Sunday 26 July 2015

Soubise

SOUBISE

-noun
a purée of onions mixed into a thick white sauce and served over eggs, fish, etc.

























On my way to a soubise
I get distracted by weather

And redirect to gazpacho

Saturday 25 July 2015

Longanimity

LONGANIMITY

-noun
(rare) patience or forbearance

























A rare quality

Longanimity

Friday 24 July 2015

Pencil

PENCIL

-noun
1. a thin cylindrical instrument used for writing, drawing, etc., consisting of a rod of graphite or other marking substance, usually either encased in wood and sharpened or held in a mechanical metal device
2. something similar in shape or function
3. a narrow set of lines or rays, such as light rays, diverging from or converging to a point
4. (archaic) an artist's fine paintbrush
5. (rare) an artist's individual style or technique in drawing
-verb (trans.)
6. to draw, colour, or write with a pencil
7. to mark with a pencil

























Playing around
Pencils and crayons

A child’s drawing

Thursday 23 July 2015

Serotine

SEROTINE

-adj.
1. Also: serotinal, serotinous (biology) . produced, flowering, or developing late in the season
-noun
2. either of two insectivorous bats, Eptesicus serotinus or Vespertilio serotinus: family Vespertilionidae

























Late blooming
Serotine boxes

Nature saving

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Bungle

BUNGLE

-verb
1. (trans.) .to spoil (an operation) through clumsiness, incompetence, etc; botch
-noun
2. a clumsy or unsuccessful performance or piece of work; mistake; botch

























Trying to get the art in
Bungling shadows
The sun runs too fast


Tuesday 21 July 2015

Adroit

ADROIT
[əˈdrɔɪt]

-adj.
1. skilful or dexterous
2. quick in thought or reaction

























Morning shade
Allows for adroit mind
And quick solution to crosswords
Not permitted by later hours

And blistering heat

Monday 20 July 2015

Commute

COMMUTE

-verb
1. (intr.) to travel some distance regularly between one's home and one's place of work
2. (trans.) to substitute; exchange
3. (trans.) (law) to reduce (a sentence) to one less severe
4. to pay (an annuity) at one time, especially with a discount, instead of in instalments
5. (trans.) to transform; change 
6. (intr.) to act as or be a substitute
7. (intr.) to make a substitution; change
-noun
8. a journey made by commuting

















Morning commute:
Hills hit by rain
The earth sighs

Sunday 19 July 2015

Lard

LARD

-noun
1. the rendered fat from a pig, especially from the abdomen, used in cooking
2. (informal) excess fat on a person's body
-verb (trans.)
3. to prepare (lean meat, poultry, etc.) by inserting small strips of bacon or fat before cooking
4. to cover or smear (foods) with lard
5. to add extra material to (speech or writing); embellish

























Not lard as per the English sense
Yet perfectly suitable for larding


Saturday 18 July 2015

Excitement

EXCITEMENT

-noun
1. the state of being excited
2. a person or thing that excites; stimulation or thrill

























In the current heat
My return home is

No source for excitement

Friday 17 July 2015

Pastor

PASTOR

-noun
1. a clergyman or priest in charge of a congregation
2. a person who exercises spiritual guidance over a number of people
3. an archaic word for shepherd
4. Also called: rosy pastor. a S Asian starling, Sturnus roseus, having glossy black head and wings and a pale pink body


























In the shadow of a church
A pastor and his flock

Of grotesque monsters

Thursday 16 July 2015

Papyrus

PAPYRUS

-noun
1. a tall aquatic cyperaceous plant, Cyperus papyrus, of S Europe and N and central Africa with small green-stalked flowers arranged like umbrella spokes around the stem top
2. a kind of paper made from the stem pith of this plant, used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans
3. an ancient document written on this paper


























Medieval papyrus
Barely decipherable
Eaten by moths
Or years

Wednesday 15 July 2015

Wave

WAVE

-verb
1. to move or cause to move freely to and fro
2. (intr.) to move the hand to and fro as a greeting
3. to signal or signify by or as if by waving something
4. (trans.) to direct to move by or as if by waving something
5. to form or be formed into curves, undulations, etc.
6. (trans.) to give a wavy or watered appearance to (silk, etc.)
7. (trans.) to set waves in (the hair)
-noun
8. one of a sequence of ridges or undulations that moves across the surface of a body of a liquid - especially the sea - created by the wind or a moving object and gravity
9. any undulation on or at the edge of a surface reminiscent of such a wave
10. anything that suggests the movement of a wave, as by a sudden rise
11. a widespread movement that advances in a body
12. the act or an instance of waving
13. (physics) an oscillation propagated through a medium or space such that energy is periodically interchanged between two kinds of disturbance.
14. (physics) a graphical representation of a wave obtained by plotting the magnitude of the disturbance against time at a particular point in the medium or space; waveform
15. a prolonged spell of some weather condition
16. an undulating curve or series of curves or loose curls in the hair
17. an undulating pattern or finish on a fabric

























