Halloween - trick or treat?

As soon as it got dark, the ghosties and ghouls came out in my neighbourhood. We had several little ghouls appear at our door this evening - not as many as previous years I have to add. I did note several parties organised for the kids locally, perhaps that's where they have all gone this year - to a pumpkin party? I have to say I was rather disappointed as the big kid within me enjoys the banter of the little ones who come tricking and treating. Great to see the parent witches dressed up for the occasion too!

It takes me back to days of apple bobbing, witches hat making and telling ghost stories with my brothers and sisters once upon a time. My lovely Dad would tell some great ghost stories ...

This evening I'm left with a surplus of chocolate - scary thought!
I'm not really sure what to do with it.

"Eat it ", I hear you say.
"I couldn't ", says my conscience.
"Ah well, maybe just a very little piece", says my sweet tooth.

Happy Halloween.

When the light goes out

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. Albert Schwietzer

Who has 'lighted the flame' within you recently?

What difference did that make to how you think and what you do?

Poetry - to enhance and entrance

http://www.frasersfotos.com/index.php

words stream past me poetry

twentieth-century rivers

disturbed surfaces reflecting clouds

reflecting wrinkled neon

(Adrienne Rich)

On Friday the Man and me took off to London, me with scribbling pad, he with camera. It was one of those beautiful autumn mornings, no work scheduled for the day so we took the opportunity to do 'something else'. My 'something else' was to visit the poetry library. Up until a few weeks ago I hadn't heard of the poetry library, so I was keen to check it out. It's based in The South Bank Centre and if you arrive in time for a sandwich lunch you may even be serenaded with great music for free! Though I can't guarantee this with every visit.

The poetry library is on the fifth floor of the Centre and it has a wealth of poetry books and collections. I can guarantee that you will find something there to stir and inspire the mind. In fact you don't even need to read from the written page. As I gazed out the window (between readings) the lines above by Adrienne Rich caught my eye. On a beautiful day, I enjoyed 'the reflecting clouds' and the time, the peace and the quiet to savour the words I read.

When I met the Man later, he had captured a few pictures which interestingly enough captured something of the essence of the day too. Did you know that Calliope was the Muse of Poetic Inspiration?

I noted a comment from DW Grubb's poetry collection, (The Memory of Rooms)

" ...Poets deaths get mentioned, seldom their entrances, rarely their authority as change-agents, enhancers, entrancers".

I hadn't really thought about the poet as a change -agent, enhancer and entrancher. I like that.

Flying in for lunch

This week a buzzard flew in for lunch. I must confess I was most surprised to see him. I suspected that the bird table had attracted him in, but no, I was wrong. He arrived with a takeaway, one he had obviously plucked fresh from the sky. He reminded me of a busy person (maybe me?) who grabs a quick sandwich and travels from somewhere to somewhere else at speed, one who doesn't have time to sit down to taste the sandwich or linger over the accompanying cup of coffee.

So he sat in our garden and unpacked his sandwich of grey feathers and slowly and surely feasted in a fashion quite befitting of one used to fine dining in urban gardens. We gazed at him in amazement from the study window, not making a sound, merely wondering which of us was going to clear the table when he had gone!

And guess who drew the short straw?

Autumnal playtime

Sometimes the days move along so quickly.

I can't believe that we are in the month of October already - 'the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' (To Autumn. John Keats)... but here we are and I have to say that I do enjoy the lovely season of autumn. Today I have particularly enjoyed scrunching my way through the fallen leaves in the local park.

Sometimes it's good to let the child within us have a little play now and again.

When does the child within you come out to play?