Asparagus …

 

Asparagus … ex sparrow-grass til someone decided to posh its name up (earlier than the 1700s) … we're at that time of year again … a deliciousness of A for Asparagus …

German botanical
illustration

I revert to childhood seasons … without climate change apparent (I'm sure it was – but after the War we were just glad to have seasonal vegetables again), or technological developments: how many of those have there been?

Waiting to be cut ...

Shakespeare doesn't mention asparagus … so for him it wasn't the food of love – for me and many of us (as M&S had no bunches left yesterday!) … the desire to enjoy while we can – the timing is short … only 6 – 8 weeks … til Mid-Summer's Day or thereabouts.

I was looking for an asparagus poem and came across one by Marriott Edgar – one verse of which is:

It's 'sparagus stuff what the Toffs eat "

His friend said "It's a rum-looking plant,

Can I have the green ends for my rabbits?"

said Pa "Aye, cut off what you want.

Then found a couple of co-incidences … the literary one … Marriott Edgar is the half-brother of Edgar Wallace: strange, but true …

Asparagus wrapped with bacon ...

... while I always remember the blogger Jo of Jo on Food, Life and Slice of Chocolate … she sadly died in 2020 …

... she had blogged the full version of Edgar's poem in June 2012 … those were the early days – Alex and I were the only commenters – she'd mentioned I'd been to see a gold exhibition in London ...

So her blog has the whole Asparagus Poem … many of us will remember her … and I to this day will enjoy eating the spears! Jo joined the A – Z in 2012 … with some recipes …

All I can say to all the present A – Zers … well done and congratulations on finishing: it was a great idea back in 2011, when I first joined – the very first one was 2010 …

Here's Jo's link for the Edgar Marriott poem and to her blog …

I will be returning – j'espère!!

Congratulations A – Zers and happy Spring, with Summer head … let's hope for peace, without discord.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Lenny Lee's turned 24 …

 

I expect and hope many of you remember Lenny from days of yore … he and I keep in touch …

Lenny Lee's world

He was always brilliant for my mother – she loved all the prezzies he sent her … and enjoyed the repartee he gave us …

It was back in 2011 that many of us wrote a cheering post for him … as he was at the start of a loooong journey – still continuing today …

Hardwick, Muddy Hippo, Zdena

… and from me came, in 2012, another earworm (after my Phantom earworm) … Mud, Mud Glorious Mud by Flanders and Swann ...

… he then sent us Muddy Hippo, while later in 2012, after my mother had died, Hardwick joined in for Lenny's 13^th birthday …

Lots of choice

… then Zdena joined the party at the end of my Aspects of British Cookery …

Cheese and Wine

So please from all around the world wish Lenny an easier time ahead … apparently a friend came round for (what I call supper!) dinner, with some Chinese dishes, together with some vino … I'm sure they enjoyed themselves ... 

Damyanti's book arrived a day early ... 
Diaghilev's post still being worked on ... there's
a Finnish connection

My next post will not contain an earworm … and will be on Diaghilev … all things being considered …

Z is for Zdena … the follower of Bacchus, the wine god …

Lenny Lee – Fest … Spreading sunshine for him …

Hardwick's Nose … he smelt a Birthday Party – Hardwick doesn't miss much! …

Zdena - very cheerful, Hardwick ... really
wanting to sleep - he's a very old boy now -
getting on for 100 I think ... while
Muddy Hippo just makes a mess!!

I just remembered - Lenny won a WEP prompt back in June 2022 - which explains his situation a little ... a boy who grieves for the sudden loss of his mother ... a poignant letter ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

The Cornish are a Nation …

 

This was not the intended post … that's coming … but this intrigued me … being a committed Cornishlady …

The three ancient
continental land masses

I must have been looking for something (understatement) but came across this Facebook post from the University of Plymouth … at the boundary of Cornwall and Devon …

… it was subtitled: Cornwall – a different people, a different land! - though I wasn't born there (my mother's family is from St Ives) … this could so easily apply to me.

I've plagiarised/ summarised /messed with their 2019 FB post – but linked back so you can see the whole …

World Heritage Mining Walk
(Botallack is marked -
part of 'The Crown Mine' estate)

Geology has always fascinated me … and coming from the land of the tin mines, it makes sense – in fact my disastrous marriage was celebrated in a tin mine counting house at Botallack … the culinary celebration was very good – the rest: not so …

I wrote about Bewitching Breeches at Botallack for my 'B' post in the 2015 A-Z challenge 'Aspects of British Cornish.

