Thursday 21 December 2017

Under The Greenwood Tree.

I have read a few of Thomas Hardy books.  Jude The Obscure is my favourite.  My mother use to believe in predestination and she believed that it's all written down before we had been born.  Every life is ruled by fate and some people never have any luck and of course a lot of people do have luck.  I wouldn't mind winning the Euro Millions this week, someone will!

Any way.  I have a friend  who is something of an authority on Hardy and he goes on his own every year to visit the places Hardy wrote about and where he lived.  I hope one day to visit them myself with him.  

My friend sent me Under The Greenwood Tree to read.  Its wonderful and I would recommend it to anybody who wants to know what life was like in a rural Wessex village in nineteenth century England.  It celebrates the humble country people and speaks of a time when people still believed in god and went around the villages singing Christmas Carols.


I was looking on You Tube recently and I found this wonderful song entitled: Under The Greenwood Tree.  Did you ever see the band 'Amazing Blondel?  I had never heard of them and I think they are wonderful.

19 comments:

  1. I just saw an Irish Band advertised on a poster. Flogging Florence (or something like that). They're co-starring with another Irish band in Vienna sometime soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've just won 25 quid on the premium bonds. Does that count?

      Delete
    2. Is it Flogging Molly Gwil? They are an Irish - American Celtic Punk band. Sounds like my kind of gig!

      Delete
    3. Congratulations on winning twenty five quid Gwil. We once got four numbers on the Lottery and we only won fifty Euros. Funnily enough I watched a demolition programme on tv demolishing the Premium bomb buildings in Lytham. Thanks!

      Delete
    4. Oh the pain. Oh no. I don't believe it. I cannot believe it. Have they no shame. The original Ernie. A national treasure. Gone. Demolished. I say again, I can't believe it. Where is their culture today? Where is their sense of history? Do they not know the importance, the significance, of this building? No. I refuse to believe it. How long is it since Ernie began? Must be 50 years or thereabouts. More possibly. Ernie's death is a sad reflection of today's mentality. When did this happen? I must go and check. Instantly.

      Flogging Molly. That'll be it.

      Delete
    5. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news Gwil. Like you say where is their sense of history? Do you remember the House of Embassy? You could go to Manchester with your cigarette coupons and swap them for things that you would win on Bulls Eye or The Sale of the Century. Happy days!

      Delete
  2. Your post makes me want to re-read UTGT Dave. I've recently read The Mayor of Casterbridge again. Some feel Hardy can be on the morose side, but I enjoy his work.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Philip. Hardy saw incredible changes like the Industrial Revolution and rural people moving to the cities, railways, the First World War and secularism...

    I feel so sorry for Jude The Obscure. I think Hardy lived a lot of his life in the characters of his books and he showed that many people have their own tragedies yet they still believed in God. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Mayor of Casterbridge is one of my favourites. Such an amazingly crafted story. I also enjoy Jude the Obscure and have read it at least three times. But for some reason I have never read Under the Greenwood Tree. I must put that right. I remember Amazing Blondel but I don't believe I ever saw them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Imagine taking your wife to market to sell her? You will like Under The Greenwood Tree Rachel. I had never heard of Amazing Blondel until a few weeks a go. Thanks!

      Delete
  5. Dave, am sure you will be pleased to know that Mrs H remembers seeing
    BLONDEL on stage at the Liverpool Stadium many, many years ago.
    Personally, I have a job to read Thomas Hardy - he is just so depressing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'ello H. We were forced to read The Trumpet Major for GCE I believe it was, or maybe the mocks. I prefer his poems.

      Dave, I've put the Ernie demolition on zen. It's the one by nordrog whose speciality is vanishing signal boxes. He was there with is camera for the Ernie disgrace which you revealed to me.

      Delete
    2. Hi Heron. I once saw the Liverpudlian folk group The Spinners in Scarborough and I have seen REM in Liverpool. I saw U2 at Greenbelt Christian festival before they were famous. Thanks!

      Delete
    3. I will pop over to zen Gwil. I have read a few of Hardy's poems. Jude is the classic read for me.

      Delete
  6. One thing for sure, I will never be able to write like Hardy. Enjoyed the music, thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wish I was such a prolific creative writer like you Valerie. I am glad you enjoyed the music. Have a great and merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really like your site and content so much,thanks for sharing the information keep updating, looking forward for more posts.

    ดูหนังออนไลน์

    ReplyDelete
  9. Suffering from herpes is a Terrible Experience which i suffered till i meet a herbal doctor called Dr. KHAM. I tried all possible mean to get cured but i never received cure from any of the 7 hospital i visited.Just Match,14,2018 i saw a recent post of how Dr. Kham herbal medicine cured people and that he is a honest man to work with in the procedures on finding a cure, then i contacted him in trial and he sent me a herbal medicine with the full prescription oh how to drink for two weeks and i exactly followed the guidelines that was given to me by DR. KHAM to cute the long story short the herbal medicine flushed out my whole system and make the herpes virus inactive all thanks to Dr. Kham who God is using to cure people of this terrible virus (herpes simplex virus) for anyone here that has herpes or other kinds of disease and Virus should mail all his or her complain to DR. KHAM on his email which is (dr.khamcaregiver@gmail.com) or whats app him on +2348159922297 

    ReplyDelete
  10. How Herbal Medicine Cured me completely. Does anyone still doubt natural herbs? I've seen the great importance of natural supplements and the wonderful work they have done in people's lives. I wonder why people still spend their money on surgery, injections and drugs each time they are sick. My Diabetes was totally cured with natural herbs. Earlier this year I was diagnosed type 2 diabetes and my blood sugar was very high, I was recommended to use insulin medication which later have side effect on my health, I decided to stop using insulin medication and was recommended to use Herbal medicine after I read series of testimony of doctor ELINFOH Herbal medicine on the internet, bloggers site and radio stations, I purchased Dr.ELINFOH  herbal medicine for diabetes which he sent to my address through a delivery company and I received the herbal medicine within a couple of weeks  and the doctor directed me how to use the herbal medicine for 21 days. After concluding the herbal medicine I decided to go for a blood test and my blood sugar was detected to be normal, Today I am diabetes free with no side effects. Contact Dr ELINFOH  via  email: drelinfohherbalhome@gmail.com  or Call/Whatsapp +2348110492072 for more information. He said he has herbal remedies for; Hepatitis, Kidney diseases, Heart diseases, Cancers, High blood pressure, Fat reducing, Infertility, Lyme diseases, Herpes Virus, Cold Sores, Shingles, rectum diseases.    

    ReplyDelete

Onion Set Planting.

I still managed to plant up two of the new planters/raised beds with onion sets in the rain yesterday. Notice the white root sock in the com...