Rain? No obstacle!
Although I am now dedicated to the concept of the bike as a personal mode of transport – that doesn’t cover times when it is raining. One doesn’t want to be labelled a fanatic by being seen cycling like some sort of water baby splashing along in inclement weather! Sense and reason in all things! It was raining. I went for my swim by taking the car.
And lo and behold! There was a parking space, just outside the door of the café of the centre. If that is not an example of the universe bending itself to personal desire, I do not know what is. I always like it when things actually work out to my advantage.
And I am prepared to show my gratitude by going back to my bike, just as long as the sun shines.
Probably.
Competition!
Toni’s blog (http://catalunyaplacetoeat.blogspot.com.es/ ) goes from strength to strength and is now incorporating ‘the best of’ lists, and featuring ‘forthcoming attractions’ to whet the appetite.
He has now passed the 500 page views stage and is rapidly approaching the once respectable number of page views for my poetry blog at http://smrnewpoems.blogspot.com.es/
I maintain, of course I would wouldn’t I, that getting people to visit a poetry blog is ranked at the same level of difficulty as trying to play a Beethoven piano sonata while juggling Conservatives’ promises – and we all know which is the easier part of that act.
I am grateful for those who have visited and more especially for those brave souls who have ventured opinions! Though it is significant that those people who have given me the results of their analysis have done so via the more private method of the email rather than putting their opinions for all to see in the comment box. Reaction is the lifeblood of public poetry, or at least of the stuff which is put on-line for consumption. As far as I am concerned, the more comments the merrier – whatever they are like, good, bad or indifferent. Well, probably not indifferent. That is hard to take.
Sympathy and disgust
Firstly, my thoughts and sympathy go out to those who have lost someone in the flight crash in the French Alps. I hope that the efforts of the search and rescue authorities bring some sort of closure for those who have suffered and will continue to suffer from this disaster.
The families deserve our sympathy and respect. They have to mourn and come to terms with their loss.
It was, therefore, with something very close to disgust that I saw the Spanish Prime Minister, Rajoy, rush to the television cameras and voice some platitudes about his concern. This is a man who runs away from the media on every occasion when questions need to be answered about the criminality of his party and his government and he has even, shamefully, given a press conference via a television screen so he could be shielded from any difficult and embarrassing questions. This ‘politician’ has lost all credibility, has the lowest ratings of any leader, and to see him with grown up politicians from France and Germany, looking around gormlessly because he obviously understands nothing of what is being said is shaming for the Spanish people and insulting to the memory of those who died.
His unseemly eagerness to be seen with politicians with real clout is little short of sickening and he hopes that some of their paper-thin gravitas rubs off on him.
As I have said, my sympathy is for the friends and families of those who have lost loved ones and I only hope that they can look beyond the public posturing of politicians looking to hide their glaring imperfections and realise that there is authentic feeling among the voters who now regret putting such empty vessels into power.
What is a novel?
Apart from some thoroughly enjoyable trash in my iPad when, I ask myself, was the last time that I read a novel of note.
There is only so long that I can justify this literary laziness because of the need to immerse myself in, at the moment, Conceptual Art and Volume 4 of my course books!
The theoretical justification and explanation of Video, Installation and Conceptual Art are, to put it mildly, taxing.
There are three more chapters to read note and digest and they are hard, though interesting, going.
Wish me luck!
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