Avalonia

The University of Plymouth believe that a third ancient continental land mass melded this Albion isle … as shown in the image posted above …

It's been known that Avalonia formed most of England, which then formed an attachment to Laurasia … part of the Laurentian land mass, which at one stage formed part of the ancient continent of Euramerica/Laurussia …

It always amazes me that these continental plates 'moved around' so much, and at one stage (long, long ago) we could have walked to north America …

Folded old red sandstone rock formation
at St Anne's, Wales

...the Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region – which extends from Great Britain, Ireland and Norway across to Greenland and northern eastern Canada and the USA …

Another A – Z post on Aspects of British Coasts – the 'G' post: G is for Geology, Gneiss, Groynes, 'Grippers' … gives another view …

Geology of Great Britain (see Wiki)

I think I've probably almost ruined the idea about the world and its tectonic plates … but there is a link – to my next incredible story … colouring books from the 1600s – who'd have thought?!

Patience is a virtue … thanks for reading though …

The ancient Celtic tribes of southern
England (Dumnonii - Cornwall and Devon)

University of Plymouth Facebook post September 2019;

Avalonia – c/o Wikipedia

Laurasia – c/o Wikipedia

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Trans Canada - Trains, Trail and Highway ...

This is to tie in with National Train Day in the States, which Amtrak discontinued but people remember ... and will at least start my transport tour re Canada to tie in with this year's A - Z ...

Amtrak's National Train Day for the USA

The three Trans-Canada land routes as titled ... would, over the years, weave lines of communication across the lands dominated by forest, tundra and mountain ranges ...

1869 the American's 'last spike' celebration

... linking the many towns and cities that have sprung up as the country came into the grip of western civilisation ...

Canadian National Rail System - east to west and south
(there are many other routes now)

Historian George Stanley wrote "Bonds of steel as well as of sentiment were needed to hold the new Confederation together.  Without railways there would be and could be no Canada".

Train Cars in the Museum at
St John's Newfoundland

A condition of the Constitution Act, 1867 was that an Intercolonial Railway be built to the Pacific.  With this promise, British Columbia, in 1871, was lured into Confederation.

A Canadian National Railway's caboose

The proposed line - 1,600 km (1,000 miles) longer than the first US transcontinental - represented an enormous expenditure for a nation of three and a half million people. 

Kinsol Trestle - more
on this historic wooden
railway trestle anon

Construction began in 1880 with the last spike being driven on 7th November 1885.  The Confederation was tamed and sewn together ...

An idea of the National Recreation Trail
across British Columbia

Starting in 1992, the Coast to Coast National Recreation Trail would commemorate 125 years of Canada ... 15,000 km (9320 miles) of paths, tracks, routes  ...

Logo for Trans Canada Highway in Alberta looking
west towards the Rockies

... this system now has new spurs and loops ... I've been to the Kinsol Trestle not quite at the western tip, while the Trans Canada Highway inconveniently divides the farm ... I live above the working farm - so getting there entails a drive ... I'm not one for jumping the barrier!

This is the Trans Canada Trail Pavilion,
Fredericton, New Brunswick

The Trans Canada Highway - this has 7,821 km (4860 miles) of roadway from Victoria, Vancouver Island to St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador ... there is a northern route from Haida Gwaii - the islands mentioned in myA-Z.

Winter route down to Trans-Canada Highway

Right to where we should be today - celebrating what was set up to be National Train Day ... marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the US.

A brief overview of the three main land routes across Canada - trail, rail or road ... you takes your pick as which is the most suitable ... or you could fly high ...

The first post of my A-Z on Canada - A is for Arctic Winter Games 

Linking to Dan Antion - of No Facilities blog - blame him

for 'co-ercing' me to join in!!: his National Train Day post.

Further information can be obtained here from the Canadian Encyclopedia ... 

The Canadian National Railways

The Canadian Pacific Railway 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

A - Z Reflections post 2018 ... Aspects from a British 'gal' in Canada ...

Once again being part of a group of Bloggers who participated in the A-Z Challenge ... I started in 2011, as I was unable to participate in the first one - and have always enjoyed them - participating in 7 out of 9 ...

A big thanks to Lee who started us off on this yearly challenge and to all the co-hosts over the years who have kept us A-Z zinging happily along since 2010 ... 

My thoughts from last year apply (don't like: G+, just ticking seen comment) - and I won't go into them ... there seemed to be fewer participants this year ... but still with excellent subjects/ themes ...

Tide out - Cowichan Bay estuary

I probably got as many comments as last year ... page views about 100+, comments 30 - 40+, - interestingly in 2015 - page views were about 1,000 ... anyway last year comments were in the 50s range, but with 450+ page views = fascinating ...... but I'm very satisfied and it hasn't seemed so frenetic.

Buttery cups

I've always complied to the basics ... being there, commenting, replying to comments on my blog ... adjusting to others' way of doing things - each platform is slightly different, as too everyone's approach ... and I accept there'll be differences = we are all unique.

