When he went away He said,”Lehitraot,mama.” Do vstrechi. He died, but I’m still here Yes,in my heart I feel his love. But why did I live, And he did not? Auf wiedersehen Lehitraot. Yes,darling,I’ll see you later ,When the sky turns black and all the stars blaze bright I’ll see you shining in the night. I’ll see you in my dreams alas. Do vstrechi. But why you and not me too? Araka I can’t understand .Lehitraot,beloved. A plus tard Some where in this world,you fell But no-one,not even God, can tell. God was absent then or in some other place He’s gone again .They said He’s died too ,But He didn’t have a mother like you. Do vstrechi. My breasts ache and my heart and soul, My breasts were made to make you whole. To feed, give love and to console. A plus tard And now they ache with grief as my tears fall .A bientot My body trembles in the night As dreams may bring my lost ones to my sight. A plus I’d walk across the roughest bleak terrain If l I could find my loves and hold your hands again. Do vstrechi .The bell rings on the ancient clock As time goes on as normal, never stops. Araka I wish the hands of time could be reversed, And I was not living with this curse. People forget that I once had a son. They think my grieving has been done. Araka.But grief and loss and pain will never end Until the curtain of my death descends Auf wiedersehen. Meantime I look at flowers and birds and trees ,But it’s really you my deepening insight sees. Lehitraot. The inscape of my heart is shown to few. An artist of the lost would know this view. I know I want to see just you. Do vstrechi. But for me there is noAuf wiedersehen Never again will you say What you said that day Lehitraot,Mama.Papa A plus tard Tot ziens. See you later See you ,darling See you soon
How can it be that he is never here? How can it be I do not hear that voice His presence haunts from his old ,battered chair
Though I have money and no need unbare I feel the grief , the affect of his choice. How can it be that he is never here?
What is the world when loss turns to despair. When every sheet by weeping is made moist? His presence haunts from his beloved chair
Now we learn the symbol of the hare Unpeaceful, hunted, jugged or potted roast How can it be that he was ever here?
Into the real we stand and long time stare We’re begging, blaming,badgered and then gassed His presence feints with ours in death’s own lairs
Now the world of man has long surpassed The time we could blame God for what we‘ve missed How can it be that He is never here? His absence haunts , symbolic , suffered, real
Annie the nubile,sexy and colour fancying neighbour has persuaded Mary that as Stan has run away shem should find someone else.Mary is doubtful First of all,Annie cried,you need some new shoes.No man will be charmed by those chunky comfy flatties.Nor do your socks show sophistication She herself wore a pink tweed suit and some high heeled boots in purple patent leather. Well,Mary,answered,I thought I should be myself because a man might be annoyed being tricked like that.I believe in honesty. That’s their problem said Annie rudely. Well.where do I get the sort of socks a man would like,if indeed all men are the same in that way?I’d stick with silky black ones,said Annie kindly.Then some smart black pumps. But if I look at Soul-mates online the men will not know what shoes I have got on. That’s true,said Annie.At least until you meet one. Anyway if it is called Soul-mates,why does my body matte Don’t be so literal,dear.You know it’s just a way of indicating they want a lover. Well.in that case it’s my lingerie that matters. See here,said Annie bossily.With those shoes and socks nobody will want to see your lingerie. Just as well said Mary.I don’t have any. Are you telling me you have no underwear on,Mary whispered Annie cried franticaly I am wearing some woollen vests and underpants I got for Stan,Mary said shyly People might think you are a transvestite,pardon the pun re vesI have heard of transcendence but not transgender,Mary admitted ruefully.I did used to have a purple bra, she continued nervously.Anyway, what about my job? Don’t put anything about maths on the form.They hate clever women. Surely they are not all the same,Mary answered. Mary Archer is very clever.And Jeffrey is very rich. You can’t generalise from one example ,Annie informed her academically
How about my love of Wittgenstein,shall I allude to that? If you wear men’s woollen underwear and love a dead gay philosopher it will cut down the pool of men available,one might guess,Annie shouted.
I don’t think I’ll bother,Mary whispered.I’d rather have a cup of tea.Or maybe I’ll enter a convent and never come out again . So Annie put the kettle on and they did the Times Crossword from November 12 th 1956.Eventually they will crack it.Or die trying.
Amy Reddinger, a dean at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Mich., came back to knitting after a long hiatus in March, when the campus closed and she needed a way to get away from screens. Her first project was an ambitious one — a complicated shawl using some fairly advanced techniques.
“I almost quit a lot of times,” Ms. Reddinger, 45, said. “But I kept at it, and I was both miserable and joyful at times — it was a good emotional process for me.”
She valued the level of challenge as a “great distraction from the chaos and stress of the unknown.”
It’s well known in knitting circles that there are two types of knitters: those who focus on the results — a comfortable sweater, mittens to match a new winter coat, a gift for an upcoming baby shower — and those who focus on the process. Process knitters knit for knitting’s sake. They value the soothing repetitive motions and the feel of the yarn running through their fingers, relish the colors, the act of creation. They enjoy the good things that come with it, without having to fuss about their work being perfect, or their scarf being stylish.
If you are considering picking up knitting, think of it as meditation with a little bit of equipment. Approach it for the joy of the process and to take some pressure off. (Also, it’s a good way to keep your hands out of the candy bowl if you want to change your eating habits.)
ADVERTISEMENT
Warm outputs
And if the result is something that can keep you (or a friend or family member) warm, it’s a fantastic bonus. Just think: scarves! Hats! Mittens! Sweaters! Stylish statements, gifts for loved ones, blankets to welcome new babies. Once you become more accomplished, you’ll be a mitten machine.
Ruhee Dewji, a Canadian software developer who lives on her own, took up knitting in early spring at the encouragement of some friends. Before the pandemic, Ms. Dewji, 31, filled her spare time playing music in bands; she found playing on her own during lockdown just emphasized her loneliness.
She finds knitting an uncomplicated joy with many benefits, but one stands out.
“I’ve mostly made things for other people, and I realized that when you are making something for someone you love, you are thinking about them with every single stitch, and somehow that feels less lonely even though I am doing it all alone,” she said.
Supportive communities
Although knitting is a single-person activity, many knitters enjoy gathering, both online and in person, to share the successes, laugh about the mistakes and learn from one another. The portability of knitting is crucial, and as knitting doesn’t require one’s full focus or attention, you are able to engage with the people around you. In the Before Times, yarn shops would hold knit-nights and libraries had crafting groups. There are also formal knitting guilds, and most major cities seem to have at least one group of self-identified “drunken knitters” who meet in bars.
ADVERTISEMENT
Most knit-nights and classes went virtual early this year, making them accessible to faraway members and those nearby with physical or other limitations that may not let them appear in person.
Before the pandemic, Seattle Yarn hosted three regular in-person gatherings every week. Destiny Itano, a co-owner, said that when travel and gathering restrictions were put in place, both staff members and customers were “devastated” at the thought that these groups might not continue. Within a couple of weeks of the city’s lockdown, they set up online sessions and have been hosting two events a week ever since. Ms. Itano said that she was “surprised how well they work — not only as social gatherings, but as a way for knitters to offer and get help with their stitching.”
And the local knitting community has expanded: Ms. Itano’s mother joins from her home in Alaska, and a regular attendee to their Saturday morning group lives in Germany. They plan to keep these groups going even after the shop is fully operational again.
How to get started
Before you begin, know that focusing on the end result means that many beginners are often too impatient with the inevitably imperfect results of their first projects. The first of anything you make will not be great. (Admit it, there was some disastrously inedible sourdough this past spring.) And it doesn’t matter one bit. You still get all the benefits (virtuous or not) whether or not you come away with a wearable scarf. You’re still going to be relaxed and mindful whether or not the beanie fits.
ADVERTISEMENT
But to make that hat, you’ll need balls of yarn and knitting needles. Look to specialized local yarn shops (L.Y.S.’s), big-box craft stores and online retailers like knitpicks.com and yarn.com, the website of the knitting retailer WEBS. Yarn and craft stores also offer instruction and specific learn-to-knit kits for beginners.
Know that yarn comes in different thicknesses, and needles are sized to suit. Always choose your yarn first — beginners might want something on the thicker side, and in a lighter color so you can see what you’re doing and make fast progress. The yarn label indicates the size of needle to use.
If you prefer learning with books, introductory manuals are easy to find in thrift and used-book stores, and the instructions themselves don’t change. But it might be worth investing in a newer one: The projects are more modern, and they use the readily available materials. “Vogue Knitting: The Learn To Knit Book” or “Knit How” are two good choices.
There are plenty of free online and video resources, too. The video lessons at knittinghelp.com are well presented, accurate and clear, while ModernDailyKnitting.com has articles, lessons, patterns and other goodies for knitters of all levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
To meet other knitters, check out the online classes, virtual knit-nights and other social gatherings hosted by a yarn shop in your area. Even if you can’t visit in person, their websites and social media will give you a sense of who they are and what they do.
In New York City, Knitty City and String Thing Studio are two shops that are striving to maintain and bolster knitting communities, even under this year’s necessary restrictions.
Felicia Eve, owner of String Thing Studio in Brooklyn, sells a standard kit for novices, and offers one-on-one appointments, both in-person and online, to teach the basics. She urges beginners to be soothed by knitting’s colors and textures, and to value its meditative nature, but also to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process.
Make sense of the day’s news and ideas. David Leonhardt and Times journalists guide you through what’s happening — and why it matters.Get this newsletter
Amy Reddinger, a dean at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Mich., came back to knitting after a long hiatus in March, when the campus closed and she needed a way to get away from screens. Her first project was an ambitious one — a complicated shawl using some fairly advanced techniques.
“I almost quit a lot of times,” Ms. Reddinger, 45, said. “But I kept at it, and I was both miserable and joyful at times — it was a good emotional process for me.”
She valued the level of challenge as a “great distraction from the chaos and stress of the unknown.”
