Perpetual Spring Scattering Stars

Spring Scattering Stars by Edwin Blashfield, 1927

In Perpetual Spring

Gardens are also good places
to sulk. You pass beds of
spiky voodoo lilies
and trip over the roots
of a sweet gum tree,
in search of medieval
plants whose leaves,
when they drop off
turn into birds
if they fall on land,
and colored carp if they
plop into water.

Suddenly the archetypal
human desire for peace
with every other species
wells up in you. The lion
and the lamb cuddling up.
The snake and the snail, kissing.
Even the prick of the thistle,
queen of the weeds, revives
your secret belief
in perpetual spring,
your faith that for every hurt
there is a leaf to cure it.

Amy Gerstler, “In Perpetual Spring” from Bitter Angel (New York: North Point Press, 1990). Copyright © 1990 by Amy Gerstler. Source: Bitter Angel: Poems (1990)
North Utsire

Moel Siabod

Moel Siabod is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, which sits isolated above the villages of Betws-y-Coed and Capel Curig. At 872m it is the highest peak in the Moelwynion mountain range. Ascending made for hard work even before I got to the arete. I suffered a painful diaphragmatic stitch on the way up but was able to clear it using some Kokyu Ho breathing exercises & a break. On the top there was still snow, quite thick in places, but melting optimistically in the sun to serve as an harbinger of spring. Ploughing through the snow along the ridge, every so often you would go in deep up to your thigh, which was the first time I had hiked such deeply snow capped summits. Down on the level again there was a pretty cafe which served stone baked pizzas. We sat outside enjoying the lazy rays of the sun, breathing in the sweetly ascending log smoke, and watching Moel Siabod dissolve ominously into the dusk. Quite an intense walk, but that was the first of the season out of the way, and looking forward to more to come.

North Utsire

Cailleach of the Diamond Night Moon: Album Artwork

Another album LeStrange of strangely strange sounds & goblin fiends. Would love to post it up entirely. Instead, below is a bit of Turid who is featured on the compilation. Marit Turid (better known as just Turid), is a Swedish ballad singer (vissångerska), composer, lyricist and musician (piano , guitar). She's done 8 studio albums throughout the 70's and early 80's but most people haven't hear of her. She's too good to be 'famous'. Which is kind of the theme of this foggy acid folk album.

North Utsire

The Amazing Flip Flop

Brilliant cartoon from Fashion Penis and Vitamin Jo, aka Vladimir Taylor and Tom White.

North Utsire

Natal Red Kidney Bean Curry

3 tbsp vegetable oil ½ tsp brown mustard seeds ½ tsp cumin seeds pinch ground asafetida*	Pour the oil into a medium pan and set over a mediumhigh heat. When the oil is hot, put in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafetida.
3 medium fresh tomatoes, grated 15 curry leaves, if available ¼ tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 2 green chillies, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated to a pulp 1 tsp demerara sugar 1½ tsp salt	As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the tomatoes, curry leaves, turmeric, coriander, cumin, green chillies, garlic, ginger, sugar and salt. Stir and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
2 tins of kidney beans or a mixture of other types of beans.	Add the beans, bring to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, on a very low heat, for 20 minutes.

Serve with sweet potato (microwave 5 minutes) and greek yoghurt.

* Careful with the asafetida if you are gluten intolerant. Many suppliers include wheat flour. Pure supplies can be found but they are necessarily more expensive. 

North Utsire