Today is Shakespeare’s birthday and, as it happens the 400th anniversary of his death. Some beautiful commemorative stamps have been issued in his honour and I just had to have a complete set of them.
Beautiful commemorative stamps
On Monday we start our journey to America for a family visit and then a road trip from Atlanta through the Appalachian Mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway into the Shenandoah Valley and then on to Washington. Am I excited? Oh yes! You can travel along with us through my blog if you would like to though I doubt I will be posting every day. So, today we had to go to the sea as we won’t be seeing the sea for three weeks.
I used to tell my dubious teenagers that love at first sight, or love at first sonnet as here, is really possible. It happened to us across a crowded room in October 1966 and we have been together ever since. I love how Romeo and Juliet begin to intertwine their words as their first love engulfs them.
| ROMEO | [To JULIET] If I profane with my unworthiest hand | |
| This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: | ||
| My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand | ||
| To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. | ||
| JULIET | Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, | |
| Which mannerly devotion shows in this; | ||
| For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, | ||
| And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss. | ||
| ROMEO | Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? | |
| JULIET | Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer. | |
| ROMEO | O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; | |
| They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair. | ||
| JULIET | Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake. | |
| ROMEO | Then move not, while my prayer’s effect I take. |
My Sister-in-law sent me Shakespeare’s Obituary which was in The New York Times today. It is very entertaining. Thanks V.
calvin
May 1, 2016 at 4:07 pm
“The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact”
mybeautfulthings
May 1, 2016 at 7:07 pm
Lovely to have you visit again. You have been missed. Thank you for your comment, interesting as usual. 🙂
babyjill7...Marilyn Griffin
April 25, 2016 at 12:19 am
Enjoy!… sounds wonderful…
zannyro
April 24, 2016 at 2:55 pm
Have a great trip!
mybeautfulthings
April 24, 2016 at 3:23 pm
Thank you very much! Almost packed and ready for the off! 🙂
zannyro
April 24, 2016 at 5:04 pm
Woohoo!
Shelagh
April 24, 2016 at 9:07 am
Wave as you fly over! Shan’t see you this trip, but for next time I now have a reliable vehicle…
mybeautfulthings
April 24, 2016 at 9:12 am
We will! Sorry we won’t see you this time but we will look forward to a ride at some point! Our next trip in the Autumn is to the Grand Canyon! (making up for last year) 🙂
bedlamanddaisies
April 24, 2016 at 12:26 am
Enjoy your trip! I live not far from the Blue Ridge Parkway and it is beautiful!
mybeautfulthings
April 24, 2016 at 6:36 am
Thank you. We are getting excited now…🙂
Hil
April 23, 2016 at 5:59 pm
Have a wonderful holiday….xxxx
mybeautfulthings
April 23, 2016 at 7:28 pm
Thank you! 🙂