poppy

I would probably read 33% non-fiction to fiction, I love reading biographies about interesting people. I also read quite a few NF books on subjects I'm interested in.

I love Jabberwocky too, my favorite nonsense poem. Another one of Edward Lear's is The Popple Who Has No Toes THE POBBLE WHO HAS NO TOES by Edward Lear I. The Pobble who has no toes Had once as many as we; When they said, "Some day you may lose them all;" He replied, "Fish fiddle de-dee!" And his Aunt Jobiska made him drink Lavender water tinged with pink; For she said, "The World in general knows There's nothing so good for a Pobble's toes!" II. The Pobble who has no toes, Swam across the Bristol Channel; But before he set out he wrapped his nose In a piece of scarlet flannel. For his Aunt Jobiska said, "No harm Can come to his toes if his nose is warm; And it's perfectly known that a Pobble's toes Are safe--provided he minds his nose." III. The Pobble swam fast and well, And when boats or ships came near him, He tinkledy-binkledy-winkled a bell So that all the world could hear him. And all the Sailors and Admirals cried, When they saw him nearing the further side,-- "He has gone to fish, for his Aunt Jobiska's Runcible Cat with crimson whiskers!" IV. But before he touched the shore,-- The shore of the Bristol Channel, A sea-green Porpoise carried away His wrapper of scarlet flannel. And when he came to observe his feet, Formerly garnished with toes so neat, His face at once became forlorn On perceiving that all his toes were gone! V. And nobody ever knew, From that dark day to the present, Whoso had taken the Pobble's toes, In a manner so far from pleasant. Whether the shrimps or crawfish gray, Or crafty Mermaids stole them away, Nobody knew; and nobody knows How the Pobble was robbed of his twice five toes! VI. The Pobble who has no toes Was placed in a friendly Bark, And they rowed him back, and carried him up To his Aunt Jobiska's Park. And she made him a feast, at his earnest wish, Of eggs and buttercups fried with fish; And she said, "It's a fact the whole world knows, That Pobbles are happier without their toes."

I'm going to try this tonight, sounds yummy.

My favorite poem at primary school (I had a warped sense of humour even then) Young Ethelred - Author unknown Young Ethelred was only three -Or somewhere thereabouts when he Began to show in divers ways The early stages of the craze Of knowing the particulars Of motor bikes and motor cars. It started with a little book To enter numbers which he took, And though his mother often said "Now do be careful Ethelred. Oh dear, oh dear, what should I do If anything ran over you?" (Which Ethelred could hardly know And sometimes crossly told her so) It didn't check his zeal a bit But rather seemed to foster it. Indeed it would astonish you To hear of all the things he knew; He'd guess the make and get it right Of every car that came in sight. He knew as well its MPG Its MPH and £sd, What gears it had, what brakes and what; In short he knew an awful lot. Now when a boy thinks day and night Of motor cars with all his might He gets affected in the head And so it was with Ethelred. He took long drinks from mug and cup To fill his radiator up. And went about upon all fours And usually, to get indoors He pressed a button then reversed And went in slowly back most first. He called himself a Packford Eight And wore a little number plate Attached behind with bits of string He looked just like the real thing. He drove himself to school and tried All day to park himself outside. At which the head became irate And caned him on his number plate. And then one day an oily smell Hung round him and he wasn't well. "That's odd" he said, "I wonder what Has caused this rumbling pain I've got?" No car should get an aching tum from taking in petroleum". At that he cranked himself but no He couldn't get himself to go. He merely whirred a bit inside A faint chug-chug, and then he died. Now as his petrol tank was full, They labelled him inflammable And wisely saw to it that he Was buried safely out at sea. So if at any time your fish Should taste a trifle oilyish You'll know that fish has lately fed On what remains of Ethelred.

I really enjoyed Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's War of Souls and Deathgate series

Best of Friends by John Lee Hooker This is great. Particularly like the songs featuring him with Van Morrison.

