I am leaving the explanation for the first half of this posting to Diane from Diane's Addled Ramblings, who is on a well-deserved blogging hiatus at the moment, to recover some balance in her life, and I so understand that...
My posting today is inspired by her beautiful writing the day before yesterday - A piece of her older writing that she published automatically...
Diane said:
"During my regular early-morning, random blog stalk, I came across a post I really loved, generated from a writing prompt. Though I copied the directions for the prompt, I (stupidly) neglected to bookmark the page (and of course I can’t find it again). As such, I can’t give credit to the blogger. So if you happen upon this post and know where the prompt came from, please let me know! Thanks!
Tell us who you are, what’s inside, where you’re from. Share your memory fragments, those visions in your head, those figments that make you, you.
What bits and pieces formed your whole? Are you whole? Tell us".
Please go read Diane's - for her thoughts are inexorably beautiful and evocative.
Here is my attempt:
I am snuggled beneath the rose-pink sateen of my grandparents' bed...
With my cousin six months behind me... Watching headlights light up the ceiling.
Lulling us to sleep.
I dream of rainbows and fireflies, pink sugar-mice and sherbet fountains...
I am love and light; Vanilla flavour ice cream, and wobbly, strawberry jelly on paper plates.
On nanna's lap, I am damp from heavy rain and warmed by a gleaming cream stove...
The contrast of clear plastic bags on my black-wellied-feet...
I am rubbing hands together, singing 'Let's Rub Noses Like Eskimoes-es'... in the past, as in the present...
I am a mother's love for her son that overwhelms me, and
I am those that have gone before, who I can't hear speak any more...
I am Gonna Take A Sentimental Journey; Smokey kisses in steamy, frothy-coffee Fifties' cafes...
Ever an only. lonely child, happed in cotton-wool wishes,
With cinder toffee on my teeth...
I am the deep love of my father and mother, and
I feel the grief of an adult-orphan, which still has power to make me cry...
I am post-War economy and Sixties' prosperity!
I am the cat asleep on the bacon slicer down at the Corner Shop...
I am from back lanes and lines of washing drying in the soot...
I am from gravel-grazed knees and being washed in the sink...
I am from outside loos and Billy Elliot's dad...
I am of Baby Boom - Making good, starting afresh, and a new council house...
I am from decimalisation, Wakes Weeks in Blackpool, and seeing Edward Heath...
The Miners' Picnics and the Strikes, and running up a kite with my dad at the park...
I am the ozone and 'Taking the sea air'; I see donkeys in hats and try
Summer bay-bathing in an outdoor pool...
I am from days ensconced with Jane Eyre and Great Expectations...
Persuasion and Dodie Smith...
I am from love and loss, and longed-for hugs...
I am from treasure and torment, from films and from phlegm.
From Here To Eternity,
From Mice and from Men.
And to lighten the mood now, methinks!
Lazy Bloggers Of The World - Unite!
I must tell you about this link, first brought to my attention by the currently absent on business Chairman Bill... This is a random blog generator site, for those short of time, money, space and a thinking hat!
The idea behind this is that if you are really struck with the ol' Blogger's Block, or you've let spiders' webs form a white veil over your site, you can go to the site, choose from some random sentences, et voila, there you have it - A complete blog posting du jour, with suitably, 'fresh from the Sausage-Sizzle', Antipodean flavour!
And, if reading aloud, try to make of all your sentences rise up in tone at the end, and there you have it!
Here is mine - I thought it was great fun!
"Abject apologies I just climbed out from under my rock and realised I have not updated this since people stopped clapping and Tinkerbell died... You would not believe the fairy dust I have to clean up. My bad...
I am lost in a sea of pseudo-olde-english with setting fire to people wearing Crocs, being distracted by the shiny, just generally being asleep, dreaming and chancing to anyone unfortunate to cross my path...
...My day is a magical flight from my partner kicking me out of bed to 11pm at which point I fall asleep on the couch.
I am wearing my budgie smugglers. Can't they see I am blogging?
I absolutely, positively promise to update at least once a week. You have my word! Unless of course the pool with the cocktail bar is heated!
Holy Cow I just got slapped with a wet salmon - really - I have not updated this since I had to start working to pay the ridiculous food and petrol prices to feed my kids...
You would not believe how insane my life has become. Apologies to my regular readers!
Even the little blue ones!
