Xander Michael

Thanks, both 🙂

I’m afraid I’ve been listening to Carol Ann Duffy on BBC Maestro so you have her to thank (?) for my dipping of toes into the poetry waters. It was kind of  like painting a miniature with a 4″ brush.

ReSolutionary

Dreams and aspirations poise

Like Tom Daley

Arms outstretched and toes curled

Over a cliff edge promise of excitement and change

They dive

Into the New Year

Only to flounder in the shallows

Of dwindling discipline and morbid motivation

The old ways resurface

Smug-smiling

Safe for another year

I’m so sorry, Alex. I don’t know where November went 🤷‍♀️

UNTITLED 452 words

A leaf, the colour of burnt sugar, dried and curled into the shape of a piranha’s open maw, drifted across the path in front of her. Good. Enough of a breeze, then, to keep her cool. The last thing she wanted after her run was to turn up at Jake’s night out with a face the colour of a baboon’s bum. She checked her watch…[Read more]

Far TMI!! Our first autumn spider in the kitchen sink this morning (usually they wait until Steve’s away and I’m stark naked before ambushing).

Well done, Ath. Great voice (as always!) And thanks, Clebs, for prompting me to write something (anything!) even though I had no idea where I was going with it 🙂 (The only thing I was sure about was that whoever Amelia is, she’s no benevolent being).

Sandra, I’d like to see more of yours if you develop it and Alex, good job on taking the…[Read more]

Well deserved, Athelstone, and thank you Clebs for the topic which at least sent me back to the primary sources to size up the task again. Thanks to all entrants for a feast of post gathering events.

Not quite fulfilling the brief but it’s this or nothing.

The post-gathering I should most like to write the aftermath of, did time and ability permit is the one which took place following the reading of the will of Thomas Hutchinson Goodfellow, my husband’s great-grandfather, following his death in Tottenham in 1891, age 73.
That it was…[Read more]

After the Gathering

There was never an invitation. No surprise email in your inbox, no speculative phone call while your mouth was full of the last of the chocolate brownies, and no snatched conversation as you unloaded your shopping in the supermarket queue.

‘Have you heard? Amelia’s having another one of her get-togethers this weekend. It see…[Read more]

Congratulations, Clebs, a well-twisted tale. And thanks Alex for a prompt which produced such variety.

A ‘critical reading course’ sounds exactly what I need, (and I’ve a couple of books on the course list) but despite several books on ‘How to’, and the Future Learn course using the James Tait Black shortlists, I’ve realised my brain doesn’t work that way. Hope you get what you want from it. I’ve several books from the Festival added to my…[Read more]

And now that Edinburgh’s book festival is over, I need to thank you again for the heads up – so many hours of pleasure, not to say inspiration.

Thank you both, @richardb and @katemachon; Kate, the info on your process, experience and end results was especially illuminating. Thanks so much! ✨

Just come across this while procrastinating and would firstly say I found it fascinating. I know I lack analytical skills and rarely watch films, finding them lacking compared to books, so your post, Daeds, and subsequent comments, have opened my eyes to a new way of viewing – I’ll come back and re-read several times more – so thank you.

Great blog, Richard. As always. 🙂