BEYOND THE VEIL

Many
Voices clamour
Until my head jangles
Like a badly tuned orchestra
Today
I saw
Once again men in black coats, move,
Stately, sombre, until
Life receded
Death reigned

Panic
Struck my raw heart
My soul taken up, black
Was this day, until red appeared
And then
I knew
That there is still life to be lived,
In the midst of which death
Interrupts, flows,
Calls us

Softly
Life caresses
My face, swollen, weeping,
Telling me that life will live on,
Because
That’s what
It does, and death cannot conquer
That which lives for ever
Beyond the veil
So fine

NO LANGUAGE

Stripped
Away
All semblance
Of what makes life
Language fails to tell
Of the anguish within
No connection with others
No common reality shared
What use is language when life wanes dies
The death of one who is stripped of everything

WHAT KIND OF A SOCIETY DO WE LIVE IN – – SOCIAL SERVCES FAIL AGAIN

Today my husband told me that he has terrible problems in the kitchen and particularly with cooking or preparing food. It is worse than I knew. He works from a wheelchair and of course that is low down and the work surface and cupboards are difficult for him to reach. When dealing with saucepans on the hob he has to get up out of his wheelchair and stand up in order to see in them or stir them or anything like that. He falls very easily and this is very risky for him to have to do. Falling has always been a major fear of ourse for him and it could do terrible damage to him as it has done in the past. Then what would happen to me? He is my sole Carer as I have stated before in here. So he decided that he needed a referral to wheelchair services in our council so that they can maybe get him a rising electric wheelchair so that he could then reach the hob and cupboards. In order to get this he needed a referral from his GP which in America is the primary care doctor I think. So he rang his doctor’s office and was told that he could not book an appointment for a telephone call with the doctor for over four weeks. But his posisiton is now dangerous.

Because of this he rang Social Services as we are badly in need of help. As Ihave said befor, they have consistently refused to help us and force him to be my only Carer. But we thought that this was a situation that they needed to look at again. When he range them they were very abrupt and curt and with no compassion at all. There was not one jot of caring there. He was told that they could not help and then they tried to give him another number to ring. When he said that he cannot write, and this is because of arthritis plus neuropathy in his hands, and asked them to email him the number they refused. He just drew a complete blank with thm. We felt angry and despairing and helpless once again. It is not good for our. Stress levels and mental health to keep having to do this.

Neither the doctors nor the Social Services showed any caring or compassion anywhere at all and we are still in the position where he is in grave danger. He constantly drops mugs of coffee on the floor and other things also. He cannot wash up the pots properly and so we are eating off dirty pots. And drinking out of dirty mugs. It feels as if no one cares at all and indeed that is the plain and simple truth.

I have no idea what our government is going to do about the failing Social Services systen but it is horrendous. It would take years to put it all right. And we will probably be dead by the time they do.

So here I am venting again.

SOMETIMES

Sometimes my poetry is not about me but is just poetry. Just sometimes. A lot of my own experience does go into my poetr and especially about darkness and blindness, but there are times when what I write is not about me. I know that most times I can relate to what I write but sometimes not. This makes me ask what poetry is.

IN THIS DARK LANE

In this dark lane I greet my past
Looking at the sky so vast
Just as when I was a child
So innocent and undefiled

‘Twixt stars and sky such great contrast
To the sky again my eyes I cast
Such memories will always last
By the stars I was beguiled
In this dark lane

So many stars there were, amassed
It seems my childhood went so fast
Here again out in the wild
Where Love it seemed upon me smiled
Again my soul such glory grasps
In this dark lane

HAVE YOU EVER HAD THAT UNSETTLED FEELING?

Have you ever had that unsettled feeling that something is amiss and your peace is disturbed? Yesterday for various reasons I had a wonderful day and had the most incredible peace, which is not usual for me. Then something happened and it was very disturbing. Sleep would not come and I still feel unsettled today. Anyway nothing can be done. I will just get on with my day as normal. I need my peace back and it will come.

WALK WITH ME

Come with me today, feel the freshening breeze,
Walking on the hill, above the river,
Remember now, this moment only seize
For soon it may be gone, it’s not forever
I know this far to well, but now I live
In the present moment, feel its glory
All that we have is this bright day to give
To the ones we’ve stored to make our story
Take my hand, we’ll walk this path together
I’ll show you things you never saw before
That always you will want to remember
Until we reach one day that farthest shore
But let the wind blow now here as we walk
And let us hear the silence to us talk

THE WHOLE WORLD IS BUSY

The whole world is busy
Rushing
Never still
Never thinking
Just rushing
Rushing
Rushing
Too busy to stop and listen
Too busy to hear the cries of the silent ones
Too busy to see with eyes of compassion the suffering ones
Those who beg for a bit of time
Those who sit waiting
Waiting
Waiting
For one drop of love
Of human compassion
Who cannot be busy
But who wait
In silence

THE NIGH

The moment soon to come
Making its way slowly
Purposefully
There is no escape
Unknowing
We amble
Carefree on our way
While the nigh is nearly upon us
To surprise
Uproot
Disturb
Never will we be the same again
When the nigh has come nigh

#SOCS SATURDAY 27/04/24 Show

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS April 27, 2024

With thanks to Linda G. Hill for the prompt

I have been to all sorts of shows in my time but the one that sticks in my mind is the Leek show in England. It was memorable because it was here that I net Brenda. Brenda was to become an item in our lives that was tumultuous. She was a good hearted person but sho took offence very easily. The way it happened was that we were looking at a stall that had all doggy things on it like leads and all sorts of other things. We consisted of myself and my husband. As we stood looking at the stall, Brenda was stood next to us holding and gingering a very thin lead in her hands. She was running her figers along and feeling the weight of it and we wondered what she was doing. Suddenly she started talking to u and it turned out the she had a dog called Champ, a rought collie like ours, and of course he was called Champ because he had been a champion at one of the more high profile shows. So of course we started talking dogs. She seemed to want to become friends with us and so we exchanged telephone numbers and she told us where she lived. She lived on a small farm high up in the Derbyshire hills with her collies and various other animals including horses. She had bred some horses herself. Palamino horses. Is that how you speall it? Well anyway, we did go to see her at her farm and met everyone. It was really isolated and she managed to get through the harsh Derbyshire winters up there all on her own.

The frienship blossonged and soon it was that she rang us every single vening at a certain time. Then I started going out with her to a farm cafe and we had a good time together. I always drove her. Sometimes we would go to a certain store together and we really got to know each other well.

Then suddenly the friendship ceased. We went to another dog show and she was showing her dog Champ and then having his photograph taken. We stood on the sideliens and for some reason she took offence. We never knew what at but she left the show in a huff and as she drove past us she gave a queenly wave as if to say goodbye for ever. And goodbye it was. We never knew quite what had happened.

WHEN THE END OF THE ROAD COMES

When the end of the road comes
May I see the rainbow colours of love
For now the darkness is mine
The pain
The toil
The struggle
Each day the grind
The tears
That silently fall
All masks gone
The false smile
The inappropriate laughter
In my soul is the realist
The one who sees all
Feels all
A human being
Bearing more than she can bear
I know about rainbows
I see them in my mind’s eye
But at the end of this road
I will see fully
And know as I am known
No longer
Will I see through a glass darkly
But in the brillince of the light
All will be revealed
And I will see the face of my Love

AND THEN CANCER STRUCK

Well there I was , living my life when suddenly, the whole world changed. Cancer. Anyone who has ever had cancer will know what that means and what it feels like. It changes you. Utterly and totally. In my case I had been getting gradually iller over the course of a year, but up until then, I had been living a full life. I had a future. I could look forwards to things and make plans. It was a strange affair because on the one hand I had the haematologist saying that it may very well kill me as it was so advanced and on the other hand I had my GP saying that it was only a blip. Well, the haematologist was almost right as I almost did die and one night I truly thought that I had seen into heaven and eternity. I will never forget that night and today I still talk a lot about eternity and heaven although I do not often use the word “heaven.” It altered my perception of things. Anyway, it certainly was not a blip. Unlike other people who had my particualr form of cancer, I was left how I am now, which is virtually bedridden. And blind. It is no fun. It has changed me beyond measure, some for the better and some for the worse.

I would not wish cancer on anyone. I really wouldn’t though for me it was a growing point but not pleasant and not something that I would choose to go through even if it did bring about personal growth. Life will never be the same again for me now and I have to try to make the best of what life I have got left, from this bed. It is not easy. Often it is so gruelling that I become despairing. Somethings I can see the light and sometimes only the dark.

I would offer only one thought from all of this and it is, if you want to do something, don’t put it off. Do it NOW. Don’t prevaricate. You never know what time you have left and if anything will suddenly strike you that changes your life completely. Enjoy each moment that you have. Life does not last for ever.

YESTERDAY WAS MY BIRTHDAY

Well yesterday was my birthday. It was a non event. No cards or gifts or anything, but that is how it is now, though I must say that I felt it. Not that we were ever big on birthdays in my family but as I have no family left now anyway in a way it did not matter. I ended up wondering a lot though. Had I done much with my life? Had it been worhtwhile? I looked back quite a lot as I have no future to look forwards to. I wondered a lot of things. I wondered what I could still do with my life from where I am now. There is so little that I can do. It is quite frightening. Living each day as it comes is all that I can do now, and each day has challenges of its own and sometimes it feels almost impossible. But here I am, still alive though much depleted. I hate getting older.

I HEARD TONIGHT

I heard tonight the calling of my name
Upon the wind when tears did sting my eyes
In soft and gentle tones caressing all my pain

I listened hard,and there it was again
Blowing through the trees a whispered sigh
I heard tonight the calling of my name

Here in this place You made Your purpose plain
I answered You not even asking why
In soft and gentle tones caressing all my pain

I’d waited long to hear Love’s sweet refrain
My grief so strong I thought that I would die
I heard tonight the calling of my name

Sweet peace embraced my soul and I did gain
Love’s rich reward eternity came nigh
I heard tonight the calling of my name
In soft and gentle tones caressing all my pain

ONE DAY THE TRUTH WILL BE KNOWN

One day the truth will be known
Those words that hide in darkness
One day there will be light
Blinding like the sun
But to those who can see
Who are not blinded
The words will be revealed
Nothing can hide for ever
Everything comes to light in the end
Evil will not win
Truth will stand
And innocence will be rewarded
The blood of the innocents
Lying on the ground
Becoming life that is endless
One day
The truth will be known

A CONSTANT BATTLE

Just lately it has been a constant batlle to keep going with all the changes in WordPress and then my Word crashing such that I can never use it again because of an incompatability issue that cannot be fixed. My publisher will not accept my manuscript in anything but Word.

Then this morning yet another change had been made by WordPress. They have now changed how you get to stats. I am battling all the time ti simply maintain some semblance of life. I am getting more and more despairing and tired of it all. The alternative is to just sit on my bed all day long looking at total darkness. I just feel like a wrung out rag. My viewing figures are going down daily and I simply cannot keep up with what needs to be done in order to keep a blog going. I know that I have said much of this before but it is just getting worse and worse. I feel so depressed and it is not that I have not been determined and tried but it is simply that nothing stays the same and often the changes take place daily. I just feel limp and hopeless right now. I so wish to have some form of life.

#FOWC – Girlfriend

FOWC with Fandango — Girlfriend

I never had one special girlfriend. We moved around too much for a close relationship to blossom between myself and any other girld. However, it was something that I would have liked.

The closest that I got to it was when we lived in Derbyshire and I met Joan. I met her through the U3A as I was leading a group in philosophy. Well, it turned out that not many people were that interestd in philosophy and so only two people turned up, or to be more precise, myself and a man all met up in Joan’s flat as she had offered it as a place to meet. The man, Roy, was in the flat bneath Joan. It didn’t exactly go a bomb but I did make friends with Joan, or rather she did with me. What I mean is that she was over the moon because there were so many coincidences that linked us together. I liked Joan. We ended becoming the greatest of friends. Joan was bipolar and she was the most clear sighted person that I ever met. We had loads of escapades together and I would love to see her again but after we moved back to my home county we lost contact and then we found out that she had died. R.I.P. Joan.

#DAILY WRITING PROMPT #1919

https://blindwilderness.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=post&calypsoify=1&answer_prompt=1919

The Daily Writing Prompt asks us when we last took a risk and how it worked out

The last time that I took a real risk was just after my father had died. Suddenly we realised how short life was, we being me and my husband. Over and over again the phrase kept coming to us, “DO IT NOW.” Four days after my father’s death I had to travel from my home county to Derbyshire for a Tutor’s Conference. I was a tutor in a college. It was July, and as I drove out of Sheffield over the hill and into Derbyshire, the sun was just beginning to light up the hills. Stunned by the beauty it suddenly came to me that we would go to live in that place. I tried to quash the feeling as we had a house in my hometown and we had had no plans to move although we wanted to. Houses were not selling at the time.

