Hello, I've been in Devon with two of my favorite people for the last few days, enjoying all. The food we ate fresh from the sea, the music we heard plucked straight from the string, the sights, the smells, the sound...the feeling. Have you ever noticed that when people talk of the good times they always relate physical aspects of enjoyment? I have. The way a place feels has a lot to do with all of the things mentioned above but by no means everything. If you had all the best food and drink, the greatest company you could wish for (that I did have, minus a few) and all of the best, best 'things', but you found yourself in a place that never the less made you feel uncomfortable, what would you think? Would you blame yourself? Think yourself paranoid? Ungrateful perhaps? Boring even?
 Wait...think...there are senses we cannot explain that are never the less there and they are as real as the wind on your face and you can't see that either! Think first, try not to jump to conclusions about your own mental state that you have been told is the cause for such feelings, those you told you this are human after all, and as such are fallible in what they say. You're not having a moment all the time when such feelings occur, feeling from without can profoundly effect susceptible people deeply within. A person who is qualified to tell you all about your feelings and your personal state of mind can only apply the knowledge they have gained through education if they have the life experience to understand the perspective of the individual as opposed to a generalized view of what they may deem a problem.
Moral of the story "you're probably not mad, you may have just wandered through an ill wind"
 Worry begets worry.   Do not worry so much, life will be kinder to you.

Hello, I have not posted anything for a while as I have been seriously busy, writing, painting hanging out in Oxford and generally living life unplugged from my computer. This is something I believe to be very important, sure when you're getting publicity for a book, typing up what you've been scribbling all day in a cafe or whatever else you happen to be doing with your PC, you must still take time to live outside of all this, even if that just means detaching  your mind from the digital world. I was sat in a pub in Jericho, which is part of Oxford for those who don't know, watching the world go by, students from the university were laughing and chatting as they walked along the well trodden academic paving, cyclists cycled enjoying the welcome return of the sun, buskers sent notes drifting all ways on the breeze to become part of wind's whispering sound itself, the smell of late spring flowers mixed with street vendors various and colourful foods wafting through the bar room window and the background clink of glasses toasting each other all became an unbelievably tempting cocktail of life...I drank deeply...so deeply of this intoxicating menagerie. The inspiration it filled me with has not yet left. So, if I disappear from time to time then chances are I'm off somewhere, could be anywhere, unplugged, unchained, filling the well of inspiration with the rain waters of life, from the universal tempest of creation.      

I have become somewhat disillusioned with this whole blogging business of late, I have been frustrated, petty and generally quite angry. I apologize, but only for the short tempered nature of my reaction to certain aspects of my blog. The principle remains the same. Anyhow, if life has taught me anything then it is this; 'never give up what can be made right over time with patients'. So I shall continue, even if you never comment a lot you may just like to come and read or look at the photo's and paintings, for those of you who come to see how annoyed I'm going to get, you may as well learn to look at good things or leave. It will not be happening again. I'm off to the river near my home today, the sun has finally come out and the rain and snow has mercifully

stopped so I shall find a quiet spot to sit and take everything in, I may then write, I may sketch or I may just look and listen and let the words or pictures come to me later. I hope you all enjoy your day too. Peace.  

I see from my instruments that someone in Belize is having a look at my blog, hope you're all well over there, feel free to comment, I hope you like what you see.

The secret places in the world are always the cherry ones, this is a secret surfing spot that only breaks when conditions are 100% perfect and the funny thing is it's right under the noses of many, many people. It's a bit like the second page of my blog, If you were not looking for it you'd never find it. So here it is...it's over there on the right where it says 'The Poet Tree' and it features the painting that's on the cover of both the kindle and paperback copies of the poetry book of the same name.
http://amazon.co.uk/author/d.n.read

Temples Of The Painted Mind: Well...never mind. I suppose people have their rea...

Temples Of The Painted Mind: Well...never mind. I suppose people have their rea...: Well...never mind. I suppose people have their reasons for saying nothing...it confuses the hell out of me though. I shall concentrate effor...

Well...never mind. I suppose people have their reasons for saying nothing...it confuses the hell out of me though. I shall concentrate efforts like those I attempted before in a different place. This blog shall be what it began as, a place for art and poetry. The failure of the '500th comment campaign' has taught me this; Anything like that I ever do again I will do in a different way, I don't know what yet,but failure only makes me push harder elsewhere. I have come back from the road due to the usual weather being miserable situation in Britain, normally it wouldn't bother me but I was determined to write while wandering and my paper got soaked so I have come home to salvage what I can, reflect on the last few days and hopefully glean some inspiration from this whole sorry state of affairs. You see, When something bad happens I get mad at first, then I become pensive and finally, I use whatever has happened, good or bad, to create a new painting or two a new poet or three or I just learn, accept and move on. Whatever comes from it all I shall post it on here and not get any feed back at all from any of you...fine with me, amusing for you, and it stops me from loosing the knack of typing. Of course if anyone changes their mind and decides they want to say something I will reply graciously...as ever it's up to you. One last thing, I would like to thank again 'the flower' you know who you are, you made a difference, thanks.

