my wonderful friend, Stu, over at "confessions of an ambitious pessimist" has been experimenting with his camera. black and white photography sets such a mood. upon seeing his photographs i was inspired and wrote a handful of poems. this is one of them...

upon roof tops

i sit

watching all the lovers go by

no one is immune

to my poison arrow

from high

my wings shall guide me

hidden luv

will find thee

if death

doesn't come to soon

behind me!

© copyright written June 2010 by JAQ. publishing prohibited unless with the author's permission. Photography by Stu Morris.

floating along

another Brighton inspired sketch...

© artwork by JAQ

the pen is my sword

or just the thing i sketch with...

this was inspired by Brighton. the town is very hilly and the houses appear to be narrow and squished together. for me, that is what makes Brighton charming!

connections

i tried for the most part of yesterday to do this blog post but blogger was being quite fussy. so i walked away and decided to do something else instead.

i tried sketching in pencil but i get hung up on the fact that you can erase at anytime. it feels like i am constantly erasing not drawing! pen has more flow, more build up for me. plus it is permanent therefore i do not get hung up on erasing.

last week i had the pleasure of meeting in person the lady over at dressmedearly.blogspot.com we had a pleasant chat about beauty products and blogs. when you have a moment swing by her blog. Although i haven't met this lady in person, yet. i say yet because we live in the same province. she too has a fantastic blog. you can find her blog at mariealamode.blogspot.com

some might say...

my two weeks in England have come and gone. the jet lag is slowly on it's way out. i had fun visiting with friends and family. meeting new people. visiting galleries. going for walks along the Thames. riding the tube. blending in with London and London life. just being!

ten years ago the euro was being introduce which lead to the motto "save the pound". now both pound and euro are still standing. upon my arrival it was "down with Brown" and in with Cameron, British Airways threats to strike and they may have. i flew Air Canada, pity, so i wasn't paying to close attention to that story. airport closures, volcanic ash, the Queen opened up Parliament, the 99p wasn't 99p anymore, record breaking temperatures saw me sporting a lovely sunburn, a royal scandal.... ahhhhh yes!

well Big Ben was still standing strong and the chime was more in tune than ever, the TATE Modern is my new luv, charity shops are my favourite for amazing finds, Jamie Oliver's Fifteen was a fabulous delicious dining experience, eating strawberries along the South Bank is my thing, marveling at St. Paul's architecture and Trafalgar Square and the four lions which guard Nelson's Column and house the National Gallery, Brighton ROCKS!!! the tube still hot and overcrowded, over priced admissions and luv those tacky souvenirs. until next time London... xo

yes...

as of today i am on vacation. i am jetting off to London, England for all things poetry, art, friends and family. it has been awhile since i crossed the pond, 10 years. has it been that long... yes!

as sure as i am that somethings remain the same somethings have probably changed. ten years is a long time. i am well overdue. i have always had a very deep fondness for London or England in general. could it be the history, architecture, high tea, the rain, the fog? most of my families heritage comes from the British Isles. or could it be the two pieces of artwork my parents hung in the living room? i remember as a little girl i was always drawn to these to pictures. one was Big Ben the other of a red coat guard standing outside a building. the two pieces were brown and beige tones done in a watercolour like style behind a thin gold frame. i would stare at them for hours. you know i stared at them so much that when i close my eyes i can see them as clear as day. it is sad because i do not think my parents have them anymore. they will forever remain a childhood memory.

whatever my connection with London is, it is one i can not deny. even though i was born in Canada i feel it is not the place that is in my heart. do not get me wrong... i luv Canada. for everything that it is and everything that it is not! England is my home away from home. i will return within two weeks. full of inspiration.

well... i have a few last minute things to do and a plane to catch! *wink*

turn the page to...

yesterday i renewed my membership and picked up my copy of the Stroll's anthology. my poem here she said is featured on page 97. nothing wrong with that all!

the weekend is gone

Sunday i had another poetry reading at the main library downtown. this reading was apart of the Edmonton Poetry Festival. which was a week long festival. everyday a new venue to listen to fellow poets. i read to a packed house. all the seats were full, people were even standing! i kept my five minute set on the move with minimal intro's and lots of eye contact. i got grouped with six other poets, who were absolute amazing. with a poetry reading like that, i wish every week were poetry week.

and we met again

Sunday morning i woke up to find what appeared to be a black dot moving down the white curtains. upon taking a closer look i saw that it was a ladybug... THE ladybug, our former humble house guest of the Royal Windsor Arms. Steve McQueen/Houdini had never left. ever since the great escape i remained hopeful that one day the ladybug would return. it is nice to know something so small can be so resilient.

a tube of many shades

my trips to the art store were very predicable. through the doors, straight to the back, then to the right and hang a left. pretty straight forward. then they remodeled!!! buying paint could not be more easier. better displays and new lower prices... always a bonus considering everything is on the rise and the larger Winsor + Newton tubes. which i am in luv with. not all the colours are available in the large tubes but hey i am not complaining. the basics are good enough.

i also picked up a package of Derwent tinted charcoal pencils. i am excited to try the five muted colours. my experiments will be fun!

on one of my nightly walks i came across a cat. at first it did not notice me but then the cat did, and did i ever get the once over from this creature of habit. so i gave it the once over too. so there we both were in the dead of night making eye contact. making sure we stayed out of each others way. with silence all around us. so much was said through a glance and a stare.