The Evening Star

From a blue sky tinged with western fire
The evening star looks down upon a pink-tinted Earth;
Fulgent, shimmering in the great beyond;
Proud over this hushy, dusky blanket of ground;
In vain do our house lights seek to rival her brilliance,
Feeble tinsel glints against the majesty of gold.
What secrets does she harbour? I wonder
As I gaze awe-struck at the glittering orb;
What ancient sagas has she beheld upon this,
Her companion planet? Slyly, she winks
Revealing only her fabulous light
And bids us dwellers upon Earth “good night”.

I read, therefore I am....

There was never a leader in any field of law, politics or business who did not improve him or herself by reading. Sure, Genghis Khan was illiterate at the outset of his career. Then, he invaded China – and found the natives reading and writing. Next thing, he had hired himself a personal tutor. Abraham Lincoln’s political career began after he ploughed through a pile of law books. HG Wells spurned his family's many attempts to turn him into a respectable shop assistant. Eventually, he won a scholarship to train as a teacher….and the rest is science fiction….I can’t stand it any longer, these television journalists showcasing their vast reading collections – I feel obliged to add my own version of bookcase chic – and cheek! So, get an eyeful of my collection of history, art, philosophy, psychology, mythology, literature, poetry, drama, fiction, biography, critical theory….books….

This, that and Schroedinger's Cat

On a winter's evening, many years ago, I happened to spot a delightful moggy lying upon the bonnet of a car, attracted no doubt, by the still-warm engine. So, I whipped out my camera and - snaaap! When the picture fell out of the developer's wallet - remember those? - I gawped in astonishment at the reflection of the beast in the bonnet of the car, the rendering of the amber patches in the dark fur and the feline features all spookily distorted - no, Marie Kondo, I have never considered throwing this one away. The more often I look at it, the more often Erwin Schroedinger's thought experiment springs to mind, that is, in the world of quantum physics, a body can be in two states at the one time, both alive and dead.
Just now, I reckon, we are all a bit Schroedinger just now, having retreated to an indoor world of video phone conversations, spring cleaning, pursuit of long-neglected hobbies, DVD dance marathons, rolling news bulletins, and waving and clapping off of balconies. The big question is, which world is the "real" one, the quieter domestic sphere or the ebullient life outside the domiciliary walls? When the present difficulties are over, which world will dissolve into vapidity, and which will stay stubbornly real - or perhaps there is no "reality", only an ever-present present, dictated by a raft of circumstances in combination with personal inclination? - and "miaow" to all of that. One thing is certain, given the age of the photo - 25+ years - this marvelous moggy is now ascended to cat heaven, where her glorious fur continues to draw aaaahs of pleasure from the denizens of the Above. Whatever, stay well, folks.....

The Real Caped Crusaders....

"Only talent filled with humility is of real use to humanity"
is the April 2 quotation on my Brahma Kumaris perpetual calendar....ah, the wisdom of that man - and the number of years I have read that platitude (I have had the calendar for over ten years) and barely paused to think what it might mean. Well, there is a time for everything, they say, a season and a reason, and that time is now. The new hero is not a celebrity in a Boss suit nor a Balenciaga gown, nor gold watches, diamonds and pearls. He or she does not fly over cities by night nor scale tall buildings, busting drug cartels and stopping equally glamorous gangsters in their tracks - though the new hero does engage in shift work. He dresses for the part in visors and masks, gowns and gloves, halting the progress of the invisible - to us - enemy, and caring for the distressed. He works in a grocery outlet, stacking shelves and serving food and medicine to all comers. He keeps the communication wires buzzing and the power supplies humming. He drives buses, delivers post, unblocks drains, regulates traffic. One day, it will all revert to the old norm. but for now, I bask in the succession of the real caped - and masked - crusaders.