Friday, October 12, 2007

Something Lovely This Way Comes

A brown parcel arrived today with my name on it. What could it be?

A birthday present from Cusp! A live, sentient creature!

The cat is curious. She likes brown boxes very much.

Do you see her? Sitting on the desk of my writing shed with her purple notebook and quill pen, beside a lit candle and a copy of Nathalie Goldberg's Wild Mind. Do you see the label around her wrist? Her name is Fraulein Poesie and she speaks german. She says she is a poet who writes mainly about nuts and forests and likes a glass of wine or two in the evening.
She is wearing her favourite purple trousers and pearl earrings, and look - she has a necklace of variously-coloured glass beads.

Poesie meets a couple of the housemates. They have never met anyone this cool (apart from me).

Poesie is no fool. She keeps a wary eye on the cat, who has already shown an interest in Poesie's tail. They talk, but keep a respectful distance.

Signs puts on her purple "crushed silk" shellsuit trousers. Poesie says, "Wow!" They gaze at each other in mutual admiration. Signs is holding Poesie's writing book which is a beautiful, matching colour of purple. Oh, you should see her lovely button eyes close up (press on pictures to enlarge).

Cusp - I don't know what to say. A beautiful present, such as I have never had before. And she is Real.
How is it that you do not yet have a Creative Blogger Award? Please pick one up immediately from my sidebar.
And Poesie, who is now my writing and blogging partner, has asked that you also pick up a Nice Blogger Award as well. She says you are "ein sehr nettes Madchen" (we had the umlaut but it seems to have got lost somewhere) and she is sending you her love.
p.s. It looks as though there are some of Poesie's relatives (sockmonkeys) up for adoption.

23 comments:

Kahless said...

Firstly, without ado
Happy Birthday Signs

I posted tonight about what a happy day I have had today. And reading this post has made me feel even happier and confirmed what a great day today is.

How wonderous that the lovely Cusp has sent you such a beautiful present. My heart is warm.

And I have made a note of the linked webpage and will be adopting a sock monkey this Christmas for Mrs K. But shhhh... dont tell her!

Reading the Signs said...

I know, Kahless, sometimes Good Things happen and this is one - my heart also warm. I won't tell Mrs. K, but please remember to post up a pic of the one you adopt.
(I'm having a very extended birthday here).

Kahless said...

Yes Signs. This week has held for me some lovely surprises where a couple of people have done something unexpectedly kind. Times like this make me think of the wonder of life and the wonder of human beings!

I hope your birthday extends for as long as you want it to do!

Mr Spike said...

What a lovely tail. And what a lovely gift. Best wishes!

fluttertongue said...

Wow! what a fantastic present. Happy Birthday from me too x

Reading the Signs said...

Hi again, Kahless, the wonder of sockmonkeys too, I think.

Thanks, Andrew and Fluttertongue - it is an impressive tail.

Anonymous said...

what a lovely present : )

Good to see the infamous shellsuit in the (virtual) flesh!
Maybe you have stumbled across a new marketing strategy for your house sale - have particulars printed up with Poesie providing a tour...

and by way of total digression, I went to the Opera last night with Nijinska, from The Other Place. Das Rheingold; the entire house was given over to the proles for one night only. It was A Good Night

nmj said...

What a lovely gesture, Cusp is the queen of sock monkeys! Hope Poesie brings you lots of inspiration and fine words x

Reading the Signs said...

Hi gael - now you know they are for real! Aren't they gorgeous? I think Poesie is going to assist with a whole lot of projects. She is a monkey of many talents, I can see. Glad to hear you had a good night with Nijinska.

NMJ, she certainly is. Poesie is a good poet, I can tell. Nuts and poets go together, you know. The Hazelnut tree is apparently the poet's tree. In our garden we have cobnuts. Close.

Unknown said...

What a brilliant post, Ms Signs! Loved the pictures, loved the story and I think you can only go from strength to strength with Fraulein Poesie at your side!
And birthday wishes from me to you too!

Reading the Signs said...

