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

Wednesday, November 25, 2009





















This is a photograph of me at the age of 11. We all had our photographs taken at school to commemorate the 1937 Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.




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Next month sees the 130th anniversary of the Tay Bridge Disaster. On 28th December that year the bridge collapsed when a passenger train was crossing and 75 lives were lost. Recently I came across that famous epic by William McGonagall and here it is -

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.
'Twas about seven o'clock at night,
And the wind it blew with all its might,
And the rain came pouring down,
And the dark clouds seem'd to frown,
And the Demon of the air seem'd to say-
"I'll blow down the Bridge of Tay."
When the train left Edinburgh
The passengers' hearts were light and felt no sorrow,
But Boreas blew a terrific gale,
Which made their hearts for to quail,
And many of the passengers with fear did say-
"I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay."
But when the train came near to Wormit Bay,
Boreas he did loud and angry bray,
And shook the central girders of the Bridge of Tay
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.
So the train sped on with all its might,
And Bonnie Dundee soon hove in sight,
And the passengers' hearts felt light,
Thinking they would enjoy themselves on the New Year,
With their friends at home they lov'd most dear,
And wish them all a happy New Year.
So the train mov'd slowly along the Bridge of Tay,
Until it was about midway,
Then the central girders with a crash gave way,
And down went the train and passengers into the Tay!
The Storm Fiend did loudly bray,
Because ninety lives had been taken away,
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.
As soon as the catastrophe came to be known
The alarm from mouth to mouth was blown,
And the cry rang out all o'er the town,
Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down,
And a passenger train from Edinburgh,
Which fill'd all the peoples hearts with sorrow,
And made them for to turn pale,
Because none of the passengers were sav'd to tell the tale
How the disaster happen'd on the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.
It must have been an awful sight,
To witness in the dusky moonlight,
While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,
Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay,
Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay,
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.

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I was delighted to find this short video of Roger McGough reading one of his poems, “A Fine Romance.”  Older folk will remember that in the 1960s  he was a member of the Scaffold, the comedy group who had a No 1 hit in 1968 with “Lily the Pink.” Since then he has become well-known as a very talented performance poet.

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RE-THINKING HAIKU

When composing haiku I have always tried to obey the instruction that the poem should have 17 syllables, distributed 5-7-5 over the 3 lines. And I must add that I have been following what many others do.

The basis for the rule lay in the belief that this was the pattern in Japan where haiku originated. I now find out that the Japanese writers don’t count syllables, they count sound units, which is a very different thing.

The problem is not an easy one for us to understand, but perhaps this will help. In the West the word “Haiku” has 2 syllables “high-ku”, but in Japan it has 3 sound units “ha-ee-ku.” So you see, we are talking about different things.

This has completely changed my approach to writing haiku, and my simple definition now would be - a short poem of 3 lines, where the middle line is slightly longer, and in which the writer tries to convey in as few words as possible a moment in time. Some aspect of nature is usually involved.

With this new concept in mind, I am opening the HAIKU HOMESTEAD blog again, beginning on Wednesday 2nd December -
http://haikuhomestead.blogspot.com

And here’s a haiku to keep you going till next week -

on the washing line
a pair of frozen trousers
at attention

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FORGOTTEN FAVOURITES.  I’m sure younger folk will think this is awful, but people my age will love to hear it once again - “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic” played by Henry Hall and his Orchestra.


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SCOTTISH TALES FROM THE OTHER WORLD this Friday - “The Story of Norrie’s Law”
http://scottishtalesfromtheotherworld.blogspot.com

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009


This photo taken around 1940 shows my grandfather John Armour Jaap, in the dress of the Ancient Order of Shepherds. I know he was a member of that benevolent society, though I don’t think he held any office. Perhaps he got dressed up like that, just for a bit of fun.

Born in 1868 in Kilmarnock, he was married to Charlotte Graham in 1891 in Kirkintilloch, where he had found work in the local coal mine. Later he became an engine driver, driving the “pug” which carried the coal wagons to nearby foundries and to the canal depot.

I remember, when I was a boy, my father telling me in all seriousness that Grandpa had once seen a fairy down the mine. I had no reason to doubt the story then, but I’m surprised that, when I was older, I didn’t ask my grandfather about it.

Since beginning my new blog SCOTTISH TALES FROM THE OTHER WORLD, I’ve been doing some reading about the supernatural and have been interested to find how many well-known people were believers in the Wee Folk.