The sea is long gone
Leaving waves of sand behind

For dry storms

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Sheep

SHEEP

-noun
1. any of various bovid mammals of the genus Ovis and related genera, especially O. aries (domestic sheep), having transversely ribbed horns and a narrow face. Related adjective: ovine

2. a meek or timid person, especially one without initiative

























As a lover of comics
Dedicated to sheep
I delight in the encounter
Of un-sheepish individuals

Monday 13 July 2015

Shepherd

SHEPHERD

-noun
1. a person employed to tend sheep. Female equivalent: shepherdess.
2. a person, such as a clergyman, who watches over or guides a group of people
-verb (trans.)
3. to guide or watch over in the manner of a shepherd
4. (Australian Rules football) to prevent opponents from tackling (a member of one's own team) by blocking their path


























Kicking up cans and bottles
Out of his flock’s way
The shepherd lets out strings of grumbles
Aimed at litterers’ ancestors

Sunday 12 July 2015

Coriander

CORIANDER

-noun
a European umbelliferous plant, Coriandrum sativum, widely cultivated for its aromatic seeds and leaves, used in flavouring food, etc. 

























Not an Italian favourite
Disliked by many
Adored by a select few
Coriander can be hard to find
But well worth the hunt




Saturday 11 July 2015

Enervated

ENERVATED

-adj.
(literary) having been deprived of strength or vitality  

























Caught in mid move
Collapsing, enervated

Always ready for a nap

Friday 10 July 2015

Scheming

SCHEMING

-adj.
1. given to making plots; cunning
-noun
2. intrigues


Dirty look shot
From behind moss
Scheming foe

Caught in marble

Thursday 9 July 2015

Flock

FLOCK

-noun (sometimes functioning as plural)
1. a group of animals of one kind, especially sheep or birds
2. a large number of people; crowd
3. a body of Christians regarded as the pastoral charge of a priest, a bishop, the pope, etc.
4. (rare) a band of people; group
-verb (intr.)
5. to gather together or move in a flock
6. to go in large numbers 

-noun
1. a tuft, as of wool, hair, cotton, etc.
2. waste from fabrics such as cotton, wool, or other cloth used for stuffing mattresses, upholstered chairs, etc.
3. very small tufts of wool applied to fabrics, wallpaper, etc., to give a raised pattern
4. another word for floccule
-verb
5. (trans.) to fill, cover, or ornament with flock

























Walking the flock

Flocking the ground

Wednesday 8 July 2015

Shocked

SHOCKED

-adj.
1. very upset; in a state of shock
2. surprised and scandalized 


























What did the fountain see
That it should look so shocked?
Randy cardinal 

Tuesday 7 July 2015

Phantasime

PHANTASIME
[ˈfæntəˌsiːm]

-noun
a person who is extremely imaginative and fanciful

























What phantasime
Invented those snakes?
Temptation of apples

Coiled in one body

Monday 6 July 2015

Scared

SCARED

-adj.
frightened or nervous

























Hiding in the shade
Scared stone cries

And vomits in anguish

Sunday 5 July 2015

Cod

COD

-noun
1. any of the gadoid food fishes of the genus Gadus, especially G. morhua (or G. callarias), which occurs in the North Atlantic and has a long body with three rounded dorsal fins: family Gadidae. They are also a source of cod-liver oil
2. any other fish of the family Gadidae
3. (Australian) any of various unrelated Australian fish, such as the Murray cod

-noun
1. (British & US, dialect) a pod or husk
2. an obsolete word for scrotum
3. (obsolete) a bag or envelope

-verb  (trans.)
1. (British & Irish, slang) to make fun of; tease
2. (British & Irish, slang) to play a trick on; fool
-noun
3. (British & Irish, slang) a hoax or trick
4. (Irish, slang) a fraud; hoaxer
-adj.(prenominal)
5. (British, slang) mock; sham 

-noun
1. (Northern England, dialect) a fellow; chap


























Roast cod palette
Good but unnecessary
Addition to a busy dish

“Too many notes”

Saturday 4 July 2015

Personification

PERSONIFICATION

-noun
1. the attribution of human characteristics to things, abstract ideas, etc., as for literary or artistic effect
2. the representation of an abstract quality or idea in the form of a person, creature, etc., as in art and literature
3. a person or thing that personifies
4. a person or thing regarded as an embodiment of a quality

























Any cat
Personification of cool
Aloofness and style
This one

Silliness too

Friday 3 July 2015

Portray

PORTRAY

-verb (trans.)
1. to represent in a painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.; make a portrait of
2. to make a verbal picture of; depict in words
3. to play the part of (a character) in a play or film

















Pickportrait
Stolen moment
Sly portray
Of strangers

Thursday 2 July 2015

Mundane

MUNDANE

-adj.
1. everyday, ordinary, or banal
2. relating to the world or worldly matters

























Expression
From the mundane
As the cost of a tilt
Personification

Wednesday 1 July 2015

Ruction

RUCTION

-noun (informal)
1. an uproar; noisy or quarrelsome disturbance
2. (plural) a violent and unpleasant row; trouble 


















Violent splashes
A ruction of colours
Street art on bricks