Icarus @ 59 # 151

I am not so vain that I put my initials into a mosaic path for all to see as they passed them by. Actually, I snapped this on the walk between Santa Monica and Venice Beach. It was serendipitous stumble across the unexpected. And doesn't that happen a lot? One minute you are strolling six thousand or so miles from home and then suddenly something triggers a thought, and action, an idea, or in this case, serves to flatter. Of course I share these initials with many - and probably the person who laid the path - but its odd that I should travel so far to stumble upon it. Writing is like that, when asked how come he wrote so many songs, Bob Dylan once said, 'They are just there, hanging around, I am just there to pluck them out of the trees.' Its waiting for that moment and being aware that at any moment a given idea, a story, a song will be there, what you have to do is make sure you have the time to develop it. Of course time is the great problem in modern life, hence why I have a notebook full of unfulfilled ideas, although I have done ok. But it also means that at a given time, there will be one big project to be done and so I have such a project bubbling at the moment. Will it get written? Time will tell but I hope so. And so for the time being, I am about to have breakfast and then hit the supermarket, the thirty-five locusts who swept through our house last week (celebrating Diane's fiftieth birthday) stripped it bare of all provisions, wine, water and washing up liquid. So basic provisions required - onwards, I will be listening to my new ideas as I walk down the aisles. Maybe I will wear my iPod and listen to this, so I can run around picking up provisions at breakneck speed and still hear some fab virtuosos:

Icarus @ 59 # 150

Its five-thrity in the morning, zzzz, having been glued to my desk for days I am now spending Saturday in Winchester, encouraging potential new students to choose our University. Its not much of a chore, I like seeing them in their eagerness, in their look that says, life is just about to change, its the next best thing to nurturing your own children as they grow into adulthood and actually the best thing about the job - well that and researching and writing which is different again. So on this wet, Saturday morning, while the cats chase a huge spider around the kitchen floor, I am drinking the early grey, getting ready for the drive and listening to this while the house sleeps.

Icarus @ 59 # 149, swearing revisited

Swearing part 2: okay, I got over this morning's pastoral view and  admit the world needs a good swearing at sometimes. Like when you lose to your son in the best of three at table tennis while on holiday (bugger it - he couldn't do that when he was 12) - at least it was 2-1 (and I had my dodgy leg - though he played in flip-flops, sigh). But he's left-handed and so can be a bit sneaky (and he wasn't that at 12 either). But that's not it, really. Exasperation at so many things drive us crazy and sometimes only a good swear will ease the tension. Now Dan likes a good old rant and he is not averse to a curse every now and then. His vloggin has already begun to reflect this and he likes this song, which makes you want to curse, doesn't it? Go on, let it out, #$£@ it all! So many people need a good swearing at!

Icarus @ 59 # 149

When someone like a Russian president or my own prime minister (no caps for either title) tells me I cannot swear I guess I could get pretty annoyed. The said Russian has incurred the wrath of the world's liberals for such an edict - quite right too, though on a personal level I am not sure I mind. Of course its a necessary thing for all, hammer missing nail and hitting thumb comes to mind, but I swear, too often, its lazy on my part and I wish I didn't. And yet someone has already said something to me about that. Once in a moment of carelessness I let a swearword slip in front of my Dad who said, and I still remember the precise words, 'Hey sir, that's pit talk. You don't talk like that in the house.' Pit talk, words used underground and away from the ears of wives and babes, what a different world it must have been, and yet he was firm in keeping the two worlds apart - especially in his advice to me, to, 'work on the surface...' which of course I strive to do (no hidden depths in my work). And last night we had a chat, my Dad and me. By TXT! He has a new phone and I sent him some pictures and then we TXT about the football. I have this cough and talking on the phone is nigh on impossible but I will call his new mobile today and make sure TXTing is just a way of swapping pictures (I sent him the one above as a reminder of the day he, Alex Sharp and I visited the Kelpies) I am going up to see him on his birthday with Abbi because the y(almost) share the day and I am looking forward to it very much and thinking about it makes me nostalgic.

Icarus @ 59 # 148

Living in a city you have to make the most of the tight garden space - as well as making space for guitars - so this combination of some new decking adorned with a resonator guitar works well. As you might surmise, I am still in summer anticipation mode, even though I have a lot of work to do. That's because this corner is the last place in the garden to get the sun. Ah, now you can see, smart thinking, end of the day, writing done and time for a quick strum and a glass of lemonade (well maybe something cold) before the sun finally drops out of the sky - oh aye, nae flies on me. And I have also found this amazing new mandolin tutor on Youtube which I can strum along to as well and its a real bonus. I have never had a music lesson in my life and this is the next best thing. I am looking forward to playing some jigs and stuff. I have already learned how to play this - the little riff after each verse is amazingly effective and yet so simple:

Icarus @ 59 # 147

I guess this is the commonly perceived view of the academic's summer, warm days at the back door, pottering around but of course its not quite so. In fact summer is the time when you do the work that teaching relies on. Research and writing and moving your own subject area forward are all very important. Just yesterday afternoon I was sent some details of a three day conference in Wellington, NZ, this coming November, a long way to fly to give a twenty minute paper and then to be back in time to teach. The body will have no idea where it is. I have heard it said by an Australian colleague of mine that jet lag is where your body arrives and your soul still has to catch up. Its a good thought for the day because if we think about it, its not just jet lag where this happens; I am sure we all have those moments when we need to just stop in order for our body and soul to get back into sync. I know I do, last night I slept for eight and a half hours, practically unheard of - I inherited my mother's sleep clock (among other things) - things are still not in sync but they will be soon and I am already starting to work out my 'new' running programme, now that the old leg will take it. So the summer plan is already starting, fit body for fit and proper thinking. Being fit does that, it stimulates the body and the brain works better - at least I find that. And it will be needed because I have a summer of writing planned. This song always makes me feel summerly, temporarily traveling and the fun of a sunny break, oh your a mean old daddy but I like you: