Off to Way With Words

There's a place in Devon called Dartington Hall,
Where the things you hear are bound to enthrall.
I'm off on a train to be there with delight,
To sample the pleasures by day and by night.
Dovegreyreader is there - she's a bookworm, by gum
And once more Justine is giving 'Daphne' a run.
So drop what you're doing, come one and come all,
And get stuck in to the Way With Words Festival!


With deep apologies to anyone reading this .... It goes to prove I'm not meant to be a poet! If all goes well, I may be reporting from the festival, but if not, I shall write up after the event, and make sure to take a shed load of pictures!

In Memoriam

On this day in 1822 the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley died. Here's a little piece from him: Bereavement

How stern are the woes of the desolate mourner As he bends in still grief o'er the hallowed bier, As enanguished he turns from the laugh of the scorner, And drops to perfection's remembrance a tear; When floods of despair down his pale cheeks are streaming, When no blissful hope on his bosom is beaming, Or, if lulled for a while, soon he starts from his dreaming, And finds torn the soft ties to affection so dear. Ah, when shall day dawn on the night of the grave, Or summer succeed to the winter of death? Rest awhle, hapless victim! and Heaven will save The spirit that hath faded away with the breath. Eternity points, in its amaranth bower Where no clouds of fate o'er the sweet prospect lour, Unspeakable pleasure, of goodness the dower, When woe fades away like the mist of the heath.

Also: Vivien Leigh died today in 1967. The plaque in the Actor's church in Covent Garden states:

Now boast thee, death, in thy possession lies
A lass unparalleled.

Poem of the week

In the wet-faced hours of the night

considering love, or the lack of it;
on-the-one-hand-this,
on-the-other-hand-that—

in these steep and solitary hours
come the raw questions.
And sorrow surfaces as tears,
and moonlight finds me, stretched
like some trussed Gulliver, among
the little, scampering, bossy needs of life;
the pinpricks of the new day’s coming cares.

And yet.
The day will dawn. A bird will sing.
A hundred different clichés spring to life.
Even in this January,
light, unstoppable, will show
the old camellia, up against the wall,
a shout of lipstick red.

by Ann Alexander

Why did I start on this?

Does anyone else embark on projects that they can't possibly hope to finish in time, but because they are for other people you break your back trying to get it done?

I am in this situation. I decided that for my friend's 50th I was going to produce a scapbook of different poems, sections of prose, photos etc that represent her tastes.

I had the idea last year and have been putting things together for a few months. Her birthday was actually last month, but happily I was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, so wouldn't have been able to give it to her, even if I had finished it!

Still, it needs to be done by 19th July, which is when she arrives for the weekend, and in actuality it needs to be done by this Friday night, because I am NOT lugging it all the way to Dartington!

I'd best get back to tea staining and burning the edges of Keats' last letter ...

That was the week that was

So, I'm sorry for no 'real' posts this week. It's been total tennis madness.

With the exhausting final this evening, I will hopefully have time to write of bookish things. Perhaps I will even managed to read some books this week.

I'm off to Dartington on Saturday, and I'm not sure if there is free wifi there, so will probably be incommunicado for a few days ... and then I come back home, and go to Norwich for my graduation, and then have a mad weekend with a lot of friends round to help me celebrate my masters with a BBQ!

BAFAB draw!

Hello everyone and welcome to the BAFAB draw!

I had three very willing helpers for this momentous task:

From L to R they are Sminty - my adopted Polar Bear, Andrex and Bert, who bravely lost an ear when the family puppy needed something to chew on.

And on to the draw:

The winner of the Virago Modern Classic 30th Anniversary edition 'A Game of Hide and Seek' by Elizabeth Taylor is .... MADHU!


Second prize of 'Where Two Roads Meet' by Sally Vickers is ..... PETA!


Third Prize of 'The Princess Bride' by William Goldman is ..... OFFMYTROLLEY!So congratulations to those who won .... if you can email me (mistressdickens@gmail.com) and let me know your address, that would be great!

Poem of the week

Here's a small thing from Rumi:

If thou wilt be observant and vigilant, thou wilt see at every moment the response to thy action. Be observant if thou wouldst have a pure heart, for something is born to thee in consequence of every action.


BAFAB competition continues until midnight tonight. If you've already entered, send more people my way, doesn't matter if I've never met them, or they don't blog, or where in the world they live, the more the merrier!

Letter to Miss V Williams

Dear Ms Williams,

I know this is Wimbledon, and you're hoping to get to the finals with your sister, but would you mind giving Dementiva at least some chance to stay alive until the end of the match?

Many thanks.

A worried Wimbledon watcher.


P.S. to blog readers: Sorry for no actual posts this week. Wimbledon (more specifically Andy Murray) has taken any opportunity to read, or write about what I've been reading, which is most frustrating.

Also, it's the last 24 hours to put your name into the BAFAB draw, and you've got more of a chance of winning, because I'm doing two runners up as well!