Off the Grid

A while ago a friend had the idea of writing a film script about an ill-matched couple who fall in love and then try to live their lives off the grid. I'm not sure she ever made much headway with it. But I remembered her idea at the weekend when I heard a piece about a website now dedicated to helping you live off the grid, both in terms of energy consumption and identity/tracability.

And it got me thinking about just how many hats we now wear and how it is virtually impossible to drop below the radar.

So this is a first draft of something:

Who am I?

at the wheel
a motorist

at the kitchen sink
a wife

in bed an insomniac

at the table a celiac

in the street
an obliging neighbour

at the piano
a rank beginner

in the graveyard
upright and nameless

on the cancer ward
a success

to the researcher
a set of genes

at the ballot box
none of the above

in the greenhouse
a propagator

for the purpose of post
a code

for electricity and gas
the consumer

for wine
red

for spirits
gin

for cigarettes
reformed

to charities
concerned

at the match
a neutral

at the vet’s
a mongrel owner

on the census
a Klingon

on paper
a taxpayer

for lingerie
36C

in changing rooms
single-breasted

in energy terms
lagged and insulated

at the bank
a saver

to the young
old

to the old
young

for my son
a loan guarantor

and in the privacy of my own head
not what you think

Poetry Junkie

I went along to Kevin Cadwallender's launch of his pamphlet Dog Latin last week. It has been published by Calder Wood Press, and contains a wonderful selection of pieces. If you want to sample some of Kevin's work see here:



I also met Crafty Green Poet at the gig, which was lovely, as I've enjoyed her blog for some time now.

After that Anne and I scooted up to the School of Poets class at the Scottish Poetry Library, and Kevin jokingly called us a couple of poetry junkies. There are worse things in life to be me thinks..........

On Wednesday I went to fashion show that my friend N's daughter-in-law helped organise, she's a designer and lecturer at Glasgow School of Art. The show reworked charity shop clothes into high fashion and it was really well done, with goody bags and an after show party.

And Friday I saw a Japanese friend and we went to see the Scott and Shackelton photographic exhibition at the Queens Gallery Herbert Ponting shots from the ill-fated Scott expedition are absolutely stunning.

Now I have a bad cold, something I always seem to get when I'm exposed to lots of people, I just don't have any resistance to things any more. So I'm lying low and living on lemsip.

The photo is of some of the gilding on the door of the Queens Gallery - horse chesnut leaves and flowers. Here in my home town they had to chop a massive old one down this week, as it was diseased and had a number of deep wounds on it limbs. Seeing the huge gap it has left behind made me think of this Niedecker poem:

My Friend Tree
by Lorine Niedecker


My friend tree
I sawed you down
but I must attend
an older friend
the sun

Great Great etc Uncle Patrick Henry

Colin Will has been clearing out some of his poetry books to give himself more room and to raise money for the RNLI. I "bought" three, including James Tate's Selected Poems and this poem spoke to me, because for those of us from hard-working peasant stock I'm not sure that it helps to know that six generation of your family were dirt poor. The fact that they survived as best they could, against the odds, to allow you to be here today is all you can be grateful for.

The narrator of this poem sounds like an arrogant teenager and they are never impressed with anything their parents, let alone their forebearers have done, but sometimes something a parent says will stick and you return to it years later. I think Tate may also be saying that history is usually written by the winners.

Great Great Uncle etc Patrick Henry

There's a fortune to be made in just about everything
in this country, somebody's father had to invent
everything--baby food, tractors, rat poisoning.
My family's obviously done nothing since the beginning
of time. They invented poverty and bad taste
and getting by and taking it from the boss.
O my mother goes around chewing her nails and
spitting them in a jar: You shouldn't be ashamed
of yourself she says, think of your family.
My family I say what have they ever done but
paint by numbers the most absurd and disgusting scenes
of plastic squalor and human degradation.
Well then think of your great great etc.
Uncle Patrick Henry.

My grandfather is our family's equivalent of Uncle Patrick Henry, and I have recently discovered that the Imperial War Museum now has a synopsis of his recordings with them, so if you think you have lived read on:

"10786
CATALOGUE NUMBER
NAME:
Hood, David Linley Smith

DESCRIPTION:

British private served with 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on Western Front, 1915-1916; served as officer's batman with Headquarters, Fourth Army in France, 1916; served as aircraftsman with 2 Royal Flying Corps Repair Depot in France, 1916-1918; served as engineer aboard RFA Cairndale in Atlantic, 1939-1941 including sinking, 30/5/1941; served as chief engineer aboard RFA Gray Ranger in North Sea and Arctic, 1941-1942 including sinking 22/9/1942; served aboard RFA Dingledale in Atlantic, Mediterranean and Far East, 1942-1945

NOTES:
REEL 1 Background in Falkirk and Glasgow, 1898-1914: family; education; employment. Aspects of enlistment and training with Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in GB, 1914-1915: background to (underage) enlistment, 8/1914; failure of friend's father to get him out of the army,; reception at Stirling Castle; training in Plymouth, 1914-1915; interest of Lady Astor in troops; how he was befriended by experienced soldier. REEL 2 Continues: crossing to France, 3/1915; different regimental marching rates. Recollections of operations as private with 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on Western Front, 1915-1916: joining B Coy; orders to move into front line at Loos; manning front line; burial parties; first use of gas masks; affected by own gas, late 1915; mining and counter mining; attachment to Royal Engineers mining company. REEL 3 Continues: alert for German spies; narrow escape from group of Middlesex Regiment troops looking for spies; listening post duties with canary; his rescue from asphyxiation in mine; sight of unit casualties from Festubert during hospitalisation; effects of sudden thaw, 3/1916; incident in which he was under shellfire. Aspects of period as officer's batman with Headquarters, Fourth Army in France, 1916: appointment as officer's batman; sight of Prince of Wales; his officer's duties at headquarters; attitude towards luxury at headquarters. REEL 4 Continues: background to transfer to Royal Flying Corps; plans for post-war employment; story of what happened to his commanding officer from 1916; leave in Scotland; news of death of relative on Western Front. Aspects of period as aircraftsman with 2 Royal Flying Corps Repair Depot in France, 1916-1918: training as mechanic; types of aircraft worked on; contact with aces; obtaining parts of Von Richtofen's aircraft; capabilities of Royal Flying Corps aircraft; memories of the 'Mad Major'; news of Armistice, 11/11/1918; further details of aces. Aspects of demobilisation and return to civilian life, from 1919: demobilisation, 1/1919; obtaining marine engineering employment on Clydeside, 1919. REEL 5 Continues: apprenticeship on Clydeside, 1919; post-war interest in British Legion; his political opinions after First World War. Reflections on service with 2nd Bn Argyll of Sutherland Highlanders on Western Front, 1915-1916: problems of lice in kilts; case of soldier arrested for desertion.

Recollections of operations as engineer aboard RFA Cairndale in Atlantic, 1939- 1941 including sinking 30/5/1941: his position with Royal Fleet Auxiliary; transport disruption, 2/9/1939; problems joining ship in Glasgow, 3/9/1939. REEL 6 Continues: convoy to Freetown, 9/1939; oiling duties in Freetown; last sight of HMS Jervis Bay leaving Freetown; electrical storms in Freetown, late 1939; problems with barnacles at Freetown; return to GB via Caribbean, early 1940; problems getting hospital treatment for wife; attachment of oiler to Force H in Gibraltar; previous experience of oiling HMS Ark Royal during her trials; attempt to decoy Scharnhorst, 4/1941; rescue of survivors of sunken merchantman. REEL 7 Continues: news of wife's death, 5/1941; belief of wife's Scandinavian relations that Germans would win the war in 1939; wife's escape from Denmark to GB early during the Second World War; second attempt to decoy Scharnhorst, 5/1941; preparations for emergency at sea; torpedoing of ship; abandoning ship; rescue of survivors; return to Gibraltar, 31/5/1941; return to GB. REEL 8 Continues: character of Glasgow's Ghost Train; his declining to give up berth to female US officer. Recollections of operations as chief engineer aboard RFA Gray Ranger in North Sea and Arctic, 1941-1942 including sinking, 22/9/1942: joining ship; sea trials; instructing US personnel in oiling, autumn 1941; plan to interfere with German shipping off Norway; his opinion of Polish forces; prior recollections of pre-war exercises in Bemuda. REEL 9 Continues: joining Convoy PQ17, summer 1942; collision with iceberg; orders to return to GB for repairs; fitting of new bows in North Shields; joining Convoy PQ18; fate of Convoy PQ18; start of return Convoy QP14; plan for ship to break from convoy for Scapa Flow; torpedoing of ship by U-435, 22/9/1942; provisions in ship's lifeboat and preparations for emergency. REEL 10 Continues: abandoning ship and rescue by HMS Northern Gem; return of survivors to GB; provision of public lunch for survivors in Glasgow; condition he was in on his return from Arctic; his opinion of wartime decorations and awards; conversation with newly appointed officer in charge of oiling at the Admiralty. Aspects of operations as chief engineer aboard RFA Dingledale in Atlantic, Mediterranean and Far East, 1942-1945: joining ship in Glasgow; oiling work of West African coast; contact with civilians in West Africa; arrival in Tokyo Bay, Japan. REEL 11 Continues: state of Hiroshima, Japan; Japanese preparations for naval defence of Kure; opinion of Japanese; participation in North African landings, 1943; second hand story of torpedoed San Demetrio and his encounter with the tanker's second officer; work oiling HMS Ajax; rescue of casks of unfermented wine from Algiers harbour."

