So, it's National Poetry Day. A while ago, I posted Tu Fu to Li Po by Carolyn Kizer, and as Tu Fu and Li Po were both real people and poets, I thought I'd post some of their work today.
It's been so long since I headed for East Mountain—
how many times have the roses bloomed?
White clouds have scattered themselves away—
and this bright moon – whose house is it setting on?
—Li Po
They see you're staying in a mountain temple,
in Hang-chou—or is it Yueh-chou?
In the wind and grime of war, how long since we parted!
At Chiang-han, bright autumns waste away.
While my shadow rests by monkey-loud trees,
my soul whirls off to where shell-born towers rise.
Next year on floods of spring I'll go downriver,
to the white clouds at the end of the east I'll look for you!
—Tu Fu
Moonlight in front of my bed—
I took it for frost on the ground!
I lift my eyes to watch the mountain moon,
lower them and dream of home.
—Li Po
Li Po was the wandering sort, I suppose. He always seems to be far from home in his poems.
In other news, I think my phone case is infested with tiny bugs. Not the listening sort, although I do sort of...tend to assume that Mrs H can hear every word I say at all times. Actual literal bugs. Very small. Sort of gnat like. I think they're eating it. It's a plastic case, but it's covered in fabric, and that's the only thing I can think of that might be attracting them. I like the fabric though; makes it easy to keep a grip on the phone even in less than ideal conditions, like 90% of my life and 100% of my working life.
So if I get rid of this one, I'll probably end up with another fabric one. And more bugs in a year or two? Surely this can't be a common problem though or the internet would be full of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth over it.
Anyhow, I'm going to peel back the fabric a bit. If a flood of horrifying bugs pour out, I'll try to take pictures.
It's been so long since I headed for East Mountain—
how many times have the roses bloomed?
White clouds have scattered themselves away—
and this bright moon – whose house is it setting on?
—Li Po
They see you're staying in a mountain temple,
in Hang-chou—or is it Yueh-chou?
In the wind and grime of war, how long since we parted!
At Chiang-han, bright autumns waste away.
While my shadow rests by monkey-loud trees,
my soul whirls off to where shell-born towers rise.
Next year on floods of spring I'll go downriver,
to the white clouds at the end of the east I'll look for you!
—Tu Fu
Moonlight in front of my bed—
I took it for frost on the ground!
I lift my eyes to watch the mountain moon,
lower them and dream of home.
—Li Po
Li Po was the wandering sort, I suppose. He always seems to be far from home in his poems.
In other news, I think my phone case is infested with tiny bugs. Not the listening sort, although I do sort of...tend to assume that Mrs H can hear every word I say at all times. Actual literal bugs. Very small. Sort of gnat like. I think they're eating it. It's a plastic case, but it's covered in fabric, and that's the only thing I can think of that might be attracting them. I like the fabric though; makes it easy to keep a grip on the phone even in less than ideal conditions, like 90% of my life and 100% of my working life.
So if I get rid of this one, I'll probably end up with another fabric one. And more bugs in a year or two? Surely this can't be a common problem though or the internet would be full of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth over it.
Anyhow, I'm going to peel back the fabric a bit. If a flood of horrifying bugs pour out, I'll try to take pictures.
131 comments:
I want to open it! I want bugs to pour out.
All right, but we'll do it over... the sink, I suppose. The sink's probably seen worse.
..I really don't want bugs to pour out. Especially not on the kitchen table.
You could get a rubber one? I'm surprised everything in your life isn't wipe-clean, really ;)
Here's one from one of your books I enjoyed. I guess because most of my life has been about death, and this poem just...spoke to me. I like it. The images.
Conscientious Objector - by Edna St. Vincent Millay
I shall die, but
that is all that I shall do for Death.
I hear him leading his horse out of the stall;
I hear the clatter on the barn-floor.
He is in haste; he has business in Cuba,
business in the Balkans, many calls to make this morning.
But I will not hold the bridle
while he clinches the girth.
And he may mount by himself:
I will not give him a leg up.
Though he flick my shoulders with his whip,
I will not tell him which way the fox ran.
With his hoof on my breast, I will not tell him where
the black boy hides in the swamp.
I shall die, but that is all that I shall do for Death;
I am not on his pay-roll.
I will not tell him the whereabout of my friends
nor of my enemies either.
Though he promise me much,
I will not map him the route to any man's door.
Am I a spy in the land of the living,
that I should deliver men to Death?
Brother, the password and the plans of our city
are safe with me; never through me Shall you be overcome.
I love that one. Good choice.
I still like some of the A A Milne poems that I used to read to my two when they were little or perhaps I should say 'very young' . ;) One of my favourites was Lines and Squares (http://www.nthong.co.uk/lines.htm) & I still think of it now if I tread on a line - which I do on purpose so people don't think I won't walk on them. ;) I also walk under ladders and do other supposedly superstitious things for the same reason. ;)
Some great poems you've chosen there.
What was the outcome of the phone debugging?
I posted a link to a short, slightly glib, poem over on Lestrade's blog, so a longer, more serious one here - an excerpt from The Masque Of Anarchy by Percy Bysshe Shelley, written after the Peterloo Massacre. This was read at my trade union conference earlier this year, as a "call to arms", at the end of the closing speech by one of the activists who retires this year:
Stand ye calm and resolute,
Like a forest close and mute,
With folded arms and looks which are
Weapons of unvanquished war.
And if then the tyrants dare,
Let them ride among you there;
Slash, and stab, and maim and hew;
What they like, that let them do.
With folded arms and steady eyes,
And little fear, and less surprise,
Look upon them as they slay,
Till their rage has died away:
Then they will return with shame,
To the place from which they came,
And the blood thus shed will speak
In hot blushes on their cheek:
Rise, like lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number!
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you:
Ye are many—they are few!
I love A.A. Milne, Joolz! I can recite quite a bit of Sneezles--it was my dad's favorite. :)
I left an Emily Dickinson poem over on L's blog, and I guess I'll leave another of hers here:
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest is the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
***
Since it is already the 9th in the UK...Happy birthday, pandabob! (So LJ tells me. :) ) I hope you have a very special day!
Oh wow, the Great British Baking Show has come to Netflix! I've been wanting to watch that.
Happy birthday, pandabob - hope the young 'uns are treating you well!
Joolz - it can be quite entertaining as an adult avoiding the cracks when the squares are slightly too large for one pace ;)
Happy Birthday AnonyBob! i hope you,re being treated to a lovely day :)
Thanks for posting all the poems, great to read them all.
Thanks Greg and SH, I've had a really lovely day and it's getting even better now the older two are home from school :-)
I hope everyone has had a good/happy/productive day (delete as appropriate) :-)
Happy Birthday PandaBob!
A day late, but I am ALWAYS pushing this poem on people (no, not the one I was pushing the year before last, - My Optimism by Shao Yanxiang) but a new one!
It's called Miracles (or Miraculum) & is by Sam Sax. You can hear him perform it in full, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh5LF6Lr2iY It's well worth it.
Some of my favorite lines:
We are all only here today because what came before this did not kill us.
The impossible fact of your DNA!
Your heart's bright fist beating its arrogant noise out into the world!
..............
We are all only here today not because what does not kill us makes us stronger
but because what does not kill us does not kill us.
What takes our breath away leaves us breathing
We are breathing.
Isn’t that gorgeous?
Isn’t that miracle enough?
It reads almost quietly in short these excerpts, but it's glorious as he reads it aloud. I think of it as the most unsentimental statement of joy I've ever heard.
-fA
P.s. Thank-you John, and everyone else, for the poetry. It took me many years to appreciate poetry at all, and I always find it fascinating to find out what poems people like or find meaningful.
-fA
Hey, whatever happened with the opening of your phone case, John?
Tonga and NZ having a nice dance off before the match :)
I'm on the sofa, feeling like death, with Maf using me as a heated grandstand.
and in case people think it's all cooking from scratch around here - tonight it's fish finger sandwiches and chips.
Fish finger sandwiches are perfectly cromulent Friday night tea :-)
Pandabob - Happy Birthday! Glad to hear you've been having a good day, hope it continues in the same vein :-)
We've got the footy on so I didn't see the start of the rugby - did they take it in turns, or both go together?
Hope you're feeling better soon, Lestrade.
took it in turns - Tonga first, then the All Blacks.
Cheers. I got a frown, a glass of water and some paracetamol from the Doc when I got home, after he'd kissed my forehead, so I can only assume I'm officially 'under the weather' ;) i think it's just the cold everyone's got.
Makes the day even less fun, watching hours of videos of terrible abuse when your head feels like it may fall off at any moment. Honestly, this team have my utmost respect.
Happy birthday Pandabob!
I know I'm a day late and a dollar short, but here's a couple of poems I like. First, one from a site where people can post their poems anonymously:
The Absence of Aloneness
“What would make you happy?” you ask of me,
Without a hint of irony, as you
Eat my food
Change my routines
Steal my air.
You make me feel uncomfortable in my own space.
You frame my cherished silence as a weapon against you,
Complain I have not prepared for you,
I do not alter my routine for you,
That I am hostile, and silent, and rude.
But I did not ask you here; you invited yourself.
And I will not disturb my heartspace with apologies.
For the log owes nothing
To the termite that calls it a meal.
The Sons of Martha by Rudyard Kipling
The Sons of Mary seldom bother, for they have inherited that good part;
But the Sons of Martha favour their Mother of the careful soul and the troubled heart.
And because she lost her temper once, and because she was rude to the Lord her Guest,
Her Sons must wait upon Mary's Sons, world without end, reprieve, or rest.
It is their care in all the ages to take the buffet and cushion the shock.
It is their care that the gear engages; it is their care that the switches lock.
It is their care that the wheels run truly; it is their care to embark and entrain,
Tally, transport, and deliver duly the Sons of Mary by land and main.
They say to mountains ``Be ye removèd.'' They say to the lesser floods ``Be dry.''
Under their rods are the rocks reprovèd---they are not afraid of that which is high.
Then do the hill-tops shake to the summit---then is the bed of the deep laid bare,
That the Sons of Mary may overcome it, pleasantly sleeping and unaware.
They finger Death at their gloves' end where they piece and repiece the living wires.
He rears against the gates they tend: they feed him hungry behind their fires.
Early at dawn, ere men see clear, they stumble into his terrible stall,
And hale him forth like a haltered steer, and goad and turn him till evenfall.
To these from birth is Belief forbidden; from these till death is Relief afar.
They are concerned with matters hidden---under the earthline their altars are---
The secret fountains to follow up, waters withdrawn to restore to the mouth,
And gather the floods as in a cup, and pour them again at a city's drouth.
They do not preach that their God will rouse them a little before the nuts work loose.
They do not preach that His Pity allows them to drop their job when they damn-well choose.
As in the thronged and the lighted ways, so in the dark and the desert they stand,
Wary and watchful all their days that their brethren's ways may be long in the land.
Raise ye the stone or cleave the wood to make a path more fair or flat;
Lo, it is black already with the blood some Son of Martha spilled for that!
Not as a ladder from earth to Heaven, not as a witness to any creed,
But simple service simply given to his own kind in their common need.
And the Sons of Mary smile and are blessèd---they know the Angels are on their side.
They know in them is the Grace confessèd, and for them are the Mercies multiplied.
They sit at the feet---they hear the Word---they see how truly the Promise runs.
They have cast their burden upon the Lord, and---the Lord He lays it on Martha's Sons!
Happy birthday Anonybob, hope you enjoyed your day.
Hope you feel better soon, Greg, that Doc is certainly a handy man to have around.
SH - that's why I gave up in the end, I felt a right nerk hopping or striding in the spaces - the bears can have me. ;)
Everyone got at least one point from this game, most people two and John was very close to an added bonus point for guessing 50-9 when it was 47-9.
The table is as follows:
Small Hobbit - 48
John - 45
Pandabob - 44
Lancs Anon - 43
Greg, Sherlock - 40
Nameless, Piplover - 39
Joolz - 38
REReader - 26
KT - 22
Three games tomorrow so here are the predictions:
Samoa v Scotland
Joolz 17-23, Small Hobbit 14-18, Lancs Anon 21-28, Greg 20-21, Sherlock 12-20, John 21-18, Nameless 17-21, Pandabob 6-24, Piplover 20-18, KT 17-39, REReader 12-24
Australia v Wales
Joolz 27-29, Small Hobbit 23-27, Lancs Anon 25-21, Greg 24-23, Sherlock 32-30, John 25-21, Nameless 27-19, Pandabob 32-26, Piplover 20-15, KT 10-14, REReader 22-20
England v Uruguay
Joolz 28-16, Small Hobbit 21-6, Lancs Anon 29-7, Greg 30-12, Sherlock 22-7, John 35-15, Nameless 21-17, Pandabob 40-18, Piplover 25-22, KT 12-17, REReader 25-18
Good luck everyone :)
Have another happy birthday to end your day, pandabob!
Feel better, L. (There is nothing "only" about a head cold, seriously!)
Right, I was going to try and write a poem for Danger. But despite looking at websites literally designed for kids, I don't understand iambic pentameter. At all. It gives you example words to look at and guess the stressed syllable and I get it wrong, every time.
And thanks, DW, those two were great.
Lestrade, you picked one of my all time favorite poems by one of my all time favorite poets. Hope you feel better!
Happy B-Day pandabob.
Was the phone case full of bugs?
L., I hope you feel better in the morning. Also, I think iambic pentameter is maybe ambitious? You understand how songs are put together. Write the man some lyrics & sing them. If he doesn't swoon - or at least look at you with feeling in his eyes, I will apologize for leading you astray. (I love Leonard Cohen, though my favorite of his love songs is Dance Me to the End of Love).
DW, the Kipling takes me back - my dad had a surprising amount of poetry memorized (I think he had to do it for school but found it was easy for him) and Kipling was a favorite. In a relaxed mood, usually with a few drinks in him, he recited plenty of solid 19th century & very early 20th century verse. And Shakespeare.
SH - I'm getting invested in your rugby triumph despite my complete ignorance! I feel that if lived closer I'd be planning a celebratory cake.
Blathered on enough. This is Big Music Festival weekend, so I'm enjoying myself immensely. Some days, life is good.
-fA (who is also waiting on the phone/insect report)
Today's diagnosis after saying 'aaah' was a bottle of tcp thrust into my hands and instructions to gargle. And not breathe on anyone. (for both hands and tcp breath I guess)
Am dosed on paracetamol. And currently surviving at work and not breathing on people.
Germs, not hands... Sigh.
Sorry you're feeling rubbish Greg, I hope it passes quickly and that your day isn't too horrid!
Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes, I can safely say it was the best birthday I've had as an adult :-)
At least o can sit in my borrowed office and feel sorry for myself ;) less chasing people in this job. More early morning raids
I'm so glad you had a great birthday. You deserved it.
My sympathies, Greg. The creeping crud is making the rounds here, too. I'm pushing through with lots and lots and lots of tea. (Yes. They've converted me. I only have coffee when I go out.)
Kestrel - really completely converted? Do you have favorites?
I switch to tea when I'm sick but the coffee craving comes back as soon as I feel better.
Hope you are home and resting soon, L.
-fA
I've been given various weird teas today by my team (got to say, it's the women who are generous enough to share special tea! None of the books have offered) anyway, not feeling as bad as last night, so it must be working.
Blokes, not books. Illness not helping my proofreading.
fA, yes, pretty completely. Is social coffee drinking a thing? I've got some favorite blends that I keep on hand, but Irish Breakfast hasn't ever let me down. And with this crud I've got going, I've been drinking lots of lemon ginger in between caffeine doses.
Hmm, was not expecting that from England tonight.
In terms of tea, I'm irretrievably British, in that I drink any Tetley/Typhoo/PG Tips type of tea, but if it's fruit-based, spiced, etc, then I can't bring myself to consider it "proper" tea :-)
Kestrel, Lestrade - hope the crud eases off quickly.
Lots of points today with Greg and Nameless scoring the most with 5 points each. The table looks like this:
Small Hobbit - 52
John, Pandabob - 48
Lancs Anon - 47
Greg - 45
Nameless, Sherlock - 44
Joolz - 42
Piplover - 41
REReader - 30
KT - 23
The last 4 games of this stage of the competition tomorrow so let's see how our predictions stand up:
Argentina v Namibia
Joolz 21-20, Small Hobbit 18-8, Lancs Anon 31-5, Greg 33-11, Sherlock 34-6, John 35-15, Nameless 23-23, Pandabob 22-26, Piplover 30-15, KT 28-16, REReader 22-12
Italy v Romania
Joolz 24-11, Small Hobbit 20-15, Lancs Anon 23-3, Greg 20-9, Sherlock 12-0, John 28-19, Nameless 25-21, Pandabob 60-22, Piplover 12-15, KT 25-28, REReader 20-23
France v Ireland
Joolz 26-28, Small Hobbit 23-27, Lancs Anon 19-31, Greg 20-19, Sherlock 32-30, John 24-30, Nameless 27-25, Pandabob 40-25, Piplover 13-17, KT 18-16, REReader 18-24
United States v Japan
Joolz 20-17, Small Hobbit 5-15, Lancs Anon 5-28, Greg 21-14, Sherlock 12-29, John 25-21, Nameless 21-21, Pandabob 15-14, Piplover 20-17, KT 30-13, REReader 21-19
Best of luck everyone. :)
Late for poetry day, but here's a favorite from WCWilliams:
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
I love that one, Kate. I think I've heard it before, although no idea where.
That is a great one, Kate! I know where I first ran across it--on NYC subway car signs, as part of their poetry-in-motion campaign. :)
I hope you're feeling better today, L.
Anon, I think the fruit-herb-spice things are more properly called tisanes. Which, when I've said as much, has led to other words being uttered, 'pedantic' being one of them.
Precision is not pedantry, Kestrel, especially when it's about tea; it sounds as if you being eminently rightheaded about it :-)
I feel a lot worse in the mornings, basically better now. Will see what tomorrow holds.
Ok, we've reached the end of the first stage of competition and Lancs Anon got the most with 8 points from the four games today and the table is as follows:
Small Hobbit - 58
Lancs Anon - 55
John - 53
Pandabob, Sherlock - 50
Greg - 49
Joolz - 46
Nameless - 45
Piplover - 44
REReader - 33
KT - 25
Next is to add in the extra points from choosing which teams will go through to the next round and I think you must have done some serious 'hoodoo', Small Hobbit, because you are the only person who got the full 8 points for choosing every single team. Here are the teams chosen by each of us:
Joolz - England, Wales, Scotland, United States, Tonga, New Zealand, Ireland, France - 5
Small Hobbit - Wales, Australia, Scotland, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Ireland, France - 8
Lancs Anon - England, Wales, Samoa, South Africa, Tonga, New Zealand, France, Italy - 4
Greg - England, Australia, Samoa, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, France, Italy - 5
Sherlock - England, Australia, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Argentina, Ireland, France - 6
John - England, Australia, Samoa, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Ireland, Italy - 5
Nameless - England, Wales, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy - 5
Pandabob - England, Australia, Scotland, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, France, Italy - 6
Piplover - England, Wales, Scotland, Samoa, New Zealand, Namibia, Italy, Canada - 3
KT - Wales, Fiji, Japan, United States, New Zealand, Argentina, Ireland, Canada - 4
REReader - England, Wales, Scotland, United States, New Zealand, Georgia, Ireland, Canada - 4
So going in to the Quarter Finals the scores stand as follows:
Small Hobbit - 66
Lancs Anon - 59
John - 58
Pandabob, Sherlock - 56
Greg - 54
Joolz - 51
Nameless - 50
Piplover - 47
REReader - 37
KT - 29
Here is the link for the next round. Only four games to predict this time so it'll be a lot quicker than last time. You have until Saturday to enter please.
http://www.carryon.org.uk/worldcup2014/index.php/725522/lang-en
I can't even begin to tell you how much I don't know about rugby, so I'm gobsmacked at how well I guessed :-)
Thanks Joolz!
Well you must be doing something right, Lancs Anon, cos you've moved up to second. ;) I've got your next entry, thanks. :)
Done!
(I am stunned that I have ANY points, frankly...)
Aaaagghhhhh computers are driving me insane.
John and I are playing conkers in the park I'm winning.
Did your comment get stuck in the spam filter, Sherlock? I got an email notification, but there's nothing here.
(What is conkers?)
I shall celebrate now, before it all goes wrong! I am rather impressed myself at choosing the right teams!!!
Conkers is when you get a conker, put it on a string and hit someone elses conker (take it in turns to hold or hit) until one breaks.
Always used to end up in fist fights at my school ;)
...I had to look up what a conker is to make sense of that, L--Thanks for explaining. It does sound like a fun sort of game, minus fights. :)
SH - you deserve that celebration! Not just in the lead but 7 points ahead of the next competitor! I am not going to bake cupcakes in your honor as I cannot give enough away. (I know, Sherlock, that is SO strange, but I know mostly grown ups and our various attempts at healthy eating are, indeed, sometimes strange.) But I will think about celebratory cupcakes in your honor. And I AM making brownies for a community charities fundraiser tomorrow, which will be mostly sold to teenagers. I will pretend they are for you.
-fA
I shall enjoy your virtual brownies and cupcakes fA. They are delicious :D
I'm late for poetry day, spent the past weekend with my Morris dancing people, the weather was perfect for it. This is one of the songs we sing at this time of year:
Bringing in the Sheaves Jim Boyes
Though it’s way past harvest time
Souls still toil and wagons rattle
Corn still stands in rank and line
And defies us all
We can see it in our past
Blood will out and join the battle
Though we work in different ways
We’re bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the sheaves
We’re bringing in the sheaves
Though we work in different ways
We’re bringing in the sheaves.
Though we started from the land
Some do choose to roam abroad
The hand upon the gliding plough
Is not for everyone
Changing seasons help us see
That those who hear a different drummer
Though not in one harmony
Are bringing in the sheaves
What lay dormant in the soil
Is wakened by the kiss of summer
So the fruit of yesteryear
Becomes the year’s new corn
Every stem has at its core
Part of those who went before
In turn they will be kept in store
By bringing in the sheaves
In conclusion bear in mind
What example has begun
What you do today in kind
Has power for everyone
True strong aims will pass along
To our daughters and our sons
So may they in years to come
Be bringing in the sheaves
S
Well, because i was at work at 4.30 this morning, I get to be at home now, which is just as well, as John's on a call out. So Sherlock and I are making Tiffin.
Tiffin?
(Also, how are you even awake?)
That sounds like fun, the tiffin not the early morning, I hope john isn't out too long :-)
I actually finished early RR, would normally have been on a 12 hour shift. So staying awake isn't hard.
Tiffin is everything good in life.. Biscuits, raisins. Peel, cherries, all bound together with chocolate and butter and left to set in the fridge. One of those things that tastes so good you know it's bad for you.
That sounds amazing.
(Excuse me while I go eat everything sweet in the pantry!)
Peel? I'm guessing citrus peel...
(I might have to join RR. Think there's some apple pan dowdy left.)
yeah, it doesn't always have peel, but we all love it, so in it goes. It's not a fussy recipe - throw in whatever you want! As long as it's delicious, a bit biscuity, and bound together with chocolate, you're done, really.
Never knew what tiffin was, before this. We don't have anything much like it, so far as I know. Yum.
-fA
Home time, computers still driving me absolutely mad, but nevertheless, good work being done.
