01.30.07
Posted in Chaucer's posts, Yoelson's posts at 2:49 pm by Chaucer
Nothing to say today, so we thought we would post this because ……. we like it.
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage.
A dove-house fill’d with doves and pigeons
Shudders hell thro’ all its regions.
A dog starv’d at his master’s gate
Predicts the ruin of the state.
A horse misused upon the road
Calls to heaven for human blood.
Each outcry of the hunted hare
A fibre from the brain does tear.
A skylark wounded in the wing,
A cherubim does cease to sing.
The game-cock clipt and arm’d for fight
Does the rising sun affright.
Every wolf’s and lion’s howl
Raises from hell a human soul.
The wild deer, wand’ring here and there,
Keeps the human soul from care.
The lamb misus’d breeds public strife,
And yet forgives the butcher’s knife.
The bat that flits at close of eve
Has left the brain that won’t believe.
The owl that calls upon the night
Speaks the unbeliever’s fright.
He who shall hurt the little wren
Shall never be belov’d by men.
He who the ox to wrath has mov’d
Shall never be by woman lov’d.
The wanton boy that kills the fly
Shall feel the spider’s enmity.
He who torments the chafer’s sprite
Weaves a bower in endless night.
The caterpillar on the leaf
Repeats to thee thy mother’s grief.
Kill not the moth nor butterfly,
For the last judgement draweth nigh.
He who shall train the horse to war
Shall never pass the polar bar.
The beggar’s dog and widow’s cat,
Feed them and thou wilt grow fat.
The gnat that sings his summer’s song
Poison gets from slander’s tongue.
The poison of the snake and newt
Is the sweat of envy’s foot.
The poison of the honey bee
Is the artist’s jealousy.
The prince’s robes and beggar’s rags
Are toadstools on the miser’s bags.
A truth that’s told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.
It is right it should be so;
Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Thro’ the world we safely go.
Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
The babe is more than swaddling bands;
Every farmer understands.
Every tear from every eye
Becomes a babe in eternity;
This is caught by females bright,
And return’d to its own delight.
The bleat, the bark, bellow, and roar,
Are waves that beat on heaven’s shore.
The babe that weeps the rod beneath
Writes revenge in realms of death.
The beggar’s rags, fluttering in air,
Does to rags the heavens tear.
The soldier, arm’d with sword and gun,
Palsied strikes the summer’s sun.
The poor man’s farthing is worth more
Than all the gold on Afric’s shore.
One mite wrung from the lab’rer’s hands
Shall buy and sell the miser’s lands;
Or, if protected from on high,
Does that whole nation sell and buy.
He who mocks the infant’s faith
Shall be mock’d in age and death.
He who shall teach the child to doubt
The rotting grave shall ne’er get out.
He who respects the infant’s faith
Triumphs over hell and death.
The child’s toys and the old man’s reasons
Are the fruits of the two seasons.
The questioner, who sits so sly,
Shall never know how to reply.
He who replies to words of doubt
Doth put the light of knowledge out.
The strongest poison ever known
Came from Caesar’s laurel crown.
Nought can deform the human race
Like to the armour’s iron brace.
When gold and gems adorn the plow,
To peaceful arts shall envy bow.
A riddle, or the cricket’s cry,
Is to doubt a fit reply.
The emmet’s inch and eagle’s mile
Make lame philosophy to smile.
He who doubts from what he sees
Will ne’er believe, do what you please.
If the sun and moon should doubt,
They’d immediately go out.
To be in a passion you good may do,
But no good if a passion is in you.
The whore and gambler, by the state
Licensed, build that nation’s fate.
The harlot’s cry from street to street
Shall weave old England’s winding-sheet.
The winner’s shout, the loser’s curse,
Dance before dead England’s hearse.
Every night and every morn
Some to misery are born,
Every morn and every night
Some are born to sweet delight.
Some are born to sweet delight,
Some are born to endless night.
We are led to believe a lie
When we see not thro’ the eye,
Which was born in a night to perish in a night,
When the soul slept in beams of light.
God appears, and God is light,
To those poor souls who dwell in night;
But does a human form display
To those who dwell in realms of day.
Permalink
01.29.07
Posted in Chaucer's posts at 1:58 pm by Chaucer
We rattle when we walk. We have been taking our new supplements for a few days now, and I am sure we are already feeling the benefits. We have been taking Chlorella and Spirulina for a few months, and now we are also taking Omega 3, and a Multi Vitamin and Mineral. We do eat a very healthy diet, and try to eat organic but as it is not always possible, and a lot of food has been tampered with from over production and other pollutants, we thought a little extra help would be a good idea. We don’t like taking pills but after lots of research we think it is worth the effort. I know it could be psychological, but we are definitely feeling very good on our new regime. We buy our supplements online as there isn’t much choice in the local shops. It took us weeks to find the best Omega 3 and Vitamin/Mineral tablets for us. There are so many different brands to choose from, and not all of them contain what they claim to. After our lenghty research we are confident that we have bought the best supplements, and hopefully we will be feeling even better as time goes by.
Permalink
01.28.07
Posted in Yoelson's posts at 2:14 pm by Yoelson
I cooked lunch today to give Chaucer a rest. He looks after me so well, and I wanted to let him know how much I appreciate it. I am not as good at cooking as Chaucer, I guess it’s because he has had more practice. I made us a tasty meal of sauted potatoes and onion, into which I put some sliced smoked salmon, and I topped it with grilled bacon, and an egg. It was delicious, especially the salmon, us Teddy Bears love smoked salmon. I think I cooked too much though, more to the point I dished up too much, and because it was so nice we ate it all. Now we are so full all we want to do is sleep, so we’re off for an afternoon nap.
Permalink
01.27.07
Posted in Chaucer's posts at 3:39 pm by Chaucer
We are not very happy little Teddy bears. We like to be nice and warm, and it is definitely not warm here. It is very cold. This morning when we woke up it was only 13c in the bedroom. We had to summon up all our will power just to get out of bed. The bathroom was even colder, a measly 7c, I think that it gets so cold in there because the roof is slanted and there obviously wasn’t much room to put in thick insulation. We love our home, but it is very cold in the winter. I guess the lounge and kitchen being so large and open plan, and the staircase being open means a lot of the warm air flows upstairs. The sun was coming in through the loung windows though which made us feel warmer. Thankfully Richard had been up since about 5:30am and he put the heating on, so I guess we can’t complain as it would have been even colder when we got up. That is one of the very few things we miss about our home in London, the central heating. We don’t have it here and I wish we did. This house has electric wall heaters, an open fire in the lounge, and Richard and Laura bought a couple of petrol heaters too. I am glad I don’t have to pay the electricity bills, they are astronomical. It’s ironic really that electricity is so expensive here, considering how much France produces, I guess it’s because they sell so much of it to other countries. Oh well, at least we have a roof over our heads even of we do feel cold. There are so many people who are homeless, I often think of them, even more so when it is so cold. Outside the temperature is 8c, with the wind making it feel much colder, at least that’s 1 degree warmer than our bathroom, maybe Yoelson and I should bathe out there. Maybe not, the neighbours would think we are mad.
Permalink
01.25.07
Posted in Chaucer's posts at 2:54 pm by Chaucer
Yesterday we were online when we came across a post about hummus or is it houmous, I don’t know? We were not hungry but the recipe made our mouths water. So when Laura and Richard were out of the kitchen Yoelson and I set about making some hummus. We haven’t made any for ages, and it is so simple and tasty. Laura makes it often, she loves it but Richard doesn’t like chick peas. Everyone seems to use a different variation of the main ingredients in hummus, but we kept it simple like Laura does. We used chick peas, lots of garlic, olive oil, and a dash or two of balsamic vinegar. We used a very good quality extra virgin olive oil, which is so creamy that we couldn’t resist enjoying a spoonful each straight from the bottle. We didn’t use tahini as some people do, and we didn’t use lemon or lime juice, which is why we added the balsamic vinegar. I know balsamic is considered a bit over hyped now by some people, but we still love it. Once again Yoelson and I enjoyed a couple of spoonfuls of vinegar straight out of the bottle, yummy. Richard sometimes orders food online from a wonderful company in Italy, mainly pasta, olive oil, vinegar, conserves, and wine. I remember the last time he placed an order he mentioned to Laura about a particular bottle of balsamic vinegar that he had wanted to order. Laura asked him why he didn’t order it if he fancied it, to which he replied that he didn’t think she would be impressed. She asked him why and he said because it was a small bottle, 100ml and was priced at €153. We are hoping that the next time Richard places an order with that company in Italy he will order one of those tiny bottles of vinegar, it must taste fantasic because the balsamic vinegar that Richard usually buys has a lovely flavour and it is ever so slightly less expensive than that one. I know two eager Teddy Bears who will happily perform a taste test if Richard does decided to splash out. For now we are happy with our hummus, thickly spread on pieces of crusty baguette.
