinois, USA. I have had a interest in geology/glaciers/geography/history all of my life. In 1977 I visited England as my oldest son was in the Air Force and stationed at Upper Heford(Sp?); he lived off base at Chadlington. I enoyed that visit greatly; hoped to return someday, but that seems impossible now! However, I found your site through Carrie Patterson at University of Minnesota from her website class description.
    .....
    I am writing you to thank you for the outstanding website that you have put together. Great! Keep Up the Good Work; also, I would be most interested in reading your new book on "Glaciers"! Any suggestions, advise, or encouragement from you, I wish to thank you for in advance! Sincerely,
Roy 

Hello Mr. Knight,
I am just contacting you to say I love your work, particularly Krod Mandoon and Big Wolf on Campus. Both of which I would like to see more of, Big wolf I'd really really really love to purchase a few DVDs of It was my favorite show as a kid. Krod Mandoon I want to see more on the air if it can be hooked, I love it and think comedy central needs more of it!

(I think he got the wrong "Mr Knight"!)