Off tomorrow. Think we need to get out on the bikes.
A day out on the bikes sounds like a brilliant idea, just what is needed to relieve computer craziness. Hope you have fun.
Thanks RR & SH for your entries. Just two days left for everyone else to fill in the form please before the next game at 1600 on Saturday. Thanks :)
http://www.carryon.org.uk/worldcup2014/index.php/725522/lang-en
Sat down for a nice pub lunch and seen that Cook's innings in the test lasted longer than England's last two world cup campaigns added together... Great knock!
a pub lunch and cricket, how very English ;-)
how goes the evening? did you all have a nice day?
Sounds like a lovely afternoon. Hope you enjoyed the ride out there too.
Thanks Nameless & KT for your entries for the rugby. We just need Greg, John, Sherlock, Pandabob & Piplover please. The next game is 4 o'clock tomorrow and I'll include you in for the next game after I get the forms. Thanks.
http://www.carryon.org.uk/worldcup2014/index.php/725522/lang-en
I think they're all afraid of my powers and I've scared them off ;) Ah well, a hobbit can dream!
Very true, SH, your powers have been stunning so far, I'm very impressed with your skills. You just need to get one of the scores exactly right now to top off all your other achievements and then we'll be expecting to see you walking on water. ;)
Thanks Pandabob, I've got your entry.
Three hours to go until the start of the first game today if you want to be included Greg, John, Sherlock & Piplover otherwise I'll add you on for the next game after I get the entries. Thanks.
We'll get on it. It wouldn't load for me last night but we will do it!
10 minutes left if anyone wants to send me their predictions for the first game.
The ones I have received so far for the South Africa v Wales game are as follows:
Joolz 42-45, Small Hobbit 18-25, Lancs Anon 25-30, Greg , Sherlock , John , Nameless 35-25, Pandabob 25-45, Piplover , KT 28-20, REReader 15-25
We're just doing ours! Sorry, busy day, kept getting a 404 error, all the excuses ;)
Ok, thanks guys, I have all three of you in for the SA v Wales game.
Greg 32-28, Sherlock 40-30, John 19-28
I'll add you in whenever I get your predictions, Piplover.
Oh dear, shame for Wales there, but four people guessed South Africa so will get points. I'll do a table after the next game so here are the predictions for the New Zealand v France game.
Joolz 39-28, Small Hobbit 33-19, Lancs Anon 33-30, Greg 35-12, Sherlock 59-23, John 25-22, Nameless 21-19, Pandabob 30-24, Piplover , KT 39-15, REReader 32-12
Good luck (better than 'goo' luck which I nearly posted) :)
Well... None of us saw that coming. Sherlock wasn't too far off, I guess.
You're right, Greg, a surprise it was not ;) Everyone got at least a point and Sherlock was certainly the nearest to the correct score and you had the most overall today with 2 points from each game. The table today is:
Small Hobbit - 68
Lancs Anon - 60
John, Sherlock - 59
Greg - 58
Pandabob - 57
Joolz - 53
Nameless - 52
Piplover - 47
REReader - 39
KT - 32
The predictions for tomorrow as follows:
Ireland v Argentina
Joolz 27-23, Small Hobbit 22-25, Lancs Anon 45-18, Greg 24-22, Sherlock 22-26, John 18-21, Nameless 27-17, Pandabob 24-32, Piplover , KT 19-24, REReader 28-10
Australia v Scotland
Joolz 38-30, Small Hobbit 29-16, Lancs Anon 38-5, Greg 39-10, Sherlock 29-3, John 35-12, Nameless 23-15, Pandabob 30-35, Piplover , KT 20-18, REReader 29-30
Good luck everyone. :)
(I can still add you in whenever you're ready, Piplover)
Sorry I wasn't able to add mine. I'm in England right now and limited to my phone and that's only when I can get WiFi. I don't think I'll be able to add mine until later tomorrow.
So end of next week we get both our boys for half term, and I am struggling to get any time off at all!
Where does the time go?
(I hope you manage to get at least an adequate amount of time off while they're home.)
That's rubbish Greg :-(
I can't believe it's nearly half term though, time slips away so quickly!!
You're right, it has gone so fast, how can it be half term already when they've only just gone back. You don't even have Sally to tell you to take time off at the moment either, Greg. You'll have to just make the most of any time you can get and jam lots in to a small space, I guess. Maybe you can meet for lunch a couple of times if nothing else.
What a shame all the home countries are now out but well done to the victors. KT got the highest score today with three points so well done for that. The table now stands like this:
Small Hobbit - 70
John, Lancs Anon, Sherlock - 61
Greg, Pandabob - 59
Joolz - 54
Nameless - 53
Piplover - 47
REReader - 39
KT - 35
We've reached the Semi Finals now so there are only two games to predict for this round and you have until Saturday to do it please. Thanks. :)
http://www.carryon.org.uk/worldcup2014/index.php/216974/lang-en
Next year, we're growing Cucamelons on the allotment. I have decreed it.
