Rocks

                                 Merewether Beach NSW

WATERY WEDNESDAY
http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/2011/07/watery-wednesday-148.html
ROCKS

A rock is pounded by the sea, over and over again.

But a rock is a rock is a rock....... it knows no pain.

But the human 'rocks' are the carers, those who give up their lives

To nurse disabled children. How frequently one arrives!

One sees them at the market, with a precious burden in tow,

The child who is now an adult, for little children grow.

And the years go on and on and on, and the tide goes in and out,

Each tide bringing aching sleepless hours and loneliness and doubt.

And the rock stands firm as the surges wash over it and recede,

And the human 'rocks' are equally firm, tending to every need.

A rock is pounded by the sea, over and over again.

But a rock is a rock is a rock....... it knows no pain.

*

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

BREAKFAST TIME 9/11

Nine-eleven! The world was shattered!

Everything, it seemed, that mattered

Had been destroyed in just one day.

 The world we knew had been swept away.

The news was full of death and woe!

It seemed the only way to go

Was into the abyss that stood

Dividing us from all things good.

*

But I was looking at this bright view

On that fatal day, and I just knew

That peacefulness and joy existed

And would return when death desisted.

The gentle countryside remained

And wickedness would be contained.

The radio might bark and blare,

And television strip things bare,

But this was reality, not that,

Truth was what I was looking at.

*

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

PS

A busy day yesterday. We performed our old melodrama 'Unhand Me' at a local drop-in centre called the Silver Circle. Not a very large audience, but an ideal venue and delicious refreshments, including my favourite, prawn cutlets!



Here we are performing.

And here we are after enjoying our tasty and unexpected feast!

And here's a picture of my much-missed  relation-by-marriage, Barbara, on the London Eye. Thanks for sending it, Mike! I think it's good enough to go into cyberspace!

Not to mention her grandson, George, fourth from the left, back row, who was in the winning team in the Kent (UK) Primary School Cricket contest. Congratulations!

*

Wanted!

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

WANTED!

Wanted!

 To make this scene complete

A nymph who'd like to dip her feet

In waters calm and cool and sweet.

Where are you?

*

Wanted!

A female in undress,

Willing to flaunt her nakedness,

And swim among the water-cress.

Where are you?

*

Wanted!

A blond with long, long hair,

And lots of attributes to share,

Who's not afraid of going bare.

Where are you?

*

Wanted!

The final finishing touch

To reeds and weeds and rocks and such;

I don't think that I'm asking much.

Where are you?

*

Without a lady in the nude,

This pond looks all too plain and crude.

Oh dear, oh dear! You are a prude!

Who needs you?

*

*

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

THE DISH OF MORNING

Illilangi! Long ago,

We stayed there for a day or so.

The real world lay there far below

And shone at dawn.

The avocado trees deep green,

And all the other trees between,

Conspired to make a magic scene

That seemed reborn.

*

The cockatoos flew from the trees,

Borne on a eucalyptus breeze,

And we took breakfast at our ease

And eyed the view.

In front of us the tree-line dipped,

Maybe deliberately clipped.

And still we sat and still we sipped!

As dreamers do.

*

And many years have passed since then;

It could be nine, it could be ten,

But I'd love to go that way again

And see that dish.

That dish that held the morning light!

That contrast that was golden bright!

Those cockatoos in flashing flight!.

Yes, that's my wish

*

Decision

WATERY  WEDNESDAY

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

DECISION!

(A cinquain)

Decision.

Immobile, transfixed.

Precariously perched presence.

Should I cry out?

Dilemma!

*Unfortunately this is a 'popular suicide spot'. Not this time.

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

TRICKY VICKS!

