Perhaps I had ambitions to be an MP - or an undertaker!

Friday, May 29, 2009

FRIDAY 29TH MAY

This week’s quote:-

If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself. (Att. to both Eubie Blake and Adolph Zukor)


This week’s haiku:-

washday mystery -
again a sock is missing,
I wear an odd pair

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A FAMILY TRAGEDY

In 1890 my paternal grandparents would be looking forward to getting married the following year.

He was the engine driver of the colliery train which operated between the pit and the coal depots, and probably the canal basin.

My grandmother’s father was a carter who from time to time would be involved in transporting coal from the pit.

We have no actual details about the accident. All we know is that he was struck by the train driven by my grandfather and seriously injured. He was taken to the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow where he died.

I think this little photo of my grandparents was taken about 1935.



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IN RECENT WEEKS in this blog I’ve recalled girl friends from my dim and distant past.

There was one girl that I used to go to the pictures with, but I don’t think our friendship lasted very long. The only thing I really remember was that she worked in the office of the local bus company and that she gave me a free pass on the bus. This was very handy for I was a student travelling to Glasgow every day and there was no such thing as concession fares then.

Unfortunately, one particular bus conductress, who must have known the regulations and been suspicious of me, asked me who had given me the pass. When I told her, she took it from me, saying that they were only for relatives of the staff.

I don’t know why our affair ended - but I don’t think it had any thing to do with the bus pass!

There was one more girl before Jean came on the scene. I was playing the organ in a Glasgow church and she was in the choir. We found we had much in common and went to the cinema and concerts together.

I’m remembering that, with the girl friends I had, we would meet perhaps just twice or three times a week. And certainly I never for a moment thought that marriage would be the outcome. In fact, if I’m honest with myself, I must admit I was scared of the idea!!!!

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Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667) was a Dutch painter. This is one of his - “The Sick Child” which he completed a few years before his death.



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This is an amusing Scottish poem that older folk may recognise.

THE BOY ON THE TRAIN by Mary Campbell Smith

Whit wey does the engine say 'Toot-toot'?
Is it feart to gang in the tunnel?
Whit wey is the furnace no pit oot
When the rain gangs doon the funnel?
What'll I hae for my tea the nicht?
A herrin', or maybe a haddie?
Has Gran'ma gotten electric licht?
Is the next stop Kirkcaddy?

There's a hoodie-craw on yon turnip-raw!
An' seagulls! - sax or seeven.
I'll no fa' oot o' the windae, Maw,
Its sneckit, as sure as I'm leevin'.
We're into the tunnel! We're a' in the dark!
But dinna be frichtit, Daddy,
We'll sune be comin' to Beveridge Park,
And the next stop's Kirkcaddy!

Is yon the mune I see in the sky?
It's awfu' wee an' curly,
See! there's a coo and a cauf ootbye,
An' a lassie pu'in' a hurly!
He's chackit the tickets and gien them back,
Sae gie me my ain yin, Daddy.
Lift doon the bag frae the luggage rack,
For the next stop's Kirkcaddy!

There's a gey wheen boats at the harbour mou',
And eh! dae ya see the cruisers?
The cinnamon drop I was sookin' the noo
Has tummelt an' stuck tae ma troosers. . .
I'll sune be ringin' ma Gran'ma's bell,
She'll cry, 'Come ben, my laddie',
For I ken mysel' by the queer-like smell
That the next stop's Kirkcaddy!

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I DON’T THINK poetry came high among favourite subjects at school - at least as far as boys were concerned.

Probably most, like me, preferred those with a story, ballads like “The Wife of Usher’s Well”, “The Inchcape Rock” and of course the best of them all “The Ancient Mariner.”

I re-discovered one of my favourites recently, which begins -

True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank,
A ferlie he spied wi’ his e’e,
And there he saw a ladye bright
Cam’ ridin’ doon by the Eildon tree.

The “ferlie” turned out to be the Elf Queen who took him off to Fairyland. The legend tells that he stayed there happily with the Queen for seven years. He was then allowed to return home, but before doing so she gave him a magic apple which bestowed on him the gift of prophecy.

