My Neighbour Schiehallion

Away till next Sunday, with this as my view - how lucky can you get?  

Happy New Year, and see you when I get back!

Happy Christmas from Me to You!

If you're short one last treat for yourself or somebody else, here's a totally-unsubtle reminder of something with something for everyone -

(It's an e-book, and here's the link.)

I'm dotted about today in a Christmas elf sort of way - come join me on Girls Heart Books for a heart-lifting chorus and then on an Awfully Big Blog Adventure for a tiny respite.

Which only leaves to say, Happy Christmas!  And I'll see you on the other side ...

Writing about a Chair

Have I mentioned I was writing about a chair?  It was as part of another lovely 26 challenge - this time to respond in exactly 100 words to an object on display as part of this year's London Design Festival.

And this is the chair that inspired me, designed by Sean Dare Studio -

And here's the poem -

       Viewed,

from the floor -

     a high Zeppelin,

     primed for the sky,

     only just permits

     the tethering

     of little legs

from the side -

     a fat lady's corset

     braves the bulge,

     smoothes ridges

     and ruckles

     into one persuasive curve

    

from the front -   

     open-armed and ample,

     an urbane settle

     an upholstered inglenook

     a cushioned invitation -

     come to me

from inside -

     for two,

     a snug of secrets -

     knees touching,

     whispers contained

     between confidential walls -

     no design for strangers

     and for one,   

     wide-winged,

     a Brontë bonnet -

     a singular parsonage -

     a niche for thought,

     buffered, sheltering,

     shuts out

     the rackety world

     like wind off the moors

And here it is, in Fiera Issue 1, recently launched in London -

Did I mention I love 26 projects?  And that there's another one coming up in the new year, based in the Foundling Museum in London?  3 huzzahs for 2015 - already looking good!

Open Mouse

Pleased to be on Open Mouse today with herring, harvested.  I don't have any photos of herring myself but when I went looking online, I found this sculpture by John Cleal, photographed by Pauline Eccles, on Wikipedia, under "Herring".  Fabulous!

DIY Art

I'm so chuffed with this - it's the view from the first floor bit of Tate Modern where there are chairs to collapse in - so what you're seeing is the railing, a bit of blue painted wall, one end of a huge sculpture/installment/thing on the ground floor, and some glass reflection.  But doesn't it look like a painting??  Go on, indulge me!

Also this week, over on History Girls, talking about medieval skates - and, of course, Paul Simon ...