I am flat out like a lizard drinking learning to play lawn bowls, sleeping, just generally being a slave to society in general, my day seems to involve the authorities from when the nightclubs close to the time I run out of alcohol. I am avoiding recapture, and I can take that big badge off my head that says bad mother...
I swear on the bones of my ancestors I will write something that makes sense soon.
Well, I'll try. What do you mean you don't believe me?"
Very me, non?! Go try it out for yourself! It's great fun... Here's the linkie.
29 comments:
I love your 'I am...' and it sounds like you are a lot of really wonderful things, Fhina. Warm fuzzies abound.
As I think my lime green crocs are very tres chic, let's hope I escape your pyromania.
And, -you are- very talented as well.;) Just like Diane.;))
Asking me to talk sense is a futile expectation; apart from that, enjoyed the blog - sense ot non-sense! x
Ooooo....are they marzipan mice? Can I eat them? I can eat them, yes?
Wait...where's Vodka Mom? Did she lace those little bastards with vodka? Are you both trying to get me drunk????
Bitches...
Where do you come up with this stuff? I'd fogotten good ol Neil looked like that once upon a time! lol
Goodness you are cheeky today!!! A cheeky monkey! That is good right?
I have green crocs. I have orange crocs. I like that skeleton because I can see where my broken toe is.
I am 20% healed. Read my blog. Love ya Fhina!!!
Fhina! First, thank you for letting me know I'd boo-booed with today's posting! I had only typed the title and then double hit the enter key, which obviously posted it without telling me! So, I've deleted that now, if you would like to revisit and comment again?
Now - your 'I am' is wonderful! Such lovely memories. I have some similar ones but I'm not sure I would have thought of them or be able to express them in such a beautiful way.
The blog generator is right up my street! Thanks for the link.
blognut: Now, warm fuzzies from Bloggus Nuttus - Such a pleasure!
Belle: Hello petal Belle - As I say, I have nothing against crocs per se, it was merely the random blog generator doing its thing - Crackers really - and I had to look up 'budgie smugglers' too! It's an amazing Aussie-style site!
Protege: You are most kind, Z - I know I am not fit to water Diane's plants in the window-box of her fab blog! I am really missing her! Can you plant a kiss on the nose of Batcat for me? Tx x
jinksy: You always talk sense, jinksy, you are the oracle de nos jours et de nos blogs! x
♥ Braja: They iz sugar mice, sugar, Braja - Bad for your beautiful teeth! VKMom is beyond our help and appeared to be commenting thrice on blogs today, including yours - I think we might have to stage an intervention?! x
Jewels: As my blog says, mad, bad and dangerous is me! I have a magpie and cluttered mind, to be fair! Little use to man nor beast! Neil was a looker in his youth, but I was no more than a baby then - Still it didn't stop him writing Sweet Caroline! lol...
Michelle: Cheeky is, as cheeky does, M! So glad you are healing, NYCGirl! x That is a gorilla skeleton, bytheway, so hope it's sooo not like yours! xox
Derrick: Bless you, I thought is was me - Blogger and Google have been doing my head in today! I did spend quite a bit of time, I must admit, 'editing' my memories away from the more maudlin ones to those that were slowly coming back to me about my wee childhood - I recalled the cinder toffee on teeth, and I hadn't thought of that in years, but it was all coming back - Such a worthy exercise, and the Antipodean one is great fun!
*I feel the grief of an adult-orphan, which still has power to make me cry*...
Me too. It's awful sometimes, isn't it. You want to give your mum a ring to share some news and she just isn't there. And your dad's with her too. It's just wrong.
Are those rubber shoes - the blue ones?
FF: It does hit home a lot - I'm not quite as low as I was at one point, but you know exactly how it feels...
The shoes are meant to be Crocs - Those plastic, brightly coloured comfy shoes worn by kids and adults alike... x
Dear Fhina,I realy hope you will get this coment,I do not know what a hell is happening with my blog,things are geting changed without me beeing editor,half of my comments desapering,I am tired and feel too stupid again,I have to give your lovely award back to you,There are more bloggers who deserve it and can deal with it,I simply cant,wright now,sorry,Aleksandra.Thank you again
I do not understand.....
