topical – Page 30 – don't confuse the narrator

national poetry day

Well, in the UK, at least, it’s a national day and there’s plenty about it in all the national newspapers. The Guardian, for example, reports a selection of news and associated snippets.

This year’s theme is “heroes and heroines”. I can’t think of any poems in my files that fit that theme, and I certainly can’t produce one to order. So here’s one which refers to the ex-prime minister – definitely not a hero of mine. The poem was published in the South Bank Poetry Magazine a while back.
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Polanski polemic

I don’t want to get involved with the rights and wrongs of the original 1977 Polanski case, nor even with the current extradition issue, but there is something disturbing about this juxtaposition of headlines from Reuters yesterday:

I wonder what the Poles would have done to him if he’d travelled there.

(I find the ‘video’ tab adds another slightly disturbing twist to the headlines, but maybe that’s just me.)

ho hum

According to the BBC news Magazine, the phrase “hey-ho” is set to make a comeback: it is included in the new edition of the Collins English Dictionary where it is defined as “an exclamation of weariness, disappointment, surprise, or happiness.”

Duncan Black, an editor for the dictionary, is quoted as saying “It’s the verbal equivalent of a shrug; you say ‘hey-ho’ or ‘that’s the way it goes’ or ‘c’est la vie.'” (He doesn’t mention the Spanish ‘es lo que hay’ – ‘that’s what there is’ – which is one of my personal favourites.)
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post scriptum

Today, almost a month after it was started, the wildfire in the Valle del Tiétar has officially been declared over.

It started at lunchtime on the 28th of July and was under control by the 3rd of August. On the 13th it was described as “técnicamente extinguido”, but there have been people deployed in the area since then, damping down and making sure that it didn’t flare up again.

Two people died and 4211 hectares were burned, including a large area of the Sierra de Gredos Regional Park.

I can’t help but wonder how the person who started it feels now.

ash Monday

Today, after six days, they have finally announced that the fire in the mountains is “controlado”.

In the end, the area of land destroyed is said to be around 4,200 hectares. That sounds vast to me, but Agustín González, presidente de la Diputación de Ávila, has described it as “un rinconcito” – a tiny corner – Continue reading “ash Monday”