Imaginary Colours

BLACK AND WHITE WEEKEND

http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com.au/

IMAGINARY COLOURS

Heat is yellow, heat is blue;

Everyone agrees that's true.

There's no colour in this shot

Yet, you'll agree, the scene is HOT!

Like painting-by-numbers we simply add

The colour that we know it had.

We feel the heat, enjoy the shade,

It's a Coloured Cavalcade.

*

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LAP MISHAP!

(The first line came from Mad Kane.)

A fellow was trying to dine

On a ship as it sailed down the Rhine.

But the sauerkraut spilt

All over his kilt

And the Germans all shouted out 'Nein!

*

Leaning

LEANING

I know of trees that are tall and straight,

Upright as they stand and wait.

I know of trees that all conform

To the shape that is the norm.

I know of trees that, in silhouette,

Are as alike as trees can get.

But a gum tree, as you can clearly see,

Is an individualistic tree.

It bends and bows with every whim,

This way, that way, twig and limb.
These trees refuse to toe the line.
Disobedience is divine.
*

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COOK-TOP LASAGNE

Turn on the oven? What a bore!

Cook-top cooking I adore!

So much quicker in every way.

Just wash-up at the end of the day.

But Lasagne? Surely not!

It's delicious! Hits the spot.

But it needs oven-heat I'm sure;

Lots of peering through the oven door;

Lots of hanging-around and waiting.

It really is debilitating!

BUT

Fry garlic and onion in a pan that's strong;

Five minutes will do; that's not too long.

Break-up each lasagne sheet

And mix in with the chicken meat,

Plus mozzarella, chile and basil.

(Remember! This dish is going to dazzle!)

Add all this to the sizzling pan

And spread as smoothly as you can.

Now pour over the pasta sauce

Adding the water as well, of course.

Bring to the boil, simmer, stirring often

Until the lasagne starts to soften.

Fifteen minutes should be enough.

Then add all the other stuff.

Top with spinach and remaining cheese,

Then pop it under the grill with ease.

When it starts to brown you know it's finished.

Your reputation is not diminished!

You're the cook who's cream of the crop!

You're CCT!

The Chef :Cook-Top!

*

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large brown onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

250g dried curly lasagne sheets

1/2 large barbecued chicken, skin removed, meat shredded

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1 1/2 cups grated reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

500g jar tomato pasta sauce

1 bunch English spinach, chopped

150g fresh ricotta cheese, crumbled

*

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PS

We had a lovely surprise yesterday when we  had a phone-call from two people we met on our cruise! So often cruise-friendships are literally between 'ships that pass in the night' but I hope our friendship with Sheila and Nigel continues.

I had to have my regular artery scan on Tuesday. The result was fine, but it's not my favourite activity. Cold 'cream', unpleasant pressures and lying still for two hours! I was glad when it was over. I took myself off to our new shopping-centre to see the lie of the land and to buy new shoes. It was full of holidaying children, and I couldn't see any shoes I liked so I didn't stay long.

Yesterday we acted a melodrama at a Salvation Army 'home'. It wasn't entirely successful, as the audience was made up of the very elderly, and the area was cramped. But we all had a good time anyway. Here is the cast. The two Ugly Sisters (we put on 'Cinderella') can be recognised  here by their false noses!

*

The Fishing Bridge

THE FISHING BRIDGE

One feels that life's a gentle thing

When the Powers That Be take the trouble

To build an extra little bridge,

Making the crossing double.

The higher bridge is for traffic,

The lower one for fishing!

Would that all of life were as civilised!

Oh well! Only wishing.

*

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SHE LOST HER HEAD!

She lost her head over Billy Best!

I always said he was a pest!

But no! She couldn't see his faults!

She kept on turning somersaults!

Showing-off and being silly

Every time that she saw Billy.

Just because he had a tan

She felt he was her chosen man!

Just because his muscles bulged

She felt that he should be indulged!

Just because his hair was curly

She phoned him late, she phoned him early.

Just because his teeth were flashing

She thought him debonaire and dashing!

Just because he was so tall

She felt that they should have a ball!

Just because his voice was mellow

She thought he was her sort of fellow!

