Mother Earth

                                                                              Red Pandas
 

 

 Dear Reader,

This week I had a small adventure, well I don't have many, but on Friday I visited a wildlife park.  I gazed at rhinos, giraffes, and lions.  I peeped in at various alligator type animals and saw a large group of camels.  But, and this is my point:  these animals didn't look at all happy.  The lion, in particular looked unutterably miserable and one of the monkeys was in a rage, tearing about its cage at an enormous rate. There was an air of sadness, I thought, in every cage, and although it was all very well done I am sure the animals were bored and frustrated in their captivity.

However, Francis enjoyed himself on the maiden voyage of Humphrey.  Humphrey is a new acquisition in the form of a mobility scooter and he whirled around the paths in great style.  I haven't walked so far in ages and was thoroughly exhausted.  Still it is nice to go on an outing sometimes.....

 

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 The red panda was formally described in 1825.  The two currently recognised subspecies, the Himalayan and the Chines red panda, genetically diverged at 250,000 years ago.  Genetic evidence suggests they are closely related to raccoons, weasels, and skunks.

Red pandas are not dangerous animals but they do have aggressive tendencies. When a red panda stands on it hind legs and raises its arms, it displays a defensive stance and may attack the threat with its claws and teeth.

Red panda symbolism includes, gentleness, patience, compromise and adaptability, reflecting their calm natures and ability to thrive it their environment.

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From John Clare    September 29th  1824 in Northants

'Took a walk in the fields, saw a old wood-stile taken away from a favourite spot which it had occupied all my life.  The posts were overgrown with ivy and it seem'd so akin to nature and the spot where it stood as tho' it had taken on a lease for an undisturb'd existence.  It hurt me to see it gone.'  

 

From Dorothy Wordsworth   September 30th   1800 in Westmorland

'It rained very hard.  Rydale was extremely wild.....We sate quietly and comfortably by the fire.'                                                          

                                                                                       * 

 

Mother Earth

 

is dying,

 

suffocating in

oceans full of plastic,

 

gasping for breath

in the rain forests,

 

choking in cities

from pollution,

 

gagging in rivers full

of chemicals.

 

She is asking us to stop

and think,

sending fires, floods

and famine

 

but do we hear her?

 

Mother Earth

is weeping,

 

and so am I.

 

                                                                   *

 

With best wishes, Patricia 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stone

 Dear Reader,

 

 

Damsons, derived from the term "damascene plum"  are the type of wild plum with origins in Western Asia, possibly near Damascus and were introduced to Britain by the Romans and later by medieval monks. The Normans significantly planted damson trees in the 12th century leading to their widespread naturalization in British hedgerows and orchards.

While once a popular fruit for jams and preserves, their popularity waned in North America due to difficult harvesting, unpredictable yields and a decline in jam consumption.

"King of Damsons" refers to King of Damsons, a variety of damson (a type of plum) known for it large,blue-black fruit, rich flavour and self-fertile nature, originating from Nottinghamshire in the late19th century.  The fruit is excellent for cooking and also has a quality that allows the stone to come away cleanly from the flesh making it a freestone variety. 

                                                                                    *

From Gilbert White    September 23rd   1781  in Hampshire

'Begin to light fires in the parlour.'

 

From William Blake  September 23rd  1800 in Sussex

'The villagers of Felpham are not mere Rustics; they are polite and modest.   Meat is cheaper than in London, but the sweet air and the voices of the winds, trees and birds, and the odours of the happy ground, makes it a dwelling for immortals.  Work will go on here with God speed.' 

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 Stone

 

 

 

I wrapped the stone in linen cloth,

the picnic I wrapped in plastic bags.

We made for the river the stone and I.

My arm ached with the weight.

 

 

We sat on the bank,

watched the river run.

 

 

I fed myself tomato sandwiches,

shortbread, spring water.

The stone was still and silent.

I fed it words.

 

 

Standing up I said:  “Stone

you have been my life companion.

My fetter, me, chained to you.

Hurling you into the river

will be my resurrection”

 

 

                                                                               *

 

With best wishes, Patricia 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                     * 

Soldier's Meditation

 Dear reader,

The Chinese fire lance is generally considered the first gun, emerging in China between 10th and 12th centuries.   It was essentially a gun-powder filled bamboo or metal tube, often attached to a spear, designed to project flames and, later, shrapnel or projectiles.  This invention was a direct precursor to the modern firearm and was developed following the Chinese invention of gunpowder in the 9th century.

