Inspiration

"Don't ask who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life."
- Giorgos Seferis

Not much writing happening these days, but there never is at this time of year - there are too many happy distractions.

For example, as I type, the Non-Resident-Non-Teenager (NRNT) is flopped on my bed (my Writer's Garret stuff having been relegated to the bedroom as the NRNT needs to sleep somewhere), carrying on the following one-sided conversation:

"I love how Al drives over the snowbanks," she observes, looking out the window at the spoils of last night's snow storm.

"Mm-hmm..." I reply, typing.

"He just drives over it again and again. Never mind shovelling."

"Mm-hmm..."

"Can you hear this pop?" She pops her knee.

"No." Still typing.

"Oh. Well, can you hear this pop?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, can you hear this pop?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, can you hear this pop? Never mind."

NRNT hops from the bed and bangs on the Resident Teenager's (RT) door. I need them to dig the car out from the frozen mountain of slush ploughed into the mouth of the driveway through the night. More happy chatter, at least from the NRNT; grunts from the sleepy one as they pull on their coats and boots.

And so it will go for a few precious weeks: Squawks, giggles, non-sequiturs, and the odd blowup as our routines are joyfully disrupted. And then we'll all get back to work, the NRNT at her new co-op placement in a far city, the RT starting rehearsals for two new theatre productions (oh yeah, and school), the Business Guy doing business, and me back to the Writer's Garret, pondering the eternal literary question of What's Next?

Until then, I wish all readers peace and much fiction (give Canadian a try!) for the holidays. Time now for a sugar plum - I'll be back in the New Year.

Happy Anniversary

"Music can sound like the wind and the rain, and like thunder! It can make you happy or sad, or remind you of things, like bumblebees, or birds, or... or... yellow!"
- Trixie Spider

This week being the anniversary of the eight-show run of A Spider's Tale, I invite you, Dear Reader, to inspect the Spider page on my website. But before you spend too much time there, I would like you to consider some of the positive things that came of A Spider's Tale:

1. Children had a great time learning about symphony orchestras through Trixie Spider's adventures, without realising they were learning something.

2. The parents who sat in the audience with their children learned about symphony orchestras (see above).

3. The orchestra enjoyed a fresh, new approach to children's programming (see above).

4. The actors, designers, and crew enjoyed a fresh, new approach to children's programming (see above).

5. The author/violist recovered nicely from the bruises incurred while she was busy pinching herself that this was actually happening.

But most of all:
6. Children had a great time learning about symphony orchestras through the adventures of Trixie Spider and her friends.

(And here's a nifty bonus: Next time they hear the theme from the last movement of Beethoven's 6th Symphony, it won't only be the kids who'll think of Trixie falling from her web and dancing on a viola.)