Two weeks ago I came back to my office at the hospital and found an envelope marked personal. Inside I found messages from all of the members of our Closet Writers writing group letting me know that they had missed me and hoped that I would be able to attend more frequently. I appreciated the thoughtfulness and decided to reply with a poem.
The Closet Writers
A group that meets each Wednesday during the week
We do free-writing
That really inspires and helps technique
I've not been with my scribbler friends though the call is strong
I've let work get in the way
Even though it's where I know I belong
In my office last week a message I did receive
That let me know this friendly group
My absence they did so very grieve
My presence there each week was clearly missed
And their words brought a smile
At their reminders put down with pen & wrist
I need to put aside my work issues and cares
Come back and join the group
And fill up my empty chair
Thank you friends for your very kind report
My writing soul was warmed
And touched deeply by all of your support.
Salynne/Susan ©2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Mr. Bingley Experiments with Drugs
Mr. Bingley, of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice fame, was spoken of as "lively and unreserved" with "unaffected manners". He was easy going and didn't care about class differences. Charm came naturally to him and besides being handsome he was rich and just an all around pleasant fellow.
Of course I've read the book too many times to count and my favorite film is the six hour long BBC production starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Crispin Bonham-Carter as Mr. Bingley. The quality of the acting is outstanding in that version but I have to admit that as far as looks go I prefer the Mr. Bingley played by Simon Woods in the 2005 Keira Knightly production of Pride and Prejudice. There is just something about that shock of orange red hair and the way that his face lights up in a smile that is charming.
So charming did we find him and his style that we couldn't help but think of this Mr. Bingley when we brought our new cat home from the SPCA several years ago. Our cat who was originally named "Houston" had gotten out of his cage and climbed up into the duct work of the building causing staff to call the manager and explain, "Houston, we have a problem". We saw his picture on the SPCA website and drove out to Maple Ridge to have a visit. There were many cats to chose from but our fellow was a charmer who laid down and rolled around on the floor of the visiting room, making eyes and begging us to come and pet him.
to the house.
Salynne ©2011
Of course I've read the book too many times to count and my favorite film is the six hour long BBC production starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Crispin Bonham-Carter as Mr. Bingley. The quality of the acting is outstanding in that version but I have to admit that as far as looks go I prefer the Mr. Bingley played by Simon Woods in the 2005 Keira Knightly production of Pride and Prejudice. There is just something about that shock of orange red hair and the way that his face lights up in a smile that is charming.
So charming did we find him and his style that we couldn't help but think of this Mr. Bingley when we brought our new cat home from the SPCA several years ago. Our cat who was originally named "Houston" had gotten out of his cage and climbed up into the duct work of the building causing staff to call the manager and explain, "Houston, we have a problem". We saw his picture on the SPCA website and drove out to Maple Ridge to have a visit. There were many cats to chose from but our fellow was a charmer who laid down and rolled around on the floor of the visiting room, making eyes and begging us to come and pet him.When we brought him home I don't know if we had the 
movie on or if it was just seeing our new cat sit very gentlemanly on the bookshelf but both Keeley and I looked at each other and said, "Mr. Bingley" in unison. Our Mr. Bingley has a mane of orange on his head, more orange wrapped around his shoulders and back while the rest of him is white. When he sits, front feet together, he looks as if he's a stately gentleman in regency era breeches and a jacket. His personality matches Jane's Mr. Bingley well. He doesn't care about
movie on or if it was just seeing our new cat sit very gentlemanly on the bookshelf but both Keeley and I looked at each other and said, "Mr. Bingley" in unison. Our Mr. Bingley has a mane of orange on his head, more orange wrapped around his shoulders and back while the rest of him is white. When he sits, front feet together, he looks as if he's a stately gentleman in regency era breeches and a jacket. His personality matches Jane's Mr. Bingley well. He doesn't care about classes, going to most people for attention and he is definitely an all-around pleasant fellow who charms pretty much everyone who comes in
to the house.Today, though we got to see the "unaffected manner" side of our kitty.