View this picture and realise

Going overboard isn't wise.

Give affection with discretion

And never give the wrong impression.

Never lose your head, my love,

Or you'll end up like her above!

*

Swanning Around

SWANNING AROUND

The city of Perth in Australia is the world's remotest city.

And, as it's well-worth visiting, that fact is rather a pity.

It's the only city to be seen from Space in absolute isolation;

All the others merge their lights and become one destination,

But the lights of Perth, in a sea of black, shine out like a star,

Because all other cities are away so very far.

This is the great Swan River, flowing on into the sea.

And there we stopped to meet a friend and share a cup of tea.

*
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WHAT A BUZZ!

Are you a bumble-bee? Are you a car?
I don't care whatever you are!
In one way or another I'll drive or fly
To the end of the earth or the top of the sky!
Everything's possible, don't you know!
It's only the grown-ups who tell us 'No!'
I'll be sure of so many things
Till boring grownups clip my wings!
*

Tea and Sympathy

                                         My daughter's house.

 

TEA AND SYMPATHY

Beyond the window the untidy world.

In here, a quiet place for tea and sympathy.

I hear the clink of cups in the kitchen.

*

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REPORT CARD
(In the days before the Euro!)
An Englishman visited Germany and met a dazzling blonde.
He invited her out to dinner and in due course became quite fond!
They concluded a night of passion and his wallet was produced;
He said 'You've been very friendly! And we weren't even introduced!
I have to say I've had a really very pleasant night!
And now I'd like to repay you. Would fifty pounds be all right?'
The lady smiled quite sweetly, glad that she'd passed the test;
'Thank you for offering pounds ' she said 'But marks would suit me best!'
'I say! That's jolly sporting!' the Englishman said then.
'I'd love to give you marks, my dear!
I'd say seven out of ten!'
*

Gee Jump!

Gerald Gee

GEE JUMP!

Every colour on earth is there,

Suspended in the middle air!

And every sound on earth is there

Caught in a second rich and rare!

Can't you hear them, Can't you see?

How rich a monochrome can be!

*

Who cares if it's colourless, soundless too

When Everything is in this view?

*

*Not my photograph. My blog friend Gerald has given me permission to use his work for 'poetry purposes'. His blog is a gold-mine of pictorial pleasures (plus funny cartoons and nostalgic music).

See for yourself

http://geraldgee.blogspot.com/

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SECOND CHANCE!
(An Acrostic)

So I blew it the first time! That's too bad!

Each time we meet now I feel sad.

Couldn't we try again, my dear?

Or will your reaction be 'No fear!'
Night after night I toss and turn!
Don't you care that I still yearn?

* 

Careless words lost me your regard.
Heartache hurts and life is hard.

Another chance would put things right!

Nothing else can help my plight!
Cherish me as you used to do!
Everything depends on you!

*

Outlook

OUTLOOK

Washing-up done, kitchen tidy.

Ripening fruit on parade on the ledge.

Oh dear! I really must tidy those trees!

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THE SEVERED HEAD!

An unremarkable picture of an old man cooling-off.

'Why blog that?' I hear you say. But wait! You shouldn't scoff!

Glance a little to the left and you'll see a severed head!

Not given any reverence! Thrown in the bin instead!

*

 

Country Station

COUNTRY STATION

Platform.

Destination, homecoming.

Welcoming, calming, mellow.

Someone to meet me.

Station.

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A Re-enactment 

TOOTLE ROCK.

They called it 'Tootle Rock' for the words slipped off the tongue,

But it was known as Toot Hill in the days when the world was young.

A flat rock jutted out above the valley far below,

In a way that urged me to take a stone and give it a mighty throw!

I listened for the falling, and, finally came the thud,

As it landed far below me, 'plop!', down in the river's mud.

I pretended I was Icarus, though I didn't dare to fly!

I felt so poised, so elevated, free and young and high.

They told me of the legend that added to its charms;

How Oliver Cromwell came there in the days when he took up arms.

How the Roundheads perched their canon exactly where I sat,

Above the river on a rock that was firm and table-flat.

