Jilly Cooper

Why did the D.M give her space then ?

You beat me then Ana

Oh dear, I know I'm indulging myself. I think I had to write it to the specifications of a sonnet or something.

But shows I was thinking along these lines some years ago.

To Wordsworth from his Maid

Oh how I wish that I could write a poem
about the beauty of the countryside
I'd wander lonely as a cloud of feathers
or stand upon a bridge at morning time
I'd marvel at a host of yellow flowers
all dancing in the mellow evening air
then take my little notebook bound in leather
and scribble down my thoughts about the weather
and then I'd stroll back home and write a poem
before I bathed and dressed myself for tea
if only I were master here or mistress
instead of maid, all day on bended knee
No time for me to pause to write a poem
I'm far too busy looking after thee

I like that, petallus I do hope you won't be offended if I say I read it with a Pam Ayres accent

That is quite charming Petallus , you should be proud , wish I could write poetry

Well, I read the JC article in the DM and I was so interested in reading what she was saying about grandparenting that I didn't notice (at least not enough to remember if I did) that she was promoting a book.

Don't know what that says about me, but maybe something like not giving a damn what or who someone's parents were, just taking them on face value. I took her books on face value too (I know one isn't supposed to judge a book by its cover but it's difficult not to sometimes) and didn't read them.

Anyway. My conclusion?

She writes well.

And she sounds like a nice gran.

Book? What book?

Didn"t know u take the DM !!

I'd use an article in a widely read newspaper to promote a book too. Wouldn,t anyone?

nonu, I don,t 'take' any newspapers.

no double entendre there, so don't dare accuse me, you minx!

That is fabulous petallus

Madam, as my DG"S like to say to me , you are not being obstrepulous by any chance ,phew can"t believe it

petallus - lovely poem. I really like the way you work in the references to Ww's poems.

Bags terminology flower, terminology .

I love your poem petallus. Very astute. But merlot, wouldn't she have had a Cumberland accent rather than a Pam Ayres one

nightowl . Of course but sometimes I can't help hearing her voice in my head when I read something charming like petallus' poem.

You don't hear many Cumberland accents on TV do you? Apart from one half of the Hairy Bikers I can't think of anyone else

No I get the feeling they are trying to keep their whole existence a secret. I don't blame them, I'd want to keep it a secret if I lived in such a beautiful area Are there any gransnetters from there I wonder?

Sounds just like my daughter! I do the school run, collect the 3 gs after school, feed them 2 nights a week, babysit, take them on long weekends but she STILL
expects me to drop everything to help out,no matter what my arrangements are, and if I don't, I get the silent treatment!

What ever I think of her and her books I fully agree with her views on this subject. As I was posting a letter this morning an elderly and not very fit lady walked past with 2 under fives.She looked exhausted. My immediate re-action was, she is far too old to be coping with childminding toddlers no matter how much she loves them. They were too young to be in nursery or school so it clearly wasnt a half term week assignment.