Saturday, October 31, 2015

Hallowtide

It's Halloween folks.  I don't have any grandchildren to go trick or treating with which is probably as well because I never really liked it - even as a child.  These days from what I can see, it's far more commercialized than when I was growing up.  Parents hire costumes, bags have been replaced by baskets which seem to get bigger every year.  One toffee apple, a few sweets or a biscuit is no longer acceptable.  It has to be several of each!  This custom goes back to when people would offer sweets to the imagined spirits supposedly walking among the living.




Halloween seems to have originated over 2,000 years ago with an ancient pagan Celtic festival during which people would don costumes and light bonfires to ward off invisible ghosts and demons. The dark festival was called Samhain and thousands of Wiccans still call the festival by that name. Carved turnips holding a burning candle were used to repel the spirits. The belief was that the candle in the turnip represented a trapped soul in Purgatory.


Later pumpkins replaced the turnips.

It is interesting that when the Romans conquered the Celts in the first century, they adopted Samhain incorporating it into their festivals.  The first was Feralia when the Romans commemorated  the dead and the second was  the feast of  Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. Pomona's symbol is an apple and so the apple bobbing came into being.




Halloween is the Christian name for Samhain although it did not appear until the 1700s. In the seventh century Pope Boniface established All Saints' Day to honour Christian martyrs.  After the establishment of All Souls on the 2 November, the period became known as Hallowtide.  With the spread of Christianity, some of the old pagan customs remained until now when All Hallows has become big business and sweet manufacturers in the US sell more candy than at any other time in the year!



Happy Halloween to those who are partying, accompanying children as they go from door to door or just sitting back and watching the fun.


 Image



Me? This old witch is off on her newly refurbished, ten cylinder broom!!  Watching from above!!





Sunday, October 25, 2015

Made The Bed

MAGPIE 291




photo: Daniel Murtagh
Courtesy Tess Kinkaid,  Magpie Tales on Blogger


The eyes are closed
Fists clenched tight 
Events of the day
Taking their toll

Uncurl those fingers
Stretch them out
Let the blood flow
Dispel the numbness

Made the decisions
Lived to tell
The tale; made my
Bed, lying in it.


Barbara M Lake
Trinidad WI
October 2015

Ther First Stainforth Manor Ball

For those of you who attended in the past, the annual ball held at Willow Manor hosted by Tess Kinkaid there has been a change..

This year our Tess is across the pond and the Ball is taking place right now at Stainforth Manor in Manchester, UK  being hosted by the lady herself and Ronaldo Stainforth.

https://www.facebook.com/events/395475277328838/395653763977656/


I am now there having arrived by private jet earlier io the day.  Much fun and hilarity..

My dress and shoes for the evening.



With of course my beloved scent!


And of course it goes without saying I sent the Trinidad aged rum ahead!!



My date did finally catch up with me after I decided to take off in the private jet. I cannot do with  his constant promises of "I'm coming, I'm coming"!  I have heard it so many times before but in  this instance, time is money! Famous opera singer or not!!!



So be on the safe side, I picked up a few extra dates up whilst winging my way to Manchester for the first Annual Stainforth Manor Ball - just in case.!!!


I wasn't too worried as Ronaldo Stainforth had Clint Eastwood's plums  stewing. There is of course absolutely no answer to that.  



I did, bring my treasured chandelier in on the jet and people who know me well, understand that I do this only for the favoured few!We probably won't use it until much later.


Thursday, October 22, 2015

Nerve Endings

Magpie 290


No 8, Black Flowing, Jackson Pollock
Photo courtesy Tess Kinkaid, Magpie Tales on Blogspot



Sensitive nerve ends
Tangle weave skimming tremours
Electric shock waves




Barbara M Lake
Trinidad WI
October 2015

Saturday, October 17, 2015

For a Sick Friend

I have heard within the last hour that a friend who lost her mother this morning, is now in ICU at a local private hospital.  She had had a bad headache.  I don't know what she put it down to but when her mother died, she collapsed and has since been diagnosed with bleeding in the brain.  Her husband told a mutual friend that it's not looking good.

I lost a dear friend earlier this year to the same illness.

Come on beautiful lady, you can do this.  You can beat the odds.  We are here rooting for you.

Lord hear our prayer.


Sunday, October 11, 2015

Tooker Took!

Magpie 289

George Tooker, self portrait
Magpie Tales: courtesy Tess Kinkaid 


Tooker
Took
Picture
Of
Himself

Pity
That
Tooker
Wasn't
Selfie
Friendly!




Barbara M Lake
October 2015
Trinidad, WI

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Back!

Yes this time, I mean it.  All technology back in order and I am raring to go!   No more excuses!


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