Yesterday, I posted the thousandth post on this blog. That means today’s post is number one thousand and one.
As soon as I thought of that number, I found I had the 1960s carpet cleaner jingle in my head:
That in turn reminded me of my time as an EFL teacher and the Spanish student, Diego, who came to class without his deberes. When I asked where his homework was, he replied: “In my carpet.”
Continue reading “time to focus”
I rather think April, with its traditional alternating showers and sunshine, should be the Brits’ favourite month, as it gives us plenty of weather to talk about. This year, it’s done even better than usual, with snow, hail and torrential rain highlighting some mild summery days, beautiful crisp mornings and glorious sunsets.
Continue reading “april”
Once more, the Internet informs: apparently today is International Haiku Poetry Day.**
Since haiku should include a kigo – a seasonal allusion – I shall include some seasonal photos in this post.
Continue reading “another day”
There are lots of stories on the web about automated translation, computer-generated writing, etc. but I for one am sure it will be a while yet before artificial intelligence is honed sufficiently to be able to do some of the things humans do without a second thought.
This week, people were talking about Microsoft’s CaptionBot – software that identifies the contents of an image and adds a caption. You are asked to give a star rating to the answer, presumably so the algorithm can improve over time.
I’m not sure that even a single star is warranted for the description of this photo of the statue of Hamlet in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Whether the wind was southerly or north-north-west, it seems CaptionBot can’t tell Hamlet from Hannibal; I wonder how it would do with a hawk or a handsaw.
P.S. Just a reminder that my poetry collection Around the Corner from Hope Street is free to download from Amazon until tomorrow. See last Sunday’s DCTN post for more details and please consider leaving a review if you like the book.
Despite springtime’s associations of life, hope and rebirth, it’s a sad time of year for gloves: with Winter behind us, many are left abandoned in the street, often separated from their loved ones and unable to find their way home.
Some try to creep into doorways for shelter.
Others perch on window sills, wistfully watching their more fortunate relatives. While we know they will never again be allowed to cross into indoor warmth and comfort, it seems unlikely that they realise they will soon be chased away.
A very few are lucky enough to remain with their partners and attempt to set up home together in unnatural habitats.
Yet others gather twigs and debris and attempt to build nests.
Perhaps even mismatched couples can share such endeavours and find brief happiness together.
A few let themselves go completely, adapting so well to their new environment that they blend in almost unnoticed.
Others give up all hope and hang themselves on park railings or drown themselves in puddles.
Spare a thought for these poor creatures and do not reject them when they stretch out their hands to you for help.
don't confuse the narrator 