A Beautiful Day

Today, as most days are, was a beautiful day.  It doesn’t have to be sunny, or warm, or special, it was just beautiful.

I was alive when I woke up, that’s always a good start.

I ate breakfast, hung out some washing, fed the cat, washed the dishes, had a (please pardon the expression;  it is crude, but adequately describes nearly every morning, and dates from army days) shit, shave, shower, and shampoo.  I went for a walk. Talked to the trees, to spiders, to dogs and cats, and to a couple of humans.

I returned home, had a coffee, and started to read the blogs that I follow.  Now, I follow far fewer blogs than (supposedly) follow me. I do, however, attempt to read every single post of every single person that I follow.  I like every one of these, but choose fewer to comment on. It is very time consuming, but I enjoy it, and that, surely, is what life is all about!

On one of my regular reads,  Ann Koplow’s The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally, Ann’s post was entitled It’s a Beautiful Day. It was, as all of her posts are, very positive.  I shall leave you to explore her blog, if you so wish, but that is not my main purpose here.

Ann included a most exquisite piece of music by Tohpati (featuring Moonlight Project), and she commented that ‘It’s a beautiful day to share “It’s a Beautiful Day”, also that It’s a beautiful day when I find out about an Indonesian jazz guitarist and songwriter whose “most significant influence came from Pat Metheny.’

Do you know what, she was absolutely right. (and if you listen to the very end you will also discover that the musicians had a beautiful day too)

Apology to a spider – Rapid rhyme #28

I’m sorry Mrs Spider that I destroyed your home

I merely wished to walk your way whilst on my morning roam

I hope you soon restore the mess that I so rudely made

Please send the bill to me at once, it will be swiftly paid!

Song Lyric Sunday – June 28, 2020 –Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress

Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday gives us the chance to share familiar, and sometimes not so familiar, songs.

If you fancy sharing one of your favourite songs you can find out how to participate, and also listen to all the great entries, here.

Jim’s prompts this week are all about temperature, in that we get to choose from Cool, Freeze, Heat, and Melt. Now, I think that most people are aware that we British don’t do heat very well and this year, so far, we’ve had some pretty high temperatures (for us anyway!) so I thought I would cool off with a Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress. That’s my story anyway!

This Hollies song originally appeared on the album Distant Light, it was released as a single on 17 April 1972, selling 1.5 million copies in the United States and two million worldwide. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 24 song for 1972.

The song is different from most other Hollies songs in that there are no three-part vocal harmonies, instead it was written in the swamp rock style of Creedence Clearwater Revival, in terms of the vocal, rhythm, and melodic style.  According to Alan Clarke, the song was written “in about five minutes”. That’s as maybe, but it sure does get people up on the dance floor!

I hope you enjoy this live performance recorded from the television series Midnight Special.

 

and here, a version with lyrics and exquisite pictures of Charlotte Rampling who, incidentally, was 2.5 inches short of the  required 5’9″!

Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress

Saturday night I was downtown
Working for the FBI
Sitting in a nest of bad men
Whiskey bottles piling high

Bootlegging boozer on the west side
Full of people who are doing wrong
Just about to call up the D.A. man
When I heard this woman singing a song

A pair of forty fives made me open my eyes
My temperature started to rise

She was a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5’9″ beautiful ‘n’ tall
Just one look I was a bad mess
‘Cause that long cool woman had it all

I saw her heading to the table
Well, a tall walking big black cat
Charlie said, I hope that you’re able, boy
‘Cause I’m telling you she knows where it’s at

Well, suddenly we hear the sirens
And everybody started to run
Jumping under doors and tables
Well, I heard somebody shooting a gun

Well, the D.A. was pumping my left hand
She was holding my right
Well, I told her, don’t get scared
‘Cause you’re gonna be spared
I’ve gotta be forgiven if I wanna spend my living

With a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5’9″ beautiful ‘n’ tall
Well with just one look I was a bad mess
‘Cause that long cool woman had it all
Had it all, had it all, had it all
Had it all, had it all, had it all (she had it all)

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Alan Clarke / Roger Frederick Cook / Roger John Reginald Greenaway

Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Carlin America Inc

Skater’s Waltz — A Unique Title For Me

Music to make you smile – thanks to Jim Adams.

 

Emile Waldteufel’s famous composition from 1882 is known in English as ‘The Skaters’ Waltz’. It was inspired by the sight of Parisians skating on the frozen Seine river. Waldteufel wrote over 200 works, but this is the piece he is best remembered for and this is one of the most famous wintery pieces in classical […]

via Skater’s Waltz — A Unique Title For Me

Song Lyric Sunday 22/12/2019 – Christmas /Holiday /Snowman

Thank you to Jim Adams, who hosts Song Lyric Sunday and gives us the chance to share lots of familiar, and some not so familiar, songs.

