Damp, damp, damp, damp

Oh, my poor chalet roof!  What shall I do?  Answers on a postcard please (now, there’s another dated expression – nowadays it’s all this new-fangled texting and emailing).

My left ear has been blocked for over a week now.  There’s enough oil in there to fry samosas but the wax remains stubbornly in place.  Today’s remedy will be glycerine and bicarb.  Reminds me of misheard lyrics: when I first heard Spandau Ballet’s ‘Communication’ I heard:

Communication let me down

and arm, left ear!

arm, left ear!

Try it yourself.  do the actions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nuR780B458

There’s also a bit of ‘Carmina Burana’ which I’m convinced is about a bendy-bus, though they claim it’s called ‘Venias’:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L35sxYQ-9A

Judge for yourself.  Definitely singing: ‘Bendy-bendy-bendy-bendy bus!’

Had two stumps extracted yesterday at the dentist.  Part of a long process which will end in dentures.  But also tears. (Funny how indentures has nothing to do with teeth.  Or does it?)  Daniel was sadly unable to open his mouth as he was scared and upset so he will go to a clinic and have it done under general anaesthetic.

The play’s the thing.  The play is nearly finished – I think it’s been more than a year in the writing, so it’ll be good to see that go off.  Also the story for PF.

Syston today for photography.

that’s it.  That’s all the news.

Kirk out

Read this with your eyes

Starting to make this blog more visually interesting.  So, expect to find random photos of me and my dearest, posted for no reason whatever.  Like this:

Before the pinkness

Snappy title not found…

I had a really snappy title in my head at 5 am and now it’s gone.  The title, not my head.  But possibly also my head.  Damn!

The weather is conspiring to wreck my chalet roof.  Hang on!  I feel a parody of Keats coming on:

‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!

Close bosom-buddy of the freezing fog

conspiring with her how to bugger up

the chalet roofing, and the yonge sonne…’

Hang on, I seem to have migrated into Chaucer there.  It’s an occupational hazard, migrating into Chaucer.  With a strong Westerly wind you can be in Middle English before you know it.

So – stuff is happening.  The car is being worked on for its MOT (it didn’t study hard enough and so failed first time around); Peter is sadly doing his Final Word on Saturday as Dermott, for reasons best known to himself, is doing X-factor (refraining from swearing loudly here) and the show will be recorded.  Sad.  So there will be a Word Party on Saturday.  I have a story almost ready to send to PF (People’s Friend) and the play is also nearly ready.

There is also an event next Sat (8th) to raise money for the Pakistan flood relief.  So, a couple of things coming up.  Unfortunately one of them is the dentist today.  Daniel is not happy.

I expect we’ll get a DVD afterwards as a treat.

Kirk out

I am writing a poem for Tomatoes.  On Saturday week I shall be performing at the Martyrs, aka Church of the Tomatoes.

Morning peeps!

Plans are afoot, ahead and ahand for vlogs!  Vlogs will happen!  I will have more than one word!  But DO come and see me at Word! next Tuesday:

http://wordpoetry.co.uk/aboutus.aspx

So, it’s Ed.  Not sure what I think about this.  Slightly reassured that everyone seems to be terrified of him being ‘too left-wing’.  Nobody could say that about Blair, much less about Brown (what a repellent person that guy was! – did anybody like him?)  Didn’t vote for them last time because there was no Left left.

Writing poems yesterday for Tomatoes and Word!  At Word! I shall do ‘Ballad of the Bowstring Bridge’ and ‘Lawrence Limericks’.

Someone on Facebook is upset because her church is pressurising her to be ‘done’ by full immersion.  Anything else just doesn’t cut it, apparently.  This is of course bollocks.  I once went to a church like that – the Northgate Church in Chester.  They SO crossed a line when they criticised a t-shirt I was wearing – and that was that.  I never went back.  I don’t know where these people get off, thinking they can criticise my t-shirts.

Holly is being impressive this morning, getting up at 6 to get ready for college.  She is tired, tho – I hope she doesn’t overdo it.

Apparently the Honda needs some work before it will pass its MOT so it will be a couple of weeks before I can go down.

Today I will be mostly writing…

Actually, I don’t know.  But I suspect it will be the same as yesterday – play, further episodes of Waiting for Theo and finishing the story for People’s Friend.  That can go off soon.

I am also looking at the novel.  The novel is like jam that never sets – I never feel quite on top of the thing.

Peter is buying me dinner before Word!  Join us at 8 at the Y

Y not?

