OnaWednesday

I thought it would be interesting this month to reflect on the ‘other worldliness’ of that small space before a change or a dramatic event. We have all been held there before; the last day of a holiday; the un-open envelope that contains crucial news; the final days in a house; or the final days of a pregnancy. What I like is the ordinariness of these times, they are dramatic pauses, where life gives you what you might pay to see or feel in a play.

Find thoughts on Sounds Around the House, a reflection on Hannah's beautiful submission to the collection, and a cemetery inspired Blake poem; all in today's Substack post.
Head over there, you can subscribe and follow us for free. We would love to interact with you, or if you prefer, be a silent reader.

'There is a beautiful song that translates my feelings of home, by Alec Wilder and Jonnhy Mercer called ‘The Sounds Around the House’ ; linked you will find a sublime piano and double bass version on Barry Green and Dave Green.'

Today has been a thinking day, so much thinking is needed to write even the smallest amount. Having said that, a response to our last prompt nr.251 came in super quickly and I'm so pleased to be able to post it here - along with my contribution for the day. Every little counts! BTW that sumptuous bed belongs to the Shandaken Inn in up-state New York, well worth a visit - I took a picture of it because I wanted to remember the comfort and the colours, I'm glad I did because it fits Naomi's poem beautifully :)
#

This is what Notre-Dame meant to Quasimodo! Full disclosure; I haven’t read the Hunchback of Notre-Dame but I came across his words in an unusual book; The Poetics of Space, by Gaston Bachelard. In this, fourth chapter, he uses Quasimodo’s words to illustrate an analogy he's exploring, one that equates nests to places of human comfort and, in the broader book, the house, the home as a question of human being.

He was a discovery I'd made whilst working in real estate, remodelling buildings and houses in London for fresh uses. I became interested in the time that the team spent discussing how each space would be occupied, how we could encourage and discourage certain behaviours through our choices of layout and finishes. Bachelard explores spaces, the cellar, the garret, the nest and the shell as psychological arenas as well as physical structures - a home must meet certain physical priorities but it must meet so much more besides! To read the rest - or respond to this month's prompt follow the link in our bio.