kindness in the garden

this garden is generous. kindness in the calendula
which soothes my sore spirit and tired skin.
this garden embraces me with honeysuckle
kisses me with lavender
strengthens me with lifting, hoeing, carrying.
muscles sore from weeding, digging, bring me
a vitality, a sense of life and hope which had been
sapped by the mean streets and tired battle of the
working week. of getting and going and figuring it all out.
I struggle willingly with knotweed, my weary mind releasing
performance targets and bargains and who did what when where.
I abandon the complexities of body language and reading between the lines
for careful examination of red rust markings on the leaves of the roses and
throw aside the daily papers and lifestyle magazines, preferring instead
taking cuttings from a salvia or a pelargonium and laying barricades of salt and grit
around the succulent young sunflowers shoots.
against all advice from manicured neighbours, I plunge bare hands in grainy soil
and feel comforted
by comfrey

I shall stay here in the garden
where grasses ripple, where I slice a spade into thick clay solidity, determined.
where weight-lifting beetles triumph over every obstacle and teach me daily.
this teeming, busy world, never still, never without drama, yet always peaceful,
even in the night when a screeching fox and squirrel battle, ripping out chunks of tail
and berserk, shredding netting from the berries, still the garden is a sanctuary

out there in the dark I like it better than the worries of the world.
in a dressing gown and welly boots with a torch
be diligent; fill half a bucket with fat slugs and juicy snails
and transfer them to the compost or to some place of sacrificial planting.
this is how to chase away restless dreams. and maybe even fall asleep
on a lounger on the back porch, let early morning dew settle on your skin
and wake up and smell the wet leaves and the damp bark on the trees and shrubs
taste the leaf of a nasturtium, bold and peppery

I shan't come back in from the garden anymore
I won't go into the world again to be a fixer and a winner

I'll just stay here and potter and grow my dinner.

Lucy's Ditty

at the local organic horticultural show, green fingered lucy ditty
had brought no prize veg to display - explaining "it's such a pity!
i have grown the most succulent sweetcorn and a giant marrow
but how could i transport them? i don't even own a wheelbarrow!
i strapped a sturdy basket to my back and filled it with my tasty crop
but i had been digging so much i had no strength left and thought i'd drop.
If only I had a fairy garden mothers gift, like the tale of Cinderella's pumpkin
that could carry me and my harvest in style - "oh don't be such a bumpkin"
said her cousin, on a visit from the bustling nearby town of convenience food.
"oh, sod off you city slicker, said Lucy, "you don't know it all and you're rude!
You'd be very surprised if you knew the magic that happens in tending the land.
Change out of your smart clothes, high heels, put on some wellies, give me a hand!"
Well Lucy Ditty's urban and perfectly manicured relative snootily turned up her nose,
which made Lucy (and would have made me) want to drench her with the hose.
But just at this time, a garden imp (who lived inside an old, rusty bucket)
had been listening to all this, and decided to intervene, saying "oh, fuck it!
humans are hopeless at times, and need some enchanted assistance!"
So she chucked a handful of fairy dust, and flew off into the distance.
A soft breeze danced in the air, and Lucy's cuz breathed it in without knowing
and that night, dreamed of the earth's deep womb and seeds that were growing.
A terrible sadness and loss gripped her soul, ancient yearnings filled her mind.
When Lucy arose in the morning, Cuz had planted ten packets of seeds, neatly lined.
"You should take them out of the packets, first, ideally" Lucy Ditty kindly advised
"but, never mind, you seem to have been seized by the gardening bug - I'm surprised!"
"Well, I felt such a compulsion" said the girl - " I think nature called out to my heart."
"That's great" said Lucy, "unfortunate that you trampled my lettuces, but I guess it's a start!"
"Well, I saw they were being feasted on by nasty, fat slugs, so I put on my high heels
and spiked them! Then I tore down that bamboo, to bend it and make barrow wheels!"
"Shit, the bamboo was stakes for growing my peas and beans" said Lucy, "but not to worry;
I guess we could make a wheelbarrow and still get to the veggie show, if we hurry!
But first, I do have some further gardening tips for you and sensible advice to suggest.
Although I am sure it is liberating to be gardening naked, it helps to be practically dressed -
to wear only stilettos, well, dear - I think you will get stung, bitten and nastily scratched!
"Oh I was in such a hurry, Lucy, "Cuz said, "for just wait till you hear the plan I have hatched!
We can use these improvised wheels to make a cart, then borrow the neighbour's lawnmower,
and build from it an air born machine to pull the cart, propelled even faster with their leaf blower!
Or - you see where you have grown those potatoes, in that stack of inside out tyres?
They're Michellin, and look in good enough knick - let's use them, we'll be such high flyers!
"Oh, that's how I always grow tatties", said Luce, "and anyway I'm not really that fussed
about going to the show now, but I do think you must have been sprinkled with fairy dust.
But, in any case, I do really need a good, sturdy barrow, or some kind of truck or cart -
but slow down, a bit, please, just stop pulling my cold frames and compost bin apart!"
"Oh, but if we use this aluminium, glass and black plastic sections, we can make solar power!"
Meanwhile, the naughty yet benevolent imp was observing all this, perched on top of a tall sunflower.
The mischievous imp laughed her pixie boots off when she saw how they finally invented
a flying barrow from trellis, an old strimmer and a garden bench - "How very demented!"
"But gardening's not all about gadgets and gizmos" said Lucy - it's about honest toil and graft."
"Oh, never mind, sweetie, I don't want to be a gardener anymore" said her cousin, who'd gone quite daft.
"You grow the nice floral arrangements and salads, and I'll be an inventor and weird stuff designer!"
And now Lucy has a unique new shed, and polytunnel too, made from garden junk and her auntie is learning to be a water diviner.

(for Lucy - by eva day)

