Writing and not writing

Hugely enjoying the writing course at Lancaster University and would recommend it. It's six months long and is really good value for money, and no they are not paying me to say that!
BUT it has put paid to any other writing. Though to be honest I took on some invigilation work this last month so that has taken my time too. As well as playing my beloved melodeon for Persephone Women's Morris. And I've not been able to do as much of that either - I do suffer from low energy levels and get more viruses than normal so have to pace myself - even now I'm retired.
Never got to put a poem in to Grey Hen Press but one aim is to get a short story either submitted to them, or submit one for a competition.
On the mundane side of things I do like this hot weather, even it is humid - it can remind me of my teenager-hood in Hong Kong. That was in the colonial days of course, in the 60s. Lot of water under the bridge for me since then, as well as for China and Hong Kong. Maybe I'll put up a little more detail on that in the next post. Watch this space.

Irish Rural Wedding Breakdown

IRISH RURAL WEDDING BREAKDOWN

Stopped by the telegraph,

shocked at hanging about,

hoists the silver-blue skirt.

White shirt mooches about.

Black suits you. Gardai’s never here

when you need them. I always smoke Carroll’s.

By God.

Vegetable love meanwhile wrenches a sigh

at the edge

of the road.

Are you sure then Declan,

- no petrol?

This is a draft of the poem I have sent off to Ian Parks for his comments. And I am very aware that it needs something else doing with it .... not sure what yet.

Meanwhile I sent off a story to the Calderdale libraries competition so I will have to wait and see whether that gets anywhere. After a great deal of re-thinking and re-drafting over a period of weeks I ended up being pretty pleased with it - at last I am able to get into the swing of writing. Poetry seems to be making more of a mark on my writing - I've just sent off an equally short one to the MsLexia Women's Poetry competition, inspired by notices seen on a train journey, though the collected words and phrases were put to a different purpose. In any case it's a fun thing to do: collect words and phrases from any specific activity, it could be an occupational jargon for instance, and use them for poetry.

My next deadline is the Grey Hen Press poetry competition - for women over 60. And, yes, I do fit the category!

Last, but most important at the moment, I'm waiting to hear if the Lancaster University online writing course will be running - it starts in a few days and I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into regular writing, and critiquing.