Seligor's Castle, so much fun for all our children in the land. : Blogs

Seligor's Castle, so much fun for all our children in the land. : Blogs: "Sun, 14 Nov 2010
A new Sad Tale, this Stephen Southwold, writes lovely stories but some are very sad.
The Hobbit 1974, Nicol Williamson.

Nicol Williamson, born 1936, He was the Narrator of this wonderful Record.

Hobbit 70th anniversary


TRUDI'S TALES
INVITE YOU TO LISTEN TO
THE HOBBIT
Narrated and Acted by
Nicol Williamson born in South Lanarkshire in 1936.

Playlist created by

RingsradioDrama.com Thankyou so much.
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein

And now for another Tale of Wonder and Romance
from the pen of Stephen Southwold.
Trudi was a little upset about the title of the Tale but then again with the tales that are written and told by Stephen Southwold, we don't always have any connection to the tale at all!

A SAD TALE.

The rain was drizzling down from the sad grey sky on to a sad grey sea. I sat staring out of my tiny cottage window, watching the seagulls resting disconsolately upon the water, as miserable as I was for lack of the sunshine.
Presently I turned away from the window and drawing my chair up to the fire, leaned back and looked at my queer old clock. It certainly is a queer clock. It is built like a house and in front there are two doors. One door is always open and the other always shut. When the weather is going to be wet a quaint little old man with a ruddy face stands outside his door, and when the weather is fine an equally quaint little old lady stands outside of her door. One is always within and the other always without, and so they never get to see one another or have the slightest chance of a friendly greeting.
And so as I leaned back in my chair and looked at the little old man with his quaint ruddy face, his stiff arms and legs, and a farmer's hat perched awry over one eye.
The seagulls were sad, I indeed none to happy, but the look of misery upon the face of the little old man was so heart rending that I exclaimed, 'Cheer up, old gentleman; the sun will shine tomorrow.'
'So much the worse for me,' he replied, in so woebegone a voice that I had difficulty in keeping from laughter.
'So much the worse for me ,' he repeated, 'for I never get to see the sun. Sunshine for happy folks means gloom and darkness for me; for then I am shut up in this wretched little house, Although. ' he added thoughtfully, my dear wife comes out to enjoy the sun, and I suppose that is something.'
'Your wife ?' I asked in surprise.
'Of course !' he snapped a little crossly. 'Why, who else should could it be ?'
'certainly, certainly, ' I agreed soothingly; but you see I didn't know. How could I ?
'True,' he replied more amiably, 'how should you ?' He was quiet for a moment and then he went on. 'Shall I tell you my sad tale, our sad story, in fact ?'
'The very thing,' I replied eagerly; 'there's nothing like a story on a rainy day.'
'It's very sad you know,' he ventured, putting his head a little on one side.
'A sad tale for a sad day,' I answered. 'Perhaps we'll both feel happier when you've told it. Do go on.'
'Listen then,' he said.
And so, leaning well bacck in my chair, and pushing my feet a little higher up the side of the mantle piece, I drew a deep breath, nodded my head, and prepared to hear his story.

But of course this is only the beginning of the story the rest you will find at Trudi's Tales, on page 52 of Seligor's Castle. But the pictures won't be added till tomorrow. nite nite and take care, Seligor xxx


- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Dr Dodiddily and the Dee-Dot's : Blog

Dr Dodiddily and the Dee-Dot's : Blog: "Tue, 09 Nov 2010
San Marino is a wonderful place, TravelerMala has some lovely things to say about it.
Dr. DoDiddily and the Dee Dot's Dee and Dot

Italy and its Neighbours
Italy - Malta - Vatican City - San Marino
Sicily - Florence

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SAN MARINO

I have never been to San Marino but I have found someone who has and this is what she tells us about it.

Traveler MalaAlong with her Pictures.

Please welcome 'Traveler Mala.'

Hey there,,

If ever you were interested in my past, present or future location, you've found a wealth of knowledge here.San Marino

To be honest, it was an obsession that motivated our visit to San Marino. I'm now at the point where if there is a country that we haven't visited within a reasonable distance we simply have to tag it. By we, of course, I actually mean me.

