Peter Shares a Poem, Some Music, and a Book

I have been thinking about the subject of my column this week. At first, I was going to enthrall you with tales of derring do when I played goal for our street hockey team, but you dodged that bullet this week. Then I was going to write a column on why I have the right to express dissent about the clown in Washington, D.C., despite the fact that I live in Canada. However, I realized that that would be too negative, and that we are dealing with so much negativity right now that it would really be too depressing.

I’m Not Saying a Word About the Clown in Washington D.C.

So I am going to give you another potpourri column, miscellaneous interesting tidbits. a) Interest away, loyal reader! I hope you enjoy it. because that’s what’s on the menu today.

I always try to put interesting things up on my Facebook timeline. Some are funny, some are outrageous, they are all intended to make people think. A few days ago, I put up video of Sir Michael Caine reading Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If”. I got a lot of positive response regarding its timeliness and relevance, so here it is again.

I had shared a song by a band called “Weigh The Anchor” with a friend of mine via “PM”. He really liked it, and there’s an interesting back story to it. I first heard “This Time Next Year” when I was surfing Facebook, and I really liked it from the start. I found that they were going to playing at the Horseshoe Tavern in a few weeks.

I contacted their frontman, who told me to contact “CONVERSATION”, the band who were headlining the show. I messaged Timothy Bolton, the frontman of CONVERSATION and I explained that I was a columnist and asked if I could be put on the “guestlist”. He asked me to send him a column, so I did, I sent him one about music. (I felt it would be a waste to send him one about cats.) He messaged me within two hours, telling me that I was on the guestlist. I was so overjoyed! He obviously thought that my bona fides were acceptable. My writing had opened a door for me! May I never look back. Great show, too. Always nice to see Jennifer Hall, another of the hardworking folks who keep indie music going strong!

During these grim times, it is refreshing to see so many artistic people giving of their talents via the media of free concerts online, via access to books and courses. Just today I put up a notice about a sculptor who will be sharing some of her talents online on Sunday. I got a post from a plastic modeling friend of mine bringing another plastic modeling channel to my attention. I hadn’t heard of it, but I certainly appreciated the heads up and will follow up on it.

Likewise, various publishers are offering free downloads of selected volumes. For example, “Osprey Publishing” is offering a free book download every week for the next few weeks. Now, a book on the Hawker Hurricane Marks i-V might not “float your boat”, but I can assure you that Mrs Montreuil’s little boy will be coming to grips with that particular tome. The point is that so many people and organizations are trying to help other people at this time, and that can never be a bad thing.

Hawker Hurricane Marks i-V

So stay indoors, don’t go out very much, and use your “social distancing skills”. I have the feeling that things will get much worse before they get better, but if we all take precautions, we will get through this. There is so much online that we can access for education and entertainment. It’s there, make use of it. Now I am off to read about the Hawker Hurricane Mark V.

See you soon.

1. a) Nobody does “writer’s block” like I do.

=PJM=

A confirmed Cat person, Peter dabbled with being a water boy, a paper boy and an altar boy before finally settling on a career with the Canadian federal government.  Once, in his youth, he ate a Dutch  oven full of mashed potatoes to win a 5 cent bet with his beloved sister Mary’s boyfriend. (Of course he was much younger and a nickel went a lot farther!) He has retired to palatial “Chez Montreuil”, which he shares with his diabetic little buddy Reg the Cat. He is blessed to have his dear Lois in his life. He is not only a plastic aircraft modeller, but a proud “rivet counter”. Military aviation and live music are among other interests of his, and he tries to get out to as many shows as he can. He will be here for your enlightenment whenever the stars align. Profile photo courtesy of Pat Blythe, caricature courtesy of Peter Mossman.