Frog Ponders

though his traditional frog name was said to have made him lucky,
protecting from danger, Kermit was more fortunate than he was plucky.
His mottled skin would shiver, his delicate green knees quiver and shake,
when he and his family moved home to begin a new life in the great lake.
He felt anxious, dreaded great danger at every ripple or splash -
he was just not like the bolder frogs who were so sporty and flash.
"I wish we had stayed safe and familiar, in our cosy, pretty little pond,"
he told his mother, Madame Le Vert, of whom he was very fond.
"My dear, we needed new bigger lily pads, as our family had grown,"
she told him, "and here you can have a large one of your own,
to rest after swimming, and watch dragonflies fluttering their wings,
listen to the cheerful crickets chirp, and the bright blackbird who sings."
"But I'm afraid that great, greedy bird might attack, viciously: peck out my eyes,
swooping down on me suddenly, cruelly, when I'm distracted, busy with catching flies.
And the crickets chattering makes me nervous, their mad leap makes me jump!"
"Oh, my boy, don't be so timid," said ma, "and don't just sit here on your rump!
Try to muster some courage and give things a try - hop from one leaf to another!"
Expand your comfort zone, son!" encouraged his patient and wise, loving mother.
"You might enjoy it all, live life much more fully, once you get going!"
But just then Kermit saw some people, with rods and nets, in a boat, rowing.
"Oh no! The season has started, the anglers have been given a fishing permit!"
""Invasion! Licensed killers!"cried poor, scared trembling, lily livered Kermit
"I don't belong here, I'm not like the others, I feel just like a fish out of water!
Those horrible people are after the trout for their supper, and it will be slaughter!
I'm sad for any who get caught today, but if those fish get disturbed, and see that I am here,
will I get away fast enough? They'll eat me before they themselves are dinner, I fear!"
"You're a strong swimmer, and have good, springy legs, but life is a risk at times!" said his mater.
"Your Uncle, who went on safari exploring the Florida swamps, sadly got eaten by an alligator!
"Your cousin was cooked, eaten, in a restaurant. He was caught on his way to the river to see his sweetheart.
He lived for love and for revelry, for night life, wild parties and play but ended up served a la carte!
These things are so, tragically, yet they both had many adventures and a truly full and good life -
perhaps, like your uncle, you will feel more complete and much braver, once you have a wife?"
"No, no, I am not ready for that, as I don't think I shall stay here!" said the anxious amphibian
"But a wedding will be wonderful!" said his sisters, "And just imagine!! You could honeymoon in the Caribbean!"
"I don't want to travel, or live in such busy places! Leave me be, I want to go and live quietly, alone!" Kermit cried.
"All this gives me bad dreams! I'll find a rock and some deep mud, somewhere I can get away from it all and just hide!"
But his family were puzzled, frustrated. Caution was fine, but this fear was really too much, they firmly told Kermit.
"We would miss you, you're good company when you're calm, and you can't just go off and live like a hermit!"
"And of course, " said his sister, "who would visit your pad? Remember - a frog is by nature a sociable creature.
I know a nice lady frog, cold blood and warm heart, and delicate webbed feet, who'd just love to meet yer!
Her name is Florence. She is feisty and fierce and would be glad to wed a mate with such a good breaststroke as yours!
Picture the two of you, matrimonial bliss, two frogs contended in sharing bed, the dawn song, children, and chores.
You could make a great partnership, you swimming so swiftly, catching bugs and her there, vigilant, watching your back;
keeping guard to protect you and your many wriggling offspring from otters, or herons and fending off any attack."
"I like the idea," Kermit said, " but perhaps I'd stay home, look after our Tads and Tadettes, while she goes out to get worms.
I'll be a modern style home husband. Be domestic, while she brings home the grubs. If we are to marry those are my terms."
"What?" said his sister, "you'll stay home, sit at the edge of the great lake, bounce around with the babies, and blow happy bubbles,
neglecting to keep your best freestyle swimming in top form, your webbed feet strong, while she goes and faces troubles?
No! You must be a good partner, and also make friends with the neighbours, the lake wide community! No more yellow bellied croaking!
Kermit, you must take your place in these waters, make ripples, fight your fears, so my brother, I do really hope you are just joking.
If dear old dad, were here now, had he not been caught by humans and put into an aquarium, a limited world, that sad little tank,
I know he would urge you to meet life head on, don't waste your time hiding! I say this to strengthen your nerve and be frank!
Father would tell you, the prison he's in is perhaps no worse than the one which you build for yourself from such worry and stress"
And Kermit, inspired, agreed to be married quite quickly, if Flo was willing. "Let the nuptials be soon, or I'll get cold feet, I confess!"
Florence Froggola felt an easy rapport when they met, and agreed to the marriage, if he'd try to be braver, no crawling toad, or sly newt.
And when he met her, he did find her amusing, affectionate and with such large bulging eyes and supple joints, very sexy and cute.
So Kermit and Florence indeed did have a contended marriage, together, after having conveniently both fallen in love and in lust.
His sensible wife managed things well, as she insisted " as hunters and gatherers, we'll take turns to go foraging - you simply must!"
And as Kermit grew older and time passed, he found marriage and fatherhood did make him considerably braver and overcome many fears -
until their numerous clusters of taddies grew up, and had little wrigglers of their own; Kermie and Flo had many grandchildren, over the years.
But then Flo was ready for a new phase in life, wanting broader horizons and so she suggested a trip to the well tended gardens of humans nearby.
"I would like to dive and swim in their ponds and luxurious water features" she said. It was something she'd so much always wanted to try.
"I have heard stories from other creatures, and know of a family of humans", she explained, "with a fountain and gnomes in their garden."
But this kind of enterprise was beyond Kermit's limit for danger, and he was distressed. Flo became quite insistent, and felt his heart harden.
"It seems now we want such different things in life", he said, for he longed to return to the pond where he lived as a little tadpole, so secluded.
"Well if you think i am going to that backwater," protested Florence strongly, "then I'm sorry Kermit, honey but you are completely deluded!
Why it is dull as ditch water there, I won't go and I think I must say, Kermit, you've been a good mate to me, and great tadpole spawner
But you can't or won't share my sense of adventure! I want a good new hopping life! You're holding me back, boring me, you're such a yawner
Still Kermit insisted, he wanted peaceful retirement and safety, though his lady frog tried to persuade him to visit the local suburbs and have a jaunt.
"We never go anywhere! Is it capture, being shut in a tank like your pa, that you're scares you or maybe you can't out leap a few cats? she would taunt.
Well this was low talk and poorly done, but Kermit just repeated that he did not crave such hazardous adventures for entertainment or adrenalin rush -
and such a rift had grown between them, so back to his little safe birthplace he went to dwell in a hole in a log - simple and quiet, but he liked the hush.
I have no regrets, have loved our life together, but now the time's come for me to please my old bones" he explained , to his friends, children and Florence.
"For all that high living and swamp hopping, the curious travels which you seem to yearn for, myself I have a deep and instinctive total abhorrence.
I want to go back to the place of my birth, downsize if you like, for I guess at heart I am still plain old Kermie, humble and simple backwater pond scum.
But I don't need fancy stuff and am not ambitious: nostalgic maybe, but I am proud of my ancestral roots!" - and he smiled wisely at his dear old mum.
And so, he and Flo agreed to be fairly amicably parted, and forgetting her harsh words, he said he guessed if she followed her dreams she'd feel more fulfilled
he just hoped, thinking of all those cats, foxes and humans, and roads with those awful cars and trucks that squash frogs, that she would not get killed.
And as for him - he planned to write poetry, sing ballads, float happily in his old age and he hoped his children would sometimes hop by and visit his log.
And they do - get together for stories and sing-a-longs and croaking sessions, now he is a venerated, well loved and much calmer old frog.
They had to admit, he did seem much more settled. " We know he was always a bit of a worrier," they'd say, " but he is a kindly old croaker;
he songs and his poems are deep as the lake although his ponds small, and he's a good host, a good listener to all and a bit of a joker."
"I have no regrets" Kermit said, if we'd not gone to the lake I never would have had such a wonderful family and, though I don't have worldly advice to dispense
I have followed my heart, done my best for my offspring, and I hope, entertained with my stories - and I do have a little bit of good common sense!
Perhaps we all have a destiny or a soul journey to fulfil and some frogs, I think, are just born for the simple life and that's their dream -
but other frogs have a calling for quests and discoveries, or need challenges, and they must find something different and swim upstream.
Though a cliche, of course is a truism too, so variety I think, truly is the spice of life and each of us is born with a path to follow!"
He philosophised, to the sky and the fish, and particularly, by way of comforting a nice juicy slug he was just about to swallow.
"Well, to conclude my tale" Kermit said- "I heard that Florence was found by a human and romantically kissed (apparently he was a prince)
and although it sounds like a fairy story ending - I hope for the best as no one has heard any further news of her ever since.
And was for me? Life's been good to me, I survived and thrived, love my music and dawn chorus poetry croakings, and have met a sweet new lady friend
and she's a great dancer, so we're quite a pair - I am hoping (this being a leap year) she'll pop the question and I will be once again wed!"

Well, sadly" (interjected the white duck who's narrating this story" , this was not to be, as just then a hedgehog burrowing under the log bit off Kermit's head

- and that is the end of the story, but of course Kermit's ancestors live on, and one branch of the family populates the lake, and some in the pond
including a young froglet, a dancer and singer, good swimmer and small, but with big dreams, called Rita Ribbet, of whom I am quite fond.......

the end.

Nursery Tales for Grown Ups

I want a lot of what I haven't got and not much of what I have, and we want some of what they've got:
what a lot they've got! I want to look inside their secret box, I want to see what's in that great big pot,
I wonder if they're cheating? And maybe I'm fair game for every hustler on the take: Play fair, play square!
Count the pennies for a rainy day and peep out the window - Look at those ripe green fields over there!
Don't be Greedy, Don't Be Sly, Don't Be Selfish, cut the pie, in equal slices, two for the master, one for the dame
none for the little boy: never gets the best bit! he stuck his thumb in, pulled out a plum. They took it, just the same.

I want a lot and what I haven't got they want a lot, they want to look inside my secret treasure box
fill up my pot and max it up and give me extra helpings, I said. why should I not covet my neighbours ox?
it's a very fine ox , I wonder where they got it, we never had an ox like that when I was a child even though we tried
Mother hustled
and Father rustled
But Mum got busted
and Da wasn't trusted
and I always knew that damned knave would steal those tarts.....

To bed to bed said sleep heady, tomorrow we'll upset their apple carts
But tarry a while, the neighbours are setting off on holiday, said slow
I heard they had a big lottery win, so let's rob them once they go.
Put on the pan, said greedy Nan, we'll take the ox and all their sheep
dig up their vegetables, steal their diamonds, make a stew while they sleep

but the King of Spade and the queen of hearts just got a divorce
she got custody of the kids, half the house and a good horse
and the nouveau riche the Queen of Diamonds and the King of Clubs
blew their ill-gotten gains and easy money in casinos and backstreet pubs
the neighbours dazzling jewels and hidden coins are all fakes and forged

and all night long, on tales of corruption and extravagance we gorged.

(eva day)

I and Thou. a contemplation and creative writing challenge

this piece was written as a writing challenge, which Shapeshifter Anna and I both experimented with. The idea? Choose a picture of any person , from the internet, and write a descriptive passage.....

can you guess who it is? picture link at foot of page to show you....


I and Thou

what do you notice first, do you see she is black? brown skin, bronzed tones, ancient iconista on byzantine copper weathered green?
is your eye drawn to the scars on her right cheek, in curiosity, compassion - two vertical line with a short horizontal stroke between?
is it a random slash, wound or injury to the lady? has her painting been damaged, battered by time and climate and adversity?
do you see her as an image, she is as she is, or look through two millennia of tales of grace, sorrow, strength, prayer and pity?
she gazes directly from the picture, she looks out from her own story into yours, her eyes are calm, sad, small almond eyes
in a long, slender face, small mouth, neat and slightly mournful, but gentle, eyebrows, curved, soft, dimple in her chin
and, defined, slightly rounded at its tip, accentuated in the fall of the light; the nose is long, both strong and delicate, thin
the light falls on her nose and right cheek; her right hand to her breast, curved, slightly stiff. she holds the child in her left arm
her neck looks short: do you notice that, or find you're wondering whether she the woman, or her painting, came to harm?
the scar perhaps looks like a letter H, I think of Holy, Human, Hope, Hebrew, Healing...... the halo, like a symbol of infinity
encircles her head, and that of the child, connecting them in union, and telling us the familiar story of their divinity
her robes are dark in colour, decorated with fleur, de lys, and trimmed with softer orange gold, her hair covered by the hood
her eyes are sad, wise, still, full of memories and future vision, do you see an ordinary woman or the Mother of all that's True and Good?

(eva day)

here is the link for the picture





see also separate note in comments section

Give her an inch and she'll take your soul..... The Dark Tales of Thumbelina

For no particular reason, I've been doing a series of posts and pieces of writing in sets of three, with linked theme. Here's another min-trilogy, this time a sinister (and rather odd) twist on a fairy tale.....


