The Snow Returns

 Cavendish Statue near the Town Hall

Surrounded on three sides by water when we get an inch of snow in Barrow there will be a foot elsewhere in the north. Yes there is "traffic chaos" in Scotland today with blizzards and airports closed.  Rather peaceful here but nobody sitting on the seats, although the nearby cafe had its tables and chairs outside, ready for business in case anyone wanted to admire the new snow while sipping a hot cup of cocoa.  Don't know whether they sell cocoa but it is a drink I always associate with winter.

Some Thomas Hardy seems appropriate:

Snow in the Suburbs

Every branch big with it,
Bent every twig with it;
Every fork like a white web-foot;
Every street and pavement mute:
Some flakes have lost their way, and grope back upward when
Meeting those meandering down they turn and descend again.
The palings are glued together like a wall,
And there is no waft of wind with the fleecy fall.
A sparrow enters the tree,
Whereon immediately
A snow-lump thrice his own slight size
Descends on him and showers his head and eye
And overturns him,
And near inurns him,
And lights on a nether twig, when its brush
Starts off a volley of other lodging lumps with a rush.
The steps are a blanched slope,
Up which, with feeble hope,
A black cat comes, wide-eyed and thin;
And we take him in.

Thomas Hardy, 1840-1928

National Poetry Day - Almost

I'm late for National Poetry Day on the 7th October, but what is day without poetry. 

One of the Scottish Poetry Library's set of  e-cards.

Frosty Flowers and Chimes

Skimmia Japonica on a frosty morning

"Chimes" by Alice Meynell

Brief, on a flying night
From the shaken tower,
A flock of bells take flight
And go with the hour.

Like birds from the cote to the gales,
Abrupt - O hark!
A fleet of bells set sails,
And go to the dark.

Sudden the cold airs swing,
Alone, aloud,
A verse of bells takes wing
And flies with the cloud.

ABC Wednesday - F

F is for Fountain Fun

How irresistible is a fountain on a hot day. Escaping from the mad touristy centre of Colmar in France, here, on the outskirts, people were relaxing and having fun.


Of course some fountains are more impressive than others. These were supposed to be shooting up in the air but it was found that they did not cope too well with the wind, so were turned down. Who would expect wind in a town that is surrounded on three sides by the sea, obviously not the architects. No skateboarders weaving in and out of these although I have seen them attempt the various tricks on the seats and stairs round the corner. The odd Labrador finds the water quite refreshing. These fountains are outside Emlyn Hughes House which is named after the late, great Liverpool FC footballer who was a son of the town. (His statue is also in this photo but it is not too clear against the trees). The locals however call it Crazy Horse Corner because Crazy Horse was his nickname, and who can resist a bit of alliteration.

The first time I saw these turned on I thought there was a flood not realising they were supposed to be fountains.

In mitigation I was sat in the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel (picture courtesy of Barrow Day By Day) on one of those nice high bar chairs, having a beer and looking out of the window. This is a Grade 2 listed building built in 1871 when the town was rapidly expanding and known as the 'Chicago of the North'. It has just been given a £2M refurbishment after some years of decline. It also used to have some nice trees in front but the council in their wisdom felled them, for traffic safety reasons, although they had stood there for years with no problem. Famous people who have stayed there include Charlie Chaplin and Cary Grant, who in there time had a lot of fans and D H Lawrence who wrote lots of fiction but also some non fiction on Freudian psychoanalysis. I wonder if he came with his wife Frieda. He also wrote poetry, mainly about nature, but also some concerning fish such as the one verse which is 'Little Fish' which I had to quote because it also has the word fun in it.

The tiny fish enjoy themselves
in the sea.
Quick little splinters of life,
their little lives are fun to them
in the sea.

Follow the link to ABC Wednesday which will be full of more Fs

Boats That Have Seen Better Days

Roa Island

Gently rotting away. I think it needs rather a lot of TLC.

Upside down on the channel at the bottom of the Slag Bank

A lost little boat. Reminds me of the one Emily Dickinson wrote about:

Twas such a little - little boat
That toddled down the bay!
Twas such a gallant - gallant sea
That beckoned it away!

Twas such a greedy, greedy wave
That licked it from the coast -
Nor ever guessed the stately sails
My little craft was lost