winter whispers

the trees bristle
under
a mantle of crispy fur-like frost
that came
over
the last day and
under
the cover of this night,

frazzled
- or even electrified in posture
the leafless twigs reach
up and into
the changeling sky

like elongated miniature cats' tails
that've been stroked
backwards
or as if inhabited by queuing
Albino spitfire caterpillars

my morning is spent looking
upwards

at the stark contrast of
moody trunks,
over haughty, ice-crowned branches
against the residual
night
fighting the glow of
dawn

the chill day break surprises
each rhythmic breath i take;
minty-fresh
vibrant
spicy

i blink away tiny shard-like flakes,
still the tears stream
and grow instantly cool on my cheeks

my feet, snug in their Mizuno cocoons,
slip now and then.
the white cold eventually bites my toes
and sticks to the cuffs of my
trackie dax

hooray, i whisper to no one in particular

winter is come

I'm an auntie again!

On Wednesday 7 November, a little baby boy came into the world who has charmed me through the airwaves with his mysteriously long fingers that I'm determined to turn into ten tinklers of ivory.

As yet unnamed, our nephew is the very lucky brother for Mary and cherished son for Melanie and Lance.

Congratulations lovely Tyers family!

The baby brother has a name now - it's Thomas Paschal Tyers. Lovely little thing!

Letting go and giving thanks

I've finally started to learn how to stop things I've started.

Well, it began with my new job a few of weeks ago ... many people work part-time.
Because of this, there is sometimes a need to just let things wait until people come back and pick up what they call here "the red thread".

It's a real and refreshing change from the relentless push of constant deadlines, almost zealous dedication and an inability to divorce the personal life from the professional one (ah, ad-land).

And so, I just do things as they come. At work, at home. (We had store bought quiche with home-made stuffed mushrooms for dinner tonight. No worries, no need to make everything myself.)

Call it an excuse (!) but basically this means that I didn't write a novel this month. Not this November.

However, I did write two songs.

Two songs that I actually like and feel proud of; two songs I have performed to my Eddie of course, and can sing on the way to work. Two songs I may record one of these days (thanks to the kind offer of my piano teacher and her partner).

Letting things go can mean that new things come along to replace them.

For this I'm so very thankful.