I just wrote a rambling piece about widowhood, amongst other things. It wasn't very good, so I swished it away! But hey, what a beautiful song! Thanks Nick.
Not for me! Not at all. I was going to tell the story that John wasn't at all into Valentine's Day anyway. Then it became a longer story and I realised it was your post, not mine, and all I really wanted to say what a great song it was! LOL. (Can't help myself - that was another rambling bit!)
We've never done Valentines day, not even in the beginning. We wanted to get married on April 1st, but my mother wouldn't have a bar of it, no matter how funny we thought we were. So March 30th it was, an Easter Saturday. We still joke that if we'd committed murder we'd be out by now. 35 years this year.
The original celebration on the 14th was much more exciting. The Roman matrons chose 2 young men to race naked throughout Rome with a whip- a cat of 9 tails- and then whip any young women they came across. This would ensure that the young women conceived that year. You can imagine the fun those matrons would have had making their choices.
This was too much for later day Christians who replaced this festival with something milder.
A perfect day and a perfect poem, my favourite of W B Yeats ; When you are old, which I wrote some music to years ago when I was with a little troupe in London as a backdrop to this poem. When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
That would involve some serious excavation! We did the play Lovers by Brian Friel and read a whole lot of W B Yeats poetry. I was the one on the synthesiser. It was a long time ago. I do have a poster somewhere more handy.
Valentines Day. Where it only costs $25 for a single rose. Bargain.
That aside,18 months ago I found love, with my imaginary girlfriend Lucretia.
We met at an abandoned water trough in rural Gore. I looked up from the trough and there she was . Our eyes locked in on each other, eventually...because she's cross eyed.
What began was a whirlwind romance , with very little whirl, but a truckload of wind ( never eat Indian food when wooing a potential suitor ).
Speaking of which, we had some 'problems' in the derriere department, and the chemist recommended trying Anusol Ointment.
Back at the trough we gave it a try, but it was really difficult to drink .
Then disaster struck.
Whilst out shopping she was run over by a faulty mobility scooter.
MY LOVE. my one true love...gone .But never, umm, ooh, I should know this one....err.
Anywho, Happy Valentines Day !I will leave you with a song I wrote about disabled love
( sung to the tune 'When I Saw Her Standing There' by The Beatles.
You’ve outdone yourself today Willy, well done. I’m still a bit concerned that you don’t seem to be over Lucretia yet. The fact that you found each other over a trough in Gore makes me suspect she was rather woolly headed and bleated a lot. Not really your type, I imagine. Never mind Willy. There’s plenty more of her kind in the paddocks of NZ. It’s just trying to tell them apart that you might find a bit difficult.
Try to have a happy Valentine’s Day anyway, write another song to keep ewe busy😀
I have been battling my old nemesis Dirk Depression recently, the eternal war, fought over 30 plus years of hate, palpable guilt, shame and the contemplation of taking my own life. But here we are, still. I still don't know to this day Brian whether taking ones life is either cowardice or bravery....I just know that it took the life of a family member. that I cherished and loved . But it made me even more determined to tell Dirk that he will never win, so just F off. Thanks again mate, it is so greatly appreciated. Willy.
Thank you for sharing your gifts with us all Willy. I appreciate your openness and honesty. And how you make me laugh OMG you move me!! The world needs your freshness.
I feel old some days and I wonder if I can keep staying fresh. But I accept the wrinkles in my life and I look and listen for the sounds and sights and experiences created by creatives like you 🌞
I am drawn to creative people, open to life in all its light and shadow.
Willy. Hearing you and knowing. Keep going. People love you. They are what hold us in this place. Dirk is a better term than Black Dog. I love dogs. They hold us too.
Thank you so much MsP . I'm tearing up at your wonderful words.
And I love dogs also, but my disability curtails any chance of ever owning one, and it's not fair on the dog to limit him or her to feeding and mobility scooter 'walkies'. You are such a kind person. x
Many of us are fellow travellers Willy, depression is an occasional visitor to me these days rather the near-constant companion I once endured. Be brave and know that people care!
Miramartian, thank you so much. It's grand to meet someone such as yourself that is empathetic and gets it. I've been through the ringer and out the other end regarding my mental health. It's not a sickness but an illness, an illness that I experienced at the tender age of 15, sitting at the school tuck shop, crying my eyes out and not knowing why I felt so sad. Then taking a beating for being such a woos' . Thank you Auckland Grammar in the early 80's for that.
Then also in my teens, being taken to the family doctor who prescribed me some 'happy pills' because depression just wasn't discussed, yet alone acknowledged.
Thank you expensive Mt Eden doctor for milking that puppy for all it was worth.
Profit over people ? But of course !
Today I have more good days than bad, for which I am eternally grateful.
It's really edifying to read that your depression is a sporadic visitor now days, go you good thing, Willy. x
The biggest issue with older dogs is the potential for high vet bills but if you are able to accommodate that then an older pet with lower energy levels could be a wonderful companion.
It really hits when that photo comes up. So pointless, think of the songs he would've written, his words through so many things, and his family, of course, his little boy, just 5.
When I visited my place of birth in Scotland I was so grateful my parents emigrated. The cold blizzardy wind in Princess St I will never forget. Also, that every home, building were pretty well identical. What a spectacle to their eyes they must find our properties to be, I missed them. Adore the snap of Chris and Toni, look so well matched. Happy Valentines.
I doubt anyone, with would have taken offence at your comment, Nick. Maybe a few tears at the memories for some, but those will always be there anyway, so no need to worry or apologise.
Nicola might not be thrilled at the thought that we all now know how her daily makeup routine works (probably starting some time around 3 am, just to be sure), but otherwise, all good.
Lovely song by Lou Reed, a bit of a change from his usual repertoire. As an aside, I had two friends who went to different Lou Reed concerts. They both fell asleep…..
I just wrote a rambling piece about widowhood, amongst other things. It wasn't very good, so I swished it away! But hey, what a beautiful song! Thanks Nick.
I hope my comment on those who had passed didn't cause offence.
Nick, a wonderful doorway you open here…I decide to walk in knowing I’ll be welcomed. Love survives. And I sense this community here (we) keep it so.
I too, experienced the death of a partner. My first wife. Here is a poem I wrote for her on Valentines Day the year we married in 1985.
I luxuriate in stillness;
opening my heart;
providing a gateway to intimacy
and yet I also treasure movement;
keeping it all moving, sharing,
communicating, exercising,
experiencing feeling fully alive!
knowing you; loving you;
being excited about our lives intertwining...
balances sensual stillness with marvellous movement
how I cherish our unfolding friendship!...
...our delicious sharing and honesty...
savouring the stillness of the tree
and the movement of the river...
I treasure the flow in my life
with you;
sweet lover xxx
Not for me! Not at all. I was going to tell the story that John wasn't at all into Valentine's Day anyway. Then it became a longer story and I realised it was your post, not mine, and all I really wanted to say what a great song it was! LOL. (Can't help myself - that was another rambling bit!)
We've never done Valentines day, not even in the beginning. We wanted to get married on April 1st, but my mother wouldn't have a bar of it, no matter how funny we thought we were. So March 30th it was, an Easter Saturday. We still joke that if we'd committed murder we'd be out by now. 35 years this year.
One of my favourites from Lou.
The original celebration on the 14th was much more exciting. The Roman matrons chose 2 young men to race naked throughout Rome with a whip- a cat of 9 tails- and then whip any young women they came across. This would ensure that the young women conceived that year. You can imagine the fun those matrons would have had making their choices.
This was too much for later day Christians who replaced this festival with something milder.
Perhaps start in Epsom.
Love the pig photo! So apt!
Enjoy the day Nick.
Sooo apt!
A perfect day and a perfect poem, my favourite of W B Yeats ; When you are old, which I wrote some music to years ago when I was with a little troupe in London as a backdrop to this poem. When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
I’d love to hear the music your troupe created for this poem Darien!
An awesome choice. The original gift (the poem) gets a new life and keeps on giving…
That would involve some serious excavation! We did the play Lovers by Brian Friel and read a whole lot of W B Yeats poetry. I was the one on the synthesiser. It was a long time ago. I do have a poster somewhere more handy.
Ha ha excavation indeed…delving into nooks and crannies (some of the best parts of my life Darien!)
Valentines Day. Where it only costs $25 for a single rose. Bargain.
That aside,18 months ago I found love, with my imaginary girlfriend Lucretia.
We met at an abandoned water trough in rural Gore. I looked up from the trough and there she was . Our eyes locked in on each other, eventually...because she's cross eyed.
What began was a whirlwind romance , with very little whirl, but a truckload of wind ( never eat Indian food when wooing a potential suitor ).
Speaking of which, we had some 'problems' in the derriere department, and the chemist recommended trying Anusol Ointment.
Back at the trough we gave it a try, but it was really difficult to drink .
Then disaster struck.
Whilst out shopping she was run over by a faulty mobility scooter.
MY LOVE. my one true love...gone .But never, umm, ooh, I should know this one....err.
Anywho, Happy Valentines Day !I will leave you with a song I wrote about disabled love
( sung to the tune 'When I Saw Her Standing There' by The Beatles.
"Well she was just 43'
She was a one legged amputee
And the way she looked, was way beyond compare
So how could I dance with another
When I saw her leaning there.
Well my heart went thump
When I saw her stump
and I held her leg in mine eeeee.
You’ve outdone yourself today Willy, well done. I’m still a bit concerned that you don’t seem to be over Lucretia yet. The fact that you found each other over a trough in Gore makes me suspect she was rather woolly headed and bleated a lot. Not really your type, I imagine. Never mind Willy. There’s plenty more of her kind in the paddocks of NZ. It’s just trying to tell them apart that you might find a bit difficult.
