I thought myself chosen as the moon kept pace with our car speeding home through the night my sister’s squabbling before falling asleep I told no one of how the moon was watching me occasionally, hiding behind clouds but always reappearing the face of the man in the moon communing with me
By teenage years I knew the truth the moon was, well, just a moon a celestial body orbiting the Earth sloshing its waters around to create the tides and allegedly influencing lunatics and mayhem in the general population
If a god had made the world then what a trickster to make the circumference of the Moon, the same as the Sun seen from Earth giving rise to panic-inducing eclipses when peoples as primitive as my younger self felt their personal connection to the god’s of the heavens imperilled
Eventually, I owned a telescope and gazed at the moon afresh as it moved slowly across my field of view, its details craters and “seas” in sharp relief and at the outside of the sphere the crater walls visible as a ragged edge and I saw with newfound clarity that we live on a planet with a companion moon in the vast space between the stars and I was once more in awe…
1.- The slow-growing Allium flower has now reached it’s final size and fully coloured up…
2.- Talking of slow-growing plants that require patience – we have had this Yucca? for at least 15 years and this is the first time it has flowered – clearly worth waiting for…
When is a weed not a weed?
3.- We live on a backstreet and a bloke from the council comes around with a weed killer spray at least once a year, but this is not really enough to keep the weeds at bay and perhaps also, with this year’s weather, the weeds have flourished but some of them are too pretty to be considered weeds and so the answer to the riddle is “When they are garden escapes!”
This one I think is Lavateria
No idea what this one is but I award it “Weed of the Week!”
This one is surely a garden escape – some kind of Campanula?
4.- This weed may have struck terror into the hearts of those of you who garden, even in a photograph, or brought on apoplexy, and you may feel that it is inappropriate to allow it anywhere near a gratitude, but i have a sneaking admiration for Equisetum, or Mare’s Tail since in the Carboniferous period, it grew to the size and form of rainforest trees and composes much of the coal that formed then…
5.- This plant is growing in a garden, indeed has been deliberately planted by a neighbour, but it grows wild – hence a weed and so is the opposite of a garden escape lol…
I think it is a Mullein if not a Great Mullein?
6.- Grateful for Municipal plantings…
Who doesn’t like Lavender…
7.- This butterfly was, I’m sure, grateful for this (weed) Thistle, of some kind…
Not bad for a phone camera…
8.- I awoke to the rising sun reflecting in a tiny beam from the neighbouring houses and striking the net curtains in my bedroom, which have a rather nice pattern of birds, leaves and bird-cages and the sunlight has melded the curtains with the garden plants seen beyond…
9.- My grandson and his girlfriend have just moved into their own flat in London, he is a Doctor and she is P.A. to Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) so they have been able to afford somewhere in London which is quite a feat in this day and age. They have long desired a large painting of mine of a box of fish in a shop doorway in Naxos and so I have given it to them as a house-warming present. it leaves a large hole in the painting array in my bedroom but I’m sure I will fill it… I used to paint so infrequently (still do really) that I hung onto paintings as if to remind me that I still could, but I am learning to let go now…
10.- The Poetry Postcard Festival has begun and somehow, I hav been put on TWO lists and I can hardly withdraw from one so I now have 62 cards and poems to send before the end of August. Good job I have picked a simpler theme of printed cards this year…
Another Cyanotype print – this one near Kettlewell nearby in the Yorkshire Dales. The effect is rather as if the photograph is taken in moonlight…
A random music like which popped up on my Spotify playlist and which I am grateful to a friend for introducing me to…
Have a great week y’all – hope it is neither too hot, too wet or too windy where you are…
1.- Back on the subject of weeds – below is a battle royal between Bindweed – its flowers evenly spread as it climbs the factory fence and is like a poor man’s Morning Glory, and Japanese Knotweed the dastardly invasive weed – I would say that at present, the Bindweed is winning, but Knotweed can grow through concrete…
2.- Back in our own garden – I told you last week, how slowly this Allium grows and here you can see it starting to colour up…
3.- Meanwhile, the bulb season long over, various bits of colour dot the garden…
4.- On Friday I had to go to Leeds for my Dental Students – as always , the second week with new students is deep cleaning which i grin and bear, but I enjoy the walk across Leeds for the sights on the way…
Just opposite the station is a plaza encircled by these comely maidens alternating Morn and Even – this is Morn…
These statues were erected at the very end of Queen Victoria’s reign and I wonder if she would have disapproved of such nakedness – the back of the plaza has a much more serious line of VIP’s associated with Leeds who stare across the plaza at the backsides of Morn and Even…
FYI, Morn and Even are about 2/3 size…
5.- Further on, in front of Leeds Library, giant chess is in progress…
…and for lovers of a different kind of sculptural birds – here are some cute owls…
6.- The likes of Elon Musk have been spreading fake news about the lawless nature of Great Britain – not realising that even our right-wing yobs require a more nuanced form of gaslighting than some members of the MAGA base and such fake news, mostly falls flat here – or so I thought until I saw this sign outside the Polish shop where I buy sauages most weeks…
7.- My late Mother’s birthday was on July 4th and my younger sister Helen’s birthday is on the 8th which made them easy to remember – as well as to remind me to wish my American friends a Happy 4th July and I hope you all had a great day! I got a certain something off in the post to Helen – no spoilers as she sometimes reads these posts – and I am hoping the Gods of postage will deliver it in time. Talking of post, the Poetry Postcard Festival lists went out yesterday, only for me to discover I am on two lists! I can hardly back out of one of them now, and I don’t mind doing twice the number but it is quite expensive when sending a mere postcard, abroad costs £3.60! Thank goodness I am not doing as complicated cards as last year (original paintings for each one) but am doing cyanotype and lino prints – watch this space…
8.- My copy of Miski’s poetry book has arrived today – well it was yesterday but UPS delivered it to 31 and not 31a… Looking forward to reading it!
