The Poetry Laureates

With the recent appointment of Liz Lochhead as the National Poet of Scotland, Makar, we have three female Lauureates- Gillian Clarke is National Poet of Wales, and Carol Ann Duffy the Poet Laureate. Gillian Clarke has also been awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for poetry.

It is wonderful to see women in the top literary positions, as women write more poetry than men. Most creative writing classes have more women than men in them,and yet more men get published.

Now we have a triumvirate of women. Let's hope it inspires us all to write and publish poetry.

January

Already half way through the month and I have a new car. It's great not to have to walk everywhere,but this car ,although 10 years old,and a little too big for me ,is full of electrical gismos. Yesterday,I left the lights on and flattened the battery. Got it sorted,but now it tells me that it's Saturday 1st January.

I don't mind beginning the month again, perhaps I'll get down to some writing. It's always hard to get back into routine, and each day I postpone doing things makes it even harder to start.So I need to buy a new notebook. I had a new expensive sketch book I was saving.My daughter found it and has used it for her exam revision. So to the pound shop for something cheap that I won't mind spoiling.The hardest part of writing is the starting.

NEW YEAR

So the new year is here-Blwyddyn newydd dda or perhaps Blwyddyn newydd austere. Over the past years I have tighted my belt,but now the papers are saying it will cost £160 just to cover petrol increases, VAT increases,and higher food prices.

I have spent the morning cleaning out my car,which having failed its MOT is off to the scrap yard. It is eleven years old,but it needs a lot of little things doing to it, and all those little things add up to a lot of money. I paid it last year,but not again. So the option is to go without a car. I don't need one;it is an expensive luxury .

I wonder how long I can manage carrying my shopping home, catching the bus,and giving up things not on a bus route. I didn't have a car until I was in my early thirties, but it is lovely to have mobility.Still the way petrol is going up it isn't the time to think about another car,and I can't drive for another week anyway because of my carpal tunnel operation.

On a brighter note the date 1.1.11 looks like binary code,stark tall winter trees standing to attention.

ICICLES

Nearly Christmas and we are still caught up in a frozen landscape. It is the coldest December since 1894,and those Victorian Winter Wonderland of frozen rivers and lakes.
If only the roads and pavements were salted it wouldn't be so bad,but the sparkle of diamonds in the snow has worn off. The icicles are amazing hanging from the guttering like sculpture,as long as they don't bring down the guttering when they fall.

Voice

My hand is much better. I had the stitches out.For the last two days I've had no voice.I think I picked up my sore throat at the doctors' surgery waiting to see the nurse. A poet with no voice is ironic. I open my mouth and there is nothing. I've been dosing myself on lemon, honey,ginger and cough sweets.

Snow outside -6 inches deep. I went through it to put up fat balls for the birds. Then indoors to try and find my voice.

WHY I CAN'T WRITE

The day of my operation arrived-the first day of the advent calendar - and it wasn't as bad as I thought.

My right hand has 6 stitches,and is painful.I can't write,and can't drive for 6 weeks. Although in this snow and ice I don't want to drive. I have the stitches out next week, and can swim again in a fortnight.

At last it's over.I think the anticapation is the worst bit.Last night I wrote my Christmas cards and the rent cheque. So no washing up for a while, and I'm learning to type with my left hand.

Selling Our Anthology

It is hard selling books-harder to sell the books than write them-but the role of the author is also to sell. Our anthology Of Cake And Words was aimed for the Christmas market. It is the perfect stocking filler or Christmas present.


Yesterday it snowed. Today it is the Christmas Fayre. We've paid for our stall and so armed with cakes and books we slither through the snow and ice. We offer a piece of cake and some people buy our anthology. A whole day, but we sell twelve. One of the buyers works for the Book Council. Would we like our book listed on their site? A brilliant moment!

So a cold hard day, but worth the effort.

Copies Of Cake And Words are available through The Cwrtnewydd Scribblers website.