Farewell to dear guests

So many swallows this year
spent summer in and around Seanhenge.

Spectacular to see them
hunting their evening meal.

Meanwhile the last one
left one of the five nests
alone under our roofs

Speeding southwards.
See you again
next spring.

Double Jubilee!

Emil Zatopek (19 September 1922 – 21 November 2000)

Dana Zátopková (19 September 1922 – 13 March 2020)

As the fine incorruptible gentlemen of the International Olympic Comitee would not allow to embed this video, here the link:

Emil Zátopek Wins 5,000m, 10,000m & Marathon Gold - Helsinki 1952 Olympics

And here's a fine article about Emil Zatopek and Dana Zatopkova: how a husband-and-wife team won four Olympic gold medals at the 1952 Games.

Saturday Night Music – Luciano Pavarotti

 

Luciano Pavarotti (12 October 1935 – 6 September 2007)

Saturday Night Music – Itzhak Perlman

 Itzhak Perlman * 31 August 1945

Plumbees

No rain.
Plums fall by the thousands from the trees.
What saddens us delights the bees.

Beers & Books CCXXXIV – Franz Werfel

Pale Blue Ink in a Lady's Hand

Franz Werfel (10 September 1890 – 26 August 1945)

Ils ont voté

Léo Ferré (24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993)

Beers & Books CCXXXIII – Jean-Jacques Sempé

For Booklovers

I envy you ...
Like you, I would have liked to write a book ...
Just the feeling of standing out from the crowd ...

Jean-Jacques Sempé (17 August 1932 – 11 August 2022)

Beers & Books CCXXXII – Laurent Binet 2

HHhH

Laurent Binet * 19 July 1972

The Seventh Function of Language

Civilisation

August beginning

Once again I feel relieved
that Fortune favours fools,
or as a German saying goes,
"Die dümmsten Bauern
ernten die größten Kartoffeln."
/
"The dumbest farmers
harvest the biggest potatoes".

Sometimes a saying
can be a great comfort.

Ach, Croagh Patrick!

In a few minutes it will be August. And only a few minutes ago I became aware of it is the last Sunday in July. Phew. 37 years ago on such a Sunday I climbed Croagh Patrick on my bare feet, one week after this agnostic had "made" Station Island, and thus kept a second promise I had given to myself. Lovely remembrance.

Croagh Patrick

St. Patrick's Purgatory

Station Island

Saturday Night Music – Iva Bittová

 

Alfred Schnittke (24 November 1934 – 3 August 1998)
Iva Bittová *22 July 1958

Beers & Books CCXXXI – Alistair MacLeod

I like to think
that I am telling a story rather than writing it.

Alistair MacLeod (20 July 1936 – 20 April 2014)