No.178

WISE MEN SAY

When I was 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around, but when I got to be 21, I was amazed at how much he had learnt in 7 years. (Mark Twain)

-o0o-

THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Thanks to http://www.stumbleupon.com

-o0o-

WHEN I WAS A YOUNG BOY

Among my prized possessions was a small hand-operated cinematograph (we didn’t have electricity in the tenement.) I had two or three zoo films each lasting about two minutes - one was called Brown Bears and one was about snakes. I also had a cartoon in which a monkey used the heads of other monkeys as stepping stones; this film was a loop and so it went on for ever. My shows were not all that successful, for it would have needed a much stronger lamp to brighten the screen.

I had a small clockwork Hornby train set - an engine, tender, carriages with track and a signal, and a few years earlier I had been the proud owner of a big red wooden engine, probably about 2ft long.

Of course we had games - dominoes, quoits and bagatelle. I’m puzzled about the bagatelle, for all the holes into which the little balls might fall had the names of German towns. The only one I can recall was Magdeburg. Was this game inspired in some way by the First World War?

-o0o-

POETRY FOR PLEASURE

The Lamplighter
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
From A Child's Garden of Verses

My tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky.
It's time to take the window to see Leerie going by;
For every night at teatime and before you take your seat,
With lantern and with ladder he comes posting up the street.

Now Tom would be a driver and Maria go to sea,
And my papa's a banker and as rich as he can be;
But I, when I am stronger and can choose what I'm to do,
O Leerie, I'll go round at night and light the lamps with you!

For we are very lucky, with a lamp before the door,
And Leerie stops to light it as he lights so many more;
And oh! before you hurry by with ladder and with light;
O Leerie, see a little child and nod to him to-night!

-o0o-

JOHN’S GALLERY

The Blue Boy
Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

-o0o-

MY KIND OF MUSIC

In this video, uploaded by Maxieroyal, there are short clips of dance routines by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The music is "Let's Face the Music and Dance" sung by Nat "King" Cole



-o0o-

A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. (John Barrymore)

-o0o-

Next post here - Wednesday 1st February

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

No.177

WISE MEN SAY

Home is where the heart is (Pliny the Elder 23-79 AD)

-o0o-



The Last of the Clan
Thomas Faed (1826-1900)

This well-known painting was inspired by the Highland Clearances and shows a group of people watching the departure of their friends bound for the colonies.

-o0o-

Some time during the 1890s five brothers of my paternal grandfather went to the USA and found work in Andrew Carnegie’s steel works in Pittsburg. Two of them decided to stay and brought their families to settle in the States.

It was in the 19th century that a great many Scots emigrated to America. Poverty and unemployment were perhaps the main causes of this great movement of the population, but for some there was the attraction of going to a country where, so it was believed, a higher standard of living was attainable.

It’s difficult to imagine the feelings of the brave souls who left their homes and friends behind, heading for the unknown. Certainly, for those whose adventure began in the earlier part of that century, the journey was no “piece of cake.”

Liverpool was the main starting-off point and very often travellers had to wait for days, living in dirty, over-crowded lodging houses, being constantly harassed by pickpockets and thieves who would steal their luggage and make them pay for its return.

The journey by sailing ship took about 35 days. Most folk were accommodated in steerage, which was like a dormitory with bunks on both sides and tables down the middle. There was serious overcrowding, poor ventilation and, apart from seasickness, there were cases of cholera and typhus. What a nightmare it must have been!

Things had improved considerably by 1860 when steam ships had replaced sailing vessels. By that time healthy competition had grown between shipping companies who were keen to do what they could to attract customers, and 3rd class cabins had largely taken the place of steerage. And most important of all, the journey was now taking 7-10 days.

Of all those who emigrated, a surprising number were Mormon converts on their way to Utah. There had been a lot of Mormon activity particularly in England from 1835, and it was claimed that by 1850 they had made 30,000 converts. On two occasions they hired the SS Sailor Prince to convey their new members from Liverpool to New Orleans, and on the second trip in 1848 (which took 57 days) their number included members of a family who were related to one of my Jaap ancestors, and others whose connection with us in uncertain.

The following is an extract from Mormon archives.