Prelude: Thumbelina's Thimble


"good skills, how you gathered all those scraps and made a marvellous patchwork quilt"
good construction how you read between the lines and fabricate accusation guilt
"oh but poetry is beautiful and yours slithers from the sewing machine like satin"
put the cat out, bring the kettle in, do domestics, turn the gas off let the cat in'
"but that's so contrived and ill-fitting, badly tailored, you only introduce the feline theme
because you wanted something rhyming, like a word garment, neat hem, tidy seam."

but i was always fond of rhyme and rhythm and of tongue in cheek and poetic whimsy:
so when you asked me to design new emperors clothing, I created something flimsy.
and faithful to the fairy story, did you expect the clothes to be invisible, like the original version?
"oh darling, have a rummage through the remnants, tour my premises, enjoy this sweet excursion!"

because I am not a practised needlewoman and can't sew for you a gorgeous costume drama:
someone let the cat out of the bag, we had a domestic: I took it out on you and now I am much calmer.
scissors slashed your suit of the best day of our lives, and cut you from the picture album so completely.
a stitch in time won't save a marriage but my homely prose and poems about us are tacked so neatly.

"a quick tuck, a dart, a poison glance, a pattern from our lives of married- this- years- hottest- trends.
but the material of matrimony suits neither me nor you, all shabby, frayed, lots of unpleasant loose ends."
do I love you? i don't like you anymore so much: instead of a cushion I use a voodoo doll to stick my pins.
my mother said back then, girl don't be a seamstress, be a weaver and a spinster (one who spins.)

when we got wed, I bought the product and the promise, wanted to wear you like a designer label.
who would be king, who would be queen? for me, no Cinderella's ballgown that i read of in the fable.
I don't have fancy clothes or stylish looks, i make ends meet, turned out in hand-made skirt and dress
i hate our home, unravelled ordinary life: i sew and sew and so , and so .... I write poems less and less.

well then, to hell with you, and I'll keep your heart in my thimble, darn your ripped life with my fateful thread
here is the story of your life to come, your past re-sewn and patterned, served up with your breakfast in bed.....


Opus: Jack Nimble's Lament


my wife was small, formed perfectly, enchanting, and delicate in frame but not in spirit, action or intent.
she wished me harm and when once love had began to fade, her hatred was determined, she would not relent.

she sailed at night in a walnut shell, haunting me with fiendish nightmares and ghoulish curse.
the honeymoon was bitter-sweet, after the evil spells she hurled, not for better but for worse.

I was always nimble, but no agility was enough to out-reach her malevolent rage and spite;
perhaps I was entertaining, yet I not on the whole a good husband, but only a light-hearted sprite.
my acrobatics did not entertain Thumbelina, the circus tricks could not win her deeper passion.
I was witty, and charming, and couldd spin a good yarn, was always dressed in the latest fashion.
but my miniature wife yearned, she said, for something or someone with greater vision - and bolder.
her brooding spells and furious loathing grew in heat despite her size, and yet her world with me grew colder

I heeded not when mother and father had warned, beware, Jack, marry that lass in haste, repent in long remorse.
witchery wife, she lit a candle and chanted a dreadful spell of loveless binding and a devilish fearsome force.
I who am nimble and fast, I jumped over the candlestick, leapt through the flame into the abyss of despair beyond.
oh I could not outreach her grasp, the chill and cruelty of the punishment of the sweetheart, once so dearly fond.


and how she'd delighted in me, in early days, a handsome boy, a light relief from lonely bleak long years,
a game of love and elegance, an easy distraction from the history of her legacy and all her deepest fears.

as a child, the beautiful Belina had told me, her mother had taught her that witches will sail dusk to dawn
in the empty shell of the breakfast egg: so if you don't smash the case, you'll rue the day that you were born.
but I was the shell that was broken, and the lady ate walnuts and eggs and my soul, all pickled in brine:
despised the marriage, the fairy tales I had believed in, and devoured the life that was once mine.

she had grown not in her mother's womb, but in an empty snails shell, conceived by supernatural force;
Tommelisa the country folk called her with good cheer, but soon learned her cruel nature and angry heart.
when she met me and wed me, they never warned the darker side of the vows and till death do us part.
yes we happily left the inhabited lands of human company, Thumbelina and I, and went to our own sweet nest.
I thought there we would live in a tender romance, a world of gentle sensual lust, easy peaceful rest.
but, soon disappointed and bored with wedlock, she wanted me neither in her home nor her bed, but still -
would not let me go, and I could not leave for I was compelled by her, and must stay or go at her will.

in time, after weary years, her attention was taken by a chance meeting with an ugly toad and a devious mole.
oh my dearest Belina, with slender, sweet body and eyes so kind, yet a mind like a swamp and black as coal.
these undergrowth creatures were more of her kin than an airy being with no harsh desperate past.
she cut the ties, I bled I hurt, I was cruelly starved of her magic. but I was wise, knew I was free at last.

she still lives in that faraway place, with the mole and the toad, not the friendly ones from wind in the willows -
but the evil kind, who will haunt you: children keep talismans, bent pennies, eggshells and walnuts, under your pillows
And all is well, for the most part, for me, for I live in a wonderful castle where the walls shout out, warn of danger,
and rise up one hundred feet tall and grow one thousand arms wielding swords, to alert and protect at approach of a stranger.
I am visited often, though, by invitation and with welcoming smiles, by thirteen princesses, such grace and sweet sweet charms.
I shall never marry again, and I dine, dance and dream with these ladies and yet, empty - I dream I'm embraced in Belina's arms

yes I am Jack, the lad, the flash, the man with sparkle in his eyes, and known for being quick and nimble
but I am not free, she's kept a portion of my soul, it floats ghost-like in her cauldron, the beautiful Belina's thimble.



Finale: the fairy tale romance of Jack and Tiny Belina....


it was a silly fancy, mother said, to keep broken eggshells, coins, nuts, beneath my pillows, horsehoes hanging over my bed.
she assured me that the dreams I had were childish nightmares, I'd grow out of them, put superstitious worries from my head.
tragedy came at spring cleaning season, when I was off at school, learning the facts of life and sensible ways of the world.
Mum's good intentions were my road to hell, my talismans went in the bin, and the nightmares were unfurled.
yes, many times I'd thought I'd heard and sensed that tiny lady of the world of horrors, stalking eerily,
out in the garden, and up at my window, hungry, greedy: but "don't be silly" ma had said, so wearily.
returning home I felt the terror, and helpless to repair the damage done, for there were no eggs, the chickens had not laid;
no walnuts to be had for love nor money, the horseshoes alone would not protect, the coins were gone, the milkman had been paid....
and so the ordinary domestic duties and peace in our household seemed safely comfortable and tidily secure.
but I knew I now had now protection from the Tiny Thumbelina, coming to devour me and the waiting I could not endure.
and so that night I ended the long hours of tormented agony dreading, yearning for her nocturnal touch and dark caressing
out into the garden I stumbled, fearful, desperate, and there was wed to Thumbelina, as a dark priest gave his blessing.

each morning, after nights of pain and struggle, she lets me go, so quietly I return to bed and often mother says I seem withdrawn.
she knows not that she's a grandmother, the night shadows dance with the children of a lad and a tiny witch, those wicked spawn.
but day by day, well trained now, yet full of fear, regret, I do the routines of a normal lad; sports, girls and homework.
yet I am hollow and never shall be free, to have a home, hearth, wife and family, doomed by the world where Belina and the tiny devils lurk....

well-meaning mothers everywhere, believe this tale and for god's sake do not take duster, mop and broom
to sweep the debris from your sons dark lair, there are worse fates than the foul pit that is his room....

(eva day)


(note: alternative names and versions of Thumbelina are drawn from original and traiditonal tales.... with thanks to Hans Christian Anderson and various translators.)

An Inventors Flirtation and a Scientific Romance.......

I have been playing a lot with words, ideas and themes, for many years and more recently revisiting the games and fun of writing, as a way of freeing up flow and creativity. Myself, I am a perpetual beginner, but here I offer an idea for some fun, for others who want to write and to develop their storytelling or character building skills. I've also shared a few writing challenges, jointly, with another aspiring writer, as well as looking at similar challenges and practises from on-line writing groups, and recommend these as a good focus. If you want to do similar with others, just takes turns to pick different themes and guidelines for short pieces, which you can then share for feedback and further inspiration. This can help give you a starting point,too, if you're committed to producing some writing on a daily basis, to keep reaching into your potential.
Of course, you can also invent and set yourself challenges - but a bit of interchange and networking can be very growthful.

Chose some more weighty or reflective themes, but give yourself challenges, too, that are about fun: and go for a range of formats, from straight prose, to poetry, dialogue, first and third person, etc....

Here's an offering, a challenge I set myself. Play with it if you feel like it and see where it takes you:

choose a well known saying or homily such as "too many cooks spoil the broth" or "a rolling stone gathers no moss." Use it in a piece of dialogue between characters from history or fiction, to include a "girl meets boy" element in some way. Write in dialogue only, as much as possible, as if in drama script format; so any action is indicated briefly, eg: exit Luke, Lucy falls down, etc.....

Here's my piece of nonsense!

BOY MEETS GIRL.....


Sir Isaac Newton: "These many unanswered questions and ideas I am having are a burden to me, I feel depressed and heavy.... as if something was pulling me down."
(Newton sits down under a tree.)

Thomas Edison: "Stop fussing, what do you think it's like for me?.... I keep trying and trying with different prototypes for my marvellous light bulb invention, but my brain just won't work. I'm in a very dark mood."

(Enter Kali, Goddess of Destruction, waving her six arms enthusiastically)

Kali: "Don't worry, I can help. After all, many hands make light work."

Edison: "But you're a destroyer!! I don't believe you will help me invent anything, as you have a terrible reputation for breaking things."