Now Thomas was a real person - Thomas Learmonth, a Scottish laird living in the 13th century in Earlston, Berwickshire. It was claimed he had supernatural powers, and among the many prophesies, apparently fulfilled, were the death of Alexander III in 1286, the defeat of James IV at Flodden in 1513 and the Union of the Crowns in 1603.

It’s said that the Jacobites consulted Thomas’s prophesies before instigating the uprisings of 1715 and 1745. Oh dear, Thomas wasn’t much help, was he?

You can read the whole poem “Thomas the Rhymer” at -

http://dps.holtof.com/obev/obev093.html

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This video is really something!!!

I’ve no idea how old the little girl is, but her “Tico, Tico” is astonishing. It’s true that she uses a number of automatic functions of the organ, but there’s no faking with her right hand.



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That's all for this week, but I must tell you that my new blog JOHN'S QUIET CORNER begins today. I intend to post it every Friday and plan to make it more of a meditation site. The web address is -

http://john-quietcorner.blogspot.com/

EIGHTY PLUS will continue on Fridays and WISE MEN SAY daily.

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Friday, May 22, 2009

FRIDAY 22ND MAY

This week’s quote:-

To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent, that is to triumph over old age. (Amos Bronson Alcott)


This week’s haiku:-

grandmother’s mirror -
for a brief moment her face
- and then mine

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I LEFT THE YMCA in 1955. I quite enjoyed the work there, but I had begun to tire of the evening work and it was good to return to normal working hours.

My time with the huge Frederick Braby steel mills in Glasgow gave me some experience of general office work. The only thing memorable about this job was that I learned to play whist. Four of us used to have a game every lunchtime and this was the highlight of our day. Thinking back, I’m remembering that we didn’t play for money, and that was probably unusual.

From there I moved to a much smaller firm, a patent glazing company. In the general office there were 2 directors, the secretary, 3 men including myself, and 2 girls. There were 4 in the drawing office, and in the works there were between 12 and 20 men depending on how busy we were.

My last move came in 1964 when I joined what was then Kirkintilloch Burgh Council, later to become Strathkelvin District Council, later still East Dunbartonshire Council. My position was in the finance department and my work was varied. To begin with, things carried on smoothly, but, as time went on, changes in local government nationally complicated matters a good deal.

I was very fortunate in that for many years I was really my own boss, and so didn’t have the worries that other folk had.

I retired in 1989 but still have dreams where I’m back working in the office!!!

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Here’s an unusual picture -



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DID YOU KNOW THAT -

1) In 16th century Scotland, the minimum age for marriage was 14 for boys, 12 for girls.

2) In 1791 a labourer earned 3 old pennies per day, a carpenter 6 old pennies per day and a mason one shilling [5p] per day.

3) There were quite a number of French people living in Kirkintilloch.

4) Mary Queen of Scots with her husband Lord Darnley intended to come to the town in 1565, though there are no reports that the visit actually took place.

5) It’s likely that King James IV passed through Kirkintilloch, because he had a short stay in a mansion in Campsie.

6) Bonnie Prince Charlie and his men marched through the town in 1746. One inhabitant shot and killed one of the soldiers who, it was claimed, had been trying to steal something. The Prince wanted to burn down the town, but some of the local leaders pleaded for mercy, and a fine was imposed.

7) The road through Kirkintilloch was the main thoroughfare from west to east - from Dumbarton through Glasgow and Stirling to Edinburgh.

8) In 1710 church elders were appointed to ring a bell on Saturday nights at 9 o’clock to warn drinkers that it was time to go home.

9) It’s believed that there was a settlement in the Kirkintilloch area before the Romans came, since Pictish graves have been discovered 17 feet further down than the Roman road.

10) Most people know that the name Kirkintilloch means something like “the fort at the end of the ridge”. Some of the variations of the name in old documents include Kirkentolagh, Kyrkintullauch, Kirkyntulach, Kirkintholach, Caerpentaloch and the Pictish version Chirchind.

