In which there are diffracted light, diffracted words, iridescence, and burning heat
- Where in Britain would you be happiest? I took the BBC's interactive test. I would quibble about the personality traits it ascribed to me. Conclusion: I picked my new home very well, and would be less happy if I'd relied on this supposedly science/maths based test.
• Best location: Mid Suffolk (lol, no!), 61% life satisfaction (a major drop imo). The 110/sq.km population density sounds good, as does the high average income, but the "low-lying" landscape would hurt my soul, and the people sound the opposite of what I prefer: "lower than average levels of openness" while "extraversion" is "higher than average".
• Where I live: [accurate place], 54% life satisfaction predicted (much too low!). Lowest 20% population density (win \o/ ). Average age of [exactly mine, lol] is in the highest 5%. Lowest 40% income (probably due to age). THESE ARE MY PEOPLE: "higher than average levels of openness, and lower than average levels of extraversion", while the other (supposedly) measured traits of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism were all "average for Britain".
- I saw iridescent cirrus clouds above my home yesterday afternoon towards sunset. The clouds were bathed in purple and turquoise light, because the sunlight had been diffracted through tiny ice crystals high in the air. My point 'n' shoot digital didn't capture exactly what I saw with my eyes but this image has the colours although not the same shape. I see moon halos frequently but iridescent clouds are much rarer and I usually only notice them when I'm wearing sunglasses. Yesterday morning, from the same window, I saw a full but faint rainbow arc across the sky in a position I've never seen a bow before. Then I saw one in the same place again this morning.
- Reading, books 2016, 20.
19. Pepper Seed, by Malika Booker, is an 80 page book of poetry, following Ms Booker's earlier pamphlet Breadfruit (which I gave 4/5). This volume offers poems about familial abuse, the social legacies of enslavement, slavery, history, current colonialism in the Caribbean, emigration, women's rights, ageing, and loss, and loss, and loss. Carefully crafted poems about pain, and death, and survival, and being a survivor. (5/5 warning for graphic descriptions of abuse, violence, and death, obv)
[On the death of a respected aunty...]
Your hands, constantly in motion
like a humming bird, dipped needles
through coarse cloth, knitted
chunky wool scarves, plaited dough
to shape bread, stitched family again
and again. Those fluttering hands are still.
[...]
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• Best location: Mid Suffolk (lol, no!), 61% life satisfaction (a major drop imo). The 110/sq.km population density sounds good, as does the high average income, but the "low-lying" landscape would hurt my soul, and the people sound the opposite of what I prefer: "lower than average levels of openness" while "extraversion" is "higher than average".
• Where I live: [accurate place], 54% life satisfaction predicted (much too low!). Lowest 20% population density (win \o/ ). Average age of [exactly mine, lol] is in the highest 5%. Lowest 40% income (probably due to age). THESE ARE MY PEOPLE: "higher than average levels of openness, and lower than average levels of extraversion", while the other (supposedly) measured traits of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism were all "average for Britain".
- I saw iridescent cirrus clouds above my home yesterday afternoon towards sunset. The clouds were bathed in purple and turquoise light, because the sunlight had been diffracted through tiny ice crystals high in the air. My point 'n' shoot digital didn't capture exactly what I saw with my eyes but this image has the colours although not the same shape. I see moon halos frequently but iridescent clouds are much rarer and I usually only notice them when I'm wearing sunglasses. Yesterday morning, from the same window, I saw a full but faint rainbow arc across the sky in a position I've never seen a bow before. Then I saw one in the same place again this morning.
- Reading, books 2016, 20.
19. Pepper Seed, by Malika Booker, is an 80 page book of poetry, following Ms Booker's earlier pamphlet Breadfruit (which I gave 4/5). This volume offers poems about familial abuse, the social legacies of enslavement, slavery, history, current colonialism in the Caribbean, emigration, women's rights, ageing, and loss, and loss, and loss. Carefully crafted poems about pain, and death, and survival, and being a survivor. (5/5 warning for graphic descriptions of abuse, violence, and death, obv)
[On the death of a respected aunty...]
Your hands, constantly in motion
like a humming bird, dipped needles
through coarse cloth, knitted
chunky wool scarves, plaited dough
to shape bread, stitched family again
and again. Those fluttering hands are still.
[...]
This entry was originally posted at http://spiralsheep.dreamwidth.org/568830.html and has
comments Please comment there using OpenID.