What to write about? My writing group have decided to write something about the word grotesque. I hope I can create something that is in a horror/comedy style.
I think by including a character that hides it’s appearance might be part of the scenario. It will have to be well described so you can visualise what is going on. I’m not brilliant at writing dialogue, but I feel there could be a conversation. Maybe like in the children’s story of red riding hood, or beauty and the beast? Somewhere between the two? I’ve got a couple of weeks to come up with a story or a poem….
Thinking laterally I suggested mime. (I won a funny face pulling competition at school once!).
I’m sleep deprived again. I get into bed and my legs twitch and itch, feel sore and uncomfortable. After tossing and turning for a couple of hours came downstairs and slept in my armchair. It feels like having sheet and duvet resting on my legs makes it worse, but as it is cold in my bedroom I have to cover my legs up….
This seems to be happening more regularly and I decided to see what I could find out. I have Parkinsons disease and wondered if it was anything to do with it?
I’ve heard of restless legs syndrome so Googled it. Here’s the answer:
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a neurological disorder causing an overwhelming, uncomfortable urge to move your legs, often with crawling, itching, or aching sensations, especially when resting in the evening or at night, with movement temporarily relieving the feelings. It’s a common, often unrecognised condition linked to dopamine issues in the brain, low iron, or other conditions, leading to sleep disturbances and daytime tiredness, but it is treatable through lifestyle changes or medication.
Reading that makes sense to me. I think I’ve realised this is the cause.
I asked people on Threads if they had heard the word Mithered and was surprised at the large response I got.
To me Mithered means worried or bothered, pestering someone, being mithered. I found out there are other meanings….
“Mithered” (or “mithering”) is a Northern English dialect word meaning to be bothered, pestered, or to make an unnecessary fuss/moan, often used to describe someone being nagged or someone complaining persistently, as in “Stop mithering me!” or “I can’t be mithered” (meaning “I can’t be bothered”). It conveys a sense of gentle irritation or exasperation. ” (from Google).
I had found out it’s mainly used in Northern England, but it’s even used in the West Midlands where I moved away from in my teens.
I originally heard it from my husband “Stop mithering about things”, who was from Lancashire. He used words like “nesh” feeling the cold, “owt/nowt” anything/nothing, “mardy” moody.
I love the way English is still full of dialects and different accents.
I don’t notice this everyday, but this is a ginger cat window that I designed soon after we moved into our house. My friend, who was actually a carpenter, made this leaded glass window for us. It’s a really unique piece of art and I love it on a sunny day when it really sparkles. It’s about 30 years old now.
If I could I would design another window to sit in the window at the top of the stairs. I like the idea of a really gothic idea with vine leaves and a black and white cat stari6out of the window. Perhaps I will draw or paint the idea.
Esther Chilton asks writers to make up a story using her choice of words and a limited number of them for the composition. Today’s prompt was 63 words and you had to use the words in BOLD in her post.
Here is my contribution. The words have been used in the order she published them….
Sarah sat eating her NOODLES, it was lunchtime in the CLINIC.
She was in charge of the wildlife centers SWAMP area. Soon she was putting on her DUNGAREES. It was time to inspect the OCTOGENARIAN turtles:, they had been a BARGAIN because they were mutant ninja ones. Sarah wondered why they wore masks? And headscarves? Maybe that was the mutation? Time would tell…
About a third of a head of Brocolli, chopped finely
A heaped teaspoon of flour
About a 1/4 pint of cream
About a 1/4 pint of water
About 1/4 pint of milk
About 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of crumbled Stilton.
A slice of brown bread.
Salt and pepper to taste
Prep time and cooking took 25 to 30 minutes.
Makes enough for a large bowl of soup.
Method
Put the oil in pan on low heat. Add the lazy garlic and chopped onion.
Cook on a low heat to soften the onions. Stir gently to stop anything sticking or burning.
Add the grated courgette and simmer for a bit while stirring until the mixture cooks. When the courgette softens add the Brocolli and about 1/4 pint of water to cover the contents.
Continue to simmer on a low heat while the vegetables cook.
Meanwhile mix about a teaspoon of flour and 1/4 pint of milk and 1/4 pint of double cream into a paste. Pour off some of the liquid from the pan into a cup and let it cool slightly.
At this stage add the Stilton to the pan and allow it to melt gently.
Then slowly add the the liquid to the flour mix. Once it’s mixed and is a smooth liquid you can pour it into the pan of cooked veg and Stilton.
Simmer till the soup thickens and looks creamy. Add salt and pepper at this stage. It means it’s flavoured without getting absorbed into the veg so is healthier, less sodium.
Serve in a large bowl with a slice of brown bread or whatever you prefer.
It was tasty and warm. Just right for a tasty meal on a cold evening. The cream makes it smooth and works well with the Stilton without it splitting. I enjoyed it.
The snow stuck. The apple tree looks like it’s been in a winter storm. It’s bent over because the neighbours pushed it over to put a fence in. It’s actually fruiting more because the branches are horizontal now, I might clip out some of the more central branches to give it a bit of air.
The weather forecast is more snow later. The cats are going out in it although it’s been about 4 to 10 degrees Celcius lower than normal.
The Moon is able to eclipse the Sun because it’s distance from the Earth is 400 times closer than the Sun and is about 400 times smaller. So they look similar in size.
But there is a twist..
The Moon can sometimes cause an annular eclipse where the Sun can be seen behind it. That’s because the Moons orbit is elliptical and has two focuses. So in the furthest position, it’s apogee, means that it appears slightly smaller. Hence an annular eclipse. The Moon is gradually receding from the Earth. The mirrors left on the Moon by apollo astronauts are used to check it’s distance. By using lasers reflected from them they have found it is moving away by about 3.8cm a year. Eventually it will be far enough away that no full eclipses will happen anymore.
Snow is falling. The road is covered by it and since we live on a steep hill cars are coming up but doing three point turns because of it. I’ve seen at least 5 reversing lights through the front door window so far tonight. I think it was gritted during the initial snow fall, but they haven’t come back and it’s 11.45pm now.
It’s worrying because this is the main route ambulances take up to the hospital. We don’t get a lot of snow in the winter so I thought it was worth taking a photo. I hope it clears up soon. Another car just turned up the street then turned round and one crept down the hill very slowly. We just aren’t used to snow in this country.
Mallaband-Brown 