tit for tat

Dirty Old Men From arctictern in The Dustbin of Life (6 hours old)

Picture the scene if you dare. We went for a walk around Cannon Hall grounds and gardens, a late 19th century house belonging the Spencer-Stanhope family. It's a beautiful place. Half way round I need… more

WELL, I DID! From kendrive ^Pro in I SAY (1 day old)

As many of you will know, I was born in 1933. In that same year the movie "Sitting Pretty", starring Ginger Rogers, came out of Hollywood. Of course I was too young to see the film at that tim… more

UPGRADE From kendrive ^Pro in GRUMPY OLD MAN (1 day old)

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WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? . . . From kendrive ^Pro in KENDRIVE (1 day old)

AND DO YOU CARE WHO KNOWS? EVERY PHONE CALL, TEXT MESSAGE, EMAIL AND WEBSITE VISITED WILL BE STORED FOR A YEAR FOR MONITORING BY THE STATE. All telecoms companies and internet service providers wi… more

ESTHER From kendrive ^Pro in ART FOR ART'S SAKE (1 day old)

I am back to Waterhouse's portraits and this is of his wife, Esther, who was a talented artist in her own right. Esther Kenworthy Waterhouse Date: circa 1885 Medium: Oil on canvas Out of… more

PUT IN THE SICKLES AND REAP From kendrive ^Pro in POEMS AND PROSE (1 day old)

This is one of Swinburne's longer poems. It is about gathering in the corn at harvest time. Or is it? I suggest that is a metaphor for war and the fight for survival. Tell me what you th… more

Irish Wisdom From arctictern in The Dustbin of Life (1 day old)

I've always been mildly interested in old idioms whether Yorkshire, Irish, Scottish or German. I'm now discovering some Dutch ones, they follow the same lay lines as the British and German ones, sligh… more

DEAR ANDY From kendrive ^Pro in GRUMPY OLD MAN (2 days old)

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TWO-FINGERED SALUTE From kendrive ^Pro in KENDRIVE (2 days old)

Baby boy gives two-finger salute to the world... from inside the WOMB If Owen Skeffington grows up to show a lack of respect for authority, his parents can hardly complain that he didn't warn t… more

AESCULAPIUS From kendrive ^Pro in ART FOR ART'S SAKE (2 days old)

"A Sick Child brought into the Temple of Aesculapius" (1877) by John William Waterhouse Aesculapius In Greek mythology, Aesculapius, son of Apollo, (often referred to as the god of medicine or… more

B & W From kendrive ^Pro in I SAY (2 days old)

Here is another poem from "The Poet Laureate of Harlem". Read a biography at: http://www.kansasheritage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html I DREAM A WORLD I dream a world where man … more

CLEO From kendrive ^Pro in POEMS AND PROSE (2 days old)

A long poem by Swinburne. I could have said it all in just five words "By God - She is beautiful". CLEOPATRA Her mouth is fragrant as a vine, A vine with birds in all its boughs; … more

A Song to Cry For From arctictern in The Dustbin of Life (2 days old)

I first heard this whilst driving round County Cavan alone and had to pull over. The endless grey pot holed tarmac couldn't do the song any justice at all so I stopped beside a reedy lough, nearby was… more

LIKE ME From kendrive ^Pro in I SAY (3 days old)

A couple of days ago I posted here "Hold Fast To Dreams", which was written by Langston Hughes, the African-American poet who was best-known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance - the flowerin… more

I LOVE MY COMPUTER From kendrive ^Pro in GRUMPY OLD MAN (3 days old)

I am grateful to Alan for sending me a series of cartoons about that modern day blessing (?) - the computer. Here is the first. … more

DIGITAL CAMERA PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2009 From kendrive ^Pro in KENDRIVE (3 days old)

In the space of 20 weeks, the world’s biggest photo contest, Digital Camera magazine’s Photographer of the Year, received a massive 101,000 online entries from 126 countries. The overall £10,000 … more

THE ENCHANTED GARDEN From kendrive ^Pro in ART FOR ART'S SAKE (3 days old)

Here is one of Waterhouse's last paintings. He had been suffering from cancer for some time, and in 1916 while he continued to work on The Enchanted Garden he was approaching the end of his journey… more

WHEN IT'S GONE, IT'S GONE From kendrive ^Pro in POEMS AND PROSE (3 days old)

DEAD LOVE Dead love, by treason slain, lies stark, White as a dead stark-stricken dove: None that pass by him pause to mark Dead love. His heart, that strained and yearned and strove A… more

The Tufty Club From arctictern in The Dustbin of Life (3 days old)

I was in the Tufty club and the Bimbo blub, and have a Bimbo badge to prove it.I digress. This morning we scraped the ice off the windscreen for the first time since April.Then I went on my daily walk… more

COME TO ME IN MY DREAMS From kendrive ^Pro in I SAY (3 days old)

LONGING Come to me in my dreams, and then By day I shall be well again! For then the night will more than pay The hopeless longing of the day. Come, as thou cam’st a thousand times, A me… more

THEY HAVE COME FORWARD From kendrive ^Pro in GRUMPY OLD MAN (3 days old)

Two lucky winners came forward yesterday to claim their share of a massive £90 million jackpot in Friday night's Euromillions draw. The pair of ticketholders will receive more than £45.5milli… more

SOMEWHAT OF A RARITY? From kendrive ^Pro in KENDRIVE (3 days old)

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APOLLO AND DAPHNE From kendrive ^Pro in ART FOR ART'S SAKE (3 days old)

Yesterday Waterhouse presented us with a wood nymph and today he brings us another tree figure - Daphne. The interesting story behind the painting is from ancient Greek mythology. John Wil… more

NOW I GO ALONE From kendrive ^Pro in POEMS AND PROSE (3 days old)

PAST DAYS I. Dead and gone, the days we had together, Shadow-stricken all the lights that shone Round them, flown as flies the blown foam's feather, Dead and gone. Where we went, we … more

The Berlin Wall From arctictern in The Dustbin of Life (4 days old)

I'm watching a brilliant programme on iPlayer. It was on Saturday night. The Secret Life of the Berlin Wall. The narrative is balanced, the musical score perfect for the occasion, the whole programme … more

Lounge Lizard From prydwen in Wulfweard the White (4 days old)

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DON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS From kendrive ^Pro in I SAY (4 days old)

HOLD FAST TO DREAMS For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. Langston Hughes… more

IS IT YOU? From kendrive ^Pro in GRUMPY OLD MAN (4 days old)

FRANTIC SEARCH FOR TWO LUCKY BRITONS Two British lottery players are unaware they are sitting on a record-breaking £90 million ($149,500,000) fortune. They each won £45,570,835.50 ($74,7050,000)… more

MISSED THE BOAT? From kendrive ^Pro in KENDRIVE (4 days old)

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The first acorn of common sense From prydwen in Wulfweard the White (4 days old)

UK councils please take note. FRANKFORT, Ky. A spokeswoman for Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear says he's calling the tree on the Capitol's front lawn a "Christmas" tree this holiday season. A… more