Asthall Manor

Tags

Alconleigh, Asthall Manor, BBC drama, childhod home, Mitford sisters, Oxfordshire, Pursuit of Love

Photo by Candia Dixon-Stuart

Windrush Washing

Tags

Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, Little Barrington, washing, Windrush valley

Photo by Candia, taken in the Windrush Valley.

Pandemic Eye Test

Tags

Covid, eye test, face mask, optician, pandemic

Weird to say the least!

Photo by Candia’s optician, Charlotte.

Komorebi

Tags

Impressionism, komorebi, nystagmus, parasols, pixels, Pointillist

Wikimedia- Madame Monet and her son

Another leftover poem from my series a couple of years ago.

Komorebi is

a word for dappled light seen

under, or through trees.

The Impressionists caught it

in flickering strokes,

or in Pointillist pixels.

Women’s parasols

shielded them from nystagmus.

Wide-brimmed hats stilled the dancing

tones’ fluctuations.

Yet the bare-headed shimmer

and they scintillate

with the mirage of brief youth

and half-realisation.

Pointless Things

Tags

concrete operational, fascinators, list poem, pet hates, Pillow Book, Sei Shonagon, trout pout

I think I wrote this poem based on an entry in The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon,

which was a list of ugly things. I tried to bring it up to date with pet hates of the

20th and 21st century.

Juxtaposing hair

which is unkempt with fine clothes;

a fascinator

on a helmet-like mullet;

hand-made paper spoiled

by spidery handwriting;

low-cut brides kneeling

in front of praying vicars;

presenting logic to the

concrete operational,

who try to pretend

that they understand;

a trout-pout selfie taken

by a narcissist – tramp-stamped,

and no Spring chicken either.

 

 

 

Integrity

Tags

fourteen lines, graciousness, honour, integrity, Japanese poetry, visiting friends

About two years ago I was experimenting with using Japanese poetic

frameworks and was trying to paraphrase and utilise poetry from the Tale

of Genji etc, but attempting to re-phrase the little cameos in my own words. 

This poem seems to have been left out, so I offer it to you now.

Sometimes you visit,

unexpectedly, a friend

and you stumble on

evidence of graciousness.

No show is put on:

it is their habitual

way of doing things.

It reflects nobility.

Even if you were to spy

on them, you would find

they’d behave in the same way.

they’re true to themselves,

whether they are being watched,

or not.  It’s integrity.

Unicorn

Tags

christmas ornament, close observation, discovery, happenstance, magic, Sculpture, serendipity, simple pleasure, unicorn, value, worth

Went to a sculpture exhibition this week where some exhibits were tens of

thousands of pounds.

At the end, I wandered into the field where we had parked and saw a table

with plants, which I mistakenly thought might be for sale.

In the bushes beside the table was this little magical object- plastic- attached to

a fir branch which might have been part of an old discarded Xmas tree.

I actually had as much pleasure in serendipitously discovering and

photographing this small talisman, worth about 5p!

Photo by Candia Dixon-Stuart

Build Me Up, Buttercup!

Tags

Buttercup, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, Klimt, Lechlade, Oxfordshire border, Thames path, water meadow

Today’s pick-me-up perambulation

Photo by Candia Dixon-Stuart

Pheasants

Tags

acrylic painting, changing one's mind, game birds, pheasants, self-criticism

When you paint over a previous painting as you no longer rate it! Then you wish that you hadn’t?

Acrylic painting by Candia Dixon-Stuart

wraptious.com/competition

One of my designs

You have to leave a like on the site, not on here! Thanks!

Hi, dear followers!

This week I won an art competition and so, fired up with success, I have entered

5 of my designs on the above site.

The prize is to be taken on as a designer on their site- they produce cushions,

prints, etc etc

For every sale they plant 3 trees.

Now, I am not expecting anyone to buy anything, but the prize is awarded

according to ‘likes’ on your mocked- up product, not on any sales. In fact, I

believe that they produce the competitors’ products for the duration of the

competition, but only the 3 prize-winners are taken on permanently.

I entered 5 of my designs to see how they would do. I do not have a very

big Facebook following- deliberately, but I wondered if some of my wordpress

readers would take a look and give me some likes.

I do not really like these systems and would rather just be judged by a panel,

but it seems it is the way things are handled.

If you can’t be bothered, that’s fine!

Wraptious only register the likes on their Facebook site at facebook.com/wraptious/posts/4204537399608686

The number code is for my designs, under the name Marion Bond

Thanks, guys!