and totally charmed by Monsieur Lelord. . .
I'm reading another rather excellent book (not as excellent as The Lacuna, but still well worth picking up) (if the life of a teen as recalled by a grown-up is something that is relevant to you)
and I've ditched knitting and crochet for my summer keeping-my-fingers-busy-activity: the beauty that is an Ehrman tapestry. . . at the moment Magic Forest: 
actually, it might be Enchanted Forest, I'm not sure. . .
which reminds me of this. . .
A song of enchantment I sang me there,
In a green-green wood, by waters fair,
Just as the words came up to me
I sang it under the wild wood tree.
Widdershins turned I, singing it low,
Watching the wild birds come and go;
No cloud in the deep dark blue to be seen
Under the thick-thatched branches green.
Twilight came: silence came:
The planet of Evening's silver flame;
By darkening paths I wandered through
Thickets trembling with drops of dew.
But the music is lost and the words are gone
Of the song I sang as I sat alone,
Ages and ages have fallen on me -
On the wood and the pool and the elder tree.
Walter de la Mare
I hope you have some enchantment
in your day today
(-:
and a prize-winning very jolly Milly Molly Mandy. . . 
I was spared having to make a feathered costume, altho I will share with you one of my lots best ever bedtime reads. . .
have you ever read this totally charming series? well worth it, even in adulthood. . .
and the one which always brought a tear to my eye as the lights went out. . .
but back to today - the boys aren't at school (something to do with teachers needing training) and even if they were I'd think there'd be a revolt about having to wear clothes dictated by a book; Mini-Teen has decided to go for the costume of the film of the book, rather than do it properly (she sorted the costume herself, I wasn't going to quibble) (altho I did have to spend almost an hour in hair and make-up with her) (at seven o'clock in the morning) (ho hum) (my other contribution was to make a flamingo croquet mallet for her, altho - sensibly - I'd prepared that one earlier in the week)
and who did she go as, I hear you ask! you can't guess?
off with your head!
who would you
dress up as?
when I was young (stop snickering at the back - I was) (once) (okay, so it was a very very long time ago now - but not as long ago as some of you) (guess who's snickering now!)
and not as reflective as Monet
(I suppose I wanted the water to be more transparent) (altho - let's face it, I'd have been very happy with a result to either of those standards) (yes, it's alright to laugh now. . .)
I never managed it: perhaps I'll try again sometime!
I'm thinking of a bookshelf. . . that, in a former life, I once gave as a present
if you're curious, it's ron arad's bookworm. . . a flexible construction that you shape as you fix (not as easily done as written about, but manageable and very robust - the one I gave was put up and taken down five times, remains in perfect condition: it now resides in a box while its owner* looks for a new abode)
(*that person now does their bedtime reading thanks to a Ron Arad bedside illumination piece. . .) (I was present when the purchase was made)
(the image doesn't show, but that is a light)
Jonathan Safran Foer has written about Ron Arad
I'm thinking of an exhibition I went to. . . remember when I told you about my first encounter with the work of Richard Serra?
well, it turns out that Jonathan Safran Foer has written a work inspired by Richard Serra
yup. . . you're guessed it. . .Jonathan Safran Foer. . .
and I remember how I once searched the internet for my unmarried self I wondered what someone would find if they were looking for me - I never did find that someone - but and came across page after page after page of dedications to a woman with the same name who had died on Tuesday 11th September 2001
and as I think these thoughts I wonder if I should switch this off and go for a walk - the sun is not shining, but the air is fresh
I hope you find time to enjoy
living your life today
XXX
there. . . that's a lot better, isn't it
I'm sure I've shared some of it with you before, dear reader. . .
certain pages(and which was the reason
I took up bookbinding
way way back
in the eons of time past)
certain pages remind me of my childhood love of f a i r y t a l e s
and just yesterday I took The Magician's Assistant from the shelf. . .
(I'll continue this when my laptop stops crashing)(five occasions during this short piece - three phrases and two images and it crashed FIVE TIMES!!!! pehaps I should stick to mushrooms)
He's enjoying the wind and the fresh air
"My God, this is terrible," the wave says.
Then along comes another wave.
The first wave says,
The second wave says,
it reminded me of my book, well my half book (we've all written half a book, right?). . .
the way the chapters were introduced, with a theme that develops alongside that of the book - something apart but included; the way the chapters go forward and back, to and fro in time, so the reader pieces together sections of the whole picture, part by part, as if you're putting together a jig-saw; the way each chapter is one character's part of the story but is interwoven with what has already been and what is to come; and, elements of the story: family life and its secrets; art in Cornwall, the Newlyn School even - I'd actually purchased a book to research that subject more (crikey, how unoriginal was I?). . .
ho hum
sometimes I wonder what happened to my book (working title: full circle); is it languishing on a recycled hard-drive somewhere in China; is there a copy of it on one of the piles of discs lying about the place; would I ever be able to finish it, if I found it again
*sigh*
oh well, things could be worse! (they could, couldn't they? things could always be worse)
I haven't quite finished it yet but so far it's been a lovely read - covering art, Cornwall, Hepworth, creativity, painting, the Newlyn School, love, family life, depression and ECT (all subjects close to my heart, as you, dear reader, know) (or indeed, close to my brain in the case of ECT)
and also a topic I'm not so familiar with - bipolar disorder (I,LTV sighs a small sigh of relief)
in fact, I liked the book so far so much that the other day I wandered into my local bookshop to see what else was available from the author. . . a whole shelf full!! but I left without a single purchase, the blurbs on the back of the covers put me off each and everyone of Patrick Gale's other works
I do wonder if I've been a little hasty especially since this book has been on my shelf, unread, for quite a while and I can't even remember why I bought it originally (probably not because of the blurb on the back, it has to be said)
and you, dear reader,
(I mustn't forget about you, since this little chink
of cyber space is really rarely ever all about me me me)
what are you reading at the moment
- and would you recommend it?
