Tuesday, September 30, 2014

It's not for the love of the money


It’s not for the love of the money
Or those things that tear us apart,
It’s for times we can share and the times we can care
To follow an act of the heart.
And it’s not for the praise or the glory
Or those things that just fade away
It’s for   living some how in the here and the now
And facing it all day by day.

These are words by the late John Wright from the John Wright Band’s album/CD ‘Language of the Heart' which is unavailable as a web link unfortunately.


The lyrics  accompany the above pic because I had the privilege on January 15th this year of travelling to Cardiff and taking this, one of official photographs for MS Society Cymru at The Principality Building Society’s ‘handover’ as their nominated Charity of the Year. In this photo, to the front  left you’ll see the CEO of The MS Society, Michelle Mitchell with her counterpart at the Principality to her left, and to the left again a staff member who had her hair shaved to raise funds for the charity.

What happens quite often after an official photo shoot is that I rarely get to see the end product. It was with great joy however that I saw this poster in my local branch when I popped in for tickets for a local charity function – a fashion show for MS Cymru at Morriston Golf Club on Thurs.  Oct 9th.

John Wright's lyrics came alive  in my head when I saw it because the reason I do so much photography is definitely not for the praise or the glory, neither the money. The reason I do it can be read here ( scroll down to Page 5 ) of THE UK MS Register’s Newsletter where I explain it more clearly.

I received far more that day in intangible terms compared with anything I gave myself. 

“For it is in giving that we receive.” ~ St. Francis of Assissi



Sunday, September 28, 2014

Myfanwy the Earworm


Two weeks ago I went to bed with an earworm, and by that I don’t mean that I’ve invented a new nickname for Huw, but it’s one of those tunes you just can’t shake out of our head. It happened again last night, same earworm, same song. Thankfully it wasn’t unpleasant such as Joe Pasquale’s “I know a song that’ll get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves etc. etc” Familiar with it? If so, then you’ll be sorry you’ve read this because I bet that’s ringing in your own ears already.
The earworm is unquestionably the greatest love song of all for those of us fortunate be born in Wales, for those of us with  music and poetry running through our veins.




Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of hearing and seeing Bryn Terfel singing this great love song ‘live’ in Swansea’s Proms in the Park and just couldn't shake it off for days.  Then  last night I attended Dunvant Male Voice Choir’s Annual Patron’s concert  at The Brangwyn Hall, Swansea where they sang  an a cappella rendition of it. You could have heard a pin drop during the performance- well no, you couldn’t  have because you’d have been as mesmerised as I was.  

Have a listen yourself to The Morriston Orpheus Choir sing  Myfanwy  whilst you view photos of Planet Paradise, and I dare you not to have non-MS tingles down your spine.



Of course as is invariably the case, a lot of the feeling is lost in translation but you can read it in English here and all about its composer Joseph Parry.

The Brangwyn Hall itself has recently undergone a major refurbishment and I must say it’s looking good, even though they’ve swapped the ladies and gents toilets around which needless to say caused a bit of confusion and some embarrassment to many last night.
Just being at The Brangwyn took me back to the days when I performed there myself, but even further back to school Speech Days where we’d gawp with embarrassment, stifling  giggles, as you do at that age, at the semi naked figures in the famous Brangwyn Panels.





Talking of ‘Welshness’, there’s a saying ‘three times for a Welshman’ so will I once again in the coming few weeks take Myfanwy the Earworm to bed with me, I wonder ?




“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast" ~ William Congreve

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Tales of the Riverbank


Life on Planet Paradise gets richer and richer despite its physical limitations although if I’m truthful, then the cognitive malfunctions now outweigh the physical ones.  The joy of being at such an age is that friends from the past start retiring from their careers giving us a chance to meet up and rekindle our mutual interests. Such is Life with the Master of Surprises when you find yourself pushing 60 however,  is that that forgetting to take a mobile phone, aka lifeline,  means that the friend who drives six miles to your home then six miles back into town is begged to return to pick up the lifeline before we embarked on today’s adventure.


Finally we had  lunch  at  CafĂ© Twocann, Swansea Marina, then we boarded The Copper Jack, Swansea's Community Boat for a trip up river following the Heritage Trail of the past copper industry which Swansea was famous for. I haven't kept copies of shots  which I've captured in the past of the actual barge,  neither could I take shots from where I was sitting because of rain on the windows. However the guide spotted this Grey Heron ahead so I moved quickly to the front of the boat and shot this through the drier window.  A fascinating trip learning even more than I knew already about our Industrial Heritage but also interesting to see the cormorants, moorhens, and other birds in the water and on the riverbank.  Also a lesson learned: keep husband’s mobile phone number in notebook in case you forget your phone.




                              “ Time moves in one direction, memory in another” ~   William Gibson

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Missing you

                                                   Cushion
                             
                                                   I glimpsed at the sofa.
                                                   The cushion you lean on
                                                   Still has your indentation
                                                   On it.
                                           
                                                   I miss you

                                                   And so I’m leaving it like that.


                                                        "There's no fool like an old fool."
                                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~