Thanks Vanilla - I wish the photos were a bit clearer, seems to be the best my phone camera can do. But you get the picture of how great she is.

Anna MR said...

Lovely present, lovely pictures, lovely tail and tale. And Signs, I can't help but notice, you spoke the truth, we are indeed separated at birth (webbed toes)...

Mwah x

Reading the Signs said...

Ah, the toes, Anna - aren't they (though I say it myself) something? And now, surely, in celebration of our relatedness, you will feel moved to put up a photo of your own set of webbed toes? Mwahar! (x)

Cusp said...

Dear Signs, I'm soooo pleased that Fraulein Poesie has made it over to the Great Forest despite the postmen being on strike.

It gladdens my heart to see what a lovely home she has come to and I know that she will be well looked after by you. She comes with a great deal of knowledge and inspirational energy so I'm sure she'll be helpful. By the way she likes Camomile tea and the occasional Mozart Kugeln.

I love the idea of her offering tours of your home if you try to sell again. I can just imagine her leading the way in broken english '.....and here ve has ze master bedrrrroom and here ze dobbleyoo zee.....und here, Mrs Signs' collection of Jacob Schwester videos' [ ;-) ]


Thank you very very much for the awards. I shall collect and post them forthwith

Anna MR said...

Oh my. I think I'll have to rise to this challenge - but not before I've repainted my toenails. Some things just have to be right to be made public...

Reading the Signs said...

Cusp, she is going to love Christmas here because we do it the German way - stollen, marzipankartoffel, lebkuchen, Mozart kugeln, the lot. And nuts, obviously.

Jakob Schwester videos, ach ja! ve vill both enchoy (but we have put off selling house for the mo.

Yes, yes, Anna, whatever -(purple would be good) - I want to see them toes.

Pants said...

Hi Signs

Happy birthday!

xxx

Pants

Cusp said...

Dear Signs...just to let you know that the black hole spat out the necessary equipment and so there is now a hot release of new photos of Poesie for which she posed just before boarding the postal train to The Great Forest. These pictures are exclusive to my blog and Poesie has refused two offers from Celebrity Magazines, so you can only see them there.

So glad she had the opportunity to enjoy the rugby with Mr S. Funnily enough she loves rugby and knows quite a lot about it.

I believe I have hinted at her rather bohemian and complicated past in another comment: she knows about rugby because her Aunt Mathilde was, at one time, Onkel Pauli. He was sent to Rugby School --- the fees paid for by a secret benfactor.

Alas, though Pauli enjoyed the academic side of life there, and was part of the Rugby set, he realised in later life that he had a calling 'to the other side'. Straightway he booked a flight to Mexico where he had one of the first successful transgender operations. He was a friend and close confidante of April Ashley, if you remmeber her.

There was many a Saturday where they could both be seen, swathed in furs, slathered in make-up and jewels --- glamourous and adorable but yelling their lungs out for their team. I dare say that's the origin of Poesie's exquisite taste in pantalons.(Please watch her if she is watching rugby and has a sip of Guinness...she may lose her usual poise and the muse will disappear for a few days)

Reading the Signs said...

Thanks Pants, I recommend the extended birthday and monkeying around generally.

Cusp, "bohemian and complicated past" - I love it. The gender thing is particularly interesting as Poesie and I both feel that when we write we do become, in an sense, genderless monkeys (or, in my case, humans).

Her accessories are exquisite and (I don't often say this) I think she can teach me a thing or two about style.

trousers said...

A belated happy birthday to you!
I love the photos of the cat :)

Reading the Signs said...

Thank you Trousers - she is the most pet I have ever had, and is single-pawedly responsible for my complete conversion to being an animal lover.

seahorse said...

I was intrigued, and had to see Fraulein Poesie complete her journey. So I followed her from Cusp's to yours, and am delighted to see how welcome you have made her. She is one groovy housemate. Bet she has some stories to tell.

Reading the Signs said...

Seahorse - hi, just spotted you here. Poesie is doing great - learning keyboard skills now.