Tag: bananas

Day 20

'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

Writing again

Lydia has had a good rest this afternoon after a longish walk this morning.

I pushed her a bit, to go a bit further than she wanted to, although it was an easy walk for both of us really.  Just over an hour on flat ground.

I’m tired too, though recognise I still need to push myself a bit as well. I’m tired but still not able to fully relax into the deep sleep that I need.

We had some over-ripe bananas so I made banana cake, with the addition of linseed, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, all-spice and ground ginger.  I used my standard cake recipe – 4oz butter/margarine, 4oz sugar, 4oz flour and 2 eggs, x 3, although I used less sugar to allow for the sweetness of the bananas. I also added some rolled oats. It turned out well. Baked in two loaf tins at 180 degrees centigrade, initially for about 20 minutes, then turned down and baked for a bit longer, until they passed the skewer test, coming out clean so I knew they were done.

As usual, Lydia has been keeping me good company on a quiet rainy day.  

She hasn’t had her tea yet but doesn’t seem in any hurry for it. Neither am I for mine.

Bicycle Pumps & Bananas

'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

 First published 24 August 2022

The other day I went through a box full of pieces that I’ve written in the past, and picked out seven items: poems, essays, ramblings. These are the titles:

Stirring abroad, without … within …

Bicycle pumps & bananas

Memories of a difficult day

Memories of a distinctly different day to the one I had yesterday

Surfing the Turf

Ms. Carriage

Written on the train to London some time in May

I also picked out a couple of pieces that I hadn’t written: one about learning and the other about ‘Being Human’.

I think the most important thing that I’ve learned about being human is to be able to accept that I get things wrong because I’m human, and for no other reason.

In any case, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in my experience aren’t always clearly defined, particularly since our lives are always unfolding, never fixed or final. We have expectations based on concepts of ‘normal’ but when we can drop those then all sorts of other possibilities arise.

There was a time when I thought that if I could do nothing else other than make sure that my cat – Bertie – had a good life, then that was enough. Who’s to say that it wasn’t?

I might publish ‘Bicycle pumps & bananas’ eventually but, for now, here’s …

 

Surfing the Turf

I’d like to roll myself
In earth-warmed turf
Like a bug in a rug
Snug
Safe from harm

The grass would tickle
My nose and toes
The worms would squirm
Warm and
Alive

I’d have to put an elastic band
Around the roll of turf
To stop it unfolding
Unfurling
Exposing
Me

But if it did
I’d need to find
A sleeping bag
To ease my mind

And then I would
If I could
Sit by the river
Forever watching
In awe and wonder
At the world
Flowing
By

Bicycle pumps & bananas

'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

The other day I went through a box full of pieces that I’ve written in the past, and picked out seven items: poems, essays, ramblings. These are the titles:

  • Stirring abroad, without … within …
  • Bicycle pumps & bananas
  • Memories of a difficult day
  • Memories of a distinctly different day to the one I had yesterday
  • Surfing the Turf
  • Ms. Carriage
  • Written on the train to London some time in May

I also picked out a couple of pieces that I hadn’t written: one about learning and the other about ‘Being Human’.

I think the most important thing that I’ve learned about being human is to be able to accept that I get things wrong because I’m human, and for no other reason.

In any case, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in my experience aren’t always clearly defined, particularly since our lives are always unfolding, never fixed or final. We have expectations based on concepts of ‘normal’ but when we can drop those then all sorts of other possibilities arise.

There was a time when I thought that if I could do nothing else other than make sure that my cat – Bertie – had a good life, then that was enough. Who’s to say that it wasn’t?

I might publish ‘Bicycle pumps & bananas’ eventually but, for now, here’s ‘ Surfing the Turf’:

I'd like to roll myself
In earth-warmed turf
Like a bug in a rug
Snug
Safe from harm

The grass would tickle
My nose and toes
The worms would squirm
Warm and
Alive

I'd have to put an elastic band
Around the roll of turf
To stop it unfolding
Unfurling
Exposing
Me

But if it did
I'd need to find
A sleeping bag
To ease my mind

And then I would
If I could
Sit by the river
Forever watching
In awe and wonder
At the world
Flowing
By
Bicycle pumps, yeh!