Some random thoughts/events/questions.
All of our bulbs are now in the ground. Assuming we get a little rain, spring should be a joy and a delight. Probably as a direct consequence of the effort involved my body is hurting badly and not operating as I would like it to. And as a consequence of that (and of the drugs I have taken) my brain is foggy. Still an achievement.
I have nearly finished the biography of Alfred Bestall, the man who wrote and illustrated Rupert Bear for many, many years. And surprisingly, because I am very fond of Rupert, I find myself wondering if his talents were in some sense wasted. He was an extraordinarily skilled artist and perhaps if he had devoted himself more fully to his art (sketching, portraiture, oil painting) he, and we, would have benefited. I don't know, and certainly there did not seem to be any sense of regret on his part. Another interesting thing I have gleaned from the biography is that he was a devout Christian and believed that his faith was behind each Rupert story. Not something I had ever noticed and certainly Rupert and family are not church goers - indeed I don't recall there even being a church in the village of Nutwood in which Rupert and his family live.
Which indirectly leads me to the death of Osama Bin Laden. And what I consider the inappropriate and premature jubilation at his death. I don't believe that his death will stop terrorism in its tracks - if anything I suspect it will precipitate more attacks. And his death will neither bring anyone else to life again, nor fill the void that those other deaths left in the lives and hearts of their families and loved ones. And yes, I mean all the deaths without reference to race or religion, be they from 9/11 or reprisals or the obscenity of collateral damage.
i went and read some of your earlier posts and i liked your description of doing tapestry to show your hands who is boss.
ReplyDeletei cant decide whether it is more demoralising to find that they are indeed boss or to just assume they are :)
my neuro problem is CMT. same same but different
yes re OBL and that seems to be what everybody is saying/thinking, which indicates to me that they are all over the shock of that terrible day.
ReplyDeleteBecause he has been strangely consigned to the ocean, I am sceptical of the entire thing though.
deeply suspicious actually.
We know from wikileaks how very duplicitous the american defence forces are.
Sorry you are aching from the gardening, and hope the anticipation of emerging massed narcissi will sustain you. they are so cheery.
X X from AOD too
Kylie: neuro problems suck, but I refuse to give in. Often anyway. Or for long.
ReplyDeleteMarshall and AOD: Thank you for the best wishes. Also deeply suspicious, but regrettably am often deeply suspicious of anything any politician/spokesperson/defence personnel says. Which means I spend a lot of time mired in suspicion. And a family member works for Defence too.
"Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish" i say to osama bin laden. In my younger days we used this term or phrase when we didn't like something or somebody. Looking forward to your photos when your bulbs finally bloom in spring :-).
ReplyDeleteRe OBL I can't help thining that to celebrate the death of any living thing, even your enemy, somehow diminishes one's humanity. And as much as I think Bin Laden possibly deserved his fate, a line from the poet John Donne has been running through my mind all morning. "Each man's death diminishes me, for I am involved in all mankind. Therefore, never ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee."
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear that you are sore and frustrated again. It's no fun when your body lets you down and refuses to follow orders. Hmm... anarchy - we can't have that! I hope you (with the help of your meds) restore the proper heirarchy soon.
And I'm dying to see pictures of your spring garden - it sounds wonderful! We are apparently in spring at the moment, though there is snow falling as I type... mother nature is a real clown sometimes :-)
Windsmoke: You will rue the day you asked for photos of the garden.
ReplyDeleteMarie: Thank you, the lines from John Donne beautifully encapsulates a lot of what I feel. And you, like Windsmoke, may be bored to tears with photos in spring.
Hi EC,
ReplyDeleteI fear that the death of Bin Laden may have consequences. While it has brought closure to some, it may just signal a new onslaught from other terrorists. That scares me.
Cheers
PM
I recall glancing at Rupert Bear now and again. Nutwood? Ah, for a moment I thought of Nutcote, the house where May Gibbs lived. Biography, eh? Cool. Author alert! Do you have an agent and have you joined ASA (Aus Society of Authors)? Possibly moral precepts are embedded in the Rupert stories, how could they be, in a place called Nutwood?! So cute. I want to move to Nutwood.
ReplyDeletedo hope you feel better soon-
ReplyDeleteWarm Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
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Hear hear re OBL. It made me feel slightly queasy at the 'celebrating' and gloating going on. If anything the US should be utterly embarrassed at how long it took them - the country that loves to brag about their might and skill - so long to find him. And yes, it won't bring anyone back.
ReplyDeleteI am sitting here with empathy as I read you, having done one (two or three) errands too many today. I fee cranky myself--I'd actually been having one of the best days in about half a year, and now... ugh... The bulbs will be fabulous though!