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This is rather an attractive painting by Henry Ryland (1856-1924) - The Captive's Return



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Here now is a poem that brings back memories of my schooldays.

THE SKYLARK by James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd (1770-1835)

Bird of the wilderness
Blithesome and cumberless,
Sweet be thy matin o’er moorland and lea!
Emblem of happiness,
Blest is thy dwelling place -
Oh, to abide in the desert with thee!

Wild is thy lay and loud,
Far in the downy cloud;
Love gives it energy, love gave it birth,
Where on thy dewy wing,
Where art thou journeying?
Thy lay is in heaven, thy love is on earth.

O’er fell and fountain sheen,
O’er moor and mountain green,
O’er the red streamer that heralds the day,
Over the cloudlet dim,
Over the rainbow’s rim,
Musical cherub, soar, singing away.

Then when the gloaming comes,
Low in the heather blooms
Sweet will thy welcome and bed of love be!
Emblem of happiness,
Blest is thy dwelling place -
Oh, to abide in the desert with thee.

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A man had been visiting a mental hospital to which a friend had just been admitted. As he was leaving, he met one of the doctors who chatted to him as they walked along the corridor.

The man had always wondered what factors were considered when deciding if someone should be accepted as a patient in such an institution.

“Oh, that’s very simple,” the doctor said, “We fill up a bath with water, give the person a teaspoon, a cup and a bucket, and tell him to empty the bath.”

“I see,” said the man, “a normal person would use the bucket, because it’s so much bigger than a teaspoon or a cup.”

“No, no,” was the reply, “a normal person would pull out the plug. Now, would you like a bed near the window?”

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This week the music I’ve chosen is “Sospiri” by Elgar played by Natalie Clein with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The conductor was Vernon Handley who died in September last year. This is a lovely piece of music, beautifully played.



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Friday, May 15, 2009

FRIDAY 15TH MAY

This week’s quote:-

Old age is an excellent time for outrage. My goal is to say or do at least one outrageous thing every week. (Louis Kronenberger)

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DID YOU KNOW that church organists are not supposed to make any mistakes?

You can be a first-class player and carry on for two or three years without hitting a wrong note, but, if you do slip up, some know-all will come up to you after the service with “What happened in the last verse of the Old Hundredth?” Over the years I don’t think I made many mistakes - at least I can’t recall any specific occasion.

The commonest error for organists must surely be going on to play another verse after the hymn has finished. I remember being in the congregation one Sunday when this happened. The organist started again, stopped when she realised her mistake, - and the congregation all laughed!!! What a shame!

I always said that, if I found myself in that position, I would continue playing for a few bars and build up to a triumphant finish, just as if that was how the hymn was supposed to end. The secret of course is to follow the words as they are sung. This is not so easy if there is no choir, for it’s usually impossible to make out what the congregation are singing.

Any time I had to play in other churches, I always made sure I was given the opportunity to try out the organ beforehand. No two instruments are the same, and an 8ft flute on one can sound quite different from an 8ft flute on another.

I heard about a well-known Glasgow organist who was giving a recital on a newly installed instrument. On this organ the tremulant effect - sometimes very suitable for soft passages - was controlled by a little pedal, and so, when he came to the lovely quieter part of his first piece, he pressed - the wrong pedal, and brought on FULL ORGAN.

Here’s a short extract form a well-known piece played by trumpet and organ. This always reminds me of a wedding at which I played. See below.



Playing at weddings in a different church was always a strain. The most important thing was to keep looking for the signal that the bride was ready to process down the aisle.

I remember one occasion when I was playing an organ in a little gallery, and I had to keep looking down below for the sign. When it was given I struck up what the bride had chosen - Purcell’s Trumpet Tune. I played it through once, no sign of the bride, I played it again, still no bride. I then began to improvise making up tunes of my own, getting louder as I went on. I’m sure the music was sounding more desperate by the minute. What a relief when she appeared!

I often dream I’m playing a church organ. The worst nightmare is when the minister announces the hymn number, and I open the hymn book to find that the hymns are not in numerical order. I wake up in a cold sweat!!!

