Monthly Archives: May 2020

Let it Be

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Earlier today, I went for a walk with a friend in Spa Wood, (a woodland which is just a short stroll from my home).

My friend had not seen the woods since 2019 and remarked that the canopy was not as thick as was previously the case. She also noted, with regret that a number of trees had succumbed to the axe.

A number of trees (including holly) have been removed, the reason given being that the conservationists wish to return the wood (so far as is possible) to it’s traditional state, in which trees such as the great oak held sway.

Whilst I understand the perspective of the conservationists, I liked the wood as it was prior to the clearance of holly and other plants which where not part of the original forest. Whilst the woods still contain a delightful blend of light and shade, the dark heart is not as dark as was previously the case, and that I regret.

I am, by temprament a Conservative. I like the familiar, whether that be my favourite local pub with its open fire, or the woodland close to my home. That which exists gives me pleasure and I am one of those individuals who, when someone advocates a change requires to be convinced of it’s necessity.

Of course some might argue that my Conservative disposition should incline me to support the restoration of the woods as they were in the past. However there is a difference between the Reactionary and the Conservative. Whilst the Reactionary wants to return to some “golden age”, the Conservative is inclined to revel in the enjoyment of what exists rather than to wish to put the clock back to some former time.

The person of a Conservative frame of mind does value institutions, tradition etc for they have stood the test of time which demonstrates to him that they possess value and, as such they inspire loyalty.

Given my Conservative disposition, I wish to preserve the beautiful old oaks. However I also relished the variety provided by the (now largely removed) holly.

My friend (who is no Conservative in the political sense of the word) feels the same as me, as regards the woodland, which goes to show that conservatism (with a small c) is an important component of the human condition.

Some time back I wrote “A Dialogue”, which does, I think touch on some of the issues outlined above:

There is a frame of mind
That says “leave as you find.
Let the great Oak alone
And spare the ancient stone
For they serve a purpose
If one looks beneath the surface
Of things”.
Others bring
To bare a mind
Which no beauty doth find
In oak and stone
“For they stand in the way
Of a brighter day”.
“But if you pull the tree down
What then supports the ground?
For the roots go deep
And people weep
When the oak falls
On ancient halls”.
“Let us wield the axe and be glad
For the old ways are bad.
New seed we will sow
The past must go”.
They are arguing still
As the sun sinks
O’er vale and hill.

“A Dialogue” can be found in “Lost in the Labyrinth of My Mind”, which is available here, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AF5EPVY/

When A Rather Vicious Looking Bunny

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When a rather vicious looking bunny
Said, “give me all your money!”.
And I said, “are you a highwayman?”,
He said, “no, my name is Dan,
But my friends all call me Honey!”.

Do Good Men Count Sheep

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Do good men count sheep
As they enter dreamless sleep.
And bad men count heels
(And, losing count of deals
Done for fun
Fall into a troubled sleep)?

Do good men cherish each part
Of a lover’s heart.
Whilst wicked men
Take up their pen
When a girl departs,
And immortalise them in art?

The Netherlands Advises Single People to Find Corona Sex Buddies

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The BBC reports that:

“The Dutch government has issued new guidance to single people seeking intimacy during the pandemic, advising them to find a “sex buddy”.

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) says singletons should come to an arrangement with one other person.

But pairings should avoid sex if one of them suspects they have coronavirus, the advice says.

The guidance comes after critics said there was no sex advice for singles”. (See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52685773).

This advice strikes me as humane and eminently sensible. It is unknown how long the COVID-19 (the Corona Virus epidemic) will persist, with many believing that there will be periodic outbreaks until a vaccine is available and widely distributed.

Some scientists remain sceptical that a vaccine will be discovered in the near future. Whilst others point out that no vaccine for the common cold has ever been found and that this may be the case with COVID-19.

Here in the United Kingdom those in relationships where advised (when the Lockdown was introduced) to choose one place of abode and move in together rather than moving between different houses/flats. However social distancing rules mean that those not currently in a relationship should not be entering into one.

