No.179

WISE MEN SAY

I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances. (Martha Washington)

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

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WHEN I WAS A YOUNG BOY

It must be difficult for a young person to imagine what like it was like to live in a tenement in the early 1930s.

We were fortunate to live in property which was well looked after; there was a good-size hallway, the kitchen/living room, the best room/parlour, the bedroom, a small boxroom and the toilet.

Lighting was by gas which gave out a pretty poor light. The gas mantle fitting was above the fireplace which meant that the corners of the room were not well lit. On a winter’s night the darkness in the hallway was relieved only by the dim light from the living room/kitchen shining through the window above the door leading to the hall.

The coal fire in the living room provided for heating and cooking, and the rest of the house was generally unheated.

The kitchen range - the big iron fireplace consisted of a nest for the fire and compartments where the food was cooked. There were surfaces where pots would rest near the fire and a swivel plate on which the kettle sat to boil up water over the open fire.

The ashes from the fire were removed each morning and the fire re-set and lit. The whole range was cleaned daily and all the surfaces regularly black-leaded.

At the window there was the sink with one cold tap, and at bath time water boiled in kettles was poured into a metal bath placed in front of the fire.

That was our home, and I always remember it as being a happy home. I think that perhaps my mother, who tended be a worrier later on, was happiest there, for she used sing as she went about doing her housework.

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

I know why the caged bird sings
By Maya Angelou

A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange suns rays
And dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

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JOHN' GALLERY

“La Belle Chocolatière”
by Jean-Etienne Liotard (1702-1789)

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DO YOU REMEMBER . . .

Nina and Frederik

The Danish singers were popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Following their divorce, Nina continued as a solo artiste. Frederik, who belonged to Danish aristocracy, later became involved in a crime syndicate in the Philippines, and in 1994 he was shot dead in a dispute with another gangster.

This video features Nina singing "Triy to Remember" in 1970. Uploaded by jmannen77

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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

I don't feel old. I don't feel anything till noon. That's when it's time for my nap.
(Bob Hope)

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Next post here - Friday 3rd February

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