The Goat in Boots

Yesterday, on the Fulham Road here in London, Jeff and I attended the debut public performance of a very talented young lady. Jesse, the daughter of dear friends of ours (see picture above of proud parents!), has been taking guitar lessons for a few years and had her first pub date! Supported by her friend Nick (also a talented singer) and her guitar teacher, Jesse performed three songs. We were glad to be there and lend our enthusiasm! I always admire people who are willing to take a chance and step up in public! Jesse and Nick did a great job. We wish her well in future gigs!

Colin Firth

Enough said...............................

The Compass

This is my latest mosaic project finished at last! My thanks for all those who helped: Jeff for the idea, Holly, Polli, Dan, Katherine and my whole mosaic class for their help and advice!

Take Me Out to The Ballgame

The whole family is sitting here in the living room watching baseball highlights on TV. What a nice morning.

1908 version of Take Me Out To The Ballgame:

Katie Casey was base ball mad.
Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou Katie blew.
On a Saturday, her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go,
To see a show but Miss Kate said,
"No, I'll tell you what you can do."

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, your out,
At the old ball game."

I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy

I woke this morning singing (I'm a) Yankee Doodle Dandy". Today marks Independence Day in the USA. I am looking forward to a celebration tonight (with the kids- Beth wouldn’t miss it!) at a friends house up in Golders Green. Our little bit of Americana – a real 4th of July picnic. It has been a yearly tradition for this family for many a year and we try not to miss it. They make us feel so welcome. One of the things I like most of about this gathering is it's internationalism, there are many non-Americans people who come to partake in marking the birth of our nation while eating and drinking traditional American food. The event is a potluck supper, followed by fireworks and singing traditional American songs. I have made my USA Jello Mold. (red white and blue layers!) to bring along.

So here it is: The lyrics to (I'm a) Yankee Doodle Dandy". We all know the chorus but most of us are not familiar with the whole song. (I'm a) Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a song from the Broadway musical Little Johnny Jones written by George M. Cohan. The play opened at the Liberty Theater on November 7, 1904. The play concerns the trials and tribulations of a fictional American jockey, Johnny Jones, who rides a horse named Yankee Doodle in the English Derby.

Verse 1
I'm the kid that's all the candy,
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy,
I'm glad I am,
So's Uncle Sam.
I'm a real live Yankee Doodle,
Made my name and fame and boodle,
Just like Mister Doodle did, by riding on a pony.
I love to listen to the Dixie strain,
I long to see the girl I left behind me;
That ain't a josh,
She's a Yankee, by gosh.
Oh, say can you see,
Anything about a Yankee that's a phony?

Verse 2
Father's name was Hezikiah,
Mother's name was Ann Maria,
Yanks through and through.
Red, White and Blue Father was so Yankee-hearted,
When the Spanish war was started,
He slipped on a uniform and hopped upon a pony.
My mother's mother was a Yankee true,
My father's father was a Yankee too:
That's going some,
For the Yankees, by gum.
Oh, say can you see
Anything about my pedigree that's phony?

Chorus
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy,
A Yankee Doodle, do or die;
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam's,
Born on the Fourth of July.
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart,
She's my Yankee Doodle joy.
Yankee Doodle came to London, just to ride the ponies;
I am the Yankee Doodle Boy.


So happy fourth of July to all my family and friends. I will be thinking of all of you today and missing home.

The Dog Days of Summer

Today marks the beginning of the Dog days of summer. The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending on August 11.

Many people believe the phrase is in reference to the laziness of dogs during the hottest days of the summer. It brings to mind the idea of lying or "dogging" around, or being "dog tired" on hot and humid days. But in fact, Dog Days refers to Sirius (the "Dog Star"), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun.
At one time it was popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" (- Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813). The ancients sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that that star was the cause of the hot weather.
For the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile's flooding, so they used the star as a "watchdog" for that event. "Dog Days bright and clear / indicate a happy year. / But when accompanied by rain, / for better times our hopes are vain."

Well it was 55 degrees here in London this morning and if the dog days are going to start it better get going quickly……………….

July 1st 2008

July 1 is the 183rd day in leap years in the Gregorian calendar. There are 183 days remaining until the end of the year. The end of this day marks the halfway point of a leap year. It also falls on the same day of the week as New Year's Day in a leap year so say Wikipedia.

One of the things I like about writing my blog is updating the date and history sections. I usually begin with the date. I am constantly reminded how quickly time passes. 2008 is half over already. What happened to February? April? How often do we hear slow down and take the time to savoy the day. To appreciate life?Don't get me wrong, I love my life, I just wish it would go a little slower. I wish someone would tell me how the hell to do pick the daises when there doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day or days in the week. What do you cut out? Where do I get lost? I want more days spent with my children whom I adore. I want them home for dinner every night to laugh at the dinner table again. I want to have big holiday dinners with my grandparents and brothers,cousins, aunts and uncles again. I don't want to take things for granted or to be invisible to the people around me. I want to be the most important person in some one's life. It just seems to happen. Life just washes over me some times. I get swept along and miss some things. As I learned last week with the passing of my cousin Jane people are important and leave us suddenly. How do we make up the time? I know we need to take time to appreciate everyone around us but how? What does it take to get the message? Ah yes, cosmic questions of the age. Sometimes you just have to suck it up - pick up the phone or email and say hey! Find a way to keep people in your life (even when you are related to them!) Nice sentiment huh? You don't need me to tell you this, you already know it. Now if only they would get the Star Trek transporter really working.......................