"What we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments ..."
I had it in my head that it was going to be Father's Day on the weekend coming - no idea why as it is not something that usually crosses...
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TIME ON YOUR HANDS
"S mairg a ni tarcuis air biadh,"
As a June baby the arrival of the 1st June is always the real beginning of summer for me. With a lifetime in schools, boy and man, it...
If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd be picking roses for a lifetime.
ps: The old English rose comes from the Latin rosa and is probably from Italian and Greek dialects rhodon and most likely from the...
"He who bears chives on his breathe, Is safe from being kissed to death. "
ps: quote from Epigrams by Marcus Valerius Martialis (1st century AD) Quotes "Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be...
Look-up-and-kiss-me
Main picture: Saxifraga x urbium ps: Look-up-and-kiss-me is more commonly known as London Pride (Saxifraga × urbium). It rapidly...
"And out of its scabbard The iris slips, And calls to the lily and rose, 'Why tarry',"
Quotes "Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less." -...
as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers and they open ...
Quotes "Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less." -...
"To wake in that desert dawn was like waking in the heart of an opal."
You may remember from the post regarding T E Lawrence that it created a little conversation about Gertrude Bell so I thought I would...
“What is it?" Her interest piqued by the heavenly aroma."Delicious," I said ...
In the preface to the book that this recipe comes from the author discusses the importance of food to life and how some ingredients are...
“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
Photo: Michel d’Oultremont - 2018 Until yesterday morning I had not heard of Mary Oliver but she was mentioned in a post on a Facebook...
I opened-up a yogurt, underneath the lid it said, "Please try again."
My fridge is housing some beef & lamb burgers from our local farmshop and the weather seems set fair so the waft of BBQ grills will be...
"Trust in God but tie up your camel". - Arab proverb
I have a copy of this sketch by Augustus John in my study. I purchased it from the National Portrait Gallery in London many years ago on...
"Handle a book as a bee does a flower, extract its sweetness but do not damage it!
Honey bees make honey from pollen and nectar collected from flowers. They live in large colonies with one queen, many sterile female...
"That is very fine; but it is impossible to make the men perfect" - IKB
This is the SS Great Britain and as you can see, this man perfectly caught a bit of his thumb in the photograph! You may remember (Welsh...
Fake News
We are surrounded by fake news, often from sources that not that long ago that we thought we could trust. One definition of fake news...
Legend has it, knock upon willow to chase bad luck away
In a plot of land that we rent not far from our home Katayoun has planted about 120 willow trees to provide a supply for her weaving...
a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me
Recipe: Madeleines Makes 12 Ingredients: 2 free-range eggs 100g/3½oz caster sugar 100g/3½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1 lemon,...
VE Day
Today is VE Day 75 and it is rather sad not to be able to mark this momentous moment in a more fitting way. However, it does maybe give...
... the nodding peony flower ...
August Renoir c1880 I heard the farm cocks crowing, loud, and faint, and thin, When hooded night was going and one clear planet winked: I...
A fun alternative to kale!
I can't get on with kale - I know it is supposed to be good for me, offering lots of nutrients and necessary elements. However, to my...
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