The Sunday Posts 2012

Happy the man, and happy he alone,

he who can call today his own:
he who, secure within, can say,
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.

Be fair or foul, or rain or shine
the joys I have possessed, in spite of fate, are mine.
Not Heaven itself, upon the past has power,
but what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.

Horace.

Photo - Books, Lincoln Cathedral. By Alistair.

Wedded Bliss

I wonder if any of these brides went for the double-barrelled option?

Probably not………….

Thanks to my Lovely G for sending these to me!

Listening to:

 

The Evolution Of Man

It seems scientists studying the behaviour of chimpanzees have stumbled upon what they believe to be the reason that man first stood on two legs and began to walk. They observed that during times of limited food availability chimpanzees spent markedly more time upright as they gathered food and carried it away rather than staying to eat it where it was found. This behaviour was seen to be particularly prevalent when competition for a favourite food source was involved as individuals would carefully gather armfuls and carry food to a safe area away from their rivals, successfully increasing their personal food intake.

Scientists now believe this could be what drove early hominid man to stand and that increased competition forced him to become more expert at standing upright, walking and carrying until it became the preferred method and the body adapted accordingly.

How typical it seems that the only thing capable of getting man off his backside was a takeaway……….

Listening to:

The Sunday Posts 2012

Come, my friends,
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down;
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

'Ulysses'
By Alfred Tennyson

Photo of Rhinefall, Switzerland by Alistair

Lost {again}

Where are my car keys?

Why can I never find my car keys?

Why am I always late?

Bugger!

Help!

Quick!

Where are those BLOODY CAR KEYS?

WHERE ARE MY........

Oh!

...........thanks!

bye.

Another entry for the Trifecta challenge. {you're allowed three!}

Lost

Part of a Trifecta writing challenge.

The challenge is to write a story called 'Lost' without the word appearing anywhere in the story - and to do it in exactly 33 words

I walk past carefully kept graves of young airmen long dead and into the church.


Inside; an embroidered plaque;


“Through these portals go the bravest of men - always frightened but never afraid.”

A Couple of Days Away

Ullswater

The English Lake District is a three hour drive away from the house and we've just come back from a couple of days down there. The weather wasn't great, which is a shame in such beautiful countryside because the grey skies and low cloud pressing down on the mountains made taking photographs very tricky due to the light levels.

Troutbeck

We stayed at a small private hotel called the Cedar Manor in Windermere. It's the typical kind of hotel we go for; small and family run. The heart of the hotel is an old house next to a church and the house originally belonged to the Minister. The room was small but comfortable and well supplied with all mod cons. The food was fabulous and the price of the stay was negligible thanks to the midweek timing and the lovely G's skill in finding online discount vouchers.

Cedar Manor Hotel

Last month she did the same for us and we enjoyed a few days away in the Pennines, again in a small private hotel tucked away in the hills amongst some fabulous scenery and depressingly with much of the same weather which again put photography beyond my fairly basic skills. The food at the Lovelady Shield hotel was fabulous too, but more expensive due to the accreditation of the chef.

Cartmel Priory - We'll be at a family wedding there next month

The drive to both of these hotels is any car enthusiasts dream, filled with spectacular views, interesting and sometimes challenging narrow roads built for a more sedate type of travel and need that edge of the seat awareness for every corner, never knowing what you'll meet around the bend.

Driving

These hotels are both approximately the same distance south but on opposite sides of the country yet the landscape is very similar with rolling hills, deep valleys full of sheep farms and the ancient dry-stane dykes made without cement. The skill of these ancient dyke makers was incredible and work covers the land, often going straight up incredibly steep hillsides and gives the landscape its unique look.

Lovelady Shield Hotel

This is the third short break we've had this year, all using discount vouchers from the net and all in the kind of spectacular countryside that we love. Downloading the photos onto the computer last night I looked back at some of the shots from the last three months and found myself wishing that I could organise the weather better – at least as far as taking photographs is concerned. Oddly, we don't really mind what kind of weather we have on these short breaks as each kind of weather brings its own additions to the landscape and the views.

Toward evening - Loch Rannoch

Listening To:

The Sunday Posts 2012

If I could write words
Like leaves on an autumn forest floor,
What a bonfire my letters would make.

If I could speak words of water,
You would drown when I said
"I love you."

Spike Milligan

Photo - Cold Evening, Loch Rannoch. By Alistair.

The Sunday Posts 2012

In the garden you walk the way

tall flowers would walk

in the music of Debussy.

The trees are fattening and heavy with blossom.

How slender you are

in their beautiful, podgy circle.

You call to your dog

who's bursting through the undergrowth

like a small black tank

on a tropical island.

He's filling himself with smells.

(A butterfly, crazy with wings,

is trying to go in every direction

at once.)

You stand still and the little dog
trundles flat out across the grass
to your feet. He sits down, panting,
and puts to shame the brightest flower in the garden
with two inches of tongue.

'Seen in the city'
By Norman MacCaig.

1982

Picture - Gitl on a bicycle, Joseph Crawhall.

Social Media Explained

Ahh - I get it now......

see you later.

Listening to