The following week we went on a week’s holiday in Derbyshire to have some peace and rest after my father’s death and as we were travelling along in our car one day we saw a cottage with a “To Let” sign outside. We both looked at each other and we knew what we were going to do. And we did. We range the agent and looked round the cottage there and then. It was ridiculous. We had had no plans to move. The cottage would have been no good for us anyway, but as we said to the agent that it was not suitable, he told us that he had another one to let in Tideswell a little way away. We had never heard of Tideswell but we said that we would look round it. We followed him in our car to the village and to a row of tiny stone built cottages. We went inside and lookd round and as we stood in the tiny living room I heard myself saying to the agent,

“We’ll take it.” What on earth was I doing? We had little money and a mortgage on our house back in my home county. My husband agreed and nodded as I said these words.

Four weeks later we moved into the tiny cottage. We had never taken such a risk in our lives but we spent the happiest eight months of our lives in that cottage and following that we moved to a bigger one. Then we managed to sell our house and we found another one that we could afford in Chapel en le Frith in Derbyshire and it all seemed like a miracle. We had never been peopl,e for taking risks, but this one worked out perfectly. We had eight wonderful years in Derbyshire and then we had to return to my home county as my husband had to give up work due to his post polio syndrome. We could no longer afford to live in Derbyshire. And yes, I would do it all over again if I could

HOW WE HAVE HAD TO SOLVE THE WORD PROBLEM

Well, if you read my post of yesterday you will know that Word has crashed on my iPad just as I was about to finish off my book for the publishers. I explained all that we had done but stil no joy. We know what the problem is now, but the soluteion lies with microsoft and even their own bluetooth keyboards will not work with Word. We have rung the publishers and what I will have to do is write my book again in Dream Writer, which I alrady have, and then transfer it back into Word in order to send it to them. Oh what a palava.

I suspect that this is not going to be a Dream but a Nightmare par excellence. Wish me luck lol

I WAS IN A REAL MESS

Well I went to the bathroom early this morning and got lost on the way back. It was terrifying. I don’t know how, but I lost my way entirely. First of all I was banging into something and I tried to find my way and then I realised that I was nowhere near where I needed to be. Problem is, I can’t stand up for very long and have to use a walking frame to get to the bathroom as there is no room for a wheelchair for me up here. I was panicking as I could not stand for much longer. I shouted hubby but he was fast asleep. Eventually he did wake up and he was trying to guide me back into the bedroom form his wheelchair but I could not understand his instructions. I was totally disorientated and simply could not align myself at all. I don’t know how I did it but ended up in the bedroom again eventually but in the wrong place. This is ridiculous. How many more times will I get lost on the landing? Being blind is scary.

AS I WAIT

As I wait the light dies
I say goodbye to precious things
There is no time for “Whys”

Now it’s summer, my dream lies
On the hard pavement, sings
As I wait the light dies

I cannot see now with my eyes
But my dream has spread its wings
There is no time for “Whys”

The dream on the pavement flies,
Rises up to heaven, shines,
As I wait the light dies

Someone Somewhere heard my cries
Knew there could be better things
There is no time for “Whys”

This dream is of enormous size
Fit for queens and kings
As I wait the light dies
There is no time for “Whys”

HUMDRUM

Life used to be fast
Before I was stripped laid low
Now it is humdrum

Each day is the same
Excitement is not my lot
Sometimes my mind goes

Absent Without Leave
What is life without a mind?
I better find it

Ah, I found it here
In the middle of WordPress
Amongst my good friends

OH MY GOODNESS, WORDS HAS CRASHED

Have we got a jinx on our house? Now, Word has crashed. I have been writing or trying to write a closing chapter for my book, ready to send to the publishers, and suddenly as I was typing, it threw me out onto my Home page. I am talking about the Home page on my iPad and not on Word itself. I kept on trying to type and each time it would at some point throw me out. We did not know whether the problem was within Word itself or the keyboard. It is not due to lack of space as we purchased enough space to write loads of books. We tried attaching the keyboard to a different iPad with Word on it, to see if it was the kayboard. But it was not. We went through a whole load of things to try to locate the problem. Was it in Word or was it in the keyboard or was it in the iPad? Well, we eliminated everything because whatever we did, the problem including loading our then present Word onto a clean iPad never used. It still had the problem. So soething was wrong in Word itself. Had it got corrupted? Oh hell, my book is in there.

