by Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) How vainly men themselves amaze To win the palm, the oak, or bays; And their uncessant labors see Crowned from some single herb or tree, Whose short and narrow-vergèd shade Does prudently their toils upbraid; While all the flowers and trees do close To weave the garlands of repose. Fair Quiet,Continue reading “The Garden”
Author Archives: Robin
In the beginning
In 1967, while I was still too young to have driving lessons, I bought a secondhand Lambretta scooter to get to college and back and be able to get around at the weekends. I will set things straight, here and now, I was NOT a mod and I was NOT a rocker. I bought theContinue reading “In the beginning”
How do I love thee?
Sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s, Most quiet need,Continue reading “How do I love thee?”
How time flies
Time can play funny tricks with your memory. For instance I know I started at Kelsterton College in September 1966. I thought that I completed the college year the following June or possibly early July. That would mean I started work (yes I actually got a job very quickly) some time in July or AugustContinue reading “How time flies”
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain
by Emily Dickinson I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, And Mourners to and fro Kept treading – treading – till it seemed That Sense was Breaking Through – And when they all were seated A Service like a Drum – Kept beating – beating – till I thought My Mind was going numb –Continue reading “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain”
Peacock parade
As I mentioned yesterday I was quite prepared to be a peacock preening my gaudy feathers for all to see. Mayhap it has always been a part of me, that desire to change my outward appearance, possibly because I loved the attention but also because I enjoyed being someone else for a while. The LittleContinue reading “Peacock parade”
Their Lonely Betters
by WH Auden As I listened from a beach-chair in the shade To all the noises that my garden made, It seemed to me only proper that words Should be withheld from vegetables and birds. A robin with no Christian name ran through The Robin-Anthem which was all it knew, And rustling flowers for domeContinue reading “Their Lonely Betters”
A final fling
The summer of ’66 was over and I had finished my work experience at the Rhyl and Prestatyn Gazette and was preparing to return to the world of education. The difference between my time at Rhyl Grammar School and the year I spent at Flintshire College of Technology was that at one I was treatedContinue reading “A final fling”
Business Girls
by John Betjeman From the geyser ventilators Autumn winds are blowing down On a thousand business women Having baths in Camden Town. Waste pipes chuckle into runnels, Steam’s escaping here and there, Morning trains through Camden cutting Shake the Crescent and the Square. Early nip of changeful autumn, Dahlias glimpsed through garden doors, At theContinue reading “Business Girls”
A final summer
Studying at home and spending more time, whenever possible, at the newspaper office strengthened my interest in becoming a reporter day by day. More than anything I developed a love for the structure and development of language and the written word. I know my photographer colleagues believe their pictures are worth a thousand words butContinue reading “A final summer”
Robin's Nest 