January Small Stones # 30

The penultimate stone

Now what shall it be?

I thought about mademoiselle  pussy cat

but she’s evading me

I twice walked past the hedge today

or where it used to be

it’s now a deep and flooded ditch

that makes my chest go tight

my very first stone of January

was the seed of old mans beard

now blown and vanished in the night

for you I snapped daffodowndillies

and graceful silver birch trees

I wrote of my own red nose

beckoning wide blue estuaries

baked Camembert for tea

I’ve dropped you down in India

shown you a rainbow with two ends

and I’ve swept away bad spirits

to make you smile my friends

so now there’s just tomorrow

and then what shall I do

maybe stick around for February

casting nuggets for you!

January Small Stones # 29

Nesting

Canopies of trees have burst their buds.

testing, is it time to blossom?

to herald the coming green?

listen . . . no barren avenues today

the air orchestrated with birdsong.

blackbirds call from the horse chestnut roof

wives chime replies from birch spires.

a lilting debate about whether it’s time.

whether it’s the weather yet

or the risk of a frozen February mist.

begin early, there may be three nest-full’s

hatching this year. three full nests?

that’s an awful lot of work

 but a full of bounty of worm, who can resist?

My lovely friend Isadora, a talented poet http://insidethemindofisadora.wordpress.com/

suggested that I submit this poem here http://gooseberrygoespoetic.blogspot.com/

January Small Stones # 28

I went to walk in Danes wood today hoping to see snowdrops. There were a few along the lane from Poltimore to Killerton but none in the woods. Disappointing, but never mind, I’ve found a photo from a couple of years ago.

Determined not to get too snowdrop depressed, this is what I took home instead.

I know. But I didn’t promise to be rational did I???

January Small Stones # 27

Today the news is full of outrage because the boss of a major bank, owned by UK taxpayers is to receive a huge bonus payout, a little short of a million pounds. I was also financially outraged today, on a slightly smaller scale ;-), when I went to make a purchase. I’ve had a cold for a few days, quite unusual for me, and this morning I’d dripped my way through all the tissues I had with me. So in my lunch break I popped into the small branch of a certain major news retailer, set up as a convenience store in the hospital, during my lunch break.  I saw three choices and asked the price of each, expecting to pay through the nose (PTP!) a little. My first option was the equivalent of the quality you would find in a pound shop, the next the basic version of the brand name and the last the man sized brand name. The prices, can you guess? £2.49, £2.99 and £3.79, I kid you not, this is for a single box of tissues, and I nearly fell through the floor. ‘What? I only want one box, I would expect twin or triple packs for that.’ They looked at me as if I was crazy and offered a handbag ten pack for 99p. As it was that or my sleeve I had to fork out. Is it that I am a complete raging crone? Or do you agree that it’s totally nasty to charge prices that high, when most of the customers are patients or their visitors? Being in hospital is stressful enough without being ripped off and taken advantage of by a large national company. Grrrh.

January Small Stones # 26

For a while I’ve been writing short pieces about my travel in Rajasthan, and at present I’m writing about the time I spent in the Jaisalmer area. It’s taking me ages for some reason so for today’s stone I thought I’d give you a sneak preview!

Sunset was a bit hazy, not the really glorious reds I had hoped for, but like at Khuldera there was this strange . . .

And that’s all for now, perhaps you will come back when I post the rest!

January Small Stones # 25

Watching the comings and goings in the main concourse of a very busy hospital today I am reminded of how lucky I am to be blessed with good health. I have spoken to many people in various stages of unwellness, from elderly ladies who couldn’t see where I asked them to sign, because they had had drops in their eyes, to teenagers having cancer treatment. Many people arrive for pre-op assessment for next weeks hip replacements, cardiology and out patients clinics for undiagnosed ailments, most are smiling, but a few just look lost or confused. What touched me most today though was seeing a young girl sitting alone in a corner, her eyes full of tears, as if she carried the whole world on her tender shoulders. I wonder what could be wrong and who is helping?

January Small Stone # 24

Do you remember the TV ad where the whole office stops, opens a can of diet coke, and sits back to watch the window cleaner at work? If you remember, then you may have just had an involuntary shudder. Well today my colleague and I had such an event, only it was a ginger nut break rather than a DC break!

There was a problem with the light over my desk so Estates were notified and an electrician, complete with a new fluorescent tube and a tool duly arrived. Oh my! Tall, black silky hair and with a Latin look, he stood beside me surveying the light fitting and much as I wanted to sit tight I was in his way, so I stood back with Viv and watched. He stretched upwards, revealing a sliver of taut, olive tummy and I had to grab a biscuit to stop myself looking silly with my slack jaw. He may have said a few words but I didn’t hear him, I was too busy planning how to ‘accidently’ trash the light to get him back tomorrow.

January Small Stones # 22

I woke up today feeling my usual upbeat, happy self but after awhile some gloom began to creep in. I started to think about some of the big challenges ahead this year. So this afternoon I walked the dogs in the park, chilly, but I was hatted and gloved and it was full of colour. These are some of the things I saw.

I’m not even going to bother telling you what caused my early morning wallow, I’m sure that somehow it will be okay and these little bursts of cheer have helped me to put my normal, positive head back on!

January Small Stone # 21

So frustrating today when I saw a rainbow and couldn’t photograph it. My android solves the problem of not being able to carry the big camera everywhere I’d like to, its camera is superb, but this time I was driving. Going down the dual carriageway, south of Dartmoor, when a both-ends-bow burst out, arching its way around Haytor in the distance. The wind was battering at my little Sadie, and steering her was hard enough when I looked straight ahead, looking right was pushing my luck!

I miss the Moor, haven’t been up since October but soon . . . and rainbows, well another blogger cheered me up with her post here,

http://melonpops.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/weekly-photo-challenge-simple-2/