Being There

(The Movie clip was removed due to unknown objections and replaced by clips of hostage,middle east problems, which are not apt to this blog and of which offers no opinion on the foresaid.)

I love this movie, I love all the underlying deep sentiments, dear Peter Sellars at his best.

I met someone when I was travelling that reminded me so much of the character of "Chance"

He was sweeping the leaves in a cemetary, talking to all that passed by, a friend knew him and we stopped to pass a few words. and later he appeared in a bar we were in, when he opened his purse he had no money to buy a coffee, and ask us to lend him the money. Lend no, invite yes.

I was really very touched by this meeting, as I am still by the film.

In every aspect of life we meet inspiration.

The show must go on

When I was travelling recently, I wa staying in this small village, quiet, tranquil..........until I discovered a bar called Azur, A small entrance that entices you in, mainly out of curiosity. The walls were covered with photos of exotic people, with a television screen showing an everchanging array of photos.

Enter and you enter another world, and what these brothers did not know about music, left much to be desired. I was given a disc of Freddie Mercury, thank you for that. The villagers call the bar and their owners, the bohemians.

Friendly,bohemian,rare,exotic but most of all nice, in a confused world.

I loved it

Trading Places

Here I am still sharing thoughts from my travels even though I am back home.

How changing the environment triggered my inspiration, it took a few days to clear but when it did, I renewed old ideas, and revised those that were tired.The air is fresh at the top of the peaks of europa, a little chilly but great to awaken a sleeping mind.

The silence, the view.......the vertigo!! No really a place for me to spend a few days and write, a few hours , ok, but days .....no way. I am more inspired by the sea and its whisperings.

My notebook had started to fill, and that I liked.

Ticket to ride

Long gaps between posts, shame on me, zapped in the summer of inspiration I decided to take a change of scenery. Well I have been away, I bought a "ticket to ride" travelling, searching secrets amidst the hills,mountains,forests and sea of nothern Spain. The airline must have sensed my desperation for inspiration as they arrived 30 mins earlier than schedule. I embedded myself in a small village built into the cliffs...and full of surprises. Old men of the sea that reel out tales, of days gone by, as many now have no work. (yes, swashbucklers of days gone by)

Fir trees of dark green, that run down onto the beach creating a contrast with the white sand,blue seas and skies. Nature at its finest.

And it worked, my notebook on returning is nearly full, and my digi camera card is full too.

Hard days night

It´s been a hard days night and I´ve been working like a dog.............well thats how the song goes but for me it is more like "I´ve been sitting with the dogs!"
I hear you cringe, but it is true, It´s been a while, the summer sun and constant stream of visitors fractured my creativity. I, possibly like most others are at their most creative when they are alone.
I have spent the last days getting to know myself again, I mean my creative streak. sitting in the room where I work, surrounded by all the clutter that I love so dearly. Listening to chill out sounds in the candlelight. It´s taken time to persuade my creative side to return, but it has now and I welcome it.

Also a big welcome to those who visit this site

Silence is golden

Ah, but is it? I think so....I love to hear the sound of silence, its been a while....no excuses...lots going on, lots of stress....after all it is the time when people visit, ooh and when people visit so having 2 night owls sleeping all day in my office makes it difficult to work, along with the constant stream of dirty cups and plates. Still its better not to moan because I enjoyed seeing them, these are my 2 sons and I supposed I should have been used to the array of jeans and shoes all over the place.....its a compliment..they may be adult but I am still mum, who picks up the pieces behind them. Loved seeing them, and loving having my creative silence back again.

Listen to the sound of silence and the quiet tap tap of the keyboard late into the night.

Paperback writer

Yes thats me, sitting in the hospital cafeteria waiting to be recalled for another scan.So as always out comes the trusty notebook and pen and I begin to scribble thoughts and ideas. I am surrounded by noise and movement but it doesn´t bother me.

I am lost in my little book full of precious writings (precious to me)

I think when I am recalled in 2 hours I will have filled several pages. At times I am More productive if I am away from my workroom and laptop.

Fresh surroundings,experience and new writings. Can´t be bad.......

Summer visits

Why is it that in summer people arrive unannounced on a surprise visit? twice in the last month and I feel like being unsociable...I am down to two pups, with two to go. Not that I want them to but they occupy a lot of time. So whereas I was doing great and only needed to put things together, I am sorry to say ...haven´t had time, and it looks like it will get worse, ouch!
My writing calls me me as I lay in my bed at night, and I long for an uninterrupted moment to reunite with all that is held in my laptop.