They look so cute. I was expecting it to be a bigger, rounder cucumber going from the name but they're tiny. Have you had one to know you want them or do you just like the look of them & if you have had one are they nice? :)
I just read about them, but they sound delicious and fun to grow.
Good news from work, Speculoos flavoured ice cream for pudding, not a bad day for a monday.
I'm glad its been a reasonable Monday Greg, it's always good to start the week on a positive :-)
Yay for good Mondays. Around here it seemed a bit of a universal struggle, but sulky whiney adults who should know better deserve each other's company, right?
Did you ever resolve the buggy phone, John? I imagine there were no dramatic photos or we'd have heard about it.
Onwards all. Hope you can plan something fun for half term.
-fA
Tuesday has also been decent enough, given the job. Hope it has been for you too.
Sherlock's mind is firmly on pumpkin carving designs tonight.
Does that mean you did the carving tonight, or that you planned the designs for later carving?
I'm trying so hard to get out of having to carve the pumpkins. I really dislike the smell, and the mess. The compromise the kids have offered is to carve watermelons.
Watermelons wouldn't last long enough here. YouTube 'hippos eating watermelon ' to see what is like in our house...
Ha!
OMG, that's amazing. But, you don't eat the outside parts unless you are a hippo. (Or making pickles, in my part of the world).
My daughter wants to move to Nagasaki now.
Or if they're actually tiny cucamelons, Kestrel ;)
Seriously, though, I've seen watermelon carvings that are amazing (photos, not in real life!) and now I really want watermelon... but am having baked potato :)
...And now I really want a baked potato.
(Well, it's comfort food, and I had my flu shot yesterday, so today I'm a little feverish and in need of comfort.) (This excuse works for me!)
Oh, RR, I'm sorry you're having a bad reaction. Have some virtual chicken soup.
Thanks, Becca! (I have that reaction every time, and I forget every time. Because it only lasts a day, and it's so much less a problem than the actual flu!)
Having had the flu three times (yes, I get my flu shot every year) I wholeheartedly agree with you.
Is it completely unprofessional to laugh at the description of a doctor removing a t-rex from a vagina read out to the office by one of my team? There's so little to laugh about here I think we get a bit delirious.
I think in that kind of highly stressed atmosphere you have to get your laughs where you can. I'm sure John would agree, it's a similar sort of gallows humour that doctors have, isn't it. Do you know how long you've got to stay there on your secondment or is it open ended at the moment?
Don't know yet. It's good, working with new people, getting new ideas, a fresh look at things. There's certain things I'll instigate when I'm back with my lot.
It's only unprofessional if someone who doesn't work with you is present! Some kind of distancing has to take place with difficult jobs, you have to be able to function & laugh and remember to grab the dry cleaning on your lunch break. Yeah, it reads as callousness or disrespect from the outside, but it's necessary.
Glad you're seeing stuff you think will transfer to your team. Is it this weekend or next that half term starts for the boys?
-fA
We do have a laugh. And Sal texts to keep me up to date with the goings on at the Yard, which is nice.
That's good, Greg, I'm glad you're keeping up with the goings on of your team, someone needs to keep them in order - or is that what Sal usually does to you. ;)
The first Semi Final of the rugby is tomorrow afternoon at four so if you get the chance would those who haven't filled in the form be able to do it before then if possible please. (Greg, John, Sherlock, Piplover, Pandabob and KT) Here's the link again. Thanks. :)
http://www.carryon.org.uk/worldcup2014/index.php/216974/lang-en
I hope everyone has a fun weekend!
Joolz - I have rounded up the household as we're all here!
And yes, Sal keeps everyone in order, I'm sure she's keeping Dimmo in line now ;)
But she'll have to get used to my new schemes.... ;)
She got used to your old ones, doubt the new schemes will knock her off her stride. ;-) Good luck in the rugby! I have decided to root for Small Hobbit to continue her run. Go SH!
-fA
Cheers fA - although your confidence may be misplaced!
It's wet and miserable here - I presume half term has begun ;)
SH - Yes, half term has begun. Mycroft is making his own way home, Sherlock and I are making biscuits. John is making the house dog-ready (mainly picking up Sherlock's socks).
Making his own way home does sounds frightfully adult but I guess that pretty much what he is now and it does give you all time to prepare treats which should always be ready for Mycroft's return home :-)
I guess cleaning up Sherlock's socks before the dogs arrive is at least slightly more pleasant than cleaning them up after the dogs have had them ;-)
The dogs always pour into the flat and immediately have to sniff and attempt to eat every object in here. Hard lessons have been learnt.
