lear genius

Had a pottering Saturday at home today. Pottering usually means day dreaming into areas of my house that get little attention but hold nuggets of inspiration..... the loft - full of memories and crap but the kind of crap that can't be chucked out, the bookcase - full of books I have read but can't throw out. I had one attempt in August to sort it out but mañana struck.

The same happened today.

I came across a most fabulous book that I had rescued from Sunny at Easter. She had been donated by the local library a host of books that were headed for the incinerator (oh that makes the hairs stand up on my arms). Sunny had asked for these as part of an altered book project and I agreed to ferry her over in my car so she didn't have to put them in a wheelie case and trug them home across town.

Looking through the boxes I rescued a few books as they could not, in my mind, either be incinerated nor transformed into an altered form of art.

One of the books I am referring to is 'A Book of Bosh' Lyrics & Pros of Edward Lear chosen by Brian Alderson ...... sheer genius. (Bosh aka stuff & nonsense)

Lear was born in 1812 and for most of his life he was a serious painter & illustrator, including on his CV giving Queen Victoria drawing lessons. He wasn't a 'well' man suffering from grand mal but managed 76 years. But in his spare time he wrote some crazy stuff, his limericks are legendary 'The Owl & The Pussy Cat ' et al.

He was known to write to a friend that he would like the Prime Minister to appoint him 'Grand Peripatetic Ass and Boshproducing Luminary'.

I happened to think that maybe some Politicians today have been bestowed with that title today, although they wouldn't admit to it or even realise it.

Some Lear