Someone showed me indentations that, surely, the canon made,

And I felt I heard the warlike cries and I saw a flash of blade!

What a way to learn of history! Even if the tale were false?

It was the 'feel' that mattered, more than any history course

*

The View from Tootle Rock

*

Any Minute Now

ANY MINUTE NOW

Any minute now Scarlett O'Hara will appear

Standing in a crinoline on the very topmost stair,

And she'll walk down very slowly holding her skirts just so,

And Rhett Butler will be waiting, standing there.

We know it's going to end in tears for it does so all the time;

Down the decades on the screen they've acted so.

But we always hope that this time he will take her in his arms!

And he wont turn on his heel and simply go.

But 'I don't give a damn!' he'll say, with a look of utter scorn;

He's said those words so many times before.

And she'll look with disbelief as he declares that he is through,

And she sees him stride away from her front door.

What a silly, flighty girl she was, though pretty as a rose;

She was heartless and she gave herself such airs,

But she's always in my mind, standing on the topmost step,

Whenever I see a lovely flight of stairs.

*

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COMMON WEALTH?

(I don't think so)

How can we count our medals when these people are displaced?

They are people who live in Delhi, where the Commonwealth Games are based.

There's something wrong with society when athletes can run races

Accepting golden medals with great smiles upon their faces,

While the poor are living homeless almost underneath their feet,

Having lost all their employment, having nothing much to eat?

The Commonwealth means 'common wealth'. What sort of joke is that?

What an awful world where many starve and the rest of us grow fat!

*

Toward the Light.

                                                 Brenda Bryant

THE WEEKEND IN BLACK AND WHITE
http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

TOWARD THE LIGHT.

(A Cinquain.)

Climb.

Steep, never-ending, exhausting.

Sun-lit, shadow-dappled, rising.

The concert-hall lies beyond.

Ascend.

--------------------------------------------------

WHILE MY BACK WAS TURNED....

A bit of work, a bit of chat,

A bit of harmless this and that.

I played at work and worked at play;

I flitted about from day to day.

Really! Since 1961

What exactly have I done?

Just built a 'harmless' little life....

Teacher, mother, friend and wife.

Meanwhile, while my back was turned,

Someone with real ambition burned!

In our thirties, way back then,

He turned his back on affairs of men.

While I just skittered about the place

A stupid smile on my fatuous face!

No, it wasn't quite as bad as that,

But it was no Magnificat!

Mejorado del Campo, a name that rings,

With the liquid sunshine of Spanish things.

And it is there that Justo came

Not to anguish, not to blame,

But to build his own stairway to the sky,

Year by year as time went by.

Removed from his Order, for he was ill,

He felt a heavenly calling still,

And he sold some land for the wherewithal,

To build a Cathedral, high, wide, tall!

Yes! A Cathedral! Give some thought

To hobbies like knitting, bird-watching, sport!

Just think how I have spent my time

Writing nonsense things in rhyme!

For forty years, you must agree,

We haven't shown much constancy.

Whereas Don Justo made a start,

With religious fervour in his heart,

To dig and delve, and scrimp and save,

All the way till he reached his grave.

On his own he made foundations,

Without any plans or specifications.

Built the walls and built the piers!

Single-handed! For forty years!

Now Don Justo and I are old.

His story continues to unfold.

He works each day on his great vision,

Not always with excellent precision.

In fact, the powers that be have stated

That his great Cathedral is over-rated;

That it isn't safe. They come from the town

And view its magnificence with a frown.

He knows that, one day, it must go.

But still he works, though he's old and slow.

But for now it points up to the sky

A little quirky but wide and high.

How he's laboured, how he's yearned!

*

And all of it while my back was turned!

* 

Subtraction

SUBTRACTION

I always thought the beauty of stained glass

Lay in the glorious shades of red and blue;

The tints through which the sunshine has to pass;

The reds and yellows and the emeraldss too.

I always thought that colour was the key

To the beauty of the patterns on display.

The rich reflections stretched for all to see

Across the carpets, ray on coloured ray.

But when we take the colour from the view
The patterning is very clearly shown.

The delicate geometry shines through

When design takes centre-stage all on its own.