He is still young and plays quite often but today he was running around the house like a wild-man goofy cat--jumping, leaping, playing with anything he could get his claws on and his eyes were huge and a little glazed. I was beginning to wonder if there was some truth to the full moon go-crazy theory and then I walked into the bathroom. The truth was all too evident. Mr. Bingley had very obviously been experimenting with "drugs". We have a number of very small narrow shelves next to our tub and he must have st
ood on his hind legs to reach all the way into the back and somehow drag a herbal bath bag down on to the floor. He then proceeded to completely shred it and spread it all over the room. Obviously the lavender mint herbal mixture had something in it, perhaps similar to cat nip, that made him go nuts. He must have imbibed quite a bit because there was not a whole lot left and what was was not spread around the room was a soggy chewed on mess.
ood on his hind legs to reach all the way into the back and somehow drag a herbal bath bag down on to the floor. He then proceeded to completely shred it and spread it all over the room. Obviously the lavender mint herbal mixture had something in it, perhaps similar to cat nip, that made him go nuts. He must have imbibed quite a bit because there was not a whole lot left and what was was not spread around the room was a soggy chewed on mess.Thankfully, after about an hour, our calm, genial, Mr. Bingley returned and for the past few hours he's been sitting on the window seat in front of our living room window. I'm not sure if he's still too stoned to do much or recovering from expending too much energy. Who knows what Mr. Darcy would say about his friend trying "drugs" but hopefully Mr. Bingley has learned his lesson and no future intervention will be necessary. And as a responsible parent I promise not to buy any more bath infusion mixtures that might be too much of a temptation for our gracious, well-mannered gentleman.
 |
| Mr. Bingley with Jane Austen |
Salynne ©2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Taking a Look Back
Yesterday I decided to go back and look at some of my posts. There were so many things I forgot about; small, mundane, everyday things that I commented on in my blog--what treasures they are. I keep a journal but somehow this blog goes into more detail about specific situations and topics plus there is the added dimension related to the satisfaction I get from creative writing.
At that same time we also hired a housekeeper. We had never really "fully" cleaned the house since renovations were completed last spring/fall. We found our little Filipino whirlwind through a friend; she came in for two six hour days and did a "winter cleaning" so that she would get the house off to a good start and be able to maintain it easier. There is absolutely nothing better than coming home to a clean house once every two weeks--we all concur that she is one of the best presents we've ever given ourselves!
So, I think that encapsulates the highlights of what has happened during the past months when I haven't been blogging. An important step, this looking back but now it's clearly time to move forward.
Salynne
©2011
Looking back shows me that last year, 2010, was more than an interesting year; if I had to classify it or give it a theme I would call it the "year of ups & downs". Between May and early July we kicked up our heels at two weddings, hosted a 50th wedding anniversary and attended four funerals. We cancelled our holidays in mid July when it became clear that another friend was losing her battle against breast cancer; it was a privilege to help both her and her husband during her final days. The following week after her death and before her memorial I wrote her obituary, her memorial program (got a job offer to do memorial programs from the printer) and compiled a book of memories for her parents and her husband. In November, I revisited the memory book and added a number of my personal thoughts and some of the more difficult conversations that we had. It was cathartic for me, a way to grieve and let go.
A lot of the last part of 2010 and early 2011 was taken up with the projects at my work like starting to help design a new hospital as well as my involvement with the Federation of BC Writers and the creation of their website. There are a couple of things I probably should have blogged about. There was the time I spent over the winter holidays going through the last of the boxes we had packed in preparation for moving to Kamloops. I don't think I kept more than one item out of each box since I reasoned that if I hadn't missed the items for a year I'd be safe getting rid of them. Doing that felt like a huge weight off my shoulders and it brought with it a sense of closure. Then another day Bruce got out his nails & hammer and we went around the house putting up every single piece of artwork that had been hanging around. Since there was so much found room we redecorated our boudoir in a Paris theme even buying a new ironing board cover in a black & white damask. It's the little things in life that bring satisfaction!
