My brother called, so I gushed at him all about my book on Paul Celan from America. First of all the paper is so smooth, then the edges are so sharply sliced....
Finally I got to my point, the Preface mentioned 10 to 20 poets whose work I know I need to read. I don't think he and I will form a reading group any time soon, but amongst my friends there will be surely be a couple who can share their reading with me and vice versa.
I have been rearranging my bookshelves downstairs to include the books I think are great and either have or will read. All the rest are being dumped in a heap. It looks much more like the inside of my current mind than the other books.
Monday, 28 April 2014
Sunday, 27 April 2014
New Nightmares - Speed Awareness Course
New Nightmares
What is this all about?
Being about to be squashed inside a clamshell which was going to just get more and more closed.
Then today, finding myself on a narrow road beside a high brick wall as a bus came along, which did stop thankfully with inches to spare. I was about to knock and ask the driver to wait while I walked across the road to the pavement, but woke up.
I wish nightmares came with a little tag explaining exactly what the problem is and what to do about it.
Speed Awareness Course
I might meet some poetry people today, or introduce someone to learning arabic! Or meet an old friend? Having lived here since 1994 there's a high probability of the last one.
I have been advised to agree with everything by the many people who have had to do this already.
What is this all about?
Being about to be squashed inside a clamshell which was going to just get more and more closed.
Then today, finding myself on a narrow road beside a high brick wall as a bus came along, which did stop thankfully with inches to spare. I was about to knock and ask the driver to wait while I walked across the road to the pavement, but woke up.
I wish nightmares came with a little tag explaining exactly what the problem is and what to do about it.
Speed Awareness Course
I might meet some poetry people today, or introduce someone to learning arabic! Or meet an old friend? Having lived here since 1994 there's a high probability of the last one.
I have been advised to agree with everything by the many people who have had to do this already.
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Calling the paramedic
Am I grateful for the men being around today?
The builder suggested calling 999 before I would have thought of it. The surveyor made the call for me, then handed me his mobile. I was able to keep in physical contact with my mother in law, rubbing her shoulder and keeping my knee next to her leg.
The paramedic was so calm. At one point he was sitting on the floor carefully filling in his assessment forms, radiating 'It's ok-ness'.
I felt so much better each time my mother in law smiled. We are both going to have a few days with lots of rests to recover.
The builder suggested calling 999 before I would have thought of it. The surveyor made the call for me, then handed me his mobile. I was able to keep in physical contact with my mother in law, rubbing her shoulder and keeping my knee next to her leg.
The paramedic was so calm. At one point he was sitting on the floor carefully filling in his assessment forms, radiating 'It's ok-ness'.
I felt so much better each time my mother in law smiled. We are both going to have a few days with lots of rests to recover.
Monday, 21 April 2014
Sofa time
My parents are watching tv. I can hear the little clinking noises my mother is making as she eats from a china plate. I am just surfing on their sofa and resting after a busy day.
My mother said that a family home ceases to be so once the parents are dead. Hmm, so spending time just being here on their sofa in their drawing room is the best thing I could do. I sat in their bed earlier and had a heart to heart with my mother. She gave me a jumper to wear and a fleece to have over me too.
Earlier I pinched my father's sheepskin coat to go out in, so that has seen loads of short films at the new Tate with me.
On the Millenium Bridge over to St Paul's I could see the Nat West tower, close to where my father, S and I used to work, and the fairy tale turrets of St James's, 2 tube stops from this house. Every way I looked I could see buildings from different parts of my life. Going by bus was the same, here where I joined a demonstration, there where the wedding reception was.
My mother said that a family home ceases to be so once the parents are dead. Hmm, so spending time just being here on their sofa in their drawing room is the best thing I could do. I sat in their bed earlier and had a heart to heart with my mother. She gave me a jumper to wear and a fleece to have over me too.
Earlier I pinched my father's sheepskin coat to go out in, so that has seen loads of short films at the new Tate with me.
On the Millenium Bridge over to St Paul's I could see the Nat West tower, close to where my father, S and I used to work, and the fairy tale turrets of St James's, 2 tube stops from this house. Every way I looked I could see buildings from different parts of my life. Going by bus was the same, here where I joined a demonstration, there where the wedding reception was.
Friday, 18 April 2014
Christmas Pudding on Easter Day?
I am at my parents' house. We had a very important discussion this evening over dinner: the menu for Easter Day Lunch. My father has it all sorted out, but wanted to know whether Christmas Pudding might be too much or not. He is already preparing a delicious strawberry ice-cream.