“In 1856, Brigham Young, the Mormon president, devised a plan whereby emigrants from Britain could come to Utah if they were willing to pull handcarts and walk the 1,300 miles from Iowa to Salt Lake City. Ellison Jaap, her husband Paul Gourlay and two small children were members of the Edward Martin Handcart Company. Unfortunately this group was late in beginning their trip in the fall of 1856, and met with disaster when winter storms trapped the emigrants along the Sweetwater River in Wyoming. Two hundred members of the company died of starvation and cold, before Brigham Young could send a rescue party of wagons from Salt Lake City. Ellison Jaap's two young children died. There are conflicting stories on the fate of Ellison. One report says she died in Wyoming, and the other states that she made it to Utah. A journal kept by one of the members of the Martin Company mentions the death of Ellison’s seven month old child Margaret with the following entry:

15 August 1856, a child was buried this morning. The coffin had to be made, which delayed us until about eight o'clock.”

A very sad story! We know that Ellison Jaap came from Fife where our ancestors lived, and it’s probable she was connected in some way.

-o0o-



Mount Nebo, Utah
The photographer - Cory Maylett
Taken from Wikipedia and shown here under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Licence.

-o0o-

Next post here Monday 30th January

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

No.176

WISE MEN SAY

There is pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep sea and the music in its roar
I love not man the less, but Nature more.
(Lord Byron)

-o0o-

WHEN I WAS A BOY

I suppose that, when I was at primary school, over half the children there belonged to families who today would be considered under-privileged. I was fortunate in that my father’s job was secure, and both he and my mother were careful with money.

Quite a few of my fellow-pupils came to school poorly dressed, often not very clean and probably hungry. Of course there was a great deal of unemployment at that time - it’s reckoned that between 1931 and 1933 more that a quarter of the nation’s workforce couldn’t find jobs. Unemployment benefit was paid for the first 26 weeks, and then the infamous Means Test took over. That involved an official visiting the claimant’s home and thoroughly examining the finances of the family; apparently any possessions, such as a wireless set, could be taken in to the calculation to assess what money should be paid to them.

My first teacher was an aunt of mine; in fact my first day at school was her first day as a teacher. Of course I had been well warned to call her Miss Hardie and not Aunt Cissie. I’ve always said that I was the best behaved pupil in all my time at that school, for I knew if I misbehaved my mother would soon hear of it! And having an aunt on the staff worked to my advantage, for I found that the teachers, always so stiff and strict, tended to soften a little with me.

I could be a bit of an know-all. I remember we had been learning how to differentiate between verbs, nouns, proper nouns, etc., and the teacher (not my aunt) was going round the class asking each one of us to give examples. When my turn came, she asked for any proper noun. I stood up and said “Yell.” Of course she looked surprised at my answer and shook her head. But little John knew better. “Please miss, Yell is one of the northern isles of the Shetlands.” What a horrible little show-off!!!

-o0o-

Discipline of course was strict at both primary and secondary schools. We sat in rows facing the teacher and talking was not allowed under any circumstances. If you wanted to say something to the teacher, you put your hand up. And behaviour was generally good. For those who offended in some way, there was punishment; every teacher possessed a belt and in primary school would use it often. Sadly it was sometimes inflicted for spelling or counting mistakes.

The belt was administered on the palm of the hand, and for serious offences “six of the best” would usually bring tears to the eyes. I hasten to add that I didn’t ever get the belt at primary school. (I told you I was the best-behaved boy.) I was surprised to learn that at some schools boys were belted on the bottom and shocked to read this account which referred to a school in Dumfries.

“The use of the tawse (belt) was a daily occurrence for trivial offences. The boys were brutally beaten on the bare backside by the headmaster while two teachers held the struggling victim across a school desk. Female teachers were excused witnessing the spectacle, so that they would not see a bare backside.”

-o0o-

The female teachers at my primary school were all spinsters and none of them ever got married. One was very old indeed - in fact she had taught my mother! I didn’t particularly like or dislike any of them, but I will testify that they were all good at their job. Both there and at my secondary school, the standard of teaching was high. The aim was to prepare pupils to pass exams and the system certainly achieved the desired result. Whether that should be the purpose of education or not, is of course another question!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

JOHN'S GALLERY

The Reluctant Bride,
by Auguste Toulmouche (1829-1890)

-o0o-

A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable.
There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age.
(Victor Hugo)

-o0o-

Next post here - Thursday 26th January

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

No.175

WISE MEN SAY

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. (Lao-Tzu)

-o0o-

THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Thanks to http://www.freefoto.com

-o0o-

POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Written in Early Spring
William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

I heard a thousand blended notes
While in a grove I sat reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What Man has made of Man.

Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure -
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What Man has made of Man?

