pensioners, poetry, public holidays

november already - and contrary to what the weather forecast said, it's another gorgeous day. we have been so lucky! sepp and i took a longer walk last wednesday, which was our national holiday, and i couldn't resist taking lots of pictures. here are two.


i still have to download the rest from sepp's camera, edit them and upload them to my yahoo photo album or some such. i will post a note here.


it's another public holiday here today, all saint's. i need to stop procrastinating today, and clean my flat. (arlene, you will know what i am talking about!)

i have spent so much time writing and revising, and other things have clearly suffered - my correspondence being one of them, though i did manage to write a few long emails and a letter last week.

my muse is mostly co-operative, only sometimes stubborn (i wonder who she got that from *L*), but i still write a poem each day. my series of rules continues, there are 31 rules poems now, and friends keep suggesting more and more topics.

i've sent out some submissions, and heard back from underground window today - they will publish all four poems i submitted, two of which are rules of conduct! they responded very quickly, once to say that all poems were under consideration for the next issue, and then to confirm that they would be published in the december issue. looks a classy magazine, that one. poems are under consideration for five other magazines, and i hope to have time to send out more this evening.

work's fine. my pensioners have finished their basic course, and it was touching to hear how much they had enjoyed the lessons! some of them gave me presents, and i was so moved by one elderly lady's card. she had written:

"there are people who make life more beautiful just because they are there. you are one of those people. i thank you for introducing me to working with the computer in such a nice way and with so much care and patience ..."

isn't that sweet? such things make it all worthwhile.

i went to the presentation of a new series of english textbooks on friday, which was entertaining and very interesting. i really like the concept of mr dellar and mr walkley. for you english teachers out there, the series is called innovations. well worth checking out.

what was that i said about procrastinating? what? you think i should go clean up the mess? ah but the weather is so lovely, and ...

before i go: songs of the day: "samhain night" and "all souls night" by loreena mckennitt. of course. *S*