I have chosen a song which I believe is a truly beautiful and true song about how children feel about and love their parents.
“The Living Years” is a soft rock ballad written by B. A. Robertson and Mike Rutherford, and recorded by Rutherford’s British rock band Mike + The Mechanics. It was released in December 1988 in the United Kingdom and in the United States as the second single from their album Living Years. The song was a chart hit around the world, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 on 25 March 1989, the band’s only number-one and last top ten hit on that chart, and reaching number-one in Australia, Canada and Ireland and number 2 in the UK. It spent four weeks at number-one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Paul Carrack sings lead vocals on the track.
The song addresses a son’s regret over unresolved conflict with his now-deceased father. It won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 1989, and was nominated for four Grammy awards in 1990, including Record and Song of the Year, as well as Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Video. In 1996, famed composer Burt Bacharach opined that the song was one of the finest lyrics of the last ten years.
In 2004, “The Living Years” was awarded a 4-Million-Air citation by BMI. More information here
Good Morning Bee Halton’s prompt for Love Is In Da Blog is A Love Song from a Female Artist . Those of you who know my blog will know I just love Imogen Heap, I have chosen her collaboration with IAMX . An unusual love song but I absolutely love it.
“My Secret Friend” is a song performed by IAMX and Imogen Heap, released as the third single from the album Kingdom of Welcome Addiction. The CD single is available only through the IAMX webstore.
The music video, directed by Chris Corner, features Corner dressed as a woman, the video’s lead female character, and Heap as a man, the lead male character. He stated in an interview that when he wrote it he pictured the characters as siblings, who have a romantic, possibly incestuous, relationship. The video is featured on the CD single. Information Wikipedia
You have loved You were not alone You have braved the weather When the storm cut you to the bone There was always shelter
My secred friend I’ll take you to the river My secred friend We can swim forever
In your skin To die a little death This time there’s no code word When everyday frays in hollow ends Dream sweet love submersive
Hi guys you may or may not of noticed my lack of input as far as posts go I have not been around . I have been promoting Colleen Chesebro’s new book FAIRIES MYTHS AND MAGIC. But I am taking a little brake to recharge my batteries. I hope to back to normal soon. I might publish a post here and there but I shall be back properly soon.
I was so inspired by savoringsixtyandbeyond‘s post this morning that I am reposting a letter I wrote to my parent’s full of the words I wish I had said to them more when they were alive. I loved them ,we all did and do and they knew that.
I don’t think I ever made it clear enough how much I appreciated what you did for me. It is only now as a parent and grandma that I see what you must have gone through.
Nine children you had, nine. You lost three but that was never your fault. How did you cope Mum it must have been hard, and Dad worse for you because in those days grieving was not the done thing. I lost three babies too I could not openly grieve either but you knew you silently gave me strength.
I am in awe of how you always managed to feed and dress us all. There was always food on the table and somehow the doors were always open to waifs and strays who needed help. No one was ever turned away from our door without help of some kind. I can remember there being an endless stream of family friends, or distant cousins with problems arriving on our doorstep. Some stayed longer than others but no one was ever turned away. I really don’t know how we all fitted into that three bed roomed terraced council house, it must of been like the TARDIS.
Who helped you, did anyone or did you have to struggle through, learning haphazardly! You, no doubt had to and that is why you were both such helpful parents. I am amazed at the sacrifices you must of made to keep us in clothes, shoes and food.
Dad, you worked as a body maker for LT making seats on the buses and tubes! Off to work at 5am and home at 5pm for dinner then 6pm the BBC News … silence reined! You then spent most of your evenings in the front room either at the table or your desk with your ancient typewriter. You had men and women visiting you , sometimes one sometimes more all coming for help and advice because you were a union rep and congressman for the NUVB ( National Union Of Vehicle Builders). The last visitor was about 10.30pm. At work you were a union rep you gave so much to others and yet you always saved so much for us. When you retired you were tapped out the length of the factory. ( All the men stood by their machines spanner or hamer in hand and tapped you out of the building, a sign of respect. ) You only live a year or so after retirement.
Mum you were such a gentle soul I miss you so, You left your body long before you died and that broke my heart because I could not reach you. I used to bring the boys to see you at the nursing home you spent your last years in… although I loved to see you it hurt that you did not know me and you did not see the boys growing up . I think you missed Dad so much that you left in soul leaving your shell behind. Mum remember Wimbledon week we had salad every evening because you loved the Tennis , funny thing Mum I can’t stand tennis! 🙂
You have both been gone so long and I miss you both so. I need you here to give me the strength , kindness and love. See even now I am asking for your help. I am so selfish, I was so angry when you died Mum because you were not there to talk to me and help me, do you know it took seven years to accept that you had really gone. Then the flood gates opened.
I have so many wonderful memories of you both. Getting up at 4.30am and sneaking down stairs to find you dad shaving in the kitchen, we would share your breakfast, porridge or boiled egg before you went off to work. Going with you to Chiswick Park on the tube on a Saturday. You would have a haircut while I sat and watched then maybe you would buy me an ice cream. Walking Steve the dog in the park … you always called him Brother …because of your union work no doubt .
Mum you were always there when I came home from school, always played with me , I was the youngest of the family and by a good while so I was almost like an only child but not because everyone else was around but I was too young to join them . I remember you telling me stories and teaching me to knit sew and crochet sadly all of which I am useless at! As I grew you helped me with life and although I never lived that near to you you always came to my aid if I needed you . When our first boy was born premature and unable to breathe you came down to stay with me when P finally came home from hospital. He did not know how to suck so you helped me to spoon feed him until we got him to use a teat. So many many things to thank you for .
Mum and Dad you took all six of us and taught us everything you knew. How to face the world, how to love how to be friendly, caring and honest. I like to think that you are watching over us all and hopefully being proud of us…. well mostly. . I like to think that our beautiful sister Mary is with you both after horrendous illness and death five years ago.
Apologies to all who read my entry for K.L.Caley’s #writephoto. If you read it when it when it first went live, it was attacked by the Time Continuum Sabators and a paragraph was somehow moved! I have corrected it now! They don’t call me a Time Lord for nothing, infact they don’t call me a time Lord!
Where do the hours and the days go. I have been lost in a fug since Thursday. I just can’t get my head together or cope with all your posts flooding into my email . I am drowning in exhaustion , I am so busy there is not a moment in time right now that is not fully spoken for and agressively demanding my attention.
I have tried all day to make time to read my mail and write a post. It’s now 2.46 pm and I have, granted, read a few posts but I have written nothing.To be honest I am not really pleased with this but my head is bursting and I need to get some words out .
head fit to explode thoughts clamouring for escape it’s like a geyser wanting to burst and flow free but I can’t find the damn key.
Well what is happening 😳. I honestly thought that after the last two years, Covid, illness and deaths in the family and dear friends! Me being in and out of hospital and Ruby being ill that this year would be a huge improvement…..well I thought by the laws of fairness we deserved a better year this year. Baaahaaha!
Aparently not the fickle finger of fate has decided we have not had enough to cope with. We got Ruby through cancer and a huge op on her leg which took over a month to heal, then the poor old gal got vestibular disease. Hubby and I being ill too, you can read all about that here.
Well just when I thought things were on the mend, hubby got a call from the hospital to tell after his last set of tests they wanted him to have a liver biopsy. Aparently a simple procedure, a tube is inserted into the liver, this tube has a set of snippers to remove a biopsy sample from the liver (two samples in hubby’s case) and a radiologist guides the tube by X-ray.
We read up on the procedure and it all looked straight forward and recovery quick, 24 to 48 hrs of moderate pain/discomfort. Not for hubby. Long story short, he went in for his biopsy Wednesday morning 8am, I took him home at 3.15pm. by 5pm he was in worse pain that immediately after biopsy. No sleep that night as hubby was in so much pain. Thursday morning hubby rang the hospital, the recommended co codamol ….I went and got some from town but also we rang the surgery for advice. Our G.P. rang and asked for me to take hubby in. By this time hubby was in so much pain he could not get on the drs couch. She then rang the hospital and was told to send him to A & E.
