Sunday, September 17, 2023
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Solstice Eve
For Ann
A lip of light extends long and low
above the headland.
It illuminates your house on the cliff,
pearly white in a shaft of sunlight.
Windowpanes flash silver on this Solstice Eve
and I wonder how your children are,
will they be home for Christmas.
Memories of you flood my mind,
times past when we were young mothers,
your newsy letters from Letterkenny and Cork.
I kept them for two score years
in a file under my bed.
It was a terrible misunderstanding you know,
years of refusing to talk,
inability to forgive
then the shock of your death notice
in the newspaper.
I glance to the headland,
clouds drift and merge
and there is only rain
and the crashing of waves
on the rocks.
A lip of light extends long and low
above the headland.
It illuminates your house on the cliff,
pearly white in a shaft of sunlight.
Windowpanes flash silver on this Solstice Eve
and I wonder how your children are,
will they be home for Christmas.
Memories of you flood my mind,
times past when we were young mothers,
your newsy letters from Letterkenny and Cork.
I kept them for two score years
in a file under my bed.
It was a terrible misunderstanding you know,
years of refusing to talk,
inability to forgive
then the shock of your death notice
in the newspaper.
I glance to the headland,
clouds drift and merge
and there is only rain
and the crashing of waves
on the rocks.
Monday, September 30, 2019
Poetry Monday
Marbled Chocolate
When I think back
to my first taste of chocolate,
it smacks of your seed cake
almonds neatly layered on top.
A treat on Saturday
after piano practise,
one thin slab on a white china plate
choked down with a glass of milk.
A penance,
but I never dared to tell you.
I remember your anger
when I came home from Mulligan’s,
told you they had shop-bought cake,
a triangle of marbled sweetness;
Battenberg.
They had sliced pan too;
white and fluffy,
and on Fridays, fish and chips,
lashed with salt and vinegar,
wrapped in newspaper.
I used to stand outside the chipper
watch people queue,
hungered to be like them.
You beat me senseless.
the cane snapped in two
as I bent over in apology.
You shouted that they
were common and poor,
and shop-bought
was a sin.
I lost all interest in food.
and spent years in therapy
learning how to eat.
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Birds and things ...
Wednesday 8 November
It is a cold day again only 3 degrees celsius but it was so bright and sunny, perfect for my morning walk.
Birds in my garden were feeding happily all through to day. The robin family were busy guarding their territory. They were stationed all around the garden and were quite successful in chasing blue tits over the back wall but failed with the starlings and bigger birds.
There was a little sparrow munching on nuts earlier. His name is Alan. He is from Ivy Terrace over by the Football Club. He comes from a large family so they need all the food they can get. He will send his siblings over for dinner before dusk tonight.
It is a cold day again only 3 degrees celsius but it was so bright and sunny, perfect for my morning walk.
Birds in my garden were feeding happily all through to day. The robin family were busy guarding their territory. They were stationed all around the garden and were quite successful in chasing blue tits over the back wall but failed with the starlings and bigger birds.
There was a little sparrow munching on nuts earlier. His name is Alan. He is from Ivy Terrace over by the Football Club. He comes from a large family so they need all the food they can get. He will send his siblings over for dinner before dusk tonight.
Alan
Monday, November 6, 2017
November Blog, BIRDS and Things....
6 November
This morning I opened the bedroom curtains to great activity in the garden. There were birds all over the trees feeding on the stations then flitting back to the trees. They danced amid branches, almost bare. The flame colour of the cherry tree and yellow and golden hues of the Silver Birch are glorious. The rambling roses along the garden wall are rich shiny red hips and there are offerings of riches from the ivy and solanum too. It was a delight to see the activity around feeding. I got some tea, came back to bed and watched a blackbird and thrush, then robins, sparrows, blue tits, coal tits, starlings and magpies. The whole neighbourhood was feeding in my garden. Jim had the binoculars, it was a wonderful to see them up close and for long periods of time. The Robin family who live here had their work cut out trying to defend their territory. The Father Robin (Maxwell) was on the compost bin issuing warnings to the tits. The Thrush was speckled and very beautiful. His name is Bram. There is a female Blackbird called Caroline. She is confident and well able for Max's abuse. She took up a position on the garden pillar where she had a full view of the front garden. The tit family children are Castello, Charlie, Melodie, Cobalt, Chloe and Primrose.
It was a mild November day by the sea. 12 degrees celcius, overcast and dark by 4.45 pm. The clocks went back two weeks ago.
This morning I opened the bedroom curtains to great activity in the garden. There were birds all over the trees feeding on the stations then flitting back to the trees. They danced amid branches, almost bare. The flame colour of the cherry tree and yellow and golden hues of the Silver Birch are glorious. The rambling roses along the garden wall are rich shiny red hips and there are offerings of riches from the ivy and solanum too. It was a delight to see the activity around feeding. I got some tea, came back to bed and watched a blackbird and thrush, then robins, sparrows, blue tits, coal tits, starlings and magpies. The whole neighbourhood was feeding in my garden. Jim had the binoculars, it was a wonderful to see them up close and for long periods of time. The Robin family who live here had their work cut out trying to defend their territory. The Father Robin (Maxwell) was on the compost bin issuing warnings to the tits. The Thrush was speckled and very beautiful. His name is Bram. There is a female Blackbird called Caroline. She is confident and well able for Max's abuse. She took up a position on the garden pillar where she had a full view of the front garden. The tit family children are Castello, Charlie, Melodie, Cobalt, Chloe and Primrose.
It was a mild November day by the sea. 12 degrees celcius, overcast and dark by 4.45 pm. The clocks went back two weeks ago.
 |
| Blue tit Charlie |
 |
| Max Robin |
Birds and Things November Blog
Yesterday we bought two Bird Feeding Stations in Aldi for 20 euro each. There has been no activity there but it will take a few days for the birds to get comfortable with visits and feeding.
It was James's 35th Birthday yesterday (Sunday 5 November) so he and Elaine came out to celebrate his special day. I do not know where time has gone to but it is gone!!. We are all growing older by the day. I made an apple cake with the last of the garden apples. It was delicious. We sat around the kitchen table chatting into the darkness and a Beaver moon.
Photos of the Bird Feeding Stations
 |
| Front Garden Station |
|
| Back Garden Station |
 |
| A swing with seeds and nuts for larger birds |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)