making a difference

The security guard at the entrance to campus
has been there since the start of term.
He is supposed to check car permits
and direct visitors to the car parks
but after a while he recognised staff
and waved to them as they drove past
and soon people were waving back
and opening their windows to greet him.
This morning the relief security guard
stood there with his hands in his pockets
and I missed the smile and friendly wave.
I had not realised how important it was to me.

Joie de Vivre

This photo was rescued by Granny
from the bottom of a drawer in her kitchen.

I am sitting with MissM on my lap
in a country churchyard after a wedding.
MissM is wearing a tiny pink seersucker dress
and I know that it is before she could crawl
because her knees are dimpled and clean.

I think of the photograph MissM has just sent
of new plum suede shoes with 4" heels.
She will wear them to two parties this weekend.
They are dancing shoes.

I am sure that if you had asked me then
what I wished for my tiny daughter
I would have been unable to articulate my dream.
There are so many sensible things to wish for:
happiness, health, intelligence, common sense.

But what I wanted, more than anything else,
was a daughter who had the confidence
to go dancing in a black Karen Millen dress
and pair of plum suede shoes with 4" heels.

I think you will agree that I have been lucky.

Fingers and Toes

Here is a photograph
of the scrumptious little MasterA
wearing the jumper wot I knit.

Gaze upon it,
admire those chubby little fingers
and chat amongst yourselves
while I write grateful replies
to the astonishing and moving comments
that I received yesterday.

Retrospective

Even though I have been writing for over four years
I can remember most of my posts
and so I thought that
it would be easy to do the archive meme
that I saw first on Useful or Beautiful.
I was wrong. It is very difficult.

1.
What is your most popular post?
Yardangs
by a country mile...
but I suspect that the Geologists who arrive
looking for a technical discussion of yardangs
are bitterly disappointed.

2.
Which post's success surprised you most?
Zen and the Art of Making Porridge
I wrote it because I was so busy
that I couldn't think
of anything else to write about.

3.
Which post are you proudest of?
A Humble Beginning
I created the whole of the Magpie Files
in my head before I started
and then I wrote it down,
day by day, for two years.
This is the post where I set out my stall.

As for the other categories...

What is your most beautiful post?
What is your most controversial post?
What is your most helpful post?
Which of your post do you feel
didn't get the attention it deserved?

...I have no idea.

I feel that it is an enormous privilege
to have so many loyal readers and friends.
There is not much controversy in my writing
and certainly no mouthwatering recipes,
inspirational knitting or sewing.
book reviews or beautiful photography.
I sometimes think that all of my posts
get more attention than they deserve
but I write on. Thank you for reading.

The thing that I would love to know
is which was the very first post that you read
on The Magpie Files
or ...the sight of morning...

Button Drama

All good knitting stories
end with the sentence:

"...and then I found
the perfect little vintage button
in my button box."

this knitting story ends with a saga:

disappointment (no vintage buttons!)
anxiety (no button shops on campus!)
danger (visit to grimy end of town!)
indecision (which buttons ????)
multiple purchasing (more indecision!)

if anyone wants square buttons,
pearl four hole buttons,
elephant shaped buttons,
heart shaped buttons,
flower shaped buttons
wood two hole buttons
I'm your woman
because I went with the
pearlised round two hole buttons.

I hope the baby agrees with my choice.

unexpected gifts

My white camellia is flowering!
In October!

I am enchanted until I realise
that it might not bloom again in Spring.
So I cut a bloom in the damp early morning
and photograph it to help me remember
the bright perfection for another year.

This post is for Diktynna
whose email was so welcome
in a busy, noisy day.
Thank you.

Meanwhile

...in South Africa...


...MasterM is starting end-of-year exams...

could you keep your fingers crossed
until I let you know otherwise.
Thanks.

Look Away NOW, MrM

The academic who was 41 is now 42.

I promised to make him a cake
and I asked him what
his favourite flavour was.

The academic who is now 42 said:


Please don't try and imagine
my subsequent conversation with MrM.
Especially not the allegation of
"cruel and unreasonable behaviour".
I want to maintain the image
of an untroubled married life.

ochre, teal and lime

I thought that you would like to see the throw that I bought from Studio Donegal which exactly matches the cushions on my sofa and so I plumped the cushions and dusted the table and arranged the orchids carefully and took a photo which shows the sofa and the cushions and the table and the orchids but not the throw so you will have to take my word for it.

Clearly I am not destined to photograph home interiors.

Shades of Red

What do red nails mean to you?

To me they mean
freedom from a lifetime
of biting my nails
and honouring my decision
to enjoy life.

But I didn't tell the nail lady that...
I just pretended
I wear red nail polish
all the time.

Even though it was the first time ever.