Aleksandra, all sorts of odd things are happening in Blogland, I think - so it is not just you - You deserve that award for all that you do, and your music and art and thoughts - I shall not take it back - Try not to worry, stay as cool as you are, and we shall look forward to you feeling more in control soon, A x big hugs! x
hilarious! whacky and l do believe you are losing the plot..going stir crazee are you? I read it twice and am still in the dark!! !
Seriously, I love your style, grasping a thread and losing it only t regain it with a loss of breath and understanding!
a glass of dr pepper zero and anothe rmuller yoghurt to work that one out!! you are so entertaining Fhi!!
btw l keep meaning to mention the names on our blog, the link in grey I have great difficulty making them out, l have to move my screen back and forth to make ou adjust it slightly,or maybe its just my laptop..
fff x
Saz: It is true, it's probably the cabin-craziness! I know exactly what you mean about the grey linkies - They are difficult to see, but short of changing the whole colour palette of the blog, and I did look at a number of colours before I got wedded to the sugar-mice pink...
I know not what to do, you know, I am technically-challenged at the best of times!
By the way, the Aussie link thing was pretty made, and I didn't add much to make it as daft as it is - That wasn't me, but it has come out sounding like me! You know when I get to ramble, all the craziness just leeches out!
I am going back to being a bit more ordered on Thursday and Friday, with something about Hitchcock, I think... xox
'...pretty mad'! Not pretty 'made'!
My typing by candlelight, since our table lamp blew up yesterday, will have to stop! And I just typed 'table-lamb.' Good lord, what would a table-lamb be like in the house?!
its true...she's barmy!!! table lamb!!
I've got to check out that blog generator -- what a novel idea for those days when words elude us :-) If my blog starts sounding all sorts of gibberish you'll know I am using it; although it might be hard to distinguish from my normal gibberish :D
I like how you wove the mice throughout the post although I honestly never heard of sugar mice before. I always learn something new on your site!
carma
Oh, and Neil Diamond actually looks pretty darn good in that photo, but no where near as hot as beloved Baldwin bro Alec :-)
I like the "I ams" alot too. I am an adult orphan and still cry. It is a endless, bottomless void that is left by my parents' absence.
FFF: And dare I say it, "It takes one to know one!" xox
Carma: I know about the mice, sometimes I surprise myself, and on this occasion, it was actually not deliberate! It must be my juggling Muse, La Wiki! And you talk perfect sense on your blog, dahling, even about Cheeseballs! True, true about the Baldwins - And Dirty Sexy Money is back here in the UK this week - Yayy!
AU: I don't know whether you would use the term 'adult orphan', AU, but it just came over me at that time, and for a couple of years, easily, afterwards - That overwhelmedness... and feeling wholly alone, as if no-one knew me... Even although I do have my OH and my son with me! Sending you sisterly hugs x
I could almost feel your life in your "I am". That was wonderful.
Please send me some of those sugar mice. Yum!!!
Cheers,
Jo
I had no idea there was such a thing as sugar mice. And I thought I'd seen all variety of mice.
Ah, how lovely to find someone who likes Neil Diamond. Have some his CD, and would be playing, but my wife is sleeping. (She can be awakened by the sound of a pin falling on a high-pile carpet.) We learned to foxtrot to his "Song Sung Blue."
You're marvelously self-expressive without being maudlin. Wonderful! I really got to know you this morning.
Do take care.
Jo: Bless you, and I have just packaged up some sugar mice for you, if they don't chew their way out of the box before they get to you!
Shonda Little: Welcome - I've only seen the pink and white varieties, admittedly, and they are something of the past now... As am I!
Rob-bear: Neil Diamond is such a show-man - I have seen him three times in concert - Twice with my dad who was a big fan and once, accompanying a lady from my office... I have very eclectic tastes in music, and there is room enough for Mr Diamond too! Such a songwriter for others, as well - An amazing career - Thank you for sharing your lovely fox-trotting slice of romance, Rob-bear, and thank you so for your kindness to me! Take care, too!
Wow! What a delightful dessert you concocted for us, with depth and shades and a variety of tastes and textures. Masterful, Fhina. It might have been my meds coloring my thoughts, but I do like your combo dish.
p.s. I can see how the links have impressed you. They can be useful.
Lovely photo of Neil Diamond. He was quite a hunk in his hey day and still is.
Thank you for visiting my blog. I tried to leave a comment last week but blogger wouldn't let me. Hoping that blogger will be more accommodating today.
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