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 19 March 2016

stalled spring, lichens, clanfield tavern, irish peated ale, mst in creative writing residence



Walked cross-country to Clanfield. A thin day, with a unforgiving chill breeze. It's as if the promise of spring has stalled on a day like today - the grey light emphasising the picked-clean bareness of the landscape. Yet there is plenty of fresh green growth waiting for sunlight to show it off.

The lichens were bright.

We, and the dog, sat in front of the blazing log fire at the Clanfield Tavern. An intriguing pint of Marston's Revionist Irish Peated Ale. Pleasant and refreshing, although I rather agree with this review.

The weekend of the MSt in Creative Writing residence. Looking forward to my meetings with the students I'm supervising. Then a few days' time off to look forward to. Allotmenting mostly.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)