Sarah is a British eccentric who writes offbeat fiction, haiku and tanka poetry. When stuck for words, she sketches or paints instead. She's into nature conservation, sustainability, gardening, dogs, natural health, and reading. Her sociability is something that happens in short bursts with long breathing spaces in between.
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19 thoughts on “#Tanka 46 — Coal”
Dear Sarah
I hope that coal wasn’t your Christmas present. 😉 Lovely verse. Too warm for snow here, too which is always fine with me. However we had 7.5 inches of the white stuff last week. Go figure. So nice to see your words back up on the grid.
No, fortunately it wasn’t my present, but I did get a black jumper! I also got the most beautiful art deco necklace made of glass beads in the sort of beautiful colours you’d see in a stained-glass window. And I got a tankard-style china mug with pheasants on it. And Stephen King’s latest novel. I am well pleased with my presents. We don’t go overboard in our family. I can’t believe how much some people spend at this time of year, only to get depressed about their credit card bills in January.
I’m hoping to do better with posting, but it didn’t help today when I discovered that the verse facility on WP was down, so I couldn’t publish my poem for ages. One of their technicians found a workaround for me, which was to use a “quote” block rather than a “verse” one. Are you using the Gutenberg editor yet, or the original one? It is good when it’s working but an absolute headache when it’s not.
It would be good if we could sort out girls’ facetime, hopefully with Dale, too, over the next week. Am not sure what all my plans are, re a couple of friends visiting. I know I’m not free next Monday.
It’s the “Gutenberg” editor that (I believe) will replace the classic editor completely at some stage. I thought I’d learn to use it when wordpress offered me the opportunity to do so while in its beta stage. At first it did my head in, but now I’ve got used to it I can see its advantages (although sometimes there are still glitches!). What it does, is to use blocks — so you have text blocks, or image blocks, and many others that I’m discovering as I go along, such as verse blocks. In theory (although not always, as I discevered with my poem with longer lines) is that your post will display properly across all gadgets, rather than just on your PC. My advice is, don’t try it out for the first time, unless you’re feeling calm and have some hours to spare. At the moment you have the option to revert to the classic editor if you want. If you get stuck, I’ve probably got to the stage when I can help you!
Ooops. I thought I wrote Gutenberg! LOL…
And there is another blogger I follow who uses it but I have to admit, I am not a fan of the way she does it at times. Each line in a haiku in its own block with coloured background.. It’s hard to read.
I’ll wait until I am forced 😉
I wonder why she uses a coloured background. As you’ll see, when I started out with Gutenberg, I didn’t know about the “verse” block, so took photos of my haiku on my computer screen in MS word, then posted them in an “image” block. I wonder if the other blogger you know isn’t using a “verse” block but is transporting an image instead.
Thank you, my dear friend. My Christmas was peaceful, starting with an incense-filled, candlelit midnight mass in a medieval church hidden down a country lane. It’s a while since I’ve been to a church service, as was finding them rather jangly and counterproductive to my faith journey and search for inner peace!
I’m sure me finding a lump of coal at Christmas is of great symbolic significance. Maybe I should reflect on it further.
Sending love and hugs from my exceedingly wet seaside town in SE England. Our nearest flood plain got on the national news on Christmas Eve, when the river burst its banks spectacularly and flooded one of the main roads into our town.
i am grateful you are safe. It’s best I don’t go to a church service. I’m afraid the local priest would have a heart-attack if he witnessed my appearance. 🙂
Lol 😀 I fear that some of my challenging questions might have wobbled a few already shaky priests in the past and possibly caused them heart murmurs! It probably wasn’t wise me studying theology as a subject years back, as it opened up more questions than it answered. But I continue in my quest to understand, despite being a doubting Thomas by nature! I certainly don’t believe that shrink-wrapped religion is necessarily helpful in discovering our eternal purpose.
Wonderful to see you in my in-box, Sarah! And how odd is it that a lump of coal suddenly appeared… Hmmm… makes one ponder, no?
Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas, for which I am glad!
Too warm for snow over here, too… There are small patches where the sun shines less but nothing worth mentioning.
I think the foxes bring all sorts of strange things into the garden overnight, as they like to play with them like toys! Still no snow here and very unlikely, too. Everything is in bud, my fuschias still flowering, and my tulip bulbs emerging. The ground at the allotment is like stodgy pudding from all the rain, so we can’t dig it or plant anything. The weather is so weird. Wishing you all the best for the New Year. Sarah xox
Wouldn’t that be weird to plant stuff in January? Man… so different from here.
We had a green Christmas but a beautiful white New Year!
Wishing you the best as well!
