Hi Chris

I'm glad you liked (liked? got something out of) aspects of light in the
poems. It's now hardly something I think about... not consciously

And that goes back 25 years maybe when I was writing of another beautiful
place -- in Croatia -- but in a *very different way and came to the
realisation and acceptance that there were people living there who didn't
go outside and up the hills going Ow Wow but stayed in doors working etc

Nice to have the time to write Tintern Abbey and so on...

Difficulties of language helped me not explore that! In the case of west
of Britain, I am understood and so know a little more. I have also used
myself as an experiment...

Just the process of observing myself retrospectively -- I was talking to a
student / musician yesterday and suggesting making a few notes after each
rehearsal or experiment or discussion; and then writing them up instead of
watching the Charlie Boredom TV Spectacular -- and the student cut across
me and said "My supervisor suggested something like that as a way of
writing my essays!"

I never got as far as saying "and that way you'll soon have materials for
talks and essays". I think it's an idea that's been accepted.

I haven't always been as systematic... I did however notice that I didn't
always go out when I was in St Ives, quite happy to look out the window
sometimes; and drew some tentative conclusions

and I remember seeing 9/11 on tv because I'd come home to avoid rain

Last time I was on Scilly, I saw people who had a few days there going out
in all kinds of weather because it was that or nothing. I have been able
to spend enough time there that I *enjoy just being there and observing
the changes without trying to "see everything"

And with that has come the tendency of visiting people to ask where I
live, surprised that I am really a tourist because I don't behave like
one. Sort of.

Subdued awareness of the light is part of that. As you say, it's muted
colour. Grey grey grey grey grey and all the greys different

There was an exhibition in St Ives in the mid 90s -- Tate St Ives --
called "A quality of light"

Sandra Blow used to be able to get that light in her paintings. Not many
others. I take lots of photos but I use them to make other images. The
camera, certainly not my camera, or not with me holding it, won't get that
-- whatever it is... you can get effects of it, but the whole, the bright
clarity, that eludes me.

Part of it is the amount of water -- old St Ives is a peninsula... you can
walk across it in minutes; and the Scilly archipelago is water with a few
islands in it... and the specks of mica in the sand, all glinting

I must stop. I feel I want to go to the station and go there

L

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Lawrence Upton
Visiting Fellow, Music Dept,
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross, London SE14 6NW
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