Ghost of a Reader- Doha Airport
25 Saturday Feb 2023
Posted Education, Language, Literature, Photography, Supernatural, Writing
in25 Saturday Feb 2023
Posted Education, Language, Literature, Photography, Supernatural, Writing
in26 Thursday Aug 2021
Posted Environment, History, Language, Nature, Nostalgia, Personal, Photography, Summer
in16 Wednesday Sep 2020
Posted Autumn, Environment, Humour, Language, Nature, Nostalgia, Personal, Photography
inTags
Autumn, bales, Cotswolds, harvest, Latin, Oxfordshire, Thames path
Title for Latin-lovers- oh, I mean Classicists, not fans of Argentinian Tango!
Photo by Candia Dixon-Stuart
15 Sunday Mar 2020
Posted History, Language, Literature, Poetry, Religion
inTags
15th century, Dunfermline, fabulist, Makar, Middle Scots, Robert henryson, Scottish poetry, the plague, University of Glasgow, vernacular
Photo : Kim Traynor, 2011. Wikipedia.
Now to redeme that thow hes maid of nocht,
That is of vertew barrane and denude;
Haif rewth, Lord, of thyne awin symilitude;
Puneiss with pety and nocht with violens.
We knaw it is for our Ingratitude
That we ar puneist with this pestilens.
Thow grant us grace for till amend our miss,
And till evaid this crewall suddane deid;
We knaw our syn is all the cause of thiss,
for oppin syn thair is set no remeid.
The Justice of god mon puneiss than bot dreid,
for by the law he will with non dispens:
quhair Justice laikis thair is Eternall feid,
of god that sowld preserf fra pestilens.
Bot wald the heiddismen that sowld keip the law
Pueneiss the peple for thair transgressioun,
Thair wald na deid the peple than owrthraw:
bot thay ar gevin so planely till oppressioun,
That god will not heir thair intercessioun;
bot all ar puneist for thair Innobediens
be sword or deid withowttin remissioun,
And hes Just cause to send us pestilens.
Superne/ Lucerne/ guberne/ this pestilens,
preserve/ and serve/ that we not sterve thairin.
Declyne/ that pyne/ be thy Devyne prudens.
O trewth/ haif rewth/ lat not our slewth us twin.
Our syt/ full tyt/ wer we contryt/ wald blin.
Dissiver/ did never/ quha evir the besocht.
Send grace/ with space/ and us Imbrace/ fra syn.
Latt nocht be tynt that thow so deir hes bocht.
O prince preclair/ this cair/ cotidiane,
We the exhort/ distort/ it in exyle.
Bot thow remeid/ this deid/ is bot ane trane,
for to dissaif/ the laif/ and thame begyle.
Bot thow sa wyiss/ devyiss to mend this byle
Of this mischief/ quha ma releif/ us ocht
for wrangus win/ bot thow our syn ourfyll?
Latt not be tynt etc.
Sen for our Vyce/ that Justyce/ mon correct,
O king most hie/ now pacifie/ thy feid:
Our syn is huge/ Refuge/ we not suspect;
As thow art Juge/ deluge us of this dreid.
In tyme assent/ or We be schent with deid;
We us repent/ and tyme mispent forthocht:
13 Wednesday Nov 2019
01 Friday Feb 2019
Candlemas Bells White Purification Snow Piercers
Milk Flowers
Naked Maidens Good Christians Ice Lilies
Mary’s Tapers
February Fairmaids White tears Death Flowers
Eve’s Comforters
Morning Stars
Pentecost Flowers
Mary’s Teeth
Dewdrops
Shrove Tuesday Fools
Flowers of Hope
Dingle-Dangles
Snow Bells Eve’s Tears Mary’s Tears
Candlemas Lilies
c Photo and poem by Candia Dixon-Stuart
25 Friday Jan 2019
Posted Animals, art, Language, Photography
in30 Tuesday Oct 2018
Posted Arts, History, Home, Language, Literature, Nature, Nostalgia, Personal, Photography
inPhoto- and preserve!- by Candia Dixon-Stuart
So excited to find these at Kelmscott and then to allow them to blett, before making
jelly. Supposed to be good with game, or cheese.
These are culs-de-chien, ‘open-arses’ and other scatologically named fruits from the rose
family. Shakespeare and contemporaries loved exploiting double-entendre possibilities
in their lexical field- see ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and references to poppering pears etc
I added a lemon and an apple to the simmering mixture and then raised some sugar to
a rolling boil- and voila!
02 Wednesday May 2018
Posted Environment, Horticulture, Humour, Language, mythology, Nature, Nostalgia, Personal
in
My grandmother used to say, Never cast a cloot till May is oot.
This, being translated, is tantamount to advising that one should
not strip off, or put one’s winter wardrobe away until… until
OR
2) the month of May is past
Which is it? In Scotland it is probably never a good idea to dispense with a
layer, whatever the time of year, or whatever plant is making its presence
felt.
Above is a photo of the May blossom in my garden yesterday. I compromised by
wearing a coat dress – ha! Today I would have needed a Drize-a Bone Aussie
head-to-toe proofed swagman garment.
It’s a wonder there’s any blossom left on the trees after this morning’s deluge!
11 Wednesday Apr 2018
Posted Crime, Language, Poetry, Psychology, Social Comment, Writing
inFemales also guilty – should be ‘Mankindsplaining!’ (New generic?)
Hot air forked tongues terminal inexactitudes
filthy whitewash
tranparent smokescreens inexcusable excuses unmitigated untruths
hollow rants
iniquitous insinuations criminal understatements overblown rhetoric
smooth sham
Father of Lies
sweeping evasions
Master of Deceit
euphemistic gloss
hyperbolic tirades
Hath God said?
rash incitements
hollow rhetoric smooth tongues transparent excuses
iniquitous inexactitudes