*
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IMPORTANT BLOGGER!

I hear the Queen is Blogging! Well, goodness! Bless my soul!
You wouldn't think she'd have the time, with her important role!
I hear the Queen is Blogging! What a turn-up for the books!
She's joined us all in cyberspace....... the Quilters and the Cooks,
The Gardeners and the Artists and the funny folk who Rhyme,
And, honestly, I can't imagine how she finds the time!
*
Once, long ago, I saw the Queen from the streets of London town;
I wore a plastic rain-hat; she wore a golden crown!
I stood with a million others and I waved a flag and cheered
As her golden coach and entourage finally appeared.
I'd stood all night in pouring rain; I was cold and I was wet,
But the thrill of the Coronation lingers with me yet.
We've gone our separate ways since then, she's slightly better-known!
I sat on a mortgage; she sat on the throne.
*
But now we're both in cyberspace, disembodied as it were,
And if she ever reads my Blog......... Holy Moses! What a stir!
She might even leave a Comment to show where she has been!
I think she'd say 'I like your verse' and sign herself 'The Queen'.
*

Canopy

WEEKEND IN BLACK AND WHITE

http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/2010/09/friday-september-24th-2010.html

CANOPY

(A Cinquain)

Shelter.

Protective. Shadowy.

Relax, contemplate, observe.

View the pounding seas.

Canopy.

*

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FACE THE MUSIC

(An Acrostic)

Face the music! You can't get free!

At last you must confess!

Conduct yourself with dignity

Even though you're in a mess!

*

Too many lies you've told I fear!

Here comes the reckoning!

Even if you shed a tear

*

My response is sure to sting!

Useless to keep up a facade!

Stand tall though wreathed in shame!

I know the telling will be hard!

Confess! And take the blame!

*

Down-Greyed

DOWN-GRAYED!

First, a smudge, right at the top.

Then a whirling dervish, descending.

Finally, a laughing clown landing on the grass.

*

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LAKE MACQUARIE

The Lake lies limpid on a lazy afternoon.

If we don't get there soon

We'll be sorry.

With trees surrounding

And boats abounding,

It's quite astounding!

It's our Lake MacQuarie.

We can stop a while beneath a sunny summer sky

And watch the seabirds fly

With easy grace.

It's all so gentle

And elemental

I'm sentimental

About the place.

*

The paths wind pleasantly beneath the shady trees

And we can take our ease

Simply strolling.

Where Dads and Mothers

And baby Brothers

And all the others

Need no cajoling.

If we spy a seat we can simmer in the sun

There's nothing to be done,

But have a ball.

It's all so gentle

And elemental

I'm sentimental

About it all.

*

The evening comes. The sun's a ball of rosy flame

And aren't we glad we came

From the city!

The light is fading

And birds are wading

And their parading

Looks oh so pretty.

Our skin is salty from the softly-blowing air

And still we stand and stare, goodness sake!

It's all so gentle

And elemental

I'm sentimental

About the Lake.

*

 

Mid-day Shade

                                                Brenda Bryant: Queensland

MID-DAY SHADE

Beyond the forest lies the sun,

Blazing down like liquid fire,

And the grass is parched while the temperature

Climbs higher, ever higher.

But enter the great cathedral,

Be soothed by the arching trees.

Wander in the shade awhile

Enjoy the cooling breeze.

Rain-forests are so precious

And yet we still destroy them!

Let us preserve them while we may

So that we can still enjoy them

*

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MIND LOCKING

(An Acrostic)

My mind requires a golden key

If I'd relive each memory.

Nothing remains of some past joys!

Deleted! How that fact annoys!

*

Lazy days on far-flung beaches

Orange-orchards, sun-warmed peaches,

Crazy exploits when a girl.

Kisses that put me in a whirl.

I half-remember, not too clearly;

Names have gone, or very nearly.

Give me that key and I'll recall, in detail, how I had a ball!

*

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We went down to WoyWoy yesterday to see a Williamson play. 'Operator'. I found it slow to start with but the second act was intriguing and more lively.

While we were having lunch I looked out and saw the first touch of Spring! The wattle is in full bloom everywhere.

You Don't Say!

