The harvest | Exmoor so fair | A carol for Minehead | Peace in Minehead | Making a Difference | Would gin help COVID-19
The harvest
(Written when my granddaughter was chosen to give a viola recital for the Minehead and Exmoor Festival. As she picked up her instrument these words soared into my mind.)
The sun rises in the East
And at eve sets in the West
The soft rain falls to swell the grain
For the reap the Harvest
In the Autumn months we plough the ground
To clear the soil the frost comes round
We sow the seed of Winter wheat
To grow for grain and food we need to eat
In the Spring we sense the stir of roots
And see the new green spiky shoots
Waving in the gentle breeze
April sun and showers the farmers please
In the Summer months we sport and play
At Solstice dance the night away
Then the sight of glorious gold will come
As the fields lie ‘neath the ripening sun
There will be thunder clouds and storms too
Trials are met in all we do
But nature always plays her part
The Summer months will surely warm our hearts
Then the Season that we love the best
The golden grain we can harvest
More work and toil my lie ahead
To gather wheat to make our daily bread
And so it is throughout our lives
We work and play and then we rest
We retire and reap the benefit
Of what we sowed before our own Harvest
The sun rises in the East
And at eve sets in the West
The soft rain falls to swell the grain
For to reap the Harvest ….. For to reap the Harvest.
Exmoor so fair
For we love to see the sunrise at morn
To hear the lark sing at the breaking of dawn
And we love to see the lambs skip and play
To feel the dew fall at the end of the day
For we love to smell the perfume of flowers
To watch the bees as they suck pollen for hours
And we love to feel the rain on our face
To see the clouds ’cross the sky as they race
For we love to walk with our toes in the sand
To go over the moor with our love hand in hand
And we love to see the harvest of gold
To watch in the evening the sunset unfold
For we love to hear the nightingale sing
To look for the stars as the twilight they bring
And we love to feel the crisp frost in the air
To sit in the moonlight at midnight so clear
For we love to hear the folk music play
To follow the horse to bring in the May
And we love to travel to coasts azure blue
To climb to the hilltops all white with the snow
For we love to sit by the fire as it glows
To shut up the doors ’gainst the wind as it blows
And we love to breathe the fresh air as we sleep
And close to our hearts these memories we’ll keep
We have all of these things on Exmoor so fair
And we think of them now and the memories we share
A carol for Minehead
[Chorus]:Christmastime is when everyone sings
Two turtle doves and five gold rings
But sing a carol with me my love
Sing a carol with me.
We all rush around and are in a hurry
Food and presents give us some worry
But we must remember today
That Christ was born on Christmas Day
Christmas is for family and friends
It seems that the card list never ends
But we must remember today
That Christ was born on Christmas Day
Turkey and trimmings and a Christmas tree
Mince pies and chocolates on a Minehead shopping spree
But think of those shepherds long ago
When the angels told them the way to go
We might have to travel a long way in the car
Or stuck in a traffic jam not getting far
But remembers those three Kings from afar
When they followed the shining star
When Christmas comes and we’re ready at last
Think of those wondrous stories past
How the shepherds and Kings brought Jesus a gift
So unto heaven let your voices lift
[Chorus]: Christmastime is when everyone sings
Two turtle doves and five gold rings
But sing a carol with me my love
Sing a carol with me.
NOTE: Chorus, if singing, can come between each verse, or if reading a poem just repeated at the end.
(There is also an echo – Ladies: Sing a Carol with me – Gents: Sing a Carol with me – All: Sing a Carol with me)
Peace in Minehead
Down by the harbour, in Minehead’s fair town
There’s song and there’s music, and joy to be found
Fresh air and clear water, fish swim in the sea
There’s peace and tranquillity for you and for me
Peace and tranquillity for you and for me.
The tide and the sands, and children at play
The gulls flying over, around the wide bay
For the people who live here and tourists alike
We’ve the hills that surround us, to walk or to hike.
We have open spaces and comfortable homes
There are beautiful places on the moors and in towns
Some have retired here, their work nearly done
In loving this landscape, they are not alone.
Young people are learning in college and schools
Families are growing and using the tools
Of technology and freedom for this lovely land
So let’s stand together – for peace all join hands.
Little acorns are growing into oaks tall and strong
We can be happy all our lives long
In goodwill and friendship to this land we belong
So let’s be at one now, and all sing along ….
