80 plus

No.183

2012-02-10T08:30:00.001Z

WISE MEN SAY

Children really brighten up a household; they never turn the lights off. (Ralph Bus)

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Taken from the steeple of Kirkintilloch Parish Church - later renamed St. Mary’s, this picture looks down on the old wooden bascule bridge over the Forth and Clyde Canal.

The bridge was raised by means of a wheel which had to be turned by hand and this was done by the bridge-keeper whenever a boat wanted to pass through.

I remember when it was replaced by steel swing bridge in 1933. In the years after the war the number of vehicles on the road increased of course and the opening and closing of the bridge for canal traffic created hold-ups. Then in 1967 a proper road bridge was built on an embankment, but this closed the canal at that point with the result that rubbish of all sorts collected in the water on both sides.

Over the years many folk campaigned to have the whole length of the canal re-opened, and this happy result came about in 2001.

There is now a Marina not far from the bridge and Kirkintilloch is claiming to be “The Canal Capital of Scotland.”

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

September Song
Maxwell Anderson

When I was a young man courting the girls
I played me a waiting game;
If a maid refused me with tossing curls,
I'd let the old Earth make a couple of whirls
While I plied her with tears in lieu of pearls,
And as time came around she came my way,
As time came around, she came.

When you meet with the young girls early in the Spring,
You court them in song and rhyme;
They answer with words and a clover ring,
But if you could examine the goods they bring
They have little to offer but the songs they sing,
And the plentiful waste of time of day,
A plentiful waste of time.

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December,
But the days grow short when you reach September;
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame,
One hasn't got time for the waiting game.

Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few,
September, November;
And these few precious days I'll spend with you,
These precious days I'll spend with you.

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JOHN’S GALLERY

Dinner of Herbs
by George William Joy (1844-1925)

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Thanks to bonkprodukcja for this great time-lapse video

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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old.
(George Burns)

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For some time now I have wanted to post Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott” on this blog. Since it’s quite a long poem, it wouldn’t fit in easily to the 80 plus pattern.

I’ve found a solution however and the poem, with three John William Waterhouse paintings of “The Lady", can be seen now at “80 plus EXTRA” - http://80plusextra.blogspot.com

I expect to use this new site occasionally to post material that I feel would be too lengthy for 80 plus.

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Next post on 80 plus Monday 13th February

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No.182

2012-02-08T08:30:00.001Z

WISE MEN SAY

Have an attitude
Of gratitude
And everything else will follow
(Anon)

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Mother to Son
by Langston Hughes

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor - bare.

But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.

So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now -
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

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THEN AND NOW . . .

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MY KIND OF MUSIC

Uploaded by HSVideoArt, this is Badinerie by Bach played by the Croatian Baroque Ensemble

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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

The answer to old age is to keep one's mind busy and to go on with one's life as if it were interminable. I always admired Chekhov for building a new house when he was dying of tuberculosis. (Leon Edel)

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Next post here Friday 10th February

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No.181

2012-02-06T08:30:00.000Z

WISE MEN SAY

If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator. (W. Beran Wolfe)

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Our eldest daughter took this photo of ring-tailed lemurs while on holiday in Madagascar

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I’ve been reading lately of how things were in the year 1910.

Much of the world news then sounds very familiar to us today. Chinese troops had occupied Tibet and the Dalai Lama had fled. In Hungary one thousand people lost their lives in floods, and an earthquake in Nicaragua killed five hundred.

There was one item of good news, however - Marie Curie succeeded in isolating radium.

At home there was a great deal of unrest among railwaymen, shipyard workers and the Welsh miners. The suffragettes were active and on one occasion three hundred of them clashed with police outside Parliament buildings.

On the political scene, there was a General Election in January, and a second one in December. On both occasions the Liberals were successful, and Mr Asquith was Prime Minister.

One man’s name became known world-wide. Dr. Crippen, an American homeopathic doctor living and working in London, poisoned his wife and buried her body in the cellar. In June he was arrested on the SS Montrose which was bound for America. Later in the year he was found guilty and hanged.

King Edward VII died on 6th May and was succeeded by his son George V.

1910 saw the first Labour Exchanges, later to be known in Scotland as “the buroo.”

Robert Falcon Scott was put in charge of the British Antarctic Expedition. This was to end in disaster two years later.

The cinema of course was still in its infancy, but in the USA many short one-reelers were being produced. The first Frankenstein movie was shot in 3 days and lasted 16 minutes. A version of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol lasted all of 10 minutes!

In the world of literature, Prester John by John Buchan, Howard’s End by E.M. Forster and The History of Mr Polly by H.G. Wells were published.

And what were folks singing and whistling? Down by the Old Mill Stream, Chinatown my Chinatown, Some of these Days and Let me call you Sweetheart.

Imported from South America, the Tango was making its first appearances on dance floors, and causing controversy - it was NOT respectable!!!

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JOHN’S GALLERY

The Soldier’s Return
By John Faed (1819-1902)

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

In an Artist’s Studio
Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

One face looks out from all his canvasses,
One selfsame figure sits or walks or leans;
We found her hidden just behind those screens,
That mirror gave back all her loveliness.
A queen in opal or in ruby dress,
A nameless girl in freshest summer greens,
A saint, an angel; - every canvass means
The same one meaning, neither more nor less.
He feeds upon her face by day and night,
And she with true kind eyes looks back on him
Fair as the moon and joyful as the light;
Not wan with waiting, not with sorrow dim;
Not as she is, but was when hope shone bright;
Not as she is, but as she fills his dream.

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Charlie Chaplin once said “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” This video uploaded by corky1459 had me laughing!!!

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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

I'm happy to report that my inner child is still ageless.
(James Broughton)

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Next post here Wednesday 8th February

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No.180

2012-02-03T08:30:00.002Z

WISE MEN SAY

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. (Leo Buscaglia)

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

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THOSE WERE THE DAYS

This is Agatha Christie’s description of her father’s life in 1900.

“By modern standards my father was a lazy man. It was the days of independent incomes, and if you had an independent income you didn't work. You weren't expected to. I strongly suspect that my father wouldn’t have been particularly good at working anyway.

“He left our house in Torquay every morning and went to his club. He returned in a cab for lunch, and in the afternoon went back to the club, played whist all afternoon, and returned to the house in time to dress for dinner. During the season, he spent his days at the cricket club, of which he was president. He also occasionally got up amateur theatricals.

“He had an enormous number of friends, and loved entertaining them. There was one big dinner party at our home every week, and he and my mother went out to dinner usually another two or three times a week.”

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JOHN’S GALLERY

Come unto these yellow sands
by Richard Dadd (1819-1897)

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Bongaloo
by Spike Milligan

"What is a Bongaloo, Daddy?"
"A Bongaloo, Son," said I,
"Is a tall bag of cheese
Plus a Chinaman's knees
And the leg of a nanny goat's eye."

"How strange is a Bongaloo, Daddy?"
"As strange as strange," I replied.
"When the sun's in the West
It appears in a vest
Sailing out with the noonday tide."

"What shape is a Bongaloo, Daddy?"
"The shape, my Son, I'll explain:
It's tall round the nose
Which continually grows
In the general direction of Spain."

'Are you sure there's a Bongaloo, Daddy?'
"Am I sure, my Son?" said I.
"Why, I've seen it, not quite
On a dark sunny night,
Do you think that I'd tell you a lie?

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MY KIND OF MUSIC

This is the 1959 recording of Sidney Bechet‘s “Petite Fleur” played by clarinettist Monty Sunshine (what a great name!) and members of Chris Barber’s Band. Uploaded by bernieb48.

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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
(Henry David Thoreau)

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Next post here Monday 6th February

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No.179

2012-02-01T08:30:00.001Z

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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No.178

2012-01-30T08:30:00.002Z

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)

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Thanks to http://www.stumbleupon.com

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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?

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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!

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JOHN’S GALLERY

The Blue Boy
Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

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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

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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

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

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Next post here - Wednesday 1st February

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No.177

2012-01-26T08:30:00.001Z

WISE MEN SAY

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

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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.

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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.

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

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Next post here Monday 30th January

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No.176

2012-01-23T08:30:00.001Z

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)

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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!!!

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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.”

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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!

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JOHN'S GALLERY

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

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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)

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Next post here - Thursday 26th January

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No.175

2012-01-20T08:30:00.001Z

WISE MEN SAY

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

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Thanks to http://www.freefoto.com

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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?

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JOHN’S GALLERY

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

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MY KIND OF MUSIC

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

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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)

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Next post here - Monday 23rd January

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No.174

2012-01-18T08:30:00.001Z

WISE MEN SAY

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

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Neon Lights

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

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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.

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JOHN’S GALLERY

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

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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.

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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)

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Next post here - Friday 20th January

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No.173

2012-01-16T08:30:00.001Z

WISE MEN SAY

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

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

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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.

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JOHN’S GALLERY

The Butterfly
By John Collier (1850-1943)

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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!”

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MY KIND OF MUSIC

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

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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)

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Next post here - Wednesday 18th January

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No.172

2012-01-12T13:35:00.010Z

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)

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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.

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JOHN’S GALLERY

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

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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.

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

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

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No.171

2012-01-10T18:07:00.006Z

WEDNESDAY 11TH JANUARY 2012

WISE MEN SAY

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

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

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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.

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JOHN’S GALLERY

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

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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

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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

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

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Next post here - Friday 13th January

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No.170

2012-01-08T09:36:00.010Z

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)

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

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

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

JOHN’S GALLERY

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

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MY KIND OF MUSIC

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

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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

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

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Next post here - Wednesday 11th January

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No.169

2012-01-04T22:07:00.008Z

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)

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Thanks to FreeFoto for “Robin in the Snow”

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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!”

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JOHN’S GALLERY

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

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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.

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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)

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Next post here - Monday 9th January

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No.168

2011-12-29T19:39:00.009Z

Monday 2nd January 2012

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WISE MEN SAY

The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months! (Edward Payson Powell)

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JOHN'S GALLERY

The Frost Fair on the River Thames, London during the winter 1683/4
by Thomas Wyke

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

When icicles hang by the wall
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail
And Tom bears logs into the hall
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipp'd and ways be foul,
When nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit!
Tu-who! a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow
And coughing drowns the parson's saw
And birds sit brooding in the snow
And Marian's nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
When nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit!
Tu-who! a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
(William Shakespeare, from "Love's Labour Lost")

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A NEW YEAR MESSAGE FROM ABBA

Uploaded by AbbaVEVO

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THOUGHTS ON THE NEW YEAR

What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That's not been said a thousand times?

The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.

We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.

We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.

We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our brides, we sheet our dead.

We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that's the burden of the year.

(Ella Wheeler Wilcox)

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The next post to 80 plus will be on Thursday 5th January

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No.167

2011-12-19T08:00:00.002Z

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that? - Bob Hope

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Here are half-a-dozen vintage Christmas cards which I found interesting -

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Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year. - Victor Borge

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Do you remember this song?

On this 1937 recording the singer is Phyllis Robbins. Uploaded by philsmusic1000

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80 PLUS IS TAKING A BREAK
AND WILL RESUME
AFTER THE NEW YEAR

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No.166

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000Z

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveller back to his own fireside and quiet home! - Charles Dickens

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CHRISTMASTIDE
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

The rain-shafts splintered on me
As despondently I strode;
The twilight gloomed upon me
And bleared the blank high-road.
Each bush gave forth, when blown on
By gusts in shower and shower,
A sigh, as it were sown on
In handfuls by a sower.

A cheerful voice called, nigh me,
“A merry Christmas, friend!”—
There rose a figure by me,
Walking with townward trend,
A sodden tramp’s, who, breaking
Into thin song, bore straight
Ahead, direction taking
Toward the Casuals’ gate.

[The Casual Ward was a place of refuge. Often, a queue of homeless people would form outside, waiting to get a bed for the night]

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Numbering of Bethlehem, by Pieter Bruegel (1525-1569)

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Do you remember . . .

ANNE MURRAY

Born in Nova Scotia in 1945, she was the first Canadian female solo singer to reach No.1 on the U.S. charts, and also the first to earn a Gold record for one of her songs "Snowbird." In 2011, Billboard put her in tenth position among the 50o Biggest Artists Ever.
In this clip, uploaded by azores46, she sings "Winter Wonderland."

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Finally -

There had been a very heavy fall of snow during the night and on Christmas morning only two people turned up for the church service - Farmer Giles and the Vicar.

The Vicar shaking his head sadly said, "Well, there's no point of having a service for just one person; let's go home."

"No, I don't agree," replied Farmer Giles, "If only one cow turns up to be fed, I still feed it."

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Clip art by http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/

NEXT POST MONDAY

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No.165

2011-12-14T08:00:00.004Z

In the end, it's not the years in your life that count.
It's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln

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There have newspaper reports recently that many schools are no longer having nativity plays, because of the numbers of children of other faiths or of none.

I’m remembering that when I was a boy Christmas was not observed in schools - no Christmas Tree, no decorations, no party, in fact advent calendars and nativity plays were things we’d never heard of. It was a school holiday of course, but, apart from that, it was just like any other working day, with offices, shops and factories open as usual.

Every year the Sunday School had a party where we played the usual games and Santa Claus gave each of us a gift. There was always a big Christmas Tree with decorations and baubles, but no lights, the hall was gas-lit. I don’t think any people had trees in their homes in those days.

In the Scottish church, there were no special services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but on the Sunday nearest the big day, we sang Christmas hymns, and I expect the minister would talk about the nativity in his sermon. I believe that there was Midnight Mass in most Catholic churches on Christmas Eve.

It wasn’t till the late 1940s that Scotland began to make more of Christmas. Perhaps the change was due to our servicemen coming back to civvy street, having experienced how it was celebrated elsewhere.

We children of course became very excited as Christmas drew near. I remember that the living room in our tenement house looked wonderful with paper decorations round the walls and extending across the ceiling. Happy memories!

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Landscape near Beauvais, by François Boucher (1703-1770)

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Inside the front cover of a book, this hand-written
WARNING

Neither blemish this book, not the leaves double down,
Nor lend it to each idle friend in the town;
Return it when read; or, if lost, please supply
Another as good to the mind and the eye,
With right and with reason you need but be friends
And each book in my study your pleasure attends.

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Do you remember . . .

VICTOR BORGE

The Danish humorist and musician had a classical training and started off as a concert pianist. His popularity soon spread when he developed his comedy act. When Germany invaded Denmark he had to flee the country as his act had involved telling jokes about the Nazis. Escaping to Finland, he then managed to get to the USA where he arrived almost penniless.
Born in 1909, he died in 2000.

The clip was uploaded by going343. The other pianist is not named.

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WISE MEN SAY

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. - Agatha Christie

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Clip art by http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/

NEXT POST FRIDAY

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No.164

2011-12-12T08:05:00.001Z

Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator. - Confucius

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AREN’T ANSWERPHONES WONDERFUL?

I’m sorry. We’re not available just now. Please leave your message after the tone.

If you are one of our children, press 1, then select an option.

If you need us to baby-sit, press 2.

If you want to borrow the car, press 3.

If you want us to do your washing and ironing, press 4.

If you want the grandchildren to sleep here tonight, press 5.

If you want us to pick up the children from school, press 6.

If you want to eat here, press 7.

If you need money, press 8.

If you want to invite us to dinner, we’re listening.

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I don't know when or where the following poem was written, but, when I was a small boy, there were so few motor vehicles in our town that it was perfectly safe to walk in the middle of the main street.

THE PEDESTRIAN'S PLAINT
Edward Verrall Lucas (1868-1938)

Will there never come a season
Which shall rid us from the curse
Of a speed which knows no reason,
And the too contiguous hearse;
When no longer shall we tremble
As the motors leave their lair;
Meekly by the kerb assemble
While the klaxon rends the air -

When the gladsome news will nerve us
That the petrol-wells are dry
And the horse again must serve us,
Safe and sure and stepping high?
That will be a day for fiddling,
Fun and festival galore,
When the Armstrongs cease from siddling
And the Royces roll no more!