Permalink
01.24.07
Posted in Chaucer's posts, Our Photos at 2:05 pm by Chaucer
Yesterday Laura was feeling energetic so to use up some of her energy she decided to do some more gardening. The day before she has pulled up lots of weeds and tidied up the terrace. So yesterday she finished off the terrace by giving the tiles a good scrubbing. Then she set to work on the car which was very dirty. As the car lives under a couple of trees it is usually covered in bird poo, nasty. Laura must be mad, because although the sun was out there was a very strong wind and it was bitterly cold. The cold weather didn’t seem to deter Laura and she covered the car in neat shampoo to try and loosen the bird droppings and tree sap. The car looked funny covered in thick white bubbles and the wind was blowing the soapy foam everywhere. Yoelson and I wanted to go outside and play with the bubbles, but we are not as mad as Laura, there was no way we were setting a paw outside the house. Once the car had been soaped and rubbed all over Laura persuaded Richard to drive across to the other side of the river to rinse the car. She could have rinsed the car at home but the water would have just sat under the car as there is nowhere for it to run away. On the other side of the river there is a water pipe for the locals to use when they spray their vines. It only took a few minutes to rinse the car, and although he got out initially Richard soon decided to wait inside the car in the warmth while Laura went crazy with the hose. Once back at home they ate their lunch, and not long after Richard and the sun went for a nap. With the sun gone and the sky darker it wasn’t long before we saw thick fluffy snowflakes falling from above. It looked so pretty, but not pretty enough for us to venture outside. We stayed in and watched as everything was covered in a think soft white blanket. This morning the sun is up from its nap and the snow has almost melted. Laura always says that she can predict the weather, when she cleans the windows, or washes the car, or waters the plants, she can guarantee it will rain, well this time she was wrong, it snowed.
Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into, the mind. ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Permalink
01.23.07
Posted in Chaucer's posts at 2:36 pm by Chaucer
I have thought for years that life as we know it is not what it seems. There are so many weird and wonderful things, but so much that doesn’t make sense. I think I know why, I know the truth. Life is a game, and we are the bit part players. We are the tiny little creatures that believe we are acting of our own free will, when in fact we are merely playthings. I’m not sure who or what, but there is someone or something that controls our every thought, our every action. Obviously as there are so many of us on earth life is a very complicated and exhausting game. This would explain all of the tragic events that occur, it only takes a second for the ‘controller’ to stop concentrating and … Wham, an accident, a tradegy happens. Whoever the controller is, they are certainly powerful, and very spoilt, because life must be the best scalextric set ever. Imagine having the world and every living thing to play with. I just hope they never get bored and decide to play with the box instead.
The truth is rarely pure and never simple.
The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple. Oscar Wilde
Permalink
01.22.07
Posted in Yoelson's posts at 3:04 pm by Yoelson
Forbes have named the top three richest women in entertainment. They are 1-Oprah Winfrey, 2-J K Rowling, 3-Martha Stewart. I have read too many conflicting amounts to know exactly how much these women are worth, but it is safe to say they are very wealthy. Good for them, I hope they enjoy all of the things that having money affords them. I think it is odd that just because a person is entertaining, be it by writing, singing, acting etc, they can become a millionaire or even a billionaire. There are many people who really make the world a better place, and yet they are not billionaires or even millionaires. It doesn’t matter how hard, or for how long they they work, they will never become rich from their hard work. I don’t care that Oprah or Martha or someone who can sing, or act are so wealthy, but I think it would be wonderful if the people who really make a difference were as well paid for their efforts. The Scientists, Nurses, Aid Workers, Firefighters, Surgeons, all these people who really make a difference to the lives of others. Oh well, nothing is perfect. Chaucer and I don’t save lives for a living, and we can’t sing so I guess that’s why our names were not on this years Forbes list. There is always next year though.
Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.
Woody Allen.
It frees you from doing the things you dislike. Since I dislike doing nearly everything, money is handy. Groucho Marx.
When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know it is. Oscar Wilde.
Permalink
01.20.07
Posted in Chaucer's posts at 2:18 pm by Chaucer
Laura cooked lunch today to give Richard a rest. He is struggling to walk as his arthritis has been causing him a lot of pain for the last week or so. Yoelson and I would love to give him a big hug to make him feel better, but we don’t want to freak him out. I am pleased that Laura seems to have made way too much food for two people because it means we can eat some of the leftovers. Laura is a very slow cook, and the kitchen looked a complete mess by the time she had finished. I think she must have used every saucepan and utensil we have, but it was worth it as her and Richard seemed to thoroughly enjoy their lunch. Laura made homemade sausages, they are so much nicer than store bought ones and you know exactly what’s in them, she also made colcannon, and homemade apple sauce. We are looking forward to eating a little of everything later this afternoon. We sat outside on the terrace for a while at lunch time, it’s hard to believe that it’s January as the temperature in the sun was 31c, fantastic. It was lovely and peaceful outside too, until some of the local men met up across the river to go hunting. I have assured Yoelson that they hunt wild boar, they won’t be shooting at us. I hope I am correct, I think I am, they definitely don’t look like Teddy Bear hunters.
Permalink
01.19.07
Posted in Chaucer's posts at 2:06 pm by Chaucer
Richard made a delicious stir fry today for him and Laura. At least it smelt delicious, we haven’t tasted any yet, we are waiting for them to be out of the way before we sneak into the kitchen and sample the food. The whole house now smells of ginger, yummy. Not much else to write, the strong gusts of wind kept us awake most of last night, so we are very tired.
Consciousness ~ that annoying time between naps.
Permalink
« Previous entries ·