At that same time we also hired a housekeeper. We had never really "fully" cleaned the house since renovations were completed last spring/fall. We found our little Filipino whirlwind through a friend; she came in for two six hour days and did a "winter cleaning" so that she would get the house off to a good start and be able to maintain it easier. There is absolutely nothing better than coming home to a clean house once every two weeks--we all concur that she is one of the best presents we've ever given ourselves!
Hubby and I also made a new friend in the early months of this year. HCG. Human Chorionic Gondatropin. Nonplussed and puzzled? We were at first but we found out it's a hormone that is produced during pregnancy and is now being used for weight loss. I have not owned a scale for almost 20 years and during that time refused to even consider anything that came close to the word "diet". However, we saw a number of our friends try it and have success by keeping off the weight. Bruce was the first guinea pig and lost 28 lbs in 21 days. It was my turn next and I lost 25lbs in 30 days. And.... I lost it in all the places that I wanted to lose it, just like they said I would. Going down two dress sizes so quickly has been a little disconcerting and it meant that I had to buy new clothes. It's probably not a painful thing for most women but I'm no shopper. I'm still having body size clothes "confusion"--when I went to the store to buy clothes everything I picked out was way to big--it felt good in the change room but a little frustrating too. Maintaining my new weight has not been a problem and later this month I'm looking forward to starting my second session and losing more weight.
Helping to plan dahling daughter's graduation has also been on the agenda these past few months. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She is organized, has her dress already, and we've worked out the details of the venue and decor. Getting on with her "adult" life means moving forward with her step by step plans in learning to cook better by trying out new recipes, using transit, going downtown with friends and doing "adult" things like making reservations and planning events. I've started reading articles on "empty nesting" and how I need to focus on being proud of her and proud of us as parents for raising such an independent, capable person, instead of the despair and loneliness that an empty bedroom brings....choke, hack, sigh....
So, I think that encapsulates the highlights of what has happened during the past months when I haven't been blogging. An important step, this looking back but now it's clearly time to move forward.
Salynne
©2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
A New Design
Now that I'm back on blogger.com it's been fun to see some of the advances and changes that they have made in their formats & designs. It seems appropriate that since I'm getting a new start with my blog there should be a style change as well. The addition of a photo background, new colours and design is exciting and inspiring to me. I hope you'll enjoy the changes too!
©Salynne/Susan
©Salynne/Susan
Friday, April 1, 2011
A Reminder to Keep a Promise
Yesterday I got a reminder from a good friend at work--she knows some of the big projects I've been working on and since she's the leader of our Closet Writers Group at work she asked, "So when have you been writing?"
"I haven't," was my answer.
"That's bad. You know it's bad for YOU."
Those words echoed in my mind all evening as I sat on the computer catching up on some work, and then later while I took a bath and read a magazine. She was right and I knew it. In March I was sick with bronchitis again, as sure sign of burn-out and overload. What did I do with my time? Write? Journal? Blog? No. I did write but not for me.
My work has been claiming a great deal of my time--I've been working on two huge projects that have been extremely satisfying. I've also been very busy with the spiritual aspect of my life and my family and that has really been what has sustained me and given me the inner satisfaction that writing also does. The set up of three other websites and the maintenance of one for a friend in exchange for his woodworking services has also meant more face time on the computer. Add in the day to day and there has not been a lot of time for writing.
Late at night and when I suffer from insomnia I've been working on the website for the Federation of BC Writers--this has been a very satisfying volunteer project but it is funny that I'm doing this all for a writing organization and the work is taking up so much time that I'm not writing. Sounds like its a pretty common issue among board volunteers for the organization too. The Federation of BC Writers Magazine, WordWorks, Fall/Winter 2010 has two articles by moi. The first one was titled Fed re-launches web site at http://www.bcwriters.ca/ . Take a look at the site--I think its beautiful and it looks fabulous compared to the old site.
The second article was entitled "Even Digital Immigrants Can Set Up a Blog" and contained a step-by-step tutorial on how to set up a blog on wordpress.com. If you'd like to see the results you can check out http://www.fedtest.wordpress.com/ . I used a fictitious author to got through the process and actually set up a blog.
