Archive for August, 2011
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
Ghosts walk with me
Ghosts walk with me
Ghosts of choices denied
And choices made
The wind stirs in the holly tree
Not only Saints walk tonight
But figments, fragments,
Frailty,
The ghosts of things I tried – to hide?
Of things too long denied
…
The ghosts of all
I did not want
They sadden me
They frighten me
The wind that blows
Was never free,
Ghosts walk with me
Tonight.
Sunday, August 7th, 2011
Un fois de plus: la tour Eiffel
Nope, we’re not quite done with la Tour yet – but I’ll spare you the obligatory silly photos where people pretend to be holding the tower up or to push it over or … and yes, I did buy one of those shiny little Eiffel Towers. Eiffel Towers and outstanding pastries and overpriced below average food eaten in locations with advantageous views. And églises and bridges and le Métro and boulevards and tourists and beaches on streets and … that’s (my experience of) Paris.
Other than that, I’m writing and reading, excited about the books my students are picking for their projects (and hoping they are having a good time reading) and why is there no summer? Also, yes, behind with emails. Tomorrow. Also, tomorrow I’m going to the local government office to get a certificate of good conduct. (Yes, yes, also more prosaically a Police Clearance Certificate, but the certificate of good conduct sounds much more mysterious and bizarre, no? I mean, what did I conduct well? I’m no conductor!).
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011
Windmill Hill
I took this photo from the train back from Paris, going at about 250km/h, with Maximum optical zoom on a distant hill – the graininess in the photo is from the dirt on the carriage window. I’ve increased the contrast at the computer, but that’s pretty much all I’ve done to the photo. It’s a totally random lucky shot, and I must admit I really quite like it, in all its strangeness.