Guns particularly matchlock muskets and arquebuses were present and increasingly common on the 1500s, especially Europe. The technology of firearms spread through Eurasia, and by the 16th century  they were a decisive factor in warfare used in various formations and becoming more prolific in armies and arsenals.

The Brown Bess musket (1722-1838) is arguably the most famous musket in history.   Standard issue for British infantry during the 18th and early 19th centuries.  This flintlock musket was used in countless conflicts including the American Revolution, Napoleonic Wars and War of 1812.

                                                                              *

I have been reading about the brave men of the SAS who fought in the Iraqi was against Saddam Hussein.The things they had to do in the freezing dessert are beyond what I can think about, so brave were our soldiers.  At that time they thought that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, which he didn't.

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From Dorothy Wordsworth    September 14th  1800 in Westmorland

'A lovely day.   Read Boswell in the house in the morning,  after dinner under the bright yellow leaves of the orchard.  The pear trees a bright yellow.   The apple trees still green.  A sweet and lovely afternoon.'

From D.H. Lawrence  September 16th 1919 in Berkshire

'Pleasant mild autumn, many mushrooms, smoke from cottage gardens, chilly evenings , etc.'

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Soldier’s Meditation

 

 

 

 

My cigarette time-burns,

my body trembles,

only minutes now

until the action starts.

 

Am I brave?   no, not brave

I am shit-scared,

my body reeks.

The last drop of whisky

wets my parched lips.

I light another cigarette.

 

I hold this gun to hide behind.

With it, I will aim and slaughter

someone unknown, someone’s son,

mother, father, daughter.

 

 

If killed, I want no part in bands playing,

or speeches glorifying my sacrifice.

I want no weeping, seen or unseen,

pitying those who were,

those who had been.

 

Go, action, ready, time to start.

Dear God, do leaden wings always fly

a universal soldier’s heart?

 

                                                                                   *

 

With very best wishes, Patricia

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                              *

Betrayal

hi

 Dear reader,

Badgers are an ancient species.with their earliest fossil records in Britain dating back over 60,000 years and their evolution occurring in the temperate forests of Asia before spreading to Europe.  Historically they were hunted for fur, meat and bones and their name in thought to derive from their distinctive forehead "badge'.

In more recent history badgers were even introduced to the Isle of Wight in the 1920s to manage fox mange leading to a temporary ban on fox hunting.  Badger species include the American badger found in treeless areas of North America, the honey badger found in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia and the Sunda stink badger found in Indonesia.

Although badgers are protected by law in the UK, since 2013 the UK Government has allowed the licensed culling of badgers in England as a temporary measure to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB) a highly infectious and devastating disease in cattle.

Badgers have big families, big appetites and big personalities.   They are a wood's ruling clan often occupying the same sett for generations and laying a network of well-trodden paths through the undergrowth.  They are playful, houseproud and expert foragers. 

                                                                              *

From Francis Kilvert   September 14th  1873 in North Devon

'I got up at 6 o'clock as the sun was rising behind the Tors at Lynton.  The house was silent no one seemed to be about.  I unlocked the door and let myself out into the garden.  It was one of the loveliest mornings that ever dawned upon this world.  A heavy dew had fallen in the night ans as I wandered down the beautiful winding terraced walks every touch sent a shower from the great blue globes of the hydrangeas, and on every crimson fuchsia pendant flashed a diamond dew drop.  The clear pure crisp air of the early morning blew fresh and exhilarating as the breeze came sweet from the sea.

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Betrayal

 

 

You were always there

for me, as I for you.

You read to me

you laughed with me

you told me stories

of magic and imagination.

 

We travelled north and south

to Scotland and the Western Isles

enjoyed Dorset, Devon, Cornwall.

Went to see the Lakes

peeped into Beatrix Potter’s house

felt cold in Dove Cottage where

you put my hand in your pocket.

 

We were one heart beat.

 

But you have gone.

Now I have to try to live

another life

with you not there,

with someone else perhaps,

someone to fill the empty gap

you left me with.

 

 Please forgive me darling.

                                                                           *

With very best wishes,  Patricia