Maude's Throne

This 'pie is dedicated to my late mum-in-law. The second I saw the prompt she came to mind!

Cat clawed, dog gnawed the bottom of the chair,
didn't matter one iota - we would always find her there

Cushions knitted, armslips fitted, back adjusting foam,
didn't like it one iota - huffed to leave it well alone

Change position, wrong decision, window watching faith,
didn't like it one iota - if moved an inch from viewing place

Crumbs go tumbling, side seam fumbling, lost the bloody thing....
didn't like it one iota - so just tied it to a string

Careless chaffing, endless laughing, moulded tush and head,
didn't like it one iota - taping leather if it shred.

Cold breezes, cough and wheezes, tended in the chair,
didn't like it one iota - that old cross she had to bear

Children singing, daughter winging in and out the room,
didn't like it one iota -  but she was gone a seat too soon

Chair gracing, there's she's waiting, can't you see her still?
Didn't like it one iota -  and God we know she never will!!     
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What To Do To Let The Doo Do A Doo?

 This morning, for the first time, I saw council signs tied to every lamppost along our town's High Street, warning us not to feed the pigeons. For now, those guilty of it won't be issued with a fine but if the crap problem doesn't ease up then fines will be given.

Our High Street has been recently re-designed. A huge sitting area next to Xavier's Church, has been created with lot of lights and carved history on stones ect.  Gregg's the bakers is only 20 yards from it and local school kids hang about there on lunch hour.  Crumbs are only inevitable and I enjoy nothing more than watching kiddies run and burst through a load of pigeons. If you're under 5 that's mandatory ffs!  But people are complaining. No cars are allowed up the high street, so I'm surmising it's either shoppers and shop windows that must be taking the bulk of this 'deliberate problem'.  Mind you, I've shopped 30-odd years in the same street and never been shat on once. And it rains enough to wash stuff away quickly.

I don't know if it's council snobs or every day folk that have raised the concern, but I know the majority of people - particularly the elderly - see the church garden-cum-seated area the perfect place to sit, meet, chat and/or feed the pigeons. It's not exactly Trafalgar Square!

One old lady who was sitting next to us while my hubby was having a ciggie break put the situation into her own consideration and concluded:

        "They'll not stop me doing what I've been doing for the past 10 years. If any biggot points that sign out to me I'll make it quite clear it's the starlings and blackbirds I'm feeding - and if pigeons are butting in and stealing their nuts, there's not much I can do about that!"


HUH! Stick that in your agenda and bring it up at your next council meeting Mr.Joyce...!!   Maybe focusing on clearing the weeds and burns filled with dirty dog owners dumping their shit-bags in there (instead of taking them home to their own bins) is a tate more important...?
  

What I'm Loving Wednesday (2)

Just a few things I'm loving this Wednesday.....! (Linking up with Jamie here)

I'm Loving....Christmas Nails....I may play guitar and therefore keep short nails but I wouldn't mind these all false and fanciable on me! Cool!

 














I'm Loving....this bright little mite....you go, girl!

;



I'm Loving....this ticket....my older son's band (Hotel India)  have the headlining spot at the most prestigious venue in Scotland, to bring in the New Year.  I'm soooooo excited now the tickets are officially on sale!  Can't wait:

I'm Loving....spring tulips....I planted both Queen Of The Night and Whisper Cusp in my window boxes. Here's hoping winter will be a kinder one this year!

And finally, I'm Still Loving....this video my son left me when I was feeling down....being a big fan of Family Guy, he played the theme tune and added his own ending. Still giggle at it yet!




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Light Station Lure

As open and as unscathed,
the mistress that's the sea
Singling out trespassers
as they sing a sorry plea

Not a rock she hasn't shifted,
not a shoal she hasn't filled
Obstinate, hard hearted,
suffocating those weak-willed

Calling to the star light,
highlights waving from the moon
Blind obliteration
lest the both of them attune

Part of her very innards,
the only soul that she contains
Seeking out the wayward vessels
a step too close, she preordains

Never scared and never lonely,
trusting in her red and white
A keen eye yet in misty-lens
foghorn hollers overnight

Life upon a grassy edge,
in birds you must confide
With a heart only a Stevenson
could beat with lasting pride

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You Don't Say?

Flicking through some magazines at the dentist today, I read an article study on marital/partner conversation. Apparently, women in general speak around 20,000 words a day, compared to a paltry 7,000 from men.  This all derives from hormones.

 The female hormone, estrogen, heightens the production of oxytocin, thus making the want to gossip high on the agenda.  Sadly, for men, testosterone, over the years, kills off a percentage of communication cells but makes up for that with adding to their brain's capacity to remember (and think about other things!)

Gee, and here's me thinking that my patter was so interesting he was actually listening!


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Newly Weds

 

I've finally convinced myself to partake in WILW. It's a great concept as well as fun and welcoming. Just the thing to brighten any bleak mid-week, plus a great way to communicate and appreciate! Here we go, then...! 

I'm loving.....All Good Things.  I finally got round to watching this fabulous thriller about real estate tycoon David Marks. Set in 70's New York and starring Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, and Frank Langella.  More twists and turns than a contortionist!

                                         

I'm Loving.....Scented Candles. I love when Christmas stock starts hitting the shops.  This apple and cinnamon one from Glade is burning away as I write!

 

I'm Loving.....Gumball Tree. This is one of my favourite pieces of art by Monica Furlow and I'm on the hunt for a large print for my landing:

  

 

 

 

I'm Loving.....As The World Falls Down by Girl In A Coma. I was delighted to find this cover of the Bowie song made famous from 1986 film Labyrinth.   The girls' version is by far the best I've come across!

I'm Loving.....Angry Bird Earphones. Besides having a crabby expression these birdy earpieces squeeze deep inside for maximum explosion!  Just be careful not to get mugged or run over on your travels, though!

 

 

 

 

and finally, I'm Loving....the below picture  of my crazy daughter.  A new batch of eye safety glasses in funky colours arrived at her dental surgery.  Looks like she's forgotten that it's the patient who's supposed to wear the shades!! What a giggle-matron she is!

 

Looking forward to next weeks' already....!!

Country Callings

Air and land, an ever-essence
Silences be there to shout
Trusting life in khaki blessings
Tiring of barbaric clout

Humble merchants, seeking shelter
Renegades before the end
Staring, as surroundings welter
Be enemy or be it friend

Markings left from lithe abrasions
Wounded heart, and shrapnelled skies
Takes only one to fill a nation
Forever thanked in lullabies 
  
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Though from WWII, this week's Magpie Tale is in memory of my dad (on guitar) and his fellow comrades. This picture was taken in his POW camp in 1942/43.  Music and song helped keep the moral up, if not the trousers, as he used to say! The poem is in tribute to all war heroes.

                 ♥.........Miss you, auld yin!.......♥
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My Family Guy

After skelping me at Buzz the music quiz (I'm shit at questions post 2004), GingerJesus wouldn't leave the house until I had a smile on my face.  So he recorded the theme tune from Family Guy but with an alternate ending!  Won't those guys allow me just ONE day of feeling sorry for myself!?



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What A Snip!

Hair drives me nuts! A quick twist in a hairband or a few brush-tugs and I'm done. But I try to make PrettyBoy and GingerJesus feel better on their  bad hair days - particularly Ross - by showing them pictures from their father's snippy youth. This pic amuses me most! 

  The Cheaper Half had a friend who was a trainee stylist and they would re-open the salon some nights, straight from the pub, to give 'clients' (their mates!) cut-price trims and things. Believe it or not but he wasn't pissed when this style was fashioned!

He stands with a girlfriend who has a hairstyle close to the one Mrs.Raven from My Hero still sports...........as for him, I'm Purdy sure I've seen it before somewhere. Hmmmm.




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Y'Get Me?

