Minimalist poet, minimalist lifestyle

In response to:Robin Hood's Bay to Whitby and back.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:42:18 +0100

The fish was certainly fresh; the shop was literally just across the road from the fish market where the daily catches are offloaded.

In response to:Robin Hood's Bay to Whitby and back.

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:40:36 +0100

So many childhood trips to Whitby. I think there is nowhere else in the world where fish and chips taste as fresh as they do there!
I also remember those giant whale bones, Whitby jet and the Whitby Lucky Duck shop!

In response to:Football Pools

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:36:02 +0100

well i am shocked!

In response to:My Obsession With Language

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:47:49 +0100

For me every decision has to be right or wrong...there is no room for maybe, possibly or even 'don't know'. Language, and specifically editing or proofreading fits this criterion perfectly since a word or some grammatical usage is either correct or incorrect...it could be incorrect in a variety of ways and there can be several different correct spelling variants or stylistic usages. Nonetheless, an absolute decision is always required, based on knowledge and experience; and that's what I'm good at.

In response to:My Obsession With Language

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:04:55 +0100

What do you think it is about language that fascinates you so intensely ?

In response to:My Suggestion

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:42:28 +0100

It is a problem that many public toilets have tackled from McDonalds in the cities to the supermarket where I work(ed).
I guess the problem wasn't of the 'member of staff's' making so i'm not surprised she didn't react.

In response to:Online Chattering

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:30:20 +0100

thanks for the expanation. I'm beginning to understand.

In response to:Online Chattering

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:09:45 +0100

I wouldn't say that Facebook is better than a traditional blog hosting site like this; they serve a different purpose.

Personally speaking I use both sites differently, most likely because I am communicating with different types of people. On this site I haven't actually met the vast majority of my friends...that's not surprising considering the geographical distributiion - and so finding out about new places and cultures is really interesting.

I've met most of my Facebook friends, and am in regular contact with quite a few of them [my walking companions]
and so there's no need to explain everything from first principles since we share a history and geography. Additionally Facebook is a free service and so I can post photos, videos and links...and silly little quizzes.

So Shimon, it's possible to enjoy using both services as I do...I can be frivolous and superfluous on Facebook and have discussions of a more intellectual nature on here.

I also enjoy the random connections made on this site by people from external sites making comments; and new friending requests.

Hope this brief explanatrion helps.

In response to:Online Chattering

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:21:44 +0100

could you ecplain to me, what the advantage is of a site like facebook on a blog like this? Is it that it is more active? I have been hearing about these sites, and don't really understand.

In response to:Some physical manifestations of my Asperger's syndrome.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:22:15 +0100

Thank you Shimon; I am blessed in many ways. I don't consider my Asperger's syndrome to be a disability...the problem is the attitude of other people. My unusual gait means that I walk like an ape and am the subject of ridicule, but I can walk all day up on the moors...and I might feel the urge to pluck my eyebrows, but I've got pretty good eyesight.

In response to:Some physical manifestations of my Asperger's syndrome.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:50:57 +0100

I have worked with lots of children who ground there teeth. My son calls out random phrases just because he likes the sound of them (he says) and pulled out his hair (trichotillamania) leaving bald patches last summer

In response to:Some physical manifestations of my Asperger's syndrome.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:16:04 +0100

may you be blessed
that your teeth chew food that bring you strength and balance throughout your body
that your feet carry you forward without fear or hesitation
that under those eyelashes, your eyes see through the dust of obfuscation and reflect the truth of this world
may you stand free, and may you find friends to stand with you, in peace and harmony always

In response to:I'm Livid

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:06:18 +0100

I am so sorry you've had these problems, my son has Asperger's Syndrome too.

In response to:Yorkshire Brack

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:58:23 +0200

No, i've never heard of it before either.

In response to:Yorkshire Brack

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:49:34 +0200

Sorry, I forgot to add that the word Brack (in the context of food) seems to exist only in the two terms Barmbrack and Yorkshire Brack, but seems to apply to fruit loaves made with tea and without fat. It seems that the Irish barmbrack is the original, and that Yorkshire Brack seems to be of fairly recent origin having been introduced by Bothams of Whitby. My guess is that Barmbrack is actually a single Irish word and that someone at Bothams split the word to create the name Yorkshire Brack as it doesn't contain barm but seems to have E500 sodium carbonate and E501 potassium carbonate as its raising agents.