It’s well known in knitting circles that there are two types of knitters: those who focus on the results — a comfortable sweater, mittens to match a new winter coat, a gift for an upcoming baby shower — and those who focus on the process. Process knitters knit for knitting’s sake. They value the soothing repetitive motions and the feel of the yarn running through their fingers, relish the colors, the act of creation. They enjoy the good things that come with it, without having to fuss about their work being perfect, or their scarf being stylish.
If you are considering picking up knitting, think of it as meditation with a little bit of equipment. Approach it for the joy of the process and to take some pressure off. (Also, it’s a good way to keep your hands out of the candy bowl if you want to change your eating habits.)
ADVERTISEMENT
Warm outputs
And if the result is something that can keep you (or a friend or family member) warm, it’s a fantastic bonus. Just think: scarves! Hats! Mittens! Sweaters! Stylish statements, gifts for loved ones, blankets to welcome new babies. Once you become more accomplished, you’ll be a mitten machine.
Ruhee Dewji, a Canadian software developer who lives on her own, took up knitting in early spring at the encouragement of some friends. Before the pandemic, Ms. Dewji, 31, filled her spare time playing music in bands; she found playing on her own during lockdown just emphasized her loneliness.
She finds knitting an uncomplicated joy with many benefits, but one stands out.
“I’ve mostly made things for other people, and I realized that when you are making something for someone you love, you are thinking about them with every single stitch, and somehow that feels less lonely even though I am doing it all alone,” she said.
Supportive communities
Although knitting is a single-person activity, many knitters enjoy gathering, both online and in person, to share the successes, laugh about the mistakes and learn from one another. The portability of knitting is crucial, and as knitting doesn’t require one’s full focus or attention, you are able to engage with the people around you. In the Before Times, yarn shops would hold knit-nights and libraries had crafting groups. There are also formal knitting guilds, and most major cities seem to have at least one group of self-identified “drunken knitters” who meet in bars.
ADVERTISEMENT
Most knit-nights and classes went virtual early this year, making them accessible to faraway members and those nearby with physical or other limitations that may not let them appear in person.
Before the pandemic, Seattle Yarn hosted three regular in-person gatherings every week. Destiny Itano, a co-owner, said that when travel and gathering restrictions were put in place, both staff members and customers were “devastated” at the thought that these groups might not continue. Within a couple of weeks of the city’s lockdown, they set up online sessions and have been hosting two events a week ever since. Ms. Itano said that she was “surprised how well they work — not only as social gatherings, but as a way for knitters to offer and get help with their stitching.”
And the local knitting community has expanded: Ms. Itano’s mother joins from her home in Alaska, and a regular attendee to their Saturday morning group lives in Germany. They plan to keep these groups going even after the shop is fully operational again.
How to get started
Before you begin, know that focusing on the end result means that many beginners are often too impatient with the inevitably imperfect results of their first projects. The first of anything you make will not be great. (Admit it, there was some disastrously inedible sourdough this past spring.) And it doesn’t matter one bit. You still get all the benefits (virtuous or not) whether or not you come away with a wearable scarf. You’re still going to be relaxed and mindful whether or not the beanie fits.
ADVERTISEMENT
But to make that hat, you’ll need balls of yarn and knitting needles. Look to specialized local yarn shops (L.Y.S.’s), big-box craft stores and online retailers like knitpicks.com and yarn.com, the website of the knitting retailer WEBS. Yarn and craft stores also offer instruction and specific learn-to-knit kits for beginners.
Know that yarn comes in different thicknesses, and needles are sized to suit. Always choose your yarn first — beginners might want something on the thicker side, and in a lighter color so you can see what you’re doing and make fast progress. The yarn label indicates the size of needle to use.
If you prefer learning with books, introductory manuals are easy to find in thrift and used-book stores, and the instructions themselves don’t change. But it might be worth investing in a newer one: The projects are more modern, and they use the readily available materials. “Vogue Knitting: The Learn To Knit Book” or “Knit How” are two good choices.
There are plenty of free online and video resources, too. The video lessons at knittinghelp.com are well presented, accurate and clear, while ModernDailyKnitting.com has articles, lessons, patterns and other goodies for knitters of all levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
To meet other knitters, check out the online classes, virtual knit-nights and other social gatherings hosted by a yarn shop in your area. Even if you can’t visit in person, their websites and social media will give you a sense of who they are and what they do.
In New York City, Knitty City and String Thing Studio are two shops that are striving to maintain and bolster knitting communities, even under this year’s necessary restrictions.
Felicia Eve, owner of String Thing Studio in Brooklyn, sells a standard kit for novices, and offers one-on-one appointments, both in-person and online, to teach the basics. She urges beginners to be soothed by knitting’s colors and textures, and to value its meditative nature, but also to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process.
Make sense of the day’s news and ideas. David Leonhardt and Times journalists guide you through what’s happening — and why it matters.Get this newsletter
Amy Reddinger, a dean at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Mich., came back to knitting after a long hiatus in March, when the campus closed and she needed a way to get away from screens. Her first project was an ambitious one — a complicated shawl using some fairly advanced techniques.
“I almost quit a lot of times,” Ms. Reddinger, 45, said. “But I kept at it, and I was both miserable and joyful at times — it was a good emotional process for me.”