Kirk out

Yoga Practice of the day – Karma yoga

The name of this refers to the Hindu and Buddhist belief in Karma – ie that whatever you do in life will come back to you in some form.  You don’t have to believe in this or in reincarnation to practise Karma Yoga as the idea is to do daily tasks more quickly and efficiently – and also without getting attached to the results.

This seems like nonsense at first – after all, the result, eg a clean bath, is the whole reason why we do the activity, ie cleaning the bath.  Isn’t it?

Well, no.  Not in yoga.  In yoga the tasks are seen as necessary work but the ultimate aim is not the clean bath or whatever.  As anyone who has cleaned a bath is only too aware, it can get filthy again the same day if someone has a bath and doesn’t give it a wipe (or, as in our house, leaves the water in so that all the dirt sinks to the bottom and needs cleaning off again).  In yoga the reason for the task is primarily to purify the soul.  OK stick with me and I’ll explain a little more.  The idea of karma is that actions have consequences, right?  Right.  So – only by separating oneself from the consequences of actions can one overcome karma.

To bring this right down to everyday terms, you can clean the bath and get annoyed when it becomes dirty again (as it will) because you are attached to the results of your actions.  Or you can do the actions in a spirit of non-attachment because they are necessary, and then let go of the consequences.

If this sounds hard – well, it isn’t easy.  But it’s not impossible.  Here’s one way to practise detachment:

First focus on each job, one at a time.  Don’t allow yourself to be distracted or burdened by the perception of having ‘too much’ to do.  Then visualise the job to be done.

Assemble whatever materials you need.  Then do the job – and as you’re doing it, have a sense of yourself existing above and beyond this work.  A part of you is doing the work, but it is not the deepest or most real part of you.  At the same time, focus your attention – as much as you need to – on completing the task.  When it’s done, feel happy that it’s done.  That feeling will stay with you.  Constantly remind yourself that whatever the consequences, you are not swayed by them – because even if someone messes it up immediately, you still did that work and that work is a part of you.

Hope this makes some kind of sense.  If not, post comments

Groggy, groggy, groggy!

Oy, oy, oy!

If you’re under 50, you probably won’t understand why I did that.  For some reason when I was young, drunken people used to go around and at some point one of them would shout:

‘Oggy, oggy, oggy!’

and the rest would reply:

‘Oy, oy, oy!’

It was antiphonal, if that is the word I want – call and response.  A bit like church if you think about it.

I may have said this already but I am going to do poems at Tomatoes!  Yay!  Another outlet.  I need to find more of these.  So I am working on one for the Bowstring Bridge and by popular request I will be doing the Ode to the Upperton Rd Bridge.  I also aim to write one about Tomatoes itself.

We are planning to volunteer for Nite Lite (I think that’s what it’s called) a drop-in cafe on Narborough Rd for anyone who’s lonely, drunk, wants to talk or whatever.  Presumably also for people who want a cheap cup of coffee.

Wholefood Co-op order came yesterday so we now have milk.  It’s always useful to have milk.

I am now red and will try to upload a photo.  It is not in honour of Ed Milliband, though the fact that everyone’s scared of him being left-wing might be a good sign.

Prepared my yoga dance thing for Saturday.  So today – marking work and getting the play up to scratch.  I’ve sent 2 things off already this month and plan to get the play off soon.  Plus, I’ve got a story brewing for People’s Friend.

Mark is doing science today.

I am going to try to upload a photo to this blog.  Excuse me a moment…

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=321011&id=100000658255875

Oh, the Bowstring Bridge, the Bowstring Bridge

If the council had just given way a smidge

you would still be spanning

you’d have foiled their planning

Alas!  for the Bowstring Bridge.

That’s the chorus

And here (was) the bridge:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Leicester-Bowstring-bridge.png&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leicester-Bowstring-bridge.png&h=768&w=1024&sz=1856&tbnid=W0EqN9MKW0r4NM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbowstring%2Bbridge,%2Bleicester&zoom=1&q=bowstring+bridge,+leicester&usg=__7qHK1ZPTWWJJcewj0LkTmdbrpsA=&sa=X&ei=GIilTJ38O8eQjAePtJCyDA&ved=0CCwQ9QEwAw

Plans for vlogs are coming on.  I think the time is coming soon when we will be getting a camera.

Kirk out!

In the beginning was the Word

And the word was ‘tripe’.  Yes, Peter has spoken.  Listen here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00tw32j/Dermot_OLeary_25_09_2010

It’s about 1 hr 54 mins into the show.  They play him ‘Mr Bombastic’.  Some genius on the show calls the item: ‘Educating Peter’.  Excellent fun!

