London is blessed with so many fantastic places like this one:
A few more perfect spring-time pictures to enjoy:
Monday, 10 March 2014
Sunday, 9 March 2014
Not a cold again!
Sunny and beautiful, 17 degrees Celsius today and I have a cold again! How annoying! Especially, as today is my friend's stage debut at Diorama Art Studios! Since yesterday I've been regularly using another friend- recommended treatment. I take a teaspoon of such a 'delightful concoction: grater ginger and grater garlic mixed with honey! I'm desperate to get well!!!
Blue sky and beautiful hues tempt to go out... A few pictures from last week:
These pretty flowers I photographed going across Haven Green last Friday. On Saturday there were few left. If you are a woman living in Ealing and were given crocuses or daffodils on Women's Day (celebrated on March the 8th), you may suspect it was picked there...
Another silly T shirt:
The sweatshirt at Ealing Broadway TKMax reminded me of a friend who introduced me to one of the cult US bands: The Grateful Dead!
Sunset sun in the kitchen:
Saturday, 8 March 2014
Scientific approach!;-)
Fighting off a bad cold again!
But how can you stay indoors on a day like this? It was so warm and beautiful when I emerged in the afternoon to take a stroll seeing off my dear friend.
Just below this pretty forsythia in bloom I noticed a twig with a single flower:
I stopped my friend and after a closer inspection we were able to determine that it belonged to another shrub and for sure was not a forsythia hybrid!
Before we reached the bus stop, I dragged my friend to the nearby church so she could see the dragon immediately to the left of the entrance:
It was great to celebrate womanhood together this year! ;-)
But how can you stay indoors on a day like this? It was so warm and beautiful when I emerged in the afternoon to take a stroll seeing off my dear friend.
Just below this pretty forsythia in bloom I noticed a twig with a single flower:
I stopped my friend and after a closer inspection we were able to determine that it belonged to another shrub and for sure was not a forsythia hybrid!
Before we reached the bus stop, I dragged my friend to the nearby church so she could see the dragon immediately to the left of the entrance:
It was great to celebrate womanhood together this year! ;-)
Friday, 7 March 2014
See me!
A friend has just sent me the text I am about to share
When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.
Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, They found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.
One nurse took her copy to Melbourne. The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.
And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet.
Cranky Old Man
What do you see nurses? . . .. . .What do you see?
What are you thinking .. . when you're looking at me?
A cranky old man, . . . . . .not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food .. . ... . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . .'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . .. . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . ... lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . .The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking?. .Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse .you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, .. . . . as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten . .with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .. . . .. . who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen . . . .. with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . .. . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . ..my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows .. .. .that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . .I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . .. . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . .. With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. .have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .. ...Babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead.
I look at the future ... . . . . I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .. . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . And the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . . . . .. and nature is cruel.
It's jest to make old age . . . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles .. .. . grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . A young man still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . . .. . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . .. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people .. . . . .. . . open and see.
Not a cranky old man .
Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. .... . ME!!
Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within. We will all, one day, be there, too!
(originally by Phyllis McCormack; adapted by Dave Griffith)
here
Indeed, it is a sad fact that our society marginalises old people. It is one of many unsolved problems of the contemporary fast paced life. The thing is that it is not only the old people who are pushed aside. Seeing a person in a customer, client, service person or care giver seems to be a luxury or a handicap. Our society is becoming dehumanised behind a facade of regulations... Surely, a nurse or a carer can write a similar poem from his or her perspective.
When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.
Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, They found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.
One nurse took her copy to Melbourne. The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.
And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet.
Cranky Old Man
What do you see nurses? . . .. . .What do you see?
What are you thinking .. . when you're looking at me?
A cranky old man, . . . . . .not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food .. . ... . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . .'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . .. . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . ... lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . .The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking?. .Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse .you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, .. . . . as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten . .with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .. . . .. . who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen . . . .. with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . .. . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . ..my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows .. .. .that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . .I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . .. . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . .. With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. .have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .. ...Babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead.
I look at the future ... . . . . I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .. . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . And the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . . . . .. and nature is cruel.
It's jest to make old age . . . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles .. .. . grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . A young man still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . . .. . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . .. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people .. . . . .. . . open and see.
Not a cranky old man .
Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. .... . ME!!
Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within. We will all, one day, be there, too!
