Twittering Tales # 147 – 30 July 2019

It’s time again, for Kat Myrman’s wonderful challenge, to write a story, inspired by her picture prompt, in 280 characters or fewer.

Here is this week’s prompt and my contribution.

Check out all the fabulously creative entries here and, if you’ve never had a go, why not try a story of your own? You may surprise yourself!

Photo by enriquelopezgarre at Pixabay.com

I had difficulty this week in coming up with a tale that I was happy with. In the course of trying, I discovered that  a coarse sand grain may have a diameter of 1/20th of an inch. A first-order approximation of the number of grains of sand in one cubic inch (assuming cubic arrangement, spherical grains, uniformly sized) would be 20 x 20 x 20, or 8,000.

I am still managing to learn new things, even at my vast age! Use this information wisely folks.

Instead of a tale I imagined all of the difficulties of keeping the family happy, and entertained, on a crowded beach.

Happy holiday

Lots of people twittering

most of them are littering

beach and ocean too

surely that’s not you

 

angry folk are bickering

bullies nasty snickering

what are we to do

what is that to you?

 

Mums and Dads with separate lives

wonder then that love survives

a rather dismal view

it’s really up to you

(280 characters)

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Twittering Tales #146 – 23 July 2019

It’s time again, for Kat Myrman’s wonderful challenge, to write a story, inspired by her picture prompt, in 280 characters or fewer.

Here is this week’s prompt and my contribution.

Check out all the fabulously creative entries here and, if you’ve never had a go, why not try a story of your own? You may surprise yourself!

Cenote Cave in the Yukatan by mattiaverga at Pixabay.com

She collected, and bred, carnivorous plants all her life, and was considered an expert.
She thought she had every type until offered a gigantic pitcher plant she had never seen before.
She was delighted with the new acquisition, and decided to name it after the donor, Herman Trapp!

(280 characters)

 

Lundi limerick #42

A Kudu is Lesser or Greater

from Africa near the Equator

The Greater adorns

some great twisted horns

The Lesser has ones that are straighter!

 

Here are some facts about the Greater Kudu

..and would you believe that there are Kudu Dung Spitting contests?

 

 

Lundi limerick #41

A leopard cannot change its spots

and some of them have lots and lots

It’s funny to think

of a leopard in pink

or in tartan, for those who are Scots

Lundi limerick #37

A Polar Bear, cuddly, and cute

loved sliding downstairs on a chute

She lived on the ice

ate sugar and spice

and played every day on the flute

Fun Polar Bear Facts for Kids (and older kids)

Polar bears live in the Arctic.

Polar bears have black skin and although their fur appears white, it is actually transparent.

It is the largest carnivore that lives on land.

Polar bears use sea ice as a platform to hunt seals.

Seals make up most of a polar bear’s diet, although this one also likes hot dogs!

Twittering Tales #138 – 28 May 2019

It’s time again, for Kat Myrman’s wonderful challenge, to write a story, inspired by her picture prompt, in 280 characters or fewer.

Here is this week’s prompt and my contribution.

Check out all the fabulously creative entries here and, if you’ve never had a go, why not try a story of your own? You may surprise yourself!

Photo by Moritz 320 at Pixabay.com

My mind was a complete blank for this prompt. Not unusual for my mind to be blank, but I can normally dream up some weird linked tale. Well, not this week, so I let my mind run a little bit wilder and came up with this little poem which is, I hasten to add, entirely a figment of my weird imagination. HONESTLY! Also, it fails miserably to come within the correct count.

All is ready, what a lark
hands unsteady, oh it’s dark
tripod mounted, camera fixed
film all counted, cocktails mixed
off with tops and let’s get snapping
I love swaps but not the slapping
All gone home, the films are printed
all alone I stared and squinted
Some may say I’m sad and lonely
Come and join us, ah, if only!

(311 characters)

Lundi limerick #32

I befriended an umbrella bird

a beast that is somewhat absurd

it has a strange wattle

with multi-hued mottle

and dances divinely when stirred

 

 

Actually it is the bird of paradise that dances divinely and you can see the dance here.

Introducing — Gloria Smud

Debbie Jones lives in llangullno, in Wales, and has this lovely blog under the fantastically clever title of Gloria Smud. You’ll see why, and how, it got to be named thus if you have a wander round her blog. You will not be disappointed.

Debbie has been writing for quite some time, but blogging for only a short time. She will, I’m sure, become very successful with lots of avid readers. Here is your chance to read her fantastic poetry and see, and hear about her little bit of paradise.

A Magical Palace Lay me down on a blanket of white, Where tears are frozen and eyes shut tight. Feeling the tingle from cool, crisp sheets, Drifting down, silently, piece by piece. A magical palace, where earth blends with sky, And freezing stars glisten, remotely, on high. A calming, clear bitterness, fashioned from ice, Where…

via A Magical Palace — Gloria Smud

A bit of a boob

My long-term neighbours (LTN) decided, some time ago, to pack whatever they needed and go travelling in their caravan. They are currently somewhere in Scotland.

They were good neighbours and the sort of folk who like gadgets, like to make things, build things, improve things, maintain things. Always busy, on the go. Whatever they do, they do to their utmost, they do it effectively and, with planning, and the right tools, which they have in abundance, they always end up with a very professional job.

A couple of years ago they put up a quadruple nest box on the back of their house, designed for sparrows. No-one took up residence!

Meanwhile, they let out their house to a young couple who had decided to try out living together to see how it worked out. Apparently, it’s a thing! Who knew?

They seem very pleasant, both are musical types, she a teacher of wind instruments, he, I have no idea, but he is away a lot, putting on shows of some sort.

They are both 20 something but seem childlike in their behaviour. Perhaps I’m just an old fuddy duddy.

He is very slim, quite small, and wears the normal uniform of jeans, tee shirts , and trainers. She is small and a little dumpy, and tends to wear low cut neck lines that could raise my blood pressure were I to dwell on them, especially as she has very well developed muscles.

Last Spring we were having a bumper time for birds. I have feeders all around the back garden and we cater for everyone who wants to visit. We were particularly blessed with many pairs of Goldfinches. They like Niger seed!

Next door erupted out of their patio doors, playing some sort of “chase me” game, giggling. They greeted me over the fence and we exchanged a few pleasantries. I offered to fill up their empty Niger seed feeder (all the feeders left by LTN were long since emptied) and guaranteed that within an hour their garden would have several Goldfinches visiting. The birds did not let me down.

This Spring I noticed a pair of birds very busily building in one of the apartments in the aforementioned nest boxes. If you watch too closely, and too often, they would abandon this site and move elsewhere, so I had not drawn anyone’s attention to their building.

A couple of days ago I met young lady neighbour and mentioned that they had a nesting pair in their box.

“Sparrows?” She asked.

“Great tits” I replied, my gaze sinking Southwards!

 

Is it true? See below.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

It is true apart from the last 3 sentences, and it is actually a pair of Great Tits that have taken up residence!

 

 

Lundi limerick #22

A vulture who lived in my tree

was a wonderful creature to see

He lived solely on steak

but kept me awake

every night when he got up to pee