She valued the level of challenge as a “great distraction from the chaos and stress of the unknown.”
It’s well known in knitting circles that there are two types of knitters: those who focus on the results — a comfortable sweater, mittens to match a new winter coat, a gift for an upcoming baby shower — and those who focus on the process. Process knitters knit for knitting’s sake. They value the soothing repetitive motions and the feel of the yarn running through their fingers, relish the colors, the act of creation. They enjoy the good things that come with it, without having to fuss about their work being perfect, or their scarf being stylish.
If you are considering picking up knitting, think of it as meditation with a little bit of equipment. Approach it for the joy of the process and to take some pressure off. (Also, it’s a good way to keep your hands out of the candy bowl if you want to change your eating habits.)
ADVERTISEMENT
Warm outputs
And if the result is something that can keep you (or a friend or family member) warm, it’s a fantastic bonus. Just think: scarves! Hats! Mittens! Sweaters! Stylish statements, gifts for loved ones, blankets to welcome new babies. Once you become more accomplished, you’ll be a mitten machine.
Ruhee Dewji, a Canadian software developer who lives on her own, took up knitting in early spring at the encouragement of some friends. Before the pandemic, Ms. Dewji, 31, filled her spare time playing music in bands; she found playing on her own during lockdown just emphasized her loneliness.
She finds knitting an uncomplicated joy with many benefits, but one stands out.
“I’ve mostly made things for other people, and I realized that when you are making something for someone you love, you are thinking about them with every single stitch, and somehow that feels less lonely even though I am doing it all alone,” she said.
Supportive communities
Although knitting is a single-person activity, many knitters enjoy gathering, both online and in person, to share the successes, laugh about the mistakes and learn from one another. The portability of knitting is crucial, and as knitting doesn’t require one’s full focus or attention, you are able to engage with the people around you. In the Before Times, yarn shops would hold knit-nights and libraries had crafting groups. There are also formal knitting guilds, and most major cities seem to have at least one group of self-identified “drunken knitters” who meet in bars.
ADVERTISEMENT
Most knit-nights and classes went virtual early this year, making them accessible to faraway members and those nearby with physical or other limitations that may not let them appear in person.
Before the pandemic, Seattle Yarn hosted three regular in-person gatherings every week. Destiny Itano, a co-owner, said that when travel and gathering restrictions were put in place, both staff members and customers were “devastated” at the thought that these groups might not continue. Within a couple of weeks of the city’s lockdown, they set up online sessions and have been hosting two events a week ever since. Ms. Itano said that she was “surprised how well they work — not only as social gatherings, but as a way for knitters to offer and get help with their stitching.”
And the local knitting community has expanded: Ms. Itano’s mother joins from her home in Alaska, and a regular attendee to their Saturday morning group lives in Germany. They plan to keep these groups going even after the shop is fully operational again.
How to get started
Before you begin, know that focusing on the end result means that many beginners are often too impatient with the inevitably imperfect results of their first projects. The first of anything you make will not be great. (Admit it, there was some disastrously inedible sourdough this past spring.) And it doesn’t matter one bit. You still get all the benefits (virtuous or not) whether or not you come away with a wearable scarf. You’re still going to be relaxed and mindful whether or not the beanie fits.
ADVERTISEMENT
But to make that hat, you’ll need balls of yarn and knitting needles. Look to specialized local yarn shops (L.Y.S.’s), big-box craft stores and online retailers like knitpicks.com and yarn.com, the website of the knitting retailer WEBS. Yarn and craft stores also offer instruction and specific learn-to-knit kits for beginners.
Know that yarn comes in different thicknesses, and needles are sized to suit. Always choose your yarn first — beginners might want something on the thicker side, and in a lighter color so you can see what you’re doing and make fast progress. The yarn label indicates the size of needle to use.
If you prefer learning with books, introductory manuals are easy to find in thrift and used-book stores, and the instructions themselves don’t change. But it might be worth investing in a newer one: The projects are more modern, and they use the readily available materials. “Vogue Knitting: The Learn To Knit Book” or “Knit How” are two good choices.
There are plenty of free online and video resources, too. The video lessons at knittinghelp.com are well presented, accurate and clear, while ModernDailyKnitting.com has articles, lessons, patterns and other goodies for knitters of all levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
To meet other knitters, check out the online classes, virtual knit-nights and other social gatherings hosted by a yarn shop in your area. Even if you can’t visit in person, their websites and social media will give you a sense of who they are and what they do.
In New York City, Knitty City and String Thing Studio are two shops that are striving to maintain and bolster knitting communities, even under this year’s necessary restrictions.
Felicia Eve, owner of String Thing Studio in Brooklyn, sells a standard kit for novices, and offers one-on-one appointments, both in-person and online, to teach the basics. She urges beginners to be soothed by knitting’s colors and textures, and to value its meditative nature, but also to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process.
Make sense of the day’s news and ideas. David Leonhardt and Times journalists guide you through what’s happening — and why it matters.Get this newsletter
Amy Reddinger, a dean at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Mich., came back to knitting after a long hiatus in March, when the campus closed and she needed a way to get away from screens. Her first project was an ambitious one — a complicated shawl using some fairly advanced techniques.