Friend Barbara knows a myriad tricks;
The latest one's concerned with Vicks....
The VapoRub that stops congestion
(But doesn't do much for indigestion!)
As my picture above suggests,
Mothers have rubbed it on the chests
Of wheezing children for years and years,
Lulling to sleep the little dears.
The vaporous fumes have cleared the nose
And brought about a night's repose.
Little Delias and Dominics
Have gone to sleep to the smell of Vicks.
Now Barbara's made a discovery
And she has passed it on to me.
When you're gripped by a cough that's hacking,
And dreamless sleep is entirely lacking
Smother Vicks on the soles of your FEET
And find out that it works a treat!
Wear your bedsocks! Yes, you must!
Sorry, we can't mix Vicks and Lust!
Wait a few moments and you'll find
You're seduced by warmth of a different kind.
Creeping up along your frame
A langorous heat that knows no shame!
Soon you'll find you're nodding off
Without a cough! Without a cough!
Barbara tells me it feels sublime
What's more it works each and every time!
One hundred percent is what she quoted.
( Scientific data that should be noted.)
Undisturbed you'll sleep all night,
Waking to feel relaxed and bright.
I'm waiting to host a passing germ,
One that may make me feel infirm
So that I can test this credo.
Though it wont do much for my libido!
*

Quick, Quick, Slow

WATERY WEDNESDAY

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/2011/02/watery-wednesday-127.html

QUICK, QUICK, SLOW

Quick, quick, slow. A little phrase

From many years ago,

When we learned to dance the quickstep

With its mantra 'Quick, quick, slow.'

I recalled it at the swimming pool

When this scene came into view,

On a heavenly day when the whole world

 Seemed either gold or blue.

'Quick! Quick!' went the swimmers sliding

Through the water very fast

And 'Slow!' went the plodding walker

Heedlessly going past.

I snapped them in an instant,

Happy to have the chance,

On a day when life was blissful

With everyone in the dance.

*
----------------------------------------------------------------

MIDNIGHT SWIM

Hardly a splash in the moonlight.
The heat of the night intense.
We float like pale pink anemones.

*

Dover Docks

A recent photograph taken by my relation, Martin Whitlock

WATERY WEDNESDAY

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

DOVER DOCKS

Here see Dover Docks at dawn

On a bleak and chilly day

As one of the many vessels

Sets out upon its way.

The docks, the sea, the shipping

All uniformly grey,

Brightened by a pallid sun

And its faint but valiant ray.

The wind-chill doesn't photograph,

But it takes ones breath away.

Not quite the time of year, my friends,

For a seaside holiday!

*
----------------------------------------------------------------

CRUNCHEESE

The best thing about these biscuits is that one eats them at any time,
Even while reading a book in bed, eating them's not a crime!
But they're even better with coffee, better still with a glass of wine,
And the special bite they offer is absolutely divine!
Heat your oven early; preparation time is brief,
Which, in these rushed and hustled times is a merciful relief!
Beat butter, salt, sugar till creamy; add egg and cheese and mix;
Then fold in flour and chilli. (It's very easy to fix!)
Roll the mixture into little balls and with a fork press down
Then bake at 160 till the biscuits are golden brown.
This should take about twenty minutes. Now try one! I know you'll say
'These are tremendous biscuits! I'm going to open a cafe!'
*
Ingredients:


160 gm. butter 90 gm. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 egg 3 slices of Cheddar cheese cubed


200 gm. Plain flour 1 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. chilli powder

If You Can Get It!

Merewether Beach New South Wales

WATERY WEDNESDAY

IF YOU CAN GET IT!

'Nice work if you can get it!'

Just lazing in a booth all day!

Gazing out over the ocean

In a desultory way!

No doubt drinking cups of tea

Or chatting on the phone!

Just about the cushiest job

That I have ever known!

*

But wait! Is that a swimmer

In trouble?  In a rip?

Some tourist who's been venturesome

When taking his first dip?

All hell breaks loose! The sirens sound!

The calm's replaced by strife!

The Lifeguards suddenly appear

Intent on saving life!

*

'Nice work if you can get it'?

Guardian Angels, in a way.

Essential on our beaches

On a sunny summer's day.

*
-----------------------------------------------------------

GRADUATION 

Girls and boys come out to play!

Rules are broken for today!

All those years of gruesome studies,

Dictated by old fuddy-duddies!