We decided it would be way too much and not right for guests from outside our immediate family! But having it in the evening would be fantastic. We laughed so much as we said to each other that it is clearly an old French custom to have such a thing for dinner. My mother's ancestry comes in very handy.
We decided it would be way too much and not right for guests from outside our immediate family! But having it in the evening would be fantastic. We laughed so much as we said to each other that it is clearly an old French custom to have such a thing for dinner. My mother's ancestry comes in very handy.
Thursday, 17 April 2014
Mid April - 4 new blogs - British Museum - Crowd Sourced Project - Sarah Irving - Matt Merritt
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/ Why not?
http://crowdsourced.micropasts.org/ Which leads on to this project anyone can help with. I once took part in a crowd sourced project to identify simple aspects of distant galaxies, so this is similar: thrilling, but safe. You can't break anything.
http://sarahirving.wordpress.com/tag/poetry/ Arabic poetry.
http://polyolbion.blogspot.co.uk/ Matt Merritt, I found this via another blog..
http://crowdsourced.micropasts.org/ Which leads on to this project anyone can help with. I once took part in a crowd sourced project to identify simple aspects of distant galaxies, so this is similar: thrilling, but safe. You can't break anything.
http://sarahirving.wordpress.com/tag/poetry/ Arabic poetry.
http://polyolbion.blogspot.co.uk/ Matt Merritt, I found this via another blog..
Wednesday, 16 April 2014
A Bird Is Not A Stone
A Kickstarter project bringing to the UK a book of new Palestinian poetry called 'A Bird Is Not A Stone'.
http://sarahirving.wordpress.com/2013/08/17/poetry-from-iraq-and-scotland/ The video is of Sabreen Kadhim performing in Edinburgh. From 5 minutes English translations are given.
Reel Iraq Festival from 2013 More videos, I assume all in Arabic, so try to recognise a word here or there, start small.
http://sarahirving.wordpress.com/2013/08/17/poetry-from-iraq-and-scotland/ The video is of Sabreen Kadhim performing in Edinburgh. From 5 minutes English translations are given.
Reel Iraq Festival from 2013 More videos, I assume all in Arabic, so try to recognise a word here or there, start small.
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Blind Photography - Collecting Vocab
Blind Photography
Not as pointless as one might expect...I took a series of photos of the kitchen from one spot, but with my eyes shut. They weren't nearly as bad as I had expected. There is a surprising quality about them.
H helped by putting himself in as many of them as possible! So I have a variety of checked shirts, some with his smile and some without. It was funny hearing him rushing around without knowing what he was up to.
A friend of mine had an art workshop and this idea came out of one of the exercises I did.
Collecting Vocab
Where ever I go I come back with a couple of new Arabic words to add to my stack. This time I found some at the Quaker Meeting in a newsletter.
Bustan بستان A garden with vines, fruit trees and aromatic herbs. I have a vine, a pear tree and mint, not all in one place though. Also an orchard or kitchen garden.
The other one is in my handbag probably...
Not as pointless as one might expect...I took a series of photos of the kitchen from one spot, but with my eyes shut. They weren't nearly as bad as I had expected. There is a surprising quality about them.
H helped by putting himself in as many of them as possible! So I have a variety of checked shirts, some with his smile and some without. It was funny hearing him rushing around without knowing what he was up to.
A friend of mine had an art workshop and this idea came out of one of the exercises I did.
Collecting Vocab
Where ever I go I come back with a couple of new Arabic words to add to my stack. This time I found some at the Quaker Meeting in a newsletter.
Bustan بستان A garden with vines, fruit trees and aromatic herbs. I have a vine, a pear tree and mint, not all in one place though. Also an orchard or kitchen garden.
The other one is in my handbag probably...
Monday, 14 April 2014
So much effort for one little word: الفصحى
1. I read a blog post and see a word I half-know, in the 6th paragraph from the end. It is written like this: fus7a
2. I guess and look in my arabic dictionary for something like: فسع
3. Nothing there. I decide to look in the other dictionary under 'formal arabic', no joy there either.
4. I turn to Google and search under 'wiki formal arabic', I find it in the first few lines: الفصحى
5. Next time I will go straight to Google and wiki and save time.
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Bonfire after dark - Chatting - The Waste Land
Bonfire
H and T came out with me to light a bonfire. We had to go on a bit of a search to buy the marshmallows first.
