Soundtrack to my life...

I haven't done one of these posts in a while. Here are some of the songs that have floated around in my consciousness for the last 6 months or so....

The Cranberries, Just my imagination
For some reason, I went through a phase last autumn of listening to nothing but the Cranberries. It's not like I was ever a fan of them before so it wasn't for nostalgic reasons. They just seemed to fit my mood as I caught the tube into London every morning and wandered through the park on the way to the library. I think it's because some of them are a bit angry, and that can help when you have to get the tube, haha! Also, when you're fed up to the teeth with writing a thesis and none of the books in the library seem to be helping. HAHAHA! (It's ok, like I said, it was just a phase, the need for anger has passed!) But yes, as the leaves fell I fell in love with the lovely catchy nineties sounds of songs like this one....

Nina Simone, Ne me quitte pas
This one first hit my ears in Paris. I remember the moment perfectly. I had just crossed over the Seine near Notre Dame where I had finally discovered the Shakespeare and Company bookshop. I was walking round the nooks and crannies of this curious shop when the song began playing in my ears and it was so sad and helpless, I had to go outside and listen properly. And then listen again and again wherever I wenr. Nina breaks my heart everytime I hear this song, but in the loveliest kind of way....

Coldplay, Lovers in Japan
Ahh Coldplay. Not the coolest band to admit listening to over and over again. But they do have some lovely old songs. I got their new album Mylo Xytolo after watching the amazing elephant video for their latest single Paradise and I've been listening to it when I go running as it's nice and upbeat (useful on a cold day when running seems less like fun and more like a silly idea). That gave me the urge to listen to their previous offering again, Viva La Vida (an album I associate with listening to in the car with my brother, singing along loudly and out of tune for many a drive). This song is one of my favourites, not least because it came on when I was running along the beach in Scotland on the last day of the year. It was cold, oh so cold, but the sun was shining so brightly, and the sea was glorious, and I felt so happy running along the shore on the completed deserted beach. It was the perfect way to end the year. I may even have skipped a little bit and jumped around and leaped in the air like a crazy person....

First aid kit, Dancing barefoot
So this songis a cover of a Patti smith song, and if you watch the video, you'll see that they bring Patti to tears with their delightfully empassioned version. This song is what made me discover my new favourite duo. Tiny swedish folk hippies with melodious harmonies are brilliant. I Love it. So excited for their new album, out this week or next I believe....

Kate Rusby, Not me
I've loved Kate Rusby's music for years. She is a proper folky folk singer, mixing old traditional songs with newer ones that she's written herself, and delivering them all in her gorgeous lilting tones. I only really listen to her in winter for some reason, probably because that's when I first got an album by her and some music just doesn't sound right in my ears in a different season (Nick Drake belongs to autumn for example). She is the perfect choice for a long train ride across the country. Sad, nostalgic, simple. This one is my new favourite because Life really does move so quickly at the moment....

All in all, a bit of a random collection, but I hope you enjoy. What have you been listening to lately? Share a gem with me if you will...
x

A haiku a day...

Friday
The last of the leaves,
falling in slow motion like
Colourful snowflakes.

Saturday
Twirl me around love,
our own secret waltz, dancing,
drunk at three AM.

Sunday
Awake until dawn,
asleep until dusk, today
is topsy-turvy.

Monday
Things I've thought, only
Eloquently expressed, words
to inspire my own.

Tuesday
Gusts of wind blow in,
Uproot, overturn, destroy,
Later, calm returns.

Wednesday
An imperfect world:
delays, dead ends, frustrations
make it hard to think.

Thursday
My future mirrors
my past, in this strange vision,
I observe, all eyes.

x

On wandering in Paris...

"Not all those who wander are lost"
~J.R.R. Tolkien~

"I am the wanderer's wandering daughter"
~Kimya Dawson~

"J'ai souvent remarqué que c'est en déambulant que je trouve les idées les plus lumineuses. Dans le mouvement... Tandis que quand je m'acharne et que je reste à ma table, rien ne vient. Il faut que je marche à grandes enjambées, sans rien voir, tout à mes pensées..."
(I've often remarked that it's when I'm wandering around that I have the most enlightening ideas. In movement... When I'm desparately trying and I'm stuck at the table, nothing comes. I have to go out for a really good walk, without looking around, immersed in my thoughts...)
~Linda Lê~

Ahh to wander a while around Paris, just for a day or so. It was wonderful. I covered quite a lot of miles, without any particular route in mind and without any sense of hurry. All alone with my thoughts, sometimes I was intent on taking in everything around me, delighting in the way the Eiffel tower occassionally popped up unexpectedly from behind buildings and the way the last of the leaves were falling from trees on the banks of the Seine. At other times, I was just day-dreaming away, happy as can be, totally lost in the imaginary world inside my head. It was a very inspiring few days, and as they say in French, ça m'a fait du bien..
Here are some of the sights I saw over the few days I was there...