Up till now I've had to learn,

Aiming for the time to earn,

Time to earn that lovely money.

I found learning far from funny!

Out into the world I go

Now to get that lovely dough!

Pipe Dream

WATERY WEDNESDAY

PIPE DREAM

Just a big old pipe in the shadows,

Curving its way along,

Snaking over the pastures,

Far from the city's throng.

Weaving it's way through the valley

Where the Hunter River flows

Appearing to have no purpose,

Inert even as it goes.

Yet, inside, it is churning, rolling,

Inside it is in full spate,

Inside it is racing madly!

It seems that it just can't wait!

Chichester Dam gives the water

That rushes along within.

It will end in our taps tomorrow.

But it's here we see it begin.

*

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

I got permission to publish this shot but I can't remember who from!

BEFORE AND AFTER!

Of course I look disdainful! It's quite true!

I'm stuck here for the passing world to view!

I looked so gorgeous only yesterday!

And now I'm treated in this awful way.

My cheekbones still look good, likewise my hair;

And my expression, still, is nose-in-air.

But they have dressed me in a paper bag!

Like any other old, discarded hag!

I, who looked so very smooth and svelte!

They've got me really right below the belt!

Except that belts are missing, likewise darts!

I look the same as all the other tarts!

I, who have worn the very latest fashions,

Have suddenly been put on meagre rations.

Yves Saint Laurent was quite my top designer,

In his confections I looked ever finer.

The swathes, the swirls, the clinching and the flow,

I was a clothes-horse, I was such a pro!

This paper 'thing' just hasn't any shape!

It's fastened at the back with sticky-tape!

The length is wrong! It's barely to my knees!

It's winter and I know I'm going to freeze!

But pity poor Minette! Her plight is oddest!

In fact it's verging on the quite immodest.

To seat her in that pose looks really shocking

Invites the passers-by to be more mocking!

And, worst of all, (the thought makes me go pale)

They've labelled us with that great insult.....'SALE!'

*

Forget-Lands

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


FORGET-LANDS!

Seduced by river, beach and lake I frequently forget

That there's a part of Newcastle that's...... how can I put it? Wet!

Our Wet-Lands are extensive and very recreational,

As well as being highly praised for being educational.

I've only strolled around the paths, but others like to row,

And find the shady hide-aways where many species grow.

Bird-song fills the air all round, egrets fill the trees,

And frogs and cicadas croak and chirp their various symphonies.

One feels returned to Nature, refreshed and  lulled and calm.

The Wet-Lands weave their magic with an old, eternal charm.

*

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

LITTLE RED-COAT.

This is my grandson's dog, Banjo,

Who'll catch any ball you choose to throw.

He comes to our house for a stay

Whenever his master goes away.

Malcolm and he are the greatest mates.

By the gate he always waits;

By-passes me, without a glance

(Unless I have the ball by chance.)

The little chap is quite beguiling,*

Particularly when he's smiling!

* Banjo, not Malcolm!

*

Waterside Wonder

WATERY WEDNESDAY

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

 

WATERSIDE WONDER

Goodness knows what this is! Or why I find it pleasing!

Was the artist serious or was he only teasing?

It was one of the exhibits at 'Sculpture by the Sea',

A pretty nice example of non-conformity!

I love the feeling of movement! 'Exuberance' is the word.

Although I think its only aim is to be a bit absurd.

But what in the world could be better, on a lovely summers day,

Than to stroll along the beach enjoying exuberance all the way?

*

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

PEACHY PERFECTION?

This peach rose will know no wilting

Since it comes from the art of quilting.

So no predator will settle 

On each plump and perfect petal.

This flower will never fade to brown

And, to the sad earth, tremble down.

This bloom will never know a thorn

Or stand resplendent by a lawn.

And, even when she has to fade,

She'll change to another pale peach shade.

So is there cause for discontent?

Yes! This is a rose without a scent!

*

Puzzle Pool

WATERY WEDNESDAY

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

PUZZLE POOL!

Peering through the overhanging branches

I see a strangely mystifying scene.