ReplyDeleteAs for the killing, it was positively creepy here. My neighbors ran out with shotguns, letting off rounds in the air in celebration as the news went out. My feeling is we've now made OBL a martyr in the eyes of many. It's unsettling, to say the least, as is the atmosphere of jubilant celebration. Disturbing.
Paper Chipmunk: Have you noticed that you are going along just fine, so you do a bit more and then WHAMMO you are stuffed? No warning, just hitting the wall at speed.
ReplyDeleteKath, PM and Paper Chipmunk: As the days go by I am less comfortable with the gloating. Not saying that he was an admirable human being - the available evidence says quite the opposite. But celebrating another human's death? I saw an article that said that even Hitler's death wasn't a cause for public celebration.
Rupert Bear was forced upon me as a child. I didn't like him at all and yet was constantly provided with him in stuffed form, annuals etc. Even when I specifically said I didn't want him...I still got him! I also had Captain Pugwash wallpaper and didn't like that either. NOW I'd like it. Then....parents just don't listen to children!
ReplyDeleteI agree on Osama, he's merely a symbol and it's very naive that some folks will think it means the end of terrorism.
Well done with the bulbs! We have yet to get the potatoes and squashes in thanks to hubbys sciatica and my usual poor strength.
..."WHAMMO you are stuffed...hitting the wall at speed" perfectly describes it! It's amazing how quickly and furiously downhill one can go in one afternoon, and how long it takes to recover from it. Sigh... I hope you're doing better.
ReplyDeletePaper Chipmunk: It doesn't seem fair does it, a lightening fast plummet and a slow labourious climb out again. Body still complaining and I did Lifeline today so the mind is backing the whinging body up. Humph. How about you?
ReplyDeleteAll Consuming: I was never given Rupert but stole him from my brothers which probably explains a part of his charm. Still like him though. And Paddington Bear. Small things for small minds?
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you about Bin Laden.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon! Can't wait to see some photos once those bulb bloom.
I don't know Rupert, but I agree with you re: Obin Laden. The jubilation over his death would've been more properly -- and more impressively -- with somber silence...
ReplyDeletePearl
Yikes. That's just "bin Laden".
ReplyDeleteFirst off...I just love the beautiful pics you have on this blog. You capture a moment so well.
ReplyDeleteNow I gotta put in my two cents about Obama. Sorry, I just can't refrain myself.
We here in America know there are going to be repercussions. Those here that think it's over are simply in denial. What choice did the president have? The nation screamed for retribution and that this man be held accountable for all these death warrants that he issued and were carried out because of him. His being loose in the world and still being able to cause great harm as he 'parroted' others into murdering from his unholy perch, had to be put to a stop. I personally sway on the capital punishment issue, but where he's concerned I wish they could 'kill' him many times over. "Lord, forgive me!" For those of you that think otherwise, imagine having mass destruction occur in your neighborhood, and having to console your grieving family and friends that have lost innocent wives, husbands, and yes, even children. Or better yet, imagine yourself being the one that has to be consoled. As for embarrassment, he was a very clever man who was able to pull off the unthinkable. It is not beyond the realm of imagination to see that he was more than capable of making himself lost in plain sight. Again, what choice does my country have in this whole matter other than to protect itself? Wouldn't you bear arms if someone were trying to gain entry into your home to harm your families? I know I personally would 'cap' them in a heartbeat. But then...I'm an American.
Lady Fi, Pearl: Thanks.
ReplyDeletePissy Kitty: Thank you for your comment. I don't/didn't think Osama was a good man. However I came across a quote in another blog which sums things up for me.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy."
And, as I said earlier, I don't believe his death will fill the void left in the hearts of anyone who has lost someone dear to them.
Sorry. I should have given credit to Pia for the quote. You can find her at http://piaks.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteIn reply re: slamming into a wall, I'm doing more or less ok, thanks. Feeling more on the worn-out end than the better end, but ok. (I lie--I'm frustrated as hell and would prefer to be getting more done in my studio. And--oy!--I've got this new muscle spasm thing that's driving me crazy...but it could be worse.)
ReplyDeleteI hope you get into and remain in more of an "up" cycle yourself. Sigh...
As an aside, I still keep going back and looking at your park pictures, especially the kangaroos. They're so catlike in expression. If only I could enjoy prolonged rest the way they seem to.
Jubilation is inappropriate-
ReplyDeleteI prefer to think that we in America have had very little to feel good about and that justice is satisfying - even if expressed inappropriately. just my thoughts...
To give the devil (the United States) its due, it appears that bin Laden was still active in the planning of attacks which, of course, raises his importance beyond symbolic significance. The U.S. also confiscated lots and lots of his computer files. Yes, al Qaeda has threatened to retaliate, but since their goal is to attack us anyway, why should anyone suppose that we will be subject to more attacks than we would have otherwise?
ReplyDelete