Thursday 27 February 2014

Alas Poor Notebook, I Knew It Well !

I was pondering the difficulty of finding a decent notebook.

Ideally it needs to be exactly like the one I am currently using - and is rapidly nearing its fullness. This one was given to Graham a couple of Christmases ago, I was given one also, but I've filled that and appropriated his.

You wouldn't think it would be that difficult to find a notebook. And if push comes to shove I will just write on any bits of paper I can find. But to find the Holy Grail of notebooks is proving more difficult than I envisaged.

The one I am currently using has A5 sized pages, the pages are lined, and it has a hard cover. The added yumminess though is that it is black with a vintage border pattern on the cover and has an integral ribbon bookmark. It is also neither too thick nor thin and doesn't weigh a ton.

I have been looking for weeks to find a replacement as the number of blank pages is rapidly diminishing and I must admit I have bought some notebooks that will do in a pinch.

But none of them feel as comfortable as this one does. They are too big, too small, don't have hard covers or, in one case, has a beautiful cover which being made from resin you can't lift without assistance.

I like to have a notebook I can carry with me and use wherever I happen to be in the house. Which may mean propped on the arm of the sofa, in bed, or even in the bath.
I find the bath one of the best places for thinking, contemplating and germinating new ideas whether for products or for articles (such as this one). It is the one place where I am left alone with my thoughts and am rarely interrupted.

I therefore don't want a huge and heavy notebook if I am holding it in one hand and writing with the other.

There are less than twenty pages left now in this book and a slight feeling of unease is creeping in - not panic, for heavens sake! Who would panic just because they are nearing the end of a useful, well loved, just right, comfortable, sweet and darling of a note book? !

AAAAAAAaaaaaaaargh!


Sunday 2 February 2014

The Genealogy of Bride

The genealogy of the holy maiden Bride,
Radiant flame of gold, noble foster-mother of Christ
Bride the daughter of Dugal the brown
Son of Aodh, son of Art, Son of Conn,
Son of Crearar, son of Cis, son of Carina, son of Carruin

Every day and every night
That I say the genealogy of Bride,
I shall not be killed, I shall not be harried,
I shall not be put in a cell, I shall not be wounded,
Neither shall Christ leave me in forgetfulness.

No fire, no Sun, no Moon shall burn me,
No lake, no water, nor sea shall drown me,
No arrow or fairy, nor dart of fay shall wound me
And I under the protection of my Holy Mary
And my gentle foster-mother is my beloved Bride

Collected by Alexander Carmichael

I thought this was a lovely blessing to share for the feast of Bride.
Hope you enjoy it