Empty pages.

"Bastian, you are the only earthling moved by our plight. The same force that makes the books in your world empty has made me a prisoner here in my castle, and only you can name it.
We are the creatures of human fantasies; we need your dreams & stories to exist, but the people in your world no longer believe in us. They have no time to give us names & stories. Auryn will help you on your quest, but you must remember if you use it. Only you can save us Bastian, only you can heal both of our worlds".
With that, the ghostly image of the Childlike Empress faded into the mist of Bastians confusion.

Sorry to disappoint you.

There are more of these videos in the series but these 3 were my absolute favourite thus far & I heartily recommend the rest for your viewing pleasure. I hope there are more on the way as they are a perfect insight into the stereotypes that so many people attribute to their gay friends. Just because a man is gay doesn't mean he instantly loves Kylie, wears make-up/does drag & is a sexual deviant etc. If a man enjoy those things, then more power to him, it's just not my sort of thing. I have only had a few minor instances in the past when friends have assumed I'd do or enjoy something purely based on the fact that I'm gay, but it was never a big issue really.
In particular, I find it strange when people include classifying someones sexuality when introducing them to other people "This is my friend Tyler.... he's gay!". Not that I feel that sexuality is something that should be buried & burrowed away, it's just the fact that there are so many interesting factors about a person that could provide a much better impact during a first meeting. If it arises in conversation then so be it, but I don't feel it is anyone else's right to reveal so much about someone else to begin with.
Conversations & subsequent topics of discussion should be organic & not a construct of someone elses engineering. Like I said earlier, my favourite colour is green!
xox

Petanque very much!

Pétanque (French pronunciation: [petɑ̃k]) is a form of boules where the goal is, while standing inside a starting circle with both feet on the ground, to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (literally "piglet") or jack. It is also sometimes called a bouchon (literally "cork") or le petit ("the small one"). The game is normally played on hard dirt or gravel, but can also be played on grass, sand or other surfaces. Similar games are bocce and bowls.

The current form of the game originated in 1907 in La Ciotat, in Provence, in southern France. The English and French name pétanque comes from la petanca [peˈtaŋkɔ] in the Provençal dialect of the Occitan language, deriving from the expression pès tancats [ˈpɛ taŋˈka], meaning "feet together"^[1] or more exactly "feet anchored".

It is also used by suave gentlemen in word challenges to casually put it into as many sentences in conversation as possible. Petanques very much!!
xox

Someone Like You

Although this has been discussed by the mighty fine residents of Magpie Town I wanted to include it here as Adele has become one of my favourite female vocalists & this song in particular haunts me as well as a number of my friends who share the same feelings & tastes in music.

This amazing song by the beautiful Adele is heartbreak in motion & speaks to many different levels of love, longing & loneliness. It is both an affirmation & an abandonment of love & hope. At first glance she holds out hope of finding a new encounter that holds some semblance to this previous love, but at the same time acknowledges that something that meant so much has now officially finished with absolutely no chance of being rekindled. Not only that, she at first apologises for her presence there & begs, rather than asks her former lover not to forget her in this new life he has created without her. The tragedy of the situation that most people have felt at one stage of their lives or another is unmistakeable.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,

But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it,

I had hoped you'd see my face,

And that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over,

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you,

I wish nothing but the best for you, too,

Don't forget me, I beg,

I remember you said,

"Sometimes it lasts in love,

But sometimes it hurts instead,"

Sometimes it lasts in love,

But sometimes it hurts instead, yeah,

I could go on, but the song speaks for itself in scores. Adele's husky tones, stunning vocal heights & flawless presentation make this an undeniably memorable musical experience, rather than just the act of merely listening to a song. It conjures an extreme sense of desire & disappointment & I for one am thankful that there are such wonderfully creative people in this world who are able to evoke such powerful emotional reactions in us.

For you.

Magpies are black & white

They flawlessly exist with & display both light and dark

I rejoice & am thankful for your light

I do not fear your darkness.

Spin & spindle.

First give me someone who lives in disguise, who deals in secrets & tells nought but lies.
Then, give me the last thing to mend the middle of middle & end of the end
Next, tell me the sound most often heard during the search for a hard to find word
String them together, then answer me this, which creature would you be unwilling to kiss!

Floodwaters forced these spiders into the trees where they have created a veritable fortress cocooning them.

From nothing

From sand comes an absolutely stunning & powerfully moving story. I'm thankful for the creative people we have in this world.

xox

C.S Lewis, you've done it again!!

"Gay," said Puddleglum with a deep sigh. "That's what we've got to be. Gay. As if we hadn't a care in the world. Frolicsome. You two youngsters haven't always got very high spirits, I've noticed. You must watch me, and do as I do. I'll be gay. Like this"- and he assumed a ghastly grin. "And frolicsome"- here he cut a most mournful caper. "You'll soon get into it if you keep your eyes on me".
From The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis.

Ghastly grin & mournful capers.... NOW I know what I've been doing wrong!

xox

I miss

I miss the deliciousness of my pen writing words I want to write, not repetitive droning from a needlessly extended criteria that the intended audience will not read unless forced to under duress. I shouldn't waste my lovely green ink on such trivialities, as after a while even I began to loathe the sight of it on the page.

I miss not having the freedom of picking up my chalk pastels and being able to lose myself in the haptic delight of smudging together innumerable colour combinations into something that, despite my meagre skill in drawing, transports me to somewhere where the concept of relaxation actually exists.

I miss feeling ok about doing something leisurely & entertaining & not having to think ahead to how it would impact on my output.

How can I say that I miss my easel that I was given for Christmas, seeing as I have not yet had the time to give it it's maiden voyage in supporting a beautiful white canvas brimming with possibilities?

How can I say that I miss feeling confident & satisfied in my choice of profession, seeing as that has NEVER occurred, nor is likely to, as it is seemingly the reason I am made to miss these things?


Most of all, I miss Magpie Town in all it's entirety! I miss the frequency I used to take to marvel at the elegant words & the thoughts they generate within me. I miss having time to spend time in formulating a fitting response to such apt commentary & insight. I miss feeling challenged & pensive & complete & incomplete & similar & inspired & hopeful on a more reliable basis.
I miss Magpie Town in all it's entirety.

I truly hope the residents are going well, because I miss them.
xo