DAYS OF THE JOY AND COLOUR YELLOW

DAYS OF THE JOY AND COLOUR YELLOW

THE FRIDAY BLOG PAGE

FEBRUARY 2020

This month has seen many extra smiles added to my days. I start each day with the statement ( fill my day with Joy and Yellow moments.) I have found that just taking a moment to look at a problem, small or large and seeing how I can see the positive side of it makes all the difference to my day. Here a few of my Happy moments this month. At the begging of the month early on a Sunday morning we came across a young couple with a baby about four months old in a push chair on the walkway they had a very pretty dog with them who was keen to say hello to Jasper but there are times when dear little Jasper is not too friendlily when he on his lead.

They walked on. But we meet up with them at the play area across from the cenotaph, both dogs were off their leads and were having a great time saying hello to each other. The father and child were on one of the swings moving very slowly back and fore, the baby was smiling so brightly that for a moment my heart stood still with the sheer joy of seeing them together. That was the best smile for the day.

On my travels through the month, I came across a few lines written on a scrap of paper that I had used as a bookmark at some stage. These are the yellow words written by the wonderful Mr William Blake English poet, painter, and printmaker. 1757 1827

He who binds to himself a joy

Doth the winged life destroy;

But he who kissed the joy as it flies

Lives in eternity’s sunshine. I thought with a smile what wonderful words.

The bus was going down Morley street hill one morning while we were coming home from our walk. The sign on the back of it caught my eye, giving me a moment of surprise, the sign stated that there was a need “to dust off your dreams”. Walking on I started thinking what dreams of mine needed a quick flick with a duster? Some dreams have come true over the years and have brought lots of different feelings into my life, but when one is older, what dreams would you still have. Well the biggest is still what it has been for some many years already. I would love to go to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York for a Verdi opera, not Falstaff, yes I could dust of that one and while I’m shinning my dreams, I could add that Jonas Kaufmann could be the tenor. (big smile).

Now closer to home I would love to be the feature post of a favourite group who I post photos on each day. That one may take a good while to come to fruition And last but not least, A friend sent a photo of a painting of American artist Fairfield Porter work. Bright sunny Yellow Tulips in a blue vase. What joy to see and a painting guaranteed to put a smile on my face. Yellow is always on the look out for interesting new things to come along. With Yellow in your day you can always be certain of adding a touch of intelligence, clear thinking and confidence.

KATHY THE FRIDAY BLOG PAGE

KATHY

I have forgotten the date of your birthday. But not the date you left us to be with the angels, and I also clearly remember the day your aerogramme arrived telling me how poorly you were and that you would not recover. As that day came around again just a week or two ago I remembered how we meet and how both our life were to change forever.

We meet at Laxon Girls Secondary School in Long Lane close to the Borough just down the road from the Elephant and Castle in London. My mother and I lived in Darwin Street just off the Old Kent Road. While Kathy lived the other side of the of the Walworth Road in Lorrimore Square with her father and an elderly Scottish relative. Both these areas are now well and truly gone. But how well I remember the walks from my home to hers and vice versa all those years ago.

I was the new girl in the class and we sat next to each other. We were the same age, but very different in size and looks and personality. I was rather pale with light brown hair and was rather delicate and very shy indeed. While dear Kathy was more robust with the most wonderful open face and happy smile. She took me under her wing and we soon became great friends. It was the first time I had a friend. She knew her way around the school and was always there helping me to settling in.

Back in the day most children had lunch at school and most paid one shilling for a two course meal. Cathy and I had free meals, both of us having lost a parent. My father had died a couple of years before and all I knew about Kathy’s mother was that she had died when Kathy was very young indeed. We all ate in a large hall that was used as canteen every school day and it was always very busy. You could not choose what to have on your plate or ask for a small portion of anything. The food was just dished up and the large potions were more than I could cope with. I remember clearly how I hated school dinner times. I would eat all I could manage, and depending on what teacher was on “dinner duty” I might get away with leaving some of the food. One dinner time stands out, as the duty teacher came along and yes I do remember her name, asked why I hadn’t finished my meal, I very quietly said I could not eat any more, She then told me and the whole hall in rather a loud voice that I more than anyone else should eat all the food on my plate as my meal was free. I was so embarrassed and getting through the rest of that meal was very hard without crying and feeling very sorry for myself. From the very next day and from then on Kathy and I would go into the dinning hall together, get our meals and sit at the same long table. Dear Kathy would keep pace with my eating, watch to make sure no teacher was in sight, then pass her empty plate over to me and I passed mine to her and she would finish my meal. We made such a great team and there were times ahead of us that I remember with great love and so many other times, a much better understanding of her life. Never forgotten, remembered with the kindest of thoughts always.

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THE READING WOMEN CALENDAR FEBRUARY2020 THE FRIDAY BLOG PAGE

THE READING WOMEN CALENDAR

FEBRUARY2020

I have turned the second page of the calender as we reached a new month of the year and find the wonderful English artist and book illustrator Walter Crane’s works 1884- 1915. He was among the most prolific illustrators of his generation. He was part of the Arts ans Craft movement and devoted many years to designs for textiles and wallpapers. He collaborated with Edmund Evans to illustrate toy and nursery rhymes and fairy tales producing two or three books a year. He went on to be a member of the institute of painters in water colours.

The coppery brown dress was the first thing I saw as I looked at February’s painting. On looking closer it was being worn over a black with a blue pattern slip of some sort, so elegant. There are so many added delights that take it from a plain brownish dress to something rather special, the pretty lacy collar and gold chains with the tiny cross, the wide sleeves with a lace trim at the wrist. Orange stocking with silver buckles on her shoes. I love the beautiful fresco on the wall behind her. I wonder how many hours of work went into this part of the painting, such amazing detail that one can look at it so many times and still find some thing new to see. I love the clear patterns of fish and birds on the blue and white tiles. That Chinese vase is beautiful and what looks to be an Olive branch is just perfect in it. Then there is the strong lines of classical black and gold mirror frame

and was it an extra, putting in the sweet tabby cat?

The quote on this page of the calendar I rather liked.

“Book are the plane, and the train, and the road.

They are the destination, and the journey.

They are home”.

Written by American born Anna Quindlen who is a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, non-fiction, and self-help best seller lists. The list of her books and quote is very impressive. I must have a closer look at her works.