Hurdy Gurdy

Busy,busy,bust that´s me. The pups have now learnt to escape from Alcatraz, (their enormous box) So inbetween chasing them around with a mop...I write and write. I think I now have sufficient for my book, apart from the organisation and the illustrations, which are not all yet complete. Give me three days of peace and tranquility- without the interruption of household chores, television and telephones.....and I could move mountains and end up with a finished product!

Namaste

Dog Day Afternoon

Well it has been a while, and lots has happened, the flu finally died and I got my brain back. I´m writing with passion, the ideas flow. My dear dog had her pups, first litter and not a clue but as I helped I couldn´t help but be amazed by how wonderful is nature and the act of life..ok call me sentimental, but she had three boys within 2 hours and the very next day 14hours later came the little girl, Lola....I don´t know about you but I call that a miracle! she survived, she´s small but healthy. Each time I look at them, i feel such joy and I go back to my office and write. Miracle or not we have good karma in the house and good karma makes for good writing

Flu Jab

It has been a grey day day on the auspicious words front, having had several non productive ,uninspired days caused by some extremely volatile and super contagious flu bug, that shows no signs of leaving. (I am beginning to think the "masked lady" at the hospital was not some paranoid excentric)

The demands of everyday life became a burdon, and all I wanted to do was rest and write, neither of which was possible at this time. It´s a grey day because it´s now day five and no reprieve, I close my eyes and I am lost in a grey fog, I open my eyes to a monochrome photo, distorted by a fish eye lens. Ah! but tomorrow is another day and hopefully tinges of rose will brighten the day, as this bionic bug subsides a little. So much for having had the flu jab again this year. But I am not alone, for sure there´s many others out there suffering the same. Sniff.

Anyone seen "House"?

Where was Dr House?

There I was on Tuesday sitting in the accident and emergency waiting area. Not for me I hasten to add, I have had more than my fair share of hospital, but this time I was accompanying a friend, who had been whisked off for some tests.Interesting places hospital waiting areas, everyone eyeing each with suspicion. Here I hear you ask what can be so interesting? well it´s interesting if you write and there is always the possibility that something or someone will inspire you. Looking for characters, well take your pick and invent a history behind each one. Not only does it pass the time but you might get something useful to use in whatever your writing. Me I keep all character ideas in a note book.

In the space of 90 minutes I had met an old aquaintance, a gay man that sadly had had the**** kicked out of him,he sat with 3 broken ribs,a broken shoulder and a face so swollen I hadn´t recognised him at first.

I watched as a lady sat down and fished in her bag for a mask, she looked around then put it on?

Three men of the same nationality, but unknown to each other sat with arms in slings, this made me think?? My partner calls me nosy but I just think I am inquisitive. Each person that interested me I wrote about in my notebook ready to be expanded into a character.

Please note here, I am not making fun about anyone, and when I considered my friend I was and still remain horrified.

For sure the character of Dr House was taken from someones experience in a hospital or whatever.

All I am saying is that in everywalk of life is a story waiting to be told

Canned Heat

Doesn´t the sun make you want to write or create? It really fills me with energy and inspiration and the desire to get things together. However intense heat claws back some of my progress, it makes me extremely tired ,especially when it is oppresive and without air. We have these things called Calima, it becomes extremely hot and there is little wind, and sand from the Sahara just sits in the air, and the sky remains grey, they cause many respiratory problems. we have just had two weeks more or less of on off Calima.

The last few days the sky has turned blue, the air is fresh and the sun is shining,and no oppresive heat.

I have had two really good days, the sun melted the words that were frozen in my head, out they dripped word by word, flowing like a brook into a stream. Filling my hard disk with many thoughts and revisions.

The headaches have stopped, and yes I am writing again.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

The headaches persist, but I think its the stress of find uncomplicated time to write. I have been working on my book, pulling it together, editing, thinking about presentation and being totally unsociable, haven´t left the house for 5 days, but it is a choice I have to make. If I go out I´m gone for hours, stopping off to chat with people on the way, and spending more money than I can afford at this time. If there are any aspiring writers out there, I know you must be in the same path. However when I see things start to come together I am happy, and happiness is food for the soul. I hope you all had a good easter.

Hello,Goodbye

Absence: Ah! she´s writing at last!!

Absence: She´s given up??!!

