Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit and happy April Fools Day. (Donatella will be stopping by shortly!) What fragrance are you wearing?
I'm in Lush Silky Underwear.
Reminder: April is Poetry Month. On 4/3, tell us about a favorite poem (or link to the text) and wear a fragrance to match.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2020, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: the Lladro Rabbit Figurine in matte white, from the Origami collection, is $110.
I’m in Fate today. Poem of the day is by Joy Harjo.:
Once the World Was Perfect
Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world.
Then we took it for granted.
Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind.
Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head.
And once Doubt ruptured the web,
All manner of demon thoughts
Jumped through—
We destroyed the world we had been given
For inspiration, for life—
Each stone of jealousy, each stone
Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light.
No one was without a stone in his or her hand.
There we were,
Right back where we had started.
We were bumping into each other
In the dark.
And now we had no place to live, since we didn’t know
How to live with each other.
Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another
And shared a blanket.
A spark of kindness made a light.
The light made an opening in the darkness.
Everyone worked together to make a ladder.
A Wind Clan person climbed out first into the next world,
And then the other clans, the children of those clans, their children,
And their children, all the way through time—
To now, into this morning light to you.
So fitting. I just got back from my weekly grocery trip and the mood has gone from weird to almost…hostile. Dirty looks if I got within someone’s perceived isolation bubble to a huffy “c’mon!” from some lady at the end of an aisle signaling me to exit so she could enter. The aisles are only so wide people!
I have also seen hostility at the pharmacies. There is plenty of space around, you keep yourself 6 feet away or even more from others, but people are creating their own personal space that goes beyond that distance. I hope an unnecessary paranoia does take over now to add to the stress we are already facing every day. Please, you cannot have the place just to yourself!
I have to say I have misjudged 6 feet to something shorter. No one has huffed and puffed at me but even if I did or if the other person did, masks make it more difficult to communicate. Also, some people are either oblivious or plain don’t care. Never mind an enclosed space, even walking outside, if I am in the side of the sidewalk next to a street, I think it should be the person in the inside who should step aside because I really have nowhere to go other than on the street where I could get run over.
Believe it or not many times when I have been walking in the inside I have stepped aside to the point of almost touching the wall or fence, etc of a building or house or even stepping into someone’s garden, just because people do not want to move an inch and keep the distance. I am concerned to come either in physical contact with them or that they happen to cough or sneeze while passing each other and me not having the space I need to move away because I am trapped between them and property boundaries. We either get hit by a car or sick by a very close encounter from people who do not respect social distance. Insane!
beautiful Deva!
Beautiful poem
Poem of the day is La Belle Dame sans Merci by John Keats.
I could not decide which scent fits it better: Lush Death and Decay or Frederic Malle Carnal Flower, so I layered them. So, Robin, we are half-cousins, I guess?
The poem is quite long, so I will post only the first two stanzas and leave a link:
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
And the harvest’s done.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44475/la-belle-dame-sans-merci-a-ballad
Half cousins works for me! You smell great either way.
love that poem! and it reminds me of the Beldam in Neil Gaiman’s Coraline.
I believe Gaiman borrowed that nickname for the Other Mother from Keats.
Gaiman is amazing!
Hey, some good news on rabbitx3 day–our national treasure John Prine is said to be on the road to recovery from COVID-19. A gem from one of his recent releases:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRuyIexfpEk
Poetry indeed!
Being matchy-matchy in date & scent in Eau Premiere.
You smell wonderful! And that is good news.?
And one with Stephen Colbert:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/stephen-colbert-john-prine-duet-976316/
I got a surprisingly emotional boost from learning about Prince Charles’ recovery. But good news is good news, especially when barraged with bad news. Huzzah to Mr Prine!
Good morning Y’all!
Don’t think I can handle April Fools this year…..2020 has been one big April Fools so far! 🙂
Smelling fresh and posh in Hermes Eau de Rhubarbe Écarlate. I need to wear this a lot this Spring!
I love Rhubarb scents. I have a decant of this. I’ll have to find it.
You smell lovely and fresh! 🙂
I love this one. So uplifting. You smell great!
Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit! ???. Let’s hope for a healthier April!