“I almost quit a lot of times,” Ms. Reddinger, 45, said. “But I kept at it, and I was both miserable and joyful at times — it was a good emotional process for me.”
She valued the level of challenge as a “great distraction from the chaos and stress of the unknown.”
It’s well known in knitting circles that there are two types of knitters: those who focus on the results — a comfortable sweater, mittens to match a new winter coat, a gift for an upcoming baby shower — and those who focus on the process. Process knitters knit for knitting’s sake. They value the soothing repetitive motions and the feel of the yarn running through their fingers, relish the colors, the act of creation. They enjoy the good things that come with it, without having to fuss about their work being perfect, or their scarf being stylish.
If you are considering picking up knitting, think of it as meditation with a little bit of equipment. Approach it for the joy of the process and to take some pressure off. (Also, it’s a good way to keep your hands out of the candy bowl if you want to change your eating habits.)
ADVERTISEMENT
Warm outputs
And if the result is something that can keep you (or a friend or family member) warm, it’s a fantastic bonus. Just think: scarves! Hats! Mittens! Sweaters! Stylish statements, gifts for loved ones, blankets to welcome new babies. Once you become more accomplished, you’ll be a mitten machine.
Ruhee Dewji, a Canadian software developer who lives on her own, took up knitting in early spring at the encouragement of some friends. Before the pandemic, Ms. Dewji, 31, filled her spare time playing music in bands; she found playing on her own during lockdown just emphasized her loneliness.
She finds knitting an uncomplicated joy with many benefits, but one stands out.
“I’ve mostly made things for other people, and I realized that when you are making something for someone you love, you are thinking about them with every single stitch, and somehow that feels less lonely even though I am doing it all alone,” she said.
Supportive communities
Although knitting is a single-person activity, many knitters enjoy gathering, both online and in person, to share the successes, laugh about the mistakes and learn from one another. The portability of knitting is crucial, and as knitting doesn’t require one’s full focus or attention, you are able to engage with the people around you. In the Before Times, yarn shops would hold knit-nights and libraries had crafting groups. There are also formal knitting guilds, and most major cities seem to have at least one group of self-identified “drunken knitters” who meet in bars.
ADVERTISEMENT
Most knit-nights and classes went virtual early this year, making them accessible to faraway members and those nearby with physical or other limitations that may not let them appear in person.
Before the pandemic, Seattle Yarn hosted three regular in-person gatherings every week. Destiny Itano, a co-owner, said that when travel and gathering restrictions were put in place, both staff members and customers were “devastated” at the thought that these groups might not continue. Within a couple of weeks of the city’s lockdown, they set up online sessions and have been hosting two events a week ever since. Ms. Itano said that she was “surprised how well they work — not only as social gatherings, but as a way for knitters to offer and get help with their stitching.”
And the local knitting community has expanded: Ms. Itano’s mother joins from her home in Alaska, and a regular attendee to their Saturday morning group lives in Germany. They plan to keep these groups going even after the shop is fully operational again.
How to get started
Before you begin, know that focusing on the end result means that many beginners are often too impatient with the inevitably imperfect results of their first projects. The first of anything you make will not be great. (Admit it, there was some disastrously inedible sourdough this past spring.) And it doesn’t matter one bit. You still get all the benefits (virtuous or not) whether or not you come away with a wearable scarf. You’re still going to be relaxed and mindful whether or not the beanie fits.
ADVERTISEMENT
But to make that hat, you’ll need balls of yarn and knitting needles. Look to specialized local yarn shops (L.Y.S.’s), big-box craft stores and online retailers like knitpicks.com and yarn.com, the website of the knitting retailer WEBS. Yarn and craft stores also offer instruction and specific learn-to-knit kits for beginners.
Know that yarn comes in different thicknesses, and needles are sized to suit. Always choose your yarn first — beginners might want something on the thicker side, and in a lighter color so you can see what you’re doing and make fast progress. The yarn label indicates the size of needle to use.
If you prefer learning with books, introductory manuals are easy to find in thrift and used-book stores, and the instructions themselves don’t change. But it might be worth investing in a newer one: The projects are more modern, and they use the readily available materials. “Vogue Knitting: The Learn To Knit Book” or “Knit How” are two good choices.
There are plenty of free online and video resources, too. The video lessons at knittinghelp.com are well presented, accurate and clear, while ModernDailyKnitting.com has articles, lessons, patterns and other goodies for knitters of all levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
To meet other knitters, check out the online classes, virtual knit-nights and other social gatherings hosted by a yarn shop in your area. Even if you can’t visit in person, their websites and social media will give you a sense of who they are and what they do.
In New York City, Knitty City and String Thing Studio are two shops that are striving to maintain and bolster knitting communities, even under this year’s necessary restrictions.
Felicia Eve, owner of String Thing Studio in Brooklyn, sells a standard kit for novices, and offers one-on-one appointments, both in-person and online, to teach the basics. She urges beginners to be soothed by knitting’s colors and textures, and to value its meditative nature, but also to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process.