PLEASE CLICK ON THE ADDRESS BELOW BEFORE YOU READ ANY FURTHER!


http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2010/07/please.html

YOU DON'T SAY!


'Have you heard?'
'What! Where was his wife?'
'Well I never!'
'As they say, that's life.'
'I wasn't surprised'.
'Don't pass it on'.
'I heard it from Elsie.'
'And then he was gone'.
'The same dress exactly!'
'Well, it was absurd!'
'I just couldn't credit it!'
'Don't say a word!'
'The innocent party!'
'It just didn't fit!'
'Well, I never gossip'.
*
'Well, maybe a bit'
*

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GRANDMOTHER'S GARDEN


In the Hunter Valley Gardens there are beds amassed with roses
And there we find these children in a myriad of poses!
Figures cast in bronze cavort upon the tended grass
But a lady made of flesh and blood attracts us as we pass.
Her husband was the benefactor who laid-down the whole park,
In business enterprises he had always made his mark.
And when he planned the Gardens as the zenith of his life
He kept a special area to pay tribute to his wife.
Here she is surrounded by grandchildren having fun;
When the next one comes along they add another one!
She must be very proud of this, her own especial place.
I'm sure, if you look closely, you'll see a smile upon her face!
*

From Within

                                         Brenda Bryant

MONOCHROME

FROM WITHIN

Sea..... sky...... sand,

All so close at hand.

I am free as air;

Part of what is there.

I can arise and go

To that sunny place below.

A door, some stairs, a hall,

And I can have it all.

But oh how different it would seem

If freedom were a painful dream.

If I were imprisoned in this room

Which seems a place of dreary gloom!

That sea, that sand, that brilliant sky

Would seem to taunt from here on high.

I think that I would hardly bear

To see that free and open air!

I think that I would turn away

From someone else's sunny day.

*

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BLING! BLING!


Elvira de la Porteus was was very simply dressed
And, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't too impressed!
I was amazed because, my dears, Elvira is so rich!
She's also (but don't tell a soul) a really nasty bitch.
She'd been driven to my studio in the family limousine,
The smartest most expensive car that I had ever seen.
She swept into my rooms as though she thought she owned the place
And felt that I was just a blot upon the human race!
'Before you start' Elvira said, 'I have a tale to tell.
Let's start with the fact that, yesterday, I wasn't feeling well.
We were actually entertaining guests, one of them Rosy Coutts,
You know the one, the model with the obvious.....attributes.
Laughingly I just remarked I could possibly be dying;
Of course I was only slightly ill; I was joking! I was lying!
But the glance that passed between those two, my husband and that Rosy,
Was, how can I describe it, a great deal more than cosy!
Suddenly I realised that he hoped my death was due
And he was already lining-up little wife number two!'
I butted in 'Dear lady, what has this to do with me?'
Said Elvira 'Paint a portrait of me in my jewelry!'
'But you're not wearing any!' I voiced my consternation.
'I'm giving you your best chance yet to use your imagination!
Paint me in a glorious gown, up-market haut couture,
Although the dress itself will be a backdrop, that's for sure.
Then go town on jewelry! Let it drip, and drop and drape,
Let it fall across my shoulders like a diamond-encrusted cape!
Let pearls cascade around my neck and reach down to my waist
Let rubies shine on bracelets and never resemble paste!
And let the ear-rings that you paint me be weighted down with gold
With precious gems of every sort nestling in every fold.
Of course, I must look beautiful, that's easy as can be,
But I want the jewels to outshine the beauty that is me!'
'Why on earth.....?' I started but she quickly cut me short.
' Ever since yesterday, my friend, I've given the matter thought.
I'll hang the portrait on my wall and, should I die one day,
Rosy Coutts will no doubt call and no doubt she will stay!
She'll see the jewels that you paint! She'll want, them I'll be bound!
And wont I have the last laugh!
She'll discover they can't be found!'

*

Sentinel

MONOCHROME WEEKEND

http://monochromeweekendtheme.blogspot.com/

SENTINEL

The small boats come, the small boats go;

Day after day, now to, now fro.

The children leap and prance and play,

Here in the shallows every day.