Having my work edited was one of the things I enjoyed the most--I think a lot of writers find this difficult or challenging but I thought it tweaked some of those small things about my writing and I could instantly see that it made my writing better.
One of the creative things I did do was a piece of art to accompany the new website launch article. I entitled it Renewal and Growth--its a mixed media piece of art using pen & ink and computer generated images to represent the two sides of the Federation. The tree coming from the Federation Logo is very obviously representative of the growth and renewal that has been happening not only within the organization but because of the changes in the website.
The majority of the big moves and changes on the new Federation website were completed last weekend and as of this afternoon I'm starting to turn over portions of the upkeep to other volunteers. My work has also finally slowed into some kind of rhythm and last week after having four weeks off due to the bronchitis I did some readjusting of my schedule and re-committed to working from home at least one day a week.
And then my friend reminded me about writing. Earlier this morning I got out some of my journals and the three books that I was working on. Nothing was grabbing me and then I thought about Wilde Tide--a place in my imagination, the coastline wherein stories, ideas, and thoughts amass like driftwood on the shore. A blog that is a PROMISE to myself to bring more creativity into my life.....
Thanks M for reminding me.
Salynne
"I haven't," was my answer.
"That's bad. You know it's bad for YOU."
Those words echoed in my mind all evening as I sat on the computer catching up on some work, and then later while I took a bath and read a magazine. She was right and I knew it. In March I was sick with bronchitis again, as sure sign of burn-out and overload. What did I do with my time? Write? Journal? Blog? No. I did write but not for me.
My work has been claiming a great deal of my time--I've been working on two huge projects that have been extremely satisfying. I've also been very busy with the spiritual aspect of my life and my family and that has really been what has sustained me and given me the inner satisfaction that writing also does. The set up of three other websites and the maintenance of one for a friend in exchange for his woodworking services has also meant more face time on the computer. Add in the day to day and there has not been a lot of time for writing.
Late at night and when I suffer from insomnia I've been working on the website for the Federation of BC Writers--this has been a very satisfying volunteer project but it is funny that I'm doing this all for a writing organization and the work is taking up so much time that I'm not writing. Sounds like its a pretty common issue among board volunteers for the organization too. The Federation of BC Writers Magazine, WordWorks, Fall/Winter 2010 has two articles by moi. The first one was titled Fed re-launches web site at http://www.bcwriters.ca/ . Take a look at the site--I think its beautiful and it looks fabulous compared to the old site.
The second article was entitled "Even Digital Immigrants Can Set Up a Blog" and contained a step-by-step tutorial on how to set up a blog on wordpress.com. If you'd like to see the results you can check out http://www.fedtest.wordpress.com/ . I used a fictitious author to got through the process and actually set up a blog.
Having my work edited was one of the things I enjoyed the most--I think a lot of writers find this difficult or challenging but I thought it tweaked some of those small things about my writing and I could instantly see that it made my writing better.
One of the creative things I did do was a piece of art to accompany the new website launch article. I entitled it Renewal and Growth--its a mixed media piece of art using pen & ink and computer generated images to represent the two sides of the Federation. The tree coming from the Federation Logo is very obviously representative of the growth and renewal that has been happening not only within the organization but because of the changes in the website.
The majority of the big moves and changes on the new Federation website were completed last weekend and as of this afternoon I'm starting to turn over portions of the upkeep to other volunteers. My work has also finally slowed into some kind of rhythm and last week after having four weeks off due to the bronchitis I did some readjusting of my schedule and re-committed to working from home at least one day a week.
And then my friend reminded me about writing. Earlier this morning I got out some of my journals and the three books that I was working on. Nothing was grabbing me and then I thought about Wilde Tide--a place in my imagination, the coastline wherein stories, ideas, and thoughts amass like driftwood on the shore. A blog that is a PROMISE to myself to bring more creativity into my life.....
Thanks M for reminding me.
Salynne
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