ROOM

finding a bit of late evening tranquility
cocooned in this studio-cum-office
the woodle and her mum dreaming sweet dreams next door
uncle johnny round at his mates' place
doing his batchelor boy thing
nanny n grandpa nodding off downstairs
in front of the digital gogglebox
which beams myriad channels of bright glitz into the lounge
after a long day
it is high time
for my time
it is fire time
high wire time
time for thinking
time for dreaming
time for hatching plans
time for reading
time for writing
time for surfing
time for blogging
time for recording
the studio is the smallest room in the house
clutter is a constant threat to its citadel
the big closet known as the lighthouse
lops off a hefty rectangle
reducing the room to a tight L-shape
i sit at my computer desk in one corner
hemmed in on all sides by a keyboard
an expectant mike thrusting itself in my face
a pair of monitor speakers that function only in mono
guitars guitars guitars
music stand
guitar pedals of all denominations
tall racks of cds
a treacherous tangle of leads criss-crossing the floor
piles of papers, leaflets & brochures
strewn across every surface
having slipped through my porous filing system
boxes of encroaching toys, books n craft materials
stray saucepans and the breadmaker
crowding me out from behind
to my right a window onto the street below
which frames dramatic cloud formations
as the low angled sun disappears behind the rooftops
to my left a bookcase crammed full of literary treasure
recent reads
current reads
future reads
best reads
essential reads
lou reeds
(just kidding!)
a few titles for yer wish-list:
carbon detox
lonely planet korea
zen & the art of whatnot
spotter's guide to wildlife
lend me your ears
two ethical careers guides
i'm not the only one - george galloway's auto-bio
rough guide to ethical living
mark kurlansky non-violence
permaculture in a nutshell
simply vegan cookbook
authored by the splendidly-named
debra wasserman and reed mangels
the god delusion
diary of an eco-builder
no-nonsense guides to international migration
and development
north korea south korea
by feffer
a good succint read
eco-centres and courses
small is beautiful
guardians of power
building green
happiness
made to stick
how many lightbulbs does it take to change a planet?
the rotter's club
the end of oil
understanding waldorf education
the good shopping guide
and many more
it's a full house too
a lot of people crammed into this small semi
six of us
soon to be seven
but we're getting on better than i'd hoped
getting better at dealing with the inevitable tensions n irritations
able to defuse situations more quickly
becoming more tolerant
appreciating different people's strengths n weaknesses
three generations living under one roof ain't so bad
in fact there's a lot to be said for it
the biggest problem is the privacy
but johnny n i got a new idea
we buy a smallholding n renovate it
divide it up into three sets of living quarters
with a central common area
a kind of simple cohousing arrangement
with all the benefits of people's own space n independence
as well as all the advantages of living together as a family
pooling resources
living in community