"Where'er You Walk"

See what delights in sylvan scenes appear!

Descending Gods have found Elisium here.

Come, lovely nymph, and bless the silent hours,

When swains from shearing seek their nightly bowers

This harmless grove no lurking vapour hides,

But in my breast the serpent love abides.

Here bees from blossoms sip the rosy dew,

O deign to visit our forsaken seats,

The mossy fountains and the green retreats!

Where'er you tread, the blushing flowers shall rise,

And all things flourish where you turn your eyes.

extracts from "Where'er You Walk"

by Alexander Pope

Racing Raindrops

My paternal grandmother was named Ellen Irene but everyone I knew called her Nell. She was small and birdlike,only about 5' tall and with a fine frame, it was hard to imagine her bearing four children. 

I have many memories, snippets of stories and shared learning but if I had to use one word to describe her it would be "Victorian". She was not at all like cuddly, comfortable Nanny (my maternal grandmother) but rather formal and of high expectations and moral fibre, but I loved her just the same.

When I was little and complaining of being bored on a wet miserable day she told me she and her brother would watch the raindrops on the window and "race" against each other. They would have competitions to see whose raindrop would reach the bottom first. I found it hard to believe because it requires a certain type of rainy day and window aspect to achieve a good race which eluded me for a long time. Once I came close on a car trip. 

A.A. Milne also wrote a poem about racing raindrops in his poem called "Waiting At The Window" from his book of poetry "Now We Are Six" first published in 1927 and wonderfully illustrated by E.H. Shepard. Presumably children were doing it well before then, I wonder do they do it now? 

I once contrived to race drops on the side of the bath by gently running water from my cupped palm, watching as rivulets ran into each other and trickled away adding to other drops making them full and heavy and in turn running down to join the bath water.

It is meditative and calming to become lost in the small world of water drops. Even now I gaze at droplet covered windows looking for my mark.

Wet wintry July days....

Rainy days remind me of Nell...

ANZAC DAY 2013

Cover of a book titled Gallipoli 1915 by Richard Reid

Thinking of

Norm, "Bronc" and Alec

We will remember them.

Caught My Eye This Week

Housewife Eclectic has lots of practical ideas and is usually my go-to site for IT/blog support but 

read here about the great "real" doctors kit she made.

I read a beautiful piece of poetry on a blog called "Mrs Smith"

It is titled "In The Night"

".....wriggling and writhing, emitting frost, like Jack,

garnered on her journey through the pitch...."

It's a delicious short read full of descriptives that will strike a cord in most parents.

Something super practical and good to know

"How To Use A Busted Cell Phone and Meet 5 Basic Survival Needs"

from the blog The Art Of Manliness.

And finally I wanted share a new to me blog called "One Pink Chair". It is the blog of a woman on a new stage of her life as she comes to terms with the loss of her husband. You needn't think it is melancholic or sad, but rather enlightening and sharing a candid glimpse into the "first year after"

In particular I loved;

Have you tried to talk to someone in Authority recently...?

and 

My Town Part III

Have a good weekend

Love Tx

Read About This Week

Are you looking for something new to read?

Here is what excited me this week....

I watched a little boy take me through step by step "How To Make A Corn Cob Dolly"

on the Magic Onions. Don't underestimate the abilities of your kids and let them have a supervised go with tools. Imagine his pride when he gave it to his sister. 

Beautiful

"I have to stop.
There's no denying the sight I see.
Nothing can draw me away.
The view before me demands my response...."

What comes next???

Click over to Pumpkin Pie Painter to read "Unexpected Purple"

It is but a short passage but so poignant.

A good segue from that would be to "A Prayer For Our Daughters" that I read on ChickChat

You might also like to read about Marriage Discrimination that is being debated at the moment. (Stop and think and remember to consider your responses)

Virtu writes about "I DO"

And finally....

A very new blog about being Gluten free here at ValysK

Have a wonderful weekend.

There is much on my mind and much to consider.

Thanks to all the wonderful bloggers who take my thoughts elsewhere for a glimpse into their worlds.

"The Little Black Hen"

The Little Black Hen by A. A. Milne

Illustrations by E. H. Shepard

from the book "Now We Are Six"

"When I wake up

On Easter Day,

I shall see my egg

She's promised to lay.

If I were Emperors,

If I were Kings,

It couldn't be fuller

Of wonderful things."