Towards the end of the 19th century W. B. Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory began collecting fairy stories, and became convinced that the existence of fairies was a reality.

Another believer was G. K. Chesterton who wrote “It is a fact that it is not abnormal men like artists, but normal men like peasants, who have borne witness a thousand times to such things. It is the farmers who see the fairies. It is the farm labourer who calls a spade a spade who also calls a spirit a spirit. It is the woodcutter with no axe to grind who will say that he saw a man hang on the gallows and afterwards hang round it as a ghost.”

This week‘s Scottish Tale from the Other World is “The Fisherman and the Fairy Cap” and will be posted on Friday.
http://scottishtalesfromtheotherworld.blogspot.com

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This clip was filmed in the Café de Paris, London in 1929. I wonder how many of you know can name the tune which accompanies the two dancers?



The tune is “You’re the Cream in my Coffee.”

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You may think I’m easily pleased, but I was thrilled when I re-discovered this famous monologue. Written and performed by J. Milton Hayes (1884-1940), this is the original version.

There's a one-eyed yellow idol to the north of Khatmandu,
There's a little marble cross below the town,
There's a broken-hearted woman tends the grave of Mad Carew,
And the Yellow God forever gazes down.

He was known as "Mad Carew" by the subs at Khatmandu,
He was hotter than they felt inclined to tell,
But for all his foolish pranks, he was worshipped in the ranks,
And the Colonel's daughter smiled on him as well.

He had loved her all along, with a passion of the strong,
The fact that she loved him was plain to all,
She was nearly twenty-one and arrangements had begun
To celebrate her birthday with a ball.

He wrote to ask what present she would like from Mad Carew;
They met next day as he dismissed a squad,
And jestingly she told him then that nothing else would do
But the green eye of the little Yellow God.

On the night before the dance, Mad Carew seemed in a trance,
And they chaffed him as they puffed at their cigars,
But for once he failed to smile, and he sat alone awhile,
Then went out into the night beneath the stars.

He returned before the dawn, with his shirt and tunic torn,
And a gash across his temple dripping red,
He was patched up right away, and he slept through all the day,
And the Colonel's daughter watched beside his bed.

He woke at last and asked if they could send his tunic through,
She brought it, and he thanked her with a nod,
He bade her search the pocket saying "That's from Mad Carew,"
And she found the little green eye of the god.

She upbraided poor Carew in the way that women do,
Though both her eyes were strangely hot and wet,
But she wouldn't take the stone and Mad Carew was left alone
With the jewel that he'd chanced his life to get.

When the ball was at its height, on that still and tropic night,
She thought of him and hurried to his room,
As she crossed the barrack square she could hear the dreamy air
Of a waltz tune softly stealing thro' the gloom.

His door was open wide, with silver moonlight shining through,
The place was wet and slipp'ry where she trod,
An ugly knife lay buried in the heart of Mad Carew,
'Twas the "Vengeance of the Little Yellow God."

There's a one-eyed yellow idol to the north of Khatmandu,
There's a little marble cross below the town,
There's a broken-hearted woman tends the grave of Mad Carew,
And the Yellow God forever gazes down.

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FORGOTTEN FAVOURITES - This week I’ve chosen “I know where I’m going” sung by Maureen Hegarty with Elizabeth Bicker at the piano.



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HAIKU HOMESTEAD

About children -

we stop at the bridge 
the sound of children’s laughter
floating down the stream

the children intrigued
just a slight eye movement - yes
the penguin IS real

after the party
the children’s voices arrive
home before they do

long after the last
child has gone the carousel
keeps on turning

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Haiku archives at - http://haikuhomestead.blogspot.com

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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

This painting “The Princes in the Tower” by John Everett Millais (1829-1896), along with the story to which it relates, was included in a book given to me when I was a schoolboy, and I remember that it made me quite sad.
 Edward and Richard were the sons of Edward IV. When he died in 1483, the two immediately went to the Tower of London to prepare for the coronation of the elder boy Edward. Because he was only 13, his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester was made Protector, but within a few months Parliament declared the boys illegitimate and Richard was crowned King. The two brothers were never seen again, and in 1674, when two skeletons of children were discovered in the Tower, it was assumed that these were the remains of the princes.

 I’ve been trying to recall what other books I had as a boy. Arabian Nights was a collection of the well-known tales and was probably my favourite. I enjoyed Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island and Peter the Whaler by W.H.G. Kingston. We also had a Chatterbox Annual, a properly bound book, containing about 200 pages. This had belonged to someone in my father’s family, and it was full of stories, poems, pictures and paintings.