Mothership - Led Zeppelin Brilliant

Well to all our American buddies ....have a very Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you all while I munch away on my scabby piece of toast with peanut butter ...hope you all choke lol to marshmallows Muggle

I'm so peed off. Have just finished part one and am really getting into it, tried to renew book from library and I can't because 4 people have reserves on it! Can understand why some people could say this is a bit slow, but he makes some wonderfully descriptive observations. I find it a bit of a stretch of the imagination that anyone Briony's age could be quite so naive .... the scene in the library is one instance. She really is the most annoying, self-righteous little blot. But I want to know what happens ....think I'll have to go and buy it tomorrow

This is the recipe I use Hammy 2 cups flour 100 gms butter 2 tsp baking powder pinch salt milk to mix Sieve flour, baking powder and salt. Rub in butter (I actually just grate in cold butter and mix it in with a knife). Make into soft dough with milk. Roll out. Spread with jam. Roll up. Boil together 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tlb butter, 1 1/2 cups water. Pour over dough in baking dish. Cook mod oven 1 1/2 hrs. A variation that is really nice is to mix up some grated raw apple, throw in some raisins, sultanas or whatever dried fruit you want and a bit of cinnamon and spread this on the dough before you roll it up. Happy cooking

You could try rolling it out on baking paper, spread your mixture on top, then use the paper to help roll it up. When you transfer it into the baking dish, try using two large spatulas to move it (and hold your mouth right ) If it falls apart a bit you can always patch it up. I don't use suet in my recipe, just a basic scone recipe and it seems to work fine.

I'm only about 50 pages in and am doing a lot of at Briony, like Freewheeling Andy I think a good slap wouldn't go amiss, she's so wrapped up in herself. But I will keep going since it sounds like things improve.

Oh yes, wasn't she good? I really rather enjoyed the black humour of that movie.

Ultimate Santana - a great mix of his old and new stuff. Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan The Rising Tied - Fort Minor (to replace burned copy, love it) The Fat of the Land - Prodigy (for son's birthday, now just have to try to track down the other 3 of theirs, for him )

I found this poem copied into an old note-book of mine recently. On the Dunes If there is any life when death is over, These tawny beaches will know much of me, I shall come back, as constant and as changeful As the unchanging, many-colored sea. If life was small, if it has made me scornful, Forgive me; I shall straighten like a flame In the great calm of death, and if you want me Stand on the sea-ward dunes and call my name. - Sara Teasdale

Hi Jess, and a big Welcome from me too

Hi Phil and a big Welcome

Some are picking particularly long tomes .... Encyclopaedia Britanica, The Complete Works of Shakespeare, The Lord of the Rings. Think they're trying to put off the evil moment as long as possible

Reminds me of the song 'Grandma got run over by a reindeer, coming home from our place Christmas Eve, people says there's no such thing as Santa, but as for me and Grandpa......we believe.' Sorry, couldn't resist that I'm a bit of a sceptic when it comes to conspiracy theories too, but they make very interesting reading.

Welcome back GSH and Happy Birthday for the other day

'I think there's something a bit special about me, Miss Lightowler,' I said. 'I think I need to be a writer.' 'Don't be silly Daphne,' she said, not even looking at me again. 'You'll go to Tech and you'll be a typist.' Oracles and Miracles - Stevan Eldred-Grigg

Funnily enough, four of my favourite books are mentioned but the characters I like best are different. In 'Gone With the Wind' I best liked Melanie, in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' I liked the narrator Chief Bromden and in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' I loved Atticus, the Dad. And in 'Winnie the Pooh' it's hard to pick a favourite, but I think mine would be Piglet.

I heard of someone getting their Vegemite confiscated off them in either some USA state or Canada, because it has added folate or something that is not allowed there. Can just imagine the poor person clutching onto their vegemite, tears running down their cheeks, pleading to keep it

Drunkard's Prayer - Over The Rhine

I love that poem too Merflerher. Wonderful use of words. Another of his I really like is: Inversnaid THIS darksome burn, horseback brown, His rollrock highroad roaring down, In coop and in comb the fleece of his foam Flutes and low to the lake falls home. A windpuff-bonnet of fawn-froth Turns and twindles over the broth Of a pool so pitchblack, fell-frowning, It rounds and rounds Despair to drowning. Degged with dew, dappled with dew, Are the groins of the braes that the brook treads through, Wiry heathpacks, flitches of fern, And the beadbonny ash that sits over the burn. What would the world be, once bereft Of wet and wildness? Let them be left, O let them be left, wildness and wet; Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet. Gerard Manley Hopkins