-o0o-

JOHN’S GALLERY

The Track of the Hurricane
by John MacWhirter (1839-1911)

-o0o-

MY KIND OF MUSIC

In this YouTube uploaded by IrRrIS1l3nt,
Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" gets the Artie Shaw treatment



-o0o-

A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

In youth the days are short and the years are long. In old age the years are short and the day is long. (Pope Paul VI)

-o0o-

Next post here - Monday 23rd January

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

No.174

WISE MEN SAY

There is no shortage of good days; it is good lives that are hard to come by.
(Annie Dillard)

-o0o-

THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Neon Lights

Thanks to http://www.public-domain-image.com

-o0o-

POETRY FOR PLEASURE

The Way through the Woods
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath,
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring-dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods.

Yet, if you enter the woods
Of a summer evening late,
When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate,
(They fear not men in the woods,
Because they see so few.)
You will hear the beat of a horse's feet,
And the swish of a skirt in the dew,
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes,
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost road through the woods.
But there is no road through the woods.

-o0o-

JOHN’S GALLERY

Catskill Mountain Scenery
by John Frederick Kensett (1816-1872)

-o0o-

MY KIND OF MUSIC

Pizzicato Polka from “Sylvia” by Léo Delibes is played here by Francesco Libetta.
Notice how he uses one finger only to play most of the main tune.
Thanks to EgideO for making this video available.



-o0o-

A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

I don't believe one grows older. I think that what happens early on in life is that at a certain age one stands still and stagnates. (T. S. Eliot)

-o0o-

Next post here - Friday 20th January

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

No.173

WISE MEN SAY

Tough times don’t last but tough people do. (Anon)

-o0o-

THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

-o0o-

POETRY FOR PLEASURE

O mistress mine, where are you roaming?
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?
O, stay and hear; your true love's coming,
That can sing both high and low:
Trip no further, pretty sweeting;
Journeys end in lovers meeting,
Every wise man's son doth know.

What is love? 'Tis not hereafter;
Present mirth hath present laughter;
What's to come is still unsure:
In delay there lies not plenty;
Then, come kiss me, sweet and twenty,
Youth's a stuff will not endure.

-o0o-

JOHN’S GALLERY

The Butterfly
By John Collier (1850-1943)

-o0o-

In a letter to a newspaper, a writer detailed some of the precepts his mother taught him.

1) Logic. “Because I said so, that’s why!”

2) To appreciate a job well done. “If you’re going to kill one another, do it outside. I’ve just finished cleaning.”

3) Time travel. “If you don’t start behaving, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week.”

4) Religion. “You better pray that mark will come out of the carpet.”

5) Foresight. “Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.”

6) Doing two things at once. “Shut your mouth and eat your supper.”

7) Contortionism. “Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!”

8) Cause and Effect. “If you fall off that wall and die, don’t come crying to me!”

-o0o-

MY KIND OF MUSIC

Rosemary Clooney sings “Hey there, you with the stars in your eyes.”
Uploaded by Bobotmedia.

-o0o-

A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. (Henry Ford)

-o0o-

Next post here - Wednesday 18th January

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

No.172

FRIDAY 13TH JANUARY

WISE MEN SAY

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. (Buddha)

-o0o-

POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Look for the Silver Lining
(Buddy DeSylva 1895-1950)

Look for the silver lining
When e'er a cloud appears in the blue.
Remember somewhere the sun is shining,
And so the right thing to do,
Is make it shine for you.
A heart, full of joy and gladness,
Will always banish sadness and strife.
So always look for the silver lining,
And try to find the sunny side of life.

-o0o-

JOHN’S GALLERY

A Childhood Idyll
By William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)

-o0o-

Some time ago I found the following in a magazine, and I’ve been thinking that 80 plus readers will find it interesting.

The check-out girl at the supermarket suggested to the customer - an elderly woman, that she should bring her own bags, because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologised and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my day."

The girl replied, "That's our problem. Your generation didn’t care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right - our generation didn't have the green thing back then.

In our day we returned milk bottles and lemonade bottles to the shop. The shop sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so they could be used again and again.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have a lift in every store and office building. We walked to the shops and didn't jump into a car every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right.

We didn't have the green thing back then.

We washed baby's nappies by hand, because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes outside on a line, not in a machine burning up electricity.

Children got hand-me-down clothes from their older siblings. But that young lady was right.

We didn't have the green thing back then.

Long ago we had one TV or radio in the house, not a set in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand, because we didn't have electrical machines to do everything for us. We didn't use up electricity when cutting the grass, we used a push mower. But she’s right.

We didn't have the green thing back then.

We refilled pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we didn’t throw away our razors when a blade was past its best.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

And children walked or cycled to school and to evening organisations, instead of relying on their parents to drive them everywhere.

But isn't it sad that today’s generation laments how wasteful we old folks were, just because -

WE DIDN’T HAVE THE GREEN THING BACK THEN.

