Robert Popper aka Robin Cooper

I think this might be a good night out!

Liam Lynch - Tush it

This is brilliant!

The Spider in Barry’s Eye

The morning Barry woke up with a spider in his eye it was sufficiently convincing to make him try and swat it away but it wasn’t a real arachnid. When he started seeing flashing lights he hot-footed it to the doctor who suspected a detached retina and tried to arrange an emergency hospital appointment, only it was the Day of the Strike, which turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. Stores nationwide reported a significant rise in their takings. However, hospitals were only admitting life-threatening emergencies and Barry’s predicament wasn’t urgent enough so he had to wait until the next day which meant that he had to cancel his luncheon appointment in London.

It was probable that he would have drops in his eye/s which would make his vision blurry making driving difficult for him and dangerous for fellow drivers! Therefore, as I was expecting to drop him off, I drove the twenty minutes or so to the hospital, which was not good exercise for my shoulder.  

As with most hospitals, or so it seems, a slow queue of cars inched towards the already full car park. I wasn’t intending to enter the car park but there was no way past the queue. We had agreed that Barry would register for his appointment, he would find out how long he might have to wait and let me know. If it was likely to be a short time, generally an unlikely scenario, I would stooge around and pick him up. If longer, I would go home and await his call. He was informed that he would have to wait at least an hour so I drove home, wincing all the way.

I had just beaten off over-excited dogs, principally Gus, who cannot tell the time and thought he’d been abandoned for at least twenty-four hours, and eaten a sandwich when Barry rang to tell me he was waiting for me to collect him. I clambered back into the car, pointed it in the direction of the hospital and gritted my teeth for the drive. 

The good news was that Barry’s retina was still firmly attached. Some of the vitreous gel had leaked causing the spider effect. His brain will eventually block the spider, just as it does floaters. I have learnt not to ask how the spider is . . .

Nonetheless he was advised that should the flashing lights recur with partial blanking of vision he must return post-haste to Accident and Emergency.

At the same time the central heating went on the blink – but that’s another story! 

So why have I been conspicuous by my absence?

So why have I been conspicuous by my absence?

Well, first of all there was NaNoWriMo. My hairdresser was interested in it and my dentist offered to review the finished article.  I didn’t take him up on his offer.

Having achieved the magic number (and a little more) I floated around in a bit of a haze – that is to say, more of a haze than usual.  I had noticed a niggling ache in my shoulder for a couple of weeks but disregarded it until it became impossible to ignore because pain was radiating down my arm. I recognised that as referred pain.

If you remember, early in the year I was impersonating Long John Silver minus the parrot, crutch and peg leg. Looking at illustrations of LJS I notice that some show him with just a crutch and others with a crutch and wooden leg and yet more with a peg leg and no crutch. In some he is missing the left leg and in others it is the right leg that is no more.

I digress. At that time, in the dewy days of the New Year, the referred pain in my leg was comparable to that of sciatica.

Suffice it to say that the soreness in my arm was remarkably similar, waking me at night and making me prone to grizzling during the day – I say ‘prone to’ but I assure you I was a brave little soldier and didn’t yield to the temptation. For a few days I was to be seen with wires sprouting from my clothes as Compex (electrostimulation) alternating with TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) machines did their damnedest to deaden the pain. On occasions I turned the levels up so high I was jumping like a frog in a dissection dish.

I tell you this, not to elicit sympathy but to explain why I was unable to dazzle you with my scintillating wit; quite why I need to explain this I have no idea for the said wit has never dazzled yet and is unlikely to do so in the future. (That’s a cheap play – or should it be ploy? – to make you gainsay me!) Using my arm was difficult and so I refrained from using my laptop. Also, I’d used up all my thoughts . . . J

Then Barry woke up with a spider in his eye – but that’s a different story.

Tales from the Academy – Change Parade

In the far-off heady days of the early 60s traffic was light and cars drove fast quite slowly and had no seat belts or heating. Their suspension was basic or non-existent and brakes were either fierce or ineffective.  Those cadets who were not rich but could (just) afford an old banger would chauffeur their enthusiastic fellow cadets to the bright lights of London after the week’s tribulations were done.

A weekend away was fun and often exhausting so that Monday morning’s rude awakening in the far too early hours was a shock to the system of the cadet about town. On parade his sleepiness might bring him to the attention of the Sergeant Major who had a unique way of waking him up.

