Keira McArthur

revolve.  One cupboard cleared, one old pine chest emptied, two rooms of six reconfigured. Three boxes of books off my shelves and into the car for passing forward, a trunk full of clothing for VV. Winter wear rediscovered, pared down, and stowed in one kist, guest blankets in the other. I now have a better […]

Story Cake first instalment is coming – never fear.  It has been delayed by some time-sensitive physical and academic tasks, which have taken precedence over all else: I’ve been packing up the old and building the new. To the point where I’ve got twenty days left here: during which I find places for all this […]

We were told three days ago that the water will not run in our taps until the end of April.  I feel relief.  It’s good to know – that we are directly linked to the spring thaw, that we need to build the gathering and conservation of water into our daily routine, that we will […]

Candles are lit at 6:22am.  They burn straight up with no flicker, and this mesmerizes me – that fire can be so still. It has been stiflingly hot here for days – heavy sun from skies pregnant with this rain and well beyond term.  I played cello outside in it for two days at mid-day, […]

I once played a minor (non-musical) part on a Rolling Stones Tour – ‘Steel Wheels’ in the ’80s. I have a tour jacket, even, that boyfriends past have happily worn… and torn and stained. This comes up now because I wrote the blog title first. It’s still a good jacket, and I keep it to […]

Venezuela: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-16/whats-going-venezuela-nutshell Ukraine: Russia: Uganda: I did get up early today to watch the Men’s hockey team win gold for Canada.  Good friends, beer & breakfast & gold, then rehearsing for hours afterwards in all the sleepiness.  What a great morning.    I know Canadians who watched from mexico, Japan and France, and the roar […]

Every once in a while I see a bald eagle in the sky,  like poetry so beautiful and alive I stop breathing. We have entered the long cold of January.  Winter came early this year – two months ago –  to invite us deep inside where we can tend to the root of things, tune […]

Every year has different elements & configurations, but as of December first each year I look at my calendar in wonder and love my job all over again.  Who gets to do this?  Musicians. shorthand: December 8, 12, 13, 14; Dec 16, 18, Dec 21, Dec 22  (I believe that’s 8 for 19 days?  2 […]

..if you find a loose end, then follow the thread back to where they all connect to the same warp and weft, where the shuttle sails on,  left to right, right to left, and the pedals shift the taught colours up then not, then down again, humming. I can’t express how significant the changes in […]

So peaceful, this end of September 2013. In the growing dark of the season I can feel what is timeless and eternal – the breathing of the fall wind, the lap of waves on the breakwall of the harbour.  The summer birds have flown, but even the starlings and chickadees that remain are asleep still, […]

Annoyed – that on April 10th at 6:45 am the wonderful deep drenching spring rain turned to heavy wet snow before my eyes.  I don’t have a picture for this post because I was too annoyed to take one – you’ll just have to imagine the soggy, cold, icy slop of it and feel my […]