1 Sad to hear today that Pete Seeger has died but what a legacy of music he has left behind. I just love this one, probably not one you will have been hearing today. Do click on the link and listen to his interpretation of ‘Forever Young”, a Bob Dylan song, recorded just a couple of years ago for Amnesty International. He was such a campaigner for peace and this one, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” is an anthem that will live on and on…….
Under the second video there are these words:
“The song was stirred by a passage from Mikhail Sholokhov’s novel “And Quite Flows the Don”. Around the world the song traveled and in 1962 at a UNICEF concert in Germany, Marlene Dietrich, Academy Award-nominated German-born American actress, first performed the song in French, as “Qui peut dire ou vont les fleurs?” Shortly after she sang it in German. The song’s impact in Germany just after WWII was shattering. Its universal message, “let there be peace in the world” did not get lost in its translation. To the contrary, the combination of the language, the setting, and the great lyrics has had a profound effect on people all around the world. May it have the same effect today and bring renewed awareness to all who hear it.”
2 Our Hyacinths in the glasses are flowering just one at a time. In some ways that is lovely as they come in sequence and their gorgeous scent pervades the room – but I do miss the whole glorious display of flowers all at once as we had last year.
Hyacinth in blue glass 28.1.14
3 Friends and I have been discussing favourite words today. Lynne mentioned ‘nincompoop’, such a delightful onomatopoeic word, and I was reminded of a word one of my brothers found in the Oxford Shorter English Dictionary – ‘shittlewitted’. It’s not as rude as it sounds, meaning scatterbrained or flighty but it makes a splendid expletive! For those who don’t know, the Shorter Oxford Dictionary is no such thing. It comes in two enormous volumes and the writing is so tiny that the pair come with a magnifying glass! I’d love to hear of your favourite words.
zuludelta45
January 31, 2014 at 3:00 am
My own personal Pete Seeger story….
http://zuludelta45.net/2014/01/29/a-man-walks-into-a-tent/
babyjill7...Marilyn Griffin
January 29, 2014 at 10:28 pm
Oh, I love words…A great-niece of mine when little would say Geeze-Louise all of the time at the age of 2-3…So cute…and reminds me of her when I hear it!
Choc Chip Uru
January 29, 2014 at 10:22 pm
Pete has left his legacy through his songs.
And I adore your beautiful hyacinths 🙂
Cheers
CCU
Flowerpot
January 29, 2014 at 9:58 am
Very sad about Pete Seeger but as you say what amazing music he left behind. I have one hyacinth left – the scent is just gorgeous isn’t it?
mybeautfulthings
January 29, 2014 at 10:11 am
I love how the scent greets you even before you can see the flowers. Did you see Chris Packham’s programme last night? I thought about you and Moll when he was figuring out how dogs think. Worth catching on iplayer if you missed it, the first of three. 🙂
Shelagh
January 29, 2014 at 9:20 am
My son and his band, Chin Ho!, opened a Ben & Jerry’s summer concert at Sugarbush (in Vermont) back in the 90s, and shared a dressing room trailer with Pete Seegar. He says Pete was a very nice man in person. We were all there too, sitting on the ski slope in the sunshine. And we watched a moose galloping across the meadow at Breadloaf that memorable day…
mybeautfulthings
January 29, 2014 at 10:09 am
Oh, what lovely memories to have. I envy you that wonderful day! 🙂
Marilyn Armstrong
January 29, 2014 at 12:29 am
Where HAVE all the flowers gone? Hopefully, there will be spring again.
mybeautfulthings
January 31, 2014 at 11:23 am
It is just beginning to show here – snowdrops, some baby daffodils, buds on the Clematis. We hope there isn’t a frost to cut them down but it’s very early to say that! 🙂
john zande
January 28, 2014 at 8:01 pm
As an Australian I have a natural fondness for “bugger,” but “treacherously” has been my favourite word this January.
mybeautfulthings
January 31, 2014 at 11:19 am
Treacherously – that’s a good one for us this year too as we are battered by yet another hoolie from the Atlantic. Bugger is always a good one! 🙂
john zande
January 31, 2014 at 11:38 am
Bugger, that’s a treacherously horrid hoolie! 🙂
mybeautfulthings
January 31, 2014 at 11:50 am
Indeed it is! 🙂
El Guapo
January 28, 2014 at 8:00 pm
I think I will use shittlewitted.
I got to see Pete Seeger perform on his 90th birthday. That show is one of the highlights of my concert-going career.
mybeautfulthings
January 31, 2014 at 11:18 am
Fabulous word is it not? I have some more delights planned for tonight’s post!
You are so lucky to have seen Pete Seeger play! What a privilege! 🙂
Hudson Howl
January 28, 2014 at 7:56 pm
I remember your mother’s bulb glass from last year. Time flies or am just slowing down unable to keep up. I never did source out those the bulb glass. Perhaps I should mention them to Trudy my go to plant and flower proprietor.
As for Pete, the songs never dies just the singer -the message lives.
mybeautfulthings
January 31, 2014 at 11:17 am
The bulbs haven’t been as successful this year as in previous years – two of the 6 rotted from the middle and the others are being really slow. I suspect that I picked up the wrong kind of bulbs, the ones for outside planting rather than the forced ones.
Do get Trudy onto the sourcing for you. When they flower they really are a delight at this grey time of year. Thank you for calling in again, despite my failing to reply for a while! 🙂
Donna Catterick
January 28, 2014 at 7:45 pm
Weren’t we lucky to have Pete Seeger with us for all these years. I know he was a strong positive influence on me.
And I love the work ‘shittlewitted’ – don’t have any to add to that.
mybeautfulthings
January 31, 2014 at 11:14 am
We were weren’t we and such a wealth of music to keep on enjoying and such an example to us all.More lovely words tonight! 🙂 🙂