‘Change parade,’ he ordered and the cadet doubled into his room to change uniform. Presenting himself on the parade ground he was immediately ordered to ‘change parade’ whereupon he would quick march back to his room to undress and dress again in a different uniform. Back in front of the warrant officer he would hear the order, ‘Change parade’ and would go quickly to his room to switch uniforms once more. This would continue until the officer on parade decided the unfortunate cadet was now fully awake and attentive and could rejoin the ranks of his more alert brother cadets.

It may sound harsh but however tired an officer may be he must always be vigilant on duty and the staff at RMAS took and continue to take their task of training young cadets very seriously.

Today’s cadets have a much shorter training period but still must learn to cope with weariness – their lives or the lives of the men and women they command may be at risk. Thus, when fatigue threatens to overwhelm and they feel sleep overcoming them, they are told they must stand up. The lecturers are accustomed to seeing one after another cadet standing up in their lecture rooms. If cadets have been on exercise for a few days it is probable that lecturers are faced with a roomful of young men and women standing and attempting to absorb what they are being taught.

ABC Wednesday - U is for Umbels

Umbels resemble umbrellas in that all the flower stalks radiate from a central point. This can be seen much more clearly once the seed heads have formed.

Candytuft (Iberis umbellata)with visiting beetles

Candytuft belongs to the Brassicaceae family. It is a pretty, scented annual, flowering in summer, its colours ranging from white through pink to purple.

The leaves, stem and root are thought to have medicinal properties but the seeds are the most effective part of the plant, being used in ancient times to treat rheumatism and gout.

In modern times it is considered to be effective in treating cardiac hypertrophy (enlargement of the heart muscle), asthma and bronchitis. It is a homeopathic remedy for nervousness and muscle soreness.

Alliums are also known as ornamental onions - the name doesn't do justice to their beauty!

Agapanthus (African lily, Lily of the Nile)

These tall showy perennials originate from South Africa and are not lilies at all but belong to the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) The colours most commonly seen are blue, from pale blue to deep purple-blue but there are also white and pink varieties. I understand they are despised as weeds in New Zealand. Here in UK they are treated with care to produce the wonderful umbels that fascinate from earliest emerging bud to the final fling of colour and production of seeds. Can you tell that I love them?

Lonicera 'Copper Beauty'

We have several honeysuckles in our garden. 'Copper Beauty' is evergreen and very vigorous. New leaves are a coppery bronze and the flowers are a rich yellow with a red base. It is reputed to be fragrant but ours never seems to have much scent. However, it has to compete with sweet-smelling roses, other fragrant honeysuckles, jasmine and lilies.

The yellow of the blackbird's bill and eye ring reflect the colour of Copper Beauty's flowers. The flowers are succeeded by black berries that the birds enjoy, pulling them off with great energy.

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ABC Wednesday T is for Thrush and Titmice and Tomatoes

Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)

The Song Thrush or Throstle has a loud rich song of musical repeated phrases. It is slightly smaller than the Blackbird (Turdus merula) and shyer, often being chased off by its larger cousin.


It is a partial migrant, some birds moving to lower ground in winter, some flying to southern Europe, many staying put. It suffers badly in harsh winters - in 1963 its numbers declined by 60%.


Despite its fabled habit of smashing snails on stone 'anvils' I have seen this only once in our garden. More frequently I see them pulling worms from the ground but they also find handy meals on the bird table and the feeders.

Blue tit (Parus caeruleus)

Of the seven tit species only four visit our garden. The blue tit is the one we see most frequently. Blue tits are acrobatic little birds, a joy to watch as they hang upside down on feeders or delicate plants. They feed on insects, caterpillars, seeds and nuts and any scraps that are put out for them. Blue tits often frighten away their smaller relatives, the coal tits.

Coal tit (Parus ater)

Coal tit with blue tits

The coal tit is the smallest true tit. It eats beetles, moths, flies and bugs in all their forms, from egg through larvae to adult and also spiders. It also eats seeds and small nuts. 

Like the blue tit it nests in holes in trees and makes a cup-shaped nest lined with moss and feathers. It will also nest in holes in banks or walls.

Great tit (Parus major)

Blue tit and great tit

The great tit is the largest tit, and, like the other tits here, widely seen throughout the UK, absent only from the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland. It can be aggressive with smaller tits at feeders.

 Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)  

Long-tailed tits with blue tit

The long-tailed tit always reminds me of a shuttlecock. Its tail is longer than its body.It's a pretty little bird, rarely seen singly, more often in small groups of four or five. The nest it builds is lined with two thousand feathers. Long-tailed tits are very susceptible to cold because they are so small. In hard winters 80% of the population may be lost. Flocking and huddling together helps to alleviate this.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) 

We try every year to grow this sweet tasty member of the nightshade family. We don't have much success so we really appreciate the fruits that do manage to ripen.

Tulip (Tulipa) 'Queen of the Night'

We have much greater success with tulips and this one, 'Queen of the Night', is a particular favourite.

To see more tantalising Ts click here

NaNoWriMo No More

I reached 57078 words today, decided that was the end of my novel and submitted all 40 chapters. I suppose it will disappear into the ether now.

It’s called ‘The Sweets and the Bitters of Love’ (thank you, Lord Byron) and it ended up being a romance, which was quite a surprise to me.

 

What can I take up now to avoid the housework??

I still can’t work out how the NaNo site made it 57238 words, though.

Another thought – shouldn’t it be InNoWriMo – International Novel Writing Month? Last time I looked UK wasn’t part of the USA where NNWM originated ;-)

Help for Heroes rugby match

The Heroes Rugby Challenge  is taking place at Twickenham on Saturday 3rd December in aid of the charity 'Help for Heroes.' 


Tickets are being offered at two for one, a great deal and for a very good cause. The atmosphere will be electric as a Southern Hemisphere XV takes on a Northern Hemisphere XV. More information can be found here. 

The tenth family birthday of the year – Gareth

Gareth was born ‘at home’ i.e.: not in hospital in 1969. When the midwife delivered him (though I suppose I did the delivering!!) she declared, “He’ll be a six-footer” and so he is, six foot three in his stockinged feet.

He was a quick developer like his older sister and was toddling at ten months old. There was very little baby language, Gareth preferring to wait until he had the words, and later, sentences, correct in his head before he delivered them.

He was a bright and inquisitive boy and retained information like a sponge. He was always a gentle soul and as he grew bigger and more noticeable so he adjusted his demeanour, never wishing to worry little old ladies or small children. At school he was known as ‘Rambo’ and younger boys who worried about being bullied would go quietly to him and tell him their troubles and Gareth would sort them out. We knew nothing of this until after Gareth had left school. He has never been one to blow his own trumpet.

He was a superb swimmer and played rugby at club level. He has always been grateful for the opportunities he had to develop his swimming. We felt it was important that he was physically challenged so that he learnt to coordinate his limbs which can often be a problem for tall boys. He was good at judo, though too tall, and good also at karate.

One of my abiding memories is of seeing him taking his little sister to school, walking hand in hand with her, twelve years his junior, he so tall, she so small. Now the age difference means nothing. They love and appreciate each other. His older sisters, one either side of him, love and respect him too, as he does them.

He is the loving husband of a woman I regard as my fourth daughter and a kind and caring father to their three children. He works too hard, like his father before him, and we all worry about that, but he loves and is loved by all his family.

Happy Birthday, Gareth - even though you try and fail to make us forget your birthdays, we don’t.  We love you.

ABC Wednesday S is for . . .

Salvia has purple or white flowers from June to October and is a magnet for bees and butterflies. It is a member of the largest class of plants in the mint family (Lamiaceaea) It is commonly called sage but not all varieties can be used in cooking. Some will make you hallucinate!

Scabious ‘Butterfly Blue Beauty’ is highly attractive to butterflies and bees. It is a perennial that will form clumps. One flower remains on it despite a couple of frosts! It looks rather more ragged than these, though.

Senecio Serpens or Klienia is also a clump forming perennial belonging to the family Asteraceae. It is native to South Africa and is a succulent that requires little water - therefore it prospers in dry conditions. Its foliage is grey-green – some describe it as blue - and it produces small white flowers in the summer. It is easily propagated from cuttings - or breakings - as we discovered accidentally.