Kali: "Well, that's true, so we'll just have to completely dismantle all your current theories, to make way for a new perspective. And have a smashing time doing it, probably breaking new ground..." (laughs crazily)

Newton: "Stop making puns and being so foolish. This is serious, I have a scientific dilemma too, so we need a little gravity I feel.)
(an apple falls on Newton's head.....)

Edison: "Ouch I bet that hurt. Kali, see what trouble you bring? Stamping about, shaking apples from the tree like that!! You really are rotten to the core...."

Voice of God: "DON'T ARGUE, YOU LOT; GET TO THE ROOTS OF THE MATTER AND BE MORE DOWN TO EARTH OR I SHALL INTRODUCE SIR EDWARD APPLETON INTO THE PLOT!!"
(Newton jumps up)

Newton: "Eureka!! That knock on the head has done it!! I have the perfect theory..... to explain falling apples and fallen angels...."
(enter Archimedes)

Archimedes: "You bloody sod, you took my line!! EUREKA was the only bloody spoken word I had in this damned play......"

enter Einstein Stephen Hawkins and Caroline Herschel :
Einstein: "Did somebody mention roots? E =mc 2 and the square root of pi is infinite, it goes on and on and doesn't have a repeating value..."

Newton: "A bit like you then, you old ranter....."
(enter Lucifer)

Lucifer: "And did someone mention fallen angels......?"

Hawkins: "This is madness! Chaos theory, applied....."

Herschel: "Now we see the reason for the long division between science and religion!"

God: "Don't bring me into this!! Look, you lads, here's Caroline, she's a nice lass...... One of you ask her out on a date and then take it away from there. I've told you before to go forth and multiply......"

Herschel: "Boys, if you want to grab my interest, you need to approach me from the right angle. Bring half a dozen red roses, six being a perfect number. In addition, you should not even consider speed dating, it's not at all a sound practice...."

(with a flourish, Edison produces from beneath his jacket, a bunch of roses)
Edison: "Madame! Flowers delivered, faster than the speed of light...."


etc, etc.....

What comes more easily to you? Initial ideas? Characters, coming to life? A storyline? Or dialogue? And what's most challenging.... the aspects you could play and practice with more?

Enjoy! eva day.

Invisbility In Vocation (Being Invisible, Part Three)

I am doing a series of themed posts in trilogies: this is part three of the invisibilty sequence (see earlier posts for the other two.)
SO: another take on invisibility. Choice makes such a difference..


in praise of invisibility


i have cultivated the art of invisibility and studied the great mystics
the technicalities involved are tricky, lots of planning and logistics
certainly I would resent it greatly if the state of not being recognised
were imposed through social limitations but I like being so disguised
emily, I remember, wrote "I am nobody, who are you?" and I relate
to that sense of nebulous mystery: too much public notice I would hate
but most especially, and delightful, when I can't see myself I am more able
to slip and float more fluidly through worlds of legend, myth and fable
I don't want to look or seem the sort of person who can easily be bagged
for those who want me gift wrapped, conveniently tied up and neatly tagged
How much easier, and more fun it is, to be me by just not being me, disappear
this is my invisibility invocation, I have made it my dedication and career
of course this is perhaps escapism in the world of every day: a paradox
but I won't display identifiable features, they might put me in a box
a psychiatrist once said to me: "such unhealthy avoidance of being seen!"
but I asked him "don't you ever shrink yourself, visit places in between
what we think is normal reality, and the magical other world of parallel?
I spend a lot of time exploring shadowy lands, and am adjusting very well"

(eva day)





(NOTE: reference to emily is re Emily Dickinson poem "I'm Nobody")

KATE BUSH. LYRICS: HOW TO BE INVISIBLE

I found a book on how to be invisible
Take a pinch of keyhole
And fold yourself up
You cut along a dotted line
You think inside out
And you're invisible

Eye of Braille
Hem of anorak
Stem of wallflower
Hair of doormat

I found a book on how to be invisible
On the edge of the labyrinth
Under a veil you must never lift
Pages that you must never turn
In the labyrinth
You stand in front of a million doors
And each one holds a million more
Corridors that lead to the world
Of the invisible
Corridors that twist and turn
Corridors that blister and burn

Eye of Braille
Hem of anorak
Stem of wallflower
Hair of doormat
Is that the wind from the desert song?
Is that the autumn leaf falling?
Or is that you walking home?

Is that the wind from the desert song?
Is that the autumn leaf falling?
Or is that you walking home?
Is that a storm in the swimming pool?

You take a pinch of keyhole
And fold yourself up
You cut along a dotted line
You think inside out
You jump 'round three times
You jump into the mirror
And you're invisible

ANNA'S APOSTREPHIC AIKIDO

written for my friend Anna, for fun, after a brief conversation about rebelling against grammar... and as she has declared herself, and is, practitioner of verbal aikido....

ANNA'S APOSTREPHIC AIKIDO

the author of its all one sentence to me was sad and very concerned
to realise at school she'd apparently not well understood nor learned
the correct rules for how to use grammar ( ie and etcetera, for example.)
this distressing realisation was received when she'd sent a small sample
of her sci-fi short stories, and a novel, fantasy fiction, first draft.
But unkindly, the publisher's rejection note said "Oh, How we laughed!
When we saw how your strange punctuation is absent or scattered ad hoc,
without any consistency at all!" Well, this came as a quite nasty shock.
"It does seem I've lost a few of those silly required symbols, I suppose.
I'll hunt for them!, Maybe they're hiding, to escape the duties of prose

I've never been very sure of grammatical rules, and am not so very fond
of commas, which look rather like little tadpoles that squirm in a pond.
And behave like them, too, as they tend to be damned slippery critters,
and so hard to grasp: like exclamation marks, they give me the jitters.
Oh, dear, what perplexity and trouble, each strange line, squiggle and dot:
I just don't care for it all, such a fuss, but maybe I must study and swat?
And if more troubling rules about words like reflex verbs make me squirm,
I'll just have to get tough. To stop misplaced prepositions, I'll be firm;
with double negatives, tell them clearly to not never uninvited, intrude,
when I'm just in a wonderful story line. Their interruption is so very rude.
I warn now: awkward syllables or faulty quotation marks will come a cropper,
if they mess with my metaphors, disrupt dialogue, written so nice and proper.
I'd much rather just get ideas on paper: bother these punctuational glitches.
And capitals, lower case or those horrid colons? I think they're all bitches."

( eva's reply .....

I too find the freeform versatile or minimal punctuation literary style
hugely pleasing though getting used to it for some can take quite a while
when i first read ee cummings andhiswords ran together that made me smile

and i much so prefer my name to be written eva with all
lower case letters
though of course ive been reprimanded for this by my teachers and betters
but we do it on purpose, us rebels of written rules, throw off the limiting fetters

another thing ive often Noticed is I enjoy using dashes like this - and how I do tend
to put i before c, after e, or somesuch similar confusion,or sentences often will end
with dot dot dot a favourite though sometimes i use several full stops and i will defend

your right and mine to enjoy these eccentric adaptations,
for sometimes its so much more fun
to scramble the proper Nouns, verbs and adjectives or
start a sentence before you've begun.
and breaking up paragraphs, perhaps let your word play
express some kind of whimsical pun


to explain what i mean i could tell you just now the past and its participle are tensely fighting
and i deliberately swapped around certain letters (like the g and the h in
I am hgost writing)
if i also included some mathematical symbols like + square root of = minus; that would be exciting!.....



etcetera. (eva day)

invisibility part two - how to disappear without attracting too much attention

HOW TO BE INVISIBLE PART TWO

have an everyday ordinary life and an orderly response always be aware of the majority view
dress, move, think unremarkably blandly blur the edges be part of the many never one of the few
consider at all times safety and discretion, the better valour, the bolder aspects not recommended
leave the acts of sudden impulses or the urge to speak out to those happy to be naked, undefended

consider volume, colour, tempo - speak quietly, wear mottled tones and dulled hues, don't walk too fast
never arrive early at a venue, nor sit too close to the front, leave quickly, quietly, neither be first or last
avoid any extreme or intense emotion or response, most particularly sudden anger or bursts of enthusiasm
don't let sexuality be more than moderate pleasure, don't get too abandoned, don't allow yourself orgasm

passion is not to be engaged in, it tends to make a person noisy, and magnetism may make them more evident
better to be controlled neat, mild and remain in middle ground: take care not to elaborate, question or invent
never be noticeably often part of any particular group or trend, or strong opinion, listen and observe and be aware
of changes and hot issues and the dramas of the folk around you - yet look subtly, from the sidelines, never stare

step back and let others take the spotlight, stay close to quiet and shadowy places, but never linger or seem to lurk
don't be loud or rude or particularly funny but avoid any impression of being morose don't step out of line at work
always speak less than others and most briefly without particular indication of strong thoughts, feelings or ideals
stay safe stay quiet agree with the majority view but don't commit be empty never notice never speak of how it feels

in social situations, always aim for unexceptionable behaviour don't be too often part of groups or anything off-beat
but neither should you seem to be reclusive, too withdrawn don't notice anyone familiar if they pass you on the street
when you must look into a mirror to make sure your appearance is acceptable, appropriate, don't look into your eyes
be content and settled in a routine and in a simple world, don't dream or dawdle or invent, become your own disguise.

