Poem - Parting

by: Charlotte Bronte

THERE’S no use in weeping,
Though we are condemned to part:
There’s such a thing as keeping
A remembrance in one’s heart:

There’s such a thing as dwelling
On the thought ourselves have nurs’d,
And with scorn and courage telling
The world to do its worst.

We’ll not let its follies grieve us,
We’ll just take them as they come;
And then every day will leave us
A merry laugh for home.

When we’ve left each friend and brother,
When we’re parted wide and far,
We will think of one another,
As even better than we are.

Every glorious sight above us,
Every pleasant sight beneath,
We’ll connect with those that love us,
Whom we truly love till death !

In the evening, when we’re sitting
By the fire perchance alone,
Then shall heart with warm heart meeting,
Give responsive tone for tone.

We can burst the bonds which chain us,
Which cold human hands have wrought,
And where none shall dare restrain us
We can meet again, in thought.

So there’s no use in weeping,
Bear a cheerful spirit still;
Never doubt that Fate is keeping
Future good for present ill !

By:Charlotte Bronte

I will be back in a few weeks.  Please keep Ed company for me as he is going to be on his own for a while.  I hope that you enjoy the rest of the summer. 

Image from BBC Weather

And I sure do love it when the temperature goes up.. 34C is 93.2, and 36C is 96.8F - which, though not so good by some of your standards, is pretty good for us.

Shame we have to work though…. we don’t have air conditionaing in our homes as we are just not used to this type of weather. My colleagues in work are complaining like mad, despite the fans.. but my dodgy thyroid and I LOVE it……

Was the day we got engaged…

Boy did he work hard to make this happen!
He had a summer holiday job - we were students at the time. He worked for the local Council, dealing with drainage and plumbing emergencies, cleaning public toilets and emptying cess pits. He was on emergency call out and this paid well - and being a student, he did not pay tax. He bought this ring out of the proceedings.

(Click on image for closer view)

Now you all know how romantic my darling husband is. So what do you think? Did he go down on one knee and swear his undying love?Hmm. No not really. We were walking around a Sunday market and we saw a china dinner service that was very reasonably priced. He said to me that perhaps we should buy it. I asked why, and he said, well, for the future. I said something like, well, do we have a future then and he said, yes. Some weeks later, we were walking around town and we ended up in front of a jewellers’ window and he asked me to pick a ring. So I did. It had to be sent away to be sized.

On the day of my last final exam, just before graduation, Ed, who was supposed to be in Wales “working” as his term had finished some weeks before mine, was standing outside the examinations hall with a huge bouquet of flowers. With the flowers was a little red velvet box - containing this ring.. he then drove me home to Wales from Oxford where I was studying, and we then went out for dinner.. but, he had also arranged for my parents and my sister and his parents to be there at the Restaurant as well. And it was there that he first slipped the ring onto my finger.

So no romantic proposal but very romantic anyway…

Three years later, the gold wedding band was added to the finger. This was supposed to happen on July 14th too, but for some very complicated family reasons this could not happen until early September 1984..

So, July 14th is quite an important day for us…. as you have probably worked out by now!

A slow dance. Two bodies, molded together in the heat…

Do you remember?

And as the music grew faster, and all the other couples in the room, drew away from each other, there we remained, my head on your shoulder, your hand on my shoulder, intoxicated by the feel and the smell of each other, bodies wrapped together, fused together as if by electricty.

And, do you you remember, the look on her face, as she stood, hands on hips as she watched us..

And do you remember that feeling of utter helplessness as the evening drew to a close and we knew we had to prise away from each other and go home.

Do you remember that night? Do you remember this song? (The one in the music player on the side bar!

Yes, my darling, I know that you do..

I love you too..

It reminded me of this poem….
Silver

Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
One by one the casements catch
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
Couched in his kennel, like a log,
With paws of silver sleeps the dog;
From their shadowy coat the white breasts peep
Of doves in a silver-feathered sleep;
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,
With silver claws, and silver eye;
And moveless fish in the water gleam,
By silver reeds in a silver stream.

- Walter de la Mare

#1 - The book nearest me …page 18 line 4:

Welsh to English Dictionary
anghyfiawnder: injustice anghytundeb: disagreement

#2 Stretch out left arm…..what do you touch?
Ed

#3 last thing watched on television…?
Dr Who last Saturday (final episode int he series this week) I don’t get to see much TV.

#4 Without looking what time is it?
8.30AM

#5 What actual time is it?
8.40AM

#6 With the exception of the computer what can you hear?
Ed turning over the pages of the newspaper, dog breathing/whimpering in his sleep.

#7 When did you last step outside?
First thing this morning to let the dog out. and to stop him from eating the compost in one of my planters.

#8 Before this survey what did you look at?
Son and Ed as they left the house to the departure point for son’s week at RAF cadet camp in Lincolnshire.

#9 What are you wearing?
(Blush) - red satin nightie and blue satin dressing gown (robe)

#10 Did you dream last night?
Don’t remember it if I did..

#11 When did you last laugh?
This morning when son was getting into a tangle with trying to stuff far too much into a rucksack.We shared a joke about him forgetting his shoes and having to go on parade in uniform, wearing his Vans (trainers/sneakers/whatever)

#12 What is on the walls in the room?
Oh flip.. OK wall lights, pinboard with all the useful family stuff, letters, calendars, phone numbers etc etc, clock - one of those remote radio signalled controlled thingies that are correct to the milisecond or something, a framed photo of me taken about 25 years ago, sitting on rocks by the sea.

#13 Seen anything weird lately?
Well, I didn’t see it but daughter was convinced she saw an ostrich in a field close to us as we drove passed a few evenings ago! I can’t see that she did (but I WAS driving at the time) - there are no ostriches around here!

#14 What do you think of this quiz?
Good as I don’t have to think to hard and as my brain and body are in tired meltdown.

#15 What is the last film you saw?
Can’t remember - I will ask Ed. Well, we think it was “Lost in Translation” on a satellite film channel.. though I may have sat and watched a rented DVD withone of the teens more recently - it obviously made such a big impression on me if I can’t remember what it was!

#16 If you became a multi-millionaire what would you buy? Well, there was a farm for sale just outside the town recently and the sale included this ruined castle. I would love to be able to renovate it and perhaps even live in it. Then I would send you all air tickets and invite you all over and we would have one heck of a get-together! Ed - get building that Empire!

#17 Tell me something we don’t know
I once got stuck up a tree and my sister refused to go and get help and I stayed there for hours! When I did not appear for tea, and Dad asked where I was, she did then tell them and he came to “rescue” me. He was a retired fireman and brought me down over his shoulder.

#18 If you could change one thing about the world, what would you do?
I don’t think I would change anything about the world physically - but I would like to change the way that the folks that live in the world treat each other, and remove some of the unequal balance between those who have so much and don’t appreciate it, and those who have so little and yet, have so much.

#19 Do you like to dance?
No, not really. I would rather sing..

#20 George Bush?
Who is he?

#21 Imagine your first child is a girl
I think I would rather not - I have this picture a of a 6 foot 2 inches, broad shouldered nearly 17 year old - with long flowing blonde hair - those of you who have Flikr accounts and have me as a friend (contact me if you want to join) will understand what I mean!!!

#22 Imagine your first child is a boy
OK - I don’t have to imagine - I see this 6 foot 2 inch broad shouldered, recently blonde highlighted, handsome young man who I love dearly but who contributes daily to my ever increasing grey hairs!

For those of you who are struggling here, we have one son, who is nearly 17 and a daughter who is 14 . Does that help?

#23 Would you consider living abroad?
Yes, but not yet! There are too many family dependants at the moment - but perhaps in the future, somewhere where it does not get cold with a beach close by sounds like a good start.

#24 What would God say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
Hopefully, “welcome my child” and I hope he would not remind me how many times I got lost along the way (think about it!)

#25 3 people who will do this quiz: I am not good about tagging people but Angel? Do you want to have a go? You are all so busy so nominate yourself if you fancy it.. and let me know..

I think I may have upset my darling hubby…

We have a child free evening tonight. However, he is in one room watching the Soccer World Cup semi finals and I am in another room blogging..

Still,the poor man needs a bit of solitary R and R. You can have too much of a good thing - or so I keep telling him anyway.

PS, I did go in and join him for the later half of the evening though so perhaps I am forgiven now….