I visited you, and wondered
curiosity and profanity
all at once in mindful nonsence,

regret felt knee-deep in icy water
your offer rejected and squandered
now I revisit you and long for...

drapeau blanc

you visited me, and no wonder
curiosity well pronounced
all over summer long lost

regret felt sky high in tepid Channel
my heart accepted and squandered
now we revisit what we once longed for...

`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`

Colour: Sienna, gray and slate gray; the colours of my wretched tablets.
Music: Manic Street Preachers: You Love Us

60 -Californians put on sweaters(if they can find one in their wardrobe)
50 -Miami residents turn on the heat
40 -You can see your breath, Californians shiver uncontrollably Minnesotans go swimming.
35 -Italian cars don't start
32 -Water freezes
30 -You plan your vacation to Australia, Minnesotans put on T-shirts, Politicians begin to worry about the homeless, British cars don't start
25 -Boston water freezes, Californians weep pitiably, Minnesotans eat ice cream, Canadians go swimming
20 -You can hear your breath, Politicians begin to talk about the homeless, New York City water freezes, Miami residents plan vacation further south
15 -French cars don't start, You plan a vacation in Mexico, Cat insists on sleeping in your bed with you
10 -Too cold to ski, You need jumper cables to get your car going
5 -You plan your vacation in Houston, American cars don't start
0 -Alaskans put on T-shirts, too cold to skate
-10 -German cars don't start, Eyes freeze shut when you blink
-15 -You can cut your breath and use it to build an igloo, Arkansas residents stick tongues to metal objects, Miami residents cease to exist
-20 -Cat insists on sleeping in your pajamas with you, Politicians actually do something about the homeless, Minnesotans shovel snow off roof, Japanese cars don't start
-25 -Too cold to think, You need jumper cables to get driver going
-30 -You plan a two week hot bath, The Mighty Monongajela freezes. Swedish cars don't start
-40 -Californians disappear, Minnesotans button top button, Canadians put on sweaters, your car helps you plan your trip south
-50 -Congressional hot air freezes, Alaskans close the bathroom window
-60 -Hell freezes over, Polar bears move south!!

This morning started brightly, not by looking out of the window, but by answering the door to the postman, and collecting mail which was actually hand-written and for me, as a human being, not statistical noose-mail.
My loveliest friends from Kyoto, my art buddies of many years, sent me some get-well-soon cards...all hand painted, and also some snacks, as they remembered my soft spot for o-senbei. I've had three already! My heart is cheered enormously by this, and I read the three cards, and feel a little complicated..."should I stay or should I go?" ...I was supposed to be in Kyoto at the end of this month, as they had planned many events, and so had I. My friend is a graphic artist/painter, her partner colours and designs kimono patterns, he and I share near identical musical tastes, and their mutual friend, is perhaps the most talented of all...she is expert in children's stories and artworks, having many exhibitions on Honshuu. I've drawn many artworks myself to take there, all Japanese and Thai style...but...

yesterday I sought the doctor yet again, my spine is displaced as I am pained beyond the barrier, and now the slipped disc has gone into the tenth month with no satisfactory treatment, such is the NHS situation. That day in January, playing by the university team, running in on goal, and being hacked down by the new boy, little did I know that 10 months later, my project and trip to Japan, and very profession would all be knocked back by our rich country's waiting lists. I have not even had an MRI yet, and meanwhile, I am now unable to walk at all, get out of cars when nobody is looking such is my shame of being 35-going-on-75, and now have complications with my rib cage resulting from all this, with my heart being slowly squashed by the changing position of my bones. For 10 months I've had in mind, I can do it, I can recover, I can use this to my advantage, and there are thousands of less fortunate people...but this week I snapped, damn it, about bloody time too...I value my life, and want to enjoy what I can, when I can, while I can...because I know personally, it is far from finite. I dislike speaking like this, but this is my week, when I've been told not to push my body as the damaged bones will restrict the heartbeats. Heavens.
So that means no flight to Tokyo, this year?

My doctor told me, "I hope you'll have the MRI this side of Christmas" ...which year?

My German nephew returned to Germany this week, and was thrilled with England. We had a great time listening to Slam in my car on Norfolk's roads~~! I will return to Germany, to a health spa for three of four days next month.

Blog buddies, what's your favourite place, and why?

Colour: Dimgray and indigo
Music: Dub Kult: On and On ~~This is awesome~~
Reading: Lowell Sheppard: Chasing the Cherry Blossom

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the EU rather than German which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five year phase-in plan that would be known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of the "k". This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan have 1 less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be ekspekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent "e"s in the language is disgraseful, and they should go away.

By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi to understand ech ozer. Ze drem vil finali kum tru! And zen world!

-Passed to me by my German student this week.

There is a glass half full of water:

Mathmetician: the glass is half full
Physisist: the glass is half empty
Engineer: the glass is too big

-shoeb hafiz

Music: Chris Isaak: Heart Full of Soul
Reading: Okini; Kyoto dialect phrase book