A forgotten gem

I have written lots of poetry for use in elearning, but decided this week that I would feature work by other authors, and since I write for an English learning site, decided to use the work of English poets.

Imagine my delight at discovering a wonderful poem by George Eliot that had somehow ‘slipped thro the net’ of my poetry reading. It just begs to be shared, posted on walls everywhere, used as a screensaver etc etc etc. I loved it, and hope that it is sufficient inspiration to be loved by others too. Enjoy Count that day Lost by George Eliot.

(I even managed to get a couple of pictures onto this one- don’t ask how, it was a fluke!)

Kids!!

The Summer holidays have begun, and already my stress levels are high! The thing is, I work from home, and altho’ they are old enough to entertain themselves, my son and daughter prefer to ‘entertain’ themselves by seriously getting on each others nerves and being decidedly vocal about it!! I could accept this more readily were we talking about two toddlers vying for Mum’s attention – but these 2 are,shall we say, more mature in years…. As a result, work has been difficult to say the least, and I was pleased when the eldest went away for 5 days with Dad to see the Hungarian Grand Prix – at least I could get things done. Mmm, here is the newest problem….I miss them both such a lot, and daughter keeps coming to tell me how much she misses her big brother. What??? How crazy is that?

Anyhow, the truth is that we are, indeed, missing them….rows, spats and all.

All this brings to mind how very difficult it becomes to exert your own will and ‘house rules’ on kids of a certain age. I can recall in my teens a time when I vowed to myself that I would NOT be doing things the way my parents were……Well, that never happened! I expect my son,too, is feeling the same at this moment in time. He’s all ready to take life by the throat and really shake it up, and meanwhile me and his Dad stand on the sidelines shaking our heads ruefully and thinking ‘Yeah, he’ll learn!!’

So, for all those young people ready to take life on, start here with  My Rules.

Pigging ‘flu!!

Uughh, I think I have a summer cold – but that seems so tame, that I think I will declare myself as having swine ‘flu (anyone who follows me on Twitter will know I have been known to describe myself as ‘riding like a pig’ on occasion, so why not??) because that way I think I can garner more sympathy for my plight! I know it’s in the area, and I have a friend whose 2 daughters have been in contact with a sufferer, so I could be technically declared as being susceptible.

Whilst feeling decidedly sorry for myself for having to ‘get on with it’ in spite of feeling rotten, I was reminded of the bee – the humble bumble – It has such a short period of time in which to gather pollen that it cannot afford to be put off by bad weather, bad moods or general lethargy. It has no concept of a 40hr working week, or an 8hr working day – if the pollen is there, the bees just work and work and work to collect. I wrote a poem after my daughter and I sat one day and watched the masses of bees that toiled away on our fantastic lavender bushes….. My tribute to the humble bumble- BEES ON LAVENDER – have a read of it and marvel at the industriousness of these wonderful insects.

Kids and water

Last week was incredibly hot and sunny, the gardens full of children playing a variety of games, but the favourite pursuit seemed to be anything that involved water! As buckets, pistols, cannons and balloons were filled with water and their contents spilled over ‘enemy’ teams, I knew it would only be a matter of time before my youngest was requesting the paddling pool or sprinkler be dragged out from the back of the garage and that I spend an inordinate amount of time preparing everything for what would amount to a very short period of fun. As I trudged out to the garage to seek out the requested items I was reminded of the number of times I had grudgingly done this before, and felt sure that I had, at one point, put pen to paper about this very task. I sought it out, and it goes ‘live’ today, a dedication to all those parents who have been on the same position on similar summer days… PADDLING POOL – enjoy!!

And speaking of longevity -(as I did in my last Blog)  my latest poem is a somewhat belated dedication to my parents who celebrated their Golden Wedding some years ago. Why belated? Well, poetry just comes along when it’s ready, not when it’s bidden!! Enjoy.

Here comes Summer!

What a glorious few days we have had this week, and some wonderfully balmy evenings too. I’m not a big sunseeker but have to say that the English countryside is one of the most beautiful places I know when it’s many shades of green, and it’s lovely trees are bathed in the summer sun’s light. It was this type of vista that inspired my opening lines in ‘Delights’ – there is no more beautiful place to shelter than beneath the protective ‘arms’ of a wonderful oak tree (except in a thunderstorm, of course!), whether it be shade from the sun or shelter from the rain. I love trees. I marvel at their longevity. What must they have witnessed as time passed and they stood firm? What will they see when we are long gone? Some of my favourite trees reside in my sisters garden – lime trees, favourites of the Victorians. They are so stately, with pale green foliage and the most terrific scent when in flower. There is a homemade swing strung beneath the branches of one tree, and it is a personal joy of mine to sit on the swing, lean as far back as I can and stare up through the layers of branches and leaves and marvel at their majesty. I cannot understand why ‘tree-hugger’ is a phrase used detrimentally -I think,for their beauty, strength, and ability to stand firm while all around is changing, they deserve frequent hugs!