megustaleer

On afternoons of drowsy calm We stood in the panelled pew, Singing one-voiced a Tate-and-Brady psalm To the tune of 'Cambridge New'. We watched the elms, we watched the rooks, The clouds upon the breeze, Between the whiles of glancing at our books, And swaying like the trees. So mindless were those outpourings! - Though I am not aware That I have gained by subtle thought on things Since we stood psalming there. Afternoon Service at Mellstock - Thomas Hardy

There was a lad from Trinidad Who instigated a rather curious fad. With mango and lime And a pinch of wild thyme As a shampoo it wasn't too bad. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If I had a few folk come for supper

This is an obvious choice, but I couldn’t resist as I am getting old and wearing purple But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple. The last three lines of Warning - Jenny Joseph

The land is full of what was lost. What’s hidden Rises to the surface after rain In new-ploughed fields. and fields stubbled again: The clay shards, foot and lip, that heaped the midden, And here and there a blade or flakes of blade, A patient art, knapped from a core of flint, Most broken, few as coins new from the mint, Perfect, shot through time as though through a glade. First two stanzas of Arrowhead Hunting - A.E. Stallings Alicia Elsbeth Stallings, American poet born 1968

Yes, that has usually been part of the welcoming conversation

Thank you, Hayley, for that offer. A small spark of hope has been ignited today. One of the admins who had been hoping we could avoid closure, has now said he is prepared to take over and keep it going, at least for another year, if there is enough interest. The outgoing admin has offered her support with the technicalities, so that has lifted the spirits of us hangers-on

There was a lad from Trinidad Who instigated a rather curious fad. With mango and lime

I am certainly intending to watch the first episode. I am in the fortunate position of not having read the book, so may enjoy it - normally, if I have read and enjoyed a book, I avoid TV/film versions as they almost always disappoint.

My Pa was a trifle erratic Some called him over dramatic Like a harpy he'd scream Or just sit and dream

I'm pleased to hear that is no longer happening. Moving misplaced posts for newbies, or the confused, was one of the 'housekeeping' jobs that i kept an eye on over on the 'other 'board ;). It's hardly an onerous task, and keeps the board tidy without upsetting anyone.

Well, on BGO we welcome newcomers wherever their first post might be, but direct them to the 'introductions' thread, and suggest that they post a little about themselves there. Or maybe i ought to say "used to", as it's nearly the end of the road

Thank you so much, Chrissy, for posting that. I had never come across "The Old Astronomer..." before, nor its "famous" line, so have hied me off to Google to read the rest of it. Love it! To follow, here's the midle stanza from another starry poem And yonder star that burns so white, May have died to dust and night Ten, maybe, or fifteen year, Before it shines upon my dear. Fafaia - Rupert Brooke

A black Porsche Jimmy bought in Dalkeith. Purred like a tiger without any teeth In a fit of panic He got a mechanic To delve in the workings beneath. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> My Pa was a trifle erratic

Birth and death, twin-sister and twin-brother, Night and day, on all things that draw breath, Reign, while time keeps friends with one another Birth and death. Each brow-bound with flowers diverse of wreath, Heaven they hail as father, earth as mother, Faithful found above them and beneath. Smiles may lighten tears, and tears may smother Smiles, for all that joy or sorrow saith: Joy nor sorrow knows not from each other Birth and death. Birth and Death - a roundel by Algernon Charles Swinburne Swinburne was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He invented the roundel form, which is a short poem consisting of three stanzas of three lines each, rhyming alternately, with the opening words repeated as a refrain after the first and third stanzas.

You did not come, And marching Time drew on, and wore me numb. Yet less for loss of your dear presence there Than that I thus found lacking in your make That high compassion which can overbear Reluctance for pure lovingkindness' sake Grieved I, when, as the hope-hour stroked its sum, You did not come. You love not me, And love alone can lend you loyalty; -I know and knew it. But, unto the store Of human deeds divine in all but name, Was it not worth a little hour or more To add yet this: Once you, a woman, came To soothe a time-torn man; even though it be You love not me. A Broken Appointment - Thomas Hardy For any one interested in knowing more about Thomas Hardy I can recommend the biography by Claire Tomalin, the title of which is a phrase taken from this poem- TheTime-torn Man

The only thing to come now is the sea. From between two hills a sudden wind funnels at me, Slapping its phantom laundry in my face. These hills are too green and sweet to have tasted salt. I follow the sheep path between them. A last hook brings me To the hills' northern face, and the face is orange rock That looks out on nothing, nothing but a great space Of white and pewter lights, and a din like silversmiths Beating and beating at an intractable metal. Blackberrying (final stanza) - Sylvia Plath In addition to what luna has said about this thread,a note about the author, if it is someone not well known, is helpful Also, if the poem is available on the web, a link to a site where it can be read in full would make it easier to find than hunting around in anthologies. That is, if course, if you can get a link loaded. No luck with either safari or chrome this afternoon.