The photo is of Trois Arbres Military Cemetery where my great,great uncle Andrew is buried. My grandfather had to read the telegram message about Andrew's death to his paternal grandmother, as she was illiterate.

Projects

Yesterday I had a really lazy day as I felt pretty tired having been out and about the two previous days.

On Friday I was at the launch of the National Galleries for Scotland "Get Inspired Get Writing" anthology, which showcases the work of the winning entries of the last two years, including my own poem "Life Class". I was really pleased to discover that the introduction is by Janice Galloway, a real heroine of mine - I saw her speak a couple of years ago on Edward Lear at Stanza and it was one of the best things I've ever heard. But the best bit is that she mentions my poem, which is just a huge thrill. I attach a couple of photos of the book.

After that I went on to a friend's event, which was a quiz night in aid of a Scottish youth charity. I was on a team with some former colleagues and we had a great night, although we didn't win. But the names of the quiz teams were hilarious -my favourite was "Quiz Team Aguilera"

On Thursday my friend A. and I did a wee bit of work on a collaborative project that we hope to see published in the Spring, and then we had a lovely walk in the grounds of the National Museum of Modern Art - again I attach a few shots here of the grounds, a Barbara Hepworth piece and a new installation, that says in lights "There Will Be No Miracles Here" - I've frame it against some city church spires.

It's been a great few days, although the down side has been hearing that a friend who went through treatment with me has had a recurrence to her bones and another good friend is dealing with her son having just been diagnosed as bi-polar. I sent this particular friend a poem I've just written and she replied saying she is claiming it for herself as, "it captures how I feel impeccably" - and that means more than anything else to me.

Favourite bits

Sorry I'm not around, I'm working on a few projects - but hope to get back "here" at the weekend.

Meanwhile here is a few bits of video of my year so far, my SIL's 50th, some shots of Lewis, the harvest, North Berwick, Edinburgh, Munch, the "big garden" Cottage borders that I help plan and layout last winter and this Spring, Sally Evans' bees, waterfalls etc, etc.

Indigo Girls

I can't wait for tomorrow night to see the Indigo Girls. While I like and love a lot of music written by younger people it is really good to be able to hear lyrics written by women of your own age.

Today I'm looking at prints of pictures that I've just got back to try and decide which ones to get backed/mounted for a competition. I hate this stage of the process, because I'm my own worst critic and half the time I just pick the shots to pieces and lose heart. But this time I need to decide right away and then get them off to the framers, otherwise I'm going to miss the deadline.

Last night I went to see Janet Paisley in Edinburgh. She was reading with some Ukrainian academics who have translated one of her collections and a novel into their language. It was an interesting to hear the Ukrainians speak about the act of translation, and about how poetry and humour are essential requirements in this mixed-up, beat-up old world of ours. We also noticed that their poetry books are printed in a small diary like style, which they said was standard there, as it saved on "resources" and also meant that they could be easily transported and read on the bus or tube. Maybe we should give the format a whirl here, it might boost poetry sales.

And N has mentioned to me that her good friend Flick is writing a blog called, "Cancer Travels" - if you can please look in, as she is an inspiring woman, who is not lying down to the disease. Her blog is here .

Meanwhile here's the girls with some middle-aged angst:

Poems and things

I have a couple of things that have just been published on-line.

Two poems here at the amazing la fovea. Read their manifesto, it is a really interesting new way of getting work out there. And big thank you to Holly Anderson for suggesting me.

And one here at Mungbeing


Yesterday I had a perfect autumn day with two fairly new friends. I showed them round my garden and was amazed that they were amazed at my gardening knowledge, which I tend to just accept as normal and everyday. I then took them to one of my favourite beaches, which is a sort of open secret here in East Lothian. It has a castle on a cliff, a tiny harbor hewn out of solid rock and the Bass Rock off shore. It's the sort of place you could imagine Enid Blyton basing a Famous Five book on.

I'm also quietly developing my obsession with huts with the aid of this site, Shedworking, which it devoted to all things small and temporary. Sometimes I think I missed my calling in life........