Right well I'm going away for a few days, I'll see if anyone has bothered with all this when I get back. You can use this blog to chat amongst yourselves while I'm away, heaven forbid, ha, have fun! I'm not sure how to spell the sound it makes when one blows a raspberry, so I'll tell you thats what I'm doing in a very derogatory way. Seriously 3 people out of all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well that's a damn shame, One person and one person only managed to make a suggestion as regards the '500th comment campaign'. The comment said "shave your head for UNICEF" it was that easy, and only one person managed to make a suggestion...for charity...trust only...your choice where the money went...none for me...I was trusting that people would...and I would have done my part. One person...sickening. Second and forth posts on my blog. One person...no wonder nobody give's a damn, no wonder the world is in such a state...nobody has the time to care. I feel like cussing and saying just about every expletive ever invented, and a few new ones...no...that would make me just like the rest. I will try elsewhere. This blog will be shutting down in 24 hours, sorry to those of you that enjoyed the blog, understand, I have to make a difference somewhere and it's not happening here. It's been...interesting.

Info about 'The 500th comment' campaign can be found in the blogs on the date Monday,8th,April,2013   at    02:57. Join in, at the least it will be a laugh if you guys make me shave my head for charity or something. Where the money goes your conscience chooses, yes I advertise my book here but I use it for my latest ideas too and that's not what this is about. I ask nothing but this, when the best suggestion of what I should do for charity is found and 500 comments have been posted on my blog I will do a sponsored something, NO MONEY TO ME, you name a charity when you post a comment with a suggestion and the majority voted charity is where you guys send your donation off of your own back, I'm just the guy that's willing to do it and trust that you will. Peace.

Hello folks, I have been seriously busy lately so I have had no time to put anything new on my blog, sorry about that. You, yes you reading this now, are still a fairly exclusive club, there is only just over 500 of you and given that there are over 7 billion people in the world today I think me and you are quite lucky. That's a huge amount of people, so if the 500 of you would like to say something before things get busy  now is the time, when the number of people looking at this blog and commenting reaches 500 I will do something awesome to show my appreciation, not sure what yet, I've got really long hair, and I mean long, I may shave it off for charity or something like that...or...you 500 could make suggestions  and the best and most doable suggestion I shall carry out if I can. Think hard, Think fast, the list is growing. Peace.     

Hello Russia, I hope thing are well over there!

Hello U.S.A.

Having said that some just popped in for a look at my blog from the U.S.A.  Hello...... 

Risking Hello

Hello........such a simple word and yet it is also a word that is unfortunately falling into disuse. Of course when you go and meet your mates or people you just know then you are bound to say hello, but saying hello to people as you pass them in the street, or even saying good afternoon seems no longer to happen. I nodded and smiled to someone yesterday and said hello as I was walking to the river near my home and the person I greeted in passing immediately broke eye contact and walked even faster than before. I know what your thinking, "If you were wearing a scowl like the expression on your profile picture then I'm not surprised", well I can honestly say that I am usually smiling and I was definitely not wearing a scowl that day. Are people scared of each other to  such an extent that hello is alien to them? Is it worth spending your life afraid if that's the case? Is it not about time that we start risking hello?   I hope so!    

Hello, I have heard many artists or people trying to be who are completely capable and certainly talented enough dipping out on putting their work out there in the wider world for people to see or hear. Many things stop people from going ahead and trying, fear of others not liking what they do, fear that they are not good enough and so on and so forth. I was one of these people so listen to this. What one person loves ten may hate but the opposite is true, one person may think what you do is somewhat lacking in whatever it is they want to call "it", but guess what people, that is just their opinion, and besides if you make a difference in one persons life then in my book that's a success. A good friend of mine has spoken to me on many occasions about this subject, he is a fine musician and  poet, we've both traveled very different paths in life and have come to roughly the same conclusion, very different worlds, but it all equates to the same thing, have a go.
Personally, and I must stress that this is my opinion, if you have a gift it's kind of selfish not to share it, especially if you can make a difference for the better. That's what finally made me take the plunge, and seriously, it's well worth it. Peace.   

Hello everyone that has taken a look at my blog so far, I am currently working on a new book that I also do a lot of the art work for, along with one or two others who are listed alongside the author name when you look for my books on amazon. If you saw the post about the fact that I do not like wasting paint then will understand that the fact I am working on a new book including art means that there will be one or two more paintings and a few poems coming very soon, keep coming to check there will always be something new. Peace. http://amazon.com/author/d.n.read

Hello Russia, I hope you like what you see, there will be more of the same; pictures, paintings, poems, and questions very soon.

I see that Australia is having a look at my blog, hello Australia, I hope you like what you see.