San MarinoSo it was without much prior research or knowledge of the tiny republic, that we set out through multiple awkward train and bus connections to simply get there and not much more. Maybe this is an injustice to San Marino, but it is also a blessing. Without expectations, we were free to be totally blown away.

San Marino
Few cities and likely no other city-states have such a dramatic natural setting. It's as if someone put a city on top of Uluru. It commands sweeping vertigo-inducing views in all directions. In some spots the cliffs drop off at such a dramatic angle, the effect is more of being in a giant lonely skyscraper, rather than on a mountain.

San Marino

The buildings and narrow roads have been built with a gorgeous natural rough cut stone that doesn't fight the landscape but rather feels like a natural progression.

San Marino

Some people may not appreciate the slightly sanitized feel of the place. There's no litter or graffiti or beggars on the picturesque lanes. There is instead a crossing guard on the one 'busy' street watching out for the safety of the pedestrians; not that anyone drives too quickly along the side of a cliff. But if I had a country half the size of Liechtenstein and with only 30,000 citizens it'd make it sparkle too.

San Marino THANK'S MALA

http://www.traveljournals.net/travelers/mala/

Just above here is four wonderful Fairy Tales all in Italian (I think)

A WORLD OF FAIRY TALES

'Like the guardian angel assigned to children at birth, to accompany and protect them on the road to life', wrote the brothers Grimm once upon a time: 'fairy tales have an important role in linking the primeval conceptions of a child's observation with the real world of adults, and introducing one to the other, in part by the way they are spread, in part by their intrinsic nature. They nourish the imagination with the immediacy of milk, light and refreshing, or like honey, sweet and nourishing, without earthly weight.' Children need the affective communication of good fairy tales to regenerate the soul, to develop self-confidence, to overcome their fears, to grow and become conscious adults.

Stamps from San Marino

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Seligor's Castle, so much fun for all our children in the land. : Blogs

Seligor's Castle, so much fun for all our children in the land. : Blogs: "Mon, 08 Nov 2010
The wonderful things about buttons - is - buttons can be a wonderful thing
'Hello and Welcome to Dee and Dot's Special Choice
I have decided to give you a fabulous treat today. something
a bit different. Buttons and what else to start off with than the
wonderful BUTTON MOON wow, this is great.
And after that wonderful playlist how's about some real buttons
How to Start a Button Collection
By an eHow Contributor
I want to do this! What's This?

Button, button, who's got the button? A great many people, it seems. Whether you seek buttons for an antique, art, painting, glass or just a button collection, the variety of these little treasures is remarkable. You may collect them for their beauty, their novelty, their monetary value or just for fun. Buttons collectors can be found all over the world and sharing and discussing this hobby can lead to broadened perspectives and new friends. Best of all, a button collection need not be complicated or expensive to start.

1.

Start with any buttons you may have at home. While it is unlikely that you will find anything of major value, you may get an idea for the type of buttons you would like to collect (a specific color, a material such as glass, wood or Bakelite, a particular shape or a certain image, such as animals). For help on this visit the Button Collecting website (see Resources below).
2.

Check Internet button display sites such as the National Button Society website to see what types of buttons are plentiful or rare and what they cost (see Resources below). Use the facts you find to help you decide on 'your' buttons.
3.

Continue your research with books found at the library, local bookstore or at the A Button Collector's Book List website (see Resources below).
Collect Buttons
4.

Make sure that the type of button you have chosen is easily available. If not, expand your category to include other materials, historical periods or themes.
5.

Start attending live button shows held every year in most places, look them up on google and contacting other collectors near you. If you are interested in modern buttons, you may find something that suits you at your local fabric and craft store.
6.

Consider joining a button collector's club. Find one at the Button Society Links page (see Resources below).

Look for Buttons
Buttonswww.ebay.co.uk
Buttons on eBay for less.

Tips & Warnings

*
The huge variety of buttons to collect can be confusing. It is best to limit yourself to one category of buttons rather than spreading your collection out to include everything under the sun.
*

*
If you decide to collect buttons for their historical value, for example military or Victorian era buttons, be aware that these items are expensive. If your resources are limited, choose a less demanding category.


