I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public man, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.
I like to murmur the last line to myself on the train home. I find other passengers giving me a wide berth as a result.
And, by gum, this bloke has certainly got our number.
The paper quotes Islamic cleric Abu Hamza as saying
They think happiness can be achieved by being intoxicated, by going to the casino and blowing your money away, by going from one prostitute to the other.
Uncanny, eh?
Jesus that last stanza is depressing. Thanks Ramon
ReplyDeleteI live to give, Squib.
ReplyDeleteI think that poem could have been improved by beginning with...
ReplyDeleteThere once was a young man from Kiltartan...
You're a fillystein, Boogey.
ReplyDeleteNo he's not!
ReplyDeleteThis thread is not helping my hangover one lttle bit.
ReplyDeleteTry to keep your voices down until after lunch.
Thank you.
WHAT WAS THAT, MR E?
ReplyDeleteIt's unwise to mock a man who no longer cares if he lives or dies, Ramon.
ReplyDeleteHow come you go so hammered on a Thursday night?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Mr E was celebrating his feral ex- Mother in law's pain at seeing Obama at his first press conference as President.
ReplyDeleteSurely that'd be worth a beer or two wouldn't it ?
One of my favourite poems ever is How McDougal Topped the Score by Thomas E Spencer. I won't bore you all by putting it here, however, if any of you wish for a bit of a giggle this lovely Friday afternoon: http://www.bushverse.com/spencer/mcdougal.htm
ReplyDeleteSorry Ramon, it's probably not depressing enough for you ;P
and as instinctively he knew
ReplyDeleteDiscretion was the wiser plan, he disappeared from view
love it.
One of my favourite poems ever is How McDougal Topped the Score by Thomas E Spencer.
ReplyDeleteI like it too. I read the whole thing out to my Year 7's a couple of years ago when we were doing poetry in class. I acted the whole thing out, jumping around the room, using silly voices, basically acting like a lamb chop.
I don't know if they liked the poem, but they liked me making an arse of myself. Much more funner than spelling.
I don't know that poem (I don't know most poems) but I believe it's Yeats.
ReplyDelete(Keats and Yeats are on your side)
I travelled through county Sligo with 2 Swiss backpackers and an Aussie larrikin. The Aussie larrikin was, surprisingly, a Yeats buff and could - and would - quote him at length. You just never know, eh?
It is indeed William Butler Yeats, Bob.
ReplyDeleteCounty Sligo is Yeats country.
Happy Australia Day Ramon. You seem to be alone there.
ReplyDeleteAlas it's not a public holiday here. No doubt Fad is working too.
That's because every other red-blooded Australian is already on the turps, Wari.
ReplyDeletePeople across the road from us are setting up for their BBQ. They have flags, they have a little blow-up pool, they have rolled out fake green grass - it's an apartment block. I saw one guy doing chin ups on the window grill. This made me nervous, for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering what will happen if the wonderfully diverse group from downstairs at MY apartment block decide to do their "stoop sitting thing" on our fence, with food and stubbies like they did a couple of nice Sundays ago.
Am I being half paranoid for expecting trouble?
That's because every other red-blooded Australian is already on the turps, Wari.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention being at home watching the cricket. C'est la vie.
Expecting some racial intolerance today Melba? Do you live in Cronulla? And it's hot in Port Moresby today. Not a breath of wind so it's very close. I tell you this only because I know you care.
We don't live in Cronulla, we're in Melbourne, but it's a beach suburb... Apparently Mordialloc beach is to be host to a get-together of that skinhead Facebook group that Tyler boy the police shot was associated with.
ReplyDeleteThat sentence would have to win the "worst grammar in the world" award - please nominate it now.
Thanks for the weather update there Wari. I do care. Deeply. In return, I can advise we have a lovely sea breeze which will nicely fan our mini bbq on the balcony a bit later.
Don't panic, not a nitpicker.
ReplyDeleteSounds delightful Melba. The yacht club here has some schmaltzy Aussie Day do tonight, as well as the free drinks at the High Commission if you bring your passport. I'm avoiding both and going out for Italian at our one and only Italian restaurant with my brother who's dropped in for a visit.
I wish you a peaceful evening. It doesn't look like the cricket will be worth watching at this stage anyway. But you're a woman and probably don't like the cricket anyway. Unless you're Perseus' goth chick that is. And I think we've already established that you're not.
I'm having a slow day in case you didn't notice.
I wish you a nice evening too, enjoy those red and white checked table cloths.
ReplyDeleteAll is quiet here, no rioting which bodes well.
I don't mind the cricket, actually. But I fear I've missed the heyday, haven't I?
Hey Day?
ReplyDeleteLast night was a sad one indeed for Australian cricket.
But the saltimbocca was excellent.
You put salt in Sambuca, Wari?
ReplyDeleteDis- you gross me out, good sir -gusting!
The heyday, ie Warnie etc. Or going back further, Max Walker, et al.
ReplyDeleteIsn't heyday the right word? Do I have the wrong spelling? And you said you weren't picky!
Happy to report as well, no racial incidents in our 'hood. Everyone behaved, though there was chanting. The kids were able to get to sleep reasonably early.
What about salt on mangoes, Boogey? Or watermelon?
ReplyDeleteGreen or orange?
ReplyDeleteEither.
ReplyDeleteOn green mangoes it would be ok. On sweet, delicious, nectar of the gods, so amazing you'd kill your own mother for one, then another, then another, till you explode from gorging yourself or run out of relatives to sacrifice, orange mangoes, it would be a travesty, not unlike dressing up a salty old sea dog in a bikini and registering him in a competition as Ms Bermuda.
ReplyDeleteI trust that answered your question.
You did. Except for the small point that there is no such thing as a good mango. They're disgusting things, only marginally improved by the addition of salt.
ReplyDeleteOh my god. After feeling much respect for Puss travelling without bag and shoe options, I now have to reconsider.
ReplyDeleteMangoes are all bad?
What kind of cat are you?
If you ate as many as I did as a kid, you might feel the same way. We had a mango tree, papaya tree and guava tree in our yard in PNG. The mango and papaya trees grew so wildly, my mother forced us to eat as much of the fruit as possible, because she didn't want to waste it. I now cannot stand the smell or taste of either. Lucky for me, the guava tree was not such a strong grower, so I can still enjoy those.
ReplyDeleteIt's mango season now Puss. They're on the ground everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI dunno, Puss. When the gods proffer ambrosia so abundantly, you don't turn up your nose and say, "I'd rather have cauliflower, thanks."
ReplyDeleteActually, I would. I love cauliflower. I've even got an entire cookbook at home with just cauliflower and broccoli recipes.
ReplyDeleteWari, keep them on your side of the ocean, please. Where I am at the moment, there are avocados everywhere. I'm in heaven!
They're just the yucky ones anyway Puss. If they get them before they go rotten and fall off the tree they sell them for 10 toea each at the buai stands. The nice ones are the banana mangoes from Rabaul.
ReplyDeleteI too prefer avocado by the way, I'm not much of a sweet tooth. And as you would know they too are in abundance here.
Thanks for the explanation, Puss. Aversion can result from overexposure. Doesn't work with me and alcohol, however. Or oysters. Or West Wing.
ReplyDeleteI ate so many 2 minute noodles in first year uni, Melba, that I couldn't eat them again for another 5 years. I wasn't missing much, as it turned out.
ReplyDeleteOh, and when I was younger, I would put tomato sauce on everything, even mashed potatoes. Now I can't stand the stuff.
And yeah, it doesn't work with me and scallops either. I love those things!
Oh, and when I was younger, I would put tomato sauce on everything
ReplyDeleteZOMG, Puss is half native Englishman.
Do you eat the orange bit, Puss? You know, the coral. What a pretty word for what is the stomach or or poo sac or something gross.
ReplyDeleteHaha! Welsh, actually.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, I don't. I think it's gross. Although I ate termites the other day, so I can't really pass judgment now.
In China I ate duck's tongue, sea urchins, snake, pig's balls, every recognisable part of some sort of fowl, possibly a pigeon, worms and various other stomach churning concoctions.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, the most foul tasting thing I ate was lotus root. I nearly spewed.
Although I ate termites the other day, so I can't really pass judgment now
ReplyDeleteGiven your current diet, Puss, I shudder to think what you'll be passing.
White onion and watermelon sounds totally wrong, but is very very right.
ReplyDeleteWhite cheese (fetta) and watermelon are lovely together.
ReplyDeleteNow you're talking.
ReplyDeleteCheese rocks.
If you are going to be putting watermelon and fetta together, add some fresh mint leaves, and maybe some spanish onion and kalamata olives.
ReplyDeleteMint! Of course. Before I finished reading your comment, I thought I bet Patch suggests mint because how could she not, mint would be just the ticket. As for the olives, they'd be lucky to make it to the watermelon because I'd eat them first. You know how some people eat chips as a snack? That's how I eat olives.
ReplyDeleteI wish it was hot enough to enjoy watermelon here. I think we're at least 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the country right now.
You know how some people eat chips as a snack? That's how I eat olives.
ReplyDeleteMe too!!
You're freaking me out here, EMS!
I reckon you'll find that's common among people who prefer a savoury rather than sweet taste. I like them stuffed with fetta or if you're really game, with anchovies.
ReplyDeleteI think we're at least 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the country right now.
ReplyDeleteThat's not saying much, considering the temperature in Victoria and SA.
*sigh* What a pity I live in "hot, sweltering" Brisbane, with our balmy 30C max, when I could be frying in Melbourne, drinking hot coffee amidst much melting "culcha".
I eat olives like chips too.
ReplyDeleteI also like a good stereotype, and managed to purchase a long macchiato when the mercury hit 41.
Just got back from the beach. Was immediately hot again before we got off the sand! Chardy in one hand, glass of water in other.
ReplyDeleteSalad tonight!
And no. Just watermelon and fetta cheese. No olibs. No mint.
Will have to try that
ReplyDeleteI'm doing pizza, one salmon/caper and one vegetarian (cherry tomatoes, olives, baby spinach, onion). I'm not using the traditional woodfire pizza oven though cos I hate its guts
You're freaking me out here, EMS!
ReplyDeleteApparently not enough to start a friendly game of Facebook Scrabble though. Hmmphh.
I reckon you'll find that's common among people who prefer a savoury rather than sweet taste.
Which isn't me, wari. I've got the sweetest sweet-tooth of anyone I know. I've got a stash of golden-syrup dumplings in the fridge as we speak.
I'm missing (terribly) the stuffed olives made by the deli at the corner shop where I lived when I was at uni. They were the best. Fetta or sun-dried tomatoes. They were juicy juicy. I used to walk down there, buy a little tub of olives and some crusty bread and that would be lunch. Cheap as chips as well. You just can't find good deli olives up here. Sigh.
All of those things sound delicious, minus the pig products and kalamata olives. I love olives, but I hate kalamatas. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteThey have corn bbqs on the street here, and they add lime, salt and pepper, and chili if you want it. Delicious. Add they sell little cups of green mango slices with the same condiments.
They love avocado too, and I found a street stall yesterday selling skewers of some mystery meat, and they give you a cup of guacamole to dip the meat in before you eat it. I was reliably informed by an American guy that it was delicious, but I gave it a miss.
Btw EMS, what on earth are golden syrup dumplings? And if you like sweet things, have you ever tried grape soft drink from the US? It tastes like liquid grape hubba bubba, and is so sweet I thought my teeth were going to fall out after 2 mouth fulls.
Thanks Witchie.
ReplyDeleteA recipe even I couldn't fuck up.
Yes Witch the salt ones. I live near an amazing food shop that sells salt capers and Persian fair floss and port soaked figs and the freshest fruit and veg in the universe
ReplyDeleteThey have corn bbqs on the street here
ReplyDeleteWow. I've seen them make pipes out of corn cobs, sometimes little figurines, but never a barbeque.
(Pls excuse essay - kthx)
ReplyDeletePuss, I make my dumplings in a saucepan on the stove using basically the same recipe as Witchie there. But I add a smidgen of lemon juice to the syrup.
I make the dumplings in the same way, heat up the syrup until it's gently boiling, drop in the dumplings, whack on the lid and simmer gently for 20 mins.
Gooey, sticky, sweet and yummy. I like a scoop of vanilla icecream with mine too. My favourite part is when you get to rub the butter and flour together because you can make a bit of a mess if you like (and I like).
That's how my mum and nan made them, so that's how I make mine. I remember making these with both nan and mum when we were kids. We also made blackberry jam (we just picked them ourselves, plenty of paddocks to choose from - we also gathered our own field mushrooms - which were massive, they didn't go in the jam though) and then when we finished making the jam, we made jam tarts. I haven't got that recipe though, I'll have to ask my nan for it one of these days.
I think I'd very much like some Hubba Bubba soda. Very much. Probably too much actually. In fact, I think it's best for all of us (but mostly for me) if we forget I even heard of its existence. Ta.
Back on the mangoes, have you all tried those mango pancakes at yum cha? They are simply a thin custard powder pancake with mango and fresh cream in the middle. Fantastic and even my 1 yr old loved them. Do yourselves a favour next time and order some - they are a revelation.
ReplyDelete