Notices by Kate (katebowles@mastodon.social), page 7

@Bracken The mysterious ones, from the nothing gestures, the banal minor twists, are the weirdest. Like truly, now, here on this street corner miles from anywhere? That’s happening now?

Feel better, fellow shuffler!

@lauraritchie Home was very welcoming. I’ve gone through the first four familiar stages of acute back pain: panic, immobilisation, fortitude, must-do-Pilates. The final stage (yay! Better! Who said anything about Pilates?) must be near.

Stepping out of a taxi onto a broken pavement in Hanoi, a old back injury flared up out of nowhere. It’s intense, surgery level pain that leaves you winded and gasping.

The following days and flying home were nothing but kindness from the world. Magical remedies and stories of recovery and encouragement came from every corner.

Being other people’s injured stranger has been truly restorative of faith in the good world.

Good to be home. Ouch.

#smallstories

@tellio Always.

@tellio “Listening is a different kind of reading.”

I love what you have done here. I want to think more about the difficult reading as a stranger. I realise I have a tendency to feel curious about strangers.

@compostablespork @lauraritchie I feel the same. It has that exact surreal tone.

I cannot imagine how heartbreaking it feels to be American right now.

At 8.30 every single evening Que Sera plays through a loudspeaker under my window to indicate that the dance exercise for older ladies down by the lake is coming to an end. It’s their cool down number.

I spend the rest of the night humming it like Doris Day.

#hanoistories

This is just to say

I have eaten
the fruit
that I found
in my room

and which
I probably
could have
washed

Forgive me
I was too tired
so sweaty
and so hot

#hanoistories

I have walked for three hours this evening and now I am going to lay my head on this table and rest because at last I am sitting down and pho is coming. #hanoistories

@lauraritchie This is his Symphony Heroic Nation he gave me, composed in the heart of it in 1964. And him as a young man.

He has been married to his wife for 70 years, and is facing terrible loss as she is very ill.

He told me she is in every one of his compositions.

@lauraritchie This afternoon I had the honour of meeting an 88 year old Vietnamese composer and hearing his music in his home (on his iPhone) while he explained to me the Vietnamese cultural values that were in his heart throughout conflict.

@lauraritchie I’m still here, travelling about.

The warm night air around Hoan Kiem lake is filled with music as buskers with cheap but very loud speakers compete with the actual London Symphony Orchestra who have an open air concert and there are no words for how amazing this is.

@HTHR This also works for Sydney and Melbourne.

@djsundog

I love this. Just wanted you to know someone heard you!

@neil I’m also interested in this question. It’s the great failure of MOOCs.

@compostablespork @ghost_bird Yes, it so is. Thank you, that blessing has travelled.