THIS IS ONE OF MY FRIENDS SCULPTURES USING BUTTONS
SAME BUTTONS, VIEWED FROM ABOVE

THIS BUTTON SCULPTURE WAS MADE BY MY FRIEND
MR. JOOLS CAVE - BERRY

Read more: How to Start a Button Collection | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2044241_start-button-collection.html#ixzz14jZnBzQr

I am a Virgo, and therefore I have a head start on collecting, many of the great collections of strange and weird things are collected by those under the sign of Virgo. I have a fantastic collection of marbles and a huge library of books adding at least three to it every week. They are usually very old ones, and that is why I can come up with a lot of old rhymes and stories.
But I would like to give you another warning.

PLEASE KEEP ALL SMALL OBJECTS AWAY FROM BABIES AND SMALL CHILDREN.


- Sent using Google Toolbar"

A Bit of a Wag. Another wonderful short story by Stephen Southwold. Brilliant

Shaggy Dog Stories

A BIT OF A WAG

By Stephen Southwold.

Soon after Adam arrived in the Garden of Eden all the animals held a great meeting to talk things over. They wanted most of all to talk about themselves. and talk they did for three whole days and nights. At the end of it all they had settled all things with great satisfaction - with one exception.

They knew what their teeth were for,

"Teeth are to rend and slay." Roared the lion

"So they are !" Piped a little rabbit ; "So you'd better be careful."

"Claws !" Coughed the tiger, "claws are to rip and tear."

"Splendid ! lisped the mouse ; "I'm a wonderful ripper."

"Noses !" trumpeted the elephant, "noses are to sniff and scent the air. "

"Mine's a beauty !" chattered the monkey.

"Legs !" snarled the wolf, "Legs are to carry one swiftly to the ends of the earth."

"I love mine best of all," grunted the tortoise.

And so they went on and on, perfectly pleased and satisfied with their bodies and all their parts. BUT when it came to their tails, they simply didn't know what to say. They couldn't see no possible use for tails, and after puzzling over it for a long while, with much wrangling and jangling and bickering, they decided to go and ask Adam.

      So off they trooped in a vast crowd, and presently were come to Adam, seated lazily under a spreading banyan-tree.

"Well , my little ones, my pretty ones, what do you want ?" asked Adam.

The fox, who because of his cleverness had been made spokesman, replied, "Oh Father Adam, we are very pleased with ourselves."

    "So you ought to be," replied Adam, with a smile.

"We love our teeth," went on the fox, "and our claws and our ears and our legs and our eyes and our noses and all things that are ours."

"Well ?" inquired Adam, "What then ?"

"Except our tails," continued the fox.

"You don't like them eh?" laughed Adam.

"Oh we like them all right, Father Adam," replied the fox, "It's just we don't know what to do with them. Are they of any use, or are they just beautiful and no more ?"

"Beautiful and no more !" cried Adam. "Why what more do you want ? Isn't it enough to be beautiful, eh ? You ungrateful rascal !"

"oh yes, of course, dear Father Adam," went on the fox very humbly, "but we should like to use our tails as well. What would you suggest that I should do with my fine bushy tail ?"

"You !" said Adam. "Why, sweep away your footprints with it, and then no one can follow you." And the fox, who was already something of a purloiner, thanked Adam with all his heart and hurried away.

 And then all the others began to crowd about Adam, begging him to tell them the best use they could mmake of their tails.

"Swish off the flies with yours, old Cow," he said to the cow.

"Balance yourself with yours, and sit up as I do," he said to the Kangaroo.

At that moment a loud squealing and squeaking was heard. It was the guinea-pig crying and sobbing that it was unfair because he had no tail. But Adam told him to take himself off, and that perhaps one day if he were good his tail might grow. Alas it never did grow, and we can only think he was a little naughty now and then.

Last of all to come were the cat and the dog together. The cat was in a very bad temper, and as the dog jostled her in his eagerness she cried, "Keep away from me, you clumsy wretch, or I'll scratch your nose."

But the dog only grinned, and lolled out his tongue.

"Grinning ninny !" hissed the cat. "I hate animals who are always grinning. Why do you do it, you dolt ?"

 "Because I'm happy and good-tempered," replied the Dog

"And a very good reason too," said Adam; and resting his head upon his hand he thought for a while.

Presently, raising his head, he looked at the dog and asked, "Are you often happy and pleased ?"

"Nearly always," replied the dog. "Do you know, I really believe that I like every one !"

"And would you like to show all the world when you are pleased and happy ?" asked Adam.

"He does !" interrupted the cross cat; "he grins like a nincompoop."

"Hold your tongue !" cried Adam sternly. "Very well, then,"continued Adam sternly.

"So you shall. When you feel pleased and happy, wag your tail."

"Oh splendid !" cried the dog, careering round and wagging his tail madly.

Then Adam turned to the cat.  "You had better do the same," said Adam kindly.

"I shall do nothing of the sort," replied the cat sulkily; I hate dogs. Lolling his silly tongue and wagging his silly tail, and pleased with every one."

"Well what will you do then ?" asked Adam patiently.

"Easy" said the cat. "I shall wag mine when I'm cross !" hissed the cat.

"You'll soon get tired !" laughed Adam.

"You'll wag it right off !" giggled a mouse, who had been listening.

Oops . . and that was how the first mouse came to be chased by the first cat.

And it also explains why you'll never, never, never see an angry dog wagging it's tail; but you will see cross-patch cats wagging their tails, all day and every day.

Dr Dodiddily and the Dee-Dot's : Blog

Dr Dodiddily and the Dee-Dot's : Blog: "Diddily and the Dee-Dot's take you

Diddily and the Dee-Dot's take you
Here,There, Everywhere.

Asian Art Gallery

A mixture of the very old with the almost new.

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And something new

Oceanic and mountainous view from the town of Jiufen

Jiufen is also famous for being used as a model in Hayao Miyazaki’s
Oscar winning anime movie “Spirited Away” in 2001. Korean drama
also filmed some scenes in this small town in 2007/2008; in fact Yeinjee just
watched that episode a couple of days before visiting the place, so it
provided some extra fun during the visit

Dodie's Dream World : Blog

Dodie's Dream World : Blog: "Share Share Dodies Dream-World
Vixi duellis nuper idoneus, Et militavi non sine gloria
shares with you
Henry Reed
Born in 1914 in Birmingham, , England on February 22ndand educated there ending up at Birmingham University, where he achieved his M.A. He was called up in 1941 and went to the Foreign Office from 1942 - 46. After his return to civvy street he became a full-time writer, but always maintained he was a slow worker. He also worked as a freelance writer for the BBC Features Department, from 1946-1980 and made many broadcasts on books and films and enjoyed writing radio scripts on extended themes, e.g. Moby Dick. He was very fond of films, theatre and opera and for entertainment he was known to play the piano badly and for long stretches at a time.
He died on December 8th in 1986 and left some wonderful works behind. as this one listed here.... with Lessons of War, which was dedicated to Alan Michell , with these words first written by Horace:
Vixi puellis nuper idoneus
Et militavi non sine gloria

In which he uses the Latin (duellis-battles) instead of Horaces' (puellis-girls) to make the translation.
'I have lived recently suitable for battles, and fought not without glory.'
This verse was written in 1946 as part of
Lessons of War: 1. Naming of Parts from A Map of Verona (Jonathan Cape, Ltd )
Many of his works are titled in any of the wikipedia

You will find the poem and a video response at Classic Poems within:
http://dodiesdreamworld.zoomshare.com/9.html


- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Diddily Dee Dot's Dreamland for Children Everywhere : Blog

Diddily Dee Dot's Dreamland for Children Everywhere : Blog: "As I promised a few more letters of the Angel Alphabet, It is so lovely.

A STANDS FOR ANGEL
By Joan Gale Thomas
Met on the stairs

A stands for Angel,
With shining white wings,
Who drives away shadows
And frightening things.

I'm never afraid
If it's dark on the stairs,
Or think that the shadows
Are goblins or bears,

For I know there's and angel
Who waits at the bend,
To see that I'm safe
Till I get to the end.

Little Angel

As this little adventure of Rhymes is 26 pages long,
I will do them a few at a time.


- Sent using Google Toolbar"