Wordless Wednesday: Curlew Pass

“The Gaelic Horseman” overlooks the battlefield at Curlew Pass in Co. Sligo, Ireland. (Photo: FMF © Oct. 2003)

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Rhinos

Busy doing my tax return and came across an unsaved (!) poem I wrote and submitted (some time ago) to be included in an anthology to raise funds for the preservation of Rhinos.

Harry Owen  the inaugural Poet Laureate for Cheshire (UK) in 2003, moved to South Africa’s Eastern Cape in January 2008, was the editor and now the book is published I shall put my order in.

Even though they didn’t use my poem I certainly want to support their very worthy cause.

Thandi

Imagine slow, deep heart beats

echoing inside a massive hide.

 

Slumberous half-blind grazing.

Open veld rare rhino protected.

 

Unaware evil stalks with intent.

Crack! Stinging rifle shot thrums.

 

Laboring body lumbers to escape.

Laid low, as deadly saw crudely

 

works on pointed bone bleeding

on Africa’s Skin.  Enough death,

 

illegal trade.  This is no noble

harvest to feed the starving poor…

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2012 

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Lest we forget…

Everything I’m feeling today was said this time last year…

Perth Words... exploring possibilities.

I was lucky, I had my dad and mum until my early thirties – but so many didn’t.

My Dad was a Pathfinder in the R.A.F. 35 Squadron and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by King George.  

Mum blamed the blitz for making her take up smoking.

Dad never missed the chance to proudly honor his fallen mates in whichever country he found himself – it was the only time his medals saw the light of day and the only time he publicly acknowledged the war unless ‘Dambusters’ or ‘Battle of Britain‘ were on TV.    

My husband and I have been doing a lot of research into Mum and Dad’s life before Africa and have found out many surprising facts which have answered many, many questions we should have asked when they were with us.  

I now know why  ‘Don’t Fence Me In’was one…

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Wordless Wednesday: Sweater Shop

The Sweater Shop, Doolin, Co Clare, 2003.

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Easter Bilby

Easter at our house.

Last day of the Easter weekend and all eggs (except the two above) distributed.

I always buy Cadbury’s Easter Bilby for my son the Environmentalist and the Lindt Gold Bunny for my daughter the Chocolate Connoisseur.

The Bilby is an Australian marsupial under threat of extinction and environmentalists suggested a couple of years ago, the way to help would be to use the commercialization of Easter.

Meet Australia’s Easter Bunny: the Long-Eared Greater Bilby:  “And there’s arguably no better way of getting our kids interested in our native wildlife than covering them in chocolate.”

Apart from having my gorgeous grandies round for tea after a family picnic in the park yesterday,  I’m busy re-writing a story I wrote a few Easters ago.

Originally called  ‘An Easter Tale’  or ‘How the Bilby got Easter’s job with the wrong tail’,  it’s now called ‘Bringarious Bilby’  with grand ambitions to be published sometime in the not too distant future as a children’s picture book.

Hope your long weekend was all you wanted it to be – and you and yours are safe.

 

 

 

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‘Write to Romance’

‘Urban Scrawl’ an anthology of member’s stories published in 2000 by Peter Cowan Writer’s Centre.

The illustration for my story ‘Write to Romance’.

 

“Write to Romance” appeared in ‘Urban Scrawl’, a collection of member’s writing put together by Peter Cowan Writers Centre in 2000 and was the first of my short stories published in Australia.

As I have quite a few snippets of story on my computer ‘shelves’ I’m very interested in putting together a collection for an eBook to publish online as soon as possible.

Watch this space.

 

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Roadside Rubbish

It’s that time of year again (photo taken today).   Wish I’d taken photos last year, when I wrote this though…

 

Two Fans

 

Two fans enthusiastically spin amongst

a pile of rubbish waiting for pick up,

roadside.

 

Through wind and rain, even thunder

“Look at me!” but nothing moved.

Clever stack.

 

Unlike No 2’s plant pots. Scattered

colorful rattles voicing the gusts.

Messy!

 

Drive-bys;  inspection opportunists.

Recycling on a budget or business,

who knows?

 

Roadside shopping has rules. Don’t

muddle. Re-stack after inspection.

Carefully.

 

It’s bad manners to sort, scrounge,

accept or reject – pull apart, untidy,

then go.

 

 Frances Macaulay Forde © 2013

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