My mother (25% Irish, 25% Welsh, 25% North Western, 25% North Eastern and - sadly - born in the south) made a great loaf with fruit soaked in tea, but I do not know from which ancestor she inherited the recipe.

In response to:Yorkshire Brack

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:23:02 +0200

Barm is a dialect word, but not from Yorkshire.

Barmbrack is a traditional Irish spicy fruit bread similar to the Welsh bara brith. It's also quite easy to make at home, although you do need to plan ahead to allow time for the fruit to soak over night in strong tea and for the dough to rise as barmbrack is a yeasted bread (barm being another name for fermented yeast). The word barm meaning yeast is also found in the north west barmcake, a breadcake which elsewhere would be called a bap or stotty.

In response to:Yorkshire Brack

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:03:11 +0200

I've not even come across the word 'brack' before; I can't even find it in the dictionary. The cake was baked by a company in Whitby [over a hundred miles away at the other end of the county] and so maybe 'brack' is a dialect word.

In response to:Yorkshire Brack

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:02:31 +0200

I never heard of that when I was living in Yorkshire. I like the detail that you would have bought some if it wasn't so expensive - how like a Yorkshireman is that!!

;)

In response to:Sheffield

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:51:42 +0200

That's very observant Lee :)

In response to:I know it's only a coincidence...

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:39:16 +0200

Synchronicity...

In response to:The Nobel Peace Prize 2009

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:10:52 +0200

I'm glad to read that you've still been following my blog, Shimon - generally speaking things are rather quiet on the site these days though.

As you'll be aware, I've had a few developments these last couple of years: most of them have been positive...although I'm still struggling to make progress when it comes to employment.

In response to:The Nobel Peace Prize 2009

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:13:44 +0200

thank you for your kind words, Lee. I am thinking seriously of writing again, and renewing my blog. I've gone through some heavy experiences in the last couple years, and will have to bring the blog up to date, but will probably change it's character too. You're just about the only person I've followed during this time...

In response to:The Nobel Peace Prize 2009

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:42:16 +0200

Hello Shimon; it's nice to hear from you again.

Yes, at least he's giving the money to charity, and you're right about Yasser Arafat...and some of the previous winners.

I reckon the membership and decision of the award's committee is very politicised.

In response to:The Nobel Peace Prize 2009

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:02:26 +0200

yes, you're right. He did the most honerable thing he could think of, which was to say that he was going to give all the money to charity. But the prize has been humiliated. Of course, after they gave it to Arafat, I lost all expectation.

In response to:Two Questions.

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:27:33 +0200

http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/jenny_and_lana_18th_september_2009/3915126

Dogs wearing cravats??? I want one. I'm from a rescue home!

In response to:Two Questions.

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:39:52 +0200

Thanks for these explanations Lissa; especially the one concerning the dogs - that really had me flummoxed.

The cravats must be a fashion item now as you say, because so many dogs are wearing them.

In response to:Two Questions.

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:05:45 +0200

The taxi doors are possibly to do with ease of entry, but the better explanation is so that the driver can undo the door without getting out of his seat, especially if he has put on the child lock to prevent a potential non-payer escaping without paying.

The cravats started as a sign that the dog was from a rescue centre, but they have now become fashion accessories.

In response to:Wakefield Opera House

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:09:17 +0200

That's probably why Liza Minnelli sang a song about it :)

"It's Liza with a Z
Not Lisa with an S
'Cause Lisa with an S
Goes "sss" not "zzz"
It's Z instead of S
Li instead of Lee
It's simple as can be
See, Liza!
I'll do it again"...

In response to:Wakefield Opera House

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:00:45 +0200

Hmmm ... well, you know, it IS annoying if people continuously misspell your name. I'm a Silvia, not Sylvia, and I hate it when people spell me with a 'y'. The 'i' doesn't make me special, but the 'y' spelling simply isn't my name.

But I don't introduce myself as "Silvia with an i" :))

I dare say, though, that she was just a difficult person as such, and you probably would never have gotten along with each other, y or not. ;)

In response to:My Appointments This Week

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:28:54 +0200

So you have been diagnosed with it, I was wondering about it. Good for you (well, you know what I mean). Hope it'll all work out perfectly for you now. Just be patient ... ;)

xx