poppy

For Today I'll Remember Your Smile ~ Netherworld Dancing Toys

Wales so deserved to win against France, they played magnificently with one player short. I think nearly the whole of NZ was cheering for Wales and the decision to red card the captain was way over the top. Everyone thought his tackle was an accident and it's so unfair he will be excluded from the next game. If only they had scored just one more of their conversions . We'll all be most definitely on their side again against Aussie on Friday

Breathe ~ Anna Narlick

NZ just bet Aussie in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals last night. Without wanting to go overboard on patriotic pride and nationalistic fervour GO THE ALL BLACKS!!!!!

Just Breathe ~ Pearl Jam

Bought the third TV series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet yesterday (the one where they dismantle the huge bridge in Middlesbrough and re-erect it in Arizona) and ended up watching the whole thing last night (almost 6 hours) Can't believe I did that! But it is just so good and so funny, kept saying 'Just one more episode, just one more.'

Life In Slow Motion ~ David Gray

I don't for a minute think this is true, but thought it was very funny just the same. These were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a great sense of humour (not to mention a low tolerance threshold for cretins!) __________________________________________________ Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia ? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die. __________________________________________________ Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? A:Depends how much you've been drinking. __________________________________________________ Q:I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water. __________________________________________________ Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay ? A: What did your last slave die of? __________________________________________________ Q:Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia ? A: A-Fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not ... Oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked. __________________________________________________ Q:Which direction is North in Australia ? A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions. _________________________________________________ Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? A:Why? Just use your fingers like we do... __________________________________________________ Q:Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is Oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked. __________________________________________________ Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia ? A: You are a British politician, right? __________________________________________________ Q:Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal. __________________________________________________ Q:Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can dispense rattlesnake serum. A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets. __________________________________________________ Q:I have a question about a famous animal in Australia, but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking. __________________________________________________ Q:I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia ? A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather. __________________________________________________ Q:Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia ? A: Only at Christmas. __________________________________________________ Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first

Hope you don't mind me popping this in here VF and Linda, but read a very interesting book which supports your theory, in fact he states that creative people frequently have a crisis in making meaning of the world and their creativity leading to depression.The Van Gogh Blues by Eric Maisel

My most favourite autobiography is 'My Family and Other Animals' by Gerald Durrell which tells of his idyllic childhood on the Greek Island of Corfu. He has the most eccentric family and surrounds himself with a huge array of wayward animals and critters. It is delightfully written and very funny. In case you haven't heard of Durrell, he later went on to be a well-known naturalist, conservationist and author.

Thanks for the link Poppyshake, yes it is very moving. I'm glad to say that things have improved a lot since that time and the intellectually and physically disabled are now being accepted into society with far more tolerance. Without minimising the struggles, having a disabled child can be the hugest blessing

I Can't Dance ~ Genesis

Yes, she was Kylie. She went to England when she was about 16 to attend school and only returned to NZ for short periods after that. She died at 34 from TB. A fascinating and unconventional person, after reading a biography about her, I really liked her. That's interesting that the author of 'Grace William Says it Loud' has a disabled sister, her writing rings so true. My daughter does not have cerebral palsy, but I know a young man that does. He is severely disabled, wheel chair bound, unable to talk, but get him on a computer and he can express himself eloquently. And he gives a mean hug I gave 'Henrietta's War' to my Mum to read first, as I had books to finish. She loved it so much that she read it twice. You have to have books like this to read to give you the fortitude and resolve to read the heavier stuff

Poppyshake, I've just finished Henrietta's War, it was absolutely delightful, a real heart-warming, amusing little book. Now I've started another of your recommendations 'Grace Williams Says It Loud', and I know I'm going to love it too. I have a daughter with an intellectual disabilty, so this book is close to home. I am so grateful she was born in the 90's not the 40's or 50's, when this book was set and children inevitably ended up in care. Thank you for your great recommendations

I'm just listening to a CD by 10 years, The Autumn Effect. The whole thing has a very autumnal feel about it.

I Hope I Never ~ Split Enz You know Split Enz, Sod!!

Autumn always has a rather nostalgic and poignant feel about it to me. Here's a few I like The World Can Wait by Over the Rhine These Are the Days by Van Morrison

White Balloons ~ Sick Puppies

The Go Getter ~ The Black Keys

When God Made Me ~ Neil Young

One World ~ The Feelers

I love Muse's version of this song

It's so good to know Stella Gibbons wrote some more books. I loved Cold Comfort Farm and I've read Bassett but didn't realise she'd written any others. I'd completely forgotten I'd read this book and you've reminded me how good it was! I'm going to look out some more of his too. Thank you Willoyd

Fixative ~ David Gray If there’s a diamond in my mind Will it dwindle down to nought Or will it always be defined If I can fix it with my heart So I’m returning to the place That I might look into your eyes And look so hard that I can taste That winter sun that never sets That swallow caught up in the nets That perfect chorus – when it hits Don’t slam the door boy When you leave Was heading northward when I saw That empty house out in the mist And there are traces left for sure On every mouth you ever kissed So I’m returning to the word To find my place between the lines Where I might dutifully record The blue within your seagull stare That funny way you had to care For every little thing beyond repair Don’t slam the door boy When you leave And so I call out in the gulf Where you went walking with the wolf Hey boy you really brought it on yourself Don’t slam the door now When you leave The strangest foe we ever faced Is stalking every stage you graced And crushing diamonds into paste Don’t slam the door boy When you leave Don’t slam the door boy When you leave Don’t slam the door boy When you leave

So Far Away ~ Staind