Starting a great sunny day with coffee and more coffee and a good dose of Calvin Klein Obsession Sheer, thanks to Springpansy! It is cheering me up a lot! ?
Happy Wednesday and happy April everyone!
I am so with you on hoping for a healthier April!
Let’s hope for the best!
Oh, gosh, yes, let’s hope for a healthier April! Glad you’re feeling more cheery today! 🙂
Thank you! ?.
Rabbit x 3! You smell wonderful and I think I’ll join you in Obsession Sheer today. ♥
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to try it! I am enjoying it greatly! Let’s be twins then! ❤
I’m not familiar with Sheer. Does it resemble the original?
It does a lot, especially the vintage.
I’m wearing another favorite of the Hermes Jardin series, Le Jardin de Monsieur Li.
You smell lovely, maybe I will join you later…
I’m wearing 60 Mirabilis from L’Artisan. There was just something cheerful about that blue decant (the liquid is a gorgeous shade of blue) that called to me today.
Happy April! I hope everyone still struggling with winter sees at least one flower soon.
I will join you in Mirabilis, but the one I have is by Coquillete Paris.
We have buds on the trees! No flowers visible from my flat, but at least I can see the trees coming back to life.
Buddhist tradition poetry addresses the erotic spirit in the sense of longing, and not being overcome with desire, but does not exclude sexuality.
Izumi Shikibu (970-1030)
When I think of you,
Fireflies in the marsh rise,
Like the soul’s jewels,
Lost to eternal longing,
Abandoning my body.
The visual associates being with her lover with a sense of “abandoning” her body. Beautiful!
SOTD Guerlain Myrrhe et Délires
This one is breathtaking! I’m going to need to find a copy of this book. 🙂
Eau de kitchen cleansers atm, desperately need some good hand cream. Sheesh. Never have been a hand cream person, idk why. So I don’t own any but now I want a thick, buttery balm.
I was in Pleasures yesterday, from a mini that has indeed went bad. Nonetheless, it lasted forever even after a scrub lol.
So, probably a dallop of Nivea for sotd lol.
Missing spring as a whole as it doesn’t quite feel like it..everyday is Blursday for sure. And I am missing, well, people. Sigh..longing for a huge group hug.
While your in the cleaning kitchen aisle at the grocery store, Meyers makes a good hand cream as well as excellent cleaning products. No affiliation
It sounds like you’re not having a great day today, hope it will get better. Hugs.
I miss people too and send you a virtual hug
Sending a hug to you!
Hugs!
Hugs Omega!
Looks like a virtual *group hug*! Add me in. 🙂
I suppose an upside of anxiety dreams is that one remembers to rabbit! Or at least I did, for the first time possibly ever. Today I am wearing La Haie Fleurie for this old favorite by Charles Olson. It doesn’t have the notes he mentions but of everything I have I think it’s closest to the feel.
The perfume
of flowers! A haw
drops such odour
it stops me
in the wall
of its fall. Love
arrests
Lime-trees
saturate
the night. We walk
in it
On a path jonquils
fill
the air. Love
is a scent
YES! Must find mine for this spring morning.
Great poem. I never think of Olson has having any romantic edge whatsoever but here it is!
Right? I actually bought his entire collected works based on this one poem and was surprised to find most of his work very different!
SSS Equestrian for its apple notes. (I love how my iPad wants to capitalize the word apple, like there’s only the company…not the fruit.,.)
In keeping with the scent, we move forward with Song of Solomon.
She:
As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house,
and his banner over me was love.
Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apples,
for I am sick with love.
His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me!
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases
Love , love this!
Very nice!
Eau des Merveilles.? It IS supposed to be sunny today.?
I had to cancel our Airbnb for Easter weekend. I booked it last October and was so looking forward to a spring weekend with the bigs. Well, my daughter is home and I don’t need to travel just to self isolate in someone else’s house since all the shops and restaurants are closed. I haven’t seen my son since Christmas though. I miss him.?
Sorry about the cancellation. Bummer.
Sunny here and chilly. But first sunny day since before three weekend…
Thanks. It is a bummer and I waffled over canceling because I really want to see my son. I think it’s the right thing to do though given the circumstances.?
As long as your son is safe and healthy, everything else can wait. You will have plenty of time later to hug him and share with him again. Cheer up! ?
Thanks pl67, you brought tears to my eyes, but you are so right!?
Just think how wonderful it will be, when you can see him again! Hopefully soon! ??
I know. I’m trying to be optimistic but I really just want to fast forward through all of this.
A dab of Kerosene Walk the Sea today to go with that one John Masefield poem. First stanza here:
Sea Fever
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I’ve always loved that poem!
And the longer that shelter-in-place goes on the more I wish I were sailing!
Good morning! Perhaps traces left from last night’s Guerlain AA Ginger Piccante. I’m still getting a bit of a spicy scent very near my wrists. 🙂
My favorite poet is Wilfrid Owen, and I like some poems from other World War I poets, too, but that’s not a mood I wish to invoke right now.
PSA Guerlain GP is on sale at Macys…
Hello, and thank you for the thought. 🙂 Sadly, my pennies *should* go toward paying down bills and paying taxes. I’m trying to get into “shopping in what I already have” mode. There’s plenty there to keep me busy for some time.
Scent of the afternoon and evening: Chanel No. 5 EdT.
Shopping among what I recently got. 🙂
I’m in Kyse Bonbons à la Vanille body cream right now and enjoying all the shared poetry.
Gonna go spray some Kyse Ouis Plus! in solidarity.
??❤️ Kyse is another great house which I have Cazaubon to thank for introducing me to.
:-). I’ve been wearing Vanille de Cèdre to bed.
I’m going to be strong, and save the reading of the damage poll for later. It will be my reward for working out and walking. Oh how I relish reading that post!!❤️❤️
I’m sampling Jo Loves Rose Petal 25, which is just what you’d expect: a light, springy rose petal fragrance with a bit of citrus. Thanks to the kind NSTer who sent it to me. ?
I’m the same way, love love reading the damage poll!
awesome, citrusy roses are so lovely. 😀
This reminded me a bit of Grace Coddington.
oooh, that kitty bottle was adorable. 😀
That Jo Loves Rose Petal is very pretty, isn’t it?
It is very well done! I have enjoyed the JLs that I’ve tried.
I managed to get my tea yesterday at Costco. Right now I am in no 19 extrait but getting into the shower. I think that Sarrasins is in order after my shower.
a Costco win! very happy it worked out. 😀
Aromatics Elixer, it really smells even better knowing that no one will be smelling it
Question: have you had any success removing the From a perfume bottle? I don’t know how to do it
Are you thinking of the removing a sprayer? I’ve done it by carefully twisting the top with pliers. I have a bottle of Vol de Nuit that won’t spray anymore, I should try and open it then decant it today.
thanks for understanding my message, ha – yes, I want to remove the whole top including the sprayer, but it must be affixed with industrial glue – I removed just the nozzle to soak it, and I think the spring in the little tube must not have the right tension because I seem to have made it worse poking at it with a needle.
I don’t have much experience opening perfume bottles, but it seems that some have “threads” for twisting the top on (and off) like glass bottles usually do. Other perfume bottles have tops that are crimped on tightly, like a soda bottle with a metal cap. Both kinds might be glued?
When I opened bottles (only three times!) I had a friend hold the bottle tightly on a table so it wouldn’t move. I used big pliers to slowly twist the top up and off. It took a fair amount of force and patience, and we wore gloves just in case perfume spilled or the glass cracked.
that is probably my best bet, but I’ll need to be prepared for that type of activity. In the mean while, maybe I’ll try to use it as a “splash”, Aromatics Elixer splash, ha ha, good thing no one can smell me!