(The last two lines refer to the Rolls-Royce and Armstrong-Siddeley cars)

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I wonder what you think of this painting.
Well, there's nothing wrong with a bit of sentiment occasionally

Off to School, by Charles Burton Barber (1845-1894)

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Do you remember . . .

ANNE ZIEGLER AND WEBSTER BOOTH

This married couple were very popular duettists in the 30s and 40s. Born in 1902, his vocal training began when he was a young chorister in Lincoln Cathedral. Later he joined the D'Oyle Carte Opera Company. She was born in 1910 and her successful career as a singer took her to Broadway. When they eventually joined forces, they were known as "Sweethearts in Song."
In 1948 they emigrated to Australia. He died in 1984, and her death was in 2003.
Uploaded by johnjamg this is "We'll gather Lilacs" from Ivor Novello's "Perchance to Dream."

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Clip art thanks to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/

THE NEXT POST HERE WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY

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No.163

2011-12-11T08:00:00.002Z

WISE MEN SAY

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. - The Dalai Lama

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

THE OLD WOMAN
Joseph Campbell (1881–?)

As a white candle
In a holy place,
So is the beauty
Of an aged face.

As the spent radiance
Of the winter sun,
So is a woman
With her travail done,

Her brood gone from her,
And her thoughts as still
As the waters
Under a ruined mill.

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JOHN'S GALLERY

Luna, by Charles Edward Hallé (1846-1914)

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Uploaded by warholsoup100, this 1934 record is "All I do is dream of you" played by Ray Noble and his Orchestra with Al Bowlly doing the vocal.

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

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

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2011-12-10T08:00:00.005Z

WISE MEN SAY

Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I've had my share. But whatever happens to you, you have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analysis, you have got not to forget to laugh. -
Katharine Hepburn

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

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

ANNIE LAURIE
William Douglas (17th Cent)

Maxwelton's braes are bonnie
Where early fa's the dew
And 'twas there that Annie Laurie
Gave me her promise true.

Gave me her promise true
Which ne'er forgot will be
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I'd lay me doon and dee.

Her brow is like the snowdrift
Her throat is like the swan
Her face it is the fairest
That e'er the sun shone on.

That e'er the sun shone on
And dark blue is her e'e
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I'd lay me doon and dee.

Like dew on th'gowan lying
Is th' fa' o' her fairy feet
And like the winds in summer sighing
Her voice is low and sweet.

Her voice is low and sweet
And she's a' the world to me
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I'd lay me doon and dee.

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JOHN'S GALLERY

Nympheas, by Claude Monet 1840-1926

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

This is another recording by the BBC Dance Orchestra. Made in 1932 before Henry Hall took over, the leader then was Jack Payne. Uploaded by schellack78

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

It’s wonderful to grow old, as long as you remember to keep young while you’re doing it. - Anon

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2011-12-09T08:00:00.001Z

WISE MEN SAY

All things come to him who waits, provided he knows what he is waiting for. -
Woodrow Wilson

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

THE BLUE BIRD
Mary Coleridge (1861-1907)

The lake lay blue below the hill,
O'er it as I looked, there flew
Across the waters, cold and still,
A bird whose wings were palest blue.

The sky above was blue at last,
The sky beneath me blue in blue
A moment, ’ere the bird had passed,
It caught its image as it flew.

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A LINNET IN A GILDED CAGE
Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894)

A linnet in a gilded cage, -
A linnet on a bough, -
In frosty winter one might doubt
Which bird is luckier now.
But let the trees burst out in leaf,
And nests be on the bough,
Which linnet is the luckier bird,
Oh who could doubt it now?

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JOHN'S GALLERY

Villa in a Park Setting, by Marco Ricci

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Recorded in 1934, this is "Keep Young and Beautiful" played by Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Orpheans with vocalist Harry Bentley. Uploaded by SwingBandHeaven

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough. - Don Marquis

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2011-12-08T08:00:00.001Z

WISE MEN SAY

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. - Oscar Wilde

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

HOPE THE HERMIT
17th century

Once in a blythe green wood
Lived a hermit wise and good,
Whom the folks from far and near
For his council sought,
Knowing well that what he taught
The dreariest of hearts would cheer.
Though his hair was white
His eye was clear and bright,
And he thus was ever wont to say:
“Though to care we are born,
Yet the dullest morn
Often heralds in the fairest day!

"The very longest lane,
Has a turning, it is plain,
E'en the blackest of clouds will fly:
And what can't be cured
Must with patience be endured:
As cheaply can we laugh as cry."
And people gazed,
At words so deep amazed,
While the Sage went on to say:
"Though to care we are born,
Yet the dullest morn
Often heralds in the fairest day!

Pray, is the hermit dead?
From the forest has he fled?
No, he lives to counsel all
Who an ear will lend
To their wisest, truest friend,
And Hope the Hermit's name they call.
Still he sits, I ween,
'Mid branches ever green,
And cheerly you may hear him say:
"Though to care we are born,
Yet the dullest morn
Often heralds in the fairest day!”

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JOHN'S GALLERY

Landscape with Watering Horses, by Marco Ricci

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

"The Clouds will soon roll by" played here by Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra,
and sung by Val Rosing. Uploaded by JoolyOTR

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. - Mark Twain

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2011-12-07T08:00:00.000Z

WISE MEN SAY

No matter what side of an argument you’re on, you always find some people on your side
that you wish were on the other side. - Jascha Heifetz

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The Lesser Celandine

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

THE LITTLE CELANDINE
(William Wordsworth 1770-1850)

Pansies, lilies, kingcups, daisies,
Let them live upon their praises;
Long as there’s a sun that sets,
Primroses will have their glory;
Long as there are violets,
They will have a place in story;
There’s a flower that shall be mine,
‘Tis the little Celandine.

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JOHN'S GALLERY

Figures among Ruins, by Marco Ricci

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Uploaded by Rready555, this is Jack Hylton and his Orchestra playing "Life is just a bowl of cherries, with vocal chorus sung by Pat O'Malley.

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

A man growing old becomes a child again. - Sophocles

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2011-12-06T08:00:00.002Z

WISE MEN SAY

If you treat a man as he is, he will stay as he is. However, if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be, and could be, he will become that bigger and better man. -
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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The large fountain at Lake Geneva

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

THE ABC
Spike Milligan (1918-2002)

'Twas midnight in the schoolroom
And every desk was shut,
When suddenly from the alphabet
Was heard a loud "Tut-tut!"

Said A to B, "I don't like C,
His manners are a lack,
For all I ever see of C
Is a semi-circular back!"

"I disagree," said D to B,
"I've never found C so,
From where I stand he seems to be
An uncompleted O."

C was vexed, "I'm much perplexed,
You criticise my shape,
I'm made like that, to help spell Cat
And Cow and Cool and Cape."

"He's right" said E; said F, "Whoopee!"
Said G, "'Ip, 'Ip, 'ooray!"
"You're dropping me," roared H to G.
"Don't do it please I pray."

"Out of my way," LL said to K.
"I'll make poor I look ILL."
To stop this stunt J stood in front,
And presto! ILL was JILL.

"U know," said V, "that W
Is twice the age of me,
For as a Roman V is five
I'm half as young as he."

X and Y yawned sleepily,
"Look at the time!" they said.
"Let's all get off to beddy byes."
They did, then "Z-z-z."

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JOHN'S GALLERY

This is the second in this group of paintings by Marco Ricci

Landscape

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

The singer here with Jay Wilbur's Band is Sam Costa, who much later became well-known in ITMA and Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh, and, later still, as a presenter of "Housewives' Choice." The song is "A Fine Romance." Uploaded by razbin.

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

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

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2011-12-05T08:00:00.002Z

WISE MEN SAY

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. - Henry Ford

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Thanks to FreeFoto.com

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY?

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And oft is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

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JOHN'S GALLERY

The Fountain of Love, by Marco Ricci (1676-1730)
This is the first of five paintings being shown here this week.

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

"By the Sleepy Lagoon," composed by Eric Coates, will always be remembered as the signature tune of "Desert Island Discs." Here it's played by Victor Silvester and his Orchestra.
Uploaded by patrickdcyau

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does - except wrinkles.
It's true that some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place. - Abigail Van Buren

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2011-12-04T08:00:00.001Z

WISE MEN SAY

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship. - Buddha

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WHAT A GREAT PICTURE!

Click to enlarge

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

REVERIE
Sophia Scott

The Campsie Fells lay dreaming in the soft sweet summer light,
Little breezes played and whispered round her knees,
She dreamed of days we knew not when the waters lapped her feet
And the glaciers slithered steeply from her sides -
Days when mammoths roamed the valley through the sand dunes weird and high,
And our coal was mosses, ferns and tropic trees.

The long low line of hills was swept by western winds,
And the bracken’s green was long since turned to brown,
Her dreams were sore and troubled, for she heard the tramp of feet
As the Romans marched to Cadder o’er the down;
Till they pitched their tents and sheltered from the winter’s wildest wrath,
And beneath her flanks they built for them a town.

All these days are long since over, long ago and far away,
Changeless still the Campsies lie in summer sheen;
We discover Roman forts and we dig up mammoth bones
In our age of petrol, aeroplanes and steam;
And we build our little houses and we live our little lives,
But the great hills hug their secrets still - and dream.

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JOHN'S GALLERY

Ophelia, by George Frederic Watts (1817-1904)

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Today's record is typical of the kind of popular music being played in Germany before the war. This is Paul Godwin and his Band with "Have a little drink with me." Uploaded by blackeyedjoe.

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

One of the good things about getting older is you find you're more interesting than most of the people you meet. - Lee Marvin

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2011-12-03T08:00:00.000Z

WISE MEN SAY

My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition. - Indira Gandhi

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JOHN'S GALLERY

A Pair of Shoes, by Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

DOWN BY THE SALLY GARDENS
W.B.Yeats (1865-1939)

Down by the Sally Gardens, my love and I did meet.
She crossed the Sally Gardens with little snow-white feet.
She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree,
But I was young and foolish, and with her did not agree.

In a field down by the river, my love and I did stand,
And on my leaning shoulder, she laid her snow-white hand.
She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs
But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears.

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

This is an outstanding record from 1934 by Ray Noble and his Orchestra. Al Bowlly sings the vocal in "Midnight, the Stars and You." Uploaded by 00Helix00

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

At forty I lost my illusions,
At fifty I lost my hair,
At sixty my hope and teeth were gone,
And my feet were beyond repair,
At eighty life has clipped my claws,
I’m bent, and bowed, and cracked,
But I can’t give up the ghost because
My follies are intact. (E Y.Harburg)

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2011-12-02T08:00:00.000Z

WISE MEN SAY

Wise men speak because they have something to say,
fools because they have to say something. - Anon

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JOHN'S GALLERY

Kaaterskill Falls, by Thomas Cole (1801-1848)

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

ANSWER TO A CHILD'S QUESTION
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

Do you ask what the birds say? The Sparrow, the Dove,
The Linnet and Thrush say, “I love and I love!”
In the winter they’re silent - the wind is so strong;
What it says, I don’t know, but it sings a loud song,
But green leaves and blossoms, and sunny warm weather,
And singing and loving - all come back together.
But the Lark is so brimful of gladness and love,
The green fields below him, the blue sky above,
Then he sings and he sings, and for ever sings he -
“I love my Love, and my Love loves me.”

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Ben Selvin's Knickerbockers was a popular band in the States.
This is the 1929 number "You were meant for me." Uploaded by warholsoup100.

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old. - George Burns

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2011-12-01T08:00:00.000Z

WISE MEN SAY

Happiness is not always measured in smiles. - Anon

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JOHN'S GALLERY

Lilacs in a Window, by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

THE QUIET LIFE
Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air
In his own ground.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,
Whose flocks supply him with attire;
Whose trees in summer yield him shade,
In winter fire.

Blest, who can unconcernedly find
Hours, days and years slide soft away
In health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day,

Sound sleep at night; study and ease
Together mixed; sweet recreation,
And innocence, which most does please
With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me die;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Uploaded by Fost0980, this is "Smoke gets in your eyes" played by the BBC Dance Orchestra directed by Henry Hall. The vocalist is Dan Donovan.

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

Age is a very high price to pay for maturity. - Tom Stoppard

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2011-11-30T08:00:00.000Z

WISE MEN SAY

Last words are for fools who haven't said enough. - Karl Marx

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JOHN'S GALLERY

The Soldier's Return, by John Faed (1819-1902)

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

I DREAMED DEATH CAME
Anon

I dreamed death came the other night
And heaven’s gate swung wide,
An angel with a halo bright
Then ushered me inside.

And there to my astonishment
Were folks I’d judged and labelled
As “quite unfit” of “little worth”
And “spiritually disabled.”

Indignant words rose to my lips
But never were set free,
For every face showed stunned surprise -
No one expected me!!!

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

This is one of those cheerful "Keep smiling" songs that were so popular in the 30s -
"Happy days are here again" played by Ambrose and his Orchestra.
Uploaded by JoolyOTR

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

By the time you're eighty years old you've learned everything. You only have to remember it. (George Burns)

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2011-11-29T08:00:00.001Z

WISE MEN SAY

The biggest tragedy in life isn’t people who have failed.
It’s people who haven’t even tried. - David Hempleman-Adams

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JOHN'S GALLERY

Quiet, by James Jacques-Joseph Tissot (1836-1902)

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

MINSTREL MAN
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

Because my mouth
Is wide with laughter
And my throat
Is deep with song,
You do not think
I suffer after
I have held my pain
So long?

Because my mouth
Is wide with laughter,
You do not hear
My inner cry?
Because my feet
Are gay with dancing,
You do not know
I die?

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

There are snatches of five songs in this 1937 recording by Maurice Winnick and his Orchestra.
It's time to say goodnight, Let's put out the lights and go to sleep, Goodnight I'll see you in the morning, Goodnight sweetheart, and finally Maurice Winnick's signature tune The sweetest music this side of heaven. Uploaded by phonomono78s

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AN 80 PLUS QUOTE

Passing your 80th birthday is no great achievement. You just sit still and let it happen.
(Angus McBean)

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2011-11-28T08:00:00.002Z

WISE MEN SAY

A gentleman is a man who knows how to play the banjo, but chooses not to. - Mark Twain

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JOHN'S GALLERY

The Skating Minister, by Henry Raeburn (1756-1823)

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

LOVE IS LIKE THE WILD ROSE-BRIAR
Emily Bronte (1818-1848)

Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Friendship like the holly tree,
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms,
But which will bloom most constantly?

The wild rose-briar is sweet in the spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again
And who will call the wild briar fair?

Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now
And deck thee with the holly’s sheen,
That when December blights thy brow
He may still leave thy garland green.

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Back to 1929 for "Blue Night" played by Percival Mackay and his Band.
The singer is Cavan O'Connor. Once again, thanks to 240252 for this clip.

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2011-11-27T08:00:00.002Z

WISE MEN SAY

Be like a flower and turn your face to the sun. - Kahlil Gibran

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JOHN'S GALLERY

The Captive's Return, by Henry Ryland (1856-1924)

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Some verses giving advice
by
Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

1
A Charme, or an Allay for Love

If so be a toad be laid
In a sheepskin newly flaid,
And that tied to a man ‘twill sever
Him and his affections ever.

2
To Women, to Hide their Teeth, if They be Rotten or Rusty

Close keep your lips, if that you mean
To be accounted inside clean;
For if you cleave them, we shall see
There in your teeth much leprosie

3
To his Book

Who with thy leaves shall wipe (at need)
The place, where swelling piles do breed;
May every ill that bites or smarts
Perplex him in his hinder-parts.

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

"What more can I ask?" is played here by Lew Stone and the Monseigneur Band.
The singer is Al Bowlly.

Uploaded by RomanceAndReflection

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80 plus is updated daily.
The Thomas Hardy Wessex Poet blog
is updated every Sunday - http://thewessexpoet.blogspot.com

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2011-11-26T08:00:00.002Z

WISE MEN SAY . . .

Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work
he is supposed to be doing at that moment. - Robert Benchley

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JOHN'S GALLERY

Val d'Aosta, by John Brett (1831-1902)

Tomorrow - The Captive's Return, by Henry Ryland

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

I'LL BE SEEING YOU
Irving Kahal and Sammy Fain

I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces all day through,
In that small café, the park across the way,
The children's carousel, the chestnut trees, the wishing well.

I'll be seeing you in every lovely summer's day,
In everything that's light and gay,
I'll always think of you that way,
I'll find you in the morning sun
And, when the night is new,
I'll be looking at the moon
But I'll be seeing you.

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Irving Berlin's "Change Partners" is played here by Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Orpheans with vocal by Anne Lenner and George Melachrino. Uploaded by SwingBandHeaven

Tomorrow - What more can I ask? by Lew Stone's Band

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2011-11-25T08:00:00.002Z

from WISE MEN SAY

The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.
- Elie Wiesel

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from JOHN'S GALLERY

Music, by Antoine-Auguste-Ernest Hebert

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

I MEANT TO DO MY WORK TODAY
Richard Le Gallienne (1866-1947)

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.

And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand,
So what could I do but laugh and go?

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Uploaded by CBasie2856, this is one of my all-time favourites
"When somebody thinks you're wonderful" by Fats Waller

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2011-11-24T08:00:00.001Z

from WISE MEN SAY

Much happiness is overlooked because it doesn’t cost anything. - Anon

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from JOHN'S GALLERY

The Rehearsal, by Edmund Blair Leighton

This painting continues the short series with the subject - Making Music. The final one will be shown here tomorrow.

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from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

I SO LIKED SPRING
Charlotte Mew (1880-1914)

I so liked Spring last year
Because you were here;
The thrushes too -
Because it was these you so liked to hear -
I so liked you.

This year’s a different thing,
I’ll not think of you.
But I’ll like Spring because it is simply Spring
As the thrushes do.

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Uploaded by MrDeanMartin, this is a bright Latin-American tune "Dengoza"
played by Edmundo Ros and his Band

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2011-11-23T08:00:00.002Z

from WISE MEN SAY

Some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go. - Oscar Wilde

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from JOHN'S GALLERY

Music, Heavenly Maid, by Edward John Poynter

This painting is the fifth in a short series with the subject - Making Music.
Another one will be shown here tomorrow.

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from 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.

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

"Song of India" was a popular instrumental number which was a big hit for Tommy Dorsey. This is the recording his band made in 1938. Uploaded by WorldWar2Music

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2011-11-22T08:00:00.000Z

from WISE MEN SAY

There may be Peace without Joy, and Joy without Peace,
but the two combined make Happiness. - John Buchan

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from JOHN'S GALLERY

Hush, by James Jacques-Joseph Tissot

This painting is the fourth in a short series with the subject - Making Music.
Another one will be shown here tomorrow.

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from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

O, MY LOVE IS LIKE A RED, RED ROSE
Robert Burns (1759-1796)

O, my love is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
My love is like a melody
That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonny lass,
So deep in love am I;
And I will love thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only love!
And fare thee weel, awhile!
And I will come again, my love,
Though it were ten thousand mile.

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TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Uploaded by 78varvare, this is "The Anniversary Waltz" played by Victor Silvester and his Ballroom Orchestra

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2011-11-21T08:00:00.001Z

from WISE MEN SAY

One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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from JOHN'S GALLERY

When apples were golden and songs were sweet, but summer had passed away,
by John Melhuish Strudwick

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from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

ALL IN THE DOWNS
Tom Hood (The Younger) 1835-1874

I would I had something to do - or to think!
Or something to read, or to write!
I am rapidly verging on Lunacy’s brink,
Or I shall be dead before night.

In my ears has been ringing and droning all day,
Without ever a stop or a change,
That poem of Tennyson’s - heart-cheering lay! -
Of the Moated Monotonous Grange!

The stripes in the carpet and paper alike
I have counted, and counted all through.
And now I’ve a fervid ambition to strike
Out some path of wild pleasure that’s new.

They say if a number you count, and re-count,
That the time imperceptibly goes: -
Ah, I wish - how I wish! - I’d ne’er learnt the amount
Of my aggregate fingers and toes.

“Enjoyment is fleeting,” the proverbs all say,
“Even that, which it feeds upon, fails.”
I’ve arrived at the truth of the saying today,
By devouring the whole of my nails.

I have numbered the minutes, so heavy and slow,
Till of that dissipation I tire.
And as for exciting amusements - you know
One can’t ALWAYS be stirring the fire!

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from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Uploaded by twiddlybobby, this an up-tempo number "Over my Shoulder" played by Roy Fox and his Band with vocalist Peggy Dell

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2011-11-20T08:00:00.000Z

from WISE MEN SAY

Remember when life's path is steep to keep your mind even. - Horace

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from JOHN'S GALLERY

Francesca, by Edward Charles Hallé

This painting is the second in a short series with the subject - Making Music.
Another one will be shown here tomorrow.

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from THOMAS HARDY THE WESSEX POET

THE LITTLE OLD TABLE

Creak, little wood thing, creak,
When I touch you with elbow or knee;
That is the way you speak
Of one who gave you to me!

You, little table, she brought -
Brought me with her own hand,
As she looked at me with a thought
That I did not understand.

Whoever owns it anon,
And hears it, will never know
What a history hangs upon
This creak from long ago.

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from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

This is a 1932 recording of "Try a Little Tenderness" played by Ray Noble and his Orchestra.
Uploaded by JimmyG1983

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More from my other blogs tomorrow.

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2011-11-19T08:00:00.004Z

from WISE MEN SAY

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~ E. E. Cummings

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from JOHN'S GALLERY

A Melody, by John William Godward
This is the first in a short series with the theme Music Making

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from JOHN'S QUIET CORNER

One day a friend called on Michelangelo and found him busy at the final stages of a statue he had been working on.

A week or so later he returned and, finding the sculptor at the same task, said “It appears that you have been idle since I was last here.”

“Indeed, no,” was the answer, “I’ve retouched this part, I’ve polished that part, I’ve softened this feature, I’ve brought out that muscle and I’ve given more expression to the lower lip.”

“But surely all these things are just trifles?” said his friend.

“Perhaps so,” Michelangelo replied, “But trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle.”

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from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Elmer Grosso and his Orchestra playing "My Sweeter than Sweet" from 1929.
Uploaded by 240252

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More from my blogs tomorrow

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2011-11-18T08:00:00.003Z

from WISE MEN SAY

If you judge people, you have no time to love them. - Mother Teresa

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from MY OWN SELECTION OF PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTINGS

Youth and Time, by John William Godward

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from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

THE ISLE OF CAPRI
Jimmy Kennedy

‘Twas on the Isle of Capri that I found her
Beneath the shade of an old walnut tree,
Oh, I can still see the flowers blooming round her
Where we met on the Isle of Capri.

She was as sweet as a rose at the dawning
But somehow fate hadn’t meant her for me,
And though I sailed with the tide in the morning
Still my heart’s on the Isle of Capri.

Summertime was nearly over,
Blue Italian sky above,
I said “Lady, I’m a rover,
Can you spare a sweet word of love?”

She whispered softly “It’s best not to linger,”
Then as I kissed her hand I could see
She wore a plain golden ring on her finger,
‘Twas goodbye on the Isle of Capri.

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from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

This is Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra playing "The Talk of the Town," with the vocal sung by Phyllis Robbins. Uploaded by davidglow3

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More items from my other blogs tomorrow.

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2011-11-17T08:00:00.002Z

from WISE MEN SAY

Fear less, hope more.
Whine less, breathe more.
Talk less, say more.
Hate less, love more,
And all good things are yours. (Anon)

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from THE VISUAL IMAGE SITE

Fire Fancies, by Arthur Hacker

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from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Two Poems by
William Wordsworth

1
Sweet Garden-orchard! of all spots that are
The loveliest surely man hath ever found.
Farewell! we leave thee to heaven's peaceful care.
Thee and the cottage which thou dost surround -

Dear Spot! whom we have watched with tender heed,
Bringing thee chosen plants and blossoms blown
Among the distant mountains, flower and weed
Which thou hast taken to thee as thy own -

O happy Garden! loved for hours of sleep,
O quiet Garden! loved for waking hours.
For soft half-slumbers that did gently steep
Our spirits, carrying with them dreams of flowers.

2
I’ve watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! Indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! - not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!

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from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

The Benny Goodman Sextet play "Gone with what wind."
Uploaded by cdbpdx

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More items from my other blogs tomorrow

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2011-11-16T08:00:00.001Z

from WISE MEN SAY

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open ~John Barrymore

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from JOHN'S GALLERY

Little Red Riding Hood, by Gustave Doré

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from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

ADLESTROP

Edward Thomas (1878-1917)

Yes, I remember Adlestrop -
The name, because one afternoon
Of heat the express-train drew up there
Unwontedly. It was late June.

The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat.
No one left and no one came
On the bare platform. What I saw
Was Adlestrop - only the name

And willows, willow-herb, and grass,
And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,
No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky.

And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.

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from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Ambrose and his Orchestra recorded this number "The Show is Over" in 1934.
The singer is Sam Browne. Thanks to 240252 for uploading it.

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More posts from my other blogs tomorrow.

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2011-11-15T08:00:00.005Z

from WISE MEN SAY

Any idiot can face a crisis – it’s day to day living that wears you out. - Anton Chekhov

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from JOHN'S GALLERY

Cinderella, by Gustave Doré

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from POETRY FOR PLEASURE

LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle -
Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdain'd its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea—
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?

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from TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

Sam Browne is the singer here in "Give a little whistle" with Jack Hylton and his Orchestra.
Thanks to JoolyOTR for uploading the item.

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More posts tomorrow taken from some of my other blogs.

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2011-05-19T08:00:00.002+01:00

A painting, a poem, and a piece of music

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A Summer Morning by E.A. Walton

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The Bath by Harry Graham (1874-1936)

Broad is the gate and wide the path
That leads man to his daily bath;

But e’er you spend the shining hour
With plunge and spray, with sluice and show’r,

With all that teaches you to dread
The bath as little as your bed,

Remember, whereso’er you be,
To shut the door and turn the key.

I had a friend - my friend no more!
Who failed to bolt the bathroom door;

A maiden aunt of his, one day,
Walked in, as half-submerged he lay;

But did not notice nephew John,
And turned the boiling water on!

He had no time or even scope
To camouflage himself with soap,

But gave a yell and flung aside
The sponge ‘neath which he sought to hide!

It fell to earth, I know not where;
He beat his breast in his despair

And then, like Venus from the foam,
Sprang into view and made for home.

His aunt fell fainting to the ground;
Alas! They never brought her round!

She died, intestate, in her prime,
The victim of another’s crime;

And John can never quite forget
How, by a breach of etiquette,

He lost, at one fell swoop (or plunge)
His aunt, his honour, and his sponge!

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This is a most attractive version of "Aquarium" from Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens. It's played by 4 Girls 4 Harps and voices. Uploaded by MisforMusic966

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MORE BLOG CHANGES ON THE WAY

80 plus began on 3rd July 2008 and, with a break of four months last year, has continued weekly. It’s now time to make changes to the blog and I want now to concentrate more on the past, especially the period which particularly interests me, 1900-1930. More details next week.

A Touch of Culture has been very successful, but I’m running short of ideas now. This week’s post will be the last one there for the present, although there’s every possibility that more will follow later on.

Within a few weeks the number of Pre-Raphaelite paintings on My Own Selection blog will have reached 150, and the collection will come to an end. However I will continue to add five paintings every week to John's Gallery.

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2011-05-13T18:42:00.007+01:00

[photo thanks to - http://public-domain-images.blogspot.com - ]

No, your eyes are not deceiving you!

This is a fence decorated with women’s bras.

It all started at Christmas 1999 when four bras were found on the wire fence at Cardrona in Central Otago, New Zealand. Within a few days more were added and soon the idea had caught on; by October of 2000 there were around 200 bras hanging on the fence.

In 2006 the number was estimated to be 800 and the local authorities, declaring the display to be a traffic hazard, had the fence removed.

Spoilsports!!!

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Elsewhere in this blog I’ve made many references to my keen interest in all kinds of music and of the great enjoyment I had performing semi-professionally.

When I was a boy my favourite radio programmes were dance bands and cinema organists. It was quite a thrill for me when I was given the opportunity of practising on the church organ and I thought how wonderful it would be to play in a cinema.

Some time later I decided to find out about cinema organ lessons. It surprises me now to think that I was brave enough to go in to the Odeon in Glasgow and ask to see the organist, Lyndon Laird. He came to the vestibule and explained that, because of wartime restrictions on the use of electricity, the times when the organ could be used were severly limited. However he took me in to a seat in the back stalls, gave me a cigarette and left me to enjoy a free show. I visited him once or twice, and each time we sat at the back of the cinema, discussing music in whispers.

There was just the one occasion when I had a “go” on a cinema organ. I had contacted Frank Olsen (about lessons) who played the Gaumont cinemas in Glasgow and he arranged to meet me in the New Savoy one Saturday morning.

The instrument, a 2 manual Christie, which probably dated from early in the century, had been in the Tivoli, Glasgow before coming to the New Savoy in 1935. I was surprised to find the keys yellow and worn with age, and disappointed to see that the console was fixed and didn’t come up from the depths!

The New Savoy console

What did I play? I can remember two of the pieces. The Giant Fugue by Bach (nicknamed Giant not because of its difficulty or its length, but just because the pedal part was said to resemble the wide strides of a giant) and a popular tune “Memories of You.”

In 1958 the New Savoy closed down and, as usually happened to unwanted organs, the instrument was broken up. I’ve no doubt parts went to augment organs in churches all over the country.

A few weeks later I got my calling up papers for National Service, and I didn’t pursue the idea any further.

However, more than 40 years later, after I retired from office work, I was given the opportunity to play the kind of music the cinema organists used to play. I found that all the local care homes for older folk had electronic organs, and I volunteered to visit them every week and entertain the residents. I played Sousa marches, Strauss waltzes, light classical pieces, songs from the shows and always finishing with a sing-along medley. I was in my element!!!

This is a video of John Bowdler on the famous Wurlitzer at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool. He plays “Pure Imagination” one of the songs from “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” The video uploaded by “RitaSueBob”

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Here are a few memories from the days I entertained old folk.

I remember the first visit I made to one of the homes. I mounted the platform, sat down at the organ, smiled down to my audience, and one VERY old lady said to her neighbours "He was at school with me!"

At another place, there was a old chap who had played sax in a dance band. The old tunes that I played must have brought back memories to him, for occasionally he wiped tears from his eyes.

I was often asked for requests. One old lady wanted the same tune every week "I'll See You in my Dreams," and in the end I always concluded my programme with that number.

On the days when I was expected at the homes, the residents were always seated waiting for me. At one particular place, as soon as I walked into the room, one old woman would get up, walk out and not return till I had finished playing. Someone suggested she was a music-lover!!!

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2011-05-13T18:36:00.002+01:00

THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS AT BLOGGER.COM, AND THE RESULT HAS BEEN THAT EVERYTHING I HAVE POSTED TO MY BLOGS SINCE WEDNESDAY HAS BEEN LOST.

I WILL NOW PUT THEM BACK ON

2011-05-11T16:37:00.000+01:00

[thanks to - http://public-domain-images.blogspot.com - ]

No, your eyes are not deceiving you!

This is a fence decorated with women’s bras.

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Elsewhere in this blog I’ve made many references to my keen interest in all kinds of music, and of the great enjoyment I had performing semi-professionally.

When I was a boy my favourite radio programmes were dance bands and cinema organists. It was quite a thrill for me when I was given the opportunity of practising on the church organ and I thought how wonderful it would be to play in a cinema.