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A few weeks ago I showed a painting by Frederick Edwin Church (1826-1900) and this is another of his - “Mount Katahdin from Millinocket Camp”



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Peter Sharp was a Kirkintilloch man who, like so many others, began his working life as a weaver. He later became a travelling book-seller, and gained quite a reputation as a poet. He died in 1886.

This is part of a poem which won him a prize of one guinea from a Glasgow newspaper.

AYE HAUD ON

Aye haud on, and thankfu’ be,
Though little be your store;
And labour on wi’ eydent haun’
To mak’ that little more.

Discontent will break the heart,
And tak’ the strength awa’,
But cheerfulness sustains us aye,
And mak’s our labour sma’.

[Aye Haud On = keep persevering, lit. always hold on,
wi’ eydent haun’ = with a diligent hand, mak’ = make,
tak’ = take, awa’ = away, sma’ = small]

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WHEN WAR WAS DECLARED in September 1939, the National Gallery in London shut down and all its works of art were removed to safer localities. Cinemas and theatres closed.

Myra Hess the concert pianist suggested that lunchtime concerts could be held in the National Gallery to help boost morale. The idea was approved by the government, and so began a series of concerts which continued right through till April 1946. Artistes gave their services free, admission was one shilling (5p) and there was no charge for members of the armed services.

Many of the concerts were heard on the wireless, and it was during one of those broadcasts that Myra Hess played her own arrangement of Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”. The piece became an instant success, but out of all the hundreds of versions now available, none can compare with Myra’s.

And here it is.



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This is a photo of me, trying to compose something for my HAIKU HOMESTEAD site.



a blank page waiting
for my next brilliant effort -
the perfect haiku

this verse has three lines
and seventeen syllables -
is it a haiku?

searching in vain for
seventeen syllables in
three lines - haijin’s block

A haijin is a writer of haiku, and I sympathise with John Cooper Clarke the punk poet from Salford who produced the following -

writing a poem
in seventeen syllables
is very diffic

And here’s what the Sunday Times correspondent A.A. Gill said when asked what he thought of haiku poetry, “Haiku? Aren’t they just limericks that don’t make you laugh?”

http://haikuhomestead.blogspot.com/

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To finish this week’s blog, here’s Glenn Miller’s 1940 version of “Stardust”. Hoagy Carmichael wrote the music and Mitchell Parish the words of this 1929 evergreen.



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Friday, May 8, 2009

FRIDAY 8TH MAY

This week’s quote:-

Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think (Chinese Proverb)


This week’s haiku:-

rows of stilettos
in the Oxfam shop - the old
woman tries them on

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SURFING THE NET

I came across this website when I was looking for haiku sites. There are 16 or 17 excellent photos, each with a haiku, of Kurimoto Japanese Garden in Alberta, Canada. The garden is part of the University of Alberta.

http://raysweb.net/japanesegardens/index.html

For anyone interested in chess, 50 Chess Games for Beginners is a very entertaining site, and you can certainly learn a lot by following those games.

http://www.50chessgames.freeserve.co.uk

One night last week I found this striking picture -



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HANDS UP ANYONE WHO HAS HEARD OF THE CATECHISM.

Hands up anyone who has the remotest idea what it is.

Well, I had heard the word mentioned by my parents when I was very small, and I seem to remember that it was a series of questions and answers about Christian beliefs.

This week I discovered that in the 18th century in Scottish schools very often the Bible and the Shorter Catechism were the only text books the pupils had. When I consulted Google, I learned that the latter book consists of 107 Questions and Answers. I vaguely remember my mother saying that in her day children had to learn some of it by heart, and I found the first question familiar -
Q - What is the chief end of man?
A - Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

I assumed that, if there was a shorter catechism, then there must be a longer one, and Google told me that the Larger Catechism consists of 196 - yes, 196 questions and answers!!!

Both catechisms were tied up with the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1646, which had resulted from an Assembly called by Parliament to define Christian beliefs.