The Dr wrote him a note for A & E. I dropped him there about 3pm. He was seen by a doctor. Who could see how much pain he was in. He has had scan and ultrasound. Two does of Morphine and assorted other tablets later and still the pain was just as bad. The scans and ultrasound were clear no damage to liver or stomach from biopsy and also no bleeds. The pain though was still excruciating? They believe a muscle was strained during the biopsy. As the position you are put in for the biopsy is odd and uncomfortable? That could be true of the lower pain but not the one in the shoulder.
So picked Hubby up from A & E really no better off than when I left him, in pain and looking awful. Anyway they had given him codine tablets and assured him there was no internal bleeding.
Unfortunately he had another very bad and painful night. Today he has been propped up on the sofa still in lots of pain. Of course it’s a Friday and the surgery will be closed all weekend . If things worsen it will time to call an ambulance or another drive to A&E, hopefully we can get through the next two days, but if there is no improvement it will be back to the surgery Monday ….fingers crossed we can get some help.
So yet again I am behind with posts and comments….I am actually exhausted. Plus we have Storm Eunice bashing around outside, two trees down in our road and lots more around the town. So we are staying in , though I have taken Ruby on two short walks so far today .
Please bear with me I will get round to you all and I may have to miss prompts…..even though I have just got round to catching up! Oh! and we still have to get the results of the biopsy . 🤞
Hello everyone and I do mean all of you who are kind enough to allow me to visit and who are always so welcoming when I visit you .
Yet again I have had to just empty my inbox and that breaks my heart because I know I will have missed so many beautiful, insughtful , happy, sad, let’s face it the whole gambit of blogging. Sorry but it had to be done so I can start afresh and not drown!
because I miss you
As I said in my previous posts things here have been hard. All through December we nursed Ruby, she had cancer , firstly daily visits to the Vetinary Hospital for wound dressing, then we needed to change the dressing ourselves twice a day and sleep down stairs with her for over a month. Then just as she was improving I had a P. V.D. you can read about that here.
As if that wasn’t enough Ms Ruby collapsed in the garden one morning and could not even stand for 24hrs that was due to Vestibular Disease which meant for a few days we had to carry her out to the garden for a wee and a pooh! This lasted a few days , she is better now but still very unsteady….we call her the drunken sailor. This also meant more time sleeping downstairs with her in turns!
Finally on the 19th January I had to stop blogging because hubby and I both developed chest infections, necessitating antibiotics. Unfortunately after three days I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics and had to go to A&E. Long story short I was put on a 4 day course of high dose Prednisolone Steroids and Antihistamine tablets. The next day I was worse but by the third day things were improving.
I am now allergic to four types of antibiotics! Below my latest allergic reaction… I was covered in this!
Anyway, touch wood, fingers crossed we seem to be improving so I am tentatively back , I still have funny eyes from the P.V.D. and a cold and a wobbly dog and coughing hubby but hopefully I am back .
Oh! Just for good measure WordPress decided to suspend my blog on Friday, saying I had contravened their terms and conditions? Luckily after I appealled by three different methods I got an email saying I had a fortnight to remove all my work of ten years or lose it! I wrote again protesting my innocence finally I got another email saying they had re viewed my sight and the suspension had been lifted. Phew!! Thanks to Ritu for listening to me and helping.
It’s time for broke bridges to mend. Christmas is a time to spread love The message from heaven above Reach out now to a long lost friend. Truth is the best message to send. The tree is decked with sparkly things Yet who’s round it fills us with grins. A time for love and happiness A chance for us to make progress. Joy to the world we hope it brings
I am with 12 years of experience and ready to achieve any type of works such as, converting any form from JPG, PDF, ...etc into Excel,Word, PowerPoint and other editable forms, In addition to having a deep experience in inserting and managing data
willowdot21 