Old meets new - this church caught me by surprise, peeking out at the end of a narrow street...

Winding streets full of pretty buildings and shops... ahh the cobblestones...

Autumn in full swing down by the Seine...

A pretty Parisian square, with buildings lined up in reds and creams overlooking the square where I imagine more than a few games of boules get played on sunnier days...

So many restaurants and cafes spill onto the pavements, even as the temparature drops at this time of year. It's the perfect city for al fresco dining, and I thought this little place looked especially picturesque...

On one of the many bridges, I stopped to take in the view back over the river and admire the giant Notre Dame cathedral and pretty autumnal trees...

There are so many beautiful flower beds in the Jardin du Luxembourg. They look as cosy as giant cushions, all nestled together under this lovely tree. On a warmer day, I would have loved to have a picnic here :) ....

Stopping to put my feet up and admire the little balconies on the building opposite my hotel room...

Out on another ramble a little later, I noticed this rather nice 'renamed' street - the street of sharing. And also a street where little red elephants can happily stroll along...

I stumbled across this art gallery, set up in a building that was formerly occupied by squatters. It was as colourful inside as the door suggests, with paintings and collages decorating the staircases, walls and floors of each floor. A fun unexpected insight into some very contemporary artists studios....

And some more traditional art is held here in the Louvre. I just admired from the outside this time (it's so big), and wandered under this mini arc-de triomphe before heading for a café for some much needed refreshement....

Later, the sun started setting as a storm drew in, hence the dark brooding clouds over this lovely view of the Eiffel Tower. I made it into a restaurant for a tasty omelette and frites just in time to escape the plump heavy raindrops...

Sunset a few days later in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was the brightest autumn day, not a cloud in the sky. That's the tour de Montparnasse in the background

View of the Seine at nighttime...

My wanders ended here, at the bottom of the Champs-Elysée, with a nice cup of vin chaud from the marché de Noel which had just opened...

Paris, je taime.
x

A haiku a day...

One less haiku than usual for this week's serving as I'm scheduling this post in the past before I leave for Paris and what with it currently being Wednesday, Thursday's haiku isn't written yet (although it will be by the time you're reading this in the future, aka the present - but I won't be anywhere near the internet in order to include it). I'll make sure to put it in next week's installment... anyhoo, here be the rest of the poems...

Friday
Quiet evening
to myself, haven of calm,
before more mad days.

Saturday
Huge tides of people,
Swarm the streets, rushing, pushing,
all going somewhere.

Sunday
Glass pod floats over
the murky Thames, London shines
through the hazy fog.

Monday
Oh awkward chit-chat,
I've missed your ways, coffee cups
clink as we mingle.

Tuesday
Running familiar
routes, watching the seasons change,
simple pleasures, these.

Wednesday
Don't forget to breathe,
or to pack your passport,
(mantra to myself)

And seeing as I'm one poem down, here's a bonus piccy to do with Sunday's haiku. Guess which London tourist attraction I went on...

(It's peeking out amongst the autumn leaves)
x

A haiku a day...

Friday
Fey ballerinas,
Tiny statuettes whirling,
Amidst the splendour.

Saturday
My head so groggy,
As we wander to the park
'Neath a mottled sky.

Sunday
My hands pull out pulp,
The knife carves its spooky face,
Now glow, Pumpkin King!

Monday
As I run, my path
is crossed by a handsome beast,
Black cat: lucky me.

Tuesday
Funny how feelings fluctuate,
the whole spectrum
revealed in a day.

Wednesday
Run downhill through a
tunnel of trees, orange light,
rejuvenates me.

Thursday
Perpetual motion,
keeps my thoughts ticking over,
Stops me from sinking.

x

happy little moments... the prettiest autumn tree

It's no secret round here that I'm more than a little bit obsessed with autumn leaves. So imagine how happy I was when I saw this beautiful red tree on Sunday afternoon. The autumn fairies must have used up an awful lot of their red paint supplies on this beauty and spent hours fluttering amongst the leaves, delicately painting each leaf. And their magic yielded great results- it shone out amongst the other orange, yellow, golden beauties in Waterlowe park on sunday afternoon. If you live in London get there quick and admire it before one by one the leaves twist, twirl and float thier way to the ground....

And the happy moments were not just limited to tree admiration that day... I also enjoyed the extra hour brought by daylight saving time witha guilt-free lie-in, wandered around the rest of the park, went to a lovely craft fair in Lauderdale house, found a pretty plum dress in a nearby charity shop for just £7, made the tastiest roast potatoes for dinner, helped carve a pumkpin, crocheted on the sofa late into the evening and had a foot bath treat :)

It's nice to take a step back from stress and work to enjoy and remember these happy little moments.
What's been cheering you up lately?
x

A haiku a day...

More little glimpses of my days delivered to your computer screen in the form of tiny poems...

Friday
Perfectly blue sky,
The crisp air warmed by sunshine,
As I run along.

Saturday
The first real cold night,
so we pile the blankets high,
and snuggle for warmth.

Sunday
Evenings in autumn
call for jazz: its strange rhythms
get cold toes tapping.

Monday
Gloomy monday blues,
Inexplicable shadows,
cast over my day.

Tuesday
Autumn soldiers on,
the chilly wind announces
her deathly presence.

Wednesday
Sparks are flying like
fireflies, a magic burst
piercing the mundane.

Thursday

Joni in my ears,
the crunch of leaves underfoot,
my morning soundtrack.

I'd love to hear about your day/week/random thoughts of the moment in haiku form... why not leave me one in the comments?
x

A haiku a day...

More haikus from the week that just was....

Friday
Big bright moon: spotlight
on me as i dodge traffic,
running for the bus.

Saturday
Sat on the pebbles,
gulls screech overhead, flapping,
whilst the sea waves on.

Sunday
Refreshed by sea air,
But still sleepy, i roll back
over into dreams.

Monday
Morning in the park,
Sun streams through the tree tops, a
happy burst of light.

Tuesday
Eight years with my love,
Tonight we kiss, reminisce,
Happy together.

Wednesday
Jaws ache; I wonder,
Where's the wisdom in these teeth?
I feel only pain.

Thursday
Dreaming en français,
a past life revisited:
familiar/étrange.

p.s if you enjoy reading haikus, then head over to my friend Sarah's blog, where she has started posting daily haikus :)
x

Every leaf is a flower...

"L'automne est un deuxième printemps où chaque feuille est une fleur"

~Albert Camus

(Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower)

Did I mention that I'm obsessed with autumn leaves? I take so many pictures of them every year. These are a few of my favourite pretty ones from the last few years. It certainly does feel like a second spring with all the sunshine that this week has brought :) Hope you're enjoying the unseasonal autumnal weather...
x

Autumn leaves: a garland DIY

I love autumn leaves, they're so colourful and bright. One last burst of life before slowly but surely, they detach themselves ones by one and float to the ground. I have a special theory of my own about why the leaves change colour. It involves a team of well organised fairy folk, many tiny pots of paint in all shades of red, gold, yellow and brown and a many a well-coordinated sleepness night of leaf painting mischief. Whatever really goes on in the treetops, I like to collect pretty leaves all autumn long. Many of my big heavy books are hazardous once taken off the bookshelf, as opening them causes a flurry of carefully pressed leaves to fall out. I put them in year after year and forget about them. Inevitably they fade and become so fragile and delicate that they are in fact useless. This year, I wanted to put some of them to a more decorative use instead of hiding them away to be forgotten about. So here's what I did.

1. I collected leaves of different colours and shapes.

2. Once home, I wiped them clean and then coated each side with a nice thick layer of pva glue before leaving them to dry overnight.

3. I cut a length of ribbon and then carefully stapled each leaf to the ribbon, spacing them out carefully so each one could be seen and admired. (this was quite a delicate process and caused a couple of the smaller, more fragile leaves to tear. Itn hindsight, i might have been better to glue them, but I wanted instant results and this worked nicely enough).

4. I bluetacked my new leafy garland to the wall.

5. I stepped back to admire it :)

Here it is, in all its leafy autumnal glory hanging on my wall....

And some close-ups...

Hopefully the layer of glue will preserve the leaves so I can enjoy the garland for a few weeks whilst the rest of the trees change colour....

Why not make a leafy garland of your own? x