Some time later I decided to find out about cinema organ lessons. It surprises me now to think that I was brave enough to go in to the Odeon in Glasgow and ask to see the organist, Lyndon Laird. He came to the vestibule and explained that, because of wartime restrictions on the use of electricity, the times when the organ could be used were severely limited. However he took me in to a seat in the back stalls, gave me a cigarette and left me to enjoy a free show. I visited him there a number of times and we would sit at the back of the cinema discussing music in whispers.

There was just the one occasion when I had a "go" on a cinema organ. I had contacted Frank Olsen (about lessons) who played the Gaumont cinemas in Glasgow and he arranged to meet me in the New Savoy one Saturday morning.

The instrument, a 2 manual Christie, which probably dated from early in the century, had been in the Tivoli, Glasgow before coming to the New Savoy in 1935. I was surprised to find the keys yellow and worn with age, and disappointed to see that the console was fixed and didn’t come up from the depths!

The New Savoy organ console

What did I play? I can remember two of the pieces. The Giant Fugue by Bach (nicknamed Giant not because of its difficulty or its length, but just because the pedal part was said to resemble the wide strides of a giant) and a popular tune “Memories of You.”

In 1958 the New Savoy closed down and, as usually happened to unwanted organs, the instrument was broken up. I’ve no doubt parts went to augment organs in churches all over the country.

A few weeks after my meeting with Frank Olsen I got my calling up papers for National Service, and I didn’t pursue the idea any further.

However, more than 40 years later, after I retired from office work, I was given the opportunity to play the kind of music the cinema organists used to play. I found that all the local care homes for older folk had electronic organs, and I volunteered to visit them every week and entertain the residents. I played Sousa marches, Strauss waltzes, light classical pieces, songs from the shows, always finishing with a sing-along medley. I was in my element!!!

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This is a video of John Bowdler on the famous Wurlitzer at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool. He plays “Pure Imagination” one of the songs from “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” The video uploaded by “RitaSueBob”

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Finally, some memories of entertaining old people.

I remember my first visit to a care home. When I sat down at the organ and smiled down to the audience, one VERY old lady pointed to me and announced to her neighbours "He was in my class at school."

At another home one of the residents had been a sax player in a dance band. Sometimes I noticed him wiping away tears, as I played an old sentimental number.

Often I would play requests. One old lady asked for the same song every week "I'll SeeYou in my Dreams," and eventually I always concluded my programme with it.

The residents knew when I was due to appear and they would all be seated in the lounge waiting. At one home however, a certain lady would get up as soon as I arrived, walk out the room and return only when I had finished. Someone suggested that she was a music lover!!!

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Apologies!

2011-05-04T14:56:00.003+01:00

For various reasons I haven't been able to compile anything for 80 plus this week.

Perhaps you'd be interested to see last month's viewing figures for my blogs

John's Gallery - 881
The Pre-Raphaelites - 757
Wise Men Say - 539
Quiet Corner - 320
Touch of Culture - 275
80 plus - 187
Come Surf the Net - 109
Let's Hear That Song Again - not yet available
That Was Another Good Read - not yet available

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2011-04-28T08:00:00.002+01:00

While I was preparing my “Come Surf the Net” blog, I found many unusual videos. I’ve chosen five very short ones to share with you, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.

The first one is the song "Volare," played by the Japanese quartet Vanilla Mood. Uploaded by "winrysdarkside"

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This is a 4 year old tackling “The Entertainer.” Uploaded by “heikohoff”

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I don’t remember seeing this before. Uploaded by “widjadidja”

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A demonstration of the Cakewalk. This dance was developed during the time of slavery in the southern states in America. Its popularity came to a peak in the 1890-1910 period. Uploaded by “2PlySwing”

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Finally, breakfast with Ginger. Uploaded by “sawith65”

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now online - “Let’s hear that song again” - this week featuring Lew Stone
http://letshearthatsongagain.blogspot.com

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2011-04-21T08:04:00.000+01:00

I’m sure most people would prefer Easter to be celebrated on the same weekend every year.

Despite the fact that it’s a religious festival, the date is determined by the moon - Easter Sunday is always the Sunday which follows the first full moon after 21st March. Confusing?

To make things more complicated, Easter Sunday is not the same over Europe, because Western churches use the Gregorian calendar and Eastern churches the Julian calendar.

In pre-Christian times there was a pagan festival in March to celebrate the arrival of spring, and in particular Eostre who was the Goddess of Spring.

When I was a young boy, Easter wasn’t really important in Scottish life. Holy Week wasn’t observed and as for Good Friday - that was the day we got hot cross buns! Easter Monday was the Spring holiday in Glasgow, but in many other places the holiday was either the Monday before or the Monday after.

On Sunday of course we attended church. That was certainly an important occasion because, apart from the religious significance, Easter Sunday was the day when all the women and girls turned out in new hats, dresses, etc. And I’m sure there was quite a bit of rivalry between certain ladies!

It was just recently I learned that by the end of the 16th century it had become the fashion to wear new clothes at Easter. Much later, Poor Robin who was an 18th century almanac maker is recorded as saying -

At Easter let your clothes be new
Or else be sure you will it rue.

And new bonnets leads us to Easter Parades. This is an American cultural event which over the years has spread to other parts of the world. I was pleased to find this photograph of the 1900 New York parade on 5th Avenue.

Of course I just had to include Irving Berlin’s famous song, and I liked this cheery version.

Thanks to David of http://www.livevideo.com/Blueeagle48 for the video

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BLOG NEWS

Since more and more folk have been visiting JOHN’S GALLERY lately, I’ve decided to add more paintings to the site. This will begin on Saturday with 5 paintings by Sir Edwin Landseer. http://johnsgallery.blogspot.com

I’ve been planning 2 new blogs and the first of those starts on Tuesday next week - “Let’s hear that song again!” which features dance band music of the 1930s.
http://letshearthatsongagain.blogspot.com

And the other is “That was another good read!” which begins on Wednesday 4th May. I’ve subtitled it - Great moments from Classic Fiction.
http://thatwasanothergoodread.blogspot.com

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2011-04-14T08:04:00.000+01:00

First you are young, then you are middle-aged, then you are old, then you are wonderful. (Lady Diana Cooper)

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An eighty-year old man had been to the doctor for a complete check-up. A few days later the doctor met him in the street with a gorgeous dolly-bird on his arm.

At the old fellow’s next visit to the surgery, the doctor told him, “You’re really doing great. Considering how old you are, your health is excellent.” The old man replied, “I’m just doing what you said - get a hot mamma and be cheerful!“

The doctor said, “No, no, I didn't say that. I said - you got a heart murmur; be careful!”

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Thought I'd let my doctor check me,

'Cause I didn't feel quite right. . .
All those aches and pains annoyed me
And I couldn't sleep at night.

He could find no real disorder
But he wouldn't let it rest.
What with Medicare and Blue Cross,
We would do a couple of tests.

To the hospital he sent me
Though I didn't feel that bad.
He arranged for them to give me
Every test that could be had.

I was fluoroscoped and cystoscoped,
My aging frame displayed.
Stripped, on an ice cold table,
While my gizzards were x-rayed.

I was checked for worms and parasites,
For fungus and the crud,
While they pierced me with long needles
Taking samples of my blood.

Doctors came to check me over,
Probed and pushed and poked around,
And to make sure I was living
They then wired me for sound.

They have finally concluded,
Their results have filled a page.
What I have will someday kill me;
My affliction is old age. (Anon)

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I am an old man and have known many troubles, but most of them never happened. (Mark Twain and others)

One of the good things about getting older is you find you're more interesting than most of the people you meet. (Lee Marvin)

In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. (Abraham Lincoln)

By the time you're eighty years old you've learned everything. You only have to remember it. (George Burns)

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

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A row of bottles on my shelf
Caused me to analyze myself.
One yellow pill I have to pop
Goes to my heart so it won't stop.

A little white one that I take
Goes to my hands so they won't shake.
The blue ones that I use a lot
Tell me I'm happy when I'm not.

The purple pill goes to my brain
And tells me that I have no pain.
The capsules tell me not to wheeze
Or cough or choke or even sneeze.

The red ones, smallest of them all
Go to my blood so I won't fall.
The orange ones, very big and bright
Prevent my leg cramps in the night.

Such an array of brilliant pills
Helping to cure all kinds of ills.
But what I'd really like to know
Is what tells each one where to go. (Anon)

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2011-04-07T08:04:00.000+01:00

It's interesting to listen to two recordings of Glenn Miller's music, the first one by his original band in 1939, and the second in 2005 by the European Glenn Miller Orchestra led by Wil Salden. The latter, along with the UK Glenn Miller orchestra and the American Glenn Miller Orchestra, have been officially sanctioned by the Miller estate.

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2011-03-31T08:02:00.002+01:00

There are three signs of old age. The first is loss of memory - I can’t remember the other two. (Red Skelton)

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I was interested to find this list which claims to show the top selling writers of all time. They’re in alphabetical order.

Barbara Cartland
Agatha Christie
Jackie Collins
Stephen King
Louis L’Amour
Harold Robbins
J.K. Rowling
William Shakepeare
Sidney Sheldon
Georges Simenon
Danielle Steel

Shakespeare would be delighted to find himself in such illustrious company!!!

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The Harbour at North Shields by Joseph Crawhall 1861-1913,
one of the “Glasgow Boys” school of painters
[click to enlarge]
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The Girls’ Empire was an annual published more than a hundred years ago. The edition of 1903 is available from Amazon. The contents include what to wear when exercising with a Sandow Grip Dumb-Bell and how to give your poodle a French clip. The aim of the book is "to inform and entertain girls - with short stories, career advice, Cosy Corner Chats, and much much more.”

The writer of the article on “Cycling for Girls” lays a lot of emphasis on being properly dressed.

“Anything trimmed, showy or conspicuous on a bicycle looks not only unladylike but also unworkmanlike.”

It’s suggested that you should get your skirt from a good tailor, but, if you’re unable to afford that, make one yourself. A good pattern is necessary and also someone to help you arrange it on the bicycle “which should be firmly fixed to the stand, with its back to a long mirror. You then mount it, and get your skirt, which is only tacked together, pulled down and arranged evenly on either side of the back wheel. If the folds fall straight and meet together while you are still, well and good, but that is by no means all! The great test comes when you commence to pedal, which you must manage to do, exercising great care in the management of your stationary mount. You should be able to move the knees forward without disturbing the set of back pleats.

If you are tall, don’t cut your riding skirt short, as that has a very awkward effect. But in either case, whether long or short, I should advise you to wear elastic straps on each side to fix it down to your legs. Even if you are quite young, and a very small girl, you don’t want to present the unseemly spectacle of wind-blown frock and uncovered legs that one often beholds in the streets. If your skirt is short, you had best fasten it to the knees; if long, round the foot under the instep . . . . Get wide, black elastic, or, if you wear tan shoes, brown elastic. Make a loop to fit over your instep, or round your leg, as preferred, which you sew on to the skirt about four inches above the bottom edge.”

I love that phrase “management of your stationary mount.”

And also this paragraph from an article about health -

“One of the most useful adjuncts to exercise is the use of the cold bath. It seems to put a life and vigour into our bodies, and we are enabled to go about our daily occupation feeling full of go and ready for what might happen.”

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This is a slide show of photographs of Victorian children. What a contrast between the upper class children and the very poor ones shown towards the end!

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Finally some interesting statistics about my blogs.

So far, during the month of March, the number of visits to each site has been

Pre-Raphaelite blog 573
Wise Men Say 405
John’s Gallery 230
Touch of Culture 192
80 Plus 183
Quiet Corner 154
Come Surf The Net 35 (This new blog began on Saturday)

In view of the increased interest shown in the Pre-Raphaelite site, I’m beginning a fourth series on Wednesday 6th April.

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2011-03-24T08:02:00.002Z

I expect most folk at one time or another have received an e-mail, usually containing a sentimental story or poem, and been asked to send it on to 10 friends. Often there’s the promise that, if you carry out the request, good fortune will come to you. I’ve been giving this some thought.

Let’s assume that I’ve gone completely batty and I send off one of those e-mails to 10 people. If each of them send it to 10 friends, that means 100 folk so far are involved. If all those continue the scheme, the number of people will have reached 1,000. And so on. Theoretically 10,000, even 100,000 folk could have taken part within a few days.

And all of them enjoying good fortune!!! Wonderful!!!

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Continuing reminiscing about medicines we got when we were children, I’ve been reminded of one or two that I had forgotten.

The cure for a sore throat was gargling with salty water, but I vaguely remember getting some kind of warm poultice put round my neck.

Dock leaves were used for nettle stings. And a small bottle of iodine was always produced for a cut, a small wound or a grazed knee.

I was reading in another blog that bleeding from small cuts could be arrested by the application of greaseproof paper with butter spread on it.

For some children the cure for constipation was blackberries and for others raw or cooked onions.

It seems that a mixture of sulphur and treacle was given once a week to many children, and that’s something I hadn’t heard of.

Also new to me was brown paper sprinkled with vinegar and pepper applied to the cheek to combat the toothache. In our family the cure was the application of oil of cloves to the gum, but I don’t think it was all that successful.

I’ve just remembered another bottle on the medicine shelf - Sloan’s Liniment, for aches and pains.

Finally, Jean has been telling me about sugarolly water which her father used to make. A mixture of liquorice sticks and water was put into a lemonade bottle and given a really good shaking. It was put aside for a week and apparently one could tell from its black colour whether it was ready or not. Jean says this was a real treat and one that she always looked forward to.

She remembers this rhyme -

Sugarolly wah-ter, black as the lum,
Gaither up peens an’ ye’ll a’ get some.

Translation -
Sugarolly water, black as the chimney,
Gather up pins and you’ll all get some.

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Norman the Nerd says, “Hi there! Did you know that in 2010 there were 152 million blogs? Well, there’s going to be one more on Saturday when COME SURF THE NET begins. Don’t forget the address
http://comesurfthenet.blogspot.com

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View in Suffolk by Thomas Gainsborough 1727-1788

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I discovered this amazing YouTube yesterday - André Rieu and his Orchestra with special guest Akim Camara

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Thanks to http://www.graphicshunt.com for the cartoon image.

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2011-03-17T08:02:00.000Z

My little piece in last week’s blog DO YOU REMEMBER led me to recall other things pertaining to my boyhood - medicines!!!

I was always needing something to “build me up” and the doctor usually prescribed a bottle of brown stuff. There was of course the occasional dose of syrup of figs or castor oil, and for a while (perhaps in the winter time) we were given a daily spoonful of malt and cod liver oil. There was also emulsion - this was a white thick substance in a bottle and it too was administered in a spoon. I remember something that we called thermogen - it was like a big chunk of pink cotton wool, and it was placed on my chest under my pyjama jacket at bedtime. Perhaps this was used if I had a cold in my chest.

This advert will bring back memories -

Here Kelloggs confidently claim that their product is “A Plateful of Health.”

And now a few health tips from past ages -

The head and feet keep warm,
The rest will take no harm.

Button to chin
Till May be in,
Cast ne’er a clout
Till May be out.

After dinner sit awhile,
After supper walk a mile.

Our fathers who were wondrous wise
Did wash their throats before they washed their eyes.

Use three physicians’ skill - first, Dr Quiet,
Then Dr Merriman and Dr Diet.

He that wants to live for aye
Must eat sage in May.

In health they do abuse
Nature, who Physic use.

Throw physic to the dogs. I’ll none of it! (William Shakespeare)

Better to hunt in fields, for health unbought,
Than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught,
The wise, for cure, on exercise depend;
God never made his work for man to mend. (John Dryden)

And finally an old favourite -

Early to bed, early to rise,
Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

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This is Kindu Kodi Sonovason (Cody) who rules the roost in our daughter Lesley’s home.
He is a basenji, also known as an Egyptian or African dingo.

