WHO IS THIS GUY CALLED ARIEL?

By ariel70 - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Journal

Friday, September 16, 2005

IF BLOGIT IS A MIRROR OF AMERICAN SOCIETY, THEN GOD HELP AMERICA!

… and every other country in what passes for the free world today. I read a post by a new yesterday, which seemed to me to be perfectly reasonable, and was couched in moderate terms; questioning who made Americans liberal or conservative. I also read the comment that accused the writer for her moderation of being a cowardly fence-sitter, incapable of choosing which side to support; the implication being that she was some kind of traitor. This was in no way untypical of the many other... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

THE FOUNTAIN OF CANDELAS PART 2

No answer gave Candelas to this plea, but stood rigid in her trance.But, her face seeming lit from within by that light: a light more powerful than that of the greatest of lanterns, she said “ Hearken well to me my love: as long as I shall live shall these rocks their waters yield.” Then, shaken by unearthly tremors: a quaking of the body and a tremoring of the soul, she said “ But if ye ever come hither and ye find this place be dry, look no more for me my darling: for I shall then be gone from... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

THE FOUNTAIN OF CANDELAS PART ONE

It was in a distant, fabled time, and in a season of that time when the earth lay seared with heat, as is a hearth beneath a fire: it was in a land hard by the well-nigh tideless, glistening crescent of sea, as brightly burnished as Sultan Mahmoud’s scimitar, which gazes across to Africa, that the story of Candelas unfolds. Favoured only child of the Count of that place, Candelas was the darling and the apple of his adoring eye, and as beautiful as the Virgin, and as shy as the wild goats of the... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

A DAY AND A NIGHT IN THE LIFE OF ARIEL, LADY ARIELA, TWO DOGS, TWO CATS, A

The Spanish have a peculiar mixture of a strong civic pride and the attitude of a true litter-lout; even the smallest pueblo ( village ) having its fountain, and every spare space planted with flowers and shrubs. And unlike in Britain, where fit people who are on state benefits are permitted to loaf about all day, here in Spain they are put to work on keeping the roads swept, and tending the public plantings. In order to claim their benefits, both men and women have to do public works for... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 12, 2005

WHAT WAS I THEN?

I'm reposting this because it got posted in the wrong place; and those phillistines over there ain't into poetry. What was I then; long years ago, when I masqueraded as a boy, living in that adult land? That boy who bore within him the seeds of what I became? Rooted in his fertile soil I grew to what I am now; the man who was fathered by the boy; the boy who knew not what he was; never knew he that he gave life. His my life was so loveless that deep in shadow he stands, unable to speak to me of... Sign in to see full entry.

THE GREATEST CURSE THAT A PUBLISHED WRITER HAS TO FACE

No, this isn't about the difficulty of getting your work published in the first place; it's something different.... As a regular contributor of articles to local magazines here in Spain, I constantly run up against what must the greatest curse that any writer can have to bear. This is the way in which one always sets the cat among the pigeons with one’s opinions. For example, suppose one were to have published an article suggesting that capital punishment is a suitable penalty for some forms of... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

WHY SHOULD THE BRITISH AND EUROPEANS HATE THE AMERICANS?

I am editing this piece because most of the comments that I have received deal with current American domestic affairs; not the historical perspective of my post. I avoid any reference to, or offer any opinion on, current American affairs because such is well outside the scope of my post. It is an article about historical relationships between America and Britain and Europe; not a post on current affairs. Britain,and Europe, have always had a love-hate relationship with America, and for as long... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

LURKERS AND WHAT WAS I THEN?

The decision has been made as to the statue that will grace the vacant plinth in Trafalgar Square; and no doubt London will end up with yet another unspeakable, shapeless monstrosity, that’s going to have the tourist gaping. “ Oh, my God, what the hell’s that abomination supposed to be?” “ Ach, mein Gott!” “ Que horrible!” “ Mon dieu! C’est Quasimodo!” Etc, etc. Can’t give you any Chinese ‘cos I don’t know any. As far as I’m concerned there can only be one candidate for this form of... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, September 9, 2005

A FATALLY DIVIDED SOCIETY/ MUSLIM CHILDREN

Twodog has left a comment on my post “ Tell me, why Bush is a criminal?” that has left me deeply disturbed and sickened. In my piece, I pointed out the danger of the opprobrium that is being heaped upon president Bush washing off on to the men and women fighting in Iraq. I also drew attention to a possible repeat of the Vietnam war, where the veterans returned to a hostile nation, and were treated as pariahs by the own fellow countrymen. According to twodog, who himself experienced this... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, September 8, 2005

TELL ME, WHY IS BUSH A CRIMINAL?

I see a disturbing trend in some posts here, manifested by such statements as “ Bush is a criminal!”, and “ Bush must be impeached!”. This is guilt by imputation, which violates every principle of natural justice, and is more the method of the Spanish Inquisition, and of police states than citizens of a democracy. The laws of libel and of slander are clear and reasonable; one may call a man a fool, but not a knave, unless one has evidence for the assertion. One may state that one suspects that... Sign in to see full entry.

AMERICA AWAKE!

Before my wife and I left England, to come to live in Spain, I used to log on to a chat room on Cheetahchat, where I made many American friends. A chat room ( or a blog) is a microcosm of life outside; is a mirror image of the wider world, so of course, there were some sad and inadequate people in the chat room, with many problems. There were also a few people propagating extremist political and religious views, but these were a tiny minority; the general atmosphere being a relative contentment... Sign in to see full entry.

A WAY TO MAYBE GET YOUR FOOT ON THE LITERARY LADDER

I’ve just got a batch of oat rolls in the oven, so I’ve got time to pass on a few tips to those aspiring writers struggling to get a foot on the literary ladder. Almost every area here in Spain, in the U.K., and I guess most places in the world, have local magazines – sometimes free magazines, and most of them will consider articles or stories of local or historical interest. Editors of small-circulation, local magazines are likely not to be as stressed out as those on the bigger national, or... Sign in to see full entry.

ARIEL'S NO-BUDGET RECIPES # DON'T KNOW. JUST FORGET

Every now and again – usually at full of the moon – I get hairy fingernails, and my fangs get all long and sharp. And I get this wild urge to take all my clothes off, and chase hares in the moonlight, the wind ruffling my pelt. At those times I say to Lady Ariela “ Oooh, Listen to the voices of the children of the night!” And she says something like “ Don’t be so daft, you great wazzack! That Salvador’s dogs that you can hear, dummy!” Nude moonlight hare-coursing for the over seventies is an... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

SHOAH & DON'T SAY MAMA

In commemoration of the outbreak of the Second World War, I’m reposting these two pieces. I wrote “ Shoah” first, and “ Don’t say ‘Mama’!” seemed to spring naturally from it. SHOAH They came in the gloom of ghetto dawn: came in their menacing, drab grey trucks: came in their shining limousines, prowling the streets like cruising sharks. They came with guns and clubs and dogs: came with bayonets sticks and whips: and fired with their insensate rage, they severed our history at a stroke: shattered... Sign in to see full entry.

ARIEL'S NO-BUDGET RECIPES # WHATEVER

Before I give you my recipe for homemade burgers, let’s talk about knives. A good sharp knife’s a delight to use; a blunt one’s a pain in the nether regions. Not only that but you’re more likely to cut yourself with a blunt knife than a sharp one; trying to force it through meat, for instance, is dangerous. Of course, you should buy the best knives that you can afford, but we can’t all afford Sabatier, or other professional chefs’ knives, so we have to make do with cheaper ones. But even a... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

ARIEL'S NO BUDGET RECIPES

Here’s another no-budget recipe for you: small savoury pancakes. These are good for when those kids come in starving., or when visitors drop in unexpectedly, and you want to serve them a quick snack. They are also good for a barbecue; to make a change from those boring burgers etc. ( I’ll post a recipe for making your own homemade burgers some other time. Much more tasty that supermarket burgers, and free of preservatives. ) To make about 20 pancakes, you need:– 3 heaped tablespoons of any sort... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 5, 2005

SPANISH SUMMERTIME

I tried to paste a photo of our house, before we bought it 5 years ago, but somehow it wouldn't paste; but I'll see if I can find a way to show it to you. We’ve completely renovated it, for when we bought it, it had no electricity or water supply and no track leading to it. We lived in it for 6 months before these services were laid on, but we had had a huge machine in to dig out, and lay stones on our track. About 700-800 metres above sea level, the house stands on a wide plateau, surrounded on... Sign in to see full entry.

MONBLOGUE IS HAUNTED!!!!

MON BLOGUE IS HAUNTED! One resorts to the somewhat amateurish capital letters above, to impress upon the regular readers of Mon Blogue the gravity of the situation; for sad to say Mon Blogue has been plagued of late by mysterious visitations of these … these beings. One refers to them as such, for clearly these phantoms, alien beings, or whatever they are, are not human as you and I are. Nor, one suspects, can they be those mischievous entities poltergeists. For household artefacts have been... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, September 4, 2005

ARIEL'S DIARY. WELL. AND LADY ARIELA'S TOO, I GUESS

er.... this is tongue in cheek Woke up with pounding head this a.m. Thought for one moment was back in Rhodesia, hearing the drums once more. n.b. must get used to calling the damned place Zimbabwe. Deuced stupid I call it: naming a whole country after an ancient monument. It’s like renaming Britain Stonehenge. Mind you I wouldn’t put it past the Blair Thing to do just that! After wrecking everything else over there in the old country, it would be just like him to think up a fatuous wheeze like... Sign in to see full entry.

BOYHOOD MEMORIES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR PART 2

I intended to post this piece on Saturday, but life has its own agenda outside of Blogit, and what with one thing and another, I couldn’t even begin to write it. Quite apart from that, I’m finding it difficult to even get my thoughts processes working at full blast to recall those old, painful times; when, uprooted from family and friends, my life was diverted from its natural course. So, here I sit at my computer, on a hot Spanish summer afternoon, reliving in memory those dire times of the... Sign in to see full entry.

About this Blog

Fiction, poetry, articles and a whole lot of other Ariel's stuff ; musings and ponderings ; they're all here, and i hope you'll find something here that you like. But I have a deeper purpose in mind. See, reading the papers and watching TV, it's so easy to think that the whole world's motivated by racial and religious hatreds of various kinds. Well most of us aren't, are we? We ordinary people are moved by love and compassion for our fellow humans ; and respect and tolerance for their differences. It's true that all that it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing, so we who are motivated by love have a duty speak out against the evils of the world ; not to be ashamed of our histories, nor embarrassed about being and saying clearly what we are and what we believe. If we don't learn to love each other, we'll perish. Although I am an atheist, my guiding principle is, and always has been, Christ's adjuration to " Love thy neighbour as thyself"

People

Blogs

Links

Headlines (What is this?)