Dale xoxo
Sarah Potter Writes 
Dear Sarah
I hope that coal wasn’t your Christmas present. 😉 Lovely verse. Too warm for snow here, too which is always fine with me. However we had 7.5 inches of the white stuff last week. Go figure. So nice to see your words back up on the grid.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
No, fortunately it wasn’t my present, but I did get a black jumper! I also got the most beautiful art deco necklace made of glass beads in the sort of beautiful colours you’d see in a stained-glass window. And I got a tankard-style china mug with pheasants on it. And Stephen King’s latest novel. I am well pleased with my presents. We don’t go overboard in our family. I can’t believe how much some people spend at this time of year, only to get depressed about their credit card bills in January.
I’m hoping to do better with posting, but it didn’t help today when I discovered that the verse facility on WP was down, so I couldn’t publish my poem for ages. One of their technicians found a workaround for me, which was to use a “quote” block rather than a “verse” one. Are you using the Gutenberg editor yet, or the original one? It is good when it’s working but an absolute headache when it’s not.
It would be good if we could sort out girls’ facetime, hopefully with Dale, too, over the next week. Am not sure what all my plans are, re a couple of friends visiting. I know I’m not free next Monday.
All best wishes,
Sarah
LikeLiked by 1 person
People keep talking about this “Butenberg” editor… I have no idea what the heck it is!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s the “Gutenberg” editor that (I believe) will replace the classic editor completely at some stage. I thought I’d learn to use it when wordpress offered me the opportunity to do so while in its beta stage. At first it did my head in, but now I’ve got used to it I can see its advantages (although sometimes there are still glitches!). What it does, is to use blocks — so you have text blocks, or image blocks, and many others that I’m discovering as I go along, such as verse blocks. In theory (although not always, as I discevered with my poem with longer lines) is that your post will display properly across all gadgets, rather than just on your PC. My advice is, don’t try it out for the first time, unless you’re feeling calm and have some hours to spare. At the moment you have the option to revert to the classic editor if you want. If you get stuck, I’ve probably got to the stage when I can help you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooops. I thought I wrote Gutenberg! LOL…
And there is another blogger I follow who uses it but I have to admit, I am not a fan of the way she does it at times. Each line in a haiku in its own block with coloured background.. It’s hard to read.
I’ll wait until I am forced 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder why she uses a coloured background. As you’ll see, when I started out with Gutenberg, I didn’t know about the “verse” block, so took photos of my haiku on my computer screen in MS word, then posted them in an “image” block. I wonder if the other blogger you know isn’t using a “verse” block but is transporting an image instead.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I dunno – it’s annoying. I think she is just enjoying using it in varying forms. I’m sure she uses “verse” block as well as others, to be honest.
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A mysterious gift during a period of giving. How very captivating.
I hope you had a brilliant Christmas filled with love, dear friend. Sending hugs from sunny, chilly Olympia.
bill
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Thank you, my dear friend. My Christmas was peaceful, starting with an incense-filled, candlelit midnight mass in a medieval church hidden down a country lane. It’s a while since I’ve been to a church service, as was finding them rather jangly and counterproductive to my faith journey and search for inner peace!
I’m sure me finding a lump of coal at Christmas is of great symbolic significance. Maybe I should reflect on it further.
Sending love and hugs from my exceedingly wet seaside town in SE England. Our nearest flood plain got on the national news on Christmas Eve, when the river burst its banks spectacularly and flooded one of the main roads into our town.
LikeLiked by 1 person
i am grateful you are safe. It’s best I don’t go to a church service. I’m afraid the local priest would have a heart-attack if he witnessed my appearance. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol 😀 I fear that some of my challenging questions might have wobbled a few already shaky priests in the past and possibly caused them heart murmurs! It probably wasn’t wise me studying theology as a subject years back, as it opened up more questions than it answered. But I continue in my quest to understand, despite being a doubting Thomas by nature! I certainly don’t believe that shrink-wrapped religion is necessarily helpful in discovering our eternal purpose.
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Wonderful to see you in my in-box, Sarah! And how odd is it that a lump of coal suddenly appeared… Hmmm… makes one ponder, no?
Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas, for which I am glad!
Too warm for snow over here, too… There are small patches where the sun shines less but nothing worth mentioning.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the foxes bring all sorts of strange things into the garden overnight, as they like to play with them like toys! Still no snow here and very unlikely, too. Everything is in bud, my fuschias still flowering, and my tulip bulbs emerging. The ground at the allotment is like stodgy pudding from all the rain, so we can’t dig it or plant anything. The weather is so weird. Wishing you all the best for the New Year. Sarah xox
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wouldn’t that be weird to plant stuff in January? Man… so different from here.
We had a green Christmas but a beautiful white New Year!
Wishing you the best as well!
Dale xoxo
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So, were you naught and Santa left that lump of coal!
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What me? Naughty? See my shining halo 🙂
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I do!
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Finding coal in your stocking is usually a sign you’ve been naughty, so it’s a good thing Santa has already been 🙂
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If only I’d had the energy to be naughty 😉
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