CODY’S MANTRA

If I like it, it’s mine
If it’s in my mouth it’s mine
If I played with it EVER, it’s mine
If I can take it from you, it’s mine
If it’s mine, it can never be yours
Even if it looks like yours, it’s mine
If you’ve had it, put it down, it’s mine
If I chew it, all the bits are mine
If it was yours, get over it
Because once it’s broken, IT’S YOURS!

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Hi, it’s me again - Norman the Nerd! Did you know that by December 2010, there were 255,000,000 websites worldwide. We’ll be looking at just a few of them when the new blog COME SURF THE NET begins on Saturday 26th March at - http://comesurfthenet.blogspot.com

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“I only have eyes for you” was written in 1934 by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. In 1950 it was revived by Peggy Lee and after that the song kept cropping up for the next 20 years or so.
This recording by Ambrose and his Orchestra was made in 1934. Sam Browne is the vocalist.
The video was devised by Richard Hawkey -
http://www.youtube.com/user/SwingBandHeaven

Thanks to http://www.graphicshunt.com for the cartoon image.

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2011-03-10T08:02:00.001Z

DO YOU REMEMBER . . . .

when milk was delivered to your doorstep in glass bottles?

when a film, a short feature, a cartoon and a newsreel were all included in a night at the pictures?

when washing had to be put through a ringer to squeeze out the excess water?

when the bus conductress was in charge, belling the driver when to stop and when to start? Between bus stops she would do her rounds collecting the fares.

when the usual way of getting a TV was not to buy one, but to get it on rental? A weekly visit to the TV shop with the payments book was a must.

when the TV was switched on before the start of the scheduled programmes, this test card was displayed on the screen?

when the commercial station Radio Luxembourg was famous for its broadcasts of popular music?

when very often two houses had to share a phone line?

If you remember all these things, you must be getting on a bit.

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IF YOU REMEMBER (as I do) . . . .

well-dressed gents wearing spats,

gas-lit street lamps, horse-driven vans, listening to Harry Lauder on the wireless, Mrs Simpson, the launch of the Queen Mary, the Lambeth Walk, and young ladies sporting the earphone hairstyle

Then you’re definitely ancient!!!

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This is a humorous poem from the 18th century. Great fun!

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

A friend of mine was married to a scold,
To me he came and all his troubles told.
Said he, “She’s like a woman raving mad.”
“Alas, my friend” said I, “that’s very bad.”
“No, not so bad,” said he, “for with her, true,
I had both house and land, and money too.”

“That was well,” said I;
“No, not so well,” said he;
“For I and her own brother
Went to law with one another;
I was cast, the suit was lost,
And every penny went to pay the cost.”

“That was bad,” said I;
“No, not so bad,” said he;
“For we agreed that I the house should keep,
And give to me four score of Yorkshire sheep,
All fat and fine and fair, they were to be.”
“Well then,” said I, “sure that was well for thee?”

“No, not so well,” said he,
“For though the sheep I got, every one died of the rot.”
“That was bad,” said I;
“No, not so bad,” said he,
“For I had thought to scrape the fat,
And keep it in an oaken vat,
Then into tallow melt for winter store.”
“Well then,” said I, “That’s better than before.”

“Twas not so well,” said he,
“For having got a clumsy fellow
To scrape the fat and melt the tallow,
Into the melting fat the fire catches,
And, like brimstone matches,
Burnt my house to ashes.
“That WAS bad,” said I;
“No, not so bad,” said he, “for what is best,
My scolding wife got burnt up with the rest!” (Anon)

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“Hi there! I’m Norman the Nerd from COME SURF THE NET. This new blog begins on 26th March. More details next week.”

Norman appears thanks to http://www.graphicshunt.com

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Some cheery Scottish music accompanies this video of old postcards and pictures of Speyside.

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2011-03-03T08:02:00.000Z

I like a nice cup of tea in the morning
For to start the day you see,
And at half-past eleven, well my idea of heaven
Is a nice cup of tea.

I like a nice cup of tea with my dinner
And a nice cup of tea with my tea,
And when it’s time for bed, there’s a lot to be said
For a nice cup of tea.
(popular song from the 1930s)

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“That tea-drinking has become a gigantic social evil no one will deny. In America alone one million pounds, and in England even more, are expended every year in the purchase of the drug; and the evil is growing at an alarming rate.”

That’s the opening paragraph in an article published early in the 1900s.

The writer links the horrible habit with coffee, smoking, cocaine and whisky, and goes at some length describing what happens in our bodies when we indulge in any of those. Having explained how leather is made, he (or she) continues “. . . when a man eats a piece of beefsteak and drinks a strong cup of tea, the tannic acid of the tea combines with the connective tissue of the steak, and the latter is converted into leather.”

Apparently tea contains a poisonous substance called thein, and we’re told that one eighth of a grain of thein will kill a frog, five grains will kill a rabbit, and seven and a half will kill a cat. “There is more than an ounce of poison in a pound of tea, enough to kill seventy rabbits or fifty cats.” Scary stuff!!!

“The cup that cheers but does not inebriate” is a well-known phrase from Thomas Cowper’s “The Task,” and of course refers to a cup of tea. So I was astonished to read in the closing paragraphs of the article that tea can make you drunk!!!

It had been reported that some girls in a tea factory had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly, despite having taken no alcoholic liquor. Instead they had chewed tea leaves constantly as they carried out their work in the factory.

“In many an English cottage home you invariably find a pot of villainous tea brewing on the hob all day long . . . . the impaired digestions and decayed teeth which cause so many of our recruits to be rejected . . . . has become a question of national importance.”

Not to worry, however. I found the following in Wikipedia, and I think I’m quite safe drinking my four cups of tea a day.

“Tea leaves contain more than 700 chemicals, among which the compounds closely related to human health are flavanoides, amino acids, vitamins (C, E and K), caffeine and polysaccharides. Moreover, tea drinking has recently proven to be associated with cell-mediated immune function of the human body. Tea plays an important role in improving beneficial intestinal microflora, as well as providing immunity against intestinal disorders and in protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage. The role of tea is well established in normalizing blood pressure, lipid depressing activity, prevention of coronary heart diseases and diabetes by reducing the blood-glucose activity."

Finally, it was the writer Norwood Pratt who gave this advice :-

“If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are heated, it will cool you; if you're depressed, it will cheer you; if you're excited, it will calm you.”

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Of course there's only one way to finish the blog. This is an excellent video by Softly Jazz (Conchita Castillo - vocals, Marina Fainytska - piano and Andrij Malyarenko - bass guitar) with a modern version of “Tea for Two.” The accompanying pictures are great.

Thanks to “Sweetvoiceforyou” for the video, and to http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart for the image

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2011-02-24T08:02:00.001Z

When I was a boy, my parents opened a savings account for me. I was given a bank book in my name, and felt quite grown-up going into the bank and making my small deposit.

I remember the words that appeared on the first page of the bank book - “Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.” And at the bottom of the page I read that I should never be ashamed of depositing small sums, and was assured that “the manager will rejoice to see you with your shilling.”

There are many Scottish proverbs and sayings about money, and here are a few.

Mony a mickle maks a muckle (Saving a small amount increases to a large amount)
The deaf man aye hears the clink o’ money
Wilful waste makes woeful want
A fou purse never lacks freens (A full purse never short of friends)
He that spends his gear before he gets it will hae but little guid o't (If you spend money before you get it, you won’t get much benefit from it)
Greed is envy’s aulder brither. Scraggy wark they mak thegither (Greed is envy’s older brother. Together, they make a poor job of things.)
And a very old one -
Ask thy purse what thou shouldst spend

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I must admit that I miss those far off days when I produced my bank book each time I made a transaction and had it marked up. Nowadays they try to persuade me to use the automatic teller thing (they have one inside and one outside) but I prefer to join the queue and have a real person deal with me!

And while I’m thinking of the good old days, I look back fondly when customers were served by shop assistants at the counter and all their purchases were brought to them. Mind you, I suppose I’ve got used to trailing around supermarket aisles. And we’re fortunate in Sainsbury’s where you can always find an assistant who will actually take you find the item you’re seeking. Not so in Tesco’s where often can’t find anyone to help.

Now, to change the subject, here are 4 great photographs which I found on stumbleupon.com

Click on them to enlarge.

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George Shearing 1919-2011

One of the greatest jazz pianists of the 20th century died on 14th February.

Blind from birth, the youngest of a family of nine, he was brought up in London. His father was a coalman, and his mother looked after the children during the day and cleaned trains at night. While still a young man, his reputation as a fine pianist was well-known. In 1947 he emigrated to America. He was not forgotten in his home country and in 1996 the Queen awarded him the OBE. There was a further honour in 2006 when he was knighted becoming Sir George Shearing.

This is a nice example of his gentle style of playing.

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2011-02-17T08:02:00.001Z

I wonder if you’ve seen anything like this before. I certainly hadn’t. Double click for a big enlargement.

It’s the guide for a “Painting by Numbers” picture.

In the few years before I retired, I enjoyed working with water-colours and also charcoal, and recently I had the notion to try my hand again at painting. I thought, to begin with, I’d try painting by numbers.

Now, if I had made my purchase in a shop, I would have seen the numbered pattern on the box and would have realised how fiendishly difficult it would be. However, the illustration on Amazon’s website looked great and so I’m now struggling to re-create Renoir’s masterpiece “The Luncheon of the Boating Party.”

When I began working on it, I estimated that I would have completed it by July!!! However, now that a few weeks have passed, I’m thinking probably Easter.

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When my sister Rita and I get together, the conversation very often turns to the time when we were children.

Last week end we were reminiscing and I was remembering that, when visiting a house where there was a piano, or when guests came to our home, we would usually be asked to perform. I told her that I was always sitting quietly, desperate to hear the question “Are you going to play something for us, John?” From what Rita said, I think she was sitting quietly, hoping that she wouldn’t be asked to perform!!!

And that reminded me of an old Gracie Field song written by Noel Gay and Desmond Carter. Here are some of the words . . . .

I took my harp to a party
But nobody asked me to play,
The others were jolly and hearty
But I wasn't feeling so gay.
They might have said, "Play us a tune we can sing."
But somehow I don't think they noticed the thing.

They asked Mrs. Morgan to play her mouth-organ
And somebody else did a dance
They let Mrs. Carter perform a sonata
But I wasn't given a chance.

A north country person called Sandy McPherson
Played bagpipes and took off his coat.
While both the Miss Fawcetts bust out of their corsets
In trying to take a top note.

The others were jolly and hearty
But I wasn't feeling so gay.
I felt so ashamed at not striking a note
That I tried to hide the thing under me coat

They sang "Home Sweet Home" and "The Banks of Loch Lomond"
And "All the King's Horses" and "Trees"
While nephews and nieces kept playing their pieces
And spreading their jam on the keys.

A daughter called Lena, played her concertina
We all played ridiculous games,
Till old Mr. Dwyer set his whiskers on fire
And a fire engine played on the flames.

Yes, I took me harp to a party
But nobody asked me to play
So I flung the darned thing away!!!

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When we were much older, we played piano duets together and did quite a bit of entertaining around the town. In fact, we popped up so often at social evenings that possibly some folk would whisper to their neighbour “Oh no, not those two again!!!”

We had a big book of duets, consisting of light classical pieces from the Victorian era. I remember one which wasn’t in that collection - “Country Gardens” by Percy Grainger. So to bring back more memories for Rita, here it is played by Daniel Adni.

Now at John’s Gallery -
Five famous paintings including the Mona Lisa
http://johnsgallery.blogspot.com

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2011-02-10T08:02:00.000Z

Some years ago, when our eldest daughter Margaret was in Borneo, she visited the famous Sepilok Reserve for orangutans. Founded in 1964, the Centre’s purpose then was to rehabilitate orphan orangutans, and today there’s a population of 60-80 animals.

During their tour of the reserve, Margaret and her husband came across a cage containing just one occupant - a very old, blind orangutan.

Visitors can feed the animals with fruit, and, having attracted the old fellow’s attention, Margaret gave him a large papaya. You can imagine her surprise when he took the offering, broke it in half and handed one half back to her!

When he had finished eating his portion, Margaret then passed her half back to him. Again he took it, halved it and gave half back. And this happened one more time!

She says she found the incident very moving and I can quite understand that. If only humans were all as generous!!!

Margaret always takes a huge number of photographs on her travels, but this is one Google found for me.

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Now, if you know what “mancinism” is, go to the top of the class.

Perhaps you’d like some clues?

People with this condition are more likely to have allergies.
Most parrots have this.
Mensa claims that 20% of their members are affected.
It’s 3 times more likely in males than in females.
Between 8 and 15% of the world population have this.
In Scotland those folk are “corrie-fisted” - yes, left-handed!

I’m naturally left-handed, but, even before I began school, I had been “corrected” and taught to write and draw with my right hand.

However, there are so many things I do with my left hand - throw a ball, shave, untie a knot, dial a phone number, punch in the numbers on the burglar alarm, turn a key in a lock. I hold a table tennis bat in either hand, but kick a ball with my left foot.

Of course, real left-handers are in good company. Among the many famous folk in that category you’ll find Albert Einstein, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Charlie Chaplin, Judy Garland, Harpo Marx, Benjamin Britten, Paul McCartney, Magnus Magnusson, Winston Churchill, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Lewis Carroll.

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Now, here's something to think about - - - -

Man is dear to man; the poorest poor
Long for some moments in a weary life
When they can know and feel that they have been
Themselves the fathers and the givers-out
Of some small blessings; have been kind to such
As needed kindness, for the single cause
That we have all of us one common heart. (William Wordsworth)

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And a picture to marvel at - - - -

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Today at JOHN'S GALLERY - Schoolmates, by the Scottish painter Sir James Guthrie
http://johnsgallery.blogspot.com

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A CHANGE OF HEART . . . .

2011-02-07T09:56:00.006Z

Yes, I've had second thoughts about this blog.

I was surprised to see that a good number of people are still logging on to 80 plus, and so it WILL continue!

I'll try to prepare something for Thursday, but in the meantime here's a nice picture.

Click to enlarge

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2011-01-20T08:10:00.003Z

For a number of years now, I've enjoyed surfing the net and collecting paintings and photographs that I've found there.

Here are three photos taken in the High Street and Saltmarket areas of 19th century Glasgow.

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My parents were both born in the last decade of the 19th century, and there will undoubtedly have been places in Kirkintilloch just like those shown above.

This photo of my father was probably taken in 1914 when he joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

I think it would be around that time when my mother (on the left) was photographed with a friend.

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BLOG NEWS

This week-end my new site JOHN'S GALLERY begins with 4 paintings by Jan Vermeer, including my favourite "The Girl with the Pearl Earring." Then from Monday onwards I will be adding a painting each week-day.
The address is http://johnsgallery.blogspot.com

The Pre-Raphaelite blog will continue on week-days, Quiet Corner on Tuesdays, The Poetry Path on Wednesdays, and A Touch of Culture on Fridays.

Wise Men Say, which has the biggest following, will achieve a record of sorts next month, for it will have been going for 5 years.

As you can see, all these websites will keep me busy, but something must go and I've decided that today's post on EIGHTY PLUS will be the last.

I always like to finish up with something from YouTube, so here's a record from 1931 - "You're Driving Me Crazy" played by the original BBC Dance Orchestra led by Jack Payne. The vocalist is Val Rosing.

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2011-01-13T08:05:00.000Z

BLOG NEWS

Three weeks ago, having posted 80 paintings, I brought my Pre-Raphaelite blog to an end.

However since then, more and more people have been logging on to the site, and so I decided to do a second series.

This will begin on Saturday 15th January, with the four Pygmalion paintings by Edward Burne-Jones.

When the Pre-Raphaelite blog finished, I began to prepare for a new site in which I would collect my favourite paintings from all schools of art. This will go ahead as planned, and “John’s Gallery” will begin on Saturday 22nd January at - http://johnsgallery.blogspot.com

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The Poetry Path site this week features some love poems by Henry VIII, and next Wednesday I will post two of William Wordsworth’s Lyrical Ballads.

