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Archive for the ‘nature’ Category

For all vegetarians…

Posted in Ireland, nature, Poetry, Sketching In Ireland, WA Writers, Writing, tagged Barryscourt, Cork, Frances Macaulay Forde, poetry on August 19, 2014| 2 Comments »

You Stare At Me

you stare at me

benevolent eye

knowing why

I am here

what I will do

to you

wear your skin

drink you dry

pasteurise cream

strain and grain

make holes in

blue and vein

you stare at me

benevolent eye

knowing why

I am here

what I will do

to you

slice and dice

grind your bones

roast and fry

muscle for burgers

liver for onions

kidney for pies

and that eye

that eye

a delicacy!

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2011

#FrancesMacaulayForde #POEM:YouStareAtMe #Barryscourt #Vegetarians #Cows #Steak #Cork #Kidney #Burgers #Delicacy

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Quote of the Day: Anais Nin

Posted in nature, Poetry, WA Writers, tagged Frances Macaulay Forde, poetry, TastingLifeTwice, Toodyay on July 25, 2014| 2 Comments »

‘We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.’
Anais Nin

A Facebook friend (thanks Jennifer Mars) reminded me of this favorite quote, so I thought I’d share an unpublished example from a book I’m working on called “Tasting Life Twice”.

Yellow Days

Driving through Toodyay in late August

before Spring arrives officially

yellow makes me smile

Broome just opening

dotted with hives

flavouring the honey

and signs: ‘Beware Bees’

Field undulating through hills

no straight lines

sewn to follow dips

valleys and creeks

and around trees

Canola makes me smile

field waiting to be seeded

purple spikes take advantage

of a clear run to the sun

Far hills painted Ochre

as we enter another Shire

splash of blue Leschenaultia

Some giant brush has been busy

Soon Spring will show

its finished painting

England’s fields are patchworks

Here in Western Australia

we let the land and trees

decide the design

#FrancesMacaulayForde #TastingLifeTwice

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Black Swan.

Posted in Art, nature, Writing, tagged ART:Sand&Sandles, Artist: Jessica McCallum, BlackSwanPortraiturePrize, Frances Macaulay Forde on July 14, 2014| Leave a Comment »

My very talented daughter Jessica McCallum is busy working on her entry into the Black Swan Portraiture Prize.

Held every year, I’ve been nagging her to enter for years, ever since she was commissioned to provide Black Swan masks for the big event; the ball where winners are announced.

She’s busy working on the portrait of her Dad, a man of the land both privately and professionally. He worked for the Agricultural Department as a Farm Advisor since earning his degree at Curtin University after doing National Service.

As a now retired but always committed environmentalist, it’s fitting Jess is using his landscape – his Brookton farm to frame his face. (Photos show close ups of the work in progress.)

Using mostly wood stains on ply instead of the usual acrylic or oils on canvas, her approach is different. The technique also enables her to use the traditional craft of wood burning for striking shadow effects.

So, so proud. Can’t wait to see the final product because I know it will be amazing.

#FrancesMacaulayForde #ARTIST:JessicaMcCallum #BlackSwanPortraitPrize #ART:Sand&Sandles

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Chuffed

Posted in Africa, Books, nature, Poetry, tagged ABC Tales, Frances Macaulay Forde, Harry Owen, POEM:Thandi, Rhino Anthology on July 13, 2014| 2 Comments »

Yesterday, I received my copy of For RHINO in a Shrinking World, the anthology published to raise awareness and funds of their plight.

Just a quick flick through and I am very impressed. Although my entry ‘Thandi‘ wasn’t successful, those that were are worth a read.

So I posted my poem up on the ABC Tales board and received some complimentary feedback and today – a cherry!

Thank you to the ABC Powers That Be for making my Sunday.

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Musical Morning

Posted in Children's stories, Illustrators, Music, nature, Other blogs, tagged 12 x 12 Challenge, BLOGS, FordeDOTPaddy, Frances Macaulay Forde, VIDEO:MorningMist on July 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

It seems to have been a very musical morning for me so far, the first email I opened today was from my very talented brother: FordeDotPaddy

“Morning Mist” is his latest…

Then someone in my 12 x 12 Challenge put me onto this blog : “Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast“

It is an amazing find for picture book writers and illustrators, so if you are one, I recommend you take a look.