H arranged the bricks and other things to make a fireplace. I added the firelighters, kindling and 2 logs.
We snapped off dry twigs from the surviving eucalyptus tree to roast the marshmallows with.
The builders have left their chairs in a circle around the garden table. We borrowed those, but carefully left the cardboard cushions they have made for themselves, one for each chair!
Chatting
T and I wound up laughing about Amazon o'clock, that moment when you decide to buy lovely books online. For me it is 11pm, for him it is on the train journeys back and forth to see his girlfriend. We did chuckle at our predictable weaknesses.
The Waste Land
How can anyone think of studying this in just 2 hours? Our poetry group did. We got half way through, then started talking about personal stuff, so that was the end of T S Eliot until our next meeting.
We had been reading sections out loud in turn, then had plenty of 2 minute sessions to speak without the other person interrupting.
I had the section about the Tarot cards and found it an amazing piece to read out, I was reading in an unearthly way with unexpected pacing. I appreciated that the most from this evening's work.
Lines 43 to 59 from the first section The Burial of the Dead. Text here.
H and T came out with me to light a bonfire. We had to go on a bit of a search to buy the marshmallows first.
H arranged the bricks and other things to make a fireplace. I added the firelighters, kindling and 2 logs.
We snapped off dry twigs from the surviving eucalyptus tree to roast the marshmallows with.
The builders have left their chairs in a circle around the garden table. We borrowed those, but carefully left the cardboard cushions they have made for themselves, one for each chair!
Chatting
T and I wound up laughing about Amazon o'clock, that moment when you decide to buy lovely books online. For me it is 11pm, for him it is on the train journeys back and forth to see his girlfriend. We did chuckle at our predictable weaknesses.
The Waste Land
How can anyone think of studying this in just 2 hours? Our poetry group did. We got half way through, then started talking about personal stuff, so that was the end of T S Eliot until our next meeting.
We had been reading sections out loud in turn, then had plenty of 2 minute sessions to speak without the other person interrupting.
I had the section about the Tarot cards and found it an amazing piece to read out, I was reading in an unearthly way with unexpected pacing. I appreciated that the most from this evening's work.
Lines 43 to 59 from the first section The Burial of the Dead. Text here.
Friday, 11 April 2014
Badminton on the front lawn - Videos of artists talking
Badminton
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/inshaw-the-badminton-game-t03189
This used to be on a particular wall in the Tate. It was just there, I don't remember looking at it carefully ever. I just walked past it and liked it as I walked past. No trying hard.
We are back to playing badminton in the late afternoon when it is cloudy and there is no wind. The birds sing happily around us. The grass is slightly damp. Mainly I play in thick socks, just in case I stand on an acacia twig or a bird poop. It is out in nature after all.
Videos
http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/tateshots-artist-rooms-vija-celmins
http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/tate-britain-commission-phyllida-barlow
http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/tateshots-kiki-smith
I particularly enjoy watching and listening to people discussing what they are passionate about. It's all true, nothing made up or hard to understand, just how things are for them. I don't have to read between the lines.
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/inshaw-the-badminton-game-t03189
This used to be on a particular wall in the Tate. It was just there, I don't remember looking at it carefully ever. I just walked past it and liked it as I walked past. No trying hard.
We are back to playing badminton in the late afternoon when it is cloudy and there is no wind. The birds sing happily around us. The grass is slightly damp. Mainly I play in thick socks, just in case I stand on an acacia twig or a bird poop. It is out in nature after all.
Videos
http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/tateshots-artist-rooms-vija-celmins
http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/tate-britain-commission-phyllida-barlow
http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/tateshots-kiki-smith
I particularly enjoy watching and listening to people discussing what they are passionate about. It's all true, nothing made up or hard to understand, just how things are for them. I don't have to read between the lines.
Thursday, 10 April 2014
My Arabic holiday
Well, it's in fact a break from lessons and that dreadful angst about remembering vocab. Thank God we never have tests. Children deserve medals for doing all that, particularly if they find it hard work.
I'm having a wonderful time reading and watching what I want to:
Poetry documentaries from the Al Jazeera English website. I can pause them and copy out what I read on the screen.
Latest issue of Banipal, includes pieces by Stephen Watts as it happens. I saw him and chatted briefly last week at a poetry event. He translates Arabic poetry.
Started an online course called The Emergence of the Modern Middle East, it's from the University of Tel Aviv, but in English. I am doing the absolute minimum for it. They have a great discussion thread called 'What's on your Middle East book shelf?'