-o0o-

AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.
(Betty Friedan)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

No.171

WEDNESDAY 11TH JANUARY 2012

WISE MEN SAY

Time is nature’s way of keeping everything from happening at once. (Woody Allen)

-o0o-

THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

-o0o-

POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Three verses from
“The Song of the Shirt”
Thomas Hood (1799-1845)

With fingers weary and worn,
With eyelids heavy and red,
A woman sat, in unwomanly rags,
Plying her needle and thread -
Stitch! stitch! stitch!
In poverty, hunger, and dirt,
And still with a voice of dolorous pitch
She sang the "Song of the Shirt."

"Work! work! work!
While the cock is crowing aloof!
And work - work - work,
Till the stars shine through the roof!
It's Oh! to be a slave
Along with the barbarous Turk,
Where woman has never a soul to save,
If this is Christian work!

"Oh, Men, with Sisters dear!
Oh, men, with Mothers and Wives!
It is not linen you're wearing out,
But human creatures' lives!
Stitch - stitch - stitch,
In poverty, hunger and dirt,
Sewing at once, with a double thread,
A Shroud as well as a Shirt.

-o-0-o-

JOHN’S GALLERY

The Babylonian Marriage Market
by Edwin Longsden Long (1829-1891)

-o0o-

MY KIND OF MUSIC

Plaisir d'Amour, composed by Jean Paul Egide Martini (1741–1816), has been featured by many popular singers. In this video, which was uploaded by cb3815, it's played by André Rieu and his Orchestra

-o0o-

A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

Old age is a lot of crossed-off names in your address book. (Ronald Blythe)

-o0o-

Next post here - Friday 13th January

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

No.170

MONDAY 9TH JANUARY 2012

WISE MEN SAY

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. (Marcel Proust)

-o0o-

THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Thanks to http://www.public-domain-image.com for “Underwater Life Ocean”

-o0o-

POETRY FOR PLEASURE

TRUE LOVE
Anon

True love is a sacred flame
That burns eternally,
And none can dim its special glow
Or change its destiny.

True love speaks in tender tones
And hears with gentle ear,
True love gives with open heart
And true love conquers fear.

True love makes no harsh demands
It neither rules nor binds,
And true love holds with gentle hands
The hearts that it entwines.

-o-0-o-

JOHN’S GALLERY

Twilight in the Wilderness, by Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900)

-o0o-

MY KIND OF MUSIC

This is the Minuet from the String Quintet in E Op11 No5 by Boccherini (1743-1805)
Uploaded by pray2U4ever

-o0o-

A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

When you’re old, it takes twice as long to look half as good. (Anon)

-o0o-

Next post here - Wednesday 11th January

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

No.169

THURSDAY 5TH JANUARY

WISE MEN SAY

You will find meaning in life only if you create it. It is not lying there somewhere behind the bushes, so you can go and you search a little bit and find it. It is not there like a rock that you will find. It is a poetry to be composed, it is a song to be sung, it is a dance to be danced.
(written by the Indian mystic Osho 1931-1990)

-o0o-

THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Thanks to FreeFoto for “Robin in the Snow”

-o-0-o-

POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Excelsior: the Shades of Night
A parody on Longfellow’s poem
by A.E.Housman (1859-1936)

The shades of night were falling fast
And the rain was falling faster,
When through an Alpine village passed
An Alpine village pastor;
A youth who bore through snow and ice
A bird that wouldn’t chirrup,
And a banner with the strange device
“Mrs Winslow’s Soothing Syrup.”

“Beware the pass,” the old man said,
“My bold and desperate fellah;
Dark lowers the tempest overhead,
And you’ll want your um-ber-ella;
And the roaring torrent is deep and wide,
You may hear how it washes.”
But still that clarion voice replied,
“I’ve got my old galoshes.”

“Oh, stay,” the maiden said, “and rest
(For the wind blows from the nor’ward)
Thy weary head upon my breast,
And please don’t think me forward.”
A tear stood in his bright blue eye
And gladly he would have tarried;
But still he answered with a sigh,
“Unhappily I’m married!”

-o0o-

JOHN’S GALLERY

A Special Pleader, by Charles Burton Barber (1845-1894)

-o0o-

MY KIND OF MUSIC

Uploaded by SwingCla, this is “Memories of You” played by Benny Goodman and his Quartet at the Yokohama Stadium, Japan in 1980. His musicians are Teddy Wilson - piano, Eddie Duran - guitar, Al Obidenski - bass, and John Markham - drums.



-o0o-

A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

Most people say that as you get old, you have to give up things. I think you get old because you give up things. (Theodore Francis Green)

-o0o-

Next post here - Monday 9th January

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-