Make sense of the day’s news and ideas. David Leonhardt and Times journalists guide you through what’s happening — and why it matters.Get this newsletter
When I was young and almost here I had a problem with my fear. My mother’ d not known what to do And I kept running to the loo At last the doctor’s mind was clear They sent me to a nuclear seer.
The man looked up, the man looked down I’d never seen him in the town He asked me if I had bad dreams Or ruined my sleep with howls and screams I never knew quite how to say: The nuclear bomb might go astray.
They told us what to take inside The nuclear shelter, where we’d hide Tampax weren’t allowed as they Might break our hymens on the way So we had our bags of pads As seeing our blood ‘d dismay the lads
We must lie down in the hedgerows But not daydream or take a doze. In our mill towns we’d no hedge It was a metaphor I grudged. Clutching bags of bloody cloths, We would come out and see God’s wrath.
On the nuclear fires, we’d burn The sanitary towels society spurned. I hope before the bomb comes back The Bishops will permit some slack For Tampax are so small and neat Our bin would have an odour sweet
We might be turned into grey ash And our hymens all out-blast We’d not enjoy sweet love and sex Nor send our lovers teasing texts So get together while you can Before they drop that bloody bomb
In answer to your question I declare
That I must die seems totally bizarre
Yet since you ask which burial I prefer
Cremation seems to be the least unfair
I’d like to hear the sound of Joan of Arc
Jennifer and Leonard sing in parts
And as the Maiden burns up in the pyre
I shall be consumed by controlled fire
I’d like to be more useful while alive
I am not a husband nor a wife
But I might be a friend to those I love
And pray the sun will shine ,below, above
I think I made a Will,but why d’you ask?
Do you think you’ll benefit at last?
I plan to leave it all to Charity
One that gives old folk meringues for tea.
You never phone without your wise advice
About how housework should fulfil my life
But my mind is as good as yours, I find.
I keep it oiled and covered in red wine.
Joan of Arc will be my friend and saint
September Cohen will become my mate
He’ll sing a
n anthem while I sail away
And give me courage when it hurts to pray.
It’s time to laugh and cry over our lives
As to the young we dictate our archives
Though people rarely listen to the Word
At least we can assure God that we have tried
I wonder why you never rang before
And today I shall be nineteen ninety four
I will ring you when your birthday comes
To ask you if you’d like pickling well in rum.
We’re probably tired of trying to save money since brexit the pandemic the increased price of food etc
Sometimes it’s easy to save money for example if you go to a coffee shop every day for coffee which is about four pounds a cup now in London then you could save 120 pounds a month by giving up your habits
Should you do that?
It might be a mistake because it might be the only time you go out if you are not working in a paid job outside the home.
Maybe you could go to one of the local church halls where they frequently have coffee mornings. Unfortunately the coffee is not always very good and you maybe afraid that someone will try to convert you when all you want is some cheap coffee and maybe a chat with somebody.
At the moment with the free bus pass older f people don’t save any money by walking although it might be very beneficial to your health
When I was a child we had no bathroom so I’m sure that’s saved my mother and father lots of money
You could try only having hot water on alternate days of the week so that you save money on your electricity or gas bill.
You could eat cold food most of the time but that’s not very nice really is it especially for the elderly
Someone I know who’s about 86 years old every morning with our free bus pass and she goes to o the charity shops. She always really interestingly dressed and she said it’s all second hand. She srays out most days until about 4 pm so that she doesn’t have to put her heating on but not many people are quite so fit and strong alto be out of the house for five or six hours in a day in the winter
Of course there’s always the public library that you can sit in and read the newspapers maybe or even read a book and you can use it a computers there as well so you wouldn’t need to heat your home if you went to library for the morning
The other point about all this is that what is regarded as normal now was once a luxury. Like having a shower every day. But if everybody does that you feel embarrassed if you can’t afford it I imagine I’m not sure because I’ve never taken to showers very much but it is very pleasant to have a bath whenever you feel like it.
I suppose we all have things that we regard as essential to our life and then there are other things that we might be willing to give up because they’re not so important
If you are very wealthy person and you’re going to move out of Britain because you’re afraid of paying more income tax then I would say go please go because we are a society. Everybody in the society has to contribute something towards it and clearly the very wealthy are more able to give money than the poor are.
Interestingly the poor give more to charity than the rich. Not such a surprise really is it?
The luxury of not being very poor is that you’re not constantly thinking about money and wondering if you can afford to have a cup of tea while you are out shopping. And that you can afford to have the food that you like
If you are good at shopping you will realize that one of the more expensive supermarkets in Britain has an essentials range which is very cheap
You’ve got to be fairly strong to tramp round several supermarkets trying to get the cheapest food.
So it’s a subject which is painful for many people. Is losing £200 a year winter fuel allowance is worrying you remember that the state pension went up 8% this year and it went up 10% last year which was about 900 pounds for the average pensioner and so losing 300 pounds in the year it’s not so bad compared with getting 900 pounds extra that year in your pension.