One of our books told the story of two children going to stay with an aunt with whom they didn’t expect to have much fun. However, she surprised them by producing a book which told Bible stories in an exciting way. And I remember that I kept re-reading that book.

I must mention that I first came across Shakespeare at home. My father had an old school copy of Hamlet, and I often read parts of it, but not really understanding what it was all about.

When I was secondary school age, I joined the local library, and the worlds of P.G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr were opened to me.

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FORGOTTEN FAVOURITE  - Cole Porter’s “True Love” which came from the film “High Society” was a very big hit for Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly.


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SCOTTISH TALES FROM THE OTHER WORLD continue on Friday with “The Tailor who minded the bairn.”
http://scottishtalesfromtheotherworld.blogspot.com

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Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a number of poems for young children, and this one I remember very well -

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head,
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow -
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow,
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an indian rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.
He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

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HAIKU HOMESTEAD

yesterday was a special day for me -

three score years and ten
and then fourteen further years -
I don’t believe it!

another birthday -
old age crept up on me when
I wasn’t looking

I like those famous quotes -

I don’t feel 80. In fact I don’t feel anything till noon. Then it’s time for a nap. (Bob Hope)

The man who is too old to learn was probably always too old to learn. (Henry Haskins)

Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be! (Robert Browning)

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Wednesday, November 4, 2009




















This is a photograph of where we lived in Lenzie. Described as a town house, it’s said that the building, along with many other properties in that district, was based on designs by the architect Greek Thomson (1817-1875). Shortly before we left there in 1983 there was an article in the Scottish Field by the broadcaster and writer Maurice Lindsay about Greek Thomson with a photograph of our terrace as an illustration.

Our neighbour on one side was Thelma Barlow the actress who played Mavis Riley in the TV soap “Coronation Street.” She was very pleasant and we always remember that, when Jean locked herself out, she came to her aid by supplying a ladder and a friend to climb in an upstairs window.

However, our relations with the folk on the other side didn’t have a good beginning. It was Jean who first met the husband, a retired Army major, at that time a Conservative Party agent, who complained that my piano-playing was upsetting his wife. (No funny remarks, please.) In fact they turned out to quite nice folk and our family continued with the music - piano, organ, guitars, recorders, viola, clarinet and bassoon!!!

The house had many advantages. With 7 apartments, our 3 girls each had their own room and we were just a few minutes away from the bus route and the railway station.

There were disadvantages however. With no garage, the car had to sit out on the road, and parking could be difficulties on Saturdays and summer evenings when the nearby bowling green was open. The biggest problem was the fact there we didn’t have central heating.

And so we moved from a house which was more than 100 years old to our present home built in 1977.

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My new blog SCOTTISH TALES FROM THE OTHER WORLD began last week-end. The second story “MacCrinnoch’s Lament” will be posted on Friday 6th November.
http://scottishtalesfromtheotherworld.blogspot.com

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This is a remarkable video of a young American organist Cameron Carpenter playing the Stars and Stripes March by Sousa. As an ex-organist, I think it’s a bit of a mess, but what he does is quite astonishing. The main theme he plays on the pedals with his right foot while his left foot supplies a bass. The fancy piccolo part complete with trills he plays with his feet, and watch out for him playing on the middle manual with his left hand while the thumb of that hand plays on the bottom manual. The trombone-tuba theme he plays on the pedals in octaves!!!



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Last week I came across something  interesting that appeared in a magazine in 1931. Good Housekeeping published a budget for a family with an annual income of £410.
Rent, rates, etc £80. Clothing £66. Food, light, fuel, laundry £152. Education £30. Holidays, entertainment, car £30. Insurance, savings £35. Incidentals, doctor, dentist £17.

Remember that the average annual income then was £170!

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I’m still in the 1930’s for my FORGOTTEN FAVOURITE. This is real nostalgia - Henry Hall and his Orchestra with vocal by Les Allen. Not only that, you get STRICTLY COME DANCING!!!!



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HAIKU HOMESTEAD

Haiku often point out a contrast or an inconsistency, as in the following

at the cottage door
a canary in a cage -
sparrows on the ground

the other birds flee -
a squirrel and a magpie
at the bird-feeder

in the gutter
a bouquet of flowers, still
in wrapping paper

For haiku archives  - http://haikuhomestead.blogspot.com

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