Junes writers group

I had to run the writers group a little later this month due to exam boards being run in the room, so we clashed with the poetry reading group.  It might have been a smaller group than normal but we still had some lovely stories and poems read out.  I didn't have anything to read this month, but at last I've had some ideas that I hope to work on in the very near future.
Homework - Choose between the following as the starting point for a story or poem: Coffee, toast and three paracetamol…  Or;  There was something unbelievable in the desk drawer…

Business and consumerism and Buddhist principles

Last week one of my good friends set me the link to a 20 minute speech/lecture about business and consumerism and Buddhist principles. 

Clare Melford was the speaker and that 20 minutes flew by as I listened to her ideas which make such sense.  As she says what individuals do is important but business can make more of an impact over a wider audience.

The three principles which she thinks businesses should take from the Buddhist mind set are:

• That everything is connected
• Mastery of our impulses and desires
• And finding a middle way

These are all things that can be taken into personal life not just in business;  thinking about the consequences of our actions, learning to understand ourselves and trying to live in a sensible way rather than by extremes.

There was so much to take in I shall have to listen to it again (and again).

If you’d like to listen to it you can find it on the Radio 4 Four Thought site, look for 2^nd May, Clare Melford.  I don’t know how long it will be there for but having looked at the rest of the podcasts in the series I’ve downloaded a large number to listen to later.

Rocking Chameleon

Did you know that chameleon's rock?  No neither did I until I came across one of Rob Ives new projects - a rocking chameleon.  It's taken me a few weeks to create due to all the other stuff I'm also doing but I'm pleased with the end result, even if the rocking is a little creepy - check out Rob's video to see it in action.

The Electric Tooling Iron

For my birthday this year I was lucky enough to receive an Electric Tooling Iron.  This is a tool that book binders use for marking their books with metallic foils or for marking directly onto leather.  It might be words or just decoration.  Below is an example of how you would use it. 

First you need to know what you are using it for.  In this case I have traced the title of one of my favourite books, which has a beautiful title font.  I would do this if I was repairing the book and going to replace the cover.

First the metallic foil needs to be stuck to the new cover with masking tape.  It must be perfectly flat. 

The tracing is then placed over the foil.  Using the iron, once it is hot enough, you trace the design onto your book.  This takes a little practice as you can't hold it as close to the tip as you would a normal pen.  It doesn't matter too much if you need to go back over it as long as your design doesn't move half way through.

The finished design.  If I had another coloured foil I could go over it again as long as it was lined up right.
This is a great tool and I look forward to having some more practice with it.