Squirrels Sciurus carolinensis)  of the grey variety were introduced to UK from North America in the late 19^th/early 20^th century and have displaced our smaller native red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) They are able to eat a wider variety of food including acorns which they can digest but the reds cannot. They are entertaining acrobats and noisy when annoyed when they make a loud chittering noise which continues for several minutes. They are inveterate thieves and are adept at accessing bird feeders. I love seeing them race around the trunks of trees, up and down and around and around and am quite happy to feed them. We have some of the sleekest squirrels in Berkshire!

Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are also welcome in our garden. From the milk chocolate coloured young to the glossy adults they are noisy, quarrelsome, social birds and always fun to watch. We've never seen a murmuration of starlings like this below.

Syringa usually known as Lilac belongs to the olive family (Oleaceae) it is native from south-eastern Europe to eastern Asia. It is well-adapted to cultivation in temperate climates. Colours range from white through pink and lilac to deep purple. They can be small – around 6’,  or tall – around 32’.

Sunflower seed head

 . . . and of course we have spiders and slugs and snails . . .

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NaNoWri Mo update

Just in case you’re interested (hee, hee!) I’m still banging out the words. The story is changing sentence by sentence and, as someone else said, the padding is spectacular!! I might even achieve 50,000 words by the end of November. I’m on 33,000 at present so a little behind the word count.

I must say I wonder how people with jobs ever manage to keep pace . . .

ABC Wednesday R is for Red Kite, Rosemary and Roses

Red Kite flying above our garden yesterday.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Rosemary is a bushy decorative evergreen herb. Its Latin name Rosmarinus officinalis means dew-of-the-sea, probably because rosemary usually grows well by the seashore. It is native to the Mediterranean and Asia but is hardy in temperate climates. It will withstand periods of drought and does not like living in soggy ground. 

In late spring it produces small orchid-like pretty lilac-blue flowers. Although it can reach six feet, it usually attains about three feet (0.9m)

It is a perennial requiring very little in the way of pruning and will live for twenty or more years. It is easily propagated from cuttings taken after flowering.

The narrow leaves, which resemble pine needles, can be used in a variety of dishes, working particularly well with roasted meats. Finely chopped, the leaves can be used to make rosemary butter, or to accompany garlic when roasting potatoes. The flowers can be used in salads or crystallised to make an attractive decoration to cakes.

In addition to its culinary function a handful or rosemary boiled in 16 ounces of water can be used to provide an antiseptic solution for cleaning kitchen and bathroom surfaces. When burned on an open fire or barbecue rosemary stems give a lovely scent to the air. A branch of rosemary freshens the air in the house and can be used as the basis for Christmas wreaths or other garlands.

Medicinally it is said to stimulate circulation and ease aching joints when applied externally in lotion. Research continues to the present.

From Wikipedia: Rosemary contains the antioxidants carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid,  and other bioactive compounds including camphor, caffeic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, rosmaridiphenol, and rosmanol. Some of these may be useful in preventing or treating cancers, strokes and Alzheimer's Disease.

Rosemary was burned as incense in ancient Roman burial ceremonies. The association of rosemary with funerals continued into the middle ages when it was customary to lay branches of rosemary on the coffin. 

It is thrown into graves in Europe as a symbol of remembrance and is used particularly in Australia and New Zealand on ANZAC Day. 

Who could forget mad Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet saying, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." (Hamlet, iv. 5.)

Today a sprig of rosemary placed in a buttonhole is believed to bring good luck and improve memory. There seems to be some credence for this. A modern study showed that when the scent of rosemary was pumped into workspaces the people working there showed improved memory.

There is a legend about the blue colour of the flowers. It is said that when Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt with the baby Jesus, Mary was tired and spread her cloak on a rosemary with white flowers. Instantly the flowers changed to the blue of Mary’s cloak. The Spanish name for rosemary is romero, meaning pilgrim’s plant, and reflects the legend.

Legend has it that rosemary will never grow taller than an adult, around six feet (1.8m) nor live longer than the years of Christ’s life.

The last rose(s) of Summer are struggling to provide a final flourish of colour and scent. Barry took these photographs yesterday.

Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone,
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone.
No flow'r of her kindred
No rosebud is nigh
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one,
To pine on the stem,
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them

Thus kindly I'll scatter
Thy leaves o'er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow
When friendships decay;
And from love's shining circle
The gems drop away
When true hearts lie wither'd
And fond ones are flow'n
Oh! Who would inhabit
This bleak world alone? 


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