I want to know too
I have a bottle where the nozzle has broken and I tried pulling it out but I have seem to make is worse
hi ltsg! i replied to Coin-op above with my experience. I’ll work on my bottle with the broken sprayer and report back. 😀
Wearing the very comforting and cozy Bengale Rouge on what is a gray and slightly snowy day. Daffodils, crocuses, and snow: not so unusual where I am, but still funny to see.
that’s a lovely image! 😀
SotD = Ambre Narguile
I’m in AN to compare with yesterday’s Tobacco Vanille. Similar but different enough that they both deserve to be loved. I am at last a confirmed fan of tobacco in perfumes, along with spice and booze, though the desire for smoke eludes me. Which calls to mind chain-smoking poet Auden:
At last the secret is out,
as it always must come in the end,
The delicious story is ripe
to tell to the intimate friend;
Over the tea-cups and in the square
the tongue has its desire;
Still waters run deep, my dear,
there’s never smoke without fire.
Happy RabbityWintyPuck’s-day, NSTers! Let’s enjoy the cunning trickster that hides in all of us.
Love LOVE this poem
+1?
😀
oh, thank you! it’s one of my favorites. I memorized it for an English class many years ago. The rest of it is darker, so I wasn’t going to post it, but here goes
Behind the corpse in the reservoir,
behind the ghost on the links,
Behind the lady who dances
and the man who madly drinks,
Under the look of fatigue,
the attack of migraine and the sigh
There is always another story,
there is more than meets the eye.
For the clear voice suddenly singing,
high up on the cement wall,
The scent of the elder bushes,
the sporting prints in the hall,
The croquet matches in summer,
the handshake, the cough, the kiss,
There is always a wicked secret,
a private reason for this.
Excellent.
😀
I love Auden.
I’m responding to that first post with the first part of the poem. That’s an elegant way to express a “We need to catch up on the gossip” sentiment. It reminded me that for much of his adult life, Auden would have needed to keep it a secret that he was gay. I get an impression that it was something of an open secret in some circles, but still. To me, that would go with that feeling in the poem of being aware that others have motivations you don’t know.
Keep in mind that I am the *furthest* thing from being a poetry critic, and no great shakes at figuring out large parts of human motivation in general…
Yay, I rabbited this morning. I hope it will help.
Joining PL67 in Obsession Sheer. Went to the store this morning with a mask on. I’ve been doing pick-up/delivery or sending my son. It was actually fun to go in person, but I hated the mask. Uncomfortable and feels anti-social. But Mr. SP and I decided that if we go, we have to wear one (he found a couple in the garage…) I did find some toilet paper :D, but limited.
I feel the same about masks, but I wore one to the grocery store this morning. It is uncomfortable and odd, but about a third of the shoppers were wearing them.
I’m in Virgile by SD. Herbal vanilla goodness.
I reread recently “Kindness” by the wonderful Palestinian-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye and it resonated with me greatly in this current Covid moment. Here it is:
KINDNESS
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.
Wow. I will have to read that again later.
What a lovely poem!!
Seconding Robin’s wow. This is so good and true.
I have a rather morbid sense of humor and I find The Gashlycrumb Tinies running through my mind these days. Edward Gorey is a treasure and if you don’t know this, I urge you to find a copy. The illustrations contribute a great deal to the book. I’ll start the first few lines:
A is for Amy who fell down the stairs
B is for Basil assaulted by bears
C is for Clara who wasted away
D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh
SOTD is Eau de Crypt, a/k/a Chypre Mousse
Thanks, never heard of these!
Reminds me a little of Cautionary Tales for Children :^)
Very worth looking at the morbid little drawings that go with the morbid poetry or prose. 🙂
I am wearing Prada Infusion de Rose today and drinking a cup of black dragon tea.
I am drinking my after dinner mix of ginger and lemongrass 🙂
Love that rabbit, but I love anything Lladro. I am in Nemat Vanilla Musk oil that my husband got me. Cheap, light and really easy to wear. I am pretty much only having video and telephone visits with my patients right now, but still have to have an office-friendly scent on.
oh, same here! I adore rabbits, origami, and Lladro (my mother collected pieces) so it’s very hard not to want to buy buy buy that rabbit rabbit rabbit!!! must stay strong. 😀
You can also get that bunny with a bit of color…very pretty. And there is a great tiger, and I think a swan. I would not usually think of myself as a Lladro fan but the origami collection is very tempting.
And thank you to everyone for the nice Doctors’ Day comments. The nurses and other ancillary personnel are working their tushes off, too, probably more than I am. Nurses’ Day is in May and we always try to let our nurses know how much we appreciate them.
I am so thankful for everyone who is out there working to keep the rest of us safe!
Yes, I very much agree!
I wanted to smell fabulous today, so I’m wearing Jil Sander No.4. I also remembered to rabbit. I purchased a plastic Tulip table cloth, and when I put it on my table, realized it was for a picnic table, LOL. It’s a bit long, but it’s ok, I needed something springy??
Fabulous indeed. Perhaps later if you decide you might cut the tablecloth a little?
I might cut it, but will have to get some sharper scissors. Otherwise I will tape it underneath, lol.
Duct tape has 1001 uses! ? I hemmed a pair of dress slacks once in an emergency using it.
In Bottega Veneta Eau de Velours, not decided about what to have for dinner but I have soup (store bought) in the fridge. I’ve decided I will make more homemade soup for a while as I don’t have to travel to the office, I have more time.
I’ve been thinking about making some beef stew, myself.
I think we realize we can do more things like that now that we are stuck at home. Hope you will make that beef stew.
Musicman:
You made rays of sun
And let them warm us
When caught underneath thick
and powerful ones
Minds and souls can breathe
Away in your symphonies
Uncertainty falls from its depth in
our veins
And we are released into the
scent of the sea
Into the moonlight it breathes.
A window back to life
Or a shield from it
And I push play, once again
Author Unknown?
Nice, thanks Omega!
Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!
It seems Easter is going to be quite different and weird this year.
The weather’s been nice today but I was staying at home all day so I only enjoyed the sunlight through the windows.
Prada Infusion de Mandarine today.
Are you not allowed to go out and walk, Lucasai?
We finally got a sunny day and took a long walk.
Good morning! A dull misty day here, yesterday started that way, but brightened up into a glorious autumn day, so I have similar hopes for today. My perfume of the morning is Après L’Ondée, which seems appropriately understated for the weather.
I need to do some thinking about poems.
You smelled great this morning Gaynor!
I used to read a lot of poetry, but when I started looking through it last night I found almost all of it was depressing me, even some that shouldn’t be depressing, except for a single volume of Ogden Nash which did make me giggle. I may end up sitting out this project, we’ll see.
Wearing Huitieme Art Poudre de Riz (thanks to one of our own). Not sure why it took many years of wearing it to realize how similar it is to Love, Chloe, a favorite for many years before being introduced Poudre de Riz. Explanation can surely be found in the stanzas below.
Forgetfulness
Billy Collins
The name of the author is the first to go
followed obediently by the title, the plot,
the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel
which suddenly becomes one you have never read,
never even heard of,
as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor
decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,
to a little fishing village where there are no phones.
Long ago you kissed the names of the nine Muses goodbye
and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,
and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,
something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,
the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.
Whatever it is you are struggling to remember
it is not poised on the tip of your tongue,
not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.
It has floated away down a dark mythological river
whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall,
well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those
who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.
No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.
*True to the spirit of this poem, I was able to find it on the internet by first typing in “billy poet” (the name of the author is the first to go!) then clicking on the suggested search string “billy poet laureate” (yes, that billy!!) Once I had his last name, I typed in “billy collins memory” (which many before me had already done) and got to “Forgetfulness.”
This is so true…! And so unnerving ?
Love the poem, love the story of finding it! Thanks.
It took me a while to come up with the rivers Lethe and Amnethe. Too true, indeed. Although quadratic equations never “took” in my brain in the first place, so I lost that very quickly. 🙂 I’m sure I could eventually come up with the names of some of the Muses if I thought about it for a while. Greek and Roman mythology are on well-used tracks of my brain. 🙂 Math, no, transliterated Greek and schoolchild Latin, yes.
Crabtree and Evelyn Extract of Mysore Sandalwood. An old ( was it early 80s) one but an interesting one. The sandalwood is quite sweet and with a hint of cinnamon, and yet also somehow sheer/fresh compared to, say, the creamy sandalwoods of Samsara or Santal Majascule. Almost a sandalwood to match a cream linen suit. Lovely but quickly becomes close to the skin.
Only two rabbits in the graveyard yesterday but a fabulous datura bush in full flower down the road.
And think of how valuable and rare that sandalwood is now!
We are months away from daturas here, can’t wait.
I remembered to ??? today! Very much looking forward to the damage poll reading; that will be my reward for making it through this very busy day.
Wearing Orris Tattoo on one wrist and Montale Intense So Iris on the other.
Who wins?
Orris Tattoo; it’s a much deeper, rooty scent. The Montale is more of a ‘light’ iris, for me anyways. I noticed a bit of citrus in the background. Both are good to have in the collection.
Is there such a thing as too many iris scents?
No!
So tell us your thoughts on both scents!
Orris Tattoo isn’t as rooty as Iris Silver Mist. On me, a few sprays will amplify a couple hours in. I pick up some other notes in the background, possibly the sandalwood. Absolutely gorgeous!
The Montale is more citrusy topnotes, the iris is in the background. Wears a bit closer to the skin. I believe there’s white musk in this as well.
I’m wearing Musc Intense after an exhausting day at work.
My day was too busy to even think of poetry, but I sure smell wonderful!
Sorry it was exhausting!
I remembered to rabbitX3 at 12:30-ish this morning, and again when the alarm went off at 6. SOTD is Hermes Bel Ami, which is so beautiful I want to bathe in it. I have about 10 mls left of a 15ml decant and am trying not to succumb to the impulse to somehow acquire more. 🙂
I think that means you get double luck!
Oooh, awesome!
I did a layering experiment with MKK topped with SJP Lovely Sheer. This was indeed really nice, it made the MKK a bit more spring-like.
Interesting, I would have thought the MKK would eat up poor SJP in short order.
Today I’m enjoying Baruti “Indigo”. Half way through the day the rain cleared and we ended with sunshine, hurrah!
As we are now in April, today’s poem is from Ogden Nash:
Always Marry an April Girl.
Praise the spells and bless the charms,
I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;
April soft in flowered languor,
April cold with sudden anger,
Ever changing, ever true —
I love April, I love you.
The Other Mister Koenigsberg is an April 1970 baby and he and I got married (well, civilly partnered at the time) in April 2006 – although both dates are much later in the month. As a civil ceremony no prayers or hymns were allowed, but we could have secular readings, so that poem was part of it.
A slight aside – we met in 1994 but it wasn’t until 2005 that Civil Partnerships were brought in. We basically treated it as a wedding, and had a really great day with a selection friends, neighbours and family. And we were really lucky, we managed to get the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for the reception; it was a sunny Bank Holiday weekend (UK NST-ers will know how rarely that happens); there were Morris Dancers laid on for the regular visitors, and then we stayed on after the gardens closed to the general public. So, regular great wedding stuff.
Roll on to 2017 and ‘proper’ same sex marriage was introduced, so we “upgraded” ahead of moving to Spain. And this time it was the least romantic thing imaginable – for both of us a purely paperwork exercise with just the registrar and a secretary who acted as witness, and about as enjoyable as collecting a parcel from the Post Office. We went for a coffee afterwards and laughed about it. I don’t even remember the month or the year (TOMK had to remind me just now).
Hey, can I ask US folk for a favour? The Irish Embassy is trying to contact Irish folk in the US on short term visas, to advise them to return home urgently. Native born Americans will know why – you really don’t want to lose your temp job and the health insurance that goes with it at the same time as flights out are stopped and the country is going through a pandemic. If you know anyone in that situation, tap them on the shoulder and tell them in the nicest way possible to sober up and get out. The flights window is closing.
What a great poem!
Thanks for sharing what that poem means to you and the TOMK. Very romantic?
Sober up and get out” LOL
I am curious about this: “as a civil ceremony no prayers or hymns were allowed, but we could have secular readings.” I can speculate as to why, but better to ask I guess?
My husband and I had a courthouse wedding (followed by a small party) and can never remember the date, either. We planned it around a vacation we were already going on, the open hours of the courthouse, and did it on a Friday for the convenience of others. The last time I was asked when our anniversary was, I gave them the wrong date. Oops!
Hi kpaint! It’s just a general rule for civil marriages which was copy-and-pasted for civil partnerships. I suspect it is part of ensuring the separation of church and state is properly observed at the operating level. Of course, this is the UK where the Queen is Head of State and also Head of the Church of England, and several CoE bishops sit by right in the Legislature (House of Lords), so ultimately it’s just part of the rich tapestry of inconsistency and muddle that is currently serving the kingdom so well.
Ha! Got it, thanks for the explanation 🙂
Yay, so glad to see an Ogden Nash. He still makes me smile.
I’m an April baby too. 🙂 Loved your stories! We had the basic courthouse wedding as well. The only reason I remember the date is it is the summer solstice.
I love the story you told of you and TOMK. And as a fellow April baby, I can relate to that poem. I think my boyfriend would second it.
I *love* that Lladro rabbit pic for today, Robin!
Alas, I forgot to “rabbit” until I had been up for about 30 minutes. Bright sun to start, but it seems that clouds have moved in for the afternoon. ?⛅ We have confirmed that the seal of our dishwasher door is leaking. At least it’s an easy (I hope) fix.
SOTD = back in No. 19 Poudre.
Oh no, we had sun into the late afternoon!
Good luck with the d/w. We just had tree surgeon over…boy, taking down trees is so expensive it makes me want to never plant another.
As usual, I remembered to “rabbit” after reading here. Thankfully, I was able to remember that my rent is due today, along with my lease! Hard to keep the head straight these days.
Still at home, trying to do some trainings on-line. Wearing a dab of FM Music for a While which came in a feebie or swap, can’t remember. But thank you! I keep trying to decide if I like this one. I guess my overall impression is that I find it pleasant enough, but not stirring to me in any way. I like pineapple, but it’s a bit syrupy to me initially, like canned pineapple, including the hint of the metallic can in the mix. I’m finding tbe drudown to bit a bit blah, generic men’s cologne smell, but well done.
I’ll go back to tead comments and poems in a bit…
I was definitely not a fan of Music for While. In addition to the description you gave, it was very screechy on me.
I ? ?? so I think I’m good for this month.
SOTD = Guerlain Les Voyages Olfactifs 05 Paris-Shanghai
Bottle-porn for sure. Simple, linear almond, vanilla and licorice from beginning to end and sometimes this is what a day calls for – Day 13 of WFH ?. Simple AND very pleasant ?.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-cn3kcB9Hx/?igshid=1a9r67b5ukkht
Despite being quite chilly today, it was sunny. I got some Vitamin D even just through my face. I get a lot more sun on my deck rather than out front, as it should be, so I may go outdoor furniture shopping this weekend at Lowe’s, nothing fancy, just comfortable.
Busy day working from home but popping in to tell you I’m wearing the last of my decant of SL Bois et Fruits. I was inspired by Aurora wearing Bois de Violette yesterday. I also enjoy finishing off a decant on the first of the month. Sets s good tone for using more things up.
I was commando all morning while working a blessed half-day in the field, mapping endangered wildflowers and drinking in the beauty of the new fizzing baby greenness on the oaks. Now I’m home and re-hdyrating, and wearing La Chasse Aux Papillons. I’m reminded of a passage from a Tom Robbins novel:
“…spring came to the Puget Sound as it frequently does, like a bridesmaid climbing a greased pole. After a gradual, precarious ascent, spring, in a triumph of frills and blooms and body heat, would seem to have finally arrived, only to suddenly slide down into the mud again, leaving winter’s wet flag flapping stiffly and singularly at the top of the seasonal staff. Then, girlish bosom heaving, spring would shinny slowly back up the pole.”
Always makes me laugh, and often as true in northern California as it is in the Pacific Northwest. La Chasse Aux Papillons is my “triumph of frills and blooms/girlish bosom heaving” fragrance. 🙂
The first line of your comment is like poetry, and I want your job! “While working a blessed half-day in the field, mapping endangered wildflowers and drinking in the beauty of the new fizzing baby greenness on the oaks.” Wow! What do you do?
I manage a nature preserve that’s home to some rare plants. Generally too much time behind a desk, but it’s blissful to be out in the field!