“Breakfast like a king, lunch like a lord, dine like a pauper”.

Don’t necessarily agree with that, though in Longstanton days the Beloved and I have often enough (after an early bowl of muesli) visited a Cafe in a neighbouring village for a hearty brunch. Then after walking or cycling back, have subsisted on fruit salad and a cuppa mid afternoon, enjoyed “tea-for-tea” in the evening (salad and home-made bread, and maybe cake) and possibly even had a little something (like Winnie-the-Pooh) at bedtime.

The mathematician in me counts that in at five meals, not bad for refuelling towards winter, which is an underlying theme to my life this year in Scotland. Particularly refuelling with vitamin-D-enhancing daylight.

(I intend to to say more about Bear Wisdom in a future post, so don’t forget to come back for that.)

Where does breakfasting with The King fit in here?

In the following poem, which emerged, like me, from my pyjamas at something-very-close-to-noon today

Breakfast at Brora

(for my dear friend Sarah Hunt)

I go down in my nightwear
To meet Elvis* at the door.
He is holding out a parcel
Which he lays upon the floor

And he says, when I demur,
“About your ‘jamas I’d not worry;
After all, you’re still in Lockdown,
And there is no need to hurry…”

So you go back to your sofa,
Spread yeast extract on your toast,
Sip your mug of English Breakfast –
And you have a little boast.

After all, not every Song Thrush
Is accompanied by Starling.
O today it was the morning
When – yes – Elvis called you “Darling.”

© Kathy Labrum McVittie 7 October 2020

* Our local Hermes delivery driver rejoices under the name of Elvis. I learned this while buying petrol at Sutherland Arms Garage, where he is also a part-time forecourt cashier.

Round here I like to learn everyone’s name, however quickly I forget. That one is easy to remember.

Brain dump

Without a thought, fill in these (maybe have your breakfast first):

For breakfast I like to eat …

For breakfast I like to drink …

As a child, for breakfast I used to like to eat …

As a child, for breakfast I used to like to drink …

For breakfast “in my dreams” I would like to try …

At breakfast, I can’t face …

As my fantasy breakfast guest(s) I would love to invite …

What can you get out of breakfasting?

Like we did in earlier sessions of Writing our way whole: at home, see how many words – of any length – you can get out of the letters of “breakfasting“

i.e.

a b e f g i k n r s t and an extra a

Do any of them rhyme? Do they suggest a poem? A rap? A song?

Ooooh, I can get “The King” out of “breakfasting”, though not “Elvis”…

Have fun!

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

How many book titles can you think of that include the name of a meal? Films? Plays? Scribble some down in your ThoughtBook.

Now if you were to be a best-selling novelist/journalist/poet/screen-writer/ dramatist, what might be some catchy meal-connected titles for your most popular works?

Again, scribble them down, or even design a dust-cover or theatre bill, programme or synopsis.

Don’t forget to make them as outlandish and improbable as you can, as blockbusting and irreverent, as crazy, funny and extraordinary.

Just like us.

Golden Threadwork

If you have already worked with me (or played – that sounds more fun) then you will know what comes next.

Glance over what you have in your ThoughtBook already, or what I have shared.

Finding a phrase, a word, a title that whets your appetite, tickles your fancy …

… go, write!

Ten to twenty minutes without stopping, without editing, without really thinking.

Any art-form, or none. A dream menu would do…

Just a-Musing…

And if you carry on and write that profitable blockbuster, please remember me in the credits.

Then it’ll be time to have a little something …

Appreciation practice

Even up here at 58 degrees north of the Equator, some of my day’s activities are taking place in darkness now.

Especially now, because up here we have further to go, by the Winter Solstice, towards the extent of daytime darkness.

Unlike in other years, I shall be spending the Winter Solstice up here this year, hopefully on the sea shore or overlooking it. Unlike the landlocked ceremonies of 2017 and 2019.

In every day, though, we have ceremonies of paying attention to the Earth that sustains us by providing food. Rituals of preparing and enjoying food. Maybe in company, maybe alone.

So today I suggest that we mark the day’s passing by linking our appreciation to the meals to which we have had access recently, or have planned for tomorrow (you get to choose).

We can fill in an appreciation practice form, like this:

Today I am grateful for the breakfast I enjoy (ed) ……………

Today I am grateful for the lunch I enjoy (ed) ……………

Today I am grateful for the dinner/ supper I enjoy (ed) ……………

Today I am grateful for the drink/snack I enjoy (ed) with/at …..

Today I am grateful for (not food related):

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Further Resources

from www.actionforhappiness.org/optimistic-october