Friday Writings #246: Light-hearted words for Spring

 

 

Hello again dear Word Weavers,

Happy (recent) Equinox to you all! For some of you, it marks the settling in of Autumn (or Fall, if you’re in the USA). Here in the Southern Hemisphere, as Spring takes hold, it’s a time of renewal: new light, new growth. Either way, it’s a restoring of the balance between light and dark, warmth and cold. Spring cleaning – which I’ve been doing lately – symbolises sweeping out all the old, tired energy to make way for the new and fresh.

Irises are always the first Spring flowers to bloom in my garden. 
© Rosemary Nissen-Wade 2022.

Spring makes me feel light and even a bit silly. So, when I was thinking up a new prompt for you, the words ‘fol-de-lol’ and ‘frippery’ popped into mind. (Actually, ‘fol-de-rol’ is how the first is usually spelt, but my head got it a tiny bit wrong.) I thought they seemed light-heartedly Spring-like, so I searched for other words appropriate for Spring, while keeping to the gentle lightness of the mood.

Your (optional) prompt this week is to use one, some, or all of the following words in a piece of writing: fol-de-lol, frippery, tender, delight, singing, sweet, new. (Yes, you may correct the first to fol-de-rol if you prefer.)

Guidelines: Poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or not, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes), post to your blog, add your link to that blog post below, and please read and comment on what others share. (Also you may talk to us and each other in the comment box below.)

Next week: We’ll invite you to write poetry or prose, which takes a negative concept and turns it into something positive.

Friday Writings #245: Family

 

 

Hello again, dear Word Weavers –

and apologies for my total absence last week. I was very pleasantly otherwise occupied by an exciting, in-person reunion with several long-lost cousins, whom I hadn’t seen since they were kids and I in my mid-thirties – and then only once, as they lived far away from me. When my mum and their grandmother, who were first cousins, finally died, the communication channel between us was gone and we lost touch – until another cousin, from a different but closely connected branch of the family, found me on facebook ... and then one of the others found her on Ancestry …

Their late father was my first cousin once removed (cousinly relationships are quite complex!). I was very fond of him – he was a bit like an older brother to me for a while – so I was thrilled to learn that he always spoke of me affectionately too. I was quite famous to his children, they tell me! Here’s a photo of him and me dancing together. I can’t recall what the occasion was, but I must have been about 16. He was seven years older than me, and his name was Leo.

 

 

Everyone came here from various parts of Australia (Sydney, Newcastle, Ipswich) so we could spend the weekend together. One also brought his wife, another her young daughter. (There was even a small, polite dog in the party.) My son, who is of their generation and also only met them that once, came too, from Melbourne. One cousin in Melbourne and another in Adelaide couldn’t make it this trip, but are keen to come and visit me in the near future.

At the weekend we all had a great time looking though old family photos, including albums I inherited from my mother, putting names to faces which some of us had been uncertain of identifying, and swapping stories and reminiscences. My son was fascinated too. The plan is to keep in touch by family gatherings on Zoom henceforth – and also with some more distant (in both senses) cousins overseas, with whom Ancestry has reunited us, who can fill in other parts of the extensive family history.

After all that, my (optional) prompt for you this week is, unsurprisingly, Family – whatever that word inspires in you.

Guidelines: Poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or not, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes), post to your blog, add your link to that blog post below, and please read and comment on what others share. (Also you may talk to us and each other in the comment box below.)

In this part of the world, Spring is here! Regardless of climate change and other horrors, it still brings with it some lightness of heart and lifting of the spirit. 

Next week, you’ll be asked to include in your writing one, some or all of the following light-hearted words: fol-de-lol, frippery, tender, delight, singing, sweet, new. 

Happy writing, everyone!

 

 

Friday Writings #244: If the Glass Slipper Fits

 

Hello, Word Artists and Admirers! I have been slowly but steadily making my way through my TBR list. After dungeon crawling with Carl, traveling through space with Murderbot, and solving mysteries with Anna and Din, I have a desire to return to my first love, fairy tales. I've got a couple of well-loved collections at home. I also have a new collection of fairy lore that I've been itching to crack open.

I couldn't resist the cover

And there are cool illustrations inside!

For this week's optional prompt I'd like you to write something from the point of view of a fairy tale character. I'll take poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction. Just please remember to keep your pieces to 369 words or fewer, and one post per person, please.

Next week, we shall ask you to write about family.

Friday Writings #243: By the Numbers

 

Hello, Word Artists and Admirers! One of the joys of being a parent is introducing your kids to something you loved when you were young. Sometimes, things don't age as well. (Why did no one tell me how cheesy Superfriends was?) And sometimes, they age beautifully.

Such is the case for one of my early favorites, The Monster at the End of This Book. It was one of my best loved books when I was little and my kids loved it when I would read it to them while impersonating Grover's voice. The classic turned 55 yesterday. An animated adaptation will debut on Netflix and YouTube next week. 

Although this is Grover's big moment, in honor of the numerical milestone, I'll invoke a different Muppet today, the Count. For this week's optional prompt, please write poetry or prose which includes numbers. You may opt to write fiction or non-fiction. Just be sure to keep your pieces to 369 words or fewer, and one piece per person please.

Next week, we shall ask you to write about a fairy tale character or from their point of view.