Y at Burton Joyce - Me = messing about

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Y insisted on making her own way to BJ today so I could have a rest. Thoughtful girl. And I've taken advantage of it. My new PC is ready and Jack installs it tomorrow around 11.15am.

I'm really looking forward to the better monitor and all the other improved features.

And then at 4pm, I need to go to the City Hospital Clinic for my ultra-sound scan.

I've not heard how John fared with his clinic. But, via e-mail from Reg, Maureen has had the 'scaffolding' removed and all is well.

Picture 1 is Bungus's "fancy grass". A lovely picture and I particularly like the silhouetted shadows on the ground. We have some similar grasses and the sparrows have been feasting on the ears of wheat near the bird-feeders.

I had a clean up, bird-feeder-wise and took longer than I had anticipated. But I enjoyed the fresh air and didn't have to rush to lie flat half an hour after starting.

Picture 2 is one of our juvenile thrushes. We know they are around because of the tap tap as they prepare their breakfast of snails. The shells are always within a square foot of the paving slab leading to the front lawn. This thrush however, was on the rear lawn. The quality isn't good but hand-held through the kitchen window?

Picture 3 is a polaroid by Daniel Boudinet in 1979 and it is published here because someone - I can't find the comment - was discussing early morning light creeping round the curtains.

I also remembered Larkin's poem "Audabe" where he writes :

"Waking at four to soundless dark, I stare/
In time the curtain-edges will grow light"

and I thought the snap went well with the words.

.............. I've had a temporary computer glitch involving a gorilla which took up residence on screen while I was doing something else, and he proved immovable (seriously ! - It was a 'clip art' image I was trying to be clever with - serves me right).

System Restore was necessary in the end, but thankfully he's gone now.

Comments

Roy ..... Thanks for the material about Sleetmoor Lane and I think that will be it ! My step-father's name was Sam Taylor and maybe you or Ann will know the name or the family, his brother was Owen. As I said, they had farmed there since time immemorial.

Maybe our 'yaffle' is the same family as the one you saw near Jacksdale. I've no idea of the size of a Woodpecker's normal territory. But we had a similar visit last year too.

You are certainly doing well with your new hip and I'm sure Peter will read your comments and draw them to Joan's attention. It will be reassuring for her to read a 'success story'.

Bungus ...... I think the Youth Hostel in Derbyshire that you hasve in mind is probably Ilam Hall - a beatiful setting and a 'well thought of ' place.

I don't know enough about Clematis to argue, so probably Jackmanii is right.

The 'Betty's' in Ilkley is no doubt the sister ship to the one in Harrogate, which we thought was the famous one. We have 'afternoon tea-ed' there and been slightly disappointed.

I'm sure Jill will sort out the families. It seems to me they are complicated as often as not.

Jill .... I did spend half a hour messing about in Photoshop, with the 'lava flow' picture but the result was awful. So I decided against inflicting my pictorial peccadillo on you all. The one I published was un-interfered with.

Glad that you too are a Matt fan ! He is always 'up to the minute' and even non-Telegraph readers admire his stance and his prodigious output. The stress of producing such work day after day must be enormous. Due to his topicality, he can't even stockpile a few in readiness.

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Quotation time ... seldom does your blogmeister find it necessary to flatly disagree with a quote. But this time I do..............

"A poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits"

Robert Heinlein

Bungus and I and also Rob, and Mike to mention just a few, know some performance poets who are super people. In fact Bungus is no mean performer of his own stuff. And just think of Auden, Betjeman, Pam Ayres, Wendy Cope, Dylan Thomas, Carol Ann Duffy, John Hegley, Henry Normal ............... I could just go on and on. They may be eccentric - thank God - but 'nasty habits' is just gratuitously rude. I shan't be quoting him again.

Sleep tight and I hope to catch you tomorrow...........

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This is me listening to a good performance poet ................

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