It's me. I've been trying to get a decent self-portrait to send to the Bristol Evening Post along with a bunch of illustrations from the Bristol Downs book. Guess it'll do; I tried smiling, and looked scary.In her really rather good review of Becoming Drusilla in the Daily Telegraph, Diane Purkiss comments on this blog that I am "less juicily confessional than we might wish". I don't think that she's being entirely serious. But it did get me wondering, "what is the point of this blog?" And at least part of the point of it is to describe how things are for me, and how I see my little corner of the world.
So. Right now, the biggest thing in my life is my daughter's coming to live with me and starting secondary school in Bristol. I find it a bit difficult to talk about the last few years in this respect; while I was at least a weekend parent, I also missed out on a lot of the day-to-day shared experiences that go with family life. Never mind; K and I are now treading cautiously into a more shared future, and that is good.
Today was her first day at school. We were up early, getting ready and faffing around and worrying. And then we walked round there together. Other children were walking in groups, but K hasn't re-connected with any local friends yet so she walked with me, and was a bit self-conscious about being with a parent, and feeling very nervous. I told her about how I used to feel before I joined my ship; I was usually physically sick for the day beforehand. She'd had no appetite at breakfast. She thought it would be better when she'd actually got there. And she was right. We found her teacher and parted company, and I went home and felt rather overwhelmed for some reason or other, and tried to write things down and didn't succeed entirely.
But here's a haiku about it.
Rainy day, new school
-under two separate brollies
but still holding hands.
The artist at work, it reminds me of a picture of Colette, I can't find the one I mean, but here is one:http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/4640/colettemh6.jpg
ReplyDeleteI hope that she had a good day. The house seems empty and the day goes so slowly. I'm on my last year now and shall be glad when it's over and done with for ever.
I love reading your blog. The way that you see things and the way you tell 'em.
When I was pregnant with Dom we came back from England on the Cornouailles. As soon as we docked I started to throw up. As we had a small car we had to wait for the bigger cars to unload first. the smell of oil and cars was too much for me, they must have thought I was a funny sight, mal de mer on dry land.
Still holding hands...
Not having met I can't tell how true your photo is but I like it!
ReplyDeleteThat scarf works really well in your hair.
The looking over the glasses bit is fun... I like the way it gives the impression of looking in more than one direction at once.
I hope K was okay.
Thank you, Anji and Caroline! That's a nice pic of Colette: I usually visualise her as a lot older, thanks to a pic in 1944, in a Lee Miller book.
ReplyDeleteKatie came out a lot more cheerfully than she went in, and the second day was less nervous, though we managed to be late owing to having got the times wrong. Not good to be marked late on second day, but so it goes.
I haven't found the day going slowly yet, Anji; there seems hardly time to do much before three o' clock comes round again. Maybe things will get more relaxed as time goes on.
Car decks are really pongy, aren't they? -I remember the first time I went on a ship I was struck by the almost-overpowering smell of rust and oil and seaweediness, and wondered how you cold live with that all the time. Got used to it in the end. The Cornouailles was taken over by Channel Island Ferries and became Havelet, and I worked on board on and off for some years. Here she is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/belvedere/322952351/
She certainly got around - er, for a boat.
ReplyDelete....a berth in every port?
ReplyDeleteOh haven't been for a bit...sorry to have missed this big week for Katie and you...
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad she's with you Dru for this. Hard earned by you both.
It's a beautiful picture of you and a beautiful Haiku about The Big Day.
As for the 'point of the blog'...need there be one? It just is.
?
Is that enough?
(Ommmmmm....)
Dru! I did a real double-take!! You look so much like my friend Maria, it's unreal.. Wow.. Beautiful photo!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly was a good review - I read it, and bought the book. I like your self-portrait Dru. Believe me, you look great.
ReplyDeleteYes - it is a great self portrait, Dru. I don't think it needs a smile and in fact I don't think that a self portrait can work with a smile because it would be so difficult for the artist/subject to make the smile natural.
ReplyDeleteI hope K is settling into her new school. We all had the same experiences when our daughter started her new school last week, but now she is really enjoying it.
Thank you, all. I feel very positively reinforced :-)
ReplyDeleteK is growing in confidence as the days go by at the new school, Em. I'm glad that your daughter is happy too.