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Tomorrow the subject on A Touch of Culture is classical guitar music, with some great playing on the 5 short videos.

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“The Harbour at St.Monance” by the Glasgow-born artist Alexander Ignatius Roche (1861-1921)

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2011-01-06T08:05:00.000Z

First, a reminder that 80 plus will now be an occasional blog, appearing from time to time on Thursdays.

Yesterday saw the start of my new blog THE POETRY PATH which will be updated every Wednesday. The address is - http://thepoetrypath.blogspot.com

Wise Men Say began again on Tuesday, A Touch of Culture resumes tomorrow with a short feature on Lewis Carroll, and Quiet Corner is back on Monday.

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Thanks to FreeFoto for this colourful picture. Just what we need at this time of the year!

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Watching the Queen deliver her Christmas Day message, I was reminded of a very emotive broadcast given by her father George VI. The occasion was Christmas 1939, just a few months after the start of World War II.

Because of his speech impediment, he spoke very slowly and deliberately, and this made his message sound all the more serious. “A new year is at hand,” he told us, “we cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continual struggle we shall remain undaunted.” And he concluded with a quote which has now become famous. The words are from a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins.

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied, “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

I believe that the thought expressed in those simple words had a profound effect on all who heard the broadcast.

That led me to remember another royal broadcast, this one four years earlier, on 11th December 1936 when I was 11 years old. That was when the uncrowned King Edward announced on the radio that he was abdicating. I remember the unusually serious faces of my parents as they sat listening to the King’s message which told the nation of his inability to do his job “as I would have wished” without the support of “the woman I love.” The woman in question of course was Mrs. Simpson, a twice-divorced American who was considered to be quite unsuitable a person to be our Queen.

And, while I’m reminiscing, I must tell you of another broadcast (not a royal one) which caused some excitement at the time. It happened on the evening of 15th October 1940. As usual we were sitting in the living room listening to the news on the wireless. Suddenly there was some kind of crashing sound from the radio. The announcer Bruce Belfrage hesitated for a moment or two, and then carried on reading the news.

Later we learned that a 500 lb bomb had been dropped on broadcasting house, killing 7 BBC staff members. There was a great deal of praise for Bruce Belfrage who had managed to keep going, despite the fact that the ceiling had fallen around him.

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Here’s a great quote for the New Year . . . .

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

To finish, there are some excellent pictures of Scotland in this short slide show.

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2010-12-23T08:05:00.000Z

BEST WISHES TO EVERYONE FOR CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR

2010-12-16T08:10:00.000Z

Following the very heavy snowfall, I ventured out one afternoon to take photographs, and here are a few of them. The last picture shows 18 inches of snow on our patio table.

At the end of this blog, there’s a photo that Fiona sent me, showing two feet of snow.

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Nearly three weeks after the cold spell began there are still patches of snow lying here and there, and, particularly on pavements, hard-packed ice makes walking difficult.

For three days last week there were no buses running in the Kirkintilloch area, and none at all in our village for most of the week. We managed to keep our house reasonably warm, but in some places people were without electricity or gas.

Jean was reminded of this Glasgow verse -

Winter has came, the snow has fell,
Wee Josie’s nose is froze as well,
Wee Mary’s nose is red and skintit,
Winter’s diabolic, in’t it?

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I like this painting by an unknown artist -

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The New Year is a good time for new ideas, new plans, new beginnings. I’ve been re-thinking my blogs and am making some changes.

80 plus will become an occasional blog appearing on Thursdays every so often.
The Pre-Raphaelite site will come to an end next week, when 80 paintings will have been collected.
With the exception of Christmas and New Year week-ends, Quiet Corner will continue on Mondays, A Touch of Culture on Fridays, and Wise Men Say daily.
And a new weekly blog The Poetry Path will start on Wednesday 5th January. You can have a look at the website now at -
http://thepoetrypath.blogspot.com

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I was delighted to discover this YouTube presentation of “Ding Dong! Merrily on High.” It has been expertly devised by Tom Roush.

Now for the two feet of snow . . . . . . . .

BEST WISHES TO EVERYONE FOR CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR

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2010-12-09T08:10:00.000Z

THINKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS PAST

Christmas in the 1930s was very different from the Christmases of today.

In Scotland Christmas Day was just like any other working day, with offices, shops and factories open as usual. Hogmanay and the New Year were much more important, New Year’s Day being a general holiday.

I believe that there was midnight Mass in most Catholic churches on Christmas Eve, but the other churches didn’t have any services, either then or on Christmas Day.

We children of course became very excited as the big day drew near. I remember that the living room in our tenement house looked wonderful, with paper decorations round the walls and across the ceiling. I mentioned in a earlier blog that my sister Rita doesn’t think we got many presents. I seem to remember that we did, but memory can play tricks and I may be thinking of one particular Christmas.

Each year we went to the Sunday School party where we played the usual games and Santa Claus handed out gifts to us all. I don’t think people had Christmas trees in their homes in those days, but there was always a beautifully-decorated tree at the party.

Our parents usually took us to Glasgow to see Santa Claus in a big store. On one occasion we were passing through a number of corridors lined with toys and novelties, when we came across a huge teddy bear, taller than an adult. As we passed it, our father shook its paw and said “How d’you do?” Its head fell off and rolled along the floor. We left it where it was, and hurried into the next corridor!

On the Sunday nearest Christmas Day, we sang the usual Christmas hymns in church, but there was no tree and no decorations.

It wasn’t till the late 1940s that Scotland began to make more of Christmas. Perhaps the change was due to our servicemen coming back to civvy street, having experienced how Christmas was celebrated elsewhere. This was certainly the case in our church when the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols was introduced, but I think it was some time later that services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were begun. I remember one local minister telling me that he went to bed at ten every night, and he had no intention of changing his routine!

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Thanks to FreeFoto.com for this topical image

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I was surprised to see that Edmundo Ros, the Latin-American band leader, celebrates his 100th birthday this month.

Born in Trinidad, he moved to Venezuela where he joined the army as a musician. After demob, he became a member of the Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra where he played tympani. He came to London in 1937 to further his classical career, but the attraction of popular dance music was too strong. He was drummer/vocalist with Don Marino Barreto’s Band, before forming his own 5-piece rumba band.

The group was an instant success, and they became resident at London’s Bagatelle Restaurant, the famous venue popular with members of the Royal Family. In 1951 he bought the Coconut Grove, named it “The Edmundo Ros Dinner and Supper Club” and it’s said that only people whose names were in “Who’s Who” were allowed admission.

He retired in 1975 and moved to Spain. In 2000 New Year’s Honours List he was awarded the O.B.E.

This is one of his great singles - a lovely arrangement of Melodie d’Amour. As always with Edmundo’s vocal, every word is clear.

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Tomorrow on A TOUCH OF CULTURE - Poetry to make you smile
http://atouchofculture.blogspot.com

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2010-12-02T08:10:00.006Z

This is the flag of Scotland - the St. Andrew’s Cross, also known as the Saltire.

Various stories relate that in the 4th century a number of St. Andrew’s bones were brought to a Scottish monastery, located where the town of St. Andrews now stands. In the mid-10th century he was made Patron Saint of Scotland, and November 30th is St. Andrew’s Day.

He is also patron saint of Ukraine, Russia, Rumania, Patras in Greece, Amalfi in Italy, Luqa in Malta and Esgueira in Portugal.

I was interested to discover that relics of the saint are said to be kept in the Basilica of St Andrew’s in Patras, Greece, in the Duomo of St Andrew in Amalfi, Italy, in the Church of St Andrew and St Albert in Warsaw, and also in St Andrew’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh.

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The Scottish thistle has been the emblem of Scotland since the reign of Alexander III in the 13th century.

The story of how this humble plant acquired such an honour goes back to the feuding between Scotland and Norway. It’s said that one dark night an invading army of King Haakon’s men were stealing up on a camp of Scots, hoping to surprise them. One of the Norwegians in his bare feet stepped on a thistle and let out a cry of pain. This alerted the Scots and the attack was repelled.

In 1470, when James III was on the throne, the thistle appeared on Scottish silver coins.

It seems that not everyone admires the Scotch thistle. In some parts of America it has been declared Public Nuisance No1 and was said to be “an noxious and annoying little Scottish weed.”

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Scotia’s thistle guards the grave,
Where repose her dauntless brave;
Never yet the foot of slave
Has trod the wilds of Scotia.

Free from tyrant’s dark control -
Free as waves of ocean roll -
Free as thoughts of minstrel’s soul,
Still roam the sons of Scotia.

Scotia’s hills of hoary hue,
Heaven wraps in wreathes of blue,
Watering with its dearest dew
The healthy lochs of Scotia.

Down each green-wood skirted vale,
Guardian spirits, lingering, hail
Many a minstrel’s melting tale
As told of ancient Scotia.

Wake, my hill-harp! Wildly wake!
Sound by lee and lonely lake,
Never shall this heart forsake
The bonnie wilds of Scotia.

Others o’er the ocean’s foam
Far to other lands may roam,
But for ever be my home
Beneath the sky of Scotia!

(Henry Scott Riddell 1798-1870)

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Now, on a lighter note - a Scottish joke.

Jock had been in the pub all day and at closing time he found it impossible to stay on his feet. A couple of men managed to get him to the door and he assured them he would be all right. However he kept falling down and the only course open to him was to crawl home. Keeping as quiet as possible, he crept upstairs. His wife was sound asleep and he succeeded in getting into bed beside her. When he awoke next morning, his wife was already up and dressed. “So ye were drunk again last night?” she said. "What makes ye say that?" he asked. "Because that was the pub on the phone. Ye left yer wheelchair there again!"

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Finally, this video compiled by "glasgow1234" has some great pictures to accompany an instrumental version of "The Flower of Scotland."

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Tomorrow on A TOUCH OF CULTURE
Johann Sebastian Bach with a difference!!!

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2010-11-25T07:53:00.006Z

Yes, this is me! My daughter Fiona has named this photo “Happy Dad.”

I REMEMBER when I was very small I was afraid of the black-faced coalman who used to tease me about a girl in the next close.

I REMEMBER the lamplighter with his long pole. I thought he had a great job.

I REMEMBER that every so often buskers would appear in our back-court and sing one or two songs. Housewives would open their windows, throw down coppers and the singer would move on to the next tenement. Sometimes one of them would play a tin whistle or do a dance, and I’m told that before the First World War German bands toured the country entertaining in back-courts.

I REMEMBER the horse-driven vans which visited our street, and the occasion when the horse which pulled the baker’s van fell down. Someone sat on its head as it lay flat on the street, while the baker undid all the belts and straps. Only when that was done was the animal able to get up, unharmed.

I REMEMBER message boys on bicycles. They were usually employed by food shops, and they had the job of delivering what housewives had ordered.

I REMEMBER that in the wintertime we went to school wrapped up in layers of clothing. Boys always wore caps and short trousers; in those days we had to wait till we were 15 or 16 before we got long trousers.

I REMEMBER the old lady who lived in the top floor. It seemed to me that she always wore the same clothes, a long dress down to her ankles and a shawl. Half a dozen times a day she would climb down the stairs with an overweight Scotch terrier under her arm. She would let it wander around the back court for a few minutes and then retrace her steps.

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Last week my Eighty Plus blog was mentioned on the Clifford James website
http://www.clifford-james.co.uk/blog/rambler-blogs/
This is what the reviewer said:-

“John keeps us regularly updated on life, the universe and everything in this witty blog. This is a great blog to while away the odd ten minutes, as there is always something thoughtful, informative or entertaining to keep you amused, like his quirky animal photos or his amazing You Tube finds.”

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No, neither the baby or the cat are related to me! I found this picture on the net

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The other day I saw an advert for a CD called “The Songs that Won the War.” A bit over the top?
Still, I don’t think we can exaggerate the importance of the songs we sang then, and particularly the ones that were written with the war in mind.

Many of them played a big part in boosting our morale - We’re goin’ to hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line, Kiss me goodnight Sergeant-Major, Roll out the barrel, Bless ‘em all, and many, many more.

But there were others, much more serious, in which the words reflected something of the concerns and hopes that people had in those terrible times. Here are the lyrics of two songs from 1940. Even today I still find them very moving.

There are two eyes, such blue eyes a’smiling at me,
Yet they’re lonely as only a woman’s can be,
For I see all her thoughts are somewhere -
Somewhere in France with you.

And she’s talking, she’s talking of no one but you,
She’s so proud, oh so proud of the things you will do,
I can see all her love is somewhere -
Somewhere in France with you.

And when your letters come, they bring a smile, a tear,
Each one a sweet souvenir,
Only one of a million who’ll never complain,
For she knows that the sunshine will follow the rain,
Every beat of her heart will always be
Somewhere in France with you.

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My sister and I remember still
A tulip garden by an old Dutch mill,
And the home that was all our own until -
But we don't talk about that.

My sister and I recall once more
The fishing schooners pulling into shore,
And the dog-cart we drove in days before -
But we don't talk about that.

We're learning to forget the fear
That came from a troubled sky.
We're almost happy over here,
But sometimes we wake at night and cry.

My sister and I recall the day
We said goodbye, then we sailed away,
And we think of our friends that had to stay,
But we don't talk about that.

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And now here’s a song which looked forward to the time when peace would return -

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2010-11-18T14:55:00.006Z

A few weeks ago, when I was preparing to write about Hallowe’en for A TOUCH OF CULTURE, I was reading about old Scottish superstitions and I found that people who lived in the County of Fife had their own ideas of what brought good fortune or bad luck.

This was of particular interest to me because my ancestors came from Fife; the earliest was born there in 1698.

Many birds and animals were thought to have supernatural powers, and there were charms associated with some insects.

A bee in the house foretold the arrival of a visitor, and it was unlucky to chase the bee out; a bee landing on your hand was a sign that riches would be yours.

A mixture of ants’ eggs and the juice of an onion placed in the ear was said to cure deafness.

And ladybirds brought good luck.

Some birds were not welcome; when the cries of the widgeon or the plover were heard, people took that as a warning of impending disaster. Others which were believed to be unlucky were the lark, the lapwing and the curlew.

Not all birds were feared though; to see a wren was a good omen and, if a swallow built a nest on your window sill, you would prosper.

Human ailments could sometimes be cured by animals; it was believed that cattle in the stable at Bethlehem breathed on the baby Jesus to keep him warm, and, because of that, the breath of a cow could cure consumption.

Of course, like all other parts of the country, Fife has its share of fishermen’s superstitions. Women, clergy and lawyers brought bad luck; on a ship it was unlucky to sneeze or to whistle; Friday sailings had to be avoided, for witches chose that day to roam the seas.

There were two other days when it was unlucky to begin a voyage - the last Monday of the year, for that was said to be the day on which Judas hanged himself, and the first Monday in April the day when Cain killed Abel.

I like this story about the village of Auchtermuchty.

The inhabitants were well-known for their strong religious beliefs. This annoyed the Devil and he determined to win them over. Disguised as a Presbyterian minister he arrived one day and set up his pulpit in the village square. His eloquence was beginning to have an effect on his listeners, when a man in the crowd noticed two cloven hoofs below the speaker’s long black robes.

When the man cried our a warning, the Devil flew up in the air and vanished, never to return.

Hence the old saying - you can never get anyone from Auchtermuchty to heed a sermon!

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I had a birthday last week, and I was looking again at a newspaper which was published the day I was born. Here’s a list of some of the products advertised, with the cost in today’s currency.

20 cigarettes - 5p
Gallon of petrol - 8p
Wool cardigan - 25p
Silk stockings - 31p
Pair of shoes - £1.20
Gent’s 3-piece suit - £2.00
Lady’s coat - £3.15
Lady’s watch 18ct gold - £3.50
Wardrobe, dressing table and small chest - £21
New car - £200.00

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“The Way We Were” - this video was compiled by “whirlingtamthebam.”