9.- Grateful for this community of grat folk…
10.- Glad not to be having to water the garden but there is presently no sunshine to make my Cyanotype prints lol…
In honour of the Leeds statues, here are some othe Bare Naked Ladies with a favourite track…
Sensitivity Warning – there are a lot of plants in this week’s post so Hay fever sufferers, read at your discretion…
1.- Our Olive Tree seems to have loved the weather this Summer has seen fit to throw at it the heat waves alternating with rainy days and has produced a bumper crop of its tiny flowers – whether these translate into olives remains to be seen – the conversion rate never seems to be that high – but meanwhile we live in hope!
2.- I promised you some Cyanotrope prints in last week’s post and yesterday, I duly unpacked the flower press and made my first prints – I think everybody starts with pressed flowers and grasses…
But I also made a giant negative in Photoshop by first turning a picture black and white and then inverting it and printing it onto transparent inkjet film – the resulting negative can then be used to make a cyanotrope print…
A Winter’s sky in Elounda, Crete
3.- We went out on Saturday, to Harlow Carr Gardens in nearby Harrogate. It is run by the Royal Horticultural Society and offers interest all year round – even in winter with illumiations…
Barbara, pretty in pink and echoing this rose arch that leads to a sub-tropical garden…
The thing about big gardens is that they allow for big drifts of a single species – so here, as Clark would say, are Something Someting…
and this drift of Someting Something Alliums…
Not the prettiest coloured alliums but unusual and like a tiny city of Fairy mushroom houses…
This one I know – Sea Holly!
4.- Of course its not all flowers that are worth seeing – below some interesting architectural ideas – -possible projects to beautify the estate, Clark?
Fancy stonework forming a bridge over a stream…
Fancy woodwork…
An insect hotel complete with a living roof…
And a classic living roof on the bike shed – lots of Sedums I think…
5.- There are always amusing names to be seen…
Sneezeweed, apparently…
6.- Back in our own more modest garden, I have often noticed how weeds can get to quite a size before we notice them providing that they resemble the plants next to them. The left-hand picture below shows my favourite Allium, I only have the one bulb, and it grows slowly, to a prodigious height and when it finally colours up, it resembles a large Loganberry. Behind it to the left and in the right-hand picture, is a grass and I cannot decide if it is common (and therfore a weed in my book) or an ornamental grass – either way, it has a head almost the same size as the allium and I was late to spot it and put it on “weed-watch”…
And talking of disguises – here are some cacti disguised as Yeti…
7.- Enough of plants – I am grateful for the thoughts that comments provoke and last week, Clark, yes, him again, asked, in the light of my modded “Mod” scooter picture “So, tell us… your youth, Mod or Rocker? (my money is on your being (or at least sympathizing with) the Mods?”. Well, I struggled with this, to all intents and purposes, I was neither – not as in belonging to or dressing like either cohort. I don’t really appreciate those tight suits the Mods wore though I appreciate the ir desire to look smart at weekends after shitty jobs during the week. On the other hand, I also have a sneaking admiration for the Rebel Rockers. Truth be told i am not much of a joiner of groups and my sister yesterday told me that neither is she, and that she is reading a book “The Gift of Not Belonging: How Outsiders Thrive in a World of Joiners” which looks at explore the distinct personality style of the otrovert ― someone who lacks the communal impulse and does not fit in with any social group… Of course, I do belong to certain online groups, such as this august body! But back to Mods v. Rockers – what I do appreciate from both camps is the music – Paul Weller and the Style Council, The Kinks on the one hand and Deep Purple and Meatloaf on the other. So I don’t know if that answers your question, Clark…
8. The heatwave is over 31.5 C in the living room is too much!
9.- My cyanotrope prints and lino prints which I also intend to do, give me a much less arduous source of postcards for the Poetry Postcard Festival which begins in early July and runs to end of August. Last year saw me making original postcard-sized paintings for the 31 recipients, which was a welcome return to painting but a lot of work. It is interesting to make and give away original art that you havent’t lived with for a while – teaches the Zen of non-attachment… You can see last years efforts here. And if you fancy having a go at the Poetry Postcard Festival – its not to late to sign up here.
10.- Managed to complete anothe week’s 10 grats…
Have a great week y’all – hope you have the weather you desire or need…
Hush was a breakthrough song for Deep Purple and on one level it is a pop song with catchy lyrics but underneth is a throbbing, driving energy that can scarcely be contained…
I would love to have a muse, I think faced with a blank page or a knotty prompt she would be there in a blink with ideas and inspiration chewing the cud, I imagine her gifts to me quite gratis she would require no acknowledgement of our collaboration a relationship too good to be true
Why are muses generally “she” or is it in opposition to the poet’s gender – opposites attract and all that can I pay to go on a course to get my gal is there an Agency for muses that pairs you up like speed dating could AI write me the perfect letter of application – guaranteed to find the perfect match a muse for life – no shallow fling here today abandoned to blank page tomorrow
Instead, if I choose to accept this prompt or if I wake with an itch that only the laying down of poetry can sooth I face each piece of poesie on my own, flying solo never knowing where the words will take me on today’s adventure but within a moment the idea arrives the point of departure then buckle up for the ride here goes blue sky thinking…
1. – We managed a day out to Hebden Bridge where we stopped at our regular coffee shop and managed to fill in all the obvious words in the Daily Mail Saturday mega crossword whic h required ongoing coaxing and focus to achieve. the Daily Mail is an obnoxious tabloid rag but we buy it only for the crossword – the rest goes straight to the outside lavatory for toilet paper ) or would if we had one…) I didn’t take any pictures except this one to illustrate how steep the town is at its fringes – follow that road up – it must reach 1:3…
2.- I have been preparing for two new hobbies bookbinding – I have some volumes that are precious but in need of some repairs – and cyanotrope print making – as always, as soon a s you watch one video of something on Facebook, your feed is flooded with them! I sent for a book on bookbinding and as my friend Akua is running a Mini-book exchange of Speculative Poetry books, my first attempt is a concertina fold miniature book containing a single poem…
Everything is miniature except for the bow since I can’t tie one smaller than this!
One down – two to go…
3.- Cyanotropes prints are made by coating paper or fabric with special chemicals (which I have now ordered) – placing plants, feathers, stencils or negatives onto the prepared sheet and exposing it to sunlight (ultra-violet) and once washed, the exposed areas turn dark blue. As a young teen, our neighbour’s son, who was doing a PhD in chemistry, made up a chemistry set although he didn’t follow through with any experiments to do! I managed to spill on e clear liquid on my bedroom carpet and to my horror, it turned into an ever darkening stain – I have reason to believe that this was one and the same chemical… I used to have a large flower press when we lived in Ireland but abandonded the wooden bits when we moved back, but kept the threaded rods and so to furnish materials for the cyanotrope prints, I have cut some new pieces of wood and on the way back from Hebden Bridge, picked some bits and pieces to press – watch this space…
4.- In one of the living room (upstairs) windows, is a Yucca plant which has grown evermore contorted as it fills the available space and last year, I had to remove a branch which was growing into the room, spindily from lack of light. I cut it up and planted the lengths in pots from which I got two successful takes.
The two babies are shown below, however, growing in the foreground pot, is a vigorous “weed” called Creeping Wood Sorrel. I showed you some of my windowsill gardens before and in one of them, which my late sister planted, was this self same plant. It has trefoil leaves like clover and whilst the plants in the office are spindly from lack of water (the rest of the garden are drought tolerant succulents) nevertheless, it not only returns each year but displays an astonishing trick. Once the minute seed pods are ready. the fling out their seeds – explosively – and we find them not only coating the windowsill but stuck to the paintwork 2 and a half feet above.
The wonders of Nature know no bounds…
5.- Evidence of our English eccentricity, below is a scooter belonging to a neighbour just around the corner. If you are English, you will recognise this pimped up scooter as as the preferred mode of transport of the “Mods” – “celebrated” in the film Quadrophenia which features the music of The Who…
Apparently the Mods are still alive and well and at least one lives round the corner…
6.- Our run of rainy weather has been replaced with another heatwave – it will reach 30°C on Wednesday…
7. My beloved New Jersey based writing group is taking its Summer break after tomorrow but that will let me type up some of the pieces before the Autumn as well as have time to do the Poetry Postcard Festival in August – if you are interested in sending 31 spontaneous postcard poems to strangers (and receiving 31 back) you can sign up here.
