Style Tips — 15th December 2007

Sew a heart onto the underside of one of your gloves. Anatomical or crown of thorns — it’s your choice. Then you can raise your hand & show your heart as a secret salute!

Get photographs printed straight off your digital camera at a photo shop. Slap a stamp on the back & voilĂ ! Instant postcard. I used to do this a lot, & often draw moustaches on the photos before sending them off. You can do the same thing with covers ripped from books, but I am a bit reckless when it comes to literature, so your mileage may vary…

Write someone (your mother, your ex-boyfriend, your English teacher) a letter telling them all the things they’ve done right. Whether you send it or not is up to you.

Buy a hyacinth for your work or creative area. There is an old Taoist proverb which says that if lost everything & had only two coins, you should use one to buy bread & feed your body, & the other to buy hyacinths to feed your soul. A hyacinth is a symbol of sincerity & a fabulous thing to be near!

“Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits.” — Carl Sandburg