The Last Dance

 

 

Dear Listeners,

Happy New Year to you! I wish and hope all good things for you in 2026 and, above all, sweet restful sleep and peaceful dreams. 

Poor Oleg's story has been waiting to be told for a while now, so I am glad you're getting to meet him at last. However, I must warn you that we join him as he passes through what may have been the lowest point in his life, and it's all to do with a certain Clara. Trigger warning: there is some alcohol in this tale. There is also joy and there is music, and I hope that it is ultimately uplifting as intended: things shall be well in the end.

Thank you for listening and having such patience to keep listening out for new episodes through a very lean year in 2025. As always, I aspire to write and release so much more in the coming seasons. Here's, perhaps, an auspicious start to the year.

Sweet dreams to you and all who are dear to you,

Seymour

Direct download link

The Tree Who Walked

 

 

Dear listener,

Let me retell to you a strange tale I heard from someone who themselves heard it from one of the characters in it. It has come a long way from the distant glen where it began, and perhaps it has been a little embellished here and there. But if you ever felt that some trees are more than they seem, then I think you will not find it hard to believe this story.

And I wonder if, when it is done, you will feel differently about wandering or rootedness and how they play through our lives, for it has certainly made me think about such things a great deal.

May your dreams be ever sweet!

Seymour

Decorations

Dear Listeners,

However you may celebrate this time of year or not, this Yuletide tale is for you with all my wishes for peace and goodwill to descend upon you and to stay throughout the coming year. I have attempted to create something for you in the long tradition of wintertime storytelling around Christmas and I hope it lifts the spirits.

You can, as always, listen here or grab it from your favourite pod app, or download the MP3 directly here.

May thanks to Soledad for the illustration and to Sambodhi Prem for the soundtrack ... and to you for being a listener and coming along on this journey at the Borders of Sleep.

Rest you merry!

Seymour

The Cadillac in the Pond

 

Dear Listener,

I'm delighted to bring you Episode 55 - at last and thank goodness! With my apologies for another enormous gap since the last episode.

This one began as a short piece of whimsy but soon took on a life of its own, as they often do. I hope you find it entertaining and, most of all, soothing.

Part of the lateness of this episode has been due to me making some life changes recently so that I can give more regular dedicated time to writing and creating these stories for you. There were quite a few ducks to get lined up, and not a few challenges on the way. Nevertheless, I hope it means that I will be able to drop fresh material with greater frequency in the coming years and grow the creative projects surrounding the podcast in a more sustainable way.

Here is a direct download link for those who prefer that approach.

The soundtrack in this episode is by Juan Sanchez, available from Magnatune.

If you are enjoying the podcast and have not already done so, please consider joining my email list or following Borders of Sleep on Facebook. You can find out how to support me to keep writing on my Support and Donations page.

Thanks for coming along on this audio journey, and I hope we can travel together again at the borders of sleep soon.

Until then, sweet dreams!

Seymour

Monday Mechanical Club

Dear Listeners,

Here is Episode 49 for your listening pleasure: a story about a stenography machine. I had a lot of fun writing it, and the characters have since become good imaginary friends. I hope you like them too.

It's been a long wait, for which I apologise. The story flowed very easily at the composing stage but there seems to have been a mountain to climb to record it.

Here's your download link if you want the direct MP3. 

The background music is from Chad Lawson's Song of Prayer album on magnatune.com

May your sleeping be sweet and your waking be fresh,

Seymour

To Catch a Skerrid

 

Dear Listeners, 

Here's Episode 48 for you: a little light mood for the springtime of the year! 

Magic runs in the family, so when cousin Rupert comes to spend the summer with Damson and her mother, there are magic tricks, a little transdimensional tomfoolery, and, of course, poetic justice. 

I hope you enjoy listening. Here's a link to directly download the MP3. Don't forget you can use any podcatcher app too. 

If you'd like to listen more closely to the soundtrack underneath, it's well worth it: listen to Undefended Heart by Hans Christian on Magnatune. Have a wonderful April! 

Seymour

The Frog and Banjo

 

 Dear Listeners, 

I'm delighted to bring you the tale of The Frog and Banjo, inspired by an imaginary pub sign and with almost no basis whatsoever in the waking world although some of the characters may be as courageous and others as unkind as some people you have met. 

Here's your direct download link, and if you like the sound of that music in the background it's by Jami Sieber on Magnatune. 

If you're enjoying the podcast, feel free to jump in and say hi over on facebook, drop me an email or leave a comment here. Listeners have asked about how they can give to support me in this endeavour and the best way to do that is to buy me a coffee until I get something else sorted out ... 

But most important of all, enjoy the story and take care of your dreaming selves! 

With much love and gratitude,

Seymour

Brother Savion

 Dear Listeners,

This is a story about a hermit. If you have ever wondered what might happen after taking a vow of solitude and making a life in the community of the wild woods, then maybe this will give you something to ponder.

If you like a direct link to the MP3 to download, then this is for you. Of course, you can also get the podcast with your preferred app.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for waiting patiently between episodes. In the intro to this one, I have gone back to announcing the podcast as "fortnightly" because it is my dear wish that I will be able to keep up with a more regular schedule from here on.

The soundtrack for this episode is by David Gilden, available here on magnatune.com as always.

Please feel free to drop me a line or come and say hi on Facebook.

I hope your summer is going well.

Stay safe and sweet dreams,

Seymour

Chippie and Angus

Dear listeners,

Episode 43 for your listening ...

And here's the direct link to the audio file.

I don't want to give too much away. It's a story about a quiet girl, who nobody thinks a great deal of, apart from one chap who finds an excuse to spend as much time with her as he can.

My heartfelt thanks for all the support and encouragement I keep getting to make this podcast. With so many of us facing frightening times and unexpected levels of isolation at the moment, I think it's a particular privilege to be able to keep going and to be part of an invisible community that is so positive.

If you'd like to come and lurk or join the conversation on the Facebook page, it would be lovely to see you there. Likewise, drop me a message or email me and I will always reply (eventually).

The soundtrack for this episode is by Dmitri Krasnoukhov, available from Magnatune, here.

Stay safe and dream sweetly,

Seymour

Lady Isabella

Dear Listeners,

Episode 42 for you - and I apologize in advance if I have a little croak in my voice ... it's the time of year. Nevertheless, I hope you will enjoy hearing what Milly and her friendly duck, Lady Isabella, get up to in this story.

As usual, you can use the player in this post, get the direct file link here, or catch the show with your pod app of choice.

The gentle, cinematic soundtrack is by EuchMad, his album "Light Off", You can listen to the whole album for free online here.

I wish you all the best and the sweetest dreams. Thank you for listening.

Seymour

Rehoming

Dear Listeners,

There are some things you will discover about plants in this episode that I hope will make you never see the world quite the same again. Moreover, Episode 40 must be some sort of milestone, and this one is appropriately a little different.

This story was inspired by and written for a couple of lovely listeners, one of whom helped with some ideas and the other of whom I hope didn't see it coming as a wedding anniversary surprise. I hope you enjoy listening in and sharing the experience; it's been a lot of fun to compose.

For those who need it, here's the direct link, but don't forget you can subscribe with iTunes or whatever your flavour of podcatcher, using the links on this page. Come on over to facebook or drop me an email or comment if you'd like to feedback or start a conversation. I love hearing from people around the world who are 'tuning in'.

The music this week is by Erik Ask Upmark, another beautiful offering from Magnatune. Thank you for listening. I hope you enjoy this one. And many thanks to Ben and Maria!

 Seymour