Abagail Grey

Life is good.....

Two of my friends are convinced that the infrastructure of society as we know it will collapse within the next five years and we will regress, living like wolves, fighting for survival and stealing from one another - violence and chaos will prevail. The land will no-longer be owned by individual people. The people who fight the hardest and work the land the best will survive. One of these two friends is so convinced of this that she has gone on a training course for basic survival skills to ensure that she will be suitably equiped when the time comes. 

This morning listening to radio 4 I heard that a geomagnetic storm or solar storm in space could severely damage the national grid causing longterm blackout resulting in the total collapse of society as we know it. A neclear weapon detonated in the sky creating a strong electromagnetic pulse would have the same effect.

I'm sitting in a coffee shop right now enjoying a latte, taking full advantage of the free wifi and wondering where my motivations will take me next. I realise that things are vulnerable, but sitting here in the comfort and warmth I feel no fear - I just think - 'that's never gonna happen', maybe I'm wrong but it's what my mind prefers. Life is good right now, everything could change in an instant, but right now, at this moment, things are good. 

Mouse Killing and The Duplets

It's time to tell you about Harvey. 

In the evenings I sit on my sofa in the living room and work on my laptop, the kitchen is joined to the living room and there is a door between the two rooms. On a particular evening last week I was sitting working and a mouse ran through the door from the kitchen, past the fireplace which is opposite the sofa and disappeared behind the piano in the corner of the room beside the window. The river flows past the window.  

This triggered conflict - I knew I should set a trap and kill the mouse but it seemed so wrong. After a few days of thinking and living with the creature and contemplating becoming a vegetarian I decided that a humane trap was the way to go. Thinking that I may have more than a single mouse I decided to buy a trap that could hold up to ten mice. TEN MICE!. The man in the shop said that peanut butter was the best bait, my friend Emily who was helping me deal with the situation set the trap and was very generous with the peanut butter. She has a generous nature.

In the morning it was there, and it was so lovely - a cute little face with perfect pleading eyes. Now, I have heard that mice have a strong homing instinct and will travel up to 15 miles to get back home. I had to work that day so I decided to leave the mouse and drive him somewhere later, somewhere idyllic and far away, perhaps Ullapool. I gave Harvey (that's what we called the mouse) some water using a pipette and covered the trap with a dish cloth. I had a notion that Harvey may feel happier in the dark.

Harvey died, I'm not sure how, maybe it was fright, or peanut butter, or trying to escape the evil trap. Harvey I'm sorry..............

Here is a song for you...............called icicles.....................featuring the dulcet tones of Gillian Fleetwood and Fraya Thomsen www.theduplets.com

Maybe you are in mouse heaven.

Goodbye Harvey.

 

Icicles

 

 

 

 

   

The Winter Bee / propolis

 

The Winter Bee

 

The Winter Bee is a song from Abagail Grey's 2nd release Apple Cherub Dove.

We See Lights Christmas Songwriting Club.

Edinburgh based collective / band / outfit 'We See Lights' host a Christmas songwriting event every year to raise money for various charities. I represent the North at this event, and, if the weather permitts, I go down there and perform.

I found it difficult to write a Christmas Song as the subject matter is surrounded by cliche. I'm not sure what got me on to the subject of honey bees and propolis but it's interesting nonetheless.

Here is what wikipedia say about propolis:

• Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Propolis is used for small gaps (approximately 6 millimeters (0.24 in) or less)
• Depending upon its composition, propolis may show powerful local antibiotic and antifungal properties
• Studies also indicate that it may be effective in treating skin burns
• Propolis also exhibits immunomodulatory effects
• Propolis is a subject of recent dentistry research, since there is some evidence that propolis may actively protect against dental caries and other forms of oral disease, due to its antimicrobial properties. Propolis can also be used to treat canker sores. Its use in canal debridement for endodontic procedures has been explored in Brazil
• Propolis' use in inhibiting tumorigenesis has been studied in mice in Japan

Clever little creatures!!

www.weseelights.co.uk  www.abagailgrey.com