Skimming quickly through Adonis' Arabic Poetics book again, surprisingly relevant to the Emergence course.
Had some late night Amazon buys, so I am waiting impatiently for poems by Al-Massri, an autobiographical novel based in Israel/Palestine plus whatever else I felt I needed...
My one task is to count how many words I know! I am measuring this by doing index cards for everything. There are 2 stacks, the ones I know and the ones I am hazy about. The other element to this is sitting on the sofa checking that I do know the ones in the 'I know these' bundle. I have a feeling I need to spend an awful lot of time doing this.
Given how much time I spend avoiding doing vocab, it might be easier to just do it!
I'm having a wonderful time reading and watching what I want to:
Poetry documentaries from the Al Jazeera English website. I can pause them and copy out what I read on the screen.
Latest issue of Banipal, includes pieces by Stephen Watts as it happens. I saw him and chatted briefly last week at a poetry event. He translates Arabic poetry.
Started an online course called The Emergence of the Modern Middle East, it's from the University of Tel Aviv, but in English. I am doing the absolute minimum for it. They have a great discussion thread called 'What's on your Middle East book shelf?'
Skimming quickly through Adonis' Arabic Poetics book again, surprisingly relevant to the Emergence course.
Had some late night Amazon buys, so I am waiting impatiently for poems by Al-Massri, an autobiographical novel based in Israel/Palestine plus whatever else I felt I needed...
My one task is to count how many words I know! I am measuring this by doing index cards for everything. There are 2 stacks, the ones I know and the ones I am hazy about. The other element to this is sitting on the sofa checking that I do know the ones in the 'I know these' bundle. I have a feeling I need to spend an awful lot of time doing this.
Given how much time I spend avoiding doing vocab, it might be easier to just do it!
Wednesday, 9 April 2014
Hilarious old post from 2009
This is just so true and funny. If I hadn't blogged about my dreadful day as a mother it would have been lost for ever. I hope it gives you a good laugh. It shows how lovely T and H were, and are.
http://shinynewcomputer.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/not-good.html
http://shinynewcomputer.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/not-good.html
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
April 2014 - 3 new blogs
https://walkinginacircle.wordpress.com/ Does poetry readings with someone I know.
http://iwaswritingaboutyou.tumblr.com/ Also does poetry readings...
http://psychogeographicreview.com/?p=939 Has a post about Liz Lefroy, who also does readings...
http://iwaswritingaboutyou.tumblr.com/ Also does poetry readings...
http://psychogeographicreview.com/?p=939 Has a post about Liz Lefroy, who also does readings...
Monday, 7 April 2014
Reading a text and sharing our own reaction to it
Josephine Corcoran has written about exactly this today on her blog: how-about-reading-workshops-as-well-as-writing-workshops
We are doing this on the closed 52 group to a certain extent: fiftytwopoetry
A ModPo colleague is going through the Pushcart collection using a small group of us as sources for her blog posts on the poems she chooses: playing-with-words
What can I suggest? Find a friend, a welcoming pub and a phone with a timer to ensure you each speak for the same length of time. Just get on with it and get to share what you want with whoever you want.
I think I will try this out on my parents when I am next in London. The introductory discussion will be interesting, trying to explain what I mean and then finding out what they would like to experiment with.
Given that my father used to read out Saki to us and we once had a series of Lent somethings sitting on their bed, they should be ok about it.
My monthly poetry discussion group at the Fleur has accelerated to once a week. That was this evening's decision. Wow. Apparently I'm about to be taken through The Wasteland.
We are doing this on the closed 52 group to a certain extent: fiftytwopoetry
A ModPo colleague is going through the Pushcart collection using a small group of us as sources for her blog posts on the poems she chooses: playing-with-words
What can I suggest? Find a friend, a welcoming pub and a phone with a timer to ensure you each speak for the same length of time. Just get on with it and get to share what you want with whoever you want.
I think I will try this out on my parents when I am next in London. The introductory discussion will be interesting, trying to explain what I mean and then finding out what they would like to experiment with.
Given that my father used to read out Saki to us and we once had a series of Lent somethings sitting on their bed, they should be ok about it.
My monthly poetry discussion group at the Fleur has accelerated to once a week. That was this evening's decision. Wow. Apparently I'm about to be taken through The Wasteland.
Films with my son - rows
Our home education is taking another turn. We are watching early 60's films. La Dolce Vita so far.
I was shocked to see a screen re-run of one of my own horrendous rows. Earlier in the week I saw another film with some friends. Lo and behold, there was another fearsome row from my past.
