Doors of Dublin

The Georgian doors of Dublin are famous. Always freshly painted, every door with a personal twist.
I'd be reluctant to knock on the green door, though.

Midnight
one more night without sleepin' -
Watchin'
till the morning comes peepin'.
Green door
what's that secret you're keepin'?
there's an old piano and
they play it hot behind the
green door
don't know what they're doin'
But they laugh a lot behind the green door.
Wish they'd let me in
So I could find out what's
behind the green door.
Knocked twice
tried to tell 'em I'd been there

Door slammed
hospitality's thin there.
Wonder just what's goin' on in there.
Saw an eyeball peepin' through a smokey cloud
Behind the green door

When I said
Joe sent me

Someone laughed out loud
behind the green door.
All I want to do is join
the happy crew behind the
green door.
Midnight
one more night without sleepin'...
Saw an eyeball peepin' through
a smokey cloud...
Wish they'd let me in
So I could find out what's
behind the green door..

Magical Mystery Teacher is hosting Ruby Tuesday 2 together with Gemma Wiseman

Ruby ode to the spring

View from our London hotel window to the backyard.
I admire the optimistic flowers praising the joy of spring to tenant and God only.

Carl Sandburg (1920)

The Spring

1 The down drop of the blackbird, The wing catch of arrested flight, The stop midway and then off: off for triangles, circles, loops of new hieroglyphs— This is April’s way: a woman: “O yes, I’m here again and your heart knows I was coming.” 2 White pigeons rush at the sun, A marathon of wing feats is on: “Who most loves danger? Who most loves wings? Who somersaults for God’s sake in the name of wing power in the sun and blue on an April Thursday.” So ten winged heads, ten winged feet, race their white forms over Elmhurst. They go fast: once the ten together were a feather of foam bubble, a chrysanthemum whirl speaking to silver and azure. 3 The child is on my shoulders. In the prairie moonlight the child’s legs hang over my shoulders. She sits on my neck and I hear her calling me a good horse. She slides down—and into the moon silver of a prairie stream She throws a stone and laughs at the clug-clug.

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Menorah in sepia

I visited British Museum in London for the first time this February.
One may consider the exhibition as the world's most gigantic theft.
Nevertheless British archaeologists searched for and took care of world heritage, at a time most countries hardly could support themselves.
I also find it positive that the priceless, tremendous exhibition is public, and even has free admission.
I chose to make this Babylonian finding, a Menorah carved in a gold plate, with reverse letters?? Is it kind of a stamp? I guess it's from the time when the people of Israel were abducted to Babylon.

Psalms Chapter 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 Upon the willows in the midst thereof we hanged up our harps.
3 For there they that led us captive asked of us words of song, and our tormentors asked of us mirth:
'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.'
4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not;
if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, against the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem;
who said: 'Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.'
8 O daughter of Babylon, that art to be destroyed;
happy shall he be, that repayeth thee as thou hast served us.


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SEPIA SIGN

In Kensington Garden, along the Serpentine, road marks like this were implanted in the asphalt.

What grip my by the heart, was that someone carefully had seen to, that the former Princess Diana had been give back her lost title and dignity.
There were a Diana Princess of Wales Memorial walk, a ditto fountain and last but not least; playground.
Kensington Garden is leading up to Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived also after her marriage had broken up. The Palace is now being redecorated for Prince William and his wife to be.
Only 19% sepia in this picture.

Teach Mary is the host of Sepia Scenes,visit her.

RUBY DAY IN LONDON

Some times, when life seems just too bad, like what is happening in Japan these day, I simply have to turn my mind and eyes away from the marring horrors, and polish good memories. They are a part of life too!


Our second day in London bro Kel and I bought Oyester cards for the Subway and out we went, not to buy pizza though.

I prefer the Subway to the intricate forest paths in Norway.
Bro was looking for CD's and had old connections up in Notting Hill.


We didn't walk very long due lousy physical conditions for both of us.
The small colorful shops in Portobello Road are mostly for tourists.
This traveler sure had confidence in the Londoners.

Flowers and spring in London, while snow cowered most of Norway. We were thrilled.

Ruby Tuesday

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SEPIA NEVERLAND

The Peter Pan statue in Kensington Garden was one of the "must see" places for this trip. Somehow I'd never seen it before, but it's one of Serina's absolute favorite places. I wanted to share her joy. J M Barrie, the author of Peter Pan lived near by Kensington Garden and did give this fabulous art nouveau statue to the children of London.
I do recommend people to take time and enter the magic world of the Serpentine,the fountains, the swans, ducks, squirrels, Diana, Princess of Wales' playground,snowdrops, daffodils and last. but not least the fairytale of Peter Pan.
As you will see, some tender soul had placed a crystal bowl with a pine shoot to feed the squirrel. I bet it will remain there in peace for quite a while.


Teach Mary is the host of Sepia Scenes,visit her.

THE RUBY TRAP

My brother Knut Erik/aka Kel invited me to London to celebrate his 60th birthday. Since he's my only sibling, just 15 months younger than me, Irish twins they call it, we've always been very close. This time we made London for eight days. The first time we went over the North Sea in a cargo boat ,in1969, we hardly could afford visited a café at all. We survived mainly on the solid English breakfast they used to serve back then.


This time we decided it was a shame we hadn't seen the longest running play in history, The Mousetrap, written by an old favorite of us, Agatha Christie. We had some trouble finding the appendix of a street where the theater was situated. Thanks to all the red we found it, and it even was on Tuesday last.



The piece is just a tiny bit younger than we are. It's running in it's 60th year.

I didn't bring a camera, only my cellphone. Even so an overeager guardsman stopped me when I tried to shoot some interior pictures before the curtains went up.
I wouldn't even dream of telling you, who was the murderer.
After theater time we still had some shopping to do. Bro Kel needed a giant suitcase for the 900 CDs he had bought. Collectors do that kind of stuff. We found London mild and cheerful and stopped outside an outdoor café for a cuppa on our way home.

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Ruby Tuesday

CRASH COURSE IN PC WRECKING

My brother Knut Erik/ aka Kel and I have been a wonderful eight days celebration of his 60th birthday in London.
There's only the two of us siblings, so we are pretty close, even though we only see each other in vacations.

First time we went abroad, back in 1969, we traveled together with a tramp-boat over the North Sea, and came to London via Flixburgh and Scarborough.
We went to the Norwegian Seaman's Church to get help finding accommodation and a adventurous time back then as well.

The picture on this blog is eight years old taken on our last visit to London. Later on we took Christmas cruises over to New Castle as "salary" for writing in a bridge magazine together.

Anyway, I was so eager to copy my photos from London over to my computer, that I managed to shipwreck the whole machine.
Now Gunnar is letting me use his old PC, but I will not be posting more, if not my new machine with all its "valuable " content cannot be repaired.
I give it a month. It's just too sad and annoying.

Oh, yes, I am the queen of self pity just now. So be it.