eva day

invisibility part one

Heinz, Svie and Driegh. Three Poems who are hanging out together

These three poems really don't have much in common, no theme that they share etc. It was really just coincidence that brought them together on this post. They were all on their way to different destinations. The first was going to join some mates on a fishing trip, then he remembered he gets real sea sick so he headed of randomly in another direction and ended up here. The second was going to a big music festival but got abducted by aliens, managed to escape, and ran here for sanctuary and to recover from the experience. which wasn't too bad really but just weird. and the third was on her way to a job interview, but the chariot driver who she had hired to take her there crashed the chariot into a field of dreams where some ghostly hockey players looked like they didn't have great control of their jolly sticks. so she also came here, while waiting for alternative transport.

anyway the atmosphere was a bit tense at first but now they seem to be getting along better.

poem one (by sven, also known as svie)


DOUBLEYOUDOUBLEYOU COMMODDITY DOT

she twittered me with wittiness her told me thanks for the add
then tagged me in a photograph and then stole my new i-pad.

he friend un-friend me on fb, because I could not play fishville
in mafia wars he hit-man murder me for a thousand dollar bill

a forum chat room pal send me some recommendations for new mates
who tick all my same boxes, interests / like/ unlike/ personal pet hates

on you-tube I was OMG crushed my cute cat video got less hits than your dog
but that's ok I guess, cos LOL my tame iguana writes a cool cult following blog.

my buddies live inside my laptop, they're operated by their hard drives
we're 2D SIMS and Graphics Gifs and we love our buz-buzz social network lives


POEM TWO. DRIEGH (AKA DREW)
she wrote this poem for the rowdy British tourist having a larf on holiday sprees. Inspired by Classic Poets, she writes pieces which adapt their most well known works.

for this one, Drew was inspired by Keats, Ode to a Nightingale.
("my heart aches and a drowsy numbness fills my sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, or emptied some dull opiates to the drain....)

my heart aches and a drowsy numbness pains my sense
as though hemlock I had drunk


I went to Rhodes on holiday, what a laugh, I was totally pissed as a skunk:
but now my head spins and I'm really wired, as if of Red Bull I had drunk.
I staggered around and shouted, puked on the pavement, offended the locals
but they are there to cater to us British tourists, those simple foreign yokels.
me and my mates got put in the slammer abroad, after I shagged a bird in Greece
and had a fight with some bloke, got arrested and the cop said that tart was his niece
and the bloke I'd been scrapping with was bleeding and messed up and pasted
they reckon I assaulted him but I don't remember, by that time I was friggin wasted.
shit, my head aches, got a lousy numb feeling and pain in my nuts, cos that cop took offence
and kneed me right in the knackers, then some bloody Stavros judge with no friggin sense
said I was a dull oaf with my life down the drain
- what a tosser: next year I'll fekkin well go to Spain



POEM THREE. HEIDI HEINZ-KETCHUP WROTE ABOUT HER HEP C EXPERIENCE

Horrible Incantation


combo compost mentis heps so ipso facto riba bad

its the meds them aggro maketh us mucho mad

foggus loggos jibber jabber jitter every week

vacantium vacantium regrot forgotto how can't speak

logarhythm drop log und mud fried uber brain fog

hb white blood cells bloody bloody bloody hells

tx tee ex dehydrated dry sick lizard nauseata tongue

crack joint, moody horizontally stretched and strung

muscularis minusucle, pcr agititation, unhingedly ref anticipation

oblio oblivio distortio intoleratum; heptology hepaticirus

whoever donot unnerstand a word of this never had the virus





(ps if while you are visiting this post, these poems do get a bit edgy and start fighting with each other - please just stroke them, speak kindly to them and feed them some chocolate coated chocolate triple chocolate drops. they will soon settle down. eva day.)

How To Stay Off The Internet.....

I decided that since I am too often apparently symbiotically plugged in to my laptop and emotionally chained to it and so to the world wide web ... I would attempt to break this addiction. Perhaps there is still life beyond the internet? Therefore I decided to limit my daily time on line, and to take my attention elsewhere.... On day one of this new regime, so far it's going... crap.... and I am doing ... lousy at it. I keep thinking of just one person I must catch up with, just one more thing I want to check out. Bloody Hell, how the hell did people manage before the Industrial and Technological Revolutions? To find out more about this, and to discover if there really is still life beyond the portal of the laptop screen... I decided to do some direct and experiential research. So I went time travelling. Of course I had to enter space-time continuum over-ride via my computer, thus providing myself with yet another neat paradox among the many that form my daily life.

Anyway - here is an extract from my notes and observations from time travelling, an account of an event I witnessed first hand.

(This piece was inspired by a joint enterprise between myself and kooky pal AnnaMaRou, as we are sharing some creative writing practice on different themes. For this one, we chose anything we like which is around the theme of bored, boredome, boring etc.... Why would a Hep C patient think of that, I wonder??)
Ok, so here is the Tale of Two Boring Bastards

A Tale of Two Boring Bastards

In 1798, General Ted Ious Dunderhead of Dullardo (on the northern peninsula) insulted Field Marshal Horrid Lee-Stuffshirt during a game of dominoes in which they both only had one piece each, owing to the shortage of dots at the time. After they had both repeatedly picked up and replaced their domino on the table about 156 times, General Dunderhead remarked "By God, Sir, Your strategy and technique in this game is damnedly abysmal and playing with you is worse than watching the paint dry on the canvas after Remnant Brain the DoubleDutch painted my extremely boring portrait......"

"The plague of a thousand utterly pointless moments on you, Sir!" droned Stuffshirt. "To be even in the same room with you is to feel ennui freeze the last remaining brain cell I had left, after a war surgeon amputated the rest of them following The Great Battle of Bollocks..... " and he rolled his eyes slowly and sighed a slow sigh. "What a total waste of space you are sir, why to look at your foolish face in person is even worse than to have had the lack-lustre experience of seeing that dreadful and dire portrait..." and he picked up one of his wet socks (for he had hung his up by the fire to dry, it being a very boring rainy day) and slapped General Dunderhead across the chops with it."In your face!! Your boring face.... I challenge you to a dual !" he said.
"Choose your weapon!!" mumbled Dunderhead, with a flat voice and complete lack of real interest or enthusiasm "Devil take me, I have fought so many cretins like you - I shall be glad to put an end to you and any prospects you may have had of bringing more fools, dullards and dead-brains into this world!!"
"I shall bore you death!!" drawled the Field Marshall laconically. "For that is all you deserve, you cad. No, you shall not die an honourable death by the knife or the bullet. You will die a curs death grovelling in bored misery while I grind you down with tedious lists and military facts which I shall recite to you...."
"By Zeus!" grumbled General Ted ... " You insufferable boar, I will read to you the latest chapter from my autobiography......."
"Why you arrogant little prig" said old Stuffo, "I shall......

But nobody knows what terrible fate he was about to describe to his adversary, as suddenly at that moment, a third man stood up (he had been playing cards, with a small group of friends on the other side of the salon) and shouted "Shut Up You Pair of Boring Old Bastard Gits!"....
and pulling out a pair of pistols from a holster beneath his rather splendid Regency jacket - he shot them both dead.

THE END

You see?? None of those three had internet access - if they had done, it might have provided a distraction and this horrible scenario would never have unfolded. Or they could have Had other technology such as Playstation or X-Box and had their duel via gaming in a virtual world...

May The Powers That Be Bless Your UPS - eva day xx

A CLOUD WHICH IS OPAQUE WITH TRANSLUCENT AREAS

THIS BLOG AND ITS THEME COMES FROM SEVERAL YEARS OF HAPPY VISITS TO CLOUD KOOKY LAND, AND CHATTING WITH INHABITANTS, STUDYING THE LANGUAGES AND CULTURE. THE IDEA TO PUT THIS GUIDE TOGETHER CAME FROM A BRIEF EXCHANGE OF MESSAGES WITH THE MAGICAL DEB Z SO MANY THANKS TO HER. THE POST IS DEDICATED TO A VIKING PRINCESS IN RECOGNITION OF HER MARVELLOUS LANGUAGE SKILLS.

In Cloud Kooky Land, there are many different languages and dialects, as well as standard English. Here, anthropolist and linguistic Vera Verbatim the Triple-Tongued presents a guide to common and useful phrases from Perlucidus, which is the most commonly used dialect in the south -eastern peninsula of Cumulus Nebulus. Perlucidas as a word does not change according to syntax - the language is called Perlucidus and you speak Perlucidus. It is a patois language - adapted from English and with words and phrases both borrowed from other languages (earth and inter-galactic) and freely invented. It has no grammar. Attempts at applying grammatical analysis to Perlucidus would suggest that you are being a real ylluumtaich.

the word perlucidus comes from a terminology used in cloud science.

PERLUCIDUS. A beginners guide

FUGRIT - means "whatever you like, could be anything at all." often used where symbolism and metaphor has no defined interpretation but is intended to evoke an instinctive or creative response, allowing the viewer / participant to explore own personal themes and perceptions. or to indicate that "a thing is a thing is a thing and being is." *
*this is a quote from a popular children's rhyme: "a thing is a thing is a thing and being is. thing what thing. what? and being is and being is. what thing be thing be do be do be and why do i always ask why? " can be sung as a round, and the word order would changed eg: being is. what thing be thing be do be do be and why do i always ask why a thing is a thing? (similar to our play on words re: a rose is a rose is a rose etc,)
example -
Q: I love that picture you painted..... but what does it mean? A: "Oh, the banana is just a random banana, but it in itself represents fugrit. And the rest of it really is just fugrit."
Fugrit may also be used ironically. eg: "The plot and dialogue of the play is steeped in metaphor and classic references: unfortunately many of them are incorrect, simplistic and distorted and any real insight is perhaps just so much fugrit." Occasionally also used in the way we might use "all that jazz." Eg. "Yeah we were talking about not much at all really, just nonsense. and they were reading between the lines a bit too much., looking for hidden meanings and all that fugrit."