But there’s no doubt about it even when you are not at rock bottom nobody likes to lose some money they’ve been getting and expecting to go on getting for several years
And we were going to be so much more wealthy after brexit weren’t we?
Well Boris Johnson is much wealthier I think. But he’s done a lot of harm to this country in my view.
I wonder how big the eye of the needle will be for him?
I must remember to tell God that I use easy threading needles and to ask whether that will make it easier for me to get through the eye myself.
I know I’ve lost a lot of weightsk since I was in the hospital but even so getting myself through an easy threading needle will not be much fun
Some of the meals I was getting were very small such as the following
Butterbean stew which consisted of about two or three tablespoons of butter beans in a soup like sauce with the other onion tomato in it .
Save money on entertainment by having a book group in your house once a month also and visiting others for their book group
I have noticed that nobody ever start some mathematics group in their home in the evening
So that’s ruled out
You can save a lot of money by having a a digital subscription rather than buying a newspaper every day.
I think it will be less than half the cost and you can access lots of other articles on the website I’ll also sorts of different topics so it is really good for people who like newspapers and article was on a wealth of subjects
The telegraph is good if you love the royal family very very much but it’s also a little bit right wing
And the guardian is a little bit left wing
It’s good for those who don’t particularly like the royal family. And maybe with a slightly higher reading age. But it’s just been found guilty of being a little bit unfair to Israel in its news reportage. I’m not sure how that is judged
Whenever has compassion determined pensions or earnings?
It’s well known that more people die in winter than you would expect. About 500 per year in this country.
So it’s possible that losing the winter fuel allowance will increase this number.
These people were dying while in receipt of the winter fuel allowance.
That shows that they must be living on a very small pension which is not enough to pay their heating bills and to have a hot meal every day.
Are there other explanations? Even people do have enough to pay their heating bills and food bills are more likely to die in the winter .
In the winter
we take less exercise1 we are not so good at planning and so we may go out dressed inadequately. I have seen with my own eyes that this is true when I observe people waiting at the bus stop. Some of my friends won’t wear hats in the winter because it will spoil their hairstyle.
It’s hard to get real woolen coats now although of course many of us wear padded or quilted coats which are just as warm
Are we less good at planning when we’re older or is it simply just lack of thought?
Of course if you are living on a low income you have less money to spend on clothes and if you are not very mobile you’re not going to go to the sales looking for clothes
Well it’s very sad and if the conservative had done this we would all be angry but because it’s the Labour Party some people feel they have to support it but it’s even though undoes because of it it gives a poor impression of the care for the elderly
And the media like a nice juicy topic like this.
Although many of us will not get dementia indeed most of us won’t there is something called cognitive decline which means your brain doesn’t function as well as it used to do.
This might be because you don’t use it enough so if that happens that’s likely to affect the decisions you make.
You may not think about what you can do in difficult situations.
Also if you are married or living with somebody they might have taken the decisions in the household and if they die or leave you may not be used to doing all those things for yourself
And finally two people living in one house would both have got the winter fuel allowance. But if one diesls the other person will still be living in the same house but only get one winter fuel allowance.
A sad situation indeed. Living in a very unequal society which this is anyway regardless of the winter fuel payments living in such a society creates a lot of stress for the poor
But also I have seen articles by psychoanalysts saying that rich people who go for therapy are often suffering from moral problems about their wealth but thenmy are not aware of it
I suppose it must be there unconscious mind that is having these thoughts. Because all the news we get indicates that rich people applying to leave the country if we get an increased tax in the budget in October. But we don’t hear about the ones who are not going to do that.
In the past rich people started charities or libraries or other similar things such as the Carnegie libraries
That will be wonderful if some rich people paid to keep the library’s open in places where they’ve been closed for several days a week.
I think they would have feel better and so would the rest of us so if we can do that on a small scale it might if you have a friend or relative who is quite poor then you could ask them for hot meals once I twice a week.
Or you could go out with them somewhere else and pay for the meal as long as you agree this beforehands because some people hate what they call Charity. That’s another problem ….pride
I remember reading how cats went under the hedge as far as they could when they thought they were going to die and indeed it’s true
The last cat we had disappeared one day in January
I couldn’t find her anywhere I my husband was out I knew he would be distressed.
I went out at the front door and I called her name over and over again and then she crawled out from under the deep hedge.
Came into the house and I thought everything was ok but soon she was having problems walking up the stairs. She had cancer and was soon to die.
I wished iheartleft t jer under the hedge.
Do you think human beings can feel like this also because I feel a bit like that in this cold weather as if I want to go to sleep wrapped up in something warm and if I don’t wake up well I’m old. But I don’t think people like it if you do that.
I’ve got to put more warm clothes on and walk up and down the stairs.
Cats can’t read the news so they just do what comes naturally to them
I have to go shopping often or I forget my PIN number.Likewise drawing money from cash machines I must do every day or I forget.But they won’t let one put money back inside the machine!
It’s so demanding to be old now.Someone stole my credit card but being ill I didn’t know.They managed to buy some groceries twice before I reported it.I thought that was quite touching.
