Oh! The Children!

Watch out for the children

they might take over

Be careful lest they rule the roost

A simple word, a careful gesture

The storm is abated anew

They think and they feel

They think they know best

But a guiding hand is in the nest

They love passionately

As mother does too

But a balance all round is what works best

Walls of Life

Be careful of the wall
It is delicate when new
One wrong move to take a brick down
Even step by step
Can result in a brick landing on you
Take care when building
Use concrete - renowned for its solidifying
Nurture your wall day by day
It will grow to be strong
But be warned
Sometimes walls prevent
The entering of something precious
Allow the bricks be taken down bit by bit
Don't chisel too soon
Lest they should harm
The careful dismantler
Are you inside looking out
Or outside looking in
Walls can be helpful
But they can hinder
Know when it needs to be taken down
Brick by brick
Don't let the bricks fall out and hurt
Just as it takes time to build a wall
It takes a moment to knock it down
With one adept, careful move

Roses have thorns

You may well ask why. It is interesting that to show his lover the depth of his feelings, he will give her a dozen red roses. Roses are a metaphor for love. Their intricate beauty and delicate smell. You need to handle a petal with as much love and care as the manner and thought behind which they were purchased.

One wrong move can bruise easily, unintentionally. Kept in the right place in the right conditions a cut rose can last for a long time. Indeed some roses have been preserved forever within a vaccuum packed glass vase. Sometimes if you move too quickly - or make a wrong move - you can be hurt until you bleed - for even the most beautiful red rose has a thorn on its stem.

Handle with Care

[Kate's postscript :I wonder now whether this "statement" of mine, for wont of a better word, is more indicative of a fragile relationship that can never quite work. For true love goes far deeper - ideally there should be no bleeding - maybe that depends on the strength of the individual?]

Daddy's New Car (1996)

DADDY’S GOT A NEW CAR

A phone call from Hamburg: “I’ve got my new car – it’s really great. It’s got programmable seat positions, a tiptronic gear box and a CD that gives you directions!”

So Daddy’s got a new car. It is green, with leather seats to match. The driver’s seat has three programmable seat positions, so that the driver can select position number one, and other “named” drivers can select positions two and three. If driver number two comes along and wants to drive the car, he or she simply steps in and keys in number 2. The seat automatically shifts into the relevant position, as do the wing mirrors.

One almost expects it to leap into action with “Your morning paper, sir…” “I want to go for a ride in your new car, Daddy!” came the chirrups of daughter number one, as soon as Dad had arrived home from picking up his new Audi A6 in pristine condition, all the way from Hamburg. “Girls! Be careful of the seats! I don’t want any sticky marks on this car like on the other car!” “Careful opening the door, don’t scratch the paintwork!” So off we went for a drive to Cirencester.

We programmed in our destination to the CD and it began speaking in womanly dulcet tones to us. At last a female that knows where she is going…. “Road is being calculated…..” “Proceed along the road for 4 miles. Continue until further instructions.” “Turn right at next junction.” We proceeded to turn left, believing the instructions to be incorrect. “Make a U-turn if possible and take next left”… We ignored the instructions again, went past a different turning and the CD began re-assess and then came out with: “Proceed until the next roundabout and take the third exit.” A small diagram on the dashboard shows the approach to the roundabout, and the turnoff to take.

Unfortunately, after half an hour of sitting in this car all the way to Cirencester, purely for the joy, you understand, of riding in Daddy’s new car.. and my mind began to wander. The CD’s instructions took on a mind of their own: “Proceed along the road until you hit the next lamppost…” “Please avoid crashing into the car in front… take the next turning and drive into the lake…” “I’m a woman. NEVER underestimate the power of a woman or else I’ll lead you up the garden path” “Next time you refuse to follow my instructions correctly I shall auto-destruct within five seconds” “No one is watching you right now, you may pick your nose…”

At last a female that will never leave her man, at least not while he’s driving… Isn’t it wonderful, all this new modern technology? I enquired as to whether or not the windscreen wipers on the car were automatic, i.e. switching on at the first drop of rain. My husband sounded quite sad that in fact, no, they weren’t – but his colleague’s were! He’s got a new Mercedes…. Oh, and the best thing of all for us practical peeps? It has cup holders for drinks!

Kate (between Great Somerford and Cirencester, 1996)