A hair gel that's hood proof??

I've just watched an advert for hair gel that promised it was hood proof. This sends shivers down my spine - surely the hair will mould the hood?

So it's not enough that I have to wade through a swamp of discarded clothes whenever I venture into Tom's room on a plate/bowl/mug hunt. I may now have to clamber over a series of distorted head shapes too? This is either a vision from a nightmare or a future entry for the Turner Prize!

An Empty Paradox

I'm having a Paula Rego time at the moment which is a state of mind so hard to describe other than by telling you it has a Paula Rego-ish feel. Motor away from the state of my mind and have a look at Paula's work in the Tate Gallery and in The Saatchi.

Like it or loathe it, one thing is certain about Paula Rego's work and that is the fact that you cannot ignore it. So, as there is an etching by Paula on the cover of the poet Amanda Dalton's book, 'How to Disappear', methinks this is a good example of a paradox.

The title poem is extraordinary & it too reflects my current state of mind, but can I find an example of it on the net? Noooooo! Well that's not quite true because I found one copy, but it was on a site so sharply bleak that I backed out as quickly as can be.

It's a beautiful poem - taut, haunting & another 'sticker' that I would try to persuade you to read over & over again if only I could find you a copy. Dang, dang & double dang!! I can take you by the hand to the Poetry Book Shop to meet Amanda and her poem 'Cut Off', but as I can't find 'H to D', I'm going to leave Aunt Jennifer in the Life's Candle slot.

I've only had my copy of Amanda's collection of poems for a week, but I've been utterly faithful to it ever since, which is a reasonably rare occurence for me. Her work is extraordinarily visual & accessible which are qualities that I greatly appreciate because, not only am I'm a slow thinker, but I'm very lazy too. So lazy in fact, that as I can't find a copy of the poem nor a painting that I'm allowed to paste into this entry, the paradox remains unillustrated!

How's that for saying something about nothing :-)

A 19th Century Zine?

Look what I found! Could this be an early example of a zine? Click for more information about 'The Saturday Press'. I think I would have enjoyed a conversation with Mr Henry Clapp.

I had a letter this morning from a Mrs Testbutt. What a thought provoking concept!

What to do with a wine rack when you've run out of wine...

My brain is more sieve-like than ever at present - could the changing season be affecting my cells?

I forgot to share a Lulaism - what a heinous crime! Here goes...

The ever inventive Lula has come up with a new use for empty wine racks. On a recent visit to pastures new, it was noticed that she was rather intrigued by the built-in wine rack adjacent to the washing machine in a friend's kitchen.

Now, Lula is not a tidy child - far, far from it. Her wardrobe is the floor. What is clean or unclean can only truly be determined by the sniff test. For any of you who haven't come across the rules of this particular 'snifter', you gauge the cleanliness of clothes by the smell of how much fabric conditioner you can detect. Play safe when you have a cold & are looking for dirty laundry. Stop. Desist. Leave all clothes on the floor. Nurse your cold & leave the offspring's clothes to fester. Rely on their embarrassment about the state of their garments instead.

The above only applies to children of a relevant & youthful age. Leave teenagers to make their own arrangements. If Tom's clothes don't make the journey from bedroom to laundry basket, I'm not bothered. Girl power will exert its influence soon & when it does, I shall be waiting for him by the washing machine along with a words-of-one-syllable guide to how to use the washing machine & dryer. If he masters these, I'll point out the ironing board too.

Where was I?

Lula's interpretation of the wine rack wasn't noticed on the first day nor the second. Daylight dawned on day three when she was spotted carefully inserting her socks & knickers into one of the holes of the wine rack. Careful investigation brought the other two sets to light. 'I fought you put your knickerths in there becoth it'th next to the washing machine. We don't have one of thesths at home. It'th very clever.'

So if for any reason you don't store wine in your wine rack, why not use it as a handy knicker or sock store? It's sure to be a talking point when you're next entertaining!

Aunt Jennifer's Tigers

I'm not up to full Blog Speed yet so please forgive my plodding pace whilst I ease myself back into training.

It's time for a new poem in Life's Candle ( which is down there in the right hand column) & the one I would like to share with you is a poem that is embedded in my mind. 'Aunt Jennifer's Tigers' by Adrienne Rich is short, but it will say a multitude of things to you.

A lot of people have written thousands of words about this poem - some good, but much twaddle. I no longer spend much time reading 'lit.crit.' because my life is getting shorter by the minute plus I have this egotistical habit of knowing what I myself think. In any case, no matter what is written, no essay will ever be as powerful as this poem.

I always think of Rousseau's painting when I read about Aunt Jennifer. The tiger doesn't remotely resemble the imagery of the poem, but the expression of the painting tolls a bell I can't ignore. Anxiety?

Henri Rousseau 'Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!) 1891

On This Day...

I send my heartfelt sympathy,love & tender wishes to all those whose lives changed on that dreadful day in 2001.

Breaking news....I interrupt this absense to report a momentous event....

It's that time of year when a merry band of us join together in order to rejoice & give thanks for

JEAN aka the Rock CHICk!

On behalf of myself & all at Chez Hovel, I wish you a bootilicious, fantabulosa, ginanosaurus. glitzicious ( not quite sure of the spelling of this word), chicidicky, poodletastic

BIRTHDAY!

None of these words can be found in the vast volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary, but in my opinion they should be. When I get round to it, I'll petition those in judgement of such things & will pester them until they give in. Watch this space...

(I should warn you that watching this particular space may take quite a long time!)