On the death of Lady Thatcher

Whatever you think about Lady Thatcher, she was a statesman (woman/person) who aroused strong feelings. I certainly didn't like all she did, but she was there and she was passionate and people sat up and took notice of her. I abhor the behaviour of those who are dancing in the streets, because it is inapproriate, bad manners and just plain nasty, and I'm not at all sure that this big funeral is a good idea (for many reasons). But whom do we have in the government nowadays?

There's no-one now who's statesmanlike

Who makes you stop and think.
Their politics are palest blue
Or faintly tinged with pink.
I forget what they all look like
Or even what they've said.
But all I know is that their names
Are Dave, and Nick, and Ed.

There's no-one now to love or hate;
No-one who stands right out.
I've no idea what they believe
Or what they're all about.
The opposition disagree
With all the government's said
On principle. But which is which
Twixt Dave, and Nick, and Ed?

Election comes tomorrow?
I wouldn't know how to vote.
Three grey men in three grey suits
All sailing in one boat.
So whom can we depend on
To come along and save
Our country? Well, it matters not;
Pick Ed, or Nick, or Dave.

And so the three all muddle through

And do the best they can.
I'm sure they're all well-meaning
And committed, to a man.
But how I long for somebody
To love (or make me sick!);
But all we have are three 'nice' men
Called Dave, and Ed, and Nick.

And talking of wasting time...

 ...which I was (talking about it, that is), I spent a large part of the weekend with my  youngest grandson (left) throwing sticks into a stream. Sort of Pooh Sticks without the bridge. Not a waste of time, though, because he thought it was the greatest fun. Plus, I managed to prevent him from throwing himself in with the sticks, so I did a Good Thing.

(A very lazy) Magpie 163

 



Does my bum look big in this?



(With thanks To Tess and Magpie Tales, and Degas)

Help, please!

I'm totaly ineffectual at things technical. I seem to have pressed something, and now my entire blog's become very small! How do I restore it, please? I have been wasting the last half hour (see previous post) trying to rectify this...Suggestions welcomed very gratefully.

Wasting time

Are you wasting time, reading this? Or, more to the point, am I wasting time writing it? Or is it a matter of opinion?

I have a friend, in her eighties, who regularly puts me to shame. She never seems to waste a moment, always busy,and she thinks blogging is a waste of time. She doesn't have a computer, and seems not to see the point of computers, and she may well have a point. But our recent conversation - about what constitutes wasting time - set me thinking.

What exactly is a watse of time? Or is one person's restful inactivity another's waste of time? Is it subjective or objective? I blog  because...I enjoy it ( I also do it to defer the moment when I have to write something that might actually earn me some money, but that's by the by). I enjoy writing posts, and reading other people's. I like the peaceful companionship of the blogging community of which I have become a part. So - can something be a waste of time if you're enjoying it? Is stopping the car to admire a view a waste of time? Why would some consider reading a frothy romance a waste of time, but ploughing through War and Peace a good use of time? I happen to prefer War and Peace, but many don't, and wouldn't it be a waste of their time reading it it they didn't enjoy it?

Doing things for others is obviously not a waste of time, and neither is Work. But isn't doing something just to please oneself sometimes a good use of time? Many of us writers write because we enjoy it, with (in some cases) little hope of publication. Is that a waste of time? I think not. Provided the writer enjoys the process, then isn't that OK?

As for fishing, well, I just don't get it. But many would considere the "activity" of fishing less of a waste of time than reading that frothy novel. Or blogging...

One other question: if you weren't reading this, what would/should you be doing?

Fairfax stars on Womagwriter!

Kath at Womagwriter has very kindly allowed me to post about my story in this week's Woman's Weekly. To tempt any horsey readers (it's a horsey story), there's a really nice photo of Fairfax on it. Do pop over and have a look if you've got a moment.

Or you could even buy the magazine...?

And now for something more wholesome...

Ah. That's a bit better. I had to find a "normal" baby girl to balance the last one. But boy, did I have problems! Finding a non-copyright picture of a female baby who wasn't adorned with earrings, bows, bikinis or whatever, or posed like a  mini-adult,  has taken me about half-an-hour (which I should have spent doing something else).  But no matter.

And then they're all colour-coded. Pink, pink, pink.What is it with little girls and pink? It's as though parents have to colour code their children to remind them which gender they are.

We don't do it with adults, so why babies? Personally, I loved my babies - both boys and girl - in navy. It brought out the blue of their eyes. But then perhaps I'm weird.

But never mind. Here's an unadorned baby looking happy. Best of all, she looks like a baby.