In Scotland to begin with, schools were often held in a stable, a hayloft or a hut, usually without desks or chairs. The teacher, who was expected to have a knowledge of Maths, Latin and Greek, would also be the registrar of births, marriages and deaths, as well as precentor in the church and session clerk.

However it wasn’t unusual to find in the 18th century old men or cripples, who had no other way of earning a living, teaching classes of children to read and write. Some of these unofficial schools became known as “adventure schools” and over the years there were quite a few in my home town Kirkintilloch.

“Blind Anne” an old lady with one eye held such a school in a garret, and charged the pupils 2 pence per week. There was another run by an ex-Army sergeant who had been in the Peninsular War, and, though he himself was poorly educated, he was considered to be a fine teacher.

What must have been the first night school in the town was held in an attic of the Black Bull Inn, from 9.30pm till 11.00pm. Incredibly this was for children who had been working long hours during the day at the looms. The class continued all through the year, and it’s said that Mr Mackay the teacher carried out his duties with no fee.

In 1840 a school began in an empty loom shop in the Hillhead district, and the men behind the project were delighted to hire a University student as teacher. One day one of those men was passing and was surprised that there was no sound at all coming from the premises. Thinking what a good choice they had made in selecting the student, he went in to find the class gathered round the young man who was constructing a kite. That was NOT what was expected of him, and he had to go!!!!

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This painting “A Private View at the Royal Academy” is by William Powell Frith (1819-1909). He was noted for his large pictures, absolutely packed with people from all walks of life. Probably his best known are “Ramsgate Sands, Life at the Seaside”, “Derby Day” and “The Railway Station”.



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I like this little poem by Leigh Hunt (1784-1789).

Jenny kiss’d me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
Time, you thief, who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in!
Say I’m weary, say I’m sad,
Say I’m growing old, but add,
Jenny kiss’d me.

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A FEW WEEKS AGO I mentioned my first girl friend. We had a lot in common for she was a singer and I was a pianist, and we appeared together at two or three local concerts. Later she became a professional and performed in seaside concert parties.

While I was in the RAF at Brize Norton, I met a girl who lived in the nearby village and we became immediate friends. The reason again was - music. She played the piano, but there were two other things that drew us together - we both had the initials JJ, and the same birthday though I was a few years older. Obviously it was meant to be!!!!!!!

Her father had the local grocery and she worked in the ladies clothes shop next door. We got on very well together and it was a sad day when I was demobbed. I think we both knew that the affair had to end, and I certainly wasn’t ready for a serious relationship.

In this blog on 5th December I mentioned Bunny Shayler the comedian in the RAF concert party. He was a civilian worker on the station and lived with his wife in the village. They were very pleasant people and a good few years ago, when we were in that part of the country, we paid them a visit. At that time they had a very successful photography business, which sadly failed a few years later when the Americans left Brize Norton.

For quite a few years we exchanged greetings at Christmas, and Joy Shayler always sent us a card with a watercolour picture of flowers she herself had painted. Both she and Bunny are now dead.

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AND NOW, SOMETHING REALLY DIFFERENT -

A little video of a most attractive creature - a slow loris. This little animal is found all over south east Asia. Its life span is 20 years, and it feeds on fruit, animal prey, gums, shoots and birds eggs.



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On 24th April my blog contained this photo, and I wondered if anyone knew what the insect was.



Margaret was able to tell me that it’s a Praying Mantis.
This is a clearer picture of a Praying Mantis.



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AND FINALLY -

From the early 1940s, here are The Inkspots singing “Do I Worry?”



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Friday, May 1, 2009

FRIDAY 1ST MAY

This week’s quote:-

Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act. (Truman Capote)


This week’s haiku:-

in the mirror shop
a dozen images
confirm my ageing

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This painting is “The Avenue at Middelharnis” by the Dutch artist Meindert Hobbema (1638-1709). I was very pleased when I came across this on the internet quite by chance, for we had a print of the painting in our first house.



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IN 1953 I resigned from my post at the church community centre to join the Glasgow YMCA as Youth Secretary. Their headquarters were in the city centre above a number of shops, with accommodation for boys and youths on the top floor, and seniors and offices on the first floor.