In the end we used the brand new clean iPad and purchased Word all over again. So we got new Word and hey presto, it worked. But what is wrong with the old Word? It still has all my documents there but I can’t add to them. We now have to somehow or other transfer my book docs to the new Word ready to send to the publishers.

So please, somebody, where have all my gremlins come from? I seem to have had rather a lot lately. Wish me luck lol

I RISE NOT

I rise not from this bed of dust
Paralysed I watch the world in awe
Streams of people passing by
Bright coloured clothes wafting in the wind
The smell of perfume clicking heels
The money changers in the temple shout
Music pours from plastic speakers drones
Only my eyes move but I cannot see
The scents and sounds tell me everything
I am but dust in this hilarious world
I hear a cackle wonder who is this
Perhaps the devil laughs as I lie here
Jubilant to see I cannot rise
I hear a fountain gurgling dancing
Its laughter springing from its soul
It finds my dust and then I drink
Fountain of Life goes deep into my soul
Revived I rise
My bed of dust has gone

FOWC – Sneeze

FOWC with Fandango — Sneeze

With thanks to Fandango for the prompt

It was late. And dark. Tom was in bed, as were his parents and the house was silent. He thought of the delicious buns that were downstairs in the kitchen. In fact he couldn’t stop thinking of them. He felt hungrier and hungrier. His mouth began to water. Suddenly desire overtook him, and he just had to have one of them. Maybe he could creep downstairs and steal one. No one would ever know. He imagined one of them in his mouth and the taste was out of this world. It was no good. He just had to have one. He got quietly out of bed. He stopped outside his parents’ bedroom door. He could hear his father snoring and there was no sound coming from his mother. They were both soundly asleep. It would be alright. He would not be caught. He crept down the stairs thinking only of the bun. He opened the kitchen door and went to the pantry where the buns were. Greedily he put his hand out and took one of the buns. He took a bite. And Mmmmm this was heaven. Suddenly he felt his nose beginning to itch and to twitch. Oh no. He was going to sneeze. Then it happened. Sneeze after sneeze exploded from his mouth and nose. He couldn’t stop it. The next thing that happened was that his mother appeared in the doorway, wondering what was going on. Oh no. Tom stood there with cream all over his face and cake crumbs all over the floor where they had landed when he had begun to sneeze. He had been caught red handed.

SUMMER APPROACHES

Summer approaches
The air becomes warm again
Pigeons are cooing

Willow green again
Grass growing oh so quickly
Get the mower out

Days are long again
Nights taking slumber away
Warmth envelops me

Blackbirds are singing
Dogs all around are barking
The world is alive

#DAILY WRITING PROMPT #1916

https://blindwilderness.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=post&calypsoify=1&answer_prompt=1916

The Daily Writing Prompt asks us what makes us nervous.

Well all sorts of things make me nervous. Hospitals definitely do and having had to have a lot to do with them since 2013 my life has been a mass of nervousness. I avoid them as much as possible though.

How many goes am I allowed at this lo because I have lots of things that are almost equal to hospitals. I hate authority and am terrified of it. Especially church authorities in the form of priests, Ministers, etcetera. Having had some utterly terrible experiences of them and of church authority, I avoid them like the plague.

I used to fear school authority but it need not bother me now as I am in my dotage although I don’t feel as though I am in my dotage lol.

I could elaborate on all the above but it might get a bit naughty. Oh and I hate those rabid people who come along trying to convert me to THEIR brand of what they think is the TRUTH and right. To them there is only one way and it becomes almost a threat to you if you don’t respond and believe like them. For me there is room in life for all kinds of people and beliefs or none at all. No one has the right to be rabid about their own beliefs. I need to be free to make my own mind up and that may change from time to time. We evolve and we think and we can change and sometimes it can be confusing but it is better than not thinking and just standing still.

I think I would sum up this post by saying I am a nervous wreck lol

ANCIENT DAYS

Ancient days, old like the paths we tread
Full of all that is
That was and can be
Stretching into the unknown
And back into time
When do the two meet
And is there really no tomorrow
Or yesteryear
Seamless like the sky
From which comes sun and rain
Making rainbows
Arching over life unknown
For who can know
The sum of everything
Or hold time in a crucible
All is One my friend
As you and I are one
In the great Cosmos
Connected
To the Ancient of Days

WRITTEN FOR FRIDAY FICTIONEERS – Sweet Memories

With thanks Rochelle for the prompt

Candy entered the secondhand shop. She had been there many times. Inside was an American flag, but this was England. This was her home now, her birthplace was America. The shop was dedicated to selling things American. Her heart leapt every time she went in. Often she felt homesick longing to return to her homeland. All she had were sweet memories. One day she entered the shop and the flag had gone. Her heart like lead she asked what had happened. The owner had died. Someone else had taken over. She grieved. But she knew her beloved America would never die.

100 Words

#WDYS #234 15th April 2024 The Dance

What do you see # 234- April 15, 2024

With thanks to Sadje for the Prompt

Remembering
The days when my feet were blithe and light
When so easily I could jump
Up into the air in beauty and wonder light as a feather
Joyful as a bird in flight
It was what I was made for
What I was called to
What was my very essence
To dance dance dance
Utnil there was no more dance to dance
I had danced myself out
And now the mask is off
Never to be put on again
Now I can reveal all
The troubles and the triumphs
The toils and the cares
The hard work and the patience
The sufferings and the joys
To tell the tale that we must meet both success and failure
With grace
That life is what it is
Not always high flying
And sometimes
Just sometimes
We must dance from our beds
Dance dance dance
Until there is no more dance within us
Dance
Just dance

#FOWC – Wingspan

FOWC with Fandango — Wingspan

With thanks to Fandango for the prompt

We do not have eagles near here. There are some in Scotland but not here in England, at least, that is what was thought. Until one day……..

Some people were out bird watching not too far from the coast which is thirty miles from where I live. They were all doing it independently of each other so they were not together. But gradualy one report after another was coming in of them seeing a white tailed eagle. It was so massive and they were in shock. The wingspan was so large and they all said that they felt as they had been hit bu a barn door. I thought how wonderful it must have been to see a white tailed eagle.

Not too long after that, I was sat on my bed as I usually am nowadays since becoming ill, and my husband was looking out of the window, and suddenly he exclaimed,

“Oh my God what is that coming towards us?” It was coming so fast and then it swooped up and over our house. He got a good look at it as it went over and oh boy, it was white on its tail. It was indeed the white tailed eagle that had come thirty miles inland. We could hardly believe it, and I felt so sad because no longer can I see the birds, but oh how excited I was that one had actually come here.

#DAILY WRITING PROMPT

https://blindwilderness.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=post&calypsoify=1&answer_prompt=1915

For the Daily Writing Prompt we are asked how do we unwind after a busy day.

I no longer have busy days as I am mostly bedbound and blind. I yearn for the days when I did used to have busy days. Nowadays no one even speaks to me and I see no one. My days are filled with loneliness and longing. I would love to have someone speak to me again. But when I was busy in the past I would unwind by taking my dogs for a walk in the hills. I miss doing that very much. For me, it was vital to get outside as I am an outside person, and being indoors all the time now sucks the life out of me. Some days I even wonder if life is worthwile any more but then I write poetry, or my book although in fact I have three books on the go but never know which one is worthwhile. In fact I am never sure what is worhtwhile any more. I find little meaning in life now and I think that most people in my situation have times when they wonder if life is worthwhile. One needs contact with other people in order to feel alive. No man is an island is what is said and that is true. But I guess that nothing is going to change much and so for now I will unwind by writing either poetry or my books.

#FOWC – Valiant

FOWC with Fandango — Valiant

With thanks to Fandango for the prompt

Whenever I hear the word “valiant,” it reminds me of what we used to sing regularly in school assemblies. I don’t know if this was common everywhere, but we used to sing, “He who would valiant be,” and it went on to say something about being a pilgrim. Well for starters no one ever told us what a pilgrim was and I always wondered but felt slightly sick abou it. It sounded like something awful. I was definitely turned off by this hymn and actually bored too. I suppose later on I found out a little bit more about what a pilgrim was when we had to read “Pilgrim’s Progress,” but oh how scary that was and how awful. I certainly did NOT want to be a pilgrim.

When I think of the word “valiant” now, I see a load of marching soldiers all being whatever valiant is.

