Which King - Whose King?......Another Memory….. Feeding t’birds…..
by Bernie Bell - 07:23 on 27 September 2022
Which King - Whose King?.....
If, for some reason folk I know have been called on to sing the National Anthem of England when they didn’t want to, I’ve recommended thinking of a different Queen – my Queen of choice being Boudicca….. https://theorkneynews.scot/2022/01/09/singing-the-national-anthem/
On watching this ( I turned the sound off)…. https://twitter.com/Innealadair/status/1574035514377867266 I admit to thinking....’Well, what is he to do? He’s a major political figure in Britain - Leader of the Opposition – what is he to do? It’s a dilemma.’ Maybe he could think of a different King.
That got me thinking which King would I think of now, if needed? Maybe Brian Boru… https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/brian-boru-high-king-ireland-killed Very war-like, but he needed to be – he partly succeeded in pulling together an Ireland divided into many squabbling clans – and sorted out the Danes…
“The Danes came to Ireland with nothing to do
But dream of the plundered old Irish they slew,
"Yen will in yer Vikings" said Brian Boru
And threw them back into the ocean.”
Tara, County Meath, Republic of Ireland was where the High Kings of Ireland were crowned – I’ve written of this previously…
“Tara is a place of wonders. Traditionally, it was the inauguration place and seat of the High Kings of Ireland, and according to legend, all of the Kings of Ireland were crowned on the Stone of Destiny, up to Muirchertach mac Ercae c. AD 500. Whatever its original, or on-going purpose, it is a striking-looking stone….
It’s shape – simple but strong. It has a real presence, an ‘air’ about it, standing there……….embedded in concrete. Someone, sometime, saw fit to place the stone in a bed of concrete, which is visible around its base, with neat bits of stone radiating out from it, which, admittedly are vaguely aesthetically pleasing, but …..I remember when I first saw it, thinking “Why? Why on earth have they done that?” If it was considered to be unstable, surely it could have been bedded in securely as it originally would have been, and it would have look truly fiiine, standing there, on the Hill. As it is – there’s just something, basically…wrong about how it looks. “
https://theorkneynews.scot/2020/12/05/taming-the-stones/
I have no idea which King, Kier Starmer would choose to think about when singing the National Anthem of England……what King of these times can a Socialist choose to honour?
There’s Martin Luther King – a strong contender.
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Another ‘Hero For High Times’ memory…. https://ianmarchant.com/books-ian-marchan/a-hero-for-high-times/
I didn’t know how much Marchant admires Mott the Hoople. I saw Mott the Hoople in 1972 in St. George’s Hall, Bradford. I went with my friends, we were in the Stalls – about 4 rows from the front. A great night – I remember us standing, waving our arms and bellowing along to ‘All The Young Dudes’ – of course we did.
Before the gig Ian Hunter was in the bar sitting in a corner being enigmatic in shades. Lovely hair – and I mean, really lovely hair. Hair was a big thing, then.
Fast-forward – about 8 years ago I was very ill, stuck on the sofa, could hardly move – going nuts. I started to ‘go for walks’ in my mind – the walks I’d previously been on. I also re-played parties I’d been to, conversations I’d had and ….concerts I’d been to, including Mott the Hoople.
What I was wearing, who was there, what the band played. Re-playing the Mott the Hoople gig was part of a strategy that helped me to keep some kind of grip.
The nurse who visited me regularly thought it was a great idea, and said she’d tell other patients in a similar situation about it.
Mott the Hoople concerts are good for Mental Health!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L774jUH1cq4
And there was Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake & Palmer, The Kinks, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – to name but a few.
Good Times.
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Feeding t’birds…..
I’ll begin with this as it covers most of what I’d have to say….. https://theorkneynews.scot/2018/09/10/whats-in-your-bird-seed/
And then there was this…. https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/08/18/to-feed-or-not-to-feed/
There’s also the question of apple seeds. I’d always presumed that as it’s A GOOD THING to put out whole apples for t’birds, the seeds must be OK for them to eat too - apparently not according to this site https://zupreem.com/avian/toxic-foods-your-bird-should-never-eat/ which is mainly about ‘pet’ birds (imagine being able to fly – but you can’t…..“A Robin Redbreast in a Cage, Puts all Heaven in a Rage.” – William Blake)
……..but is still relevant to their wild relatives….
“While most fruit is safe and generally healthy for birds to consume in small amounts, certain fruits containing seeds (such as apples and pears) and pits (such as cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums), should not be offered to birds without removing the seeds and pits first, as these seeds and pits contain small amounts of a cardiac-toxic cyanide compound. Without the seeds and pits, these fruits are completely safe for birds to consume. The seeds from other produce such as grapes, citrus fruits, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, melons, mango, pomegranate, and berries, all are safe for bird consumption and can be fed without worry.”
So now we take the apple seeds out of the cores before putting them out for t’birds. The seeds go into the compost bins….you never know…..an apple tree seedling might turn up ...it can happen.
And right now the garden is full of berries and seeds – provided by Nature.
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Here’s one I made earlier…………… https://theorkneynews.scot/2018/08/18/classic-combustion-engines/
And I’m off for my Covid booster – so I might go quiet for a bit…
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