MEGLAMBIC : that state of mind or surreal experience when people are talking to you in apparently simple terms in your own mother tongue, and you hear and recognise the words but they mean nothing to you. so you say something meaningless and unrelated or you just stare blankly. example: "some people say their dogs apparently understand every word they say. mine, I think, does not. I told him my dream, hoping for an interpretation and he began discussing the stock exchange. His meglambic insights left me totally perplexed."

GROO-DRUNCHER: a person who always seems to get in the way of other people and have either no spatial awareness or just doesn't give a flying fig. eg, those who stand around in shop doorways talking to each other, walk into you in the street as they are so busy texting and then look at you as if you were annoyingly in the way, or those who park badly, boxing you in or making it impossible for you to open your car door so you have to climb in via passenger seat after smashing their car up first of course. " example : "I went shopping today, a bunch of groo-drunchers were blocking the aisles. I ran over their feet with my trolley."

TROBSCHLAPPEN; a mischievous spirit, who possesses people temporarily, causing them to do say or think of things which are normally out of character and which may be temporarily distressing, embarrassing, disturbing or apparently disruptive - but which ultimately lead to creative change and positive new opportunities. Trobschlappen (plural is same as singular) operate in such a way as you have to go through some amount of unpleasant in order to get the pleasant. They are a popular theme in many comedies, particularly films.
example: "Suddenly, during the middle of the important sales meeting, bored and unaware of quite what she was doing, she reached into her bag, and in a trance, drew out a small tin, and from it's contents, proceeded to assemble, light and smoke a juicy reefer. This made the meeting a damn sight easier to endure but resulted in her getting the sack. However, upsetting as this was at the time, she later realised it was the gift of the trobschlappen as it led to her deciding to finally make that trip to Mongolia and the Gobi Desert which she had always dreamed off. There she discovered a previously undiscovered love and talent for photography and now is showing her first major exhibition. Called Stoned and Sacked." (1 - see foot note.)

LIJKERTORPH: the pleasure and ease between two friends who share a very similar sense of humour and or way of expressing ideas and thinking about things, which may be incomprehensible to others, or which may include a running joke or reference to past events either not worth explaining or too complicated to outline. Lijkertorph is generally looked upon benevolently by others, but it is considered impolite and a sign of cliques and exclusivity to invoke it too often. And definitely bad to use it in thge presence of others to secretly mock or refer to them. Very poor form. Generally however, it is a happy experience. Examples "Am I missing the point of this discussion, or are you two in lijkertorph?" Or a mother might say to a child, "stop with the lijkertorph for now, there are people here you've only just met and it could seem rude."

CORMWITAWL. means; any event or news or conversation which has such an impact on you as to cause a really noticeable physical reaction. Can be positive or negative. Verb and adjective. Examples. "It was a powerful speech, people of both parties were deeply affected and the room was charged with cormwitawl." Or "Get a bucket, I want to be sick, your attitude makes me cormwittal with disgust." "I leapt from the bath shouting Eureka! and was cormwitalling so much with inspiration, I rushed into the street with no clothes on!" (2. see foot notes.)

NUQ - pronounced nuch (to rhyme with much) a moment of supreme and sublime stupidity and complete confusion, in which one realises that one actually knows nothing and understands even less and that all familiar objects and realities appear surreal and alien. There may also a sense of having abandoned all reason and control - or been abandoned by it. Not understood in the sense of a moment of divine or mystic revelation or union, but more comedic and humorous, although there is a spiritual aspect to it's meaning in that it is regarded as a practical joke on the human experience, sent from the gods to remind us that we don't know diddly squat and keep us down to earth. used in the way that we might use deja vu. Example: "Pursued by the dog, the Wombat (3. see footnote) raced through the house, crashing into the finished cake, which had taken all day to decorate. As I stood there watching, and the cake slowly toppled sideways and crashed to the floor, I had a moment of nuq, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. I then dived into the wreckage and rolled around in delicious soft spongy vanilla, swallowing mouthfuls of creamy almond custard and wombat fur, realising that there must be some kind of mad poetry in making a wombat shaped cake and having it destroyed be a real wombat....."

Footnotes.
1) In Cloud Kooky Land it is very unlikely that a person would be sacked for getting stoned at a meeting, though they might be reprimanded and either told firmly that this was not the appropriate time or place, or possibly that they had caused some offence by not sharing the joint. However, should a meeting have proved that boring, it is likely that they would have said so and suggested a more interesting approach. Therefore this story would be probably a telling of an event that happened pre-settlement, in MadsVille.
2) Another note on Kookonian culture. Nakedness in itself would not be that disturbing, suprising or shocking, the Kooks are not prudish. However they enjoy clothing and prefer to be fairly well covered, so as to better appreciate the mystery of the human body and the sensual pleasures of and contrast between dressing and undressing. They are also more aware than the people of MadsVille of appropriate and inappropriate images of nakedness and sexuality for the affect the may have on children. Kookies consider MadsVille images to be unhelpful to children and part of the reason so many develop into confused and troubled adults. Therefore they prefer to be mostly (and creatively) clothed so to run down the street naked would be surprising. But not as surprising or worrying as excessive use of half naked female bodies draped over consumer goods in order to promote sales, as is common in MadsVille and which seems rather perverse, to them. Kookonians do have sales, marketing, advertising and an active economy - but have a very different approach to it. A separate article on this is available in the archives.
3) The Wombat. In literature and in the vernacular, this may refer to an actual Wombat or to an archetypal Wombat which represents the humorous and complex relationship between humans and animals and the tendency of humans to be unable to avoid anthromorphism. The Wombat is also a familiar figure from traditional folk tales - a loveable but mischievous and chaotic being who always brings goodwill yet also chaos and the unexpected. As a familiar, he represent eccentricity, and distortion of normal reality in both a harmless and amusing way - or, in his Dark Aspect, in a malevolent and disturbed way. More features on The Wombat will appear in future blogs.

(Editor's Note: it may be seen from the scenarios used here to illustrate word usage, that life in Cloud Kooky Land is far from perfect, idyllic or free of human inconsistencies and conflicts. Kookies are prone to the same tensions, uncertainties, irritations, hopes, dreams and passions - and so on - as are all humans, However, they certainly are more aware of them and more ready and willing to acknowledge and resolve them quickly, straightforwardly and with good cheer. Therefore in many ways, Cloud Kooky Land can be seen as a Utopia and the people there as being in the process of evolving into a more humane, creative and co-operative humanist society. This is their wonderful journey and their story. The reader should also understand that many people have wombats as pets; however in all cases, they are purely imaginary and invisible pets, no-one would actually keep domesticated wombats.)

Authors Note on Editors Note: sometimes that fekkin editor really gets on my nerves. I was not intending to explain the Utopian and Humanitarian nature of the Kookonian culture, but to allow that to become apparent as the blogging unfolds. And likewise, wasn't going to explain at this point about the invisible pet wombats: I already said that there will be future articles about the wombats. Sometimes that Editor is a real ylluumtaich .


blogged from Cloud Kooky Land By Eva Day

The True Story of The First Settlers in Cloud Kooky Land.......

The True Story of The First Settlers in Cloud Kooky Land.......


they came from a place which some of you may have visited - called MadsVille. A close knit community with many honoured traditions such as the annual festival in tribute to the Great White Lord of the Ivory Tower, and the Fence Builders Society of Neighbourhood Protection and the Birthday of the Dead Person who Brings Coca Cola to all the Good Children. A rich culture steeped in history and encouraging Allegiance to the Smiley. The Smiley was a great symbol of the Unity of Nations and was intended to bring together those who Bear Arms and Dig for Oil for the Good of All Beings. The Smiley was always cheerful though rather stupid but it made life simpler and reminded believers that happiness can be achieved by faking it till you make it. Indeed a religion had been founded on this principle and the teachings of this religion were transmitted daily via short tv broadcasts called Adverts or Commericals which reminded you that You are Worth It and of the Powerful Incantation "I'm Loving It" - and so boosted your self-esteem and love for all mankind and of course womankind too (which had to be made clear owing to a basic linguistic problem in reference to the two genders, but this also had it's roots in the great history of MadsVille.)
Why would anyone leave such a place? You could eat burgers and drink fizzy drinks and this would be a sacrament which would bring you Freedom of Spirit and Consumer Rights.

Well the sad truth is that some people are just disturbed some would say and will always be Outsiders no matter how much you offer them salvation in a shrink wrapped package with 10% off tokens for next purchase. Maybe they are born that way maybe they are products of faulty genetics or maybe they are just damned awkward who really knows? But for sure maybe it is better if they leave, they are the sort of folk who spoil the neighbourhood. Every time they see a blank wall they have unaccountable urges to scrawl graffitti on it. . Where others have neat lawns and front gardens they have chaos and when others turn left at the next roundabout in accordance with the instructions of the Sat Nav Lady who is the Great Mother of Us All and The Voice of Reason - they always turn right or just follow their hearts. This is disruptive to others. Really The People Of MadsVille had always had great pioneers and explorers. Heroes who would travel to new lands and tear down trees to build new living quarters for their kinsfolk who even now are probably on their way to convert the natives to a better way of living and subsidise their industry and agriculture at terms very advantageous to themselves thus maintaining a sensible market economy.
But these Mavericks (the Outsiders of which this historian tells) wandered whether it was possible to make a new life elsewhere without destroying the true beauty of the place which they settled in and to create new ways of life which seemed just easier and more gentle and fulfilling. Of course all this sort of thing is a bit tree-huggy, highly impractical and bloody inconvenient as well. So many of the MadsVille folk were bloody glad to see the back of them.
THE GREAT VOYAGE. The travellers boarded a magical train that would take them on their great journey to a new world. A famous engineer had built this marvellous vehicle, from a train of thought .....
being very resourceful, she had gathered together many digressions, random thoughts and daydreams which were floating around in the ether and welded them together with liquid molten deja vu's. The Train of Thought awaits in Imagination Station as the first passengers arrive for fantastic adventure. The Engineer's name was Imelda Welder and she is a great historic figure in the legends of Cloud Kooky Land. All of which happened, are happening now, might happen or may never happen but which nevertheless are an important part of the written and oral history of the people there...
This is the first part of the rich History of Cloud Kooky Land. Some other time I will tell about the journey from MadsVille and how going off track turned out to be a marvellou accident of fate and serendipity. (written by Parabolia Ludicrezia Triviata the Arborean.)

