Does the spirit need to keep alert or care less about what must happen and sleep more deeply!

July 3, 2026

Does the spirit need to keep alert or care less about what must happen and sleep more deeply! Let’s take advice from Wordsworth about the attention we give to the mutability of things in the world and how it affects our sleep in his most haunting of the ‘Lucy’ poems, A Slumber did my Spirit … More Does the spirit need to keep alert or care less about what must happen and sleep more deeply!

Invited to imagine ‘your life’ as a book, the convenient thing about what you’d call a ‘chapter’ in it, is that it ends and pauses before another chapter begins. Is that because your life changed at some point or because, after the event, you want to write it as if it had?

July 2, 2026

One of the great beauties of writing an autobiography, a written story of the life you have passed thus far, is that, in writing it, you have the advantage of interpreting it, or any part of it, with a different view of what it all means now, or should as far as you are concerned … More Invited to imagine ‘your life’ as a book, the convenient thing about what you’d call a ‘chapter’ in it, is that it ends and pauses before another chapter begins. Is that because your life changed at some point or because, after the event, you want to write it as if it had?

There is life in the old portrait yet! A visit to the Laing Art Gallery’s reframing of the ‘Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award Show 2025’

July 1, 2026

There is life in the old portrait yet! A visit to the Laing Art Gallery’s reframing of the ‘Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award Show 2025‘ This blog follows on from yesterday’s which reported a visit to The Hatton Gallery to see their new exhibition Lines of Action (see it at this link). The day-trip … More There is life in the old portrait yet! A visit to the Laing Art Gallery’s reframing of the ‘Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award Show 2025’

Reframing your Lines of Action: Is Art a way a doing this?

June 30, 2026

Reframing is defined simply enough in a mental health page at this link. Here’;s the opening. For me, the power in it lies in the avoidance of the oft used but poor term ‘positive reframing’, which assumes that negativity is only and merely a mindset and not a reality in the external factors of people’s … More Reframing your Lines of Action: Is Art a way a doing this?

I learned to see imagery, as must be the necessity in all images offered to you. Here is a test case: How do you see children flying kites?

June 29, 2026

The Kite in Time Space: describing the flying of kites in Gaza’s Great Return March of the spring of 2018 Ahmed Almaouq, explains that kites became and ‘opportunity to express defiance, even through [only symbolic ways’ citing Ramzy Baroud, going on to say himself that they became this kind of symbol because, ‘unlike the Palestinians … More I learned to see imagery, as must be the necessity in all images offered to you. Here is a test case: How do you see children flying kites?

Did Thomas Carlyle ever say: ‘Tennyson was a man solitary and sad, dwelling in an element of gloom, carrying a bit of chaos about him’.

June 28, 2026

Alfred Tennyson and Thomas Carlyle in a good representayion of the walled garden to 5 Cheyne Road the home of Thomas and Jane Carlyle., now visitable as ‘Carlyles’s House’ Thomas Carlyle, so little read today, was thought a Sage by those of his own time, and whether the quotation given above (from the usual dodgy … More Did Thomas Carlyle ever say: ‘Tennyson was a man solitary and sad, dwelling in an element of gloom, carrying a bit of chaos about him’.

The mind desires an idol and the hand confirms its birth in ticks.

June 27, 2026

My title contains a rewriting of a passage from John Calvin which elaborates his idea that the problem with humankind was an unruly mind forever looking beyond the uncertainty, from their perspective not His, of the invisible of God and his predestined plan to a palpable, tangible and visible reassurance of His presence. Mortals are … More The mind desires an idol and the hand confirms its birth in ticks.

Space and time under the stress of oppressive power.

June 26, 2026

In Theories of Space and Time,the North American poet, Natasha Trethewey, translates human experience of Space and time over a lifetime, with an emphasis on ‘home’ as a starting point for journeys in life development, and hence also experience  of time and space. Here is the poem: You can get there from here, thoughthere’s no going … More Space and time under the stress of oppressive power.

Can we measure the quality of witness to the processes and events of attempted genocide? Two new books that test that idea and challenge the horror.

June 25, 2026

Can we measure the quality of witness to the processes and events of attempted genocide? Two new books that test that idea and challenge the horror. Tayseer Abu Odeh and Sherah Bloor (Trans. & Eds) & Jorie Graham (Guest ed.). [2026] You Must Live: New Poetry from Palestine Penguin Books Ltd.. Ahmed Alnaouq and Pam … More Can we measure the quality of witness to the processes and events of attempted genocide? Two new books that test that idea and challenge the horror.

Let’s pretend we can get in the mind (or guts) of great artists, and consider how Anish Kapoor might translate the question, ‘What’s a time you followed your gut and it turned out to be exactly right?’ This is a blog preparing to see his new exhibition at the Hayward Gallery.

June 24, 2026

Let’s pretend we can get in the mind of great artists, and consider how Anish Kapoor might translate the question, ‘What’s a time you followed your gut and it turned out to be exactly right?’ This is a blog preparing to see his new exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. Following your gut to their source: … More Let’s pretend we can get in the mind (or guts) of great artists, and consider how Anish Kapoor might translate the question, ‘What’s a time you followed your gut and it turned out to be exactly right?’ This is a blog preparing to see his new exhibition at the Hayward Gallery.

I used to believe theatre was about an actor playing a role. In preparation for Simon Stone’s ‘Oresteia’.

June 23, 2026

I suppose I am determined not to prepare in some small way for things I see on theatre. This is another installment of the preparation for my July 8-9th trip, for which the schedule again is thus, together with the surrounding commentary from an earlier blog on another event (the whole is at this link): … More I used to believe theatre was about an actor playing a role. In preparation for Simon Stone’s ‘Oresteia’.

The best advice is to be aware of and distrust the impulse, or the advice of others, that you be always in control of what you say and do, for it too often means that you surrender yourself to the controlling ideologies of the status quo, which is, often as not, embodied by that which demands your self-control. I think I learned this from Adam Nicolson’s characterisation of Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his ‘The Making of Poetry’ (2019)

June 22, 2026

The best advice is to be aware of and distrust the impulse, or the advice of others, that you be always in control of what you say and do, for it too often means that you surrender yourself to the controlling ideologies of the status quo, which is, often as not, embodied by that which … More The best advice is to be aware of and distrust the impulse, or the advice of others, that you be always in control of what you say and do, for it too often means that you surrender yourself to the controlling ideologies of the status quo, which is, often as not, embodied by that which demands your self-control. I think I learned this from Adam Nicolson’s characterisation of Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his ‘The Making of Poetry’ (2019)