A handful of daisies

The original listings with the request that each day we visit five new people - those above us in the list ... opened my door to so many wonderful people, with their blogs - some still do the A-Z, others visit and say hi ... but all have remained friends ...  and to me that seems the most satisfying way to participate.  It is way too complicated now ...

Taddly poles!! - actually we got a tiny
embryonic frog ... sadly he passed away

Also tying in to one genre - to me defeats the exercise - we're here to meet new bloggers, and to learn about different subjects - even if we're hooked in our own worlds ... gosh have I expanded my knowledge since I started blogging.

I just got on with posting ... this year I was writing as the Challenge progressed ... and after thinking that I'd chosen  a dull theme - too schoolish - I managed to teach myself loads of interesting things about Canada, and thus (thankfully!) engaged you ...

As requested there will be follow up posts ... almost certainly in the A-Z format ... six letters (perhaps 4/5) to a post ... so each one will be relatively long, but tied in to A-Z challenge posts ...

There will be individual posts about different subjects - eg totems, and Emily Carr, the artist and writer ... and I expect others I come across ... so it looks like Canada is going to feature for a while.

My aim each year has been the same ... give everyone who visits interesting and educative content ... which leads to connecting and becoming friends across the blogosphere.

Dogwood

The advantage is - blogging friends offer so much to learn about - I love the various range of subjects we get to see and appreciate ... I find FB and Twitter too ephemeral ...

Having changed continents I had something different to write up about ... and if things are equal I'll do a more local section next year ... as I learn about this part of Canada and the farming life.

Bloggers with interesting (very summarised) themes ... linked to their 'A' post ...

Nila of Madly in Verse - and her Africana ... brilliant posts about an area of the world I love to learn about ... music, poetry, literature - all excellently put together ...

Bob Scotney - rivers of England ... so English ... so home!  He does stamps too ... 

Deborah Weber - abecedarium manifesto of wonders, curiosities, and delights - which she summarised in her Reflections post ... so have linked to that ... 

Kim Blades - is going into hibernation ... so she's asked I leave her link off ... (it was poetry, Africa, flora and fauna)

Sarah Zama - Weimar Republic ... excellent exposition on the changes occurring in Germany from the late 1800s to WW2

Emily on Puerto Lopez, Ecuador 

Keith - Rosey's escapades ...

Denise on Pablo Picasso ... wonderful reads about his life ... 

Susan - Garden of Eden blog ... about Lilith (Adam's first wife) and Eve ... 

Diedre - things we appreciate ... 

Claire Noland - maps in literature ... fascinating!

Sue Bursztynski - on Australian children's authors ... an introduction for many of us ... 

JZ - A Reluctant Bitch ... as she says: There will still be rambles, rants, and anecdotes but instead of being purely random, the words that anchor the posts will all, somehow, some way..., have something to do with food.

Sherry - did gardens around the world ... as well as writing books, playing the violin and probably teaching too ... 

Suzanne Blazier did mood movies ... wonderful choices ...

Lynda Deitz - Short and Sweet Reasons Why You Need an Editor ... 'A'  is for all the best books have been edited!

Wisteria

Apologies ... I'm sure I've missed out a few bloggers whose posts I enjoyed ...




... but I will definitely be back for the 10th anniversary year ... to make it eight of ten ...

Thanks for all your visits and comments - lovely to have them ... and see you around ... thanks again organisers ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Z is for Zunoqua ...

Zunoqua of the Cat Village ... an art work by Emily Carr, see K for Klee Wyck post ...

 

Emily Carr's
'Zunoqua of the Cat Village'

... Emily became 'bewitched' by D'Sonoqua and searched out this "Wild Woman of the Woods" ... usually finding her in the dead bole of a tall full cedar ... this D'Sonoqua ... alive as the depth and charm of the whole forest ...

Emily writes: 

'There we were D'Sonoqua, the cats and I - the woman who only a few moments ago had forced herself to come behind the houses in trembling fear of the "wild woman of the woods" - wild in the sense that forest-creatures are wild - shy, untouchable.'

c/o World Atlas

Emily had sat down to sketch ... when 'cats galore' came out of the trees ... purring furiously while rubbing and going on about her feet ...

This ends my rather eclectic take on things Canada ...

While Emily's Zunoqua inspired zee end and my Z post ... from Aspects by a British 'girl' in Canada ... 

This is an information sheet where Emily's words have beentranscribed on the D'Sonoqua cats ...

Vancouver Art Gallery: Modernism and Late Totems (1927 - 1932) give some detailed information on Emily's work during this time.

Klee Wyck ("Laughing One") as Emily was known by the Native people: I wrote about in my K post ...

Zee end ... I do have quite a lot more relative to my A-Z posts to put up at some stage ... so may do a 'zummary post' in due course ...

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories