I was planning to palm you off with an indifferent post about spring onions but Germany play Argentina this afternoon so words will fly...Later.

Once upon a time my creative writing tutor told me to 'show' rather than 'tell'. But her habit of breaking pencils told me all I needed to know. She was right of course, good fiction doesn't explain it draws you in via the side entrance, but I believe 'telling' has its place and all the great books I've read have had far more telling than showing...

.....When I went into the front room this morning I was tickled by the sound of happy birds, warmed by the faint light of the emerging star and uplifted by the perfume of a dozen or so Oriental Lillies.
Who needs chemical air fresheners I thought when all you need to saturate your senses is a chum's bouquet.

I drank my sweet tea thinking about today...
...Go to the station lunchtime to pick up Mr H. I really don't approve of these overnight shifts. ...But do approve of 'Predator' with Horlicks...
...Drop into the chemist to buy best value/cheap/no fancy packaging pain killers, had an awful head for three days. Heat or tumour?
Duff up some pizza dough for Spain v. Paraguay unless someone suggests Kung Po chicken.
Silence is God's restroom.

Ta ta!

Delights, Nietzsche and a Poem

On Friday I wrote about my charity shop delights.
And here are a couple of pictures...


I love collecting quotes and here's one I found yesterday.
"A subject for a great poet would be God's boredom after the seventh day of creation".
Friedrich Nietzsche


'Pleased with the stars' God said, stretching his almighty frame over His heavenly armchair..
And as He watched the night come
He wondered what next.

I mean, how would he top this fantastic week of work?
He was never going to eclipse the past few immaculate days however hard he tried. His creation of all things beautiful was his piece de resistance, his magnum opus and creating the perfect world is the pinnacle of all artists.
He achieved that.
He might as well stop right now.

And so what next for the Great Man?
Reading?
Wishing He was somewhere else?
Toying with the weather?
Or just lying back feeling chuffed?
After all a week of mountain building, light making, water production, beast bombardment and laying green green grass was a great idea. And like all things magnificent, they impact, stun and then depart.

And so as He slumbered, His hands split and cracked, He dreamt of what could be.
Lions playing footsie with lambs,
Women being good to men,
Children being children until they're not.
Men standing upright.
Caravans, huts, caves resounding to the clash of milk cups instead of beer glasses.
Food on tables, arms open, ovens burning.
Little people with unscarred frilly hearts living amongst tall trees.

But then He had a fitful sleep and saw
Hungry people singing Hallelujahs in towns with no water, no justice
Homeless people with broken backs walking that extra mile.
Writers committing atrocities in the name of art.

God shifted and tutted
Overturned on his cloud and cried
And awoke resigned and bored.

And so he left us in the dark
and our world shook.

The Last Post of 2008

Hello All.

As I have a few mins to myself I thought I'd post a couple of photos taken on Christmas day itself!
In the first picture I'm sliding down the settee whilst grasping onto a rather decent glass of wine, this decent wine being a gift from my employer. Thanks Ray. As you can see I'm very relaxed and at peace with the world but I was not drunk, oh no, because if I was drunk my glasses would be hanging on the tree and my rather racey blouse would be hanging loosely outside my skirt, but as it happens I'm as perfectly prim as Mary Poppins Ok?

Our day was a corker, we had a good beef roast and Yorkshire pudding, zingified carrots and parsnips, a mound of steamed cabbage, a couple of roasted potatoes and a spoonful of English mustard. Simple fare but done with aplomb. For pud we had a er...pud. St Stephen's pud to be precise, took three hours to steam and five five minutes to eat! Didn't bedeck the beautiful pud with ghastly Brandy butter but drenched it instead with a jug of proper yellow custard. See second pic.

I ripped open my presents fairly earlyish, so poor Monty was covered in shredded paper by eight, but he was fine. My presents included some Jasper Conran intimate apparrel, four bottles of perfume and loads of chocolates and booze! These items DID NOT constitute a boxed set and were entirely innocent in their complicitousness but oh deary me, they do so thoroughly belong together! It was all purely coincidental. I think I know what I mean, I hope you do!.
Anyway let me tell you about later in the day.

Later in the day, after eating out the nuts from the Tesco Cranberry and Nuts tub, I started reminiscing about all that's happened this year (not much more left) and I came to the conclusion that taken everything into account it hasn't been such a bad old year after all. I'd done things and attempted things which in previous years I'd always balk at doing. Things like attending a poetry group, ok so it was no good, but at least I bothered to go, and I tried for a couple of jobs, didn't get either but the experience made me realize I can be a non-lazy person if I really try!. I did manage to bag my cleaning job though and to Raymondo I'll always be grateful. And I don't think it's beneath me to swing a mop around.
Now people.

I've met some new ones this year, and each one of these disparate folk have left there mark, some marks being sweet, kindly and wise others more flamboyant and exhausting in an excited child kind of way. But they are all invigorating nonetheless. And although getting to know strangers can be fun I still crave my old American buddy, the Duchess. Her slicing humour and warm-as-pie friendship hasn't diminished over the years despite the big ocean and time thingy that's in the way. Yep, friends are good whenever they come and wherever they sit.

So...
Happy New Year to my special friends.
The Duchess, Minxy and the Dreamboat, The True Blue Sex Maniac and the master writer t'up North, Digger a.k.a Thrustbucket.
I hope you all be happy in 2009, I don't know what you really need or want but I hope you know what to do when you get it!

As for me I know what I want. I want a job.
A job where I can use my brain and not just my hands. A job where my undoubted creative skills can be of some use and a job which gives me not only cash but a bit of real joy every day..
That's not much is it?
Is it?

On the emotional front, otherwise known as the womanly front. I want to be able to say No and not feel the need to qualify it. I want to say 'Yes' and not spend the next three hours wondering if I was right to say Yes. In other words I'm going to be typical bird. All over again...

Things I'll definitely be doing in 2009:

Putting five pound notes away
Tending the garden properly
Decorating
Spending less time surfing and more time...
Swimming, yep pool trips are on the agenda, my waist has rocketed to 25 inches and as I'm so vain it's in at the deeeep end for the mopping midget
Writing creepy stuff, because I'm an angel who can be horrible
Talking to God more, the older I've got the more grown up and independent I've got and so therefore I thought didn't need any help any more. My language and loyalties may have changed but underneath the lipstick I'm still a girl. And to talk to God you need to talk as a child.
Wearing longer skirts
Eating more Spaghetti
Drinking Gallo white wine
Walking slower
Dancing shoeless like last Saturday
Exploring my softer side

See you next year!