news of the screws

i was sitting besides a trolley in the accident and emergencies circus this afternoon when a prisoner with head injuries was wheeled in to the next bay

the prison officer who was keeping an eye on things and remained next to the trolley pulled out a packet of crisps and ate them noisily

then he swaggered over to the bin that was clearly labelled for re-cycling only, and re-cycled the empty packet

insomniac's consolations ( i )

i've been awake for almost a week with a heavy cold that likes to shift itself from one uncomfortable part of the body to another whenever i imagine it vanquished

i've always struggled to read methodically ... i'm rarely truly comfortable with larger books, i have a poor attention span and an itch to skip a few pages, and a kind of laziness with small print, especially in long paragraphs

not only did the loved one discover a lectern in a charity shop, but she also she went out and bought a huge "daylight" lamp, the Lumie Brightspark, which is transforming my experience of reading into something more intense and rewarding

now i just need to catch up on all that lost sleep

insomniac's consolations ( ii )

the loved one bought Paintings in Proust for me a couple of christmasses back

on this christmas eve she arrived home from the library with Proust's Overcoat, and it was only after deeply enjoying this little christmas jewel that i noticed it had been translated by the same writer

happy new year mister karpeles, and miss foschini, i am deeply indebted

recette de champignons d'austérité ...

the natives are restless

tate shots: maurice sendak ... absolutely human

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAjkLUv7dY&feature=player_embedded

gotta new lectern ... her indoors carried it home triumphantly from a charity shop ... the gel dun good, so its an 'appy new year, ennit ?

on the road to crowborough

listen !!! ... the met's connections talks ... a very nice connection thanx to metafilter

http://www.metmuseum.org/connections/

http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/130015913?img=0

i know little of classical thinking, but i know what i like and this blog often makes me smile

http://consumingantiquity.blogspot.com

she thinks she owns the place ... i half expect to see this profile on a postage stamp

a day of physical and psychological preparation is complete ... i am ready for my encounter with shreks two and three and donkey in the office at four-thirty tomorrow morning ...

should i worry so much about the loved one's mood swings ? is it any wonder i've been losing sleep ?

standard attainment test for year six students of goth anthropology: are insomniacs living ghosts or borderline zombies ? discuss

merry christmas, darling ...

... there just wasn't the time to wrap everything you wanted ...

... but i'll still have just enough time to hang a few more baubles before you chain me to the kitchen sink !!!

if you are female, look away now ...

in the park with the dog ...

getting dark and starting to rain but i'm in my work boots and storm proof coat so mustn't grumble

i discover a size three plastic football ( kids soccer ) and i kick it towards a tree

it bounces off with a satisfying thump

i feel smugly self-important, ( to paraphrase lucy from ponty, more like wayne rooney than george clooney )

however, my second attempt misses by about twenty feet and i slink away furtively

but i hide the ball beneath a fallen tree trunk with the intention of regaining champions' form before the new year

doll smallridge

doll was my mother-in-law for a while

she was full of energy and kindness and laughter

possibly the least complicated person i ever knew

she died yesterday and i've been thinking of her all day

i feel privileged to have known her