If you fancy sharing one of your favourite songs you can find out how to participate, and also listen to all the great entries, here.

Of course, it’s only natural that the prompts are what they are, and there really is a lot to choose from for Christmas music. I’m not going to be giving you lots of detail about my choices this week because Christmas is all about joy, sharing, giving, children, love, and a little respite from the stress and strains of  this cut and thrust life we all seem to be part of now.

I’d like to share a little bit of joy with you all, and to thank Jim, for hosting this weekly share of music for this year, Helen Vahdati who started this great weekly event, and all of the participants and readers who are part of it all. May you all have a blessed Christmas and a Happy and healthy New Year ahead.

Please enjoy the music of Trans Siberian orchestra.

Firstly with the magic of Christmas Eve for a little girl. Will she get back before her mother catches her?

There’s SNOW AND KITTENS!

and secondly, if you must have lyrics, then here we have Christmas Canon. You’re watching the official music video for Trans-Siberian Orchestra – “Christmas Canon” from the album ‘The Christmas Attic’ (1998). “Christmas Canon” is set to the tune of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”.

and an alternative recording with lyrics on screen:

Christmas Canon

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas

the joy that he brings
(Merry Christmas) the joy that he brings
(Merry Christmas) the joy that he brings
(Merry Christmas) the joy that he brings

This night
We pray
Our lives
Will show

This dream
He had
Each child
Still knows

This night
We pray
Our lives
Will show

This dream
He had
Each child
Still knows

This night 
We pray
Our lives
Will show

This dream 
He had
Each child
Still knows

This night
We pray
Our lives
Will show

This dream
He had
Each child
Still knows

On this night
On this night
On this very Christmas night

On this night
On this night
On this very Christmas night

On this night
On this night
On this very Christmas night

On this night
On this night
On this very Christmas night

On this night
On this night
On this very Christmas night

On this night
On this night
On this very Christmas night

On this night
On this night
On this very Christmas night

On this night
On this night
On this very Christmas night

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Paul O’neill / Paul F. O’neill

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Cat astrophic omission

After reading all the terrible reviews of the Cats (2019) film, Daisy, my British Shorthair princess, would like it to be known that, although she auditioned for one of the leading roles, she was rejected for being too beautiful!

She thinks she’ll have to ponder a little and, of course, the best way to do that is to snooze.

Anatomy of Longing

I’ve just started to follow Tom, and have read only 2 of his poems so far.
If this one is typical of his talent then I am really going to enjoy his words, and his voice. He has tremendous expression and, I’m sure, he is going to gain a tremendous following.
Listen to “Anatomy of Longing” and then try “Ellipsis”. I’m sure you will love them!

The Lighthouse

Cutting to the heart of all this longing
is it the vicious tongue you wag at me
or the perpetual mystery hanging from your actions
the contradictions of your possible state of mind

I see the hurt, I feel the pain you carry
and sense your urge to be desired by men
the flirt of all you do rings loudly before you
and against my better judgement
I can’t help but come swimming back to your shores

With every scar you try to inflict
or accidentally leave on my skin
I drift away for a moment only
then find myself battling the waves
I can’t help but come swimming back to your shores

I know you didn’t ask for this
I know you didn’t choose me or this adventure
and yet I brought it to you anyway
and you didn’t quite turn me away

And you’re cute, there’s no denying

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On reflection #1

I talk to the trees………..

This popped up in my Facebook “memories” today. I thought it may be of interest, even though it is rather a long read.

Peter's pondering

Not only do I talk to the trees, I talk to all manner of things.

Each morning I go for a walk.

I have various routes, but all take in fields, woodland, the River Erewash, the Erewash canal, bridges, a main road, and suburban streets.

Some days I hardly see a living soul, others I see far too many!

My normal route takes me down my road, which has only some 9 houses. At the bottom of the road I have my first conversation, with a brazen hussy who rolls on the ground and will not let me pass before she is satisfied. Somewhere close by her brother will be watching. He is more timid and undemanding. Their Mummy lives at the end house and thinks they are both boys!

I explain that I have to get on, and continue on my way. She follows, then runs ahead. It is…

View original post 1,667 more words

The People of a Place — The Chatter Blog

For Paddy, and all those unsung heroes who are the salt of the earth, thanks to Colleen for introducing some of them to us.

We approached an Irish monument. I’m always excited to see the world as it used to be, or relics of it and use my imagination to create how I think it was. It was late in the day and only stragglers wandered about. As I stepped through the gates I could see an elderly man […]

via The People of a Place — The Chatter Blog