Curly's Capers

REBARBATIVE - Repelled by Mankind’s treatment of - Earth, our liveable home which  - By our nature and greedy consumption   - Across our planet we - Readily commit to global warming - Bringing temperature extremes  - And raising our ocean’s levels bringing - Territory flooding, land and species loss.  - Instruct our leader’s to heed scientists - Very seriously, helping  next generations - Embrace and protect our only world. rebarbative | r ɪˈ b ɑː bət ɪ v | adjective formal unattractive and objectionable: rebarbative modern buildings . ORIGIN late 19th century: from French rébarbatif , -ive , from Old French se rebarber ‘face each other ‘beard to beard’ aggressively’, from barbe ‘beard’. I was given the word  above. ' Rebarbative ' from a friend, who heard it during a lecture, where clearly the speaker had swallowed a lexicon. No I did not  know this word either, so I have included the definition a...

Highs and Lows With the start of the grass flat season today (30/03/'19 ) some words about National Hunt Racing. Inwardly we feel excitement but in life the  pulse is retrained Emotions trapped in our bodies. mostly we cope with existence - It will do for now. So at times  we visit a theatre of dreams to witness equine heroes in action. All is a dance,  a choreography of moment  the parade;  the selection;  the speculation  anticipation,  greed;   joining a tribal affair. All eyes, binoculars, glasses on the start. (to be read in a gallop ) “ Their off!” And so are we,  straining; peering  watching  voices released  groaning  encouraging It’s the final lap. anxious  crowd pulsing,  willing their mount or not. The final phase . Crowd find their voices crescendo building  tension release yelling ...

A short while ago I showed you a photo of the giant wheel in Cheltenham Imperial Gardens. This was part of the festival of lights.  Last night ( 22/02/'19 ) I ventured forth in the evening and took some photos of  those  magical lights: here are my best shots. The Queen's Hotel at the top of the Promenade. The wheel looking down from the Queen's. Cheltenham Muncipal Building. The Fountains in Blue. Promenade views. I hope very much  that this, very successful venture becomes an annual festival; switching the lights on before the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival in March. 👌👌👌👌 With the football season well past the halfway stage, it's about time I looked back at my league predictions and checked out the winners and losers. Premier League My placing                   Actual placing. 1st Manch...

It is hard to believe that I am typing this on February 15th 2019 ; so warm (15C), has it been.  Indeed, as the bottom right photograph shows, crocuses have come out to play in time for Valentines Day. Normally,  in the past with half-term coming next week, I would be concerned with the freezing nightly conditions and even the appearance of the treacherous black ice. It is ironic with the recent outbreak of equine 'flu in some stables, there has been some cancellations of horse-race meetings and although this matter has hopefully been curtailed , with the big Cheltenham Festival, only a few weeks away and the prospect of good fast ground, nerves in some places,  are a little taut. 🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇 The Mount Rising up on a mound at the end of the Gloucestershire village of Stanton, ( which is itself near the town of Broadway,)  is the delightful village public house, " The Mount." On the aforementioned day...

The Silence The first fold of the newspaper brings that crispness. So it is with newly-fallen snow, as alien-like I move, as in a sealed vacuum . The frozen ground bears witness  to an identify crisis;  for what denizens  of nature have marked their progress upon this chalky surface? Silence is sharp and wind cutting, but cracked open with boots  as they penetrate that whiteness and make their mark, passing by the cathedral- like tree-groves. Those  guardians of knowledge the trees, stand naked, but triumphant, erect or bent  sounding a coda to winter-times. Dormant they may appear,  but underneath they await the shoots of spring as the Season's circle begins to slowly spin and unleash a future green potential. Err I to hug a trunk, I  believe, I would hear that old refrain 'Live Long and Prosper.' as it pulses from the ancient bark and swallows a...

   Glos Rugby Rising from the Shed voices full of glee, All the rolling RRRRs are in ascendency. Through muck, sweat, grime and mud, Blood and bandages are in fullest flood.  Pushing  and shoving  and making their way, Irresistibly forward to give them  the day.  The line is crossed and the ball  ground, The stadium erupts in  full-throated sound. The victory is gained; they gave them a licking,  The Cherry and Whites have made a rich picking. Ck09/12/'18                                                                                                   😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊 Yesterday (09/ 12 /'18)  we visited Westonbirt Arboretum ...

Autumn Glow A butterfly pirouetted in corn stalks. What  I wondered was it doing      in this  late October day? I had reached my beeches, for another  year of wonder. I walked, or rather stumbled along the dusty track and looked  over at the land meeting the horizon in gentle wold folds. It was quiet enough to hear nature in the raw. Birds flew disturbed from the trees while insects hummed and buzzed an autumn symphony. Ahead, along the path lay   Notgrove  or was it Nutwood  in  Rupert Bear land? Stepping into the grove,  a  tree-world  filled with leaf  encrusted  paths and I felt a  zephyr of  wind  move the evergreen leaves. They seemed to make music,  far above my hearing range dancing notes that  swayed  in graceful  leaf minuets.   Spiders groomed...