I forget to worry which is a great relief or it might be if I recalled the fact
I find too I am going downhill in manners and called some one crackling font.Now I am in the mental ward tied to my bed.I feel so cared for as they gave me a Tablet last night and another this morning .I’ve already got several and the hallucinations have got on there and smile from the screen I only wanted a largactil but they can’t find them in the Computer Shop.What did you say your name was?
Mary sat in her bijou but well-designed blue kitchen reading email on her Windows 13 laptop.She was feeling quite weak after a bout of pneumonia and cystitis despite having Dave the paramedic visit every day with chicken soup She found a new email from her old friend who has been away I hate you, so much, Mary, it began ominously as love and hate are closely linked I wonder if it is something I have done, Mary thought, or is it my essential self he hates and why now after all these years? You are always explaining things to me as if I am dumb Oh, dear, Mary thought.The perils of being a keen mathematician and also a foolish woman are many I have got more and more annoyed with you especially since you threw that brick through my Windows.I am not coming tonight to be with you.You can get stuffed you crackling font.And I shall never forgive you as I never do forgive anyone even if I made a mistake.I can’t bear the shame and humiliation Does he mean I broke his new Dell Windows 10 computer, she asked herself Or a window in his apartment? But he lives on the second floor and at my age, I can’t even carry a brick let alone hurls one so high and so accurately Still, he is old so someone smashing his windows would be disturbing to him and make him angry Or is the word BRICK a metaphor? It might mean his self esteem is shattered like shop windows in riots often have been As for his language, it reminded her that religious people tend to swear more and also commit more sexual offences, or get found out more Mary looked down at her once beautiful blue tweed skirt which had a few moth holes in it Oh, well. if he is not coming to visit I can keep wearing this holey skirt.He doesn’t like older women in jeans as he prefers looking at young women’s bottoms despite his religion.So I would have had to wear my one remaining decent velvet winter skirt.I am too lazy to want to change. Suddenly her late husband’s former mistress Annie ran in She was wearing a magenta wool tracksuit and green stiletto heels with pink ankle socks topped by a purple velvet trench coat with matching lipstick Good heavens, Mary cried.You look very attractive, where did you get that coat from? I got it in a jumble sale at the church, Annie muttered.Those new people are very rich and only wear clothes twice! I shall have to come, said Mary, look at my skirt!She burst into tears which was a rare event. Her little cat Emile was terrified. Don’t cry, mother he whispered .I will sleep with you tonight if that idiot is not coming What! Don’t tell me that Peter has broken up with you.He seems so charming,delightful and well educated and his works of art are brilliant and innovative.Still it was better than a text message Yes, he just sent me an email calling me a crackling font Perhaps he is mixing you up with someone else.Anyway, if he is heterosexual he should love a nice female organ or two That’s too rational,Annie dear.Only the gynaecologist loves it.She took some photos again! Good grief.Did she show you? asked Annie. No, said Mary.I don’t want to see it but since I’ve been going there for 3 years it seems bigger than before.Maybe the photos to be put into a medical journal.To think my memorial will not be my face but my vulva.Someone said vulva is a rude word and I should say vagina but that makes no sense to me and it is an error anyway scientifically She’s not done anything to make it bigger? No, it must be all the attention it gets that makes it feel bigger in my mind Still , without a boyfriend, it’s not even worth thinking of. Well, you can DIY, Annie told her but for us women it’s the lying down gazing into someone’s eyes and smiling that matters more than the rest Emile miaowed: Look into my eyes, mother.Or can’t Annie? I’ll be getting an Electra complex, Mary told him.You don’t do erotic things with your mother nor with a lady who once slept with your dead husband while he was still alive! Well we cats don’t know our cat mothers so we might have a good time with them unknowing If only I were a cat, Mary muttered as she wept again clutching a box of Kleenex for Sad Women Ring 999, Emile.Annie said.We need help now Hello, my mum’s boyfriend has split with her by email.Can you send an ambulance for the computer, she hit it with a shoe and broke the screen OK, will do, the lady replied courteously.Would you like some meringues too? My goodness, since Brexit the NHS is even better.I should have asked for a steak and kidney pie as well.And mashed carrots.
The chattering cacophony of cars Underneath the silence of the stars The echo of lost voices,faces, smiles To which our little heart is always loyal
The horns that shriek, the trains that wreck the track The vision of the lost who can’t come back The loaded wagons and the violin The orchestra that plays as we go in
The crackling of the ice the skaters skim The refugees whose clothing is too thin The scream of Munch, the horror he foresaw. The end of Europe in the first World War
The decorated War Memorials grim Reminding us that no-one ever wins
What to you may be a worthless weed Bears its little flowers to make its seeds Thus it spreads itself as Love requires Humble speedwell,hear of our desires.
In the pavements cracks were home to grass The sidestep slabs were broken like thick glass When deep frost came, rain made frozen pools I trod in them as I tore up to school
The crackling ice, the mist dropped on the park Our ginger cat, the trees, the dog that barked A woman in the kitchen making tea The oven by the fire, the big door key
Little signs spark tender memories The future fiction, past a lost abyss
How my heart sings 