One day they'll just eat us.
If there's sudden radio silence from you later, we'll know that day has arrived. ;) I would say Maf should watch out but it'd probably be the other way round, wouldn't it. ;) Welcome home, Mycroft. Hope you all enjoy your half term.
The predictions are all in for today (except Piplover - if you want to re-join just let me know) and unless there's a major upset it looks like we'll all be getting points today as everyone has gone for New Zealand. Here's how they stand:
South Africa v New Zealand
Joolz 32-57, Small Hobbit 15-34, Lancs Anon 21-27, Greg 13-33, Sherlock 13-45, John 22-48, Nameless 21-31, Pandabob 18-30, KT 21-29, REReader 20-25
..or none of us will get points!
I seriously thought I'd jinxed us all with that little comment, but the All Blacks pulled it back and held on to the end so everyone got 1 and Lancs Anon and REReader got 2 for saying the win would be by less than 7 points so well done to them. The table now stands as follows:
Small Hobbit - 71
Lancs Anon - 63
John, Sherlock - 62
Greg, Pandabob - 60
Joolz - 55
Nameless - 54
Piplover - 47
REReader - 41
KT - 36
Our esteemed leader must know something we don't about tomorrow's game as she is the only one who is going for the Argies over the Aussies - at this stage I certainly wouldn't want to go against her though. ;) Here are the predictions.
Argentina v Australia
Joolz 24-33, Small Hobbit 29-25, Lancs Anon 12-38, Greg 9-23, Sherlock 12-34, John 28-45, Nameless 27-29, Pandabob 24-36, KT 25-28, REReader 25-30
Good luck :)
Don't forget the clocks go back, UK/Europe/whoever else it applies to (not you over the pond). Best night of the year!
This is the night when I wander round the house trying to work out which clocks I've changed and which I haven't.
Joolz - I am fully prepared for my downfall. I was, however, impressed with the way Argentina played last time.
I certainly prefer this clock change to the other one. :) A lie in sounds blissful, but I'm guessing that's not something you'll get with both boys home. ;)
Never mind Argentina, I've been impressed with the way you've played this whole thing, SH, and I don't see it stopping now. ;)
It may not be a quiet lie in, but the boys are self-sufficient enough not to need feeding or watering by us :)
SH - the oven clock is my check. I know that won't have changed, because I know you have to essentially crack the Enigma code to manage it. It's almost worth just leaving it wrong for 6 months of the year (but I live with people who would change it for me and that would be even more confusing)
The first time my phone changed on its own...that was one of the more confusing days of my life.
And to those asking about the bugs - Sherlock was very disappointed. There were one or two sad little bugs and they escaped down the sink before he could get hold of them. For...whatever reason he wanted them.
I'm glad the bugs took matters into their own hands (legs?) and escaped. Unless they were nano robot bugs and are now living in our pipes. Then I'm not glad.
If nano robot bugs are in your pipes they probably report to Mrs. H. and you will find out about it on a strictly need-to-know basis.
Welcome home, Mycroft. Congrats on being independent enough to make your own way home.
Ah, yes, the autumn time change. My favorite night of the year as well. Next week for us.
Good luck SH! I BELIEVE IN YOU! My belief in the Argentinians is less strong if more to the point.
-fA
Ha! You can see that the website server's timestamp reset itself between my last comment & Greg's.
Yes, I am an adult and that amused me enough to point it out. What can I say? I'm easily entertained.
-fA
I reset our kitchen clock yesterday evening. OH came home, thought "the clock's slow" and reset it. We think it's right now.
Worst night to be on night shift - not only does it last longer, but everyone ignores the official time of clocks changing and is hell writing reports when one witness disagrees with another by an hour.
Still, everyone is chipper and well rested in the office this morning. And there's cake.
Happy half term! Have you lot any plans, or are you going to play it by ear?
(I remember the ST-TNG one with the nano robot bugs!)(And yet, Wesley kept on experimenting every which way; you'd think he'd have learned about proper experimental protocols at some point, but no.)
Play it by ear. Im back at work. But both sherlock and I have Monday after half term off too. So that's good.
And playing it by ear can be fun--it makes each day a new adventure. :)
Lots of people got 2 points for the game today so I won't name them all but have a general well done to everyone. :) The table today stands as follows:
Small Hobbit - 71
Lancs Anon - 65
John, Sherlock - 64
Greg, Pandabob - 62
Joolz - 57
Nameless - 55
Piplover - 47
REReader - 42
KT - 37
We're coming towards the end of the competition now with only two more games to predict. The losing Semi Finalists will be playing for third place on Friday evening and then the Grand Final will be on Saturday afternoon. Please can everyone fill in the forms before 8 pm on Friday to be included for both games. Thanks. :)
http://www.carryon.org.uk/worldcup2014/index.php/167435/lang-en
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