Thoughts Provoked

http://sharingthejourney.co.uk/writing/blog-building/how-to-beat-the-blogging-blues/


A good sensible blog for introspection - although I'm feeling I am co-operating far more with the universe right now than it is with me, shades of the president and his opposition.

Good Intentions

This morning I doled out sage household advice to my violet-eyed sister (who was whacked in the eye by her own stove) and it rebounded onto me so I have been bottoming areas untouched for years.

First I cut and primed new trim to replace the rotten piece on the South-East corner Elly had pointed out to me, then I scraped and primed the end of the roof beam which had sported a strange standing pipe (to hold a flag?). In the fullness of time I want to carve a figurehead and mount it there, but priming exposed wood is a good modest way to start.

I scoured myself, bedding, all towels etc to get rid of all traces of Disease, vacuumed and all that normal stuff, so here I am at lunch time with really, very little to show for it. All I have done is get to stasis. Disheartening.

Intentions:
Sort my two large laundry hampers of fabrics and textiles
Clean out my kitchen drawers since they seem to be filling up with fluff and crumbs
Get all my books in one place
Cull magazines, again
Get all my CDs in one place

Sick

I'm sick and it is so boring. I have marinated myself in warm saline which seems to have done some good, but I won't go out until tomorrow, keep it to myself.

I have sewn the side seams of Blaze's curtains but the tops need grommets, close to one hundred of them, so I need to wait til she is back to check on size and colour. Actually that is an excuse.

And we were doing so well.

To Conjure with: Dionysius and his Names

Aigobolos (slayer of goats)
Agrios (wild one)
Aisymnetes (elected monarch, judge)
Akratophoros (of unmixed wine)
Aktaios (of the seacoast)
Anax (lord)
Anthios (god of all blossoming things)
Anthroporraistes (slayer of men)
Areion (martial one)
Arretos (ineffable)
Arsenothelys (man-womanly)
Auxites (bringer of growth)
Bassareus (fox god, Thracian)
Botryophoros (bearer of grape clusters)
Briseus (son of the nymphs)
Bromios (boisterous)
Charidotes (giver of grace)
Choreutês (dancer)
Chthonios (subterranean)
Dasullios (of the thicket, wild-wood)
Dendrites (of the tree)
Dikerotes (two-horned)
Diphyes (two-natured)
Dithyrambos (of the dithyrambic hymn)
Diwonusojo (Linear B)
Druphoros (oak-bearer)
Eiraphiotes (insewn)
Eleuthereus (emancipator)
Endendros (tree)
Eriphios (goat kid)
Euanthes (fair blossoming)
Eubouleus (good counselor)
Euios (from the ritual cry)
Hagnos (pure, holy)
Hues (of moisture)
Hugiates (dispenser of health)
Iackhos (crier, caller)
Iatros (healer)
Isodaites (divider of sacrificial meat)
Katharsios (he who releases)
Kissobryos (ivy-wrapped)
Kissokomes (ivy-crowned)
Kissos (ivy)
Korymbophoros (cluster-laden)
Kresios (Cretan)
Kryphios (hidden, secret)
Lampteros (torch-bearer, of lights)
Leibenos (of libations)
Lenaios (of the wine press)
Liknites (in the liknon)
Limnaios (of the marsh)
Luaeus (he who frees)
Lusios (liberator)
Mainomenos (frenzied)
Manikos (mad one)
Mantis (prophet, seer)
Meilikhios (mild, gentle)
Melanaigis (he of the black goatskin)
Melpomenos (harp-singer)
Morychos (dark one)
Nyktelios (nocturnal)
Nyktiphaês (night-illuminating)
Nyktipolos (night prowler)
Omadios (of the raw feast)
Omestes (feeds on raw flesh)
Orthos (the erect)
Pelagios (of the sea)
Perikionios (of the column)
Ploutodotês (bestower of riches)
Polyeides (of many images)
Polygethes (bringer of many joys)
Polymorphos (many formed)
Polyonomos (many named)
Polyparthenos (of many maidens)
Protogonos (first born)
Protrugaios (feast before the vintage)
Psilax (winged)
Pyrigenes (fire born)
Sannion (wagging one)
Skêptouchos (scepter-bearer)
Soter (savior)
Sphaleotas (he who causes stumbling)
Staphylos (the grape)
Sukites (of the fig tree)
Taurokeros (bull horned)
Taurophagos (bull devourer)
Tauropôn (bull faced)
Teletarches (lord of initiations)
Thriambos (of the triumphal hymn)
Thullophoros (bearer of boughs)
Thuoneus (son of Thyone-Semele)
Thursophoros (thyrsus bearer)
Trigonos (thrice-born)
Zagreus (hunter)

Maenads

It had never occurred to me that in my lifetime I would find myself treading grapes to make wine - and a sensuous experience it is too. Four ladies after a good lunch, first dancing on the grapes we harvested that morning, then on to earlier batches which were warm and slightly effervescent and left our legs richly coloured.

Felix and Liz were filming with me; Stefan and Will were shooting Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. Can't wait to see how all our film turned out.

A Typhoon and Autumn

The past few days we have been able to revel in the exuberance of autumn, a cool buffeting breeze when we walk along the bay, at a good pace because we are not lethargic with heat. I love the feeling of my clothes on my body, the urge to make soup, the smell of woodsmoke again and today blessed rain, the tail end of a typhoon in Japan, who would have thought.

Yesterday the marina was busy with people battening down the hatches, and I took in the summer cushions from the deck, unhooked my ropes of buoys and painters since they bang in a high wind, finally put boxes and the pole-cam base into the store room, stored the umbrella, folded the chairs, all with a busy, joyful heart like Little Grey Rabbit. We saw the fields laid bare and waste, my sisters.

Axina's Hedgehog

Prepare to say awwwww....



All the way from Gothenburg.

Aw, Shucks

The Oyster Feast.

A Secret Parcel

My mum had been hinting that something would arrive soon, and it would be a surprise and it certainly was- my father's old sailing apron, decorated all over with nautical flags! The one by one kind with gnomic messages like 'I am dragging my anchor'. Useful.

I shall give it a little love then take a photo.

A Glorious Walk

A fierce wind blew yesterday and left the air crisp and cool, so we walked up to the ridge but north over it and back along past the horses and tall sequoias on Main Drive. Bliss is made of simple things.

Tea this afternoon with William and brilliant chocolate cake, so thin soup tonight, and up before six tomorrow to take Elly to meet the Yosemite bus.