Neither is true, I have been writing a little, but I have been suffering with terrible headaches
, so the lap top was definately a no go zone.

For many days I wondered if my blogged missed me as much as I missed it...

The headaches have subsided a little, so I decided to show a presence and not an abandoned site.

So on with the show.

I never can say goodbye! Keep reading

Instant Karma

Sorry I´ve been absent. I have had a terrible week, a swollen mouth and to end it all my house keys disappeared off the table yesterday and I haven´t found them. I haven´t gone out and tomorrow I must to prepare a talk at the language school. I even got the surgical gloves out and had all the dustbin out, for sure my neighbours thought,that the excentric english woman next door had lost it.

My story has not been returned, and my book is screaming out from neglect. How can I get in such a mess? I have spent the whole week running in circles and achieving nothing. What is it that causes me to have a mind full of words and ideas and not advance? This week a headless chicken had nothing on me.

Someone is rattling my Karma and would they please STOP IT!

Lost in Translation

Well I couldn´t exactly give up could I. Had to have one last go. Another friend took the now wilting story, in an attempt to regain the feel and passion of the story, did not return with it, doesn´t answer the phone or e.mails....she´s really very busy and my submission date passed.

Lost in translation.

Silly Me.

Another brick in the wall!

There are days when I could scream, and this is one of them...It couldn´t be done, the story that is,. No I did not throw it into some dark lonely corner in my desk, I read it again, and again, and...again!!! I still believe in it..but now it´s too late, so I save its precious feelings and put it in the file of many untold short stories. RIP until one day the sun may shine apon you again.

My heart sunk....

My heart sunk as I read it again, amended again and translated again, only to find there is no way this story will be in Spanish and still have the same feel and sentiment. Both I and the story have lost the plot. Ah so be it, let it rest awhile in some darkened corner on my desk

English-Spanish- No comprendo

It´s done! complete! finished. well not completly. As I said my written spanish leaves a lot to be desired, and so its away with a friend for checking. I did not use the notes for a story that I had because I could not shorten it without losing the feel, so it will wait but I wrote another, the notes for which I had written in 20minutes, an idea that just came into my head. However I wrote it first in English, and on translating it to spanish it has lost something. Maybe I should give up writing in spanish??

Disciplines

One of my disciplines is to annually enter a short story competition, do I hear you say easy??

Yes I like to enter because sometimes I enjoy writing shorter texts, but still find it hard to say all I want in the realms of six pages. So it is a discipline of meeting a deadline, keeping to the number of pages......and here´s where it gets difficult. Write it in Castillano (Spanish) and although I can speak the language, writing it is not so easy.

Typically I always leave it until the last weeks before settling down and writing, firstly in English then into Spanish, but some how it loses the flow, it does not come across the same. Maybe I should write it first in Spanish...difficult and impossible. So here we are two weeks to go, and I have started, Last year I entered a rather strange love story, but this year it going to be a spiritual story, the notes are already waiting. Time to go

I surrender

Well, I am ashamed to say I spent nearly all weekend eating drinking and talking with people who are here on vacation, that I know but not really. Don´t get me wrong I enjoyed the company but my mind kept sweeping off in search of a laptop sitting lonely waiting for me to gently touch it´s keys. AAhhh, did I hear you say? or probably ouch! It´s very difficult to smile sweetly and nod for so many hours, when your mind is on another plane. I just hope it didn´t show too much.

Demands

AAAAAH! I am finding it very hard to be unsociable. I have stopped going out to my regular bar with partner to watch Real Madrid. Now as more people arrive for hols and want to visit me it´s very difficult to say NO, I can´t I am busy. They think I can´t possibly be busy, but I live here and am not in holiday mode. Is it your illness they ask, NO it isn´t my illness this is with me forever and I try not to let it interfere in my life. I AM GENUINELY BUSY.I am writing , this is not seen as something to be busy with.

Anyway dear friends and family, I can give you some time but not all of it, understand my need to write and be patient. I love you all.

Now another thing you should know about me is that I am a hat person, I like to wear them for writing and painting or even just generally. I have a selection, some for ideas and inspiration and others for re editing, or just looking for a theme for my next exhibition. My favourite is a small black velvet hat with a long tassle...this is my spiritual hat, and I have begun the year with this one, it helps me answers the whys? and wherefores?

The books are now divided into piles and only one remains on the desk, This I have decided I will finish by March ready for presentation....let´s see! here you will read of its progress or non progress...and its trials and tribulations of which I am sure there will be many