Kathy's Song

This song, 'K' in my alphabet of songs, is from one of the first LP's I ever bought and is one of my favourite Paul Simon songs. He wrote it for Kathleen Mary (which happens to be my name!) who was a girl he met at his first ever gig in England, in Brentwood in Essex. They had a relationship and she went to the USA with him but then returned to England.

Kathy's Song

I hear the drizzle of the rain
Like a memory it falls
Soft and warm continuing
Tapping on my roof and walls.

And from the shelter of my mind
Through the window of my eyes
I gaze beyond the rain-drenched streets
To England where my heart lies.

My mind's distracted and diffused
My thoughts are many miles away
They lie with you when you're asleep
And kiss you when you start your day.

And a song I was writing is left undone
I don't know why I spend my time
Writing songs I can't believe
With words that tear and strain to rhyme.

And so you see I have come to doubt
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you.

And as I watch the drops of rain
Weave their weary paths and die
I know that I am like the rain
There but for the grace of you go I.


Paul Simon

Joan of Arc

'J' was a problem at first. Then I remembered Jealous Guy and the gorgeous Brian Ferry and also Joe Cocker's version. But then I suddenly remembered Joan of Arc - I just hope you can stand a bit more from the genius Leonard Cohen who is one of my favourite poets.

I used to own the tape that this is from and I would play it over and over; now I have the CD and still love it. I love Song of Bernadette too but that might come later, you never know.

I have 'K' all lined up, I can't wait to post that one!

Enjoy!

Joan of Arc

Now the flames they followed Joan of Arc As she came riding through the dark; No moon to keep her armour bright, No man to get her through this very smoky night. She said, I’m tired of the war, I want the kind of work I had before, A wedding dress or something white To wear upon my swollen appetite. Well, I’m glad to hear you talk this way, You know I’ve watched you riding every day And something in me yearns to win Such a cold and lonesome heroine. And who are you? she sternly spoke To the one beneath the smoke. Why, I’m fire, he replied, And I love your solitude, I love your pride. Then fire, make your body cold, I’m going to give you mine to hold, Saying this she climbed inside To be his one, to be his only bride. And deep into his fiery heart He took the dust of Joan of Arc, And high above the wedding guests He hung the ashes of her wedding dress. It was deep into his fiery heart He took the dust of Joan of Arc, And then she clearly understood If he was fire, oh then she must be wood. I saw her wince, I saw her cry, I saw the glory in her eye. Myself I long for love and light, But must it come so cruel, and oh so bright?

I want to know what love is

It's 'I' time.  I  didn't look elsewhere, it has to be this one.

I just love this song, it would be one of my Desert Island Discs.  I know it is really sad but it touches me somewhere deep within which is what music or any form of art should do, don't you think?

I hope you enjoy it too.

'H' for Hallelujah

It has to be Hallelujah for 'H'. I also like Alison Crowe's version of the song but Leonard Cohen (whose words I adore) surely owns it.


Hallelujah


Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Now maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
And it's not complaint you hear tonight
And it's not some pilgrim who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Good Vibrations

I'm on a roll now and already have 'H' lined up.
I must contain myself.
Tell me if you like this one.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

This is 'F' in my Alphabet of Songs.

Roberta Flack owns this song as far as I am concerned, there is no contest.

Just listen.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the empty skies, my love,
To the dark and the empty skies.

The first time ever I kissed your mouth
And felt your heart beat close to mine
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command, my love
That was there at my command.

And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last till the end of time my love
It would last till the end of time my love

The first time ever I saw your face, your face,
your face, your face

Ewan McCall

Everytime We Say Goodbye

It's 'E' time for the Alphabet of Songs. It was hard to whittle it down as there were so many good ones.

For example:

Everybody Hurts by REM
Every Day by Buddy Holly
Everything I do, I do it for you by Bryan Adams

Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles
Every breath you take by The Police

and more. When I get to 'Z' (which may be a challenge?) I think I will have to start all over again as there are so many lovely songs out there.

This beautiful song sung by Ella Fitzgerald was Cottage Garden's choice and I must admit I love it too. I always find partings hard, even day to day 'leavings' and this song resonates with me somewhere deep within. I am no fan of goodbyes.

I listened to many versions on YouTube and I stumbled upon a version by Robbie Williams, I am a fan of his and am including it here too.

Enjoy.









Goodbye,
Cait.

Don't let the sun catch you crying

I have not blogged for many days; I apologise. I seem to have been busy with life, the good weather has filled me with energy bringing about a need to spring clean and de-clutter (yet again) and it has also drawn me outside which is not a bad thing. I am continuing my Alphabet of Songs now.

The letter 'D' has been a hard one and in the end I have chosen a song I loved when I was very young. I still love it and think it is underrated. Hope you love it too.

Any ideas for 'E' would be welcomed as I only have one or two ideas so far.

Don't let the sun catch you crying.
Bye for now,
Cait.

Democracy



Someone said there could be a Hung Parliament.
Someone else said ‘Who shall we string up first?’
The warmonger Blair or the liars,
the money-grabbers or the thieves,
the gamblers or the swindlers,
the bleeders or the cheats?

The con-men in the background? Men in black?
Spin-artists, brain-washers and blackmailers?
Or the handful of token females who crept around or simpered
with those feeble and spineless Yes-Men in their wake,
eyes only on a place in some future Cabinet?

To whom shall we grant a pardon?
Who shall we parade and proudly honour
for their brave forthrightness and their honesty?
(Answers on a postcard please, but don’t all rush).

Or shall I see you at the polling station,
an eager pencil in your hand,
itching just to make your little mark
to the Left or to the Right
or even in some real or just-imagined,
one-time-believed-in-and-hoped-for Middle Way?

As if there was a choice.

As if you had a voice.

Democracy?

They’re having a laugh aren’t they?



Cait O’Connor

Doves' resurrection

Doves’ resurrection


A pair of collared doves are nesting in the pine again;
one of the giants, a Scottish one of three,
planted ages past in someone’s sweet sad memory.
In only days gone past I have watched these birds
courting and cavorting at the river’s edge
but it is Nature’s mating dance and I can only peek.
I lay hidden now, a secret within my own nest,
peering outward through the tiny cottage window.
I see them later, landing on the branches,
creeping stealthily amongst the fronds of green,
seemingly safe and protected, (I hope all will be well).
They know not that I am there each morning
like a spy, watching, waiting for what might be new life signs.
And I wonder on this Easter Day
as I lie low - what looks in on me?
And I pray for resurrection for this world.


Cait O’Connor

Alphabet of Songs 'C'

Dear Diary,

Well it is time for ‘C’.

I had suggestions from Pamela for Caledonia which I am ashamed to say I had never heard before but as I am Irish not Scottish I feel I cannot pick that one and she and another also suggested Catch the Wind by Donovan (I love that one).

I had a great Kinks song suggested too (Come Dancing) and another song I had never heard of called Calling All Angels.

I love Candy by the fantastic Paolo Nutini (and my son sings it beautifully too).

A dear friend suggested California Dreaming, oh it is so hard to choose.

I came up with Candle in the Wind as I an a fan of Elton and especially Bernie Taupin's lyrics but it’s a bit ‘obvious’ I suppose. I like La Cienega smiled too by Ryan Adams but I guess that is an ’L’ not a ‘C’.

I asked M for a suggestion last night and straightaway he suggested this song which I adore.

Can’t Help Falling in Love with You!
(Where did that come from?).

(I was worried the song starts with an ‘I’ but it doesn’t).

There are three cracking versions on YouTube in my opinion:

Elvis of course - the song IS Elvis’s really don’t you think?

Celine Dion - I had never heard her sing it before and I was blown away by her unique rendition. I have already asked in my next life to have a really lovely singing voice and to possess the power that Celine has in her voice.

Finally I stumbled upon Andrea Bocelli’s version. I already LOVE this man’s voice and I must admit that only this version brought a tear to my eye.

So I am posting all three and would love you to vote for your favourite. Or do tell me if you have any other ‘C’ suggestions.

(Sorry about the big gaps between videos, had a bit of trouble posting).


















































Bye for now,
Go mbeannai Dia duit,
Cait.

Alphabet of Songs 'B'

Dear Diary,

Here is the next song as promised in my last post. I did like the suggestions given, Bird on a Wire, Beautiful Day and Blackbird but in the end I picked a very old favourite of mine.

Well I promised a ‘B’ and there are two in this one. Another beautiful song with great lyrics sung by the great singer, Emmylou Harris. Boulder to Birmingham.

The lyrics follow below.





Boulder to Birmingham


I don't want to hear a love song
I got on this airplane just to fly
And I know there's life below
But all that it can show me
Is the prairie and the sky
And I don't want to hear a sad story
Full of heartbreak and desire
The last time I felt like this
It was in the wilderness and the canyon was on fire
And I stood on the mountain in the night and I watched it burn
I watched it burn, I watched it burn.
I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
I would hold my life in his saving grace.
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
If I thought I could see, I could see your face.
Well you really got me this time
And the hardest part is knowing I'll survive.
I have come to listen for the sound
Of the trucks as they move down
Out on ninety five
And pretend that it's the ocean
coming down to wash me clean, to wash me clean
Baby do you know what I mean
I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
I would hold my life in his saving grace.
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
If I thought I could see, I could see your face.

I hope you liked 'B'.

Any suggestions for a 'C' song?

Let me know.
Bye for now,
Go mbeannai Dia duit,
Cait

Angel of the morning

Dear Diary,

I have just borrowed a book from the library, it is Time Out’s 1000 songs to change your life.  I am going to blog some of my favourite songs that jump out at me, maybe one each day, from A-Z and today I am starting with the letter ‘A’.  This first one is an all-time big favourite song of mine from way back, it is Angel Of The Morning, sung here by Juice Newton, I hope you enjoy the video. There were several good versions of the song by different artists on YouTube but after much deliberation I eventually picked this one.

I have been feeling a need for flowers lately, haven’t we all?  This video has some beautiful close-ups of all different kinds which  I hope will make for you a visual as well as an audible delight.  The song may be a tribute to a one-night stand but I think it is such a beautiful piece of music.

Angel of the Morning

There'll be no strings to bind your hands
Not if my love can't bind your heart
And there's no need to take a stand
For it was I who chose to start
I see no need to take me home
I'm old enough to face the dawn

Just call me angel of the morning, angel
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby
Just call me angel of the morning, angel
Then slowly turn away from me

Maybe the sun's light will be dim
It won't matter anyhow
If morning's echo says we've sinned
Well, it was what I wanted now
And if we're victims of the night I
won't be blinded by the light

Just call me angel of the morning, angel
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby
Just call me angel of the morning, angel
Then slowly turn away from me

I won't beg you to stay with me
Through the tears of the day
Of the years, baby

Just call me angel of the morning, angel
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby
Just call me angel of the morning, angel


Then slowly turn away from me

Chip Taylor

Bet you can’t wait to see what the letter B will bring.  Any suggestions?

Bye for now,
Cait.

Nightfall

Nightfall


I shall burst if I don’t write a poem

but all too soon the day will waver,
night will quickly fall and the hours will darkly pass
and though my bed is calling I am far too wide awake
and cannot fall or even falter as it beckons.
As I undress, sparks fly off me in the dark and they dissolve.
I wonder where they go and start to dream…

I shall burst if I don’t write a poem


My unwritten words are electron-charged,
such is their yearning to be borne.
There are whirling echoes in each conscious moment
as the questions swirl around inside my head.
Are the ways of night just an ending to a day?
Is slumber a kind of journey to another realm?
Or is it all Just a Dream?
Is our dream-life Life itself and daytime our life’s dreaming?
Do I dream you and you dream me?
Is it all about the waking or the sleeping?
The thinking or the scheming?
Is it all about writing, dreaming or just being?

I shall burst if I don’t write a poem.


Cait O’Connor

Saturday Poem

Moles



Humans, like frozen driftwood, have been in disarray
but it is a good year for the snowdrops
which have blossomed and have thrived amongst the snow,
bringing only joy; a sign of spring, a flash of hope,
a fillip for our jaded, over-wintered souls.
Beneath my frozen ground are really far too many moles;
furry illegal immigrants with their really tiny hearts
that are surely gentle and as soft as their coats.
I cherish them, ignoring their giant hills of dark black earth
which cover nearly all the garden and beyond.
Pitying their homelessness, their temporary state,
I treat them just as guests,
for like all vagrants they must be forever on the move
and are always made unwelcome in our cruelly human world.
They seem to be just pausing for a while and taking stock,
gaining some ground, but always losing more,
quietly hidden and hurting no-one.

Cait O'Connor

Fun on Friday

Dear Diary,

It's Friday so time for a bit of fun. I was going to do a serious blog but that can wait. I have just done some skool homework for Purplecoo and so I am posting it here. Why don't you have ago too and let me know if you do.

My favourite time of the day or night is evening, night, bedtime. I am NOT a morning person.

Favourite day of the week is Sunday.

My favourite month of the year is May.

The worst meal anyone could put in front of me is a mix of avocado, aubergines and anchovies with olives.

Today I must do.... Spring cleaning!

If I had to spend an hour locked in a lift I'd like to be with.... (would you change this if it was four hours? No. Tony Benn,.

If you looked in my loft you'd find... I haven’t got a loft.

One drink for the rest of your life - what would it be? (you can have water also) - Cranberry juice.

The colour I think I look best in is... Blues

I wish I knew..... The meaning of life

My favourite song of all time is ...... I can’t choose just one, sorry. Imagine by John Lennon would be a good anthem.

Have you ever had a lucky find? What was it? - I traced my (late) father on the net, would that count? Have never found anything tangible.

My favourite precious stone is..... Rose quartz and amethyst.

My 4 grandparents names were.....Daniel and Catherine, Thomas and Gladys and my 8 great-grandparents names were.... Mary Ann and Henry, Thomas and Ellen, John and Bridget and Stephen and Ellen.

My homework idea to use is... Write your own manifesto for the forthcoming election. And we can see who would get the most votes.

My quick dessert recipe is.... Something with raspberries, digestive biscuits, brown sugar/cinnamon and cream.

On my bedside wooden chair which serves as a table are books, books and more books. A few favourite poetry books. A book clip on type light which is fantastic - I highly recommend it. Always a notebook and pen, tissues.

In a perfect world I'd have a .... self-cleaning house, a non-ageing/getting ill body.

I'm looking forward to .... Every day.

Favourite chore/most hated chore? - I was only talking about this yesterday. Cleaning the fridge and the oven. I love hanging out washing, lighting fires, opening windows to let bad energies out and good ones in…….

St Patrick's Day

A traditional Irish blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.


Before I go

here

just for me

a favourite song from a favourite singer.

Enjoy.

Signs of Spring?

Dear Diary,

Happy Mother's Day

I carry from my mother's womb a fanatic's heart.

 William Butler Yeats

This could be the first day of Spring.  The wind has lessened and has lost its cruel bite and the Sun has such warmth in it.  I have been doing a spot of spring cleaning indoors and a bit of sweeping outdoors so I am feeling pretty smug now but a wee bit worn out.  Time for a quick blog before I cook,

Blessings have been absent far too long.  Well not absent but have not been noted here.  Here are five just for today.

Sunshine, spring weather. 
Goes without saying really, I am rather repeating myself.

Free logs.  Our local forestry angel felled a dying ash tree for us and we now have plenty of free wood.  The tree was right on the edge of the riverbank and was leaning rather -  so much so that had it fallen it could have blocked the flow of the river.  Not a nice thought should it flood again.  Nothing pleases me more than the sight of a load of new logs and free ones are even more pleasing to behold.

I bought myself a bunch of daffodils on Friday for 99p.  I have them on my desk and they are so cheering, they were only in bud but have opened now into those lovely big old--fashioned blooms.  At work I have on the counter a little pot of miniature ones, narcissi probably and I noticed that one or two have twin flowers on one stem - I have never seem that before.

Ireland won the rugby yesterday!  Sorry Wales.

*

Having read two really good novels recently I am seeking suggestions for a good novel to read..  I have tried one or two but they have not gripped me.  Any suggestions welcome.  I need a good book to live in.

I have rediscovered Delia Smith lately.  In the absence of a mother to do so, Delia did rather teach me to cook  many years ago and I am still impressed by her.  I call her St Delia.    Her recipes never fail and always taste delicious.  I dip into her website when I am brain dead and can’t think of what to eat or what to cook. She has many wonderful suggestions and recipes for almost everything you can think of.  The site comes in handy when I am doing a shopping list.

Talking of shopping I have a bit of a wish list.  I am coveting a carpet bag even though I already have one and I am wanting to buy tops of  (tiny) floral prints _ I am sure it is the need for spring flowers manifesting itself.  I am also wanting to fill the cottage with scent, it may have to be candles instead of flowers.  I guess I just can‘t wait for summer.

I watched a good film last night.  Disney for grown ups really.  It was ‘Up’ and was really enjoyable, if you haven’t seen it try and catch it because it is really one for oldies.  Quite moving and works on several levels if you get me.  I have The Hurt Locker to watch next, that will be a different film altogether. 

Well that’s all for now, I have to go and cook.

Bye for now,
Go mbeannai Dia duit,
Cait.

. 

Letter to Jack Frost

Dear Jack.

You looked so cool in your white suit and in the beginning I must admit that you bewitched me with your wintry charms.

Your ways with magic led me down paths to cosiness and sweet hibernation,

I watched you endlessly from my windows and lost myself in your beauty.

I believed your promises of snow-to-come and you did not let me down.
And I revelled in the blizzards and snowed-in days of laziness cut off from humankind with only dogs, books and warm log fires for company and hot soups, stews and toddies. 
(ah the toddies…).

In truth though you are a cruelly harsh and unforgiving guest who has stayed too long.
(Why do you stay so long?)

The ground you whitened is so hard and there is just no release from your stone-like icy clutch.  Beloved birds have perished at your feet, as have frogs and toads, the young, the old. 

Faded away to sleep in a long, long cold. 

Depression is rife, there is some sort of epidemic in these parts.
It is a blight of the blues where only sadness rules.

I am sated now, you have worn me down, tired me out with your coldness
You have frozen me so that I am chilled through down to the very bone,
chilled and dulled, but I really should have known that was always your intention.
 Just to freeze.

On top of everything I am now poverty-stricken, (sky-high bills for fuel) and worn out with fetching and carrying all those logs to burn, ashes to empty, hearths to clean.

Your hoarfrost images of beauty will stay an imprint  in my memory; those trees and fields in all their splendour, I hope they come again.

But now a new love beckons; she is called Spring and she is warm and forgiving. Her charms will beat yours hands down.  They are endless.

So am I fickle?  Yes maybe I am. 
But all my passion for you is spent.

I am bored with the ways of Winter.

This is goodbye.

Trelystan

The church at Trelystan

Friday was a day for much looked forward to meet-up of a dozen Purplecoo folk and began with a nice lunch around a huge circular table in a pleasant pub in Shropshire followed by a visit to the nearby little church of St Mary's in Trelystan which sits alone on a hill, beside two ancient yews in the middle of a field and with views to die for.

I shall remember this day for its sunshine, its wealth of snowdrops, its icy wind and the lovely warmth from the people I met for the very first time after having only known them over the Internet.

There are a couple more photos on my photo blog.