In the same building there was the Lyric Theatre owned by the YMCA, and at that time it was being rebuilt after a disastrous fire. The loss of the theatre had been a great blow to Glasgow for many amateur companies had found it ideal for their productions.

There were five full-time members of staff and a fair number of voluntary leaders. I worked four evenings and five mornings each week, and also on Sunday afternoons for a bible class meeting.

Each year the boys were taken camping for a week to Crail, and that gave me my first and only experience of living under canvas. Fortunately the weather was good and I really enjoyed it. Jean and a girl friend of one of the other leaders came also, and they stayed in a boarding house in Crail.

There were a number of influential men who took an interest in the YMCA, especially when funds were needed. I remember one business man gave a copy of “Pilgrim’s Progress” to every one of our boys. In those days this was considered an excellent gift, but I don't think many young people today would appreciate it. Some years ago I decided to re-read it, and I'm afraid I soon gave up.

One final memory. There was a little storeroom where games were kept. The single window which was painted over looked out on to the Pavilion Theatre across the road. The boys soon discovered that, where the paint had been scraped away, glimpses could often be had of the chorus girls in their dressing room!!!

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This is a lovely little video, just perfect for relaxing. John Lennon’s “Imagine” played on panpipes accompanies some great pictures.



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I’ve already posted two of William Blake’s poems in those blogs, and I often quote him in Wise Men Say. He was an artist and poet, whose mystical beliefs in Christianity led many to believe that his mind was unsound. I love this poem -

The Little Vagabond (William Blake 1757-1827)

Dear mother, dear mother, the church is cold,
But the ale-house is healthy and pleasant and warm;
Besides I can tell where I am used well,
Such usage in Heaven will never do well.

But if at the church they would give us some ale,
And a pleasant fire our souls to regale,
We’d sing and we’d pray all the live-long day,
Nor ever once wish from the church to stray.

Then the parson might preach, and drink, and sing,
And we’d be as happy as birds in the spring;
And modest Dame Lurch, who is always at church,
Would not have bandy children, nor fasting, nor birch.

And God, like a father rejoicing to see
His children as pleasant and happy as he,
Would have no more quarrel with the Devil or the barrel
But kiss him, and give him both drink and apparel.

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WE HAVE one of those very informative Bird Books with colour pictures of all the different species, and in many cases their song or call is described. The yellowhammer repeats “a little bit of bread and no cheese;” the song thrush says “cheerio cheerio” or “peter peter;” the chestnut-sided warbler says “I wish to see Miss Beecher;” and so on. Well, I was very doubtful about all that. I’ve certainly heard the yellowhammer and there’s definitely been no bread or cheese.

However, I’m having second thoughts on the subject. A family friend once said that wood pigeons repeat the phrase “My toe hurts, Betty”, but last week one of them in our garden was quoting part of Paul Robeson’s song “Old Man River” -

He don’t plant taters - he don’t plant cotton,
And them that plants ‘em - is soon forgotten,
But ol’ man river - he jest keeps rollin’ -

When I drew Jean’s attention to this, she didn’t say much, but I suspect she believed it was repeating -

Coo coo coo coo coo - coo coo coo coo coo,
Coo coo coo coo coo - coo coo coo coo coo.

Have a look at this photo. I wonder what this pigeon is saying:-



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TWO OLD MEN are wandering around the supermarket and accidentally bump into one another.
The first one apologises, "Sorry about that. I'm looking for my wife, and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
The second one replies, "That's OK. I'm looking for my wife, too. I can't find her anywhere and I'm getting a bit desperate."
The first one suggests that perhaps he could help find her. “What does she look like?"
The second one answers: "Well, she's 27 years old, tall, blonde, blue eyes, long legs, and is wearing a miniskirt. What does you wife look like?"
To which the first one says, "Doesn't matter.  Let's look for yours."

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This clip is another one featuring a pipe organ. The music has become well-known as the signature tune of the European Broadcasting Union and is heard in programmes such as the Eurovision Song Contest. It’s the prelude to the Te Deum by the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704).



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