Skip to main content

Singing as the Darkness Lifts 23/10/2023 (Episode 8)

Singing as the darkness lifts 23/10/2023

The morning smells of cold stone, and opening the sash window of a hotel room to discover this, set off the alarm call of two different blackbirds.

Many steps have been slow and steady this week after it began with a funeral to say goodbye to a lovely person. I found such a gentle poignancy in the way she wrote the service herself in order to help her family and in the vicar saying, “Once a teacher always a teacher”. In the morning before going to the church there was a wonderful echo in my head of the sparkle of her laughter which made me smile. Here’s to finding comfort in the way people teach us to be better versions of ourselves by being themselves with us.


I am learning to seize the moment when something feels particularly stretchy for me and this week’s thing was the thought of writing a five thousand word essay. I had in fact written a very rough splurge of ideas that amounted to half of this amount when I knew an essay was going to be needed. Having done the right thing and read the guidance properly I realised that only some of these words would actually make it to the essay itself. There was a certain satisfaction to pausing when I put two hundred and fifty of these words into the right order to begin the essay and then I took a deep breath and continued. Over two days I formed a satisfying first draft and was able to say well done to past me for listing books in my bibliography when I did some of the preliminary reading.  Academic writing is not one of my strengths and I have to tell myself to sit there and get on with it. Luckily I am able to listen to myself AND I am learning to do what I wished everyone would do when I was shortlisting for jobs which is ‘read the criteria and follow it’.


There have been #ElasticBandPhotos in the world this week and I leave you with these two:

 'Stepping Out in Bath'

A discarded elastic band in the gutter is twirled in three tight loops. The kerbstone adds interest as does a sprig of green leaves amongst the more autumnal brown and orange leaf debris.

 

'Blue Like Your Shoe'

A discarded blue elastic band is on the step outside the house where we have been invited for dinner. Green plants add a colourful dimension as does a pink petal, and the photographer’s shoe is just in shot.

 

Here’s to the continued singing as the darkness lifts.

 

Click here to acess the podcast version of this blog. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Singing as the Darkness Lifts 13/11/2023 (Episode 11)

  Singing as the darkness lifts 13/11/2023 PETRICHOR   Me and my brother on a farm holiday when we were little and me and my brother at Bletchley Park more recently.   I am a poet who does not like the smell of petrichor. Last night it rained enough to make puddles on the path, so the smell is not in the air. This pleases me. Instead there is a refreshing, just there, note of herb and I learn that fruit flies too are sensitive to that smell of rain on dry ground.   When I was at school one of the projects involved counting fruit flies. I do not remember the exact logistics, but think it had something to do with tabling the numbers with different markings on their rears. My turn one lunch time resulted in me wracking my brains for the knowledge I needed when I dropped the lid of the fruit fly housing and some of the numbers headed for the freedom of the laboratory ceiling. I didn’t let my group down, but I do think a fruit fly flew up my nose during the proc...
2 comments
Read more

'Sisters at the Snooker' (Episode 24)

Singing as the Darkness Lifts 19/02/2024 Episode 24 Podbean Link for those who like to listen This morning the air seems to smell of egg nog. Inquisitive, I sniff again. Later, I realise the scent is lifted from my body and is from my shower gel. I wonder how many scents are mingling around me. Alt Text for today’s photo tells us this is: “Two women taking a selfie”, but as me and my sister like to see it this is... “Sisters settling in for the semi-finals at the 2024 Welsh Open”. This was my first time at the snooker and I remember learning most of what I know about it from watching it at my granddad’s house when I was young. It was in black and white in those days and frequently viewed without sound, but I remember the joy of a 147 break and the peaceful way my grandad watched it. When we were walking to the venue, I said to Katie, “I’m really looking forward to seeing a 147.” And she replied, “That’s not gonna happen sis. It’s very, very rare. Although it wo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is He Puffin or Is He Vulture? (Episode 39)

  Singing as the Darkness Lifts, Episode 39 Is He Puffin or Is He Vulture? PodBean Link for those who like to listen   This morning the smell of cut grass is in the air, slightly hayed by yesterday’s sunshine and today’s gentle misty drizzle.   This week’s photo had to be ‘Ronnie Jumping for Joy at The Great Orme’. Not just because I love that orme, not just because it is the picture for June on the #LookThere calendar, but because of the alt text suggestion I got when I was preparing to share it on social media to welcome in the new month. This alt text has to be one of my absolute favourites... “May be an image of puffin and vulture.” It made me laugh each time I thought of it and wondered which one of those Ronnie was! In this Word document alt text says it’s a stuffed animal in the air, which makes me love the alternative version that appeared the other day even more.   I love to find humour in things. I find i...
Post a Comment
Read more