Sunday, December 27, 2009
Had a lovely Christmas morning which started with a walk around the lake in the snow. We have had a white Christmas this year and it was postcard perfect with crunchy white snow and blue skies. I took some pictures on my camera phone (so excuse the lower quality.) See the bacterial ice marks on the lake. We fed the ducks and geese and admired the decorated trees. We stopped for coffee and mince pies halfway round so that was in effect the Christmas day breakfast. Cooked dinner when I got back home. Nick made a delicious parsnip soup and then a lazy day was enjoyed by us watching all the not so funny comedy shows. I made a little snowman for the table but we forgot him and he sadly melted in the heat of the kitchen.
A swirl of robes red and white
To take winter dreams to flight
Santa is coming to visit us all
Young and old, large or small
As Christmas white sweeps in
The merriments can now begin
Warm hearths, food, and hearts
At last the holiday truly starts
Our eyes looking to childhood
See thoughts only ever good
We reveal our happiest faces
We are Christmas saving graces
So take this season and rejoice
Find again within; your inner voice
Friends are presents already open
Take the gift; life’s precious token
The one born this December week
To gather all, the placid the meek
He walks among us in various guises
Always in truth; there are no disguises
No matter the word a religion uses
He loves us all equally; never chooses
So think him often and ask a favour
Of our Lord Jesus Christ the saviour
The merriest of Christmas wished to you
To last another whole year through
Next week we begin yet another year
Until then rejoice, this is no time for a tear
Amy Winehouse faces police probe on alleged abuse at panto
(I think the keyword is alleged and who said panto had got boring)
Amy Winehouse is facing a police investigation for allegedly lashing out at a theatre manager after subjecting panto actors to a stream of abuse.
The troubled star is said to have disrupted a performance of Cinderella by heckling the cast.
She is later alleged to have launched a physical attack on a member of staff at the theatre in Milton Keynes, Bucks.
The Back To Black singer was said to have shocked children and parents by shouting "He's ****** behind you" during the performance and yelling out "****** Cinders, Prince Charming, marry me".
Refusing to sit down, she also branded the Ugly Sisters "*****", The Sun reported.
According to the paper, she later launched herself at front-of-house manager, Richard Pound, allegedly pulling his hair, punching him and kicking him between the legs.
Her outburst was said to have exasperated stars of the show, including Fairy Godmother Anthea Turner, comedian Bobby Davro, playing Buttons, and actor Mickey Rooney, as Baron Hardup.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: ""No arrests have been made and the incident is being investigated
(I think the keyword is alleged and who said panto had got boring)
Amy Winehouse is facing a police investigation for allegedly lashing out at a theatre manager after subjecting panto actors to a stream of abuse.
The troubled star is said to have disrupted a performance of Cinderella by heckling the cast.
She is later alleged to have launched a physical attack on a member of staff at the theatre in Milton Keynes, Bucks.
The Back To Black singer was said to have shocked children and parents by shouting "He's ****** behind you" during the performance and yelling out "****** Cinders, Prince Charming, marry me".
Refusing to sit down, she also branded the Ugly Sisters "*****", The Sun reported.
According to the paper, she later launched herself at front-of-house manager, Richard Pound, allegedly pulling his hair, punching him and kicking him between the legs.
Her outburst was said to have exasperated stars of the show, including Fairy Godmother Anthea Turner, comedian Bobby Davro, playing Buttons, and actor Mickey Rooney, as Baron Hardup.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: ""No arrests have been made and the incident is being investigated
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Inward I can gaze on my life’s works
Surely twas lived in hope and peace
I had brought something to the world
And to those people who intertwined
Around my soul it was a union of joy
Yet outward all I see is an exodus
Slow movements away across time
Into the hush of a quieter tomorrow
For now am I lost to my great works?
And you cannot ever now save me
Clocks stop for I shall never choose
Which lifeline I shall reach out to
So I will tarry a little while longer
Floundering in the blackest of seas
Till time and its fickle tides turn
Sweep me away and out to sleep
Receding the physical into reverie
Yet my memories tarry evergreen
While I still see the lessening shoreline
Yet must fade forever as I sink to oblivion
And my last thought in time shall be
How I wish that I could have let you see
All the dreams and the hopes I had stored
For us, for the world, for all eternity
That every word said and written was true
Even though it never came to fruition still...
I would see you all again one day I pray
A flicker of remembrance lights the end
Of this journey into the unfolding rebirth
It is your gentle faces and it brings me peace
Surely twas lived in hope and peace
I had brought something to the world
And to those people who intertwined
Around my soul it was a union of joy
Yet outward all I see is an exodus
Slow movements away across time
Into the hush of a quieter tomorrow
For now am I lost to my great works?
And you cannot ever now save me
Clocks stop for I shall never choose
Which lifeline I shall reach out to
So I will tarry a little while longer
Floundering in the blackest of seas
Till time and its fickle tides turn
Sweep me away and out to sleep
Receding the physical into reverie
Yet my memories tarry evergreen
While I still see the lessening shoreline
Yet must fade forever as I sink to oblivion
And my last thought in time shall be
How I wish that I could have let you see
All the dreams and the hopes I had stored
For us, for the world, for all eternity
That every word said and written was true
Even though it never came to fruition still...
I would see you all again one day I pray
A flicker of remembrance lights the end
Of this journey into the unfolding rebirth
It is your gentle faces and it brings me peace
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Subject: Postal Scam
As Christmas approaches crime unfortunately usually increases. One initiative by enterprising fraudsters’ has already caught a large number of unsuspecting members of the public. As a result, the Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:
A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a Premium rate number).
DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.
If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £315 for the phone call.
If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 020 7239 6655. Please be on the look out for this scam as the busy Christmas delivery period approaches.
As Christmas approaches crime unfortunately usually increases. One initiative by enterprising fraudsters’ has already caught a large number of unsuspecting members of the public. As a result, the Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:
A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a Premium rate number).
DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.
If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £315 for the phone call.
If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 020 7239 6655. Please be on the look out for this scam as the busy Christmas delivery period approaches.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Enjoy this 360 view of the garden...
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=3d1dacaa-0aa4-418d-97d5-fdd39856decd
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=3d1dacaa-0aa4-418d-97d5-fdd39856decd
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The sun’s declination nears completion
Soft sunny days lie on watercolour mists
With the low suns and cold days know
The awakening of our world to rebirth
Is closer, yet still long months to come
Thoughts of such a world comforts me
For when can we ever grow if not now?
I grow with every revolution of the earth
My life dances with the cycles of the moon
Slender, slight crescent to full and bright
Radiating my path with a silvered light
Its touch tells me I am alive and full of joy
For only the universe derives my destiny
And that you are part of that destiny is all
That I shall ever need to remind me
That you are so, so very special to me
However long we have been friends
Thank you for the love and attention
You have always given without thought
I love you in all ways that are within me.
Some with my life, some with my very soul
For us special and loved have found each other
To share and grow in joy in a harsh world
My world is yours to take and all my hopes
I Share with you, my friends…it is forever.
And in finding the world, then so it rewards us
With larks, trumpets and peace of the eternal
For we are the blessed, we have the world
In all its sweet scented, glorious greenery
And always at Christmas, we have each other.
Soft sunny days lie on watercolour mists
With the low suns and cold days know
The awakening of our world to rebirth
Is closer, yet still long months to come
Thoughts of such a world comforts me
For when can we ever grow if not now?
I grow with every revolution of the earth
My life dances with the cycles of the moon
Slender, slight crescent to full and bright
Radiating my path with a silvered light
Its touch tells me I am alive and full of joy
For only the universe derives my destiny
And that you are part of that destiny is all
That I shall ever need to remind me
That you are so, so very special to me
However long we have been friends
Thank you for the love and attention
You have always given without thought
I love you in all ways that are within me.
Some with my life, some with my very soul
For us special and loved have found each other
To share and grow in joy in a harsh world
My world is yours to take and all my hopes
I Share with you, my friends…it is forever.
And in finding the world, then so it rewards us
With larks, trumpets and peace of the eternal
For we are the blessed, we have the world
In all its sweet scented, glorious greenery
And always at Christmas, we have each other.
Friday, December 11, 2009
The waking world arrives in cooler textures
New days come scented with heavens aroma
Carried by wind through a dappled glade
To whisper…“You shall never be alone”
For December new doors open in the wind
And this day calls softly on misty breaths
I hear its music clearly; it is alive with you
For our humble worlds, whatever the season
Shall always be spoken in perpetual springtime
Your touch on my heart and soul eases the Winter
New days come scented with heavens aroma
Carried by wind through a dappled glade
To whisper…“You shall never be alone”
For December new doors open in the wind
And this day calls softly on misty breaths
I hear its music clearly; it is alive with you
For our humble worlds, whatever the season
Shall always be spoken in perpetual springtime
Your touch on my heart and soul eases the Winter
Thursday, December 10, 2009
My new Fat Man valve iPod dock and amp - it took a few days (and a call to the store) to figure out that the remote control switches on the dock but i have been impressed by this. (It was cheap too.) That valve sound is like no other. So a great product and lovely, glowing valves. Funny how they've made a comeback? What next a revival of the black and white television. Will we say it has a better picture? Funny thing nostalgia and hyperbole
Friday, December 04, 2009
Mike forgot to moisturise today
The gang waiting for the return to the cruise ship
The cruise ship food prep area was second to none
Think i'll stop making fun of my relatives now....because despite my humour they are a great nation and such a friendly people. One day I am going there to see where my mum was born.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Truth is we can never square the circle in a lifetime; no matter how we might try!
We are slowly, (some might say rapidly) de-evolving backwards because we have reached a human limit on; not our technology, but the inability to harness it for common good.
In the end it is our fallibility wrought from emotion that will hold us back from enlightenment. We can never attain anything worthwhile while we lust and hunger for wealth and power because in their pursuit, we are all capable of doing such very terrible things to both each other and the natural world.
Currently I am reading the autobiography of Clarissa Dickson Wright. She was a woman with a huge amount of honesty and grace under duress. It is hard to stand up and tell the truth but I guess it is a sign we have made peace with the past and any demons that need exorcising.
If I had 2 people to invite to a dinner party both she and Jennifer Paterson would be at the top of the list but I’d be doing the cooking. They could just relax and tell me lots of stories.
We are slowly, (some might say rapidly) de-evolving backwards because we have reached a human limit on; not our technology, but the inability to harness it for common good.
In the end it is our fallibility wrought from emotion that will hold us back from enlightenment. We can never attain anything worthwhile while we lust and hunger for wealth and power because in their pursuit, we are all capable of doing such very terrible things to both each other and the natural world.
Currently I am reading the autobiography of Clarissa Dickson Wright. She was a woman with a huge amount of honesty and grace under duress. It is hard to stand up and tell the truth but I guess it is a sign we have made peace with the past and any demons that need exorcising.
If I had 2 people to invite to a dinner party both she and Jennifer Paterson would be at the top of the list but I’d be doing the cooking. They could just relax and tell me lots of stories.