Author Archives: malcolmsmusingscom

In Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the  foul-tempered Queen of Hearts character regularly shouts ‘Off with his (or her) head!’ whenever anyone upsets her. In Carroll’s bonkers world, where the Queen plays croquet using live hedgehogs as balls and flamingos as mallets, we’re told: ‘The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties,Continue reading “Off With His Head!”

I’ve started playing through my CD collection. They’re stored in alphabetical order. This week there’s been Bryan Adams, Louis Armstrong, J.S. Bach, The Bachelors… and Mike Batt. He wrote a number of great songs – including ‘Bright Eyes’: Is it a kind of dreamFloating out on the tideFollowing the river of death downstream?Oh, is itContinue reading “Bright Eyes”

In 1963, Harvey Ball, a graphic artist from Worcester, Massachusetts, created the smiley face symbol that’s become popular throughout the world. In 1999, World Smile Day, the first Friday in October, was first celebrated. Harvey wanted people to smile, create small acts of kindness, make others smile…. Yesterday, World Smile Day, Seagull Theatre said: ‘WeContinue reading “The Smile”

At our Seagull Theatre meeting Des presented his ‘Management Report’. We heard about the events and performances over the past three months, ticket sales, bar takings, community activities, new projects. It was all good news. He moved on to plans for the future, including progress on next year’s proposed Lowestoft Carnival. There hasn’t been oneContinue reading “Desirable but Difficult”

I have a folder containing my certificates. My first, from school, celebrates that in 1960 I could swim three lengths of our swimming pool; the most recent, from the ‘International Boatbuilding Training College, Lowestoft’, states that in 2020 I ‘successfully completed a course in woodworking machine regulations, and safe use of wood machines’.   InContinue reading “Certificates and Safeguarding”

I visited a couple of friends in hospital yesterday. There’s a queue at the enquiry desk… bustling corridor… busy cafeteria.  So many people, Each has a reason for being here, each has a story to tell. My friend Geoff’s been in hospital for six weeks. I’ve known Geoff for years. We talk about his storyContinue reading “Each Has a Story to Tell”

I was reminded of four stories yesterday: Abraham: Before the American-Danish sculptor Gutzon Borglum carved the presidents into Mount Rushmore, he was practicing on some blocks of marble in his studio. A small girl visited him and stared at a half-finished president’s face. ‘Is that Abraham Lincoln?’ she enquired ‘Yes,’ replied Gutzon. The little girlContinue reading “The Person Inside”

My friend John quoted the Shakespearean phrase ‘as if we were God’s spies’. I discovered it comes from King Lear.  Lear is speaking to his daughter Cordelia about their future together in prison: …so we’ll live,And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laughAt gilded butterflies, and hear poor roguesTalk of court news; andContinue reading “God’s Spies”

God on high, hear my prayerIn my need, you have always been thereHe is young, he’s afraidLet him rest, Heaven blessed Bring him homeBring him homeBring him home He’s like the son I might have knownIf God had granted me a sonThe summers die one by oneHow soon they fly on and onAnd I amContinue reading “Bring Him Home”

We came back home from holiday yesterday. How do I approach this next chapter of my life– the routines, lists, people to see, things to do, plans for the coming weeks… Life’s normal ordinariness. Patience: Behind our holiday cottage was a hill. When we’d visited in the past we’d seen red kites flying above theContinue reading “Life’s Normal Ordinariness”