A Dream Space Inside time there is a dream space Never has there been a time like now For dreams to come true Afraid to sleep, don’t be Memories fade into shadows Often repeated in a new life Under warm covers, you must dream it first So that you can be reborn... ©AnitaDawes2022
Under purple skies, she sits, she sings
Low winds carry her voice, her echo
Tomorrow tells yesterday’s old stories
Impossible dreams crushed like broken glass
Memories claw like branches
on the bedroom window pane
Alerting the sleeping mind to horrors outside
Tomorrows nightmares arrive early
Entering the subconscious, they grow,
Slowly waiting for the day they bloom…
©AnitaDawes2022
Another lovely poem from Anita today… reminds me of our family holidays…
Never Forget Turning forty tomorrow Evenings feel longer Memories knocking stronger People forgotten Turning in my mind Arriving like paper flowers Turning my frown upside down Inviting new wishes On tomorrows page I write Never forget where you came from… ©AnitaDawes2022
We’re back!
I managed to switch off the computer and my worry machine over the weekend. My fingers ache from all the writing I have done, but I am so happy with the results of my first writing retreat. This may be a regular thing until I finish this work in progress.
This year started crazy and has continued to challenge us all. I lost my way with writing, to be honest, I didn’t think I could turn it around.
Somehow, I found a store of better determination, and I’m delighted! I even found time to plant seeds and cut the grass!
I managed 3000 words this weekend and came up with ideas for two more books while I was at it. Not sure why this happens, but so glad it does.
We are kicking off the week with another one of Anita’s incredible yet crazy poems. She may not be up to any long walks yet, but her brain is still working properly. Yay!
This brilliant acrostic poem is actually three poems in one. You can read each font separately, or as one poem.
That Empty Feeling Dawn stretched its red flames Across the tips of the mountains Strange mists awoke my mind The world outside quite still Something felt off, I could see only through a blur of old memories I shouldered my nightgown hearing only his sound, his voice. He laughed I turned, expecting to see him standing behind me Reminding me he liked it off the shoulder The one that made life hard To live without… ©AnitaDawes2022
#TankaTuesday 2/8/22 #Poetry Challenge No. 260, #SpecificForm: Abhanga
Old Melodies Long locked inside the dark my heart took sudden flight my eyes did see the light through old sorrows Darkness tells of old days taken by memories so long old melodies lost to my mind ©AnitaDawes2022
This month’s theme is:
To Paint, or not to Paint?
I had noticed lately that our house was starting to look rather shabby. The paintwork looked dull and the walls had seen better days. As for the ceilings, well, it made me giddy just thinking about trying to paint them now I am an old lady!
We found ourselves discussing paint colours, but that does not describe what usually happens around here. We argue heatedly for hours and then try to forget that we ever thought of it in the first place. We have gathered quite a crowd in wallpaper shops too, trying to make up our minds.
Mind you, all of this is probably academic, as I am having trouble keeping up with the housework now my knees have begun to hate me with a passion, so climbing a ladder might be a bridge too far!
My mind took me back to the early days when we did so many silly things, trying to put food on the table when the kids were small. I remembered the house that we were hired to decorate. Gloss paint on all the woodwork and an expensive wallpaper on all the downstairs walls and of course, the stairs. Nothing complicated, we thought. A piece of cake…
Now, I am very tall, but that doesn’t help with old houses with high ceilings.
We had a ladder, but that wouldn’t be any good on the stairs. Then I remembered the exercise bar we had at home. The kind that spans a doorway so you can do pull-ups. With a bit of luck and a following wind, we could clamp it across the stairs to take the other end of our scaffold board. Make sure it is firmly fixed and level, then we could balance the stepladder on it to reach the top of the wall.
At this stage, I must confess that I don’t like heights. I get nauseous and more than a bit giddy, but we needed the money.
Praying to all that was Holy and armed with a carefully pasted and folded length of wallpaper, I ascended the ladder. It was very wobbly, and I fully expected to fall and end up in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, wrapped up like a parcel in soggy wallpaper.
Those of you who have papered a wall will know that a fair bit of stretching goes on as you align the paper, trim the top and smooth all the bumps and air bubbles away. Several times, I swayed precariously on one leg but managed to complete my mission.
What I didn’t know at the time, was all the near heart attack moments that Anita was having as she tried to keep the ladder steady. She was in the perfect position to see just how dangerous it was and how close we came to disaster.
We had fun in those days, taking incredible risks, and impossible jobs. This job was memorable for another reason too.
The owner of the house had celebrity friends, and they would often have to duck under our ladders as they came and went. The best day of all was when Bucks Fizz visited, and Mike Nolan signed his name on Anita’s arm! They signed their latest record for us and told the world about the crazy girls who were decorating their friend’s house!
So, taking risks was worth it that day!
Not every job had such high spots. Like the time Anita knocked over a tin of white gloss paint all over a dark chocolate coloured carpet! The owner caught us trying to scoop up the paint with spoons, and we expected our marching orders (or worse!) But they couldn’t have been nicer about it.
By the way, how are you supposed to wallpaper stairs?
Anita Dawes and Jaye Marie 