THE LIFE MIISION GAME (PART TWO)

PART TWO

(after step one, the following steps are less of a process by system, but more fluid and matter of playing with the different activities and experimenting until something starts to feel right. So try juggling with them in different sequences and combinations – make it play like doing a jigsaw puzzle.

PAGE 4. .
1)
Start with building on what you want from the world. Always start with this because that is your first circle of personal hopes, instinct and gut reactions and about your experience and anchor. We may not always get what we want but it sure helps at times if we know what it is…
my friend wrote “I want a safe low-conflict environment, for me and my kids.”
2) Next write a sentence that sums up your peak experience, identified earlier;. My friends sentence from his peak experience and feeling of relaxing. “I want to feel relaxed in my everyday life so I can enjoy focusing on my commitments.”
3) Now a brief summary of your priorities identified for work, home and social contacts. My friend said: “ I want to continue my studies and career in third world development, be a good father and a good neighbour, caring about my local community. “

PAGE FIVE.

1) Go back to the final process in part one, when you focused on what you can give to and what you most wish for the world (are they very similar and linked or do they seem very different? Either is fine, but just… notice. **( see note below. ) Again, make a summary. So my friends sentence was “I am good at planning and would like to bring that skill to helping work to end third world child poverty. “
2) Blast your blocks lists!! Get out your lists of things that feel like obstacles or confusions… Are there any similar themes? (for some people it might be… lots of shouldn’ts. Can’t is a big one for many. Or versions of “my dad always said..” etc. which ones do you want to let go of ? are there actually any you want to keep, but change the way you feel about them? Which are easier to let go of and to change or adapt? And which wants feel like bigger challenges…. If you identify a Big One…. Think about ways you can see that differently. Perhaps as a growth point rather than a problem. For example, my friend had a big block on “ they (other people) will laugh at me if I do/say _____________ . so he changed that into: “I can laugh at myself when I get clumsy, but still relax and keep on task, patiently….” (there might have been other solutions, too…. Like telling “them” to fekk orf.!)
**( Soon you will begin to make links and new possibilities. You can see how my friends personal career goals linked already to his broader ideals for the world….. he just had not always identified that clearly in the midst of a busy life. One person I worked with felt she could most give skills from a background in administrative and local government work. But most wanted for the world was better housing and solutions for homelessness, after some contact she had experienced which meant that was an issue that resonated with her. She eventually found a channel for this through some occasional but regular voluntary admin work for a charity, which she found very rewarding. She has been raised to be very career orientated and fairly ambitious, not necessarily either a good or bad thing, but in her case one of the blocks was from a strong ethic that “you should get paid for the work you do and achieve certain goals by a certain age. “ (Sabbaticals and voluntary work were for students, the wealthy or the retired!) She realised that wasn’t necessarily how she wanted to pursue her career path according to a certain formula.)

PAGE SIX
.

OK ,You are almost there; now you have the foundations of a written Life Mission. What you are going to do now is to pull all the different parts together into one written paragraph. You can experiment with how the different elements fit together by jotting down different ways of setting them out, and order of flow. But start with “I want” which is rooted in the idea that desire may often be a real guide to our deeper passions… So from my friend’s example, it might read like this: I want to be a good father and to work to provide a safe environment for my kids. I also want to relax and enjoy my work and studies, contributing to ending third world poverty. Taking part in local activities and contributing to my community is important to me and I have good skills in practical organisation and planning which I can bring to that. When I get self-conscious or awkward, getting past frustration is a challenge in this, for me and ___________________ is one of the ways I can support myself in that and in living my life purpose.

PAGE 7 .

This is the stage when you identify the key qualities in yourself or the activities you most enjoy which are the best resources you have to give you strength and enthusiasm along the way. We leave this till last as many people often find it more difficult to acknowledge their strength or even to see pleasure and leisure as vital parts of the “meaning” of their lives. But by now, hopefully, you are relaxed enough to feel at ease with this….. write down at least five key qualities you feel you have which are personal strengths for you and others. Earlier you identified what you can offer the world, and though some people list qualities, like patience, or thinking creatively – a lot of what comes up at that stage will often be more skills based. In other words,” can do” rather than ” I am”. Now you need just a list of positive personal qualities and you might want to refer back to your earlier scribbled notes. My friend’s read like this: Kind. Good listener. Observant. Good concentration. Open-minded/ non-judgemental. And again: a list of five things you enjoy doing that help you relax, or just feel good and at ease with yourself. (leisure, etc.) His list: Reading. Camping and walking. Listening to Music. Photography. Having friends to dinner. Pick the one or two items from this resources list that most resonate for you… again, just gut instinct. You can of course change and adapt this list – as you go on and forward in time in life. His two were: I know I am kind, and I especially enjoy having friends round for dinner. . So he adapts that in a way that is about applying it to his own need and includes it at the end of his statement, as ways he can support himself on the journey. He adds at the beginning, instead of the word “I want” ;

MY LIFE MISSION IS:

Now he has got to: “My life mission is to be a good father and to work to provide a safe environment for my kids. I also want to relax and enjoy my work and studies, in contributing to ending third world poverty. Taking part in local activities and contributing to my community is important to me and I have good skills in practical organisation and planning, which I can bring to that. When I get self-conscious or awkward, getting past frustration is a challenge in this, for me and being kind to myself and also taking time out to enjoy having good friends round for dinner are essential ways I can support myself in that and in living my life purpose.”

PAGE 8.

This is the last step of the pen and paper and brain storming game. What you are seeking now is a way to bring your written and described mission to life. At this stage, if you notice, it may read as a little static or rather like and entry for a CV. There’s a reason for shaping it in this way, up until now, because you have used creative processes and translated them into a very defined clear statement (right and left brain link.) Keep a clear note of it in this defined form….. as you go forward in life you might want to look back at it and gain a sense of clarity and direction or reminding yourself what are your personal goals and priorities. But, now, again on scrap paper, start playing with it and re-shaping it – much as you would move around the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle to make a picture begin to take form, or as you would shape a piece of clay. Here are some questions to ask yourself to encourage inspiration and a feeling for what “clicks.”

“What else… what else in my life feels important or special and needs a place? What’s missing? Is there anything that that still jars or needs fine tuning? Anything I want to let go of?” Remember this is about instinctive responses rather than going into a mode of analysis. How do you want to represent it as a final page? With words – either prose or poetry or word pictures? As a cartoon or with other images and symbols? Maybe even as a mind map or a picture of a path with sign posts and stepping stones along the way. Do you want to keep the piece of music as a reminder and association of it? Play with it until it feels like something that feels good….. not perfect, perhaps but comfortable and fits you well. My friend noticed that his didn’t mention relationships (marriage / life partner) but when he explored that a bit more he decided that he wanted to leave that as something he hoped for in life but not as part of a life mission statement. He also felt it sounded very serious and what was missing was the element of fun. That was quite significant as he realised that it had been a challenging period in his life for a while, with a lot of reponsibilities and choices to make. At times, even enjoying the company of friends had become another thing he "must" fit into his schedule, or that entertaining had sometimes become a chore. This helped him to also find ways to ease up on himself and make space for more relaxed appraoches. He asked friends to take more turns having guests over - and to bring dishes to "pot luck" dinners, and so on.

So from your "fine tuning" at this stage, you might also identify ways of finding more balance and inspiration in where you are right now, as well as greater clarity in where you are going.

Here's my friend's final completed mission statement. My path and purpose in life is to relax and trust myself as a person. I have a commitment to be part of making this planet a healthier and happier place to live in, through working for third world devlopment and also local community projects. Being a good father i s important in my life journey, and helping create a safer and stronger community is part of that. I am a practical idealist and my planning skills and ability to organise are something I can offer to others to help make good projects work well, and this is satisfying. One of my challenges is getting self-concious and frustrated sometimes, and easing up on myself is something I can remind myself of, as just as I am kind to others, so I can also be kind to me. Relaxed, easy going time with friends is a good source of feeling good and confident, for me. I know I can keep coming back to a good balance between family and fatherhood, friendship - and focus."

His life statement was with words and some photos he had taken, over time. My own, I have done both as a cartoon strip and as a mind map. Many people like to make a small scrap book.

PAGE 9

LIVING INTO YOUR JOURNEY.

the next steps are really the journey itself, which you have always been on, and will contnue to explore, to find new perspectives, to perhaps let go of some aspects of your perceived mission and to welcome in new ones, as life and your being evolves. But the core essence of your statement is likely to remain with you always, though it's outward form my change. People often say they go off on mini- expeditions (so to speak) as time goes on, but find this is part of a central theme and pathway.
and for many the process becomes more substantial as they live into it.