I think I might be sadly lacking somewhere lol

#SAMMI COX’S WEEKEND WRITING PROMPT

Weekend Writing Prompt #360 – Expire

With thanks to Sammi for the Prompt

Jim looked for all the world as if he was about to expire. Laid in the hospital bed, his eyes closed, unresponsive, soon he would breathe his last. Until Claudia began to play him a song. “Dancing Queen.” Taking his hand she danced at his bedside. He awoke. His eyes lit up. Then fell back into his last sleep. She had always been his Dancing Queen.

#SOCS SATURDAY

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS April 20, 2024

With thanks to Linda G. Hill for the prompt

Sometimes it is hard to integrate everything into one’s life. Things happen. Life happens. Things that we did not expect. Things that we were not prepared for, and that throw us into devastation. Those are the hardest things to integrate into our lives in a healthy way. I often wonder, though, what is meant by doing things in a healthy way. One person’s assessment of a healthy way my not be someone else’s assessment of what is a healthy way. Who truly gets to decide anyway and why do things have to be defined like that? We are as we are and we cannot put things into boxes. For instance I might start crying and yelling about something and if that thing is something that completely devastates, who is to say that that response i healthy or not healthy? I often wonder whether those who state what is healthy and what is not, do it for thier own comfort. Let’s face it, sometimes the expression of pain is difficult to watch. I feel that so often the bounds that are put on people are for the other person’s comfort and benefit. For me, I simply stay with the person and let it all happen. That, to me, is what being a friend is all about. I feel that there are far too many pop psycholgists about and too many so called analysts of various kinds who talk a lot about the integration of the personality. And in any case, why should anyone have to integrate some of the most heinous and horrific things into one’s life? I have always been one for just “letting be.” Allowing the person just to “be.” And that means whatever they are. Time will bring all things together again.

THE DOT

I place my finger on the screen
In my mind a dot appears
The dot speaks
Just by being a dot
There are no words
The dot says it all
I press my finger harder
So hard that it goes white
As if to put all the words I want to
Into the dot
There are no words
The dot will have to speak

FAVOURITE FLOWERS

I

What is your favourite flower?

I don’t know why, but I was reminded this morning of the blue poppy. I first saw these beautiful flowers when were on holiday in the Lake Districe. It was one of our first walks there and we were climbing up a hill out of Windermere, and suddenly there was an amazing garden on the left hand side of us. It appeared quite unexpectedly in this rather wild place. The first thing that I saw were the blue poppies and they took my breath away. I had always loved poppies, but these were exquisite. I could not forget them and vowed to grow them when we got home. Indeed we did successfully grow some although they are very difficult to grow as they need certain conditions. Since then they have always been my favourite flower.

At the same time as we saw the blue poppies for the first time, we saw a rose bush that was exquisite. The colour and scent of the roses was out of this world. We discovered that they were called roserie de l’hai. I hope I have spelled that right. They only bloom for one day, but the flowers are produced profusely and they are just beauitful. They are a kind of deep purply pink. We managed to grow some of those too.

The beautiful garden that we came across looked out over the lake, Windermere and it felt like heaven. It is something that I will never forget.

PRAISE BE

What is this light that shines
However dark the road
What is this light
That just cannot go out
Though sometimes only a glimmer
What is this light that shines
That none other than you can see
What is this light
What is this light
Oh my soul
Praise for the light
That darkness can never quench
Praise for the light
That is pure, uncreated
Praise for the light
That only my soul knows
Praise be to the Light

#RDP FRIDAY – Optimist

RDP Friday! Optimist!

Charlie was ever the optimist. Unfortunately his plans did not always work out. So when he wandered round the garden carrying a piece of rock saying that he was going to create a rock garden and also an arbour, no one believed him. Indeed, the rock garden came to nothing and the arbour that he created fell down. For him, everything always seemed to go wrong. Even when he was driving he got lost though he knew the roads very well. He had been known to start driving up a dual carriageway the wrong way and thus into the oncoming traffic. He almost ended up in rivers a few times but always, he insisted that he was right and that everything was alright. The one thing that he did right however was to produce three children, of which I am one, for Charlie was my father. He was a very gifted man and always, I thought that he should have been on the stage. It was what he craved, and although he did write and produce his own shows, he could have made it big time. R.I.P. Charlie. I hope you are giving them a rip roaring time wherever you are now. And I hope you didn’t get lost on the way there and end up in a rather insalubrious place.