One of the things I enjoy about Christmas is the decorations. I love Christmas trees, and enjoy putting up and decorating mine every year. So, I've put together a few interesting facts about popular Christmas decorations, and where they started. The Wreath In northern and eastern Europe, in the deep winter, evergreen branches were brought…
Sitting in a carpark Noise and cars and people I must shop, but I’m so tired And everything hurts A nearby tree gives shade Its green leaves vibrant under a clear blue sky Waving to the tune of a cool breeze A butterfly flutters past A tiny smudge of orange and black Sometimes it’s the…
“The House of Usher” (1960) is one of Roger Corman’s series of films based on Edgar Allen Poe stories. Starring Vincent Price, it centres around the family of Usher, a brother and sister living in a rundown old house over a ‘tarn’ or mountain lake. A visitor comes to the house, who in the film…
Momentum versus inertia The science of everyday life Start, stop, start again A body in motion Inside a body in motion Must keep together Or there will be consequences What a lifesaving invention Is this momentum stopper This inertia preserver The humble seatbelt
Climbing from the chrysalis Metamorphosis is done Spreading wings to dry And then it’s time to fly Time to get down to butterfly business Feeding from nectar Spreading pollen flower to flower Morning is time to bask for the sun Heat the wings in order to fly And taste the air for food and love…
Got a letter from the Earth So, what are you doing to save the world From the sorry sons of bitches Who are mucking up the place? How are you helping Or are you just shutting your eyes And going along with it Throwing up your hands And saying it’s too much for me And…
I have gone for walks to exercise for many years, and usually lost in my own little world while I do so. But some time back I read a book about foraging – picking plants growing wild for food or medicine, and it intrigued me. So I started looking around a bit more as I…
It’s a matter of balance, say the astronaut gods As they watch the world below Keeping place at the pivot of the seesaw Equal weights on each side of the scales We are the keepers of the peace The compounders of equilibrium Without us, there is a slow and steady slide Towards one end or…
The producer/director Roger Corman made eight adaptations of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. This movie is one of the better productions. It stars Vincent Price as Prince Prospero, a devil-worshipping European prince who mistreats the peasants and invites nobility to his castle to indulge in endless partying while the ‘red death’ plague kills off…
Flame flickers in the eyes of the pumpkin Grin stretches wide over darkness within Squatting at the doors of all the houses Standing sentinel on All Hallow’s Eve Flickering orbs scan the night for unwanted visits Ghosts and spirits and devilish things Jack-o-lantern stretches mouth wide Devouring the evil that wanders abroad Jack-o-lantern guards hearth…
Eclectic Assemblage 