Try to have a happy Valentine’s Day anyway, write another song to keep ewe busy😀
thank you Jeremy, if you're interested, I could arrange a date with you and Lucretia, imagine that !
Willy, you are so clever. May you never be stumped…unless the wicket-keeper does this when you’re at the batting crease.
Your creativity oozes out of every pore. It only has me wanting more!
thank you sir !
I have been battling my old nemesis Dirk Depression recently, the eternal war, fought over 30 plus years of hate, palpable guilt, shame and the contemplation of taking my own life. But here we are, still. I still don't know to this day Brian whether taking ones life is either cowardice or bravery....I just know that it took the life of a family member. that I cherished and loved . But it made me even more determined to tell Dirk that he will never win, so just F off. Thanks again mate, it is so greatly appreciated. Willy.
Thank you for sharing your gifts with us all Willy. I appreciate your openness and honesty. And how you make me laugh OMG you move me!! The world needs your freshness.
I feel old some days and I wonder if I can keep staying fresh. But I accept the wrinkles in my life and I look and listen for the sounds and sights and experiences created by creatives like you 🌞
I am drawn to creative people, open to life in all its light and shadow.
Today, I’ve stepped into your light. Thank you 🙏
Willy. Hearing you and knowing. Keep going. People love you. They are what hold us in this place. Dirk is a better term than Black Dog. I love dogs. They hold us too.
Thank you so much MsP . I'm tearing up at your wonderful words.
And I love dogs also, but my disability curtails any chance of ever owning one, and it's not fair on the dog to limit him or her to feeding and mobility scooter 'walkies'. You are such a kind person. x
Many of us are fellow travellers Willy, depression is an occasional visitor to me these days rather the near-constant companion I once endured. Be brave and know that people care!
Miramartian, thank you so much. It's grand to meet someone such as yourself that is empathetic and gets it. I've been through the ringer and out the other end regarding my mental health. It's not a sickness but an illness, an illness that I experienced at the tender age of 15, sitting at the school tuck shop, crying my eyes out and not knowing why I felt so sad. Then taking a beating for being such a woos' . Thank you Auckland Grammar in the early 80's for that.
Then also in my teens, being taken to the family doctor who prescribed me some 'happy pills' because depression just wasn't discussed, yet alone acknowledged.
Thank you expensive Mt Eden doctor for milking that puppy for all it was worth.
Profit over people ? But of course !
Today I have more good days than bad, for which I am eternally grateful.
It's really edifying to read that your depression is a sporadic visitor now days, go you good thing, Willy. x
Thank you Willy.
you are so very welcome Dan.
Willy. There are likely a fair few old dogs looking to love a kind person with a mobility scooter. X
Thank you for the suggestion, I've always had a special connection with dogs, you've inspired me !
The biggest issue with older dogs is the potential for high vet bills but if you are able to accommodate that then an older pet with lower energy levels could be a wonderful companion.
Bloody brilliant!
Thank you mate. Just remembering some old live standup I used to do...in 1906......
Perfect Day, perfect song for today. Husband and I are doing the housework. 🤔
Loved the photos to accompany the song, whenever I see a photo of John and Yoko I feel sad. Such a pointless death and I still feel it after 46 years
It really hits when that photo comes up. So pointless, think of the songs he would've written, his words through so many things, and his family, of course, his little boy, just 5.
Christine, when I was learning to play the piano age 11, John Lennon wrote “Imagine” (wow back in 1971!)
I still play it with my eyes closed.
Not that I’m blowing my trumpet (for I’d need the guidance of sheet music to remember everything!)…rather, I comment on closing my eyes to imagine.
Imagination is so precious. What futures can we imagine for ourselves; for our children and their children?
A very cool book I’m reading by Nick Foster titled “Could Should Might Don’t - How we think about the future.” (Canongate, 2025)
When I visited my place of birth in Scotland I was so grateful my parents emigrated. The cold blizzardy wind in Princess St I will never forget. Also, that every home, building were pretty well identical. What a spectacle to their eyes they must find our properties to be, I missed them. Adore the snap of Chris and Toni, look so well matched. Happy Valentines.
You don't need to visit Scotland for a chilly Princes St...try Dunedin...
I lived there for a year and agree.
For all of us who choose to keep love alive (no matter what day it is) I give thanks 🙏
I doubt anyone, with would have taken offence at your comment, Nick. Maybe a few tears at the memories for some, but those will always be there anyway, so no need to worry or apologise.
Nicola might not be thrilled at the thought that we all now know how her daily makeup routine works (probably starting some time around 3 am, just to be sure), but otherwise, all good.
Lovely song by Lou Reed, a bit of a change from his usual repertoire. As an aside, I had two friends who went to different Lou Reed concerts. They both fell asleep…..
Loved listening to Lou. Ta