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Monday 29 June 2015

The letter Y



Yogi was a yapping dog who would yap-yap loud and hard.
Yogi yip-yapped in the house, and he yip-yapped in the yard!



Yolanda had a yellow bird who would yodel her a song.
When Yolanda fed him yogurt, the bird yodeled all day long!



Now, here are two more popular y words. Come on and take a guess!
The answer is you, spelled y-o-u, and yes, spelled y-e-s!







I used all the words beginning with Y from my dictionary. I even used Dutch words beginning with IJ or ij. Now I am at the end of my imagination! Perhaps this? 

 

 

If you want to take part in the ABC Wednesday meme, please don't forget to mention this meme and mrs. Nesbitt's name, for she invented this meme more than 8 years ago. And the subject of your post must start with the letter of the week.

Thank you! 

Wil, ABCW Team

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Monday 22 June 2015

X

The letter x does not take up too much room in an English dictionary and in fact I have a pocket dictionary where it just manages to make a third of a page. Dr Samuel Johnson, famous for compiling one of the first English dictionary, did not even bother with an X entry saying there were no English words which began with the letter, but then he also disapproved of French words and even left out the world champagne.  I hope he included the word bubbly otherwise how would they have ordered it?  I idly wondered how many X words there would be in a modern average sized dictionary. The compliers say there will be about 120 but in a comprehensive, and larger, dictionary there would be around 400 which would include rare and obsolete words.  Plenty to choose from, but there does seem to be an inordinate number of words to do with wood.  So which of those 400 or so words will you be choosing this week?  Or perhaps you will go with flora and fauna which have more than a sprinkling of X words, especially that most mysterious of organisms, the lichen.

You are an inventive lot when we get the the more tricky letter of the alphabet so maybe there will be X formed in nature or in the urban landscape.  Sometimes one falls into your lap as it roams the highways and byways 
like this one I stopped behind at the traffic lights. 
  
Happy hunting.

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Monday 15 June 2015

W is for The Waltz.

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I love the Waltz,  It is the most elegant of dances and the first ballroom dance I learned as a child.


 


 


Sadly, through the fifties and sixties ballroom dancing was replaced by The Jive, the twist, the shake etc.  This was a rebellion of youth and I feel, stated  'We don't want to dance like our parents, we want to do our own thing.'  Anyone who indulged in Ballroom dancing was considered 'square' !


Who can forget the immortal scene from the wonderful musical 'The King and I', where Anna, the governess to the king's children, teaches him to Waltz,  in readiness for a forthcoming ball to be held at The Imperial Palace.


There is a more obscure musical by Rogers and Sondheim called, 'Do I Hear a Waltz'.


The story line was about an unmarried American secretary of a certain age, goes on vacation to Venice, where she falls in love with a married man, who has no intention of ending his happy marriage and family life, to be with her.

 

'Might it be better than never having loved at all'?

 

The title song of the film was recorded by many famous American singers including Peggy Lee and Eydie Gorme.

 Sadly after several stagings and the film, it was never the success it was hoped to be. Such a shame as it had a good story line, fine actors and the greatest writers of all time.

Quite some time ago I was in a ladies choir and we used to sing many songs from the musicals including 'Do I Hear a Waltz?' I must confess to not knowing this song but our conductor had an uncanny knack of introducing us to quite a few obscure pieces which we grew to love, including this one !

We had a wonderful soloist called Edith who would sing 'Do I hear a Waltz'. She had a fine mezzo soprano voice and sang this song with such clarity and feeling that I often wondered if there was more to it than we knew, You see, Edith was a lady 'of a certain age' and had never married! We knew little of her private life as she was a very private person, who lived alone in a fine apartment with her much adored cat. Enrico.

I'd like you to read the lyrics of this most enchanting song and tell me if you hear a Waltz ?

 

Do I Hear a Waltz?

 

Do I hear a waltz
Very odd but true
There isn't a band
And I don't hear it at all.
 
Oh my Lord, there it goes again!
Why is nobody dancing in the street
Can't they hear the beat?
 
Magical, mystical miracle,
Can't it be?
Is it true?
Things are impossibly lyrical
Is it me?
No it's you!
I do hear a waltz
I see you and I hear a waltz-
It's what I've been waiting for all my life to hear a waltz
.
Do I hear a waltz?
Oh my dear don't you hear a waltz?
Such lovely Blue Danubey music
How can you be still?
You must hear a waltz
Even strangers are dancing now
An old lady is waltzing in her flat
WALTZING with her cat.
 
Roses are dancing with peonies,
yes it's true!
Don't you see?
Everything's Viennese,
Can't be you!
Must be me!
Do I hear a WALTZ:
I wan't you to share it 'cause
Oh boy, do I hear a WALTZ.
 

What I really wonder is.....

 
Did Edith hear her waltz and did she dance in her flat,
Waltz with her cat, ?
 

I heard my WALTZ when I had my first date with my husband Ian, I wasn't long divorced and had no intention of looking for somebody else. We went to our local WI Annual Christmas Dance, we had been introduced by mutual friends.. we chatted most of the night then,  the band struck up....would you believe, a WALTZ.. we danced all night and have been together now for 33 years...Yes........ and I still hear a WALTZ!

My apologies for such a long piece but I really couldn't leave anything out without telling the full story!
 
My sincere thanks to the WONDERFUL Denise for devising ABCW and the WORDSMITH Roger for his hard WORK in the admin of ABCW.
 

 

 






 


  

 
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Monday 8 June 2015

V is for Vroom vroom!
















By the time people are reading this introduction hubby, myself and the duck will have travelled across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man! A Vacation! Look out for the duck!



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Monday 1 June 2015

U stands for UP

'Up the airy mountain and down the rushing glen, we daren't go a hunting for fear of little men, wee folk, good folk, trooping altogether, green jacket, red cap and white owl's feather'.   (William Allingham 1824-1889).

When I was in my teens we used to go to our church summer school. We would board a coach outside of the church and travel Up to the Lake District, a wonderful National Park of mountains, lakes and pretty villages etc.




 

Mount Skiddaw,  overlooking Lake Derwentwater.  Skiddaw is 3,054 ft above sea level and is the 4th highest mountain in the UK. 





 

Up on top of the World, or so it seemed to a 14 year old. We actually reached the peak and kissed the stone! This view from the summit looks down over Lake Bassenthwaite, the plateau at the peak is called Striding Edge. Whilst we were climbing and scrabbling Up the mountain we would sing many songs and of course, 'Up the Airy Mountain'.


.

 Looking Up and across Lake Derwentwater to the snow capped peak of Skiddaw
.

 


Below the stunning Ashness Bridge, formerly a pack horse bridge, with Lake Derwentwater and Mount Skiddaw in the background .

Up The Airy Mountain and Down the Rushy Glen (yet again) and you will come across the most picturesque spectacle of  Tarn Hows ( above) a tarn is a small lake set high amongst a mountain range.


I shall have to UP and away now as we are setting off on a trip to the beautiful Isle  of Anglesey in North Wales,  for a week's holiday. It is just about a 90 minute drive  from our home UP and along the N.Wales coastal road.


My sincere thanks to the UTTERLY lovely Denise for giving US so much pleasure in devising ABCW and also to the UBIQUITOUS Roger for his superb administration of ABCW.
Best wishes,
Di.
ABCW team.
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