Various stones of knickers and music

I've been away at Chagstock (foolishly taking no photos) for a few days of outdoors family jollity. It was Pickle's first festival (although she's an old hand at camping) and she loved the big puppets, the hula hooping, the noise, the lights and best of all was learning to 'Aaaarrr' every time she saw a pirate (which happened a lot as that was the theme). In fact, she got so good at it, and currently has such piratical teeth (few, not black) that a soft-hearted stallholder gave her a pirate flag which she delighted in waving in my face for the rest of the day. I truly love the rhythm of my everyday life, but it's so refreshing to drop routines sometimes. There were challenges (try taking a toddler into a portaloo and preventing them from touching the sides), but my fear that she'd crawl out of our beloved bell tent in the night proved unfounded - of course she just crawled onto my chest.

So, sleep-deprived, sun-kissed and happy, I have for you  a whole clutch of stones to sort through and feel the shapes of. I hope you find one that fits your palm.

That first time

As she staggers -

bump - up -

staggers over the field, 

young buzzards

take tiny loops of -

dip - swoop -

loops of flight from the hedge.

We mothers hover, cheering -

cautioning - congratulating -

cheering them on.

The Band

The band pours all over us.

Pensioners abandon stick-stools

and leap and clap and yell.

Teenagers waiting for a different sound

play cards at the back of the tent.

Babies in ear defenders

slump on shoulders

or sleep in scattered stars

across the trampled grass.


Keep your sunsets
A happy, sleeping child.
You can keep your sunsets;
I could gaze all night.

Knickers and Lego

My husband dreamed he was buying me knickers

but got distracted by free Lego.

Then he awoke in a house with

more Lego than decent knickers.

And at last the sun

And at last the sun

highlights my heart.

And then I remember

And then I remember

I make the rules for myself.

And in breaking them

I am offered new patterns.

Almost a rockery

Desperation

The gods
drop crumbs
from their table.
I eat them.
I am lost.


Lies

If it was only
other people
who told me lies,
I would barely
mind at all.


Rain

Rain worms through my dreads.
Carefully, I split my skin,
clavicle to pubis,
opening so the water worms
can make compost of my history
and I can start afresh.


Waiting

Waiting
for something worth stating
...
...
...
frustrating.


Magic

As I sculpt words and colour
to call magic into our home,
my husband simply
builds a door for it to enter.


Patience

If you are lucky,
the patience of the healthy
is in a negative correlation
to the health of the patient.

Stones, Earth, Water and A Message From My Daughter

I've been busy. This is Earth, the next piece for my current collection. Stylistically, it is a close sibling of Yes!, but also it is the start of an elements set. Didn't plan to create a set for this exhibition, but that's what's happening.

Earth

Brush pen on canvas

5" x 7"

Here's a sidelong glance at its edges (well, one of them) and some background stuff which I liked too much to crop away.

 

This is the second in the set, Water. I've got the colours as close to real life as I could,  but you can see the complex flow of it. My eyes were rebelling by the end. By my next post I will hopefully have finished Air and you'll see why my mind has been addled by looking at it for too long.

Water

Brush pen on canvas

5" x 7"

A River of Stones has launched its second challenge to fully notice, then write, one small moment/stone every day for a month. Here are my first two stones:

1st

 

From my window

All is bees on roses,

A buzzard in blue,

And green and green and green.

If this isn't heaven,

I don't want to go.

This Morning's Adventure

Tottering in first shoes, I see

A blackbird puffed with death,

A wiggly worm on the road.

We wave our shadow hands.

My legs buckle,

I swing by one arm.

I am carried home,

Telling it all in my own tongue.

And finally, a message from my daughter: