Another Day

well i woke up this morning
early this time
made myself a tea & ate a bowl of b
connecting with the world

first stop harriet
her playlist is devine*
open a new tab
so her music is my soundtrack

lazy sax
scatters stardust
to soothe my early mind
as i visit the perfect worlds of others

tinkling piano waterfall
wire drum-brush beating my heart slow
double bass wakes
reasoning with me
as a red bus passes the windowww

dee dee di dee dee
dee dee di dee dee
and then
the plaintive sax stretches out
pleading for one more chance

* listen to harriet’s playlist here

… and sew I rest my case

I couldn’t bear to part with real money for a camera case so ran this up from a few scraps. I forgot how much things shrink when quilted. Although this isn’t actually quilted because there are no lines of stitching, other than seams, holding it all together, it is padded with a DOUBLE layer of wadding so what was a very respectable flap has magically shrunk to a “just about” flap.  The closure is half a hair elastic and a bead.

Going London LOOPy

Middle offspring is off back to Durham tomorrow and I wasn’t at work so he decided that we should walk the section of the LONDON LOOP from West Ewell to Kingston. The route hasn’t been properly mapped and someone has to do it so we hopped on a combination of buses , one from home to Kingston and then from Kingston to West Ewell and the start of our walk which for most of the way followed the Hogsmill River. The Hogsmill’s claim  to fame is that Millais used it to paint the vegetation around poor Ophelia as she lies drowned. It is easy to see why the location attracted him as there was an abundance and wide variety of lush vegetation. We saw a total of three foxes, a woodpecker and numerous other birds including several bright green ring-necked parakeets that noisily make their presence known in several areas around Kingston and Richmond boroughs.

No doubt my expedition leader will post at a later date on his blog at www.livingwithdragons.com but I will leave you with a map (courtesy of OpenStreetMap & contributors) messily annotated by me to show where we wandered. Miles walked by me = just under 10 so I’m off for a soak in a lovely hot bath. If you don’t here from me soon then please send out a search party as I’ll probably still be in the bath but too stiff to get out.

Book Character Introductory Agency

How do you met like-minded people or even those of an opposite opinion that you could have a fine discussion with? It is no longer considered to be shameful to have to resort to an introductory agency or dating service so what about book characters? Shouldn’t they also be allowed to meet a wider range of friends and even life partners if they really get along well.

I have just started reading “Home” by Marilynne Robinson. Fascinatingly it takes the same set of characters that were in the author’s much-acclaimed book “Gilead” and, as I am beginning to find out, fills in some of the small gaps left by that volume. I was so taken by “Gilead” that I passed my copy onto a friend but now I’m wondering if I might treat myself to a hardcopy to sit alongside the copy of “Home” that I was in turn sent by someone else.

I haven’t read very far into “Home” but I am just wondering how the Boughtons would get along with the March family from Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” and sequels. All the parents live by a set of sometimes impossible ideals that if adopted by the world at large would surely turn it into a more pleasant place to live. The prodigal son is always welcomed and the word “grudge” doesn’t feature in their vocabulary.

Today DoveGreyReader has decided that Thebes from “The Flying Troutman’s” by Miriam Toews (pronounced Taves) should have the opportunity to hang out with Flavia deLuce from”The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie”, with the occasional addition of “Anne of Green Gables”.

So put your matchmaking or friendmaking hats on and suggest a few introductions.

Seven up

Seven “emerging talents” have been commissioned to write and perform new work, inspired by museum objects.The poets will attend six closely mentored workshops, between April and July 09, with renowned poet and director, Kevin Fegan. Their finished work will be set to music and visuals and performed as ‘Heritage’ one of 7 high profile ‘Lyric Lounge’ nights. at the Y Theatre in Leicester.

‘Heritage’ will explore Special Olympics values and be a chance for these up-and-coming writers to develop their talent and profile whilst learning more about accessing museum resources.The event is part of the cultural offering of Leicester to celebrate the city’s hosting of the 2009 Special Olympics GB Summer Games.

You may be wondering why this event has caught my eye. I just happen to be the proud “big sis” of one of these “emerging new talents”, Anne Holloway. Of course I think her writing is wonderful and now at least a whole city will have the opportunity of appreciating her work.