Whimsy-Whale

SKYWATCH FRIDAY
http://skyley.blogspot.com/

WHIMSY-WHALE!

Of course, it's only whimsy

And the basis is quite flimsy,

But I'm sure I saw a whale up in the sky!

*

See the picture down below

Which I've added here to show

Whales are good at swimming though they cannot fly!

*

Sighted off the NSW coast this Spring.

The Mother is called Migaloo.

*

A Toasty Treat

COLOR CARNIVAL
http://colorcarnivalmeme.blogspot.com/

A TOASTY TREAT

Shameless Rosella!

Attacking my morning toast

While I am blinded by the glory of your plumage!
 *

Chartreuse

 

MY TRUE COLOURS

http://poopsiestruecolours.blogspot.com/

CHARTREUSE

It's not a colour I admire!

I never never would aspire.

Partly yellow, partly green;

Not quite either; in between.

If I wore a dress of chartreuse tones.

My entrance would bring shrieks and groans!

My skin would look completely sallow,

Candle-like and a bit like tallow!

But some people look OK you know!

See this picture down below.

*

However, the colour, it must be said,

Made this poor lady lose her head!

*

Waking-up to walls like these

Would make me think of some disease!

*

But Nature always gets it right.

Not too gaudy, not too bright.

Partly yellow, partly green,

Chartreuse leaves are often seen.

What joy the colour then can bring!

Chartreuse foliage in the Spring!

*

The colour chartreuse would have suited these creatures:
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/11/prehistoric-passions.html

A Little White Hat

WHITE WEDNESDAY

http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/
A LITTLE WHITE HAT

A little white hat and a big blue sea.

And no-one in the world but me.

A little blue truck to carry sand.

But no-one around to hold my hand.

Don't you worry, we're hovering near.

We're always here. We're always here.

*

Another question of size here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/02/317-sized-up.html

Please Explain!

                                            Press photograph

WATERY WEDNESDAY
http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/2010/04/watery-wednesday-85.html

PLEASE EXPLAIN!

Does the dog know something I don't know?

He's looking rather bored.

And eight naked ladies on the grass

Really shouldn't be ignored.

'What's their slimming secret?

The on-looking ladies muse.

And 'Some of that coconut-butter

Is something we could use.'

But my queries are more scientific.

What are they going to do?

Are they planning to launch that 'thingy'

Out on the ocean blue?

If so they should face the water,

Or they certainly wont succeed!

A bit of my  nautical savvy

Is what they really need!

And what's inside their parcels?

I hope it's some decent clothes.

Or do they contain cut lunches

And drinks, do you suppose?

There's a whiff of Easter Island

About the whole affair.

I looked for them last Monday

And they weren't even there!

*

A past poem you might enjoy here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2008/08/102-without-hitch_22.html

Oddity

ABC WEDNESDAY
http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/2010/04/o.html

LETTER 'O'

ODDITY!

I came upon this picture and it leaped up from the page! 
A rather odd contraption from a very different age!
It was advertised as giving Baby plenty of fresh air
If the parents lived in a high rise and the child got in their hair!
Baby doesn't look too pleased as he dangles from a height.
What if they forget him and leave him there all night!!
*

A very different 'O' here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/10/omar-khayyam.html

Lilibet

 

ONE SINGLE IMPRESSION

http://onesingleimpression.blogspot.com/

LILIBET

We were little girls together, Lilibet and I,

Living in the same country, under a rain-washed sky.

But she never knew about me, and why should she, for you see

I wasn't even aristocracy.

*

Her face was on the biscuit tins, with Princess Margaret Rose,

Both of them so pretty, striking a regal pose,

I'd think about those little girls, comparing them with me

For I wasn't even aristocracy.

*

Their lives seemed such a fairy-tale compared with other girls!
Their pretty dresses, smiling faces, and carefully brushed curls,
I used to wonder to myself how it could possibly be
That I wasn't like the aristocracy.
*
But Wealth and Crown have dwindled as objects of desire
For Health and Happiness, to me, now rank a great deal higher.
And I am quite contented with my lowly family-tree
And they're welcome to it.......aristocracy.

*

*

The present Queen Elizabeth  was called Lilibet when she was a child.

*

The perils of being a Queen here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/05/lady-jane-grey.html

The Red Suitcase

RUBY TUESDAY

THE RED SUITCASE

A fissure underground in a country far away

Left a world of travelers stranded 'in mid-air'.

