A: (reading newspaper) That's Sandie Shaw - who's she married to?

B: Rocky Beach? (pause) That's a joke, by the way.

Things put up with the doll, none of them love it, we might imagine that the table throws it down, scarcely have we withdrawn our glance, before it is lying once more on the floor.

(Rilke, Some Reflections on Dolls)

*

Pictures of the tiny doll repair shop just on the corner of Via del Vantaggio in Rome. The old woman was just closing up as we walked past. I noticed an old black and white photo of Roman Polanski stuck to the wall inside.

Today

I cleared out three bookshelves in the bedroom and then re-arranged the books upstairs.

Absurd sense of accomplishment accompanied by an exhilarating feeling of cleansing.

Like finally having a hair cut.

(Which I also did).

14. Like Proust be an old teahead of time

What about this? Yesterday's posting from Rob in Australia and today a delivery of tea. (Oddly enough, from Rob in Bristol!).

Iron Goddess and Silver Needle - the names alone entice.

As for "drinking tea calms you and those around you" - let's say the jury is still out on that one ...

Anyway, the POETRY = TEA system of exchange is one I'm very happy to continue.

_____

Post heading from Kerouac's Belief & Technique for Modern Prose

This is the kind of thing that makes me very happy ...





... a small envelope that arrived today containing examples of work from Rob Grant. Assuming he sent it on Saturday (yes ?) that's pretty damn quick from Australia.

Two super little books of asemic writings and - great idea! - stickers and 'faux' stamps. The execution of everything is top drawer and puts my more ham-fisted efforts in the shade.

& further to yesterday's post - another justification for Blogging.

As I'm waiting for files to transfer onto the iPod I might as well do a post.

What's loading?

• Eleni Karaindrou The Weeping Meadow
• My Bloody Valentine Loveless
• FURT plus equals
• Chris Burn's Ensemble Navigations

It's been a day spent writing & reading - Shakespeare & Berrigan Sonnets, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Leslie Scalapino texts in pdf. Already my mind is turning to what I might teach & how to go about it. It's like a virus.

*

"It's always the ones you'd gladly hear more of who know the value of doing less" (written about Robert Wyatt in a back issue of The Wire)

A statement to bear in mind in this - the one thousandth - post on the Blog. (Although I'm probably flattering myself to think there's many out there that'd care one way or the other.)

Perhaps it's the time to say thanks to anyone who has been reading & particularly those who've posted Comments, given encouragement & generally kept the thing afloat. I'd no idea which direction I was going in when I began and not much more of an idea now (perhaps not a bad thing). However one thing has led to another & I've met some interesting people along the way & re-encountered a Walrus. & maybe there are some shy people out there who drop by & I never know.

I'm still in two (at least) minds about Blogging but it seems to serve a purpose for the time being - if only as a hub for the book-making & other stuff. (:nfold:ngs went out yesterday, by the way).

As the late, great John Ebdon used to sign off on the radio:

if you have been - thanks for listening ...

Just finished rereading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Relished every page of it.

Production has slowed of late & so here's a way of getting the presses turin (Turin? Italy on the brain ...) turning again. More on the Sticky Pages site.

another find

Notebook Fetishism (ii)

(from a notebook written while waiting for the train to London 29/6/2010)

Notebook Fetishism

After a request from our correspondent in Cheshunt, here are some pages from various notebooks that are on the go/stalled/ etc..

& as the old playground adage goes : I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours ...