There are a few blogs on my sidebar, whose authors… well they make me feel a might thick. I don’t mean that in a bad way, in fact I enjoy the blogs very much, and I enjoy the mental calisthenics that my mind has to go through sometimes when I’m reading them. Larry, Dave and Pete have such a command of language that I am often envious of their skill in evoking magnificent scenes with their words and for their ability to make me think. They are well worth you going and visiting, reading and reveling in their art… Botanizing, Via Negativa, and Pohangina Pete.
I’m going to single out pete’s latest essay The End of the World as We know it and I hope that you take a moment from your day to go read (in Dave’s words) a meditation on what it is like being an artist in a time of slow-motion apocalypse.
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7 responses
You have good taste. But I’m so glad to know about your blog, too (through Pete and Dave both) and to be able to read about life in a place I hope to see for myself someday – especially now that I am Canadian and feel more connected to the Arctic than ever before.
Kia ora Clare,
I agree Pete’s blog is full of wonderful writing, photos, and posts, and the post you mention something we should all be thinking about. I will check out the other blogs you mention, and kia ora Clare for expanding my boundaries. Don’t sell youself short here though, you offer a wealth of perspective as well. Have a great day!
Ka kite ano, Robb
Thanks Beth, your Cassandra Pages is also a good read. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks Robb. I try not to sell myself short. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy writing and think that I write well enough (well never well enough) but it doesn’t stop me from being jealous of the really good writers.
Clare, thanks for the honour, and I agree with your assessment of Larry’s and Dave’s blogs. I’m also with Beth and Robb on the merits of your blog. Being able to enjoy such a diversity of views (speaking literally and figuratively) is one of the great delights of exploring the blog world.
Thanks pete. It is an honour well deserved.
Clare–thanks for the kind words about my writing at ‘botanizing,’but you need not be concerned about the qualities of ‘The House.’ Your stories and photographs are thoroughly delightful. Your sensitive view of your world and experiences enrich us–those include baking, celebrations in the gym, and quests for crows. There is, in your writing, an uncommon sense of humanity that helps all of us connect not only with your world but also with the broader world. [And we know from your reports on those who visit your site that you have a voluminous readership–in contrast to the five people who visit some of us!]
And I also have a question: What does the moon do in the Arctic? Is it high in the sky each month and does it show up every month? I’m sure these are foolish questions–any interest on writing a post about your views of the moon?
Thanks for the kind words Larry, and if you have less visitors than me that is a true shame. When I look at some of the places I visit that I truly admire, and when I see their stats it is a true shame that they are not more widely read.
I have written about the moon and our photoperiod changes but that was some time ago. The moon doesn’t disappear for us like the sun (although it can be pretty hard to see in 24 hour sunlight). The simple answer is that the moon orbits us, and there isn’t a great deal of change (there is some) in its position as we tilt. With the sun, as we orbit, the tilt of the earth changes in relation to the sun, making those of us at the polar ends of the earth experience large changes in photo period. In winter, we are pointed away from the sun, and in the rest of the earth shadow. Meanwhile the moon keeps circling about us.
Did I mudify the situation?