SCHOOL FRUIT AND VEG IN 1976

SCHOOL FRUIT AND VEG  IN 1976

I have come to the conclusion I am a very ‘image’ orientated person and losing the use of my camera has been a bit like losing the use of a limb, or more accurately like losing one of the senses. BUT…. Sitting here, looking in sadness at my camera my eyes drifted toward my scanner…hmmmmm images I thought.

Then I remembered this little book. I have been meaning to share bits of this book for ages. I came across the book by accident, it was in a huge box of paper intended for recycling that had been sent down from the HE department (home economics) and I was sorting through it to make sure it was all suitable for recycling. Buried at the bottom of the box were this and two other similar books. They were obviously used by the HE department in pre-computer/ internet times to introduce the pupils to the benefits of good eating. I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away, I think they are delightful, simple, beautifully illustrated books from a time that seems like yesterday but was in fact over 30 years ago. So… not being in a position to go out and take pictures, I thought I would scan the book and share it with you.














OH I remembner books like this, school's just not the same any more. These pictures can all be enlarged by clicking and they are big enough to actually read the text.  

Random Thoughts; and think I would like Chickens.

The new computer is great, no problems here, but would you believe.................as soon as  I downloaded all the photographs from my camera......the camera died!!!!
Looks like I am camera-less for a while unless I get it fixed because, having just paid out on a computer, I don't think I'll be paying out on a new camera for a while.
I loved my camera...........a Fujifilm finePix S5000, a very much appreciated gift from a friend.
Even with a new efficient computer I don't seem to have the time to spend here the way I used too, there always seems so much to do. I am organising a whole school 'Green Awareness Day' at the school which is very time demanding, I've also bought lots of bulbs and wild flowers for the pupils to plant. The wild flower patch at the top of my garden is beginning to look good. For the first time I have a thick patch of forget-me-nots growing in the corner under the old apple tree. There are wild, old fashioned primroses behind the composter and bluebells poking up through the periwinkle. Oh how I wish I could go photo it all for you  .....SIGHHHHH
I have managed to cut the hedge to a level I think will be easier to maintain and I'm hoping this will help it to grow thicker and encourage the birds to nest.
Now.............I don't know a lot about bumble bees but I seem to have a resident one in my garden (are they Territorial??) Every time I go out there I hear the low steady drone of a pot bellied, fat little bumble bee, and then I always see him in the same area of the garden. Actually I always thinking of 'him' as 'him', but in reality this could be me seeing lots of different bumble bees every time I go out...........SO...........ARE they territorial? is this the same one I keep seeing??

The chicken at the top is a Scotts Grey, Apparently an old Scottish breed and particularly suitable for this climate. I love her..........she is so cute...........just wish I could keep her but I'm still not at all sure my garden is big enough.
And now...............since I don't have lots of pictures to show you, I'm off to do a bit of an 'Art' blog...........this has been a while in coming and I'm really looking forward to it.

THE POEMS OF OSSIAN

The Poems of Ossian

James Macpherson's The Poems of Ossian (1760-1763) were one of the publishing highlights of the eighteenth century. In 1760, Macpherson published Fragments Of Ancient Poetry, a translation, he claimed, of a great Celtic epic created in the third century by the blind bard Ossian narrating the tales of Fingal, Celtic warrior of old.

Ossianic admirers included Burns, Scott, Wordsworth, Yeats, Beethoven, Ingres and most famously Napoleon, who carried the epic into battle and read passages from it every night. Napoleon loved the tales of Ossian because these tales provided him with North European Myths, Legends, Hero’s and cultural roots that rivaled the best ancient Rome or Greece had to offer. This ready made North European cultural mythology has integrated itself into modern Celtic identity. The tales of Ossian have provided inspiration for poets, authors, artists and even politicians ever since they were published.  
But a deluge of doubt regarding the poems authenticity began when Samuel Johnson denounced the work as a forgery. Despite the more recent academic (but doubtful) evidence in his favour, Macpherson is still perceived by many as one of Scotland's greatest cultural con-artists. Macpherson claimed his poems were a true and accurate record of ancient oral poetry told to him in Gaelic during his extensive travels over the highlands and islands of Scotland. Macpherson's ‘discovery’ of the epic poet Ossian in the Scottish Highlands evoked fascination and controversy in equal measure. He had a vision of a romantic Celtic past peopled by wandering heroes and romantic bairds which han immediate impact on eighteenth-century culture through out Scotland and across Europe. The influence of Ossian lives on.  

To read the full transcript of OSSIAN go here
http://solomonspalding.com/SRP/Ossian/MacPidx0.htm

but here is a little, just a taster.

C A T H - L O D A:

* DUAN FIRST.

A TALE of the times of old!

Why, thou wanderer unseen! Thou bender of the thistle of Lora; why, thou breeze of the valley, hast thou left mine ear? I hear no distant roar of streams! No sound of the harp from the rock! Come, thou huntress of Lutha, Malvina, call back his soul to the bard. I look forward to Lochlin of lakes, to the dark billowy bay of U-thorno, where Fingal descends from ocean, from the roar of winds. Few are the heroes of Morven in a land unknown!

Starno sent a dweller of Loda to bid Fingal to the feast; but the king remembered the past, and all his rage arose. "Nor Gormal's mossy towers, nor Starno, shall Fingal behold. Deaths wander, like shadows, over his fiery soul! Do I forget that beam of light, the white-handed daughter * of kings? Go, son of Loda; his words are wind to Fingal: wind, that, to and fro drives the thistle in autumn's dusky vale. Duth-maruno, † arm

of death! Cromma-glas, of iron shields! Struthmor, dweller of battle's wing! Cromar, whose ships bound on seas, careless as the course of a meteor, on dark-rolling clouds! Arise around me, children of heroes, in a land unknown! Let each look on his shield like Trenmor, the ruler of wars. "Come down," thus Trenmor said, "thou dweller between the harps! Thou shalt roll this stream away, or waste with me in earth."

Around the king they rise in wrath. No words come forth: they seize their spears. Each soul is rolled into itself. At length the sudden clang is waked on all their echoing shields. Each takes his hill by night; at intervals they darkly stand. Unequal bursts the hum of songs, between the roaring wind!

Broad over them rose the moon!

In his arms came tall Duth-maruno: he, from Croma of rocks, stern hunter of the boar! In his dark boat he rose on waves, when Crumthormo * awaked its woods. In the chase he shone, among foes: No fear was thine, Duth-maruno! "Son of daring Comhal, shall my steps be forward through night? From this shield shall I view them, over their gleaming tribes? Starno, king of lakes, is before me, and Swaran, the foe of strangers. Their words are not in vain, by Loda's stone of power. -- Should Duth-maruno not return, his spouse is lonely at home, where meet two roaring streams on Crathmo-craulo's plain. Around are hills, with echoing woods; the ocean is rolling near. My son looks on screaming sea-fowl, a young wanderer on the field. Give the head of a boar to Can-dona, * tell him of his father's joy, when rolled on his lifted spear. Tell him of my deeds in war! Tell where his father fell!"

"Not forgetful of my fathers," said Fingal, "I have bounded over the seas. Theirs were the times of danger in the days of old. Nor settles darkness on me, before foes, though youthful in my locks. Chief of Crathmocraulo, the field of night is mine."


Fingal rushed, in all his arms, wide bounding over Turthor's stream, that sent its sullen roar, by night, through Gormal's misty vale. A moonbeam glittered on a rock; in the midst stood a stately form; a form with floating locks, like Lochlin's white-bosomed maids. Unequal are her steps, and short. She throws a broken song on wind. At times she tosses her white arms: for grief is dwelling in her soul.


This work has influenced artists past and present, these are just a few of the paintings based on the poems of Ossian.

