Champagne Moment

You should always keep
a bottle of champagne in the fridge
because...

...you never know when your daughter
is going to get her first job offer.

*****

if you can guess where it is
please don't mention the name

This Is Just To Say...

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)

High Knowledge

MrsM is waiting for a train with MissM.
They are surrounded by people dressed for the City.

MrsM
(excited)
Check.Out.Those.Shoes!!

MissM
(nonchalant)
Oh yes...
Reverse Heel...
Very Sixties...
Modernism and all that...

MrsM is crushed.
How does MissM know these things?

Origin

I know that Ali will be writing a detailed review of our visit to Origin at Old Spitalfields Market but I wanted to say what a privilege it was to accompany her. Ali is extremely knowledgeable about crafts and regularly visits exhibitions. She recognises exhibitors, can reference magazine articles and discuss themes which are inspiring them. The exhibitors respond to this with enthusiasm and are delighted to display their work and talk about exhibitions which have featured their work. One lovely exhibitor sighed and said "It is so refreshing to have an intelligent conversation!"

I was fascinated by the exhibitors as we walked around. They had stepped out of their workrooms to present their work to a wider public and they were part of their own display. There were textile artists wearing their scarves, milliners in extraordinary hats, jewellers glittering. My favourite was the Japanese ceramicist in a complex linen shift - when I held her featherlight bowls and turned them so that the cobalt glaze caught the light she smiled because she could see that I loved her work and it did not matter that I could not afford it.

I came away with a bowl and a mug by Sue Binns, a beret for MissM by Jo Gordon and a number of business cards.

I also came away with a completely different attitude to craft exhibitions. If you get the chance to visit Origin before it closes on Wednesday, seize it.

Ali, thank you for inviting me.

Saturday Lunch with Ali

Calm down, people,
it was Sausages and Mash
although I can't prove it
because the sausages were too artfully arranged
for a respectable photograph.

*****

Warning for MrM:
The comment delete button will be on red alert today.

(just for the record)

The Freshers Week Edition

1.
The new student did turn up after all.
The Admissions Tutor wins the bet and claims his £10.
I will get it back next time.

2.
A distraught President of the GeogSoc wails
"I have 150 students waiting for a drink
and NO corkscrew!"
I turn to my cupboard.

3.
I greet a Fresher and he looks confused.
"How did you know my name?"
I remind him that he came to my office at lunchtime.
Apparently lunchtime is already a long time ago.

4.
Brad is looking city sharp
in his Baker Boy cap, red shirt and leather tie.
"Will they know that I am a Cultural Geographer?"

5.
The new PhD student from Canada
has flaming Titian hair and dramatic clothes.
I am going to enjoy watching her wardrobe.

6.
"We can't find the way out!"
As I give them directions
I realise that the two young men accompanying her
don't seem to be taking any notice of me.

7.
On my way across campus
I spot the Hockey Society promotional campaign.
Behind the placard "Hockey Loves You!"
are three very attractive students in short skirts.
It could be a good year for the Hockey team.

8.
MissM meets up with the Glamorous MissI
and other friends from school who have started as Freshers.
She is thrown out of the Union because she has no ID.
The excitement!

9.
The academic who will be 41 very soon
is at a conference in Italy.
He claims that he would rather be with us.

10.
All the lights are on in the corridor
and the sound of tutorial meetings
leaks out of the offices.

11.
I meet the new Scottish academic
and ask him if it is busy enough for him
"It is perking up nicely" he replies.

12.
In a moment of absolute quiet
a blackbird starts singing on the roof of the Department
and I am reminded once again
that in my search for an interesting life
I have accidentally found happiness.

Beloved Readers

Listen up y'all...

It is Freshers Week...

the Department is thronging with new students
and there are multiple invites to evening receptions.

I post a boring photo of porridge
and expect a day of stunned silence...

but you respond with pages of
scintillating and enthusiastic comments.
What are you all like?
Air kisses all round.

Oh...
and fyi...

MrM doing porridge.

Zen and the Art of Making Porridge

The prospect of making porridge annoys me
but the measuring of the oats
and the gentle stirring
and the warm, malty smell
all combine to make a soothing start to the day.

Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad

The Harbour Flare (1879)

Several months ago a friend recommended
the classic ghost stories written by M.R. James.
Shortly afterwards, I was staying at the cottage
and a complete edition was on the shelf
so I read it from cover to cover,
seriously affecting my ability to sleep at night.

Evening Shadows (1881)

When I got home I fully intended to write a post
sparkling with critical analysis of the genre
but I got distracted.
Such is the story of my life.

Scarborough (1882)

Then my good blog friend, Hermes,
published pictures by John Atkinson Grimshaw
which were perfect as illustrations
and the post which would establish my reputation
as a discerning reader of literature
formed in my mind.

Wimbledon Park, Autumn After Glow (1866)

I wrote to Hermes and asked his permission
to use pictures from his blog
and he replied most generously.

Alas! the post sank without trace
because there were pictures of plates
and discussions about cake which took priority.

Dulce Domum (1885)

Hermes decided that something had to be done
so he flooded his blog with fabulous paintings
by John Atkinson Grimshaw to tempt me.
It was an embarrassment of riches.
Thank you Hermes!

A Manor House in Autumn (1881)

And the book?
Read it!
It will change your life...
I can guarantee you will never again
put your hand under the pillow
without the light on.

the world comes to me

The young academic who went to Iceland
has just returned from the border of China.

He tells me that while he was in China
he went up onto the Tibetan plateau for the first time
and after he has told me of the mountains
I ask him something that I have always wanted to know
"Is it true that everywhere you go in Tibet they are flying kites?"
He assures me that it is true
and the kites fly so high that they are dots
in the clear Himalayan skies.

The image of the kites stays with me all day
as I prepare for the start of term
and once again I am grateful that my office walls
reach to the farthest edges of the world .