For down by the harbour, in Minehead’s fair town
There’s song and there’s music, and joy to be found
Fresh air and clear water, fish swim in the sea
There’s peace and tranquillity for you and for me
Peace and tranquillity for you and for me.
Making a Difference
A writer who liked to think under the skies
Old and respected and believed to be wise
Would sit and would dream as he looked out to sea
Seeking to find a new story …. A new story
Seeking to find a new story
This wise man sat with his hat by his side
From the cliff top he watched the ebbing tide
In the distance he saw a young man in the bay
Who seemed to be dancing to the day … To the day
Who seemed to be dancing to the day
He put on his hat and walked down to the shore
To hear what good news the young man had in store
If he was so carefree and could dance to the day
He must have something wondrous to say … Wondrous to say
He must have something wondrous to say
When the writer came near he could see the young man
Holding a starfish in his hand
Tenderly throwing it into the sea
He said ‘I am making a difference you see … A difference you see’
He said ‘I am making a difference you see’
But the wise man said ‘Young man don’t you know
There are starfish washed up – for miles you could go
You can’t save them all, it is nature’s way
Some starfish will die whatever you say …. Whatever you say
Some starfish will die whatever you say’
The young man bent down in the glint of the sun
‘I am making a difference to this little one’
And the old man replied ‘I can see that is true
Young man, I take my hat off to you … My hat off to you
Young man, I take my hat off to you’
Then the writer said ‘I’ve learned something today
From your saving the starfish in your own way
I’ll go home and I’ll write down this wondrous story
Young man, you are making a difference I see … A difference I see
Young man, you are making a difference I see’
by Eileen Ann Moore: ‘Based on a legend from Cornwall, and a card I bought in an Art Shop in St Ives, which showed a young man saving starfish, and ‘Making a Difference’. I think it is relevant to our present situation as small deeds or actions can make a difference at present.
Would gin help COVID-19
I have a drinks cabinet tall and smart
I make the serving of drinks quite an art
I’ve beautiful crystal of every size
An antiques dealer would find such a prize
Always served on a silver tray
Not Mrs Bucket but Mrs Bouquet
But my mother told me never drink gin
I was brought up to believe that it was a sin
In Spring I like to serve ginger wine
I can guarantee it will make you feel fine
Its colour holds such a golden hue
I know how much good it will do you
It settles my stomach – makes me feel right
And helps me to sleep when I’m restless at night
But my mother told me never drink gin
I was brought up to believe that it was a sin
In Summer I’ll serve a tall glass of Pimms
It looks so delightful you might sing some hymns
Lemon and strawberries, raspberries and mint
In the evening sunshine the crystal will glint
You’ll eat the fruit on a long cocktail stick
When you reach the bottom, give the glass a sly lick
But my mother told me never drink gin
I was brought up to believe that it was a sin
In Autumn Italian Prosecco I’ll choose
We’ll talk of our summer, over holidays we’ll muse
We’ll think nothing of having two glasses or three
By the end of the evening we’ll feel full of glee
In my tummy I may feel a rumble (or ill)
I might have to take a Gaviscon pill
But my mother told me never drink gin
I was brought up to believe that it was a sin
In Winter I’ll serve you my favourite drink
A Scots girl I am, so what do you think
A whisky it is, Isla or pure malt from Glencoe
It surely will warm you right down to your toe
It really will fill us quite full of mirth
I was given a Toddy from the day of my birth
But my mother told me never drink gin
I was brought up to believe that it was a sin
After lunch at Christmas I’ll serve a rich port
It will help the digestion, or so it ought
Tawny looks scrawny, the Ruby’s a must
We’ve eaten our fill and feel fit to bust
We’ll open our presents and play a game
Sing carols, have fun, each year just the same
But my mother told me never drink gin
I was brought up to believe that it was a sin
When I was a young bride divorces were rare
But I knew a young woman who had an affair
It proved mother right, never drink gin
She was florid of face and committed a sin
Gin was her drink, I remember the shock
I look back on my life and now I take stock
‘Cos in that drinks cabinet I’ll just have a look
There’s a bottle of gin in the furthest dark nook
Now in olden days they drank gin and beer
Because the well water was not pure or clear
Would gin drive away Covid – keep us from harm
Clear away ills while keeping us warm
Is there something in gin if served with a tonic
Would it fight off the virus and make us bionic
But I’ll stick with mother and never drink gin
I was brought up to believe that gin was a sin!
Eileen Ann Moore. October 2020