1.    Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson (1767-1824), L’apothéose des héros français morts pour la patrie pendant la guerre de la Liberté.
[Apotheosis of the French Heroes Who Died for their Fatherland During the War for Liberty]
Painted in 1802.


 2. Nicolai Abildgaard: Ossian, 1782, Copenhagen.


3.    The Dream of Ossian, by Jean Dominique Ingres (1815)

4.    The Dream of Ossian, By Jean Dominique Ingres 1833

5.    The Ossian exhibition by Scottish artist  Calum Colvin,
To see web site of the full exhibition go here,
 http://www.calumcolvin.com/media/ossian/thumbs8a.htm
and if you want to find out more about this contemporary Scottish artist go here,

http://www.calumcolvin.com/


6.  François-Pascal-Simon Gérard
Ossian on the Bank of the Lora, Invoking the Gods to the Strains


7.    Ossian Conjuring up Spirits'
    by the Hungarian painter Karoly Kisfaludy, 1788-1830.


Music sung in Gaelic by Runrig

New Computer Up and Running.

At last...........here I sit, finally, in my own home and on my own computer. I resorted to buying a new (reconditioned) computer from eBay and it was delivered today. I managed to keep the old keyboard and monitor etc which kept the cost down quite a but so guess it could have been worse. The good news is....the new computer seems good, so far its fast and does exactly what I ask it to do first time and without bother. Just hope it continues to behave as perfectly as it does now. I've spent the evening feeding it software and installing printer, scanner burner and other assorted bits and pieces. And now.............well.............time to start catching up with things.

The holiday was great, so nice to get away for a while and catch up with my sisters who I don't see very often.

They live about 600 miles south of here and for me................that's too far to visit very often.

I took my daughter and her daughter and we managed to spend some time with my sisters granddaughters ( 2 year old twins). I last saw them as tiny babies and now they are toddlers who are lots of fun but into every thing.

The day they visited they found some old hats and had a wonderful time with them.

My sisters daughter is a very grown up young lady of 17 and my granddaughter followed her around, there seemed to be some hero worship going on, nails painted, hair tonged, cakes baked together..........she had a great time (I think they both did).

 
There was the day at the park that I've already mentioned. It was a fantastic day and left me with a growing urge to keep chickens.

Not sure why but I really like the idea of fresh free range eggs and feeding the chocks every morning.

Sure there must be more to it than that but it is an appealing idea and i'm sure that even with my tiny garden there should be enough space for just a couple of chocks.


The first thing I noticed about my garden was the forget-me-nots had flowered while I was away. I just love those forget-me-nots !!

My neighbours must be wondering why I have a bath, basin and toilet in my garden, they are not new but they are very good quality and in great condition and my daughters decided they would look so much better in my bathroom than my old (but perfectly serviceable) 1970's green bathroom set. They did the lifting and delivery and they plan on doing all the plumbing  for me so guess it will be ok and I should be grateful. I don't mind the green, I think in ten years time people are going to be putting them back in to houses and calling it 'retro'

Anyway.........I've been thinking about this and decided the green bath, once it's out of my bathroom, will make a perfect wild life pond with frogs and toads and dragonflies and water plants. Now I am really looking forward to getting a wild life pond in my garden and it certainly makes to upheaval of having a bathroom plumbed all worth while. Not exactly what my daughters had in mind, they were looking forward to taking the old bath etc to the tip.

I am hoping they put off the plumbing until the kitchen is totally finished. The kitchen seems to have been on going for months but it is almost there, just have to get they guy back to do the work tops on the other side of the kitchen and put up my shelf unit. That's all pretty straight forward compared to what I've already had done and it should all be sorted very soon.

And now it's getting late and I'll have to drag my self away from my new computer and head toward bed...........work again tomorrow, its just so so wonderful to be able to sit here and in my own house on my own computer........utter bliss.
Night all..........will be doing my best to catch up with every one very soon.

Back from my Holiday but still sitting in the Library !!

