Welcome to justthoughtsnstuff

I started posting to jtns on 20 February 2010 with just one word, 'Mosaic'. This seemed an appropriate introduction to a blog that would juxtapose fragments of memoir and life-writing. Since 1996, I'd been coming to terms with the consequences of emotional and economic abuse that had begun in childhood, and which, amongst other things, had sought to stifle self-expression. While I'd explored some aspects of my life through fiction and, to a lesser extent, journalism, it was only in 2010 that I felt confident enough to write openly about myself. I believed this was an important part of the healing process. Yet within weeks, the final scenes of my family's fifty-year nightmare started to play themselves out and the purpose of the blog became one of survival through writing. Although some posts are about my family's suffering - most explicitly, Life-Writing Talk, with Reference to Trust: A family story - the majority are about happier subjects (including, Bampton in rural west Oxfordshire, where I live, Oxford, where I work, the seasons and the countryside, walking and cycling) and I hope that these, together with their accompanying photos, are enjoyable and positive. Note: In February 2020, on jtns' tenth birthday, I stopped posting to this blog. It is now a contained work of life-writing about ten years of my life. Frank, 21 February 2020.

New blog: morethoughtsnstuff.com.

Saturday, 11 October 2014

misty, jade, finals marking, a conscious englishman, shirley baker, trust: a family story


















There was a light mist when I went cycling, though it soon cleared and the rain started.

Loved the green of the fodder roots in the misty light - you can get an impression of this from the photo but in reality it was much more bright jade than it looks.

Inductions' week at the library, so lots happening. Exhausting but thankfully I've been sleeping well and have felt fresh today and can get on with finals marking.

Really enjoyed discussing A Conscious Englishman with Margaret Keeping at the Woodstock Bookshop. Lovely to see former students and academic friends in the audience. Many thanks to Rachel for inviting us!

First log delivery of the season this morning.

Fascinating obituary of the urban photographer Shirley Baker in the Times and Guardian this week. Check out her brilliant photos at the Mary Evans Picture Library.

Finally, friends have asked about the title of the life-writing book: Trust: A family story.
Posted by at

2 comments:

  1. Margaret Keeping12 October 2014 at 12:28

    On Trust, I've begun to notice such memoirs published recently - one about the family at Faringdon House, another in yesterday's Guardian about a family that lost all their money - an article by Nicola Baird.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Frank12 October 2014 at 12:31

      Thanks, Margaret. I'll look at that Guardian article. Very interesting.

      Delete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)