Reptiles, Ballets Russe, and Victorian poets at bargain basement prices…

Sigh – the blogmonster ate my blog. And I was nearly done. Here we go again.

I’ve got nothing important or deep to write tonight Just chatter about my day and lovelies to share…

Today was pretty … bright sun, crystal clear blue skies … but with a nippy enough wind to keep me inside in the warmth of my house. Not so Liam and Poppydog – who both wanted to go outside and kick an orange around. Poppy is obsessed with balls in the truest sense of the word ‘obsessive’. In an attempt to cut her off from her obsession, she is ball deprived. Not that she knows. She thinks she is living in heaven because she has two orange trees at her disposal. At least we think they are orange trees but she knows they are in fact trees that are there to provide her with balls. Not any normal balls either, but balls that she likes to eat after she has done playing with them. The entire bottom half of each tree is denuded of oranges thanks to Poppydog’s OCD. She picks them.

Anyway. No sooner had I let them outside to play footorange than they both came running back in, Liam with big round eyes and excitedly crying “mummy mummy come look mummy”.

He was so persistent I had to comply so I followed him to the back door, and luckily caught the dog in time before she went out, because there coming toward the back step was a big blue tongue lizard. Liam had built a ‘ramp’ up the step with two thick sheets of board, and the lizard was heading for the safety of under the ramp (while Poppy strained under my arms to get free), having been scared shitless by one loud little boy and a nosy dog.

So the dog and child played on outside while the lizard hid under the ramp. A while later Liam came back in again to drag me back out and show me how the lizard had come out and was now sunning itself. Poppydog knew it was there, she had a good hard look, but she still had her orange in her mouth which is of much greater importance to her than any old lizard in her yard. Later again, Liam came inside and I went out to check on the lizard, to see the poor thing trying to scramble across the grass toward the safety of the side garden, where presumably it’s home was. Poppy (who is part border collie) had ditched her orange and was now attempting to herd the lizard. I have to admit I got a giggle out of it as Poppy didn’t have to expend much energy or movement to herd the moving lizard. Poppy didn’t want to hurt it, just herd it. Still, I took pity on it and dragged the dog inside to let the lizard continue it’s journey fear-free.

They really are beautiful creatures. They have bright blue tongues (as their name suggests). The one in our yard is well over a foot long. They’re great to have around because they eat snails and things. They are quite slow moving and very docile. And because of that are prone to being attacked by cats, dogs, and lawnmowers.We’ve always had blue tongues in our backyard … whether it’s the same one all the time or not I don’t know but apparently live alone for most of the year.

One year we also had an Eastern Water Dragon living in our backyard as well. This was a bit more of a problem because they move a hell of a lot faster than a bluey, in fact they run – and that’s what gets Poppy going. She loves to chase anything that moves fast. It used to take refuge from the dog in our shed.

And that concludes my “wildlife warrior” adventures of the day

A particularly sparkly moment today was the arrival of the parcel postie with a parcel for me which I had been eagerly waiting for – bought on ebay for an absolute bargain. A little book, circa 1910, of the poetic works of Matthew Arnold, illustrated by Arthur A Dixon. In good nick too, with only a little foxing, beautiful delicate pages, and oh the smell. I adore the smell of old books. I can actually get a little high on it I love it that much. Matthew Arnold is touted as being the 3rd biggest Victorian era poet after Tennyson and some other dude I haven’t read. I’m not big on Tennyson (although I do have affection for the Arthurian pieces), but I really enjoy Matthew Arnold. Some smaller samples of his goodness…

(From “Faded Leaves”)
2. Too Late

Each on his own strict line we move,
And some find death ere they find love;
So far apart their lives are thrown
From the twin soul which halves their own.

And sometimes, by still harder fate,
The lovers meet, but meet too late.
–Thy heart is mine!–True, true! ah, true!
–Then, love, thy hand!–Ah no! adieu!

Self-Deception

Say, what blinds us, that we claim the glory
Of possessing powers not our share?–
Since man woke on earth, he knows his story,
But, before we woke on earth, we were.

Long, long since, undower’d yet, our spirit
Roam’d, ere birth, the treasuries of God:
Saw the gifts, the powers it might inherit;
Ask’d an outfit for its earthly road.

Then, as now, this tremulous, eager being
Strain’d, and long’d, and grasp’d each gift it saw.
Then, as now, a Power beyond our seeing
Stav’d us back, and gave our choice the law.

Ah, whose hand that day through heaven guided
Man’s blank spirit, since it was not we?
Ah, who sway’d our choice, and who decided
What our gifts, and what our wants should be?

For, alas! he left us each retaining
Shreds of gifts which he refus’d in full.
Still these waste us with their hopeless straining–
Still the attempt to use them proves them null.

And on earth we wander, groping, reeling;
Powers stir in us, stir and disappear.
Ah, and he, who placed our master-feeling,
Fail’d to place that master-feeling clear.

We but dream we have our wish’d-for powers.
Ends we seek we never shall attain.
Ah, some power exists there, which is ours?
Some end is there, we indeed may gain?

A Caution to Poets

What poets feel not, when they make,
A pleasure in creating,
The world, in its turn, will not take
Please in contemplating.

And to complete my day in utter satisfaction, was accidentally coming upon the documentary movie “Ballets Russe” on tv late tonight. I had been wanting to see that when it came to our local theatre but missed it, and loving ballet as I do I wanted to watch it … and now I have! Ahhhhh….

Currently Listening: Meddle By Pink Floyd Release date: 25 October, 1990