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SOME BLOG NEWS

Because of increased interest being shown in my Pre-Raphaelite site, I’m planning a second series. Beginning on Tuesday 23rd November, I’ll be adding a painting to the blog every day. The address is -
http://myownselection.blogspot.com

My other blogs will continue - A Touch of Culture on Fridays, John’s Quiet Corner on Mondays, Eighty Plus on Thursdays, and Wise Men Say daily.

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THURSDAY NOVEMBER 11TH

2010-11-09T15:07:00.013Z

Something different this week -

when surfing the net, I often come across great pictures. I always like the ones of animals and birds, and I'm sure those I've chosen will appeal to you.

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Tomorrow 12th November on A TOUCH OF CULTURE - A Visit to Kyoto
http://atouchofculture.blogspot.com

2010-11-04T07:58:00.000Z

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

PLANES

In the early 1930s it was a rare occurrence to see an aeroplane flying over. If one did appear, we children would stop our games, gaze up to the sky and chant “An aerey-plane, an aery-plane!”

A few years later we had the opportunity to see planes in the air and on the ground, when Sir Alan Cobham’s Air Display came to a field just outside our town. What excitement! There were stunt pilots performing all sorts of clever manoeuvres, including looping the loop, the falling leaf, sweeping down to pick up a cloth on the ground, and walking on the wing. I envied the children who went “up in a plane” that day.

But my turn came later. We were on holiday at Prestwick when small aircraft were making short flights from the sands. I’m not sure if my father enjoyed the experience, my mother watching from the prom certainly didn’t, but needless to say, I did!

The plane shown here is similar to the one we flew in.

TRAINS

Travelling by train was always exciting for children in those days. Many folk who worked in Glasgow used the railway rather than buses, and there was a frequent service from our town.

When we went on holiday it was by train. A few days before we set off, a railway lorry would call to collect our luggage, usually a big hamper, and, when we arrived at our destination, our hamper would be there waiting for us.

I can remember the excitement as we waited on the platform for our train to appear. The engine seemed to be enormous, and the tremendous hiss of the steam was really quite frightening.

There were no corridor trains on any of our journeys, and that can be a problem for excited little boys!

There was a downside to rail travel however. Smoke and soot from the engine could penetrate the carriages and you could arrive at your destination with a black face!

Thanks to FreeFoto.com for this photograph.

AUTOMOBILES

At that time there was very little motor traffic in our town. Most vans and lorries were horse-driven and there were very few cars.

Car engines had to be started by means of a handle inserted at the front of the radiator. On each side of the vehicle, stretching between the front and the back wheels, was the “running board” which you stepped on when boarding or alighting. There were no indicators of course, and the driver had to use certain hand signals to show his intentions. And of course there was the horn which produced that honking sound!

I presume car brakes weren’t all that reliable, for I often saw cars, parked on an incline, with a brick placed in front of the nearside front wheel.

Taxis were rarely seen. I imagine they were used only for weddings and funerals and I’m pretty sure that on such occasions most people would walk.

There were fire engines of course, but I don’t remember seeing police cars, though there was the "Black Maria", a big black vehicle that took you off to jail if you misbehaved. And there was another vehicle from which we hid - the dreaded “fever van.”

Thanks to FreeFoto for this picture of a 1915 Vauxhall. You’ll notice the spare wheel at the driver’s side.

This video shows scenes of a motoring club outing in the 1930s.

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A TOUCH OF CULTURE No.6 online tomorrow Friday 5th November -
“Remembering Yehudi Menuhin”
http://atouchofculture.blogspot.com/

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2010-10-28T16:02:00.001+01:00

I expect we would all agree with the following, which I read recently.

“If we gathered our impressions from the newspapers alone, it would be easy to believe that there were no happy marriages, no honest bank officers, no incorruptible politicians. The discordant makes itself heard above the harmonious. Ugliness pushes beauty aside and crowds its hateful visage into the foreground.”

That comment was made 100 years ago in one of a series of articles “Cosy Corner Chats,” which were included in an annual called “The Girls’ Empire.”

Well, well. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose - the more things change, the more they stay the same.

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Last week I was remembering how class-conscious we were in the 1930s. There were a number of different levels in society and which level you were on depended on your trade or profession, how much money you had, etc.

But there was another quite rigid division in the population - religion.

Protestants and Catholics lived together, but had very little contact with each other. We children were segregated right from the start, for there were Catholic schools and Protestant schools, and where we lived, we weren’t allowed to play with those children who were different!

My parents told me that in the 1920s one of the town’s Church of Scotland ministers used to pack his church on Sunday nights by delivering anti-Catholic sermons. It’s interesting that he allowed his own children to play with Catholics, but of course their father was Headmaster of the Catholic School!

Fortunately, things are very different nowadays. Certainly there is still bad feeling in small sections of the population, but, for the vast majority, Protestants and Catholics get on well together and collaborate on many projects.

When I was a small boy, I was aware that people had a great dislike of Germany and the Germans. I first realised that, when someone gave me a toy marked “Made in Germany.” That was bad, but it was all right if it was “Made in Hong Kong.”

It was natural that this attitude would continue after World War II. I can remember that my parents were unhappy when I agreed to accompany a German violinist at a one-off concert in Glasgow. He worked as a store man in Copeland and Lye’s, and had been introduced to me by a friend. He had very little English and as I had no German, I didn't find out his background. Did it occur to my parents that he might have been a refugee, perhaps a Jewish refugee?

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I don’t find much of interest on television nowadays, and I’m remembering that back in the 1950s/60s there were, for me anyway, a great many excellent programmes.

There was a lot of good drama in Armchair Theatre, the Wednesday Night Plays and series like Z-Cars and Dixon of Dock Green.

One programme that couldn’t be missed was “What’s My Line” presented by Eamonn Andrews with the regular panel of David Nixon, Lady Isobel Barnett, Barbara Kelly and the irascible Gilbert Harding. Part of the enjoyment was waiting for Gilbert to lose his temper. The purpose of the game was for the panel to guess what the contestants’ jobs were - not easy when one was a sagger maker’s bottom-knocker!!!

The What's My Line panel - David Nixon, Lady Isobel Barnett, Barbara Kelly and Gilbert Harding

On a more serious note, there was “Animal, Vegetable, Mineral” in which experts had to identify objects supplied by museums and universities.

“Music for You” was a programme of light classical music with Eric Robinson and his Orchestra. This type of TV show is sadly missed.

Comedy on television today doesn’t interest me at all. My top favourites of the past would include Harry Worth, Charlie Drake, Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques in that situation comedy with Deryck Guyler as the policeman and Richard Wattis as their neighbour, and the best of all - Dad’s Army.

Harry Worth

There were good magazine-type programmes. Among them was “Late Night Line-up” where Joan Bakewell presented news and discussions on art topics.

And for variety shows, surely “Sunday Night at the Palladium” was the best. Throughout its run, comperes included Dickie Henderson, Bruce Forsythe, Norman Vaughan and Jimmy Tarbuck, and, with the Tiller Girls and a first class orchestra, I don’t think the show’s success has been repeated.

There was one outstanding music show whose popularity on TV and in the theatres spanned 20 years, and that was “The Black and White Minstrels.” Devised by music director George Mitchell, it made its first broadcast in 1958 and on one occasion viewing figures reached 18 million! In 1961 it won the Golden Rose in Montreux for the best light entertainment.

To conclude this brief trip down memory lane, there are two videos. First, a clip from a Black and White Minstrels show in the 1960s, and then - it was a real treat for me to find this one - the brilliant Danish entertainer Victor Borge.

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A TOUCH OF CULTURE No.5 is online tomorrow Friday 29th October.
http://atouchofculture.blogspot.com

***A Touch of Culture**A Touch of Culture**A Touch of Culture***

2010-10-21T16:26:00.000+01:00

Perhaps this quotation applies to me?

I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there. (Herb Caen)

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In the years between the two World Wars folks were very class-conscious, much more than they are today.

As young children my sister and I lived in a tenement in a well-kept area, where the stairs in the closes were swept down and washed every week, and the back-courts kept tidy. The people - and their children - were well-behaved, and altogether it was a good environment in which to be brought up.

At the other end of the street however, it was a different story. Large families lived in small houses, many of them room-and-kitchens with outside toilets, and it was clear that, with the bread-winner often unemployed, they had difficulty clothing and feeding themselves. In another part of the town, the houses were much worse and there were stories of rowdiness and drunkenness. Certainly we children would never stray into that area.

At the end of our part of the street there was a little lane which led through to a much more posh part. Most of the houses there were all big detached villas, each with a good-size garden, and those folks were just a bit higher up on the social scale.

But there was a further level still, and the people who belonged to that class lived in Lenzie. The houses were even bigger with very large gardens, and we knew that the folk there had servants!!!

And those were the five social classes, or so we believed. For many of course, the great aim was to progress further up the scale, and that was what happened to my family. When I was ten years old, my father bought a semi-detached house in the area through the little lane, and we left our tenement life behind. (It’s interesting that my father’s family didn’t approve of our move. People in our class didn’t buy houses, it was implied.)

Much later on, when Jean and I were married with three children, our second home was a 7-apartment Victorian “town house” in Lenzie. But oh no, we were certainly not rich!

It’s now almost exactly 27 years since we left Lenzie and moved to our present home in Auchinloch Old Village.

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The following poem is typical of what was popular in the 19th century and I remember it was in one of my school books.
It was written by an American poet Rose Hartwick Thorpe 1850-1939, and was a favourite of Queen Victoria’s. Set in the 17th century, it tells of a young man, imprisoned by the Puritans, who is to be hanged when the curfew tolls.

“Sexton,” Bessie’s white lips faltered, pointing to the prison old,
With its turrets tall and gloomy, with its walls dark, damp and cold,
“I’ve a lover in that prison, doomed this very night to die
At the ringing of the Curfew, and no earthly help is nigh;
Cromwell will not come till sunset,” and her lips grew strangely white
As she breathed the husky whisper:
“Curfew must not ring tonight!”

“Bessie,” calmly spoke the sexton, every word pierced her young heart
Like the piercing of an arrow, like a deadly poisoned dart,
“Long, long years I’ve rung the Curfew from that gloomy shadowed tower,
Every evening just at sunset, it has tolled the twilight hour;
I have done my duty ever, tried to do it just and right,
Now I’m old I will not falter -
Curfew, it must ring tonight!”

With quick step she bounded forward, sprang within the old church door,
Left the old man threading slowly paths so oft he’d trod before;
Not one moment paused the maiden, but with eye and cheek aglow
Mounted up the gloomy tower, where the bell swung to and fro.
As she climbed the dusty ladder, on which fell no ray of light,
Up and up, her white lips saying -
“Curfew must not ring tonight!”

She has reached the topmost ladder, o’er her hangs the great dark bell,
Awful is the gloom beneath her, like the pathway down to hell.
Lo, the ponderous tongue is swinging, ‘tis the hour of curfew now,
And the sight has chilled her bosom, stopped her breath, and paled her brow.
Shall she let it ring? No, never! Flash her eyes with sudden light,
As she springs and grasps it firmly -
“Curfew shall not ring tonight!”

Out she swung - far out; the city seemed a speck of light below,
There ‘twixt heaven and earth suspended as the bell swung to and fro,
And the sexton at the bell rope, old and deaf, heard not the bell,
Sadly thought, “That twilight Curfew rang young Basil’s funeral knell.”
Still the maiden clung more firmly and with trembling lips so white,
Said to hush her heart’s wild throbbing -
“Curfew shall not ring tonight!”

O’er the distant hills came Cromwell; Bessie sees him, and her brow,
Lately white with fear and anguish, has no anxious traces now.
At his feet she tells her story, shows her hands all bruised and torn;
And her face so sweet and pleading, yet with sorrow pale and worn,
Touched his heart with sudden pity, lit his eyes with misty light;
“Go, your lover lives,” said Cromwell,
“Curfew shall not ring tonight!”

Wide they flung the massive portal; led the prisoner forth to die,
All his bright young life before him. ‘Neath the darkening English sky
Bessie comes with flying footsteps, eyes aglow with love-light sweet;
Kneeling on the turf beside him, lays his pardon at his feet.
In his brave strong arms he clasped her, kissed the face, upturned and white,
Whispered, “Darling, you have saved me -
Curfew will not ring tonight!”

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The writers of this song got their idea from that poem. In the 1960s “Hang on the bell, Nellie” became very popular. This is the Billy Cotton Band version with the vocal by Alan Breeze.

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2010-10-14T18:56:00.008+01:00

My mother's family the Hardies with their McFarlane cousins one hundred years ago

On the front row, the 2^nd from the left is Uncle Alex, the 5^th along is Aunt Mae.
In the centre are 3 women sitting together. The middle one is Grandma Hardie with Aunt Cissie on her knee.
Immediately behind them are 2 girls, the one on the left is my mother, the other is her cousin Maggie McFarlane.
Continuing to the right, the two boys are Uncle George and Uncle Hugh.
On the row above, Grandpa Hardie is 2^nd from the left. Beside him are Grandma Hardie’s parents, Hugh and Maggie McFarlane.
[Aunt Nessie, not in the group, would be just a few months old, and Aunt Frances was not born till two years later]

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I’ve been looking back to discover what was going on in the world when that photo was taken.

Abroad in 1910, Chinese troops had occupied Tibet and the Dalai Lama fled. In Hungary one thousand people lost their lives in floods, and an earthquake in Nicaragua killed five hundred. There was one item of good news - Marie Curie succeeded in isolating radium.

At home there was a great deal of unrest among railwaymen, shipyard workers and the Welsh miners. The suffragettes were active in those days and three hundred of them clashed with the police outside Parliament buildings.

On the political scene, there were two General Elections, one in January and the other in December. The Liberals were successful both times, and Mr Asquith was the Prime Minister.

One man’s name became known world-wide. Dr. Crippen, an American homeopathic doctor living and working in London, poisoned his wife and buried her body in the cellar. In June he was arrested on the SS Montrose which was bound for America. Later in the year he was found guilty and hanged.

The King - Edward VII died in May and was succeeded by his son who became George V.

The Girl Guides were founded that month.

Robert Falcon Scott was put in charge of the British Antarctic Expedition. This was to end in disaster two years later.

1910 saw the first Labour Exchanges, later to be known in Scotland as “the buroo.”

The cinema of course was still in its infancy, but in the USA many short one-reelers were being produced. The first Frankenstein movie was shot in 3 days and lasted 16 minutes. A version of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol lasted all of 10 minutes!

In the world of literature, Prester John by John Buchan, Howard’s End by E.M. Forster and The History of Mr Polly by H.G. Wells were published.

And what were folks singing and whistling? Down by the Old Mill Stream, Chinatown my Chinatown, Some of these Days and Let me call you Sweetheart.

Imported from South America, the Tango was making its first appearances on dance floors, and causing controversy - it was NOT respectable!!!

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Compiled by “rosebudgarden” this video is a collection of photos taken during the first decade of the 20th century. The song is “The Sparrow and the Gentle Dove” by Purcell.

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A TOUCH OF CULTURE N0.3 is online tomorrow Friday 15th October
http://atouchofculture.blogspot.com

***A Touch of Culture**A Touch of Culture**A Touch of Culture***

2010-10-07T20:23:00.006+01:00

I suppose I had assumed that my old wooden giraffe had been thrown out many years ago. So I was delighted when Fiona told me that she had it. It would be early in the 1930s when it was given to me, and I was told that it had been made by a little black boy.

That led me to think about other toys I had when I was small, and then I remembered an interesting story I had read in a newspaper some time ago.

After the death of her husband Dewi, Brenda Rowland was going through his possessions and eventually came to his precious garden hut. Over the years he had kept a locked wooden box there and had refused to tell her what it contained.

So rather reluctantly and with some worrying thoughts, she decided to open the box. She was astonished to find it was full of old pre-war toys, obviously things he had played with and loved when he was a boy.
Lined with a 1937 newspaper, the box contained ludo, snakes and ladders, building bricks, skipping ropes, a little farm with animals, zoo animals, lead soldiers, a yo-yo, a wooden alphabet, marbles, a clockwork train.
With no children to pass them on to, he had kept them all those years, and I wonder if perhaps he sometimes opened the box and handled those precious things which had been so important to him as a boy.

