Senses working overtime #245

1 Art 101

A few years back, this was a house warming gift from friends Margo Buchanan-Oliver and Clay Bodvin. here it is, proudly on display at Maple Grove.

2 Art 102

Clay has used the vase before. with a mixed media approach to stunning effect. More of his work here.

3 Art 103

Another piece from Clay, starring Margo!

4 Lee Child

Writes a cracking yarn. Blue Moon maintains the hot streak.

5 Purdettes

Jade and William's wedding was a superb event last week. We all met up again afterwards for family time. I love these people!!

Left to right - Jesse, Ashleigh, Adam, Keegan, Jade, Samantha, me, Jacky, Asher, William

Overtime: 

Senses working overtime #244

1 Trees

Here's a link to all the amazing Trees covers by Jason Howard. You're welcome!

2 The end of 'someone'

These people endorse my blog
(and none of them exist)

Thoughtful post by Seth Godin. You should read it!

3 Warren's back!

Great to have the newsletter from Warren Ellis popping back into my inbox. As well as the Trees link above, the Batman image comes from that source and it's rather wonderful!

4 Apollo astonaunts took great photos, as well

Earth is a long way away!

More here

5 Pocket's best articles of 2019

Overtime: 2019 - a further look back before we hare off into 2020!

Senses working overtime #243

1 and 2 Zen garden

Holidays, so I've been enjoying reading in my zen garden or else...

...Sitting here and listening to the bird sounds.

3 Poetry Corner

The Museum Two lovers went to the museum and wandered the rooms. He saw a painting and stood in front of it for too long. It was a few minutes before she realized he had gotten stuck. He was stuck looking at a painting. She stood next to him, looking at his face and then the face in the painting. What do you see? she asked. I don't know, he said. He didn't know. She was disappointed, then bored. He was looking at a face and she was looking at her watch. This is where everything changed. There was now a distance between them. He was looking at a face but it might as well have been a cabbage or a sugar beet. Perhaps it was something about yellow near pink. He didn't know how to say it. Years later he still didn't know how to say it, and she was gone.  Richard Siken (2015)

4 Tarzan Of The Apes

Just finished Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan Of the Apes. The hard copy version (from Little Red Book Shop). I don't recall ever reading it before and was pleasantly surprised how well it was written.

5 Blue Angel

Now onto this novel. So far, so good. Apart from the central relationship (professor and a promising student), not sure why the cover is an old image - it's set in this century. Gives a false impression.

Overtime: Cool jazz
Nothing better than some Dave Brubeck on the hot summer's day.

Senses working overtime #242

1 God save the Queen

The freshest opening of parliament once again had the Queen as the star on show.

2 Poetry corner

Wish Please one more kiss in the kitchen before we turn the lights off W.S. Merwin (2016)

3 Christmas spirit anyone?

Try these adverts from UK giants!

4 Christmas music?

Vox has that covered too!

5 Year Of The Monkey

I've just finished this latest piece of writing from Patti Smith. I'll need to re-read this one - loads going on!

Overtime: Leadership lessons from Santa

Ho ho ho for another year!

Senses working overtime #241

1 Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker

It's finally here. Here's a great piece centred on JJ Abrams and then the final trailer.



2 Poetry corner

1: Have a Good Time

This is a poem. Take it. Pack it up
the mountain. You will meet a man
who says it is an ice-axe. Give it to him. Tell him

he should take it out to sea until
he meets a man who calls it a harpoon.
Follow. Watch them. Let them fight about it. 

Robert Bringhurst (1975)

3 50 Best TV shows of the last ten years

Mr Robot

According to Rolling Stone Magazine

4 Kiss

Why humans kiss

5 Scooter and the Big Man
Their last performance together. Rest in peace, Clarence.

 

Overtime: I hate being late...
and I'm married to someone who is often running late. She doesn't read this blog, but if she did she might enjoy this piece :-)

Senses working overtime #240

1 Social climbers

Excellent piece from GQ puts you up on Everest with these people!

2 Seek first to understand

Believing without evidence is morally wrong!

3 Poetry corner

The Devotee

This man, short, balding, in his forties,
approached me at a reading & asked if
I would sign his book. His hands shook.

I thought he had some kind of condition.
Three days later he sent this email:
“I was at your reading in Louisville.

I loved the way you limped to the stage.
Do you know you’re beautiful? Do you
feel beautiful during sex? What’s it like?

I bought your book, which is about,
you know, this topic. I deserve a reply.”
I looked out the window for the birds

& the deer other poets are always seeing.
I want to be another poet, I thought.
I want to be any other poet but me.

Jillian Weise (2011)

4 Liverpool v Everton

Gulf between these two clubs is huge right now, but I love this photo (Goodison Park on left, Anfield on the right).

5 A love story

An incredible story of how former lovers at Auschwitz met again after 7 decades!

Overtime: Mind bending perceptual illusions
The illusion below, created by the artist Victoria Skye, was one of the top entries in the 2017 Best Illusion of the Year Contest. Believe it or not, the horizontal lines are all perfectly parallel. To prove this to yourself, just squint at the image or look at it from the side.

More of these stunners here.

Senses working overtime #239

1 Another amazing Batman image 

2 December movies

Not long now before the new Star Wars movie (almost there, almost there) but it's not all about SW. Here are some others to watch for.

3 Poetry corner

Before Us

will we travel
to the city where
so much happened
before us     where once
you asked me    and I

couldn't    will we go
to a place   where the past
is new    tell me
this winter morning

where that past is hiding

Anne Michaels (2017)

4 The trick that made animation realistic



5 Black Widow

Looking forward to this one as well. Black Widow is one of my favourite Avengers.

Overtime: 21 best films of 2019
In keeping with the movie bias of this edition - here are the best movies of 2019 according to Vox.