Tuesday, 30 April 2019

Cloud King

As the cloud king ascended the steps to his throne, he turned around and looked back at the world that he was about to leave behind. As he paused to rest his arm on the ramparts, he turned to look at his friend below.
‘Are you sure you don’t want to join me?’ he said. ‘The adventure’s going to be greater than what’s going on around here. There are great opportunities for development. You get to travel all over the globe as often as you like without the need for airports; and you can also put the world to rights by spreading karma to wrong-doers.’
‘But what about the folk you’re leaving behind?’
‘Well, there’s too much worry for that. Becoming elemental is a lot less bothersome; and if your family can carry on without missing you too much then it’s a win-win situation. It’s time to get blown away.’

Monday, 29 April 2019

The Night before the Morning After #Titannabell 4

From the top of the castle tower, Olivia had access to some startling views. Not only was the castle situated at the highest point of the Kingdom, it was very close to some of the Kingdom’s borders too. One thing that the children were told about but were never permitted to visit was the giant kingdom beyond. But on this night of all nights, all Olivia wanted to do was just get away. Because of all the extra lessons, she felt that she had no-one to confide in. No-one would notice; they would be much too busy making their own preparations. And so, as soon as the thuds of castle life became less and frequent, she slipped out into the darkness wearing nothing but her nightgown. And there, with the freedom of glass clenched in her toes, she ran across the border into the giant kingdom, pausing outside a large cave for some rest.

Sunday, 28 April 2019

Message in the Mirror

I’ve been trapped in limbo for a long time now. I know not of how I got here; I know only of my being. There is very little means of escape in this cold, compressed world. I’m forced against a window, devoid of all movement and my only motion is to look out into the reality beyond. My only hope is to send a message to the other side. In deep water it’s never revealed as the bottom of their world must come first. After all, there’s the land which they haven’t fully explored. But in the shallow where they dare not tread in fear of greasing their feet lies herein my greatest hopes. Here I have a chance to capture their eye and hope that for one moment that someone must take a risk and frisk their way into our unknown plane. Who will spot the difference between worlds? And who will come forward and try to cross between them?

Saturday, 27 April 2019

Space Travel

I’ve always wondered that if I jump straight up into the area while everything around me is moving, I will land in a different position to that of where I took off from. I’ve tried it on a quiet evening train where I can just straight up in the aisles, but I always land in the same place. Science will tell me that because I’m already travelling inside the train at the same speed, I will be travelling at the same velocity no matter how high I jump. I suppose that if I stood on top of the train and jumped; it would be a different matter because of the air resistance against me. As I’m unlikely to fulfil that opportunity, I’ll have to pay more attention to the movies. In the meantime, I could try it out at the gym on a running machine; though I’ll have to wait for a quiet session and hope that I don’t break the machine or damage myself in the process.

Friday, 26 April 2019

Poems Published in 1842 with an Introduction by A.M.D Hughes

Poems Published in 1842. with an Introd. and Notes by A.M.D. HughesPoems Published in 1842. with an Introd. and Notes by A.M.D. Hughes by Alfred Tennyson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

What a crashing bore this Hughes must have been. He’s edited this book in such a way in so that it only appeals to academics. His actual introduction to the life of Tennyson does give a good insight to the man behind the poems. It’s also not clear as to why the author selected 1842 or whether he has published volumes in other years. Now I’ve got to go and look for a set. The book itself is not an easy one to browse. If you’re looking for a particular poem, first you have to browse which contents page to read before scrolling through to find the page number for the poem itself. There’s also an index of first lines. What use is that in today’s society? But the final nail in the coffin is Hughes’s appendix. As well as notes; there’s a separate appendix of different versions of the poems. Even if you did want to compare versions through the ages; you still have to go to the front of the book to re-browse the contents page to find the poem again. A small footnote under each poem would have been much more useful. Still, it’s nice to have a musty old book on the shelves that you can say that you’ve actually read; even if it did take three months.

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Thursday, 25 April 2019

Car-jacking #dreamdiary 76

I’ve taken Mum to the historic city of Oxford to do some shopping in my old Fiesta Zetec. We’ve arrived early to avoid the traffic and get a good spot in the city car park. We come back to the car to find that the car park’s absolutely rammed and some idiot has parked too close to the passenger side so that she can’t get in. Other idiots are whizzing around the car park at break-neck speeds looking for a place to park and Mum fears for her safety. I back out of the space and find a safe place where she can get into the car. It’s that busy that she ends up diving into the back seat to avoid being run over. I get out of the car to pick up Her shopping bags and put them into the boot. As I close it, my front door shuts too. I walk to the front of the car and there’s a young Chinese woman sitting in the driver’s seat. I open the car door and pull her out. A passing toff thinks that I’ve car-jacked her and tries to intervene. The Chinese woman runs off while the toff keeps telling me that I’m on camera. I tell him that it’s my car and he can call the police if he wants. He then comments on my parking which I explain that I only stopped to pick someone up. He walks off and disappears into a nearby historic building.

Wednesday, 24 April 2019

King of the Castle

So here I am, King of the Castle at one of my all-time local favourite places to visit. It’s reflective; it’s got a castle; and you’re rewarded with views when you reach the top. But there’s no throne, servants, or minions yet; I guess that I’ve still got to earn those. But I doubt that those clouds are going to be in the same position every day. And of course, you must visit it at the right time for those quiet serene moments. It is after all a park for all. I’ve since had visions of returning to the park for constitutionals on a regular basis, but it hasn’t happened yet. I really wanted to continue exploring the pack and head over to the war monument, but my friend was knackered. And our map wasn’t that accurate; it was a struggle itself just to find the castle. So therein ended my reign. Maybe another day.