 

 

Sad but true.............still no computer at home! So here I sit in the public library downloading all my holiday pics into flickr and attempting to catch up with a few people.  The situation is, the laptop is not salvagable and the desk-top looks like it has suffered the same fate. I have managed to find a reconditioned desktop on eBay fairly cheap. Think I can still use the monitor, keyboard and mouse that I have so hopefully the eBay find will solve my problems, all I am wauting for now is a delivery date. Lets hope it's soon.

The holiday was just what I needed, some time out with family, lots of food, lots of wine and lots of chat. My sisters and their respective families are a hospitibal lot and it has been a while so there was a lot of catching up to do.

We had a pretty amazing day out with my grandaughter to a place called West Lodge Farm Park where she fed lambs, stroked pigs and generally had a great time. I'm hoping if I bring photos over here from flickr you can see them.......oh this not having a computer at home is very inconvenient, can't wait for the new one to arrive so every thing can go back to normal.

This was the highlight of the holiday for my granddaughter..............she loved it, check it out;

 

http://www.westlodgeruralcentre.co.uk

 

Happy Easter to you all

Happy Easter to you all.

I thought I had better do this while I have the chance. My little laptop crashed last night and I still haven't got around to 'phoning the guy about the PC (which crashed sometime last month which is why I was using the laptop in the first place !!). So here I sit at the public library checking my emails and looking up a few bits and pieces before heading off home. I'm off to my sisters for a few days over the Easter holidays which means I probably wont get the chance to sort out the PC before I leave. The plan is to take the laptop with me, my sister can usually sort out the technical/ computer stuff and then phone the guy about getting the PC fixed. But for now I have resorted to public library facilities. Hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful Easter. I leave you with one of my favourite paintings;

A Summer Day, Machrihanish 1898, by William McTaggart. To see the rest of his paintings follow the link

http://forgetmenot525.multiply.com/photos/album/73/William_McTaggart_1835_-_1910_seascapes

 

 

WHERE DID THAT WEEK GO??.....and LOVAGE

WHERE DID THAT WEEK GO??.....and LOVAGE.

Can’t believe it’s a whole week since I’ve managed to get online for any length of time. Coping with the kitchen totally stressed me out and I needed a couple of days to recoup from the ordeal.

This last week has been the final week of term and I have been very, very busy at my work.

I’ve had more pupils outside getting involved in gardening projects.

We now have a herb garden, three potato barrels and lots more hedgerow bushes planted.

We also have beautiful planters either side of the main entrance with different heathers and lavender plants.

The Wild flowers we planted last year are beginning to grow and the woodland area is showing signs of spring. These kids really seem to take to the gardening.

Last weekend my PC died on me, thank heavens this time I have been backing up as I go. A while ago I bought a freestanding external hard drive, so glad I did because I have been using it religiously every night to back up any thing I had done that day on the computer. If I hadn’t done this I would have lost every thing. I have been so busy I haven’t had chance to get the PC looked at yet, I just hauled down my old laptop from the top shelf and have been making do with that. The lap top is ok………….only real problem is that it ‘lost’ its sound device a while ago, hence no videos. But apart for operating totally in ‘silent’ mode, the lap top does just fine until I get round to getting the PC looked at.

Now school is closed for the Easter break, two whole weeks without having to get up and go to work, oh bliss!! Already I’ve managed to get across the river to Tayport to visit a friend I don’t see very often. She made soup from the vegetables  she grows in her garden, flavoured with her own home grown herbs and washed down with wine she made from her berries last year. She gave me some Lovage……………….don’t think I’ve ever grown Lovage before. Any one know a good use for Lovage??? Sure you do, you probably have hundreds of uses for Lovage so please…… share your knowledge with me.


Two weeks is so little time to do every thing I plan to do. There is work in the garden, work in the kitchen, do a bit of drawing, do a lot of catching up here, fit all that around the inevitable babysitting and  still have time for the 5 day visit to my Mother and Sisters who live about 500 miles south of here.

But for now……………….it’s just very nice to have my kitchen back and round off my day with a bit of time here.