Am I looking down at sky or up at water?

Everything's reversed! See what I mean.

The 'distant' trees are standing on their branches!

The sky is at their feet, not up on high.

Is this a secret window into strangeness,

Another world where earth replaces sky?

Silly me! You know the answer to the question!

It's evident there is no magic here.

I'm looking down at water through the branches

And reflection makes the magic trick appear!

*

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

TAKING A BREAK!

Monsieur Cezanne! I know you pay!

But must I have to stand all day?

Quiet, little one, keep your pose!

I like the line of your peasant clothes!

It's been hours and hours and I'm feeling faint!

All you want to do is paint!

A masterpiece will soon appear!

It's a great work that I'm doing here!

But I can't even have a peep!

And now my foot has gone to sleep!

Stand up straight! Don't droop! Don't sway!

Fidget again and you get no pay!

It's alright for you! You're on a seat!

I wish you were the one with the aching feet!

Great art, my girl, demands sacrifice!

Everyone must pay a price!

Now my back's begun to ache!

How much longer will this take?

The spirits move me and I must heed!

I must go where the spirits lead!

All you bother about's your dream!

And you only pay me one centime!

And all you have to do is stand!

I really thought you'd understand!

Mother wants me home by three!

How much longer will you be!

For goodness sake! Lean on that chair!

Just for a second! That one! There!

Oooh! That's better! Oooh! That's fine!

But what I'd give for a glass of wine!

You Italian girls are all the same!

I'm almost sorry that you came!

Just five minutes, that's all I ask.

Then you can complete your task.

Wait! Wait! Stay there just as you are!

That's a better pose by far!

That hand on cheek is quite appealing!

The lines, the shadows it's revealing!

I'll throw this-morning's in the bin!

Stay just like that and I'll begin!

*

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

PS

The lady at A Musing Potpurri has reprinted my Footpath Poem on her charming blog Do visit her here:

http://amusingpotpourri.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-foot-with-brenda.html

*

Messing About in Boats

                                                   

MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS


The lovely canals of England
Are splendid waterways,
They criss-cross the verdant country
Like a veritable maze.
And it's here Rob spends his summers,
Be there rain or be there shine,
Watching the world chug-chugging past
And drinking summer wine.
But now the summer's ended
And I'm sure he sheds a tear;
He'll have to live in a normal house
Until Spring comes next year.
*

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

QUIZ

1. Name five sports beginning with 'B'

2. The name of a colour that comes before SEA.

3.Superman's girlfriend; what was her name?

4.It rhymes with 'crafts'; what is the game?

5.They speak English in Canada; is that all?

6.What game is played with an oval ball?

7.Name a flightless bird; it begins with 'P'.

8.What Royal Person slept on a pea?

9.Name a continent starting with 'A'.

10.Name a very stormy Bay.

11.Jack's second name was rather fruity!

12. It's not a shoe so what else is 'booty'?

13.Which little insect chomps on wood?

14. Does 'recalcitrant' mean 'good'?

15. They start with 'B'; and they are dancers.

*
The computer gobbled up the answers!

Catho

From the local press.

WATERY WEDNESDAY

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

CATHO

Maybe I look fragile, being battered by the sea,

But everybody hopes there's still a lot of life in me.

For I'm the pier at Catho....that's Catherine Hill Bay.

(Australians always nick-name things in their own peculiar way!)

Catho was a mining town, in the days of long ago,

When life was very different, and the pace was much more slow.

The coal-ships used to leave from here; the pier was then essential,

But now the township's just a haven, quietly residential.

It's threatened, though! Developers have set their greedy sights

On the little old-time houses there and think they're theirs' by rights!

The way of life is threatened; a massive suburb looms,

Great mansions will no doubt arise with a thousand fancy rooms!

We hope the sun's not setting on our lovely Catho Bay!
We hope the desire for progress will let this one treasure stay!

No doubt this is a mock-up but the message is quite true.
And this is the Developer! Everyone shout out 'Boo!'
*
------------------------------------------------------------------

   

THE SEARCH PARTY!

The search-party!

It's here!

*

How long can I crouch here,

Cold from the water,

Cold from

Fear?

*

How long? How long?

They have already found him.

Before they find me?

And then?

*

I didn't mean to kill him!

.......No-one will believe that!

*

I shall say it was playful wrestling.

Well, it was, in a way.

Or was it?

It started out that way.

*

But I was foolish to slap him!

His eyes changed,

His mouth tightened,

He looked threatening.

*

'Did he threaten you?'

They'll say.

*

All he said was

'You shouldn't have done that.'

*

'I wouldn't call that a threat'.

*

'It was the way he said it.'

'Explain.'

*

'I suddenly felt afraid.

I pushed him, two hands against his chest.

He fell back

Against the rock.

I felt sure he was dead!

I panicked.

I picked up the rock.

Fingerprints!

Already I was behaving like a criminal!'

*

'And where is this rock?'

'I threw it in the river.'

*

'Would that be when you rolled him into the water too?'

*

' I was an idiot!

I thought it would look less....... incriminating.....

A drowning'.

*

'How did you feel 

When he screamed as he hit the water?'

*

They're here.

I may as well stand  up and meet them.

*

Now it all begins.

*

Welcome Water

                                 Local press photograph

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

WELCOME WATER

A glorious wet winter

Put an end to 'endless' drought;

After ten years of dry weather.

Rain was welcome without doubt.

Lake Ayre is full of birdsong,

Where once was only sand,

And colourful desert blossoms

Embroider all the land.

Here, in our coastal city,

We're rarely short of rain,

But even we were happy

When La Nina came again.

El Nino is the Christ Child

Who brings drought at Christmas Time;

La Nina is the girl child

And her rains are quite sublime.

When we are dry South America

Rejoices in the rain;

When we are wet South America

Feels dry weather pain.

It's all to do with the ocean,

Or that's what I've been told;

Sometimes it is warmer,

And sometimes it is cold.

Whatever may be the reason,

These children don't much care

What magic brought the rain to us!

So long as they get their share!

*

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

  

GUITAR MAGIC!

I wrote this as song to sing with a guitarist friend.

(I've never been to Spain!)

When you play your guitar,

I visit castles in Spain.

I see the walls reaching high

To the blue of the sky.

I'm back there again.

I walk the streets of Madrid

And make a wish on a star.

I feel the joy I once did,

When you play your guitar.

When you play your guitar,

I sit in courtyards at night.

I feel the warm, scented air

As it ruffles my hair

And I thrill with delight.

I place a glass to my lips

And I drink sangria.

I'm there in Spain once again

When you play your guitar.

When you play your guitar,

I see mantillas of lace.

I feel the spell of romance

And I still seem to dance

With beauty and grace.

Though it's so long ago,

It seems it's not very far.

My heart will sing 'Bolero'

When you play your guitar,

When you play your guitar

I see the face I adored

And then I suddenly find

I taste in my mind

The wine he once poured.

I smell the scents of the night

Through attic windows ajar.

His arms are holding me tight

When you play your guitar.

When you play your guitar

I wear an old Spanish shawl,

And then the soft summer breeze

That wafts through the trees

Can't chill me at all.

The blossoms fall on my hair

Like scented rain from afar

And every song seems a prayer

When you play your guitar.

So please play your guitar,

And let the music revive

All the songs that were sung

When the world was still young

And so much alive.

Let me be, once again,

Where happy memories are!

Transport me back there to Spain

With your magic guitar.

*

Bank on It!

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

BANK ON IT!

The Yarra isn't bountiful, the Yarra isn't wide;

It's really quite industrial, with buildings on each side,

But, as it flows through Melbourne, it allows a breathing space,

A quiet little corner, a pleasant slower pace.

It's here the rowers come each day, all feathering their oars,

Sometimes in crews quite numerous, and, sometimes, only fours.

The river's lined with boat-sheds, attractive buildings too,

Each of them assigned, it seems, to one particular crew.