(originally by Phyllis McCormack; adapted by Dave Griffith)
here
Indeed, it is a sad fact that our society marginalises old people. It is one of many unsolved problems of the contemporary fast paced life. The thing is that it is not only the old people who are pushed aside. Seeing a person in a customer, client, service person or care giver seems to be a luxury or a handicap. Our society is becoming dehumanised behind a facade of regulations... Surely, a nurse or a carer can write a similar poem from his or her perspective.
Thursday, 6 March 2014
Rubbing shoulders with the royals!
What a good day Thursday has been! So many fantastic things have happened to me! The recent one was a chat with my former student. My inborn modesty will never allow me to share with you some of the things I heard from him, but I will not keep to myself the plain fact that this hardworking, thirty-something Polish entrepreneur seems to be occasionally rubbing shoulders with the royals! The other day he saw Her Majesty The Queen in a Bentley somewhere near Paddington and some time ago he met Prince William at The Royal Chelsea Hospital! It truly amazed me how genuinely enthusiastic he was about these encounters.
The closest I personally got to the British royal family this Thursday was near this object at the Ealing Octavia shop:
...
I had a pleasant day at work, enjoyed a Japanese lunch special at The Okawari in Bond Street, despite turning up and manifesting my hunger a mere ten minutes before their closing time.
Finishing work early meant I could still take a stroll in the sunshine after the late lunch . I walked into Pitshanger Gallery and saw children's works in the studio and looked at a film on making a glass swan egg exhibited among many other glass artworks on show at the moment.
For a laugh, I nearly bought this fantastic T shirt for myself:
and that one for a friend who constantly looks for models for his life painting classes:
Somewhere I read a long text in which the author discussed such T shirts. Yes, they are often silly, sometimes crazy or provoking and sometimes in bad taste altogether. So what? If it makes you feel better, why not?
...
This little original townscape didn't wait long to find home:
The cats below are still up for grab at Octavia shop in The High Street, Ealing Broadway:
The closest I personally got to the British royal family this Thursday was near this object at the Ealing Octavia shop:
...
I had a pleasant day at work, enjoyed a Japanese lunch special at The Okawari in Bond Street, despite turning up and manifesting my hunger a mere ten minutes before their closing time.
Finishing work early meant I could still take a stroll in the sunshine after the late lunch . I walked into Pitshanger Gallery and saw children's works in the studio and looked at a film on making a glass swan egg exhibited among many other glass artworks on show at the moment.
For a laugh, I nearly bought this fantastic T shirt for myself:
and that one for a friend who constantly looks for models for his life painting classes:
Somewhere I read a long text in which the author discussed such T shirts. Yes, they are often silly, sometimes crazy or provoking and sometimes in bad taste altogether. So what? If it makes you feel better, why not?
...
This little original townscape didn't wait long to find home:
The cats below are still up for grab at Octavia shop in The High Street, Ealing Broadway:
The shiny meow-maker can be yours along with a tight T shirt it adorns. A cute one?;-)
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Beating the bounds
It's Ash Wednesday today. The first day of Lent leading towards Easter Sunday in the Christian year is preceded by Shrove Tuesday which close the festivities of Carnival This year I didn't have a doughnut last Thursday and a pancake yesterday. Did you?
...
I couldn't believe my luck today! After a serious business meeting my friend listened to my suggestion and we went to 'Bunnies Park' in Hanwell!
St Mary's churchyard in Hanwell:
Moss on one of the gravestones:
Mind you, if you are curious to find out what 'beating the bounds' is about, dash to the parish of St Mary's in Hanwell on the May Bank Holiday!
Dr. George Henry Glasse had this cottage built in 1809. Unfortunately, it didn't bring him luck... Click here to find out why.
Idyllic, isn't it?
...
I couldn't believe my luck today! After a serious business meeting my friend listened to my suggestion and we went to 'Bunnies Park' in Hanwell!
St Mary's churchyard in Hanwell:
Moss on one of the gravestones:
Mind you, if you are curious to find out what 'beating the bounds' is about, dash to the parish of St Mary's in Hanwell on the May Bank Holiday!
Dr. George Henry Glasse had this cottage built in 1809. Unfortunately, it didn't bring him luck... Click here to find out why.
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
A busy Tuesday!
Today I am going to be very busy. I am very busy, but I am going to be even more busy as the day progresses!
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