8.- Glad to see the numbers at this here TToT are rising and enjoying the new contributors of gratitude…
9.- Glad for my health…
10.- Glad to feel, as my friend Akua says by way of a signature expression “Joy in the Making”…
If only I had been born Catholic a Saint for every occasion Saint Anthony would have been on speed-dial since I was always losing things I was well known for it—that and forgetting what I was going to the shop for but now I have acquired the habit of carrying a little black notebook sadly not for the phone numbers of paramours but that I might return from the shops with what I went for, amongst other things and when, as a vicarious observer of the sainted folks, I heard of Saint Jude, Patron Saint of Lost Causes I had a sneaking affection for him I bet he would know how to help a serial forgetter of shopping.
Grateful to keep my hand in with surveying and drawing up buildings. My boss met a fellow Pakistani entrepreneur whilst on a recent business trip to China (Its a small world) and we went to Bolton for me to draw it up with a view to creating a self-storage warehouse…
I had to take Barbara for a blood-test in Skipton and thefar bank of the stream which runs past the surgery, was lined with Angelica. I love the sweet, herbal taste of Angelica. I once infused some stem and some Fennel heads in gin – a great success… Angelica, whilst not rare, is rarely seen in such profusion hereabouts…
And also at the peak of its blossom this week, is Elderflower. I remember my parents attempting to make Elderflower Champagne but every bottle exploded…
I have not shared a texture photo for a while but I happened upon a sleeping dragon and quietly photographed its scales!
Truthfully, it was a car front grille that caught my eye in the supermarket car park and an amuse buoche, as I crouched to take the phote, a woman leaped out of the driver’s door asking what was wrong – I hadn’t noticed the two women sitting chatting inside lol…
After the blood test, Barbara and I drove to our son’s house in Leeds to deliver an important medical letter (he is still registered at our surgery so his post comes here) – it was raining as it has all month and so harly suitable for an outdoor coffee (outside for smoking unfortunately) but unwilling to drive staight home, we made ourselves post-men. It was a two-hour round trip so I put mt Spotify on to entertain us, and more than once, i found myself tearing up at the tracks that shuffled on. The first time I found myself unable to sing a song (accompanied by my ukulele), was Elvis Presley’s In the Ghetto – both the sincerity of Elvis’ delivery and the nature of the song made it impossible for me to sing it. On our trip to Leeds, on e tearing up was The Walking Song – paean to friendship by the late Kate McGarrigle and her sister Anna. The other was Strange Fruit – the Nina Simone cover, although Billie Holiday’s original is equally if not more powerful.
It occurred to me, that this tearing up is a form of gratitude – for the life and musical contribution of a singer no longer with us, or for a deep sentiment painfully articulated…
A pen-pal of mine wrote a poem for her acquaintance, the late, great Sonny Rollins which you can find here…
On which note I wish you all a safe and happy week…
At the eleventh hour we stop for tea biscuits – bourbons, custard creams and digestives birthday cakes for birthday boys and girls we see abstemious or decadent their choice lives or dies, pointer to their personality but cake is cake, no judgement do we give anything that elevates the office day is most welcome so we always like to say a merry office band forged in this routine so that whatever friction there has been dissolves in tea, lasting discord seldom seen…
Is poetry a written form or is it meant to be read aloud if only by the voice in your head Concrete poems would convey nothing of their shape by recitation whilst Limericks demand reading aloud their ribald rhymes no hesitation and if as poet you hope for someone else to do the honours consider giving a little guidance in the matter of delivery a comma gives the slightest pause especially midline for line breaks require not the little tadpole or even a period’s emphatic end I like a space hyphen space to indicate a slightly Longer pause or see line three for a positive gap a dramatic pause a pause for effect
In Ulysses James Joyce gives us a manifesto for stream of consciousness but Virginia Woolf in Mrs Dalloway reads so much easier the stream guided with a modicum of punctuation
Unlike composers of music we poets are not tyrants issuing cryptic instructions in superscript for volume and speed forte and piano andante and lente leaving limited room for conductors’ interpretation we poets trust our readers to read and rehearse to infuse the best intonation
The semicolon has no place in poetry or fiction that tadpole crowned with a dot and do all questions require a question mark I’ll let you be the judge
And so to round off poems stories and comments my addiction is to the ellipsis whose merits I have debated with tonight’s muse and I think she is persuaded that it means so much more than duh duh duh for me the ellipsis leaves a little open forgoes finality invites contemplation if not response and so I give you an imaginary ellipsis