The Yarra isn't bountiful, the Yarra isn't large,

But it is very pleasant to sit there and re-charge.

The citizens of Melbourne are happy and give thanks

Because the Yarra River has such very pleasant banks.

*

Melbourne University boat-shed.

*

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

The Bogey Hole. Newcastle. 

BOGEY MAN!

Today we'd call this man a jerk!

A really nasty piece of work!

A soldier with a very cruel mentality.

His victims came here on a cruise

(Without the parties and the booze)

And all they found was dastardly brutality.

His name was Major Morisset,

A name remembered even yet,

And they were Convicts mired up in his jails.

In Newcastle he had his way.

Cursed were those who had to stay

Under his thumb in old-time New South Wales.

One day, while strolling by the sea

He thought 'It would be good for me

To have a private pool that I could use.

These waves are rather high and rough

They're just not quiet and calm enough.

A pool cut in the rocks, that's what I'd choose.'

So he chose a platform made of stone

Where he could bathe and swim alone,

And the convicts came with axes and with picks.

In a line he made them stand,

With implements that came to hand,

Some made for hoeing ground or cutting bricks.

The rocks were hard, the men were weak,

And feeble was their whole technique;

But Major Morisset brooked no denial.

He had men whipped when they were slow;

The hole began to spread and grow,

He saw that he would soon relax in style.

And now we see this crystal pool

Looking inviting, deep and cool,

And we view it as a touristy attraction.

Forgetting that men toiled and bled,

And many of them dropped down dead,

Just to give one tyrant satisfaction.

It's known now as The Bogey Hole

Memorial to many a soul

Who suffered under Major Morisset.

Those convicts live in memory

Here, in our city by the sea.

We owe them all a deep and lasting debt.

*

The Mystery

WATERY WEDNESDAY

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

THE MYSTERY

Water! You're so very big and I am so very small.

Will you grow with me, I wonder, and be huge when I'm tall?

Will we be together, growing side by side,

One of us getting higher, one of us more wide?

'No' answered the Water 'You will grow it's true,

But I will shrink and shrink and shrink each day compared with you.

Now I seem an ocean, stretching way, way beyond,

But then you'll look at me and see nothing much more than a pond.'

*

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

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

(An Acrostic)

'Daddy! Stop hitting Mummy!'

Often we hear that cry.

'Mummy! You're hurting Daddy!'

Emotions are running high.

Screams from behind the curtains!

Taunts that are worse than blows!

'Incidents' in the papers;

Constant accounts of those.

*

Vividly, we imagine

Irritation turned to spite.

Outwardly all seems happy;

Love ending in a fight.

Eros and Mars aren't partners.

Name-calling doesn't help

Caresses and honeymooning

End in a hopeless yelp.

*

Dignity and Impudence

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

DIGNITY AND IMPUDENCE

(A cinquain)

Spray.

Sparkle, shimmer.

Cascading, arching, curving.

Dividing Spring into droplets.

Fountain.

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

DAY-DREAMING

I daydream nearly all the time!

But is that really such a crime?

When in the shower a thought appears,

Just as I'm washing behind my ears,

Cleanliness takes second place;

I shower at a slower pace;

I end up only half-way clean

But feeling hopeful and serene,

For I have cured so many ills,

And I've 'danced among the daffodils'.

Going shopping, I'm inefficient,

My attitude is quite deficient!

I toddle along with my little trolly,

Sometimes, maybe, I'm melancholy;

But in the very nicest way,

Maybe humming 'Yesterday'.

Instead of working out a plan

Concerning a pie or tomorrow's flan,

I am, instead, engrossed in thought

But not of a simple shopping sort!

I'm dreaming dreams and writing stuff!

Who cares if the meat I buy is tough?

I've cured the ills of the world, you know,

Merely toddling to and fro!

I've written novels in my mind,

Of a very deep and cryptic kind.

I've daydreamed about each passer-by;

Is this one brash? Is that one shy?

I'm writing, analysing, scheming.

*

Never call it 'just daydreaming!'