Jamb-friend: A jamb is a supporting timber, of course, which makes a jamb-friend an early 19th-century word for a friend with whom you could quite happily sit by a fireside talking and relaxing well into the early hours. In the UK we are nearing the time when we will be able to meet with others face … Continue reading Jamb-friends
Tag: memoir
Diary Day
Today is Mass Observation diary day in the UK. We are invited to write a diary for the day, looking back also over the last year, if we wish, and forward to the future. The collection of diary entries will reflect everyday life at this time as part of a national archive which began in the … Continue reading Diary Day
Beneath the surface.
One way of using the T-Cut book (28thApril 2021) might be to display your writing about where you live. You could write a surface description on the outer pages. These may already reveal how you feel about your place. Even so, you could write something more personal in the space within the folded doors, a … Continue reading Beneath the surface.
A house book 1
Here is how to make a simple house book. You could use it as a thank you card or a collection of memories from the past year in the house, or as a special letter for someone you haven’t seen for a while. Start with a piece of A4 paper -you can of course use … Continue reading A house book 1
I am from
Many years ago, I found George Ella Lyons’ poem, ‘Where I’m From’ in a collection of American poets’ advice for young writers. It provides a welcoming frame for our own writing. It begins like this: I am from clothespins, From Clorox and carbon tetra-chloride, I am from the dirt under the back porch, (Black, glistening, it … Continue reading I am from
A feast!
Today’s list is all about food. Think about what you really like to eat. What would be your ideal banquet? What food do you choose when you can? What food have you never eaten but would like to try? What food have you eaten in different places that you would like to be able to … Continue reading A feast!
Fashion notes
Here’s another page or three in your Book of Myself. Think about the clothes that you wear and clothes that you have worn in the past. Make a list of clothes from your life. What do you remember? What was comfortable? What not so comfortable? What clothes did you really like to wear? Make a list of … Continue reading Fashion notes
My People
Make a list of people who are important to you; people who you like to spend time with, people who you like to have in your life. They may be family or friends or people who you don’t know so well, but are still important, like a teacher, or the lady with old dog who … Continue reading My People
Animals in my life
Here is another list for your ‘Book of Myself’. Make a list of all the animals in your life, now and in the past. Write each one on a separate line and add a little bit about them. You might find yourself with a poem. You might just have a list. You might want to … Continue reading Animals in my life
A book of myself
I thought we might begin the year with some thoughts about ourselves. It seems a good moment to capture something of who we are, just now. What are we thinking and feeling? What is important in our lives? Who are we? I am thinking that we could spend some time this week writing about our … Continue reading A book of myself
Writing Box 