I think I had assumed that such rows were somehow my fault and that I had to ensure they weren't provoked again. In fact they are warning signs and return every so often conveying a simple message.
I was shocked to see a screen re-run of one of my own horrendous rows. Earlier in the week I saw another film with some friends. Lo and behold, there was another fearsome row from my past.
I think I had assumed that such rows were somehow my fault and that I had to ensure they weren't provoked again. In fact they are warning signs and return every so often conveying a simple message.
Sunday, 6 April 2014
Physics wonderfulness
Some notes on the recent discoveries relating to the age of the Universe, the point at which the background radiation started to be emited, the Universe's current great extent and sharing scientific data immediately for peer examination.
The xkcd cartoons are mentioned too.
http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_adams_the_discovery_that_could_rewrite_physics/citations
The TED talk itself which I haven't watched yet because I am happy with the notes.
The xkcd cartoons are mentioned too.
http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_adams_the_discovery_that_could_rewrite_physics/citations
The TED talk itself which I haven't watched yet because I am happy with the notes.
Saturday, 5 April 2014
'dangerous curves' - Jenny Lewis
Two words from a poem she wrote 20+ years ago. It is only to be found on links about the controversy surrounding it: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/mcgough-poet-and-plagiarist-1198633.html Go to the end of the article to find the complete poem "In Case of Fire"
The weekly poetry prompt group called 52 had an awkward theme this time: Songs of Praise. It's hard to move away from the literal meaning. I managed to though and wound up with something leading on from those two words. It's gone into the boot of my car though. Only some things make it to the 52 facebook group.
Her website: http://jennylewis.org.uk/ See how she puts a huge amount of effort into teaching and leading others. Also, see how she encourages others to move between art and poetry.
The weekly poetry prompt group called 52 had an awkward theme this time: Songs of Praise. It's hard to move away from the literal meaning. I managed to though and wound up with something leading on from those two words. It's gone into the boot of my car though. Only some things make it to the 52 facebook group.
Her website: http://jennylewis.org.uk/ See how she puts a huge amount of effort into teaching and leading others. Also, see how she encourages others to move between art and poetry.
Friday, 4 April 2014
Government of Nature - Afaa Weaver
I decided to read this collection after seeing a remarkable interview between the poet and a sensitive interviewer on a small US tv station.
The interview: http://www.hcam.tv/poetic-lines-afaa-michael-weaver-0 See the beauty and kindness of in interviewer and the calm emanating from the poet.
Link to a poem about the foal he discusses at the start of the interview: The Appaloosa
Afaa Weaver's web page: http://www.afaamweaver.com/
(Trigger warning by the way - a violent, abusive childhood)
The interview: http://www.hcam.tv/poetic-lines-afaa-michael-weaver-0 See the beauty and kindness of in interviewer and the calm emanating from the poet.
Link to a poem about the foal he discusses at the start of the interview: The Appaloosa
Afaa Weaver's web page: http://www.afaamweaver.com/
(Trigger warning by the way - a violent, abusive childhood)
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Driving and dancing at the same time, is it possible?
It is with this track: go to 2 hrs and 3 minutes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03yn0ys
Sonnentanz - Sun Don't Shine
Sonnentanz - Sun Don't Shine
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Digging - Photos to be added - Listening at my party
Digging
We have a huge spoil heap 80% blocking our drive. The trenches are nearly complete. The archaeologist will make a 4th visit tomorrow. There is no sign of treasure, just a deep layer of dark earth top soil, then actual clay.
The concrete foundations will be poured on Friday and then the walls will be carefully rebuilt in brick and stone.
The builders have a little cafe area beside the garage. The table had a kettle in the middle of it and also a sandwich maker! They said this was the best job they'd been on.
Listening
A friend of mine said the most wonderful thing: at my party she felt amazingly listened to by the other people there. What a compliment!
We have a huge spoil heap 80% blocking our drive. The trenches are nearly complete. The archaeologist will make a 4th visit tomorrow. There is no sign of treasure, just a deep layer of dark earth top soil, then actual clay.
The concrete foundations will be poured on Friday and then the walls will be carefully rebuilt in brick and stone.
The builders have a little cafe area beside the garage. The table had a kettle in the middle of it and also a sandwich maker! They said this was the best job they'd been on.
Listening
A friend of mine said the most wonderful thing: at my party she felt amazingly listened to by the other people there. What a compliment!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