Whilst individuals (both single and those in relationships) have differing sex drives, and some have very little desire for sex, sex is (for most people) an inate (and frequently) strong drive. Denying those who happened to be single at the time of lockdown the right to find intimacy with a willing partner strikes me as cruel, as it denies a section of humanity the right to indulge their desire for sex with a willing adult with the same desire.

There are, of course risks with contact of any kind during the COVID-19 situation. However these need, in my view to be balanced against the psychological damage which may, I believe be caused if those single people (who wish to) are not given an outlet for their healthy desire to express themselves sexually.

It simply is not reasonable to say to people wait until a vaccine (which may never be found), is in place before you find a long (or short-term) sexual partner.

“Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats, read by Stephen Fry

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Yesterday evening, I ran a quiz for friends on Zoom. One of the questions I posed was who wrote these lines:

“My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
‘Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thine happiness,—
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease”.

The answer is, of course John Keats, the poem in question being “Ode to a Nightingale”.

Along with “Autumn”, “Ode to a Nightingale” is one of my favourite poems, written by a poet who died at a tragically young age.

You can find a wonderful reading of “Ode to a Nightingale”, read by Stephen Fry here,


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Caught Up in Thought

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Caught up in thought
Amidst these spring flowers.
How many hours
Have I spent
Denying that our time is lent.

Then, birdsong
Breaks through my useless thought.
And I recognise
That human eyes
Do not see for long.
And that I ought
To fill my mind
With birdsong.

Yet, I find
That my brain
Oft runs like an express train
And will not be still.

But, sometimes, its just the sky
And I
And the poignancy of birdsong,
That will not last long.

He Digs

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He digs.
She
Indifferent is,
But likes what he
Will give
To dig.

He digs
A hole
And, therein, looses his soul.
She
Indifferent is
But likes what he
Will give,
To dig.

He has dug
Many a hole.
Her hug
Is cold.
But she
Likes what he
Will give
To dig.

A Cosmic Villanelle

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I enjoyed this poem by Veronica, hence the share.

Veronica's avatarThe Waves of Poetry

Mars, The God of War by VINCENT DI FATE. Acrylics/Digital painting, which depicts a giant in full Trojan armour. In the background, there is a burning city. The citizens are trying to escape from fire and laser rays.
Mars, The God of War by VINCENT DI FATE

Star One by VINCENT DI FATE. In this painting, a giant UFO flying above Earth is pulling in an entire city with an immense ray of light.
Star One by VINCENT DI FATE

All One Universe (1995) by VINCENT DI FATE In this picture, a spaceship is flying near Saturn, coming close to an unknown planet. There are hundreds of stars and galaxies in the background.
All One Universe (1995) by VINCENT DI FATE

The Demu Trilogy by VINCENT DI FATE This digital painting captures a spaceship approaching a high tower on a planet similar to Earth. There are gigantic mountains and trees on the surface.
The Demu Trilogy by VINCENT DI FATE

Starswarm by VINCENT DI FATE This picture shows a large alien squid fighting a submarine in the stormy ocean. In the background, a beautiful castle is mounted on a cliff.
Starswarm by VINCENT DI FATE

World of Tomorrow by VINCENT DI FATE This picture is divided into halves to show contrast between the past and the future. On the left, there is an industrial city with factories exuding clouds of smoke. A man with a gas mask is leaving the city with a futuristic rifle in his hands. On the right, a green landscape with fields, mountains, and fresh air is depicted. A handsome blonde man dressed in a white shirt is standing by the tree with a sickle in his hand.
World of Tomorrow by VINCENT DI FATE

I would give my last breath to be with you -
We can't find solace in a wistful dream:
No pain is greater than a brief adieu!
Amidst the galaxy's celestial view,
By night and day, my earthly fears grow thin:
I would give my last breath to be with you.
The sorrowful farewell hits me anew:
Your trembling hands, eyes - desperate and grim -
No pain is greater than a brief adieu!
This ruthless anguish I cannot subdue:
Your spirit comes to me - sublime, yet dim.
I would give my last breath to be with you… Alas, the woeful memories pierce through My heart, immured…

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