Thursday, September 05, 2013

a little like water, only it's grass.............

This week's theme is around boats and such......older readers will remember that  my Mum's side of the family had certain sailors,but my Polish Dad's family had none.The Polish Navy is hardly famous.Their  armadas had always to set sail on dry land...............
 Late, by myself, in the boat of myself,
no light and no land anywhere,
cloudcover thick. I try to stay
just above the surface, 
yet I'm already under 
and living with the ocean 
{Rumi}
Sepia Saturday's prompt this week is "Some times you just need to be alone. You need space : space to think, space to breathe, space to contemplate your place in the great scheme of things..."
And so I thought  about my brother Ziggy in 1965. Look!He is sunbathing on a deckchair in true Hank B Marvin fashion on our front garden at Savile Crescent ,Halifax. A   little like water,except it's grass..........
Last weekend I went to a Garden Party in Cheshire.It was at my friend and ex- teaching colleague Barbara's house.
I lived and worked in Cheshire for 3 years in the early 80's.
For those that dont know,Cheshire is Rural,Posh,Well- Heeled,very quiet..and a relaxing place.Quite how i got to Cheshire {& subsequently left,} is unclear to me (!) Just one of the many random things I peppered my life with.
I arrived in Cheshire  after working in a rough n.tough, inner- city East London (East Ham & Plaistow).I swapped Ian Dury for John Constable .I swapped The Sweeney for The Archers.......
My visit last weekend made me realise I dont fully remember the person I was then & the person I might have become .Most odd
.For those of us who travel,we leave bits of us behind us as breadcrumbs.We leave a  trail,in  case we need to find a way back.....
Maybe Cheshire was my "space to think, space to breathe..."?
The rural flat farming landscape is the nearest I ever came to my Dad's childhood Polish village .Maybe that was it........?
As well as landscape,I,ve always been attracted to extremes. My Mum came from Upper Class roots:My Dad was a working class mill worker.Chalk & Cheese but it worked for them.Ive always felt fairly classless.Accepting all, but always  (to some extent) an outsider and observer..
last Saturday lunchtime in Church Minshull.

27 comments:

Kristin said...

I feel that way too.

Nice grassy water.

Brian Miller said...

eh its not bad to roll on the outside you know...getting to see it all...that first shot is really cool tony...

iODyne said...

oh The Badger. 'British Cuisine'.
I hope you went in there for a Ploughman's as I would have.
Cheshire cheese.
That Midsomer Marple England is such a dreamy scene from this far away.

Alan Burnett said...

"For those of us who travel,we leave bits of us behind us as breadcrumbs".Oh I love that sentence, it almost has a Cohenesque feel to it. Talking of which, you aren't be any chance going to see him in Leeds on Saturday are you?

tony said...

well Alan, I wasnt sure about "The Breadcrumbs" I wanted a nautical reference but couldnt think of what sailors might leave as markers????(other than wet breadcrumbs!) Ah! Uncle Lenny ! I saw him at Manchester Opera House when he first made his 'Great Return'..but big Stadiums I find horrible (i do make an exception for Dylan)Saying that,if you know of anyone with a spare free ticket.........:)

Jackie van Bergen said...

Sometimes I think the only way I've been able to survive in Sydney is that I can sit in my front window and not see any houses, just trees. This country girl is a long long way from home.

Anonymous said...

The middle section on the shift to Cheshire - food for thought there. Well written.

Akelamalu said...

"For those of us who travel,we leave bits of us behind us as breadcrumbs"

Oh I do love that!

Unknown said...

I also like the line about not being able to remember the person you were back then.....it's so true, so true!

Bob Scotney said...

You have reminded me that I have left some breadcrumbs in Cheshire too - but at the end of the 80s.
Loved the song.

Little Nell said...

Lots of sailors leave littel bits of themselves behind - comes of havig a girl in every port I guess.

Postcardy said...

Sailors have a reputation for leaving a girl in every port.

Joan said...

I too like the introspection of leaving bits and pieces of ourselves -- perhaps to find our way back to ourselves. Nice to sit back and think -- alone and far and away.

Alex Daw said...

I feel like I've been living in bubble. You're the second person I know to post a link recently to the Nick Cave song - of which I have never heard before. My dear friend posted this link to a reinterpreation of it on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bG7wbAfcKUI I love that Rumi quote (of which I was also ignorant) ...the boat of myself...very... very poignant. And of course I like The Badger, given my post...

Mike Brubaker said...

A post for floating on the water, Tony, with hopefully smooth water at least.

As for the Badger, what kind of cuisine do they serve before 12?

tony said...

Well, Mike, as its called The Badger,it's a "set menue".......

Rosie said...

Church Minshall seems like a great place for a stroll, of course, one would have to stop in at The Badger just out of curiosity, right?

Hazel said...

When you said 'Cheshire' I remembered the 'Cheshire Cat' in Alice.... :) It's my first time to listen to the Ship Song. Nice one.

Ann ODyne said...

Tony that Sett Menu has a Cullman's Lunch, and Badger Stroganoff.

tony said...

"Eating Badger:A Sett Menue"[GUARDIAN}

Unknown said...

The breadcrumbs comment got to me too.... very evocative.

Unknown said...

Just read the Guardian article, (not much happening round here today) Now my mind is taking those breadcrumbs to a new place, breaded badger genitals, and I realise I have just the spoon for the old brain scooping technique, never was going to sweeten an iced tea. Thanks for sharing.....

Bruno Laliberté said...

"we leave bits of us behind us as breadcrumbs"

Like footsteps on a beach washed away by the tides of Time. We can never return to whom we were, as we can't retrace our steps, forced to go ever forward...

Which is a good thing, me thinks!!
:D~
HUGZ

tony said...

Probably Bruno.The Past is ,in theory, an interesting place but its more slippery than the Future...more open to renegotiation.....

Anonymous said...

I like how you always seem to leave us with a song to contemplate. They are usually ones that I have either not listened to previously or not listened to in a while. thanks.

Anonymous said...

"For those of us who travel, we leave bits of us behind us as breadcrumbs. We leave a trail, in case we need to find a way back."
I'll keep that in mind while traveling and reading travel journals. Like your post!

Jofeath said...

Great thoughts and photos, and a great song, thanks for the link to it!

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