July 21st

cream winged copper eyed

resting after collisions

fairy dust scattered

Never seen one of these moths before. It’s a Swallow Tailed Moth, it came into the house, drawn to the light, the windows were open as the night was warm. I was nervous about rescuing it, Moth wings are so delicate, they are easily broken, leaving a residue of what people call “fairy dust”, the substance which folklore suggests gives them (and fairies) flight and magic. It rested after bumping into the light fitting a few times. I think it got out again, as I didn’t see it later that evening. I hope it did anyway, these particular moths are only active for a few days in July. It was so beautiful, with a white/cream fur and metallic coppery eyes.

March 15th and March 16th

 

I’m publishing two days worth in one go today, the Haiku’s are so different, yet they seem complementary.  We’ve just been for a two day trip to London, where, interrupted by a wonderful visit to the theatre (The Ladykillers – very funny adaptation by Graham Linehan) we saw the exhibitions by two of the giants, in fact I would say, the top two British Artists spanning the of 20th and 21st Centuries. Namely David Hockney and Lucian Freud. It seems apt to publish the Haiku’s side by side.

Hockney’s exhibition at the Royal Academy is stunning in its colour and joy. Since his return to England from L.A he’s been painting every day in his native Yorkshire, capturing the change in the seasons. His work for Spring is just so heart warming and vivid.

(may blossom on the roman road 2009, 72in x 192in)

This painting captures the time of year Hockney calls “Action Week” where the transient Hawthorn Blossom appears and then swiftly disappears. It’s very poetic. This is a large painting, visually stunning.

My Haiku in humble appreciation of it, is below. I like the semi animalistic forms in the foliage too. And look at that sky. There’s something of the fairy tale about this work.

 

Hawthorn blossoming

Unbound spring bursts in the trees

Renewal brightness

 

Freud on the other hand, who divides opinion (I love his work by the way) has a retrospective of portraits at the National Portrait Gallery. This is the first major exhibition of his work since his death last year. I was discussing it with Debbie, but there is something of the instinctive, the animal in his work. And the capture of skin tone, it’s almost dead in pallor at times. But it feels real, raw and honest. I’ve used one of his own quotes in the last line of my Haiku where he talks about the importance of flesh in his work.

The Haiku itself relates to a specific self portrait “Self Portrait, Reflection 1981-82”. There is definitely something of the hunter about him in this, a bird of prey. His eye even looks like it’s pulled to the side of his head to give him a wider field of vision for observing his quarry.

 

Feral scrutiny

Tilted head hawk gaze devours

Paint to work as flesh

(from bridgemanart website)

 

Londoners or those in the region are fortunate that both exhibitions are running concurrently. I would thoroughly recommend both, for different reasons. They will be worthy of a proper post on my main blog in due course.

February 7th

 

Break the tender peel,

Let the sleeping death seep through,

Enigma silent.

 

Hopefully Alan Turing will get his pardon this year, the 100th anniversary of his death. A war hero, genius mathematician and the father of modern computing he suffered the indignity of a chemical castration after admitting to sexual relations with another man. A tragedy and a disgrace by today’s standards but sadly illegal in his time. 

His favourite film was Disney’s Snow White, he used to quote lines from it. I’ve adapted a couple of them in today’s Haiku. He took his own life by taking a bite from a poisoned apple.

Pic from Bletchley Park website.

January 30th

Heavy swirls of mist,

Water spirit’s shower screen,

Pass her the towel.

 

I was walking to the station this morning and glanced to my right, into the moors, to look at the mist clinging to the ground. I thought of the Japanese tradition of spirits in everything. Trees, Sun, Air and in this case Water. Some spirits are kind, some are malevolent (I’ve watched enough episodes of Monkey to consider myself an expert), others just like to take a lot of showers.

January 27th

 

Frost giant, tear fall,

Winter caress, piercing breath,

Her skin shimmers, love.

 

The little ripples of the cold breeze on the surface of the pond looked very beautiful today.

January 21st

 

Dusk comes, tiny yawns,

Mud caked feet pass, crushed acorns,

Breakfast time for sprites.

 

Went for a run earlier, it was windy and desolate. When everyone goes home from their dog walking and evening walks, I sometimes wonder if the woods and moors come alive at night?

January 19th

 

Today’s Haiku is about Trolls, we watched Troll Hunter last night, a Norwegian film about… Trolls. It’s a fast paced, comedy horror, there is beautiful scenery aplenty too, as you’d expect, from what is a stunning country. We decided we like Trolls, they get a bad press. But they are just following their instincts right? If they want to kill humans we shouldn’t judge them for it, it’s just what they were made for.  We should run, like we’ve run for generations before.

Trolls are cool, Luke Pearson also wrote a graphic novel with a Troll in it, that is brilliant too. Hildafolk… I cannot recommend it enough. Another positive representation of Trolls is here, a little (free) short story by Yasmin. She and her creation, Glenda the Troll are both very talented!

As for Tolkein, I love you man, but you were mean to Trolls. Or at least Gandalf was anyway.

 

Beware of bridges,

Of blackened pines, caves and mines,

Hiding, biding time.

 

An artists impression (well, my impression) of a Troll. He stands three metres tall (about ten feet) and smells of rotten roast chicken. I saw him in the moors one moonlit night I think!

January 4th

I bought a lovely old book on eBay (from the early 70s), a little Christmas present to myself. It’s called the Juniper Tree, it’s 27 stories by the Brothers Grimm selected and translated by Lore Segal, who has made them as faithful to the original German as he can. None of this watered down crap. Fairy stories are violent and frightening, full of foul acts, murders and dubious cruel characters, but with a clear lesson running through them and where normal people can be heroes. Children love this stuff, we shouldn’t patronise them by making decisions on their behalf as to what is disturbing or scary.

What makes it even more special however, is that it’s in two volumes in a solid old slipcase, each story comes with a Maurice Sendak illustration. I read one earlier today, The Poor Miller’s Boy and the Cat. It’s very short, a simple tale that you shouldn’t underestimate anyone, that even someone of supposed limited abilities can make great things of their life.

And the illustration is sublime! Anyway, today’s Haiku..

 

Simple miller’s lad,

Seven years a cat servant,

To become a Prince.