There ain't no rock, there ain't no clock
can tell me what to do
Don't pity what you don't know
until you've seen it through

There ain't no saint, nor no complaint
can change this mind of mine
Don't tell yourself 'I couldn't
as I haven't got the time'

There are no walls, no tumble-falls
removing any grace
But I conquer just to wipe away
that smug look from your face.    

pst........I am aware that I've grammar mistakes but it's how this heroine goes!
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Bang-Da-Holy-Spook

While upping some summer bye-bye's and downing some winter wonderstuff from the attic, I saw that our Christmas tree had been stood there uncovered all year!  I didn't want to try and wriggle and squash my way through the loft hatch as usual, as scars from the boob surgery are still tender.  I did manage a head up for a sneaky peek, though.  Feeling sorry for the fairy, I decided to bring the fully decorated tree down (God knows how they got it up) give it a light dusting and test the lights.  Operating.   Little Fairypoops, Chrissie, is almost 20 years old and you can see how threadbare and 'holey' her dress and wings are getting.  She's had all sorts of coloured lights rammed up her lacy skirt every year for added effect, and a replacement doesn't bare thinking about!  The tree is stopping in my bedroom for now but its mini-illumination has boosted the winter-chick in me no end.

Earlier on, I picked the remaining blackberries in the garden that were still clinging on to life and decided to make a bramble and apple crumble.  Yes, there are a few recipes that I don't always balls-up on!  Later, as we sat with a portion each, I remarked on how ideal the deep and heavy steel dish I made it in was, only to be told that PrettyBoy had 'borrowed' it from work to use at his last festival.  It's amazing how much more filling you can get in a placenta dish.  Oh, well. At least I know it cooks beans, too. Eventually.

Anyhow - I'm sitting as I type, watching some absolutely cracking fireworks!  It may only be November 3rd, but there are a lot of weekend parties going on around me. What a blessing patio heaters are!  It's freezing, dry, and there's a beautiful, starry sky.  It will, absolutely, piss down in Scotland on Monday night.
 
November 5th, Guy Fawkes Night, is celebrated greatly and widely in Britain. Organised displays everywhere. Oh, how I wish old Fawkesy would come back and do a number on Cameron and his cronies!  I took a couple of snaps out an upstairs window, but they more resemble wayward ribbon and ectoplasm than fireworks!  But I love where my house is situated. So many free displays from the comfort of your own window sills. Tough on the old elbows, mind.  My cat has retreated to his usual place of behind and under the television unit.  I think he thinks I do this on purpose every year.

Anyhow - quite a week, what with days of significance highlighted in them.  Halloween, Guy Fawkes and Christmas. I'm a ruddy big kid!  Actually, I'm getting quite excited at the thought of picking up and continuing our topic of conversation over the turkey and crackers. If giving birth with no pain relief hurts more than a solid kick in the nuts. Welcome to Winter Wonderland!
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Boom Boom Schnardy Schnar..........☼

We go through earphones like crazy in our house. Music, in whatever way it's delivered, is now a vital part of sole journeys.  Earlier today, I sat and watched PrettyBoy open a new set from it's welded, plastic casing.  The seal was a nightmare and after two slit finger tips and some tough scissor work, they were blissfully released.  Despite my protests at costing him over £30, he refuses to listen to music without clear, accompanying bass. He was vainly listening to his own band and I guess I could excuse him slightly for the practicing diva bit!

His band  Hotel India  have confirmed that that they will be greeting Hogmanay as the headlining band at King Tuts - the most prestigious (despite the bogs!) venue sought after by bands in Scotland.  I was so excited to see their name on Tuts' gig list and at that very moment discovered that you can actually make whole sentences using just swear words!  As yet, the venue hasn't picked the support bands, but if my younger son's band makes it on the same stage, the same night, I'll be in Band-Member-Mum Heaven!   Not only that,  it's my daughter's birthday on Hogmanay, too,  so I'm hoping she and hubby make it up from London.  What a start to my New Year that would be!

After both radio airplay  ( huge thanks to Trish at Whatever Rocks Your Boat  for referring and believing in them) and their nominated video and appearance at the  Scottish New Music Awards in September, things have been moving swiftly.  The owner of music company Feast Records have been checking the guys out and want to release Black Eyes as a single. Talks with their manager about this offer are taking place soon!  Oh, and two new songs are being recorded this month.  Meantime, temporary names for the songs kick out as: Boom Boom Schnardy Schnar  and Dukebox!  

Huge thanks to those here and on Facebook that voted for the guys.  The lads appreciate it so much - especially Jace who played the video on the big screen on the office wall! 
                                
There! See? Told you I could update a Hotel India-based blog/journal in under 500 words!  And for those who couldn't give a shit - here's a picture of an adorable puppy up some bamboo shoots: 
  

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