That I don't understand. I would want to know what you thought of a book we'd both read, however haltingly expressed, as I couldn't have a 'conversation' with you about the book if you didn't post your thoughts. From them, over time, I would find out if we had the same tastes, and whether or not I should read a book you loved - or of I should avoid it. My reading tastes have expanded over the years by just that method. I might still be reading the same light mysteries I read in my twenties if my horizons hadn't been expanded by other readers willing to share their book experiences.

Ihere nce was a man with a dog Which regularly barked at the fog In a fret or a haar

There once was a man with a dog

Sad though it was... To be bereft of a cause John nonetheless Gave a keynote address Which got a huge round of applause

Indeed there are - but so many of them are spam reviews, posted by people with hardly disinterested motives Reading a review of their latest read, and sharing their delight (or otherwise), from someone whose opinions you have learned to respect over time is the joy (and to my mind the primary purpose) of a book group. Possibly the word 'review' is a bit scary. It seems to put a lot of people off posting in a more public space. Perhaps that is why they have become fewer over time on BGO, and why members of BCF are more comfortable with the blog format?

BGO is very lightly moderated. There are a few 'forbidden' types of post, which usually get deleted or the poster banned, but otherwise posts, particularly in book threads, are left for members to respond to - or not. We also have a policy of encouraging late-comers to a discussion to add to a dormant thread - maybe to respond to a OP that had previously had not generated discussion, or it may be that someone has an entirely different take on the book, and sets off a whole new train of thought. Admittedly "Those were the days". Suffering a bit from nostalgia here

I can appreciate that. If you will indulge me, I'd like to give a potted history, as I see it, of how BGO has come to such a sad end. BGO has had a number of trials and tribulations, including misunderstandings between the founder and the original hosts.These resulted in unannounced closures, loss or destruction of data, including many book reviews and other posts, and a year's worth of membership details. That was resolved when the founder (who had long moved on to other things) passed ownership to the members, and 'David' became administrator. He steered us through the move to invision (not without problems from our old hosts, so I feel Hayley's current pain), and things were looking much brighter. Sadly, within 6months, disaster struck again as 'David' was taken seriously ill, and died. This was a crushing blow to all those who had stuck with BGO though the difficult times, and although we tried to continue the recovery David had started none of us had his knowledge, commitment and people skills. Over the last seven years more and more members have drifted away, and the quantity and quality of actual book discussion has diminished. A handful of loyal members remain, and post regularly, but the spark has gone, and I think the moderating team have been too long in acknowledging that. I am sorry, Raven, that your visit to BGO came during these last few years, and that the taste you had of us was so insipid.

As a moderator on BGO, and a member from the beginning, I will try to answer any questions you have about the way it worked - but not immdiately as it is waay past my bedtime. But with regard to your question in the quote above. The centuries boards are for "literary" books....Don't ask! It isn't always easy to make the decision as to what is 'literary' and what is 'genre'. Usually, maybe after some discussion, a moderator decides and moves a thread that is in the 'wrong' category. Occasionally there have been titles that have moved around a bit as opinions on it vary, but BGO is a very friendly, generally non-confrontational site**, and it is all done amicably. ** Much of this is thanks to the wisdom, tact and diplomacy of our late and much missed administrator, David

The jpy of BGo for me has been finding fantastic books that I would never have heard of if someone hadn't posted a review on the main forums. To use a search engine I need to know what I am looking for before I start. Not sure how that is a problem. Can be irritating if the comments are simply "I agree" or similar, but an inactive tread sinks down the page and is quickly replaced by new titles. The number of forum categories on BGO has annoyed some people in the past, and has been tweaked a few times since it was first designed, but on the whole it has worked during its 16 years for sharing our book discoveries with lots of other readers and, as Hux and luna have indicated, we are going to miss it enormously.