Well, not really 'in mid-air'! The opposite was true

But what concerned me was their underwear!

People do like to be 'naice' in every sort of way,

Not unsavoury and rather on the nose.

The whole world was in turmoil over volcanic dust

But what concerned me was the underclothes!

*

Something red and appropriate here:
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/wash-board.html

Boy on a Blue Swing

BLUE MONDAY

http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/
BOY ON A BLUE SWING.

So many times when little boys are asked to give a smile,

They make a face, or bare their teeth or giggle all the while.

'Look natural!' we say to them, and they grimace even more,

Looking more unnatural than they ever did before!

But someone captured Harry when he was unaware,

Posing very naturally and gently swinging there.

I love this unposed photograph so I introduce to you

Harry, my little Grandson, my little Boy in Blue.

*

A nostalgic look at fashion here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2008/11/198-bee-in-my-bonnet.html

Go Bananas!

MELLOW YELLOW
http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

 

GO BANANAS!

(An Acrostic)

Gorillas 'go bananas' when bananas are in view.

Other monkey species always do the same thing too.

*

Beating chests and baring teeth are simian reactions.

And human females similarly do 'go-bananas' actions,

Not about the yellow fruit but shoes and 'bling' and stuff;

Any shopaholic  knows enough is not enough!

Never mess with ladies when they're on a shopping spree!

Appetites become inflamed with a sort of manic glee!

See females on a Sales Day! You see a human zoo!

Humans and apes are much the same in many things they do!

*

A look back at an older 'rime' here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2008/06/16-ah-nostalgia.html

Reverence

SUNDAY IN MY CITY

MY WORLD

REVERENCE

It's Steamfest Day in the Hunter, a celebration of Steam

And seeing an old steam engine seems to be everyone's dream.

There are Jazz Bands and Picnic Parties, and farm implements on display.

All in all it's a rollicking Good Time sort of day.

Here the bridge is crowded, to see an old engine pass.

'Look at its lines' they're saying, 'Hasn't it got some class!'

The fact that I'm also a relic doesn't even turn a head!

In my next incarnation I'll be a Steam Train instead!

*

Another railway event here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2008/12/231-stationmaster.html

Couch Potato

SUNDAY SCRIBBLINGS

http://sundayscribblings.blogspot.com/ 

'DINNER'

COUCH POTATO

(An Acrostic)

Calories proliferate!

Obesity becomes ones fate!

Useless to reject advice!

Certainly you'll pay the price!

Heavy folds of paunchy skin!

*

 Pneumatic overlying thin!

Occasional forays to the larder

To make your diet that much harder!
Action-man you're certainly not!
To be blunt, you've gone to pot!
'Out, out damned flesh!' did someone say?

You'll change your ways ......but not today!

*

Twitching Toes!

TWITCHING TOES!

The toes are twitching, that I see;

The jaws are hard at work.

But the rest of the body is quite relaxed,

Not even the slightest jerk!

This is relaxation

To the enth degree.

I think I'll try this position

Next time I'm eating my tea!

*

Sunday Diary

BRYANTICS

April 25th

The earlier part of the week was dominated by the Volcano Crisis. We were well out of it down here, but passengers suffered. The long arm of the news was evident in a strange way in our family. Rebecca, Brian and Blake are due to fly out to New Zealand on Monday, for three weeks, and Blake's School Principal was going to organise things. She, however, was stuck in London! So some forms may not have been filled-in! Only a small connection but it shows how far the results of something in Iceland spread!

Locally, our news has been full of a Rugby League scandal. Normally, anything to do with sport bores me witless (except for big events like the World Cup) but this has been quite an item. The leading club has been found guilty of cooking the books, and stripped of all its 2010 'wins', throwing the whole system into chaos. The team is called The Storm and they've certainly whipped one up!

 In Happier Days!

Greg and Michelle arrived home from Thailand (much to my relief) last weekend, but after my Diary had 'been put to bed' so here are a few shots for relations.

Hunting for Crabs.

Max meets an Elephant.

The Boys made Jewelery for Dad.

Feeding pike.

 

Harry tried his hand at Golf.

Max was persuaded into the water where he gave his hat a dunking!

And Harry grew up!

Almost as soon as they got back here Harry started a new school! They're moving house in May and so he's going to a school nearer the new house. I thought this was an awful upheaval for a little boy but he took it all in his stride.So now he's in another uniform!

I hate these big-brimmed hats but they do a good job in Summer!

His new school is the oldest school in the whole of Australia and there are only 180 pupils. I liked the atmosphere when I collected him from there.

My own life was fairly quiet. One reason was the fact that I was supposed to travel down to the Central Coast by train on Tuesday, but dates were mixed up (either by me or my friend, Fran) and so I didn't get there. There was the usual Probus Committee Meeting on Monday, followed by Choir Practice, and then we had our Book Club Meeting on Tuesday night. We held it at Ann's place in the Wattigan Mountains so we expected it to be chilly, but this has been a mild Autumn (hot at times) so we were very comfortable. We discussed 'Shattered' by Michael Rowbotham which I found very gripping.

With Gwen and Gwenda

On Thursday Rebecca and I took Max out for the day.We decided to walk along the board walk at Redhead. The weather was superb, as it has been for weeks.

 

View from the Boardwalk

During the week we watched 'Tess of the D'Ubervilles' on TV. Although the story is so melodramatic it had a ring of truth because it was actually written at the time. And the actress who played Tess was ideally cast and acted wonderfully. The hero was a let-down though. When I read about Angel Clare in my youth I pictured him as an Adonis.

Angel and Tess

ANZAC Day tomorrow so I have to get up before dawn!
Till next week.
Brenda

Kitty Pink

KITTY PINK!

Pinkie, the kitten; little pink nose

About to smell a little pink rose!

Your ears are pink and transparent too!

We don't need pink glasses to appreciate you!

*

Pink Person!

PINK SATURDAY

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

 

PINK PERSON!

A pretty pink person in a big chef's hat!

Don't spill the mixture on the mat!

A pretty pink person in an apron too!

Bet you're loving that battery goo!

Pretty pink person, give Grandpa* a kiss

And tell him he's someone that we miss!

*

*Gerald Gee was a favourite Blogger of mine and he seems to have dropped out of sight!

Angles

MONOCHROME WEEKEND
http://monochromeweekendtheme.blogspot.com/
ANGLES


A relic of an earlier age, destined to be repaired,
Destined to have its old and dusty corners swept and aired.
The ladder's at the ready, to seek out ancient flaws,
Little cracks in plaster and unwelcome gaps in doors.
Once it held a family, back in Victorian days,
When things were very different in so many funny ways.
There is even a room for a servant! What shall we do with that?
The room isn't even big enough for us to swing a cat!
We'll sell it to a smart young thing who'll make it up-to-date
With walls all painted white and bright and a trendy iron gate!
But let's just pause a moment to view its bits and pieces,
Before it's brand new life begins, and, sadly, the old one ceases.
*

More about this very house here:
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2008/09/137-chinchen-920.html

Eternity

Redhead Beach

SCENIC SUNDAY
http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/

ETERNITY

Eternity is easier to comprehend

Here.

The figure represents a Life.

*

The footprints are human,

Man-sized,

Understandable.

We know where we have been.

*

They are 

Our Photographs,

Our diaries,

Our treasured letters,

Our memories.

*

The way ahead

Stretches on,

But for how long?

*

Is that a brick wall way ahead

Or is the Fairy Story actually possible?

Whichever is true

We are walking towards 

The Great Change.

*

And, just to remind us,

The Endless Ocean is on our left;

The Universe,

The Stars,

The Riddles,

The Enormity.

*

If we were swept up into it

No-one would notice!

Certainly not the Universe itself!

*

And, to our right,

Just beyond the ridge,

Lies Everyday Life,

Filled with houses,

TV shows,

Family problems,

Hustle and bustle.

*

Step up and over

And forget about Eternity.

*

You will continue on your walk

Regardless.

*

One person's view of The Big Mystery here:
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2008/07/62-froth.html

Ever Onward!

                                             Brenda Bryant

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/
EVER ONWARD!

How can anything unreal  express such energy and verve?

How can anything metallic be so vibrant and so warm?

How can we see beneath the skin each tendon and each nerve?

How can rippling muscles show in a purely static form?

The front leg, full of power, seems to point the way ahead.
The back leg moves in unison just like a living spring!
The shadows made by muted light that's shining overhead
Make the elevation seem a very true and certain thing.
Once long ago in China a craftsman made this horse
Which can gallop on through all eternity.
Such a wonderful example of pure energy and force.
How glad I am that I have eyes to see!
*

More admired artistry here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2008/08/87-accidental-artistry.html

The In-Body Experience

THE IN-BODY EXPERIENCE!

 Maxine and I, we think as one!

Old age is really not much fun!

Finding that ones outer shell

Is giving-up is just pure hell!

Parts that once were lithe and slim

Now are shriveled-up and grim!

Parts once rounded now are fat,

And really not worth looking at!

People say 'For goodness sake

Don't leap naked from a birthday cake!'

Doctors really earn their pay

Studying, day after day,

Every ghastly variation

On the human situation!

But, though I am an old has-been

My brain is fixed at about sixteen!

And I'm sure Maxine is just the same!

Both of us still in the game!

*

More Maxine here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2010/02/mentally-maxine.html

Encompassed.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

LOOKING AT THE SKY ON FRIDAY
http://www.crazyworkingmom.com/

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2010/04/encompassed.html

ENCOMPASSED!

Is this the water? Is this the sky?
Is it below? Is it on high?
It's dimpled and the sun is muted!
The clouds are crimped and convoluted!
The sky is captured! The sky is framed!
Two elements completely tamed!
The sky's imprisoned down below.
Who thought it could be brought so low?
*

Reflections of a different kind here:
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/01/283a-reflections.html

Airborne!

                                                                                                 Brenda Bryant

MOTION THURSDAY

http://motionthursday.wordpress.com/
AIRBORNE!

Nobody born in 1931
Ever knew that bouncing about was fun!
Maybe they'd bounce on the bed, but not too high
Hoping that all the feathers wouldn't fly!
Maybe they hopped in puddles in the rain
Or jumped like jack-in-the-boxes. now and again.
But bouncing like a ball they never knew;
They never saw what trampolines could do!
We who were born in 1931
Missed out on a lot of trampolining fun.
Trampolining! Exercise and art!
Pity that I'm a bit too old to start!
*


More jumping for joy here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/03/328lovers-leap.html

The Primrose Path

                                   Helen Allingham



THE PRIMROSE PATH

The Primrose Path! The way to Hell!

A phrase we all know very well.

The libertine's, the easy way,

Ignoring rules we should obey.

The lure of luxury and ease
May lead one to a life of sleeze.
Drugs and drink may give a kick
But the end result is pretty sick.
The pretty country maid above
Is being lured by illicit love.
Her lover waits down in the dell.
( Oh dear! She's on her way to Hell!
She's ignoring a vital rule for sure......
'Little maidens must be pure'!)
*
Who coined the words? (It's not too hard.)
Yes! Of course! The famous Bard!
*

"Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven;
Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own rede."

William Shakespeare 

*

Make sure that you 'reck your own rede'

Or you'll be off to Hell indeed!

*

For Margaret Who Loves Cats

Ashleigh in her winter bed.

 COLOR CARNIVAL

http://colorcarnivalmeme.blogspot.com/

 

FOR MARGARET WHO LOVES CATS.

I can live without a pet.

Dogs? I can take them or leave them.

Cats? They can take me or leave me.

*

A dog is fine

For a breeezy,

Bouncy,

Barking greeting,

A wet nose in the hand,

A look of abject adoration.

*

A cat is fine for a twine around the legs,

A thrumming purr,

A tail that tells tales,

A look of disdain.

*

But both species need to be fed!

*

Not being a nurturer,

'Another mouth to feed' is a burden.

I wish dogs and cats

To be self-sufficient.

*

A husband is enough responsibility!

*

We had a dog called Benjie.

He adored me.

He was like an unwelcome suitor

Pleading for my blandishments.

He followed me about.

I didn't care to be loved.

*

Ashleigh, the cat, was more reasonable.

She kept herself aloof.

She knew she was an aristocrat.

She was ash-coloured,

So she was named after that vapid husband

In 'Gone With the Wind.'

She realised that this made her special.

*

We respected each other.

I never respected Benjie.

He showed no taste by falling in love with me!

*

Ashleigh and I agreed to 

'Live and let live'.

Much more civilised!

*

The only time I miss her

Is in Winter.

How delicious that warm, purring body

On a cold night.

*

Winter is on its way now.

Come back, Ashleigh!

*

The cat psyche here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-place.html

Setting Off

                                         Brenda Bryant

 OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com


SETTING OFF.

Port Stephens, and we cannot stay;

We're off to cruise around the Bay.

We leave the haven of harbour-side.

Beyond may lie a rougher ride!

Good friends aboard; a blissful day!

Goodbye! We're off!

We're on our way.

*

More from Port Stephens here:
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/12/wobbegong.html

Polar Parenting

WHITE WEDNESDAY
http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/

POLAR PARENTING!

It's the closed eyes that do it; that allow us to feel her bliss
As her child comes for a cuddle and gives her a great big kiss.
Haven't we all experienced it, that closed-eye bliss sensation,
When love for a little one quite transcends every other consideration?
Nature is very crafty, she makes motherhood so intense
That the love we feel overwhelms us, because it's so immense.
Be it Polar Bear or Person, the love is just the same.
We forget we're only players in Mother Nature's little game.
Without the maternal instinct the species would die out,
As helpless newborn creatures would expire, without a doubt.
But oh what pleasure it gives us!  When one parenting is done
So many of us sigh and say 'Let's have another one!'
*

More white here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/white-flames.html

Stepping Stones

                                              Brenda Bryant

WATERY WEDNESDAY
http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

STEPPING STONES

Making my way gingerly,

Camera in my hand,

Wondering how to place my feet,

Wobbling as I stand.....

I can't resist the limpid green,

The spume, and sunlight flashing,

While near at hand the great waves roar,

As the ocean comes in, crashing!

*

Water on a much larger scale here:
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/05/watery-wonder.html

Note the Nearness

  

NOTE THE NEARNESS!

He sent his love a note; he wrote with fire and passion;

He wrote with all the strength of his desire!

She'd never had a letter written in that loving fashion!

He'd written with a heart that was on fire!

And his words seemed to enfold her in a wonderful caress;

As she read them she was utterly transported.

She found her heart was singing with a song of happiness!

This was how a girl expected to be courted!

*

I had to wax romantic when I saw the shot above!

Call it whimsy! Call it nonsense!

Call it Love!

*

A very different sort of letter here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/01/ps-dear-sir.html

http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/

The Coolth

Australian Garden in Autumn

MY WORLD
http://showyourworld.blogspot.com

THE COOLTH

I remember Autumn.

I can picture The Fall.

Both are full of

Colour,

Crackle,

Nip,

And a wonderfully happy sadness.

*

Here, in the sub-tropics,

We should use another term.

*

There is colour, of course,

But the summer-tones remain

All year.

*

There is crackle, of course,

But only from the leaves of the few plane trees;

Leaves that are scorched by summer,

Brown,

Dun

And woefully boring.

*

There is nip, of course.

'I think I'll get my jacket out of storage.'

*

There is ......but, no, the sadness is missing.

The heat of Summer has gone

And left us with the unblemished joy

Of a 'perfect English summer's day'

Day after day.

*

Our season is not yours.

It should have another name.

*

I am going to call it 'The Coolth'
*

A mutual pleasure here:
 http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/04/dahlia-regalia.html

The Power of Red

RUBY TUESDAY

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

 

THE POWER OF RED

The sleeves of books are works of art;

They play a quite tremendous part

In drawing the eye in the right direction

Instigating a close inspection.

And RED is the colour that leaps right out!

It seems to bully us and shout

'Here is something that you should read!

Here's a book that you really need!'

Is it because of 'blood', I wonder!

Is that the spell we're really under?

Do we think of pain and hurt?

Is that the reason we're alert?

I really like the above design,

But is that because I think 'blood red wine'?

Judge for yourself!  See here below

The other designs I've put on show.

See how they warn of what's in store!

Blood and guts and death and gore!

If you want a gentler read

Maybe blue is what you need!

*

Another take on literature here:

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/browsing.html

What He Wanted!

MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY

http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

WHAT HE WANTED!

It was my husband's birthday and his gift was on my mind;

My eyes were darting back and forth to see what I could find.

Maybe a watch or a tailored shirt or a night out at a show?

I put these alternatives to him but his answer was 'I know!

Buy me a pressure cleaner! I've always wanted one!

I think a pressure-cleaner would be a lot of fun!'

So he got his pressure-cleaner! (He is a funny fellow!)

It only has one saving grace for this Blogger!

It is YELLOW!

*
More equipment (and Max) here:
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/06/green-gloves.html