Kirk out

Fun fun fun fun fun fun fun

Once when Holly was about three and repeating every word we said, Mark was in the habit of saying ‘Oh, joy!’ to everything – sometimes sarcastically, sometimes not.  So, Holly was upset about something and crying, and in the middle of her tears she cried out: ‘Joy!’  It was funny.

But maybe you had to be there.

So, today will be fun.  Tomatoes followed by visit to Peter to hear his word.  What will it be?  ‘Bilge’ has been used but Peter has a large lexicon at his disposal.  Listen from 3 to Dermott o’Leary.

I am thinking of redesigning this blog.  I think the print is too small and I want to do a vlog.  Want to get a video camera.  Holly has borrowed a camera from college – she is taking her work very seriously.

Mark has a bad habit of pulling the duvet from under me when I am writing this so that the laptop migrates about 2 feet to the left.   But apparently this is ‘not as annoying as I think it is’.

Oh, well, that’s all right then!

I have bought a notebook in which to record prayers and positive thoughts.  Its best feature is the swirl of purple glitter on the front, which will annoy the hell out of Mark.  Mark HATES glitter.

The wonderful institution of marriage…

Lovely evening yesterday watching ‘Cinema Paradiso’ with the children.  It’s a beautiful film and made me want to go and live in Italy.

Ciao!

Kirk out

Whew! What a – bummer!

And of course, because I needed several dry days to dry the chalet roof off, it is now chucking it down.  Blast!

Facebook is unavailable.  Apparently it was on the national news, so you didn’t hear it here first.  Unless you did, in which case you should probably stay in more.  And listen to the news.

I was thinking of getting a TV licence next year if my course runs.  Whaddaya think – is it worth just having the terrestrial channels?  Or should we get a digibox?

Thinking about my D H Lawrence poem when I woke up.  I don’t know if I shared this with you – it’s called ‘Lawrence Limericks’ and is about how he’s been so superceded by the zeitgeist that nobody talks about him any more:

Oh, where are you, spirit of Dave?

Now seventy years in the grave!

The Chatterley trial

flipped over the dial

and you appeared terribly brave

It’s coming on.  I shall probably start going to Word again and I shall do it there.

Meeting Mary for lunch today.  The radio play is coming on and should be ready for sending next month.  I’m aiming to send one thing a month.  Keep the momentum going.

That’s all folks!

Kirk out

Are we feeling balanced?

Here’s a yoga practice for the equinox.

https://lizardyoga.wordpress.com/2010/06/14/yoga-practice-of-the-day-the-tree/

Feeling a little urgh this morning.  Don’t know why because I slept right through the night but I am NOT happy about the rain.  I need several dry days to dry out the chalet roof!  Not impressed.

Swimming today.  ‘Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!  What do we do, we swim, swim, swim.  Oh ho ho ho ho -ho ho I love to – swi-mming…’.  Dory.  My favourite animated character.

Finished a story for Woman’s Weekly and sent it off.  I know, I know, it’s not exactly what I want to be doing but on the other hand they pay a lot more than literary magazines.  Had a card acknowledging receipt of Waiting for Theo – but I think I told you that.  I was quite impressed that they bother – you might worry that it had gone astray in the post otherwise.

Got outraged for about 20 minutes yesterday by reports that HMRC (‘Highly-Motivated Robbers of Cash’)* are considering taking tax out of your Bank Account!!!  I had fired off an email and composed a letter to my MP before Mark informed me that they have shelved the plans.  Still, it was very invigorating.  Everyone should get outraged at least once a day.  But no more than 20 minutes twice a day, otherwise the blood pressure will rise.

Watched Life on Mark (!) Freudian slip – I meant Life on Mars – last night.  Now, that was quality TV.  It struck me that the relationship between Tyler and his boss is like that between Dennis Waterman and George Cole in Minder.

I used to love Minder.

Holly is doing well with her courses and working hard, which is great to see.  She seems to have made a friend called Izzy.

I don’t know what Izzy is short for.  There’s an Izzy on The Archers, who’s a friend of Pip’s, so it seems quite appropriate.  I’ve always identified with Ruth.

Anyway, last night she was tidying her desk and came across something she’d written for me.  It said: ‘I just want to tell you that you are the best Mum in the world and if you ever get sad you can look at this and remember how much we love you’.

Gulp!

Sob!

Kirk – sniff – out

*Apologies to any readers who work for them.  Nothing personal.

PS I was reminded by someone on FB needing coffee, of a phrase heard at second hand which we took up and used in our family for years: ‘Matthew needs stripy cheese!’.  You know, when kids go through that phase of discovering that the word ‘need’ is so much stronger than ‘want’ and for about six months they ‘need’ everything!