Here are a few more ideas for how you can adapt or build on this life purpose game:

*include some notes and ideas as to how other people see your strengths, abilities and the roles you play in the world. (only do this after you have a good sense of your own evaluation and perception, as this is about your realities - not other people's - as your foundation.
* remember what were the things you wanted to do / be / have when you were a child? and a teenager? how do they fit with your statement? do they reflect any themes or bring up any more bits that are missing ? ways that you ould enhance it?
* who are your role models, heroes or teachers and what do you learn from them that you can bring to your own path?
* for whom are you a teacher or inspiration? and in what ways? or who in your life could you have courage to share some of your strengths with?
*what comes to mind when you look ahead, in your imagination, in the future? where might you be and what might you be doing in...... 6 months? two years? five years? how ouwld you have got there? how does this make a difference to the choices you make in the present?
* if an invisible wise spiritual guide came and spoke to you now ... what might they tell you? what do your dreams show you?....

HAPPY AND WHOLE JOURNEYING TO YOU... AND I WOULD LOVE TO HERE ABPUT ANY INTERESTING THEMES AND EVENTS ALONG THE ROAD: GOOD TRAVELLERS TALES!

eva day.

YOUR LIFE MISSION? a treasure hunt....

(note: a long post as this is a recipe for a full discovery process for exploring ideas about your "life purpose." As it is usually done in a one to one or group setting, it is a little less accessible from page of screen or written word. To make it easier to follow i have posted it in three part. One and Two, full "chapter of a book" style guidleines. And then part three is a brief step by step "game guide." Read parts one and two all the way through - then you get the idea and can use part three to remind you of how to play the solitaire version! IF YOU WANT TO PLAY THIS WITH OTHERS: then just as you are asked to find some quiet time and space for the solo version; in a group setting you need good uninterrupted space and time for the group and some reasonable bonding already in place. People can work-play through the steps solo and then team up in pairs or trios to encourage and generate more ideas The Game can also be adapted for developing a Group Mission that is a collective desctiption of group purpose and direction. Facilitators and workshop leaders are welcome to draw from this and adapt it to their own practice: my "ask" in return is that you will tell people about this blog and others relating to healing and creative living as my hope is that this blog will become an interactive source for comments, networking and inspiratioon for other travellers. I also ask that people visit here and share their thoughts, experiences and life mission with others. please add comments. thank you , eva day. the game itself is an adaptation and fusion of ideas from NLP, creative visualisation, career guidance processes and creative writing and art exercises.)


LIFE PURPOSE??

the purpose of the following Something To Do On a Rainy Day is not really to find your Life Mission. It’s just to play and have fun, and experiment with some creative ideas…. So don’t expect great revelations or new directions to come from this, ok? But don’t be surprised if they do……
(so now you will have no reason to write to me and complain, if new possibilities do arise and you think oh goodness me, now I shall feel the need to do something with them, whereas before I was sitting doing nothing and ready to stay there!….. well, I have fairly warned you!! New ideas may indeed wish to be taken out for a walk and shown the world…)

For this activity you will need –
*some time to yourself and forget the tv / chores / telephone / thinking about work, family, everything/ laptop for a while. It’s not one of those – one minute or five minute processes. But it can happen in a few 20 – 30 minute sessions and happens better if some speed and flow and lightness allowed in. You can let it unfold over a couple days, and then ideas you began to generate will simmer on the back burner of mind. For some it happens smoothly and in a short period, others are in a slower rhythm,
* blank paper. A4 size (or even better A3 size) . You can also make a scrap book or a folder and make a page for each activity, as I have set it out here. Also some coloured felt pens. (using colour will help you engage right brain creative thinking.
* some pleasing gently up-tempo music playing in the background. Could be jazz, reggae, whatever makes you feel upbeat and energised (rather than a meditation style calming) but not frantic. And best without words – or at least not lyrics that have strong associations to a particular subject or memory.
* an empty box to put some things in that you may need to transfer either to garbage bin or back into brain after process.

( I give theoretical examples for each one – but based on people I have shared this with , through work in the past or informally. The “friend of mine” is a mix of different people’s interpretations of this.)

PREPARATIONS AND HOW TO PLAY THIS GAMES!! use a fresh page for each step of the game or each topic. have some scribbling paper to brain storm on and then transer the ideas, words and images you like best onto each new page of your scrapbook or folder. take your time over it, for the course of a couple of days or so, and keep it light and playful rather than analytic. no right or wrong as it can continue to evolve over time ... just as you do and your life purpose does.
Ongoing process all the way through this…. Keep a part of your mind linked in to the idea of looking out for negative blocks on this. Should, can’t won’t what’s the point everybody says /thinks but I always… life always.. (screws up on me / knocks plans down on their ass anyway? Hands it to the smart people.. rich people, my sister, etc. Jot down words, images, symbols, or key phrases and stay relaxed about this – let’s imagine for now it’s only words or patterns not huge “issues”. If you get intense feelings with it, take a break. Or get up and do something else, stretch body, get mind else where then come back when ready. Put this piece of paper in your box. Now forget it. Tell yourself it’s out of the way taking a break and giving you one right now….
(my friends – “box it” list included things like I should get it together, what a klutz, and the word “frustrating.”)


PAGE ONE
Bring to mind three times in your life when you had a special, magical or peak experience…… and it doesn’t matter what it was and it doesn’t have to be anything extraordinarily beyond everyday world. Could be a time when you were: for example: *at an evening class and for the first time a new skill you had struggled to master suddenly started to click. Made you feel encouraged and adept. *a time when you were laughing with a group of friends and felt very easy and relaxed as you had all just come through a harder time. * the day you got married. (ok, great but not specific enough which part of the day was the real few peak moments? What was happening? What did it feel and look like?) So for each one, let yourself feel, see hear as much as will come to mind. This is where you can grab the pens and start drawing, scribbling jotting down words etc. that will help keep opening up imagination and memory to find the experiences that feel right to you.
1) Now – you might have a list of several different possible memories, Choose three – you don’t have to get this “right” – just any three that seem to have more appeal or stand out or make you smile more in the moment. Just like if you were choosing some clothes to wear that day - and you can wear something else another day. For your three memories, develop a series of pictures and words to describe what those experiences meant to you. Eg a person who had used the memory of getting the hang of a new skill at an evening class might have written….. excited. proud . satisfied. encouraged. relaxed. ambitious. competent. relieved. determined.
2) Now what is the one key word from each that most resonates? Say the words out loud if you want or draw them in coloured letters and notice which one seems to feel most right in your body.
( I am going to use “relaxed” for a friend who once told me he felt most relaxed when he was doing something and that when he achieved a new skill he always relaxed from an underlying worry that he was not going to be able to manage certain things, having had a tendency to be not co-ordinated or accident prone…)


PAGE TWO
1) Most important values in your work life? (e.g. conscientiousness (in following proper guidelines, procedures etc) ambition, achieving career success. Earning a living and keeping work in proper balance to home life. Tear down the system. Working co-operatively, working independently. Etc….. (try and think of real every day situations and experiences from work in thinking of ideas for this) This is private and about you – so not what you think is right, just what you think. Jot down – “jerking off” of you want to! It’s your list!
2) As above in terms of home and family life. (eg. Learning at home together as a family. Honesty. Self-sufficiency. Mutual support. Just being relaxed. Peace and quiet and a retreat. … not a family person, into my independence. Community living. etc
3) As above, with friendship and social contacts (eg, fun and adventure. Shared interests (sports, arts, travel, politics, etc.) Girls Nights Out. Someone to confide in and who trusts me. And so on….
** Get your box list scribbled out again and in the box. And chose one key word or phrase that resonates, from each of the three areas. My example, my friend said his values were: work: third world development. Home/ family; good parenting. (he was a half-time single parent) social contacts; local issues (he lived in an area where there were some racial and crime related tensions and neighbourhood projects and people were important to him) His box list included: *should quit studies, look for better paid work. * always worrying * waste of time and effort .

PAGE THREE
Keep this one very simple and fairly fluid and quick if you can – just whatever occurs to you with free association. Again, scribble with coloured pens and draw and jot words.
1) What you most want to take from the world
2) What you give to the world or could give. (no false modesty with self here!! It’s just you and the felt pens and paper which you can put away or tear up later! So what do you really feel?) Big or little? Eg; I am patient. Good at cooking. Can think logically. Observant. Military / technical/ academic background. (whatever.)
3) Wish for the world. Again whatever is your “thing” small or large and doesn’t have to be “world peace.” But could be. Eg: *slow down. * more urban graffiti and street art. * animal rights. * good manners and respect between people. * global economic development. * end of consumerist society. * more fashion sense. * better street lighting. (etc.) have deliberately included a few off beat ones in examples by way of creating mood of permission and possibility!!
Again, make your blocks and negatives list and get it in the box. My friends list included “don’t take things so seriously.” /That’s relevant only to tiny minority. / They would just laugh at me….
Now pick one word or phrase which most resonates, for each of the three points above. Again , just best own guess and gut feeling. My friends list: 1) a safe environment, reduced crime and less stress. 2) good at planning and thinking ahead. 3) end third world debt and child poverty.

NOW TAKE A BREAK - FOR AN HOUR OR UP UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY. AND DURING THAT TIME FOCUS ON COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THOUGHTS AND ACTIVITES. HOPEFULLY - EXTERNAL RATHER THAN INTERNAL FOCUS. LET THE IDEAS YOU HAVE GENERATED "SIMMER ON THE BACK-BURNER"

the second half of the game follows on next post.

xx have fun. eva day.