The fish, unseen, swim slow and fast;

The pelicans float proudly past.

The birds swoop swiftly through the sky;

The clouds go scudding way up high.

Only the tree, impassive, grand,

Stands still, locked fast into the land.

*

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QUICK THINKING!

Madge was driving much too fast and a policeman flagged her down,

Sternly fixing her with his eye and a terribly  harrowing frown.

'Is this your car' the policeman said. 'Well, no' Madge then replied;

'I saw it parked outside a house and took it for a ride!'

'Indeed!' said the Officer ' Fancy that! What's that parcel on the seat?

Madge began to cry! It was very clear she was starting to feel the heat.

'I confess!' she wept and wailed ' In that bag are human remains!

 I'm afraid I killed my mother-in-law! In there you'll find her brains!'

The Policeman phoned the station....... 'Assistance needed here!

I've apprehended a criminal; a vicious one, it's clear!'
Reinforcements then roared up and Madge was interrogated.
The Officer in Charge soon found that her driving licence stated

That she was the owner of the car! She saw the Policeman wince!
As for the package it was found to be some sausages and mince!

'What the hell are you playing at?' cried the Officer in Charge, bright red,
Accusing the first Policeman of not being right in the head!

And Madge chimed in 'Don't trust him! The next thing that he'll do

Is try to try to tell another lie and say I was speeding too!'
*

The Audience

                                        Brenda Bryant

THE AUDIENCE

Amateur night at the local hall!

As they say 'Tonight's the night!'

On the audience the dark will fall,

While guitarists bask in light.

There's Mother there and Auntie Grace,

So they know they're among their friends.

And what applause will rock the place

When the concert finally ends!

*

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AN AVERAGE ALLIGATOR.

A Poem for Children. 

I'm an average alligator and I amble on my way,
Absolutely affable and happy every day,
Nibbling on an apple pie or something of the sort,
But I'd rather eat an astronaut!

I'm an average alligator and I amble in the sun,
Never causing aggravation; having lots of fun.
Nibbling on an avocado, getting nice and fat,
But I'd rather eat an acrobat!

I'm an average alligator and I amble to and fro.
My appetite is ample and its quite inclined to grow!
Nibbling on some little ants and abalone stew,
But I'd rather make a meal of YOU!

*

Dressed to Kill

                                      Brenda Bryant

MONOCHROME

DRESSED TO KILL!

As one who delights in symmetry

Frangipani does much for me.

It's leaves are, oh, so neatly placed

Diminishing sizes can be traced.

The flowers are equally thus constrained;

In porcelain perfection trained.

It even shows its drops of rain

Echoing the neat refrain.
*

But, oh dear me, it's winter look 

Is more grotesque than picture-book.

It's really quite an ugly tree!

We're duped by it's summer poetry!

How many ladies prettily dressed

Hide bodies that are not as blessed?

*

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STEADYING THE NERVES!

Two cars were in a collision at the cross-roads one dark night;

Neither driver was injured, though both had a nasty fright.

A Doctor was in the first car, with a Lawyer in  number two

And the Lawyer was first to recover and do what he had to do.

He rang the police to inform them of the accident's position

And then he looked at the Doctor, gauging his condition.

He took a hip-flask from his car. It had neat brandy in it.

'Take this, old chap' he cheerfully said 'You'll feel better in a minute.'

The Doctor drank both long and deep; his confidence grew and grew.

Then he said to the Lawyer 'Why don't you have a good swig too?'

Said the Lawyer 'I make quite certain I never drink and drive.

But I might have a sip to steady my nerves

After the Police arrive!'

*

At The Ready

                                     Brenda Bryant

MONOCHROME

AT THE READY!

Beady eye at the ready.

On my perch, very steady.

Little twitch, little squirm.

Ah! a snake! Or a worm!

Barbecue down below.

That's from where all blessings flow.

Human beings having fun

Make a feast for everyone.

Drop a sausage! Throw a chip!

Please make this a worthwhile trip!

Any morsel will suffice

In this kookaburra Paradise!

*

More kookaburras here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/05/bushwalk.html

See tomorrow's blog for beauty and the beast.