The Mother-Son Dynamic

MasterM
Can I borrow some of your CDs?

MrsM smiles at her son.
He is wearing his 'Respect Your Mother' T Shirt.
MrsM decides that he is a very fine young man.

MasterM
I feel uncomfortable about this.
There is something fundamentally wrong
about borrowing CDs from your mother.
I may have to change my taste in music.

MrsM decides he is a less fine young man
than she had originally thought.

...and then the snow melted...

The House in Norham Gardens
Penelope Lively
Jane Nissen Books (2004)

"'...it is extremely dull,' said Aunt Susan tartly,
'to grow old with nothing inside your head
but your own voice.
Tedious, to put it mildly.'"

I am ashamed to admit that I am a very intolerant reader
and I am trying to teach myself to read again.
I want to break my habit of skim-reading
which has developed because I am so impatient
if the plot is lazy, characters are flat or descriptions florid

This was the perfect book to start my new reading diet.

Penelope Lively has examined the inner world
of an orphaned teenage girl living with elderly aunts
and you must read it slowly and carefully
so that you do not miss any detail
of the subtle descriptions of character and place.

The plot is feather light but you can hardly breathe
as you observe Clare comprehend the nature of love
and begin to take control of her life.

I would have been exactly the right age to read this
when it was first published in 1974
but I was probably devouring 'Gone With The Wind'
and scandalising the nuns at school.
I might have had better reading habits now
if I had stuck to slim volumes of immaculate writing.

cure for a jaded palate

I am tired of flowers and cakes.

Combinable Wall I and II (1961)

I need to see eye-popping slabs of colour.

Gloria in Excelsis (1963)

I need an injection of Hofmann.

Autumn Gold (1957)

"the ability to simplify
means to eliminate the unnecessary
so that the necessary may speak"

Hans Hofmann (1880 -1966)

Lemony Drizzle Cake

It is Saturday afternoon.
MrsM and MasterM have a tactical discussion:

MrsM
If I was going to bake a cake
what sort of cake should I bake?
MasterM
What are the options?
MrsM
Obviously not Chocolate
(because of you-know-who)
MasterM
Well, in that case...
obviously not Coffee and Walnut..
MrsM
Blueberry?
MasterM
I'm over Blueberry cake
MrsM
Lemon Drizzle?
MasterM
Now you're talking my language

At this point MasterM and MrM depart
to play snooker in the local club
to allow MrsM 'creative space'.

The cake is on the plate when they return.
MasterM samples the topping.
It is too sweet.
MrsM samples the topping.
It is indeed too sweet.
In an inspired last minute substitution
the juice of half a lemon is squeezed
directly onto the crystalline topping
and it soaks into the cake
and creates a crunchy citric tingle
to counterbalance the light lemony sponge
and the zesty buttercream filling.

MasterM
Excellent result
MrsM
(modestly)
It was a team effort

the bowl of strawberries

we moved the table
to the shade of the cherry tree
and ate the strawberries
with sugar and cream
because that is what you do
on a hot summer day
and when we returned, late at night,
it was still warm enough
to sit in the garden
and look at the milk-white moon

Remote Shopping with MissM

The mobile phone rings and for once the Department is quiet
so MrsM can give it her full attention.

MissM
I have found a dress for the Leavers' Ball!

MrsM feels as though a weight has lifted off her shoulders.

MrsM
What is it like?
MissM
It is short, black and very figure hugging
with broad straps and back detail.

MrsM sighs. She knows that this is perfect.
There is laughter in the background.

MrsM
Who is with you?
MissM
My best friends.

MrsM absolutely trusts MissM's judgement
but she is so glad that MissM is with her friends
so that they can enjoy the moment together.

MrsM
How much is it?
MissM
I am afraid that it is rather expensive.
I have reserved it so we can think about it.

MrsM cannot help gasping ever so slightly.

MissM
It is perfect. Absolutely perfect.
MrsM
Tell me what the stock code is
so that I can look it up on the website.

MrsM sees the dress.
It is indeed perfect. Absolutely perfect.
But wait...
it is also significantly cheaper.
(a whole pair of shoes cheaper)

MrsM
Why don't you go back and check the price?

MissM hangs up.
Ten minutes later the phone rings again...

MissM
So...I went back and checked the price
and it really was the higher price
so I said I am sorry but I am going to unreserve it
because it is much cheaper on the website.
And then they went and checked and I was right
and so they reduced the price
AND gave me an extra discount!!

*****

Parents of teenagers might be interested to know that MasterM and MissM have a shared credit card with a low limit that can be used for exactly this sort of situation. It is mainly used for train tickets and other low value purchases but can also be used for emergencies. We are trying to teach them the skills required to manage their finances...including the effective use of credit cards. We believe it is at least as important as learning to drive.

Scrimshaw

Scrimshaw, one of a pair (c. 1850)
© 2008 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

I have been fascinated by scrimshaw art for as long as I can remember.

These small pieces of intricately carved ivory with their images of tall ships and beautiful women powerfully evoke the claustrophobia and boredom of the long voyages of the whaling ships. The scrimshanders carved materials at hand: whale teeth, bone and baleen and walrus tusks to escape from the filth and hardships of their separation from civilization into the landscape of their imagination. Some of the items are practical: pocket knives, combs and toys; but others have no function at all and were evidently carved for the sheer pleasure of creating something beautiful.

I peer into the museum cases and wonder every time at the emergence of art from such a soul-destroying world.

There is a fascinating gallery of images at the Scott Polar Research Institute website.

*****

Tomorrow is the last day
of the brief but glorious
2010 Côte d'Ivoire World Cup campaign.
I bow to the silky skills of Brazil.

Lunch Hour

The view from where I sit.

You are welcome to join me
but you need to bring your own rug...
mine is only big enough for one

Please don't tell anyone where I am
because it has taken me two years
to find a place where I won't be disturbed.

journey

I am not very good with anniversaries.
I often forget them and suffer restrospective panic
but sometimes the prospect of celebration
creates anticipatory panic.

I have been blogging for more than three years
and written nearly a thousand posts
so I am scheduled for retrospective and anticipatory angst.

I have tried to stave this off
by revisiting my favourite post
The Road Home

I really love this post

and yet everything about it is transient,
it would never have been written
if I had not been blogging.
I believe that it captures the essence
of what I have tried to do with my writing
over the past three years (and a bit)
and (nearly) one thousand posts.

You have made the journey with me
and lightened each day with your insight and laughter.
I thank you.
I would love to know which post on your own blog
captures the essence of your writing.

Pale Shades

Note to the reader: this is not a poem

The pictures are falling from my walls
because the paint is too heavy.
Illusionary landscapes are real landscapes now.

No need for tonality or warmth of colour.
Now I write another poem that nobody will read.
There is loneliness in these words

I tell you the supposed reader in plain terms.
There is no need to hide behind poetry
I won't try to be clever with you.

Helen Ivory
Staying Alive ed. Neil Astley

*****

My husband tells me that the football is on,
that I must come and watch;
but I am too busy,
I am photographing roses
in the last of the evening light.