But I absolutely loved the music tagged onto the end of the post, about my all-time favorite band…

#FrancesMacaulayForde #FordeDOTPaddy #12x12Challenge #YouTube:MorningMist

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Wordless Wednesday: Sunset

Posted in Ireland, nature, Wordless Wednesday, tagged County Kerry, Dingle, Dingle Dolphin, Dingle Penninsular, Frances Macaulay Forde, Ireland, Wordless Wednesday on June 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

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Elephants

Posted in Africa, Animals, Art, Books, nature, Poetry, Writers, Writing, tagged Africa, Artist: Jessica McCallum, Elephants, Exhib: All the Pretty Ones Are, Frances Macaulay Forde, Global March for Elephants and Rhinos, Harry Owen, Jessica McCallum, poems, Rhinos, Satao of Tsavo, writing on June 15, 2014| 7 Comments »

My daughter Jessica McCallum’s 3rd exhibition ‘All the Pretty Ones Are’ (all things Circus) was held in 2011 at the Heath Ledger Theatre foyer in the new and exciting State Theatre Centre.

I feel the poetry I wrote to the artworks of that exhibition, was some of my best; particularly this one written from a childhood memory of the circus coming to our small town in Africa. Although he was an Indian elephant – African elephants can’t be tamed and I love them more, for that.

The Global March for Elephants and Rhinos is a call for a world-wide response to the continued senseless cruelty – the terrible things happening to these beautiful, wise, gentle creatures.

Just weeks ago what’s said to be the largest bull elephant in Africa; Satao of Tsavo in Kenya had his face hacked off for his magnificent tusks!

All this information is thanks to Harry Owen on Facebook: I’ve mentioned before, his book to raise funds for the cause of saving Rhino’s and can’t wait for my copy…

Meanwhile I thought I’d share another of my poems from that exhibition.

When I was a child

I remember thinking

that chain around

the elephant’s leg

wasn’t strong enough.

Elephants are tough!

If he wanted, he

could free himself just

by lifting that mighty foot

shaking the metal loose

and walking away…

Why does he stay?

No-one could stop him

If he chose to go, take

his own path. No more

performance on command

– he could find some green.

Walk through jungles again!

Elephants are tough so

why does he stay, stroll

through sawdust, put up

with that lady who leans

into his ear, whispering…

It’s because he loves her.

#FrancesMacaulayForde #JessicaMcCallumArtist #AllThePrettyOnesAreExhib #HarryOwen #GlobalMarchForElephantsAndRhinos #SataoOfTsavo

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Wordless Wednesday: Azaleas

Posted in Ireland, nature, Other blogs, Wordless Wednesday, tagged Azaleas, Co Clare, Flowering trees, Frances Macaulay Forde, Ireland, Wordless Wednesday on May 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

A car park in Co Clare, 2003. #francesmacaulayforde

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Rhinos

Posted in Africa, Animals, Books, nature, Poetry, Writing, tagged animals, extinction, Frances Macaulay Forde, Harry Owen, nature, poems, Rhinos, South Africa on April 27, 2014| 3 Comments »

Busy doing my tax return and came across an unsaved (!) poem I wrote and submitted (some time ago) to be included in an anthology to raise funds for the preservation of Rhinos.

Harry Owen the inaugural Poet Laureate for Cheshire (UK) in 2003, moved to South Africa’s Eastern Cape in January 2008, was the editor and now the book is published I shall put my order in.

Even though they didn’t use my poem I certainly want to support their very worthy cause.

Thandi

Imagine slow, deep heart beats

echoing inside a massive hide.

Slumberous half-blind grazing.

Open veld rare rhino protected.

Unaware evil stalks with intent.

Crack! Stinging rifle shot thrums.

Laboring body lumbers to escape.

Laid low, as deadly saw crudely

works on pointed bone bleeding

on Africa’s Skin. Enough death,

illegal trade. This is no noble

harvest to feed the starving poor…

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Easter Bilby

Posted in Animals, Children's stories, nature, tagged An Easter Tale, Bilby, Bringarious Bilby, Easter eggs, Frances Macaulay Forde, Long-Eared Greater Bilby, Our Australian Easter Bunny on April 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Easter at our house.

Last day of the Easter weekend and all eggs (except the two above) distributed.

I always buy Cadbury’s Easter Bilby for my son the Environmentalist and the Lindt Gold Bunny for my daughter the Chocolate Connoisseur.

The Bilby is an Australian marsupial under threat of extinction and environmentalists suggested a couple of years ago, the way to help would be to use the commercialization of Easter.

Meet Australia’s Easter Bunny: the Long-Eared Greater Bilby: “And there’s arguably no better way of getting our kids interested in our native wildlife than covering them in chocolate.”

Apart from having my gorgeous grandies round for tea after a family picnic in the park yesterday, I’m busy re-writing a story I wrote a few Easters ago.

Originally called ‘An Easter Tale’ or ‘How the Bilby got Easter’s job with the wrong tail’, it’s now called ‘Bringarious Bilby’ with grand ambitions to be published sometime in the not too distant future as a children’s picture book.

Hope your long weekend was all you wanted it to be – and you and yours are safe.