Even in ruin, Whitby Abbey remains a splendid example of gothic architecture
evoking inspiration and imagination - "literary connotations" is a perfect description,
Dave.



Ascending the 199 steps to Whitby Abbey
One has to be made of sturdy stuff
Taking respite to admire picturesque views
And to alleviate symptoms of being 'out of puff'

Ice cream vans await at the summit of the hill
To tempt the pallete and refreshingly rehydrate
Warm glowing sun with azure sky
Ingredients for a positive mental state

Leisurely stroll along the sloping footpath
Overlooking the shimmering sea below
Observing tiny boats returning to the harbour
From a day's fishing, going with the flow

The darkened ruins of the Abbey
As sunlight begins to fade
Casting shadows over ancient gravestones
Where buried bones are laid

Perfect setting for a writer's imagination
A gothic tale not to discard
Source of Bram Stoker's inspiration
To pen the famous Count ALUCARD

-Lynne Howard


ALUCARD=Dracula backwards

The colorful rainbow adds poetic beauty and a bit of magic to that last photo, don't you agree?
I can almost believe that even a vampire could be beguiled - but that's just me


Thanks for another lovely slide

'Reaching For The Moon'

The moon and you appear to be
So near and yet so far from me
And here am I on a night in June
Reaching for the moon and you,

I wonder if we'll ever meet
My song of love is incomplete
I'm just the words, looking for the tune
Reaching for the moon and you.

I'm just the words, looking for the tune
Reaching for the moon and you.


Irving Berlin (1930)

I've always had a fondness "Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries" by A.E. Houseman; short and powerful. I thought Gillian McPherson sang it beautifully at the end of "The Dogs of War" movie. Here it is..

These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling,
And took their wages, and are dead.

Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay.

Hi robB1976

A Soliders sacrifice always conjures images of the past....
That sacrifice goes on today and yesterday and the day before
We have some great people out there looking out for us on a daily basis

bjbdbest, I am hoping to get recycled
Those buds will be unfurling soon and this winter will be behind us once more.