26th April 2020 - Cider, Outsiders, and Sundays

Thought for the day :"Binge reading everything by Stephen King – Didn’t enjoy it"

LINK JOHNS HOPKINS
Office of National Statistics


Reading Laurie Lee's Cider With Rosie and found the following passage:

Mother's romantic memories may not have all been reliable, for their character frequently changed. But of the stories she told us, about herself and others, the one of the Blacksmith and the Toffee-Maker was true...

Once, she said, in the village of C---, there lived a lovelorn blacksmith. For years he had loved a local spinster, but he was shy, as most blacksmiths are. The spinster, who eked out a poor existence by boiling and selling toffee, was also lonely, in fact desperate for a husband, but too modest and proud to seek one. With the years the spinster's desperation grew, as did the blacksmith's speechless passion.

Then one day the spinster stole into the church and threw herself down on her knees. "Oh Lord" she prayed, "please be mindful of me, and send me a man to marry!"

Now the blacksmith by chance was up in the belfry, mending the old church clock. Every breathless word of the spinster's entreaties rose clearly to where he was. When he heard her praying, "Please send me a man!" he nearly fell off the roof with excitement. But he kept his head, tuned his voice to Jehovah's, and boomed "Will a blacksmith do?"

"Ern a man's better than nern, dear Lord!" cried the spinster gratefully.

At which the blacksmith ran home, changed into his best, and caught the spinster on her way out of church. He proposed, and they married, and lived forever contented, and used his forge for boiling their toffee.

Hmm - I wondered where Jake got the idea from ... Shut-Down Serenades No 13 ...
(I know - I skipped 12 - you can look it up if you want or wait until tomorrow)

The Blacksmith

In other news - on essential journeys..

 or even

But we always have to come back to the main stories..

And a musical interlude...

And to put the record straight

"So if I inject my friend with disinfectant

Could I be charged with bleach of the peace 😁

Or domestos violence"

And won't we look stupid next week 

A day in the studio yesterday, and three songs under the belt. Well two songs and a monologue really - they will be heading to the blog and all good social media outlets in due course.

Meanwhile - it is Sunday  -I know - I checked on the computer and so another week is about to start....

Cheers :