This story brought back many memories for me - the games and toys that I had, and of course those that our daughters had. There were Chad Valley toys, Corgi cars, Hornby train sets, Meccano, dolls (but not for me of course), games like tiddley winks, lotto. And one thing you won’t find in shops nowadays - a golliwog!

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"Brothers and sisters have I none,
But this man's father is my father's son."
Who is the man in the photo?

I remember being puzzled by this question when I was a boy, and I was interested to find from the many websites and forums dealing with the problem that people still can’t agree!

Here are a few puzzles that were new to me. I give the answers at the end of the blog.

1) John's mother had four children. The first was April, the second was May, and the third was June. What was the name of the fourth child?

2) What is it that can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, and has a bed but never sleeps?

3) What is light as a feather, yet even the strongest man can’t hold it for more than a few minutes?

4)What’s full of holes but still holds water?

5)You’re driving a bus. Seven people get on, four people get off, then eight people get on and five people get off, then six people get on and two more get off. What colour were the bus driver's eyes?

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"The Great Dictator" was a Charlie Chaplin film which created quite a stir when it was first shown in 1940. Written, directed and starring Chaplin, it satirised the Nazis and Hitler.

I remember being quite disappointed when I saw it, because the Charlie Chaplin on the screen wasn't the one I had come to see.

This clip from the film is certainly different!

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My new blog A TOUCH OF CULTURE will be updated tomorrow 8th October when I'll be having quick look at some ballet.

chttp://atouchofculture.blogspot.com

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Answers to the puzzles - 1) John. 2) a river. 3) his breath. 4) a sponge. 5) the colour of your eyes, you were driving the bus.
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2010-09-30T20:59:00.001+01:00

This photograph is one of the oldest we have of the Jaaps. Taken about 1888, it shows George and Jean Jaap with their six sons.
Standing (Left to Right) - John Armour Jaap b.1868 (my grandfather), Walter Jaap b.1866, Richard Jaap b.1870, Robert Jaap b.1872
Centre - Andrew b.1875
Seated - George Jaap b.1834, James Jaap b.1878, Jean Armour b.1841.

I've been reading again some of the material which I posted a while ago on my Eighty Plus Four blog, and the following article is worth repeating for the benefit of anyone who hasn't seen it before.

My great-grandfather George Jaap (1834-1908) was a coal miner. In 1865 he married Jean Armour (1841-1911). They had six sons, plus Jean’s own daughter Elizabeth who was brought up in the family as a Jaap.

Some time in the 1890s five of the boys went to the USA and found work in Andrew Carnegie’s steel works in Pittsburg. Two of them Robert and James decided to stay and brought their families to settle in the States. The others - Walter, my grandfather John (who hadn’t been on the American trip), Richard and Andrew remained in Scotland.

During the 19th century a great many Scots emigrated to the USA. Poverty and unemployment were perhaps the main causes of this great movement of the population, but for others 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 the 19th 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 our Jaaps.

If you are familiar with our Jaap family tree website, you will probably have seen the following paragraph which we obtained 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 her 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, but as far as we know she was not related to our family.

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This video has been made available on You Tube by Alex Airlie. When you look at those old photos of where people lived in the Glasgow of the 19th century, you can understand why so many folk were prepared to leave Scotland and begin afresh elsewhere.

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My new blog A Touch of Culture begins tomorrow Friday 1st October at - http://atouchofculture.blogspot.com

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2010-09-23T22:33:00.002+01:00

Thinking about the 1930s . . . .

I REMEMBER -

Sundays - when all the shops were closed, football was prohibited in the parks, and the swings and roundabouts were padlocked to prevent their use. Any parks which were surrounded by railings had their gates locked. There was no golf on Sunday, no cinema. And radio programmes were suitably restrained - no dance music, no comedy shows.

So what did we do? In our best clothes and in our best behaviour, we went to church for the morning service which lasted about an hour and a quarter, and immediately afterwards to Sunday School. We lived about fifteen minutes walk from the church and it’s interesting to recall that we children walked home unescorted.

In the afternoon, like many other families, we went for a walk. A common sight was a group of gospel people having a meeting at a street corner. I remember one preacher who stood all on his own waving his Bible, shouting his message, with no one paying any attention to him.

I REMEMBER -

what a variety of shops we had in our town. Most of them were long-established family businesses, and each had their own characteristics.

There was an ironmonger who seemed to stock absolutely everything; if you needed something like half-a-dozen nails, he would give you a handful and charge just a nominal sum. Long after the war was over, a “Dig for Victory” poster still hung on the wall behind his counter.

There were a number of private grocers, but our custom had to go to the Co-op, since my father was an employee. One thing we used to see that would never be seen nowadays - a shop’s cat asleep in the window surrounded by produce!

Because it was illegal to sell alcoholic drinks in our town, there were no pubs, hotels, restaurants or licensed grocers.

I have a very clear picture in my mind of the main street on a late afternoon in winter. The shops were all poorly lit by gas, and except the area around the lampposts the pavements were in darkness.

I REMEMBER -

that there was a very good bus service to Glasgow and their time-keeping was excellent. Drivers and conductresses wore uniforms with caps. The only way of communicating with the driver, isolated in his cabin, was by means of a cord which stretched the length of the bus. The conductress pulled the cord and a bell rang in the driver’s cabin -one ring for stop, two rings for go.

At times the buses were very busy and conductresses on double-deckers were continually rushing up and down the stairs collecting fares. I used to marvel at how they managed to write in their little notebooks, despite the jolting of the bus. I wonder how legible their figures were!

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“Monna Giovanna” by Edward Robert Hughes 1851-1914

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My love in her attire doth show her wit,
It doth so well become her.
For every season she has dressings fit,
For winter, spring and summer.

No beauty she doth miss,
When all her robes are on,
But beauty’s self she is,
When all her robes are gone. (Anon)

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my new blog . . . . . . A TOUCH OF CULTURE . . . . . . my new blog

         starting Friday 1st October

Every Friday      http://atouchofculture.blogspot.com      Every Friday

                  Cartoon image by www.webweaver.nu/clipart

My other blogs Eighty Plus, Quiet Corner and Wise Men Say are continuing as usual

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This is a clip from the 1939 film "Let's be Famous". The singer is none other then Betty Driver, who plays Betty of the Rovers in Coronation Street. I'm pretty sure the actor with her is Jimmy O'Dea.

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2010-09-16T22:45:00.002+01:00

“Monarch” by Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873)

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Many old people are concerned that more and more they’re forgetting things. Of course in the past we had never heard of Alzheimer’s disease, and forgetfulness was just considered part of growing old. In actual fact most old folk remain mentally alert and we shouldn’t worry too much about the odd “senior moment.”

I’ve been remembering that earlier this year I wrote a piece on this subject for another of my blogs, and I’d like to give other people a chance of reading it. So here it is -

One of the great eccentrics of the last century was Sir Thomas Beecham (1861-1961.)

There are a host of amusing stories about this orchestral conductor and many of them concern his poor memory.

My favourite one tells of the occasion when he meets a very well-dressed lady at a function; he is convinced he knows her, but can’t remember her name; he vaguely recalls that she has a brother, and, hoping to elicit a clue, asks, “And how is your brother keeping? Is he in the same job?” To which she replies, “Oh yes, he’s fine, and he’s still King.” The lady was Princess Mary, sister of King George VI.

I must admit I have problems with names. In the course of my work with the local council and my musical activities, I met many people over the years. They still remember me and my name, but, though I feel that I know them well, their names escape me.

I’m reminded of the two old ladies who had known each other all their days and who used to meet every Wednesday morning for coffee and a chat.

On one occasion one of them turned to the other and said “Now I don’t want you to be offended for we’ve known each other for a long time. I’m really very sorry, but please excuse me asking this - what’s your name?”

Her friend looked at her in some astonishment, thought for a moment and replied, “How soon do you need to know?”

Of course, among the many accounts of forgetfulness, there are probably more about absent-minded professors than any other trade or profession.

Some of these stories seem a bit far-fetched, but research has shown that indeed many members of that learned group have poor memories. Some of the early examples tell about the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus (624BC-546BC.) Plato records that Thales was out walking one day and, looking up into the sky and not looking where he was going, fell down a well!

Two more “professor” stories.

Irwin Edman, a professor at Columbia University, was visiting a colleague one night, and the conversation must have been interesting for it continued well past midnight. Edman’s colleague eventually remarked that, since he had an early class next morning, he wanted to go to bed. Edman jumped to his feet and exclaimed, ”I’m so sorry, I thought you were in my house!”

I found many tales about Charles Lightbody of Saskatchewan University. I liked this one. Driving home one day, he saw a woman ahead of him crossing the road. The paper bag she was carrying burst open and the contents scattered on the ground. He stopped the car, got out and helped the woman gather up her groceries. Then, forgetting all about his car, went home by bus!

When I was a church organist, I used to worry that I would forget to turn up for a wedding. Thankfully that never happened, but I remember hearing about a wedding where everyone was present - except the minister! One of the ushers was despatched to the manse where he was found, digging his garden!!!

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So the question is - what can we do to combat loss of memory?

A friend of ours goes now to a memory clinic. When she was asked what they did there, she couldn’t remember, but she did say that they were given pictures to colour in, and that there was a prize of a box of chocolates for the best one.

As usual, when I need an answer to a question, I consult Google. I typed in “memory loss cure” and the result was 3,140,00 answers.

I don’t think I’ll bother!

The final item this week is a collection of photographs showing Scotland at its best. The music is “The Wild Mountain Thyme” by Lark and Spur.

Thanks to http://www.hasslefreeclipart.com for the cartoon images.

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2010-09-09T23:26:00.000+01:00

The local clinic, which in my young day used to house the school doctor and dentist, has been lying empty since a big new health centre opened nearby.

I presume that over the years the old building provided a full range of services for all age groups, but for me that was the place in which I had my tonsils removed.

In those days it was thought the tonsils were responsible for a lot of childish illnesses, and many parents were persuaded that having the tonsils out would benefit their young ones.

I don’t remember a great deal about my operation, but I know that, after the job was done, I stayed in the clinic overnight and was allowed home the next day.

My sister tells me that she was to have it done as well. However, our parents decided against it, after a little girl died having her tonsils out. (And since then, Rita’s tonsils have given her no trouble at all.)

I was certainly more fortunate than some Glasgow children living in the early 1920s. Those attending the Victoria Infirmary had their tonsillectomies, were sent back to the waiting room to recover, and after a while went home with their mothers by tram. I’ve been told that these tramcars were known as the “Sawdust Cars,” because the floor had to be covered with sawdust to mop up the blood.

There was one good thing about having your tonsils out - you were allowed plenty of ice cream afterwards!

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Can you can guess what this gadget is?

It’s a crystal wireless set with earphones - sometimes just known as a cat’s whisker set.

The cat’s whisker was a thin wire which was used to find the exact place on the crystal which would result in receiving the wireless signal. A great deal of patience was needed, for the crystal required just the right pressure by the wire. An aerial was required as well, and of course only one person, using the earphones, could hear the broadcast.

Progress in the development of radio was quick and the general public soon became enthusiastic listeners.

1922 - The British Broadcasting Company went on the air with their 2LO station. The licence fee was 50p (ten shillings) per year.

1923 - The Radio Times magazine first appeared. (The newspapers, not wanting to popularise radio, had refused to advertise the programmes.)

1924 - First Royal broadcast. King George V, at the opening of the Empire Exhibition, Wembley.

1926 - The General Strike. Because no newspapers were being published, the BBC began transmitting five news bulletins each day.

1927 - The BBC became the British Broadcasting Corporation. The first broadcast of a Promenade Concert from the Queen’s Hall, London.

1928 - The first broadcast by the BBC Dance orchestra directed by Jack Payne.

1930 - The first broadcast by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, founded and conducted by Adrian Boult.

1932 - Henry Hall took over the BBC Dance Orchestra from Jack Payne.

I suppose it would be around 1935 that I began to take an interest in the radio. We listened to the Scottish Children’s Hour, though some favourites like Toytown came from London.

Saturday evening provided good entertainment.
The McFlannels was an early situation comedy from Glasgow.
In Town Tonight was a topical magazine with all sorts of people being interviewed.
Music Hall was an hour’s entertainment by well-known variety artistes who each had a ten minute spot.
And finally there was drama - not a serial, but a different play every week, some serious, some light-hearted, some old and some new.

Who were the big variety stars of the 1930s?

George Robey, Sandy Powell, Ronald Frankau, Suzette Tarri, Nellie Wallace, the Western Brothers, the Two Leslies, Clapham and Dwyer, the Crazy Gang of which Flanagan and Allan were members, Max Wall, Will Hay, Norman Long, Albert Whelan, Wee Georgie Wood, Lily Morris, Jack Buchanan, Cicely Courtneidge, Will Fyfe, Evelyn Laye, Elsie and Doris Waters, Stanley Holloway, Gracie Fields, Anona Winn, Renee Houston and Donald Stewart, Leslie “Hutch” Hutchinson, Wilson, Keppel and Betty, and my list, which is by no means complete, ends with Billy Bennett.

Billed “Almost a Gentleman,” Billy Bennett (1887-1942) usually concluded his act with a monologue, and this was one of his -

There's a little sallow man lives north of Waterloo,
And he owns the toughest music hall in town,
There are broken-hearted comics, there's a graveyard for them too
And the gallery gods are forever gazing down.

He was known as Fat Caroo in the pubs round Waterloo,
And he wore a green tie with a diamond pin;
He was worshipped in the ranks by the captain of the swanks,
And the coalman's daughter loved his double chin.

He had loved her all along and despite his ong-bong-pong
The fact that she loved him they say was right,
Though her complexion was a fake, and her teeth were put and take
Put in by day and taken out by night.

'Twas the fifteenth anniversary of her twenty-second year,
So he smiled at her as sweetly as a hog
And asked what present she would like. And jestingly she said:
"Your green tie for my little yellow dog."

Fat Caroo seemed in a trance and his heart slipped through his pants,
But he tried his utmost not to look a wreck,
So he handed her the tie and kissed her hand good bye-
When he bowed his head she bit his neck.

Later on Caroo came to, his tie had gone, it's true
And his tiepin with it! He seemed in a fog.
He rushed liked mad to find, that she'd tied that tie behind
To the tailpiece of her little yellow dog.

She was screaming like a child, the dog was running wild,
Biting policemen as he galloped up the straight;
For the little dog, called Tom, when he wagged his to and from,
Felt the tie pin urge him on to meet his fate.

The dog returned at dawn with his windscreen slightly torn,
And unseen took something from the lady's room.
To another room he flew, saying: "That's for Fat Caroo,"
And silently he slunk out in the gloom.

When Caroo jumped into bed, he'd ‘ave wakened up the dead
With a scream he as he fell like a hog;
Her false teeth, they were buried in the seat of Fat Caroo-
'Twas the vengeance of that little yellow dog.

There's a cockeyed yellow poodle to the north of Conga Pooch;
There's a little hot cross bun that's turning green;
There's a double-jointed woman doing tricks in Chu-Chin-Chow,
And you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din.

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And I haven’t forgotten Jessie Matthews (1907-1981). Her father was a fruit and veg seller in London and she was the 7th child in a family of 16. Actress, dancer and singer, she achieved fame in the 30s on stage, screen and radio. In the 1960s she took the part of Mary Dale in the BBC’s long-running radio soap “Mrs Dale’s Diary.”

In this clip she sings “Look for the Silver Lining” from Jerome Kern’s 1920 show “Sally.” Halfway through the song there’s a picture of her with her second husband Sonnie Hale, the actor/director. (She was married and divorced 3 times.)

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The cartoon images of the doctor and the radio were taken from webweaver.nu/clipart. The image of the crystal wireless set came from Wikipedia.

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