My new book is live on Amazon. As with all my other books, all the profits from it will go to help get dogs out of kill shelters. I’m grateful for all the support my books have received. To everyone who has or plans to purchase a book and additionally take the time to write a review, thank you. Each purchase and review is given attention by Amazon in ranking a book and that means promotion. A lot of dogs will benefit.
Links to purchase my new book in the U.S. and it will also be available on other Amazon sites around the world.
SYNOPSIS
Inspired by real events chronicled by journalist for The World News, Elizabeth Cochrane (pen name, Nellie Bly), in 1887.
Klara Gelfman’s life in Kiev was serene until she turned nineteen. That’s when Russia’s Tsar Alexander II was assassinated, and a vicious propaganda campaign spread that…
During the last six years, I’ve attended numerous music festivals within the Geelong area and I was fortunate enough to also go to the world famous Port Fairy Folk Music Festival, in 2013, featuring, David Francey(with his band, Go Jane Go), Xavier Rudd, and Geoffrey Gurrumul, a music vidoe of his glorious singing below, you won’t believe how beautiful his voice is !! The featured image above is from the Geelong Jazz Festival on streets in the CBD.
Above, From The Top, David Francey,(left side of stage) at Port Fairy Folk Music Festival 2013. Next: Enjoying the festival, Ivor with Lyn, one of those dear friends of Carole, who were there with us throughout the whole journey. (we swapped hats for this pic)
Above are pictures from the Geelong Motor City Music Festival, 2014 and 2015. From the Top, Lloyd Spiegel, Claude Hay, my friends enjoying the show, Martin, Terry and Jacqui, and The Chris Wilson Blues Band .
Above two pictures are from our local Pako Festa, a multi-cultural festival held annually here in Geelong, a street parade, street stalls and displays and outdoor concerts. Left, pic Ivor with Niamh, My Irish friend’s Martin and Jacqui, daughter, 2013, she’s 18 months old, and the same little Niamh in 2016, yep she’s Ivor’s special little girl.
Here below a poem I wrote about my time at the Port Fairy Folk Music Festival, in March 2013, and the four day Festival was an event I shall always remember.
Dear readers, some of you might know that I’ve been busy lately, submitting my poems for various publications. Today I received great news from the Geelong Writers Anthology publication for 2018.
Anthology Submissions
Hi Ivor!
I wanted to email and thank you for submitting to our anthologies and congratulate you! I am pleased to let you know that we will be publishing your submissions Waterways, A Friend,and Singing a Song for You in our upcoming Poetry Anthology, and Beyond the Trapdoor and Down Along the River Bedin our upcoming General Anthology. We will be in touch shortly to let you know details about the launch.
Thanks so much for your hard work!
Best,
Justine
Anthology Editor
This is a fabulous result for me, I submitted a total of six poems between the two anthologies and I’ve had five selected. I couldn’t be happier, and I’m sure we need to celebrate with some appropriate music from Leonard Cohen.
G’day dear friends and readers, I’m still bristling and bubbling from Xavier Rudd’s concert last Saturday night, and on this Thursday, another day of Ivor being an old plumber at work, the attached song seems both inspiring and appropriate for me this week. Please enjoy his music and lyrics.
Xavier Rudd Lyrics
“Growth Lines”
All the reasons once again escaped his mind
The sting of daylight through the blinds
And he could smell her on the drapes by the phone
She left it ringing for so longAnd I believe we are done
And I agree we had fun
We can hold our heads high
‘Cause we could only try
Yeah, we came so far
And we gave it our all
We can walk with pride
TonightBound by the stories of the growth lines on their hands
A fork in the road would someday come
And said I love you to the moon and back
Used to seem so damn far
And I believe we are done
And I agree we had fun
We can hold our heads high
‘Cause we could only try
Yeah, we came so far
And we gave it our all
We can walk with pride
Tonight
Floating in the ocean
Heart beating like a drum
I’m singing Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
And I’m floating in the ocean
Heart beating like a drum
Singing Hallelujah into the setting sun
Featured Image: via spotlightreport.net, google images.
I’ve been good friends with Colleen of, Click >> ChatterMaster, since the first week I started blogging 14 months ago. I love her glorious attitude for life and people. I diligently read all of her posts (nearly) and I often write comments to her in the form of little poems, and many of them have been featured here in my “Tit Bits” series of poems. However today I’m presenting little/micro poems I’ve posted on Colleen’s site, during the past few weeks.
This weeks Photo Challenge is about animals in nature, and I’m always fascinated by the mystical world of dragons, and that’s “My Dragon” in the featured image above, and also in the picture below, where I’m giving my friendly dragon a pat. You can read all about my dragon by clicking on this link >> https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/my-dragon-the-trilogy-2/ I know my dragon is very fond of the local swans residing nearby on Corio Bay.
There are readers of mine who would remember my Lizard Of Wizardry, Lizzy, who(it has been suggested) was the reincarnation of my little furry friend, Lily, and if you’d like to read about Lizzy the lizard, click on this link >>https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/lily-and-a-lizard-of-wizardry-2/
I do miss my little dog Lily, and we both enjoyed our walks to the lovely bush setting of the Moorabool Valley Chocolate Cafe. Every now and then we would encounter a cheeky magpie on the Cafe’s outside patio area, and below, photos of the magpie and, lily proudly sitting in her wild natural habitat. I also wrote a poem about that cheeky magpie, click here on this link >>https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/10/15/cheeky-magpie/
I was fortunate enough to go see Xavier Rudd, live in concert last night, as part of his Storm Boy Tour of Australia, and he was here in Geelong, and what an incredible show he put on, in front of a pack house in his hometown. He’s a rare talent, playing multiple instruments, including the Aboriginal Didgeridoo and “Lioness Eye” is a good example of him playing the didgeridoo. Click this link >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZk-EhCevm0 Attached below is a few of his songs that he performed last night. I did try taking some video clips, but they were very poor attempts I’m afraid, Yes, Ivor should stick to trying to write poetry.
And of course there’s no Xavier Rudd show/concert, without listening to his classic song, “Spirit Bird”, I’ll post this version so you’re able to follow his lyrics, a heartfelt message of important significance for all walks life of our world.
“Spirit Bird she creaks and groans
She knows she has
Seen this all before she has
Seen this all before she has”
I hope you enjoy his music as much as I do.
Featured Image: From Aesthetic Magazine, July 17th 2017.
Hello dear Readers, I’m presenting this important poem written by, Sarah, of Fresh Hell Poetry, for you all to read. An absolutely outstanding piece of poetry, definitely one of the best anti-war poems I’ve ever read.
“Trying to do a slam-style poem. I really hope the audio turned out OK on this. Apologies if it’s too quiet, I’m still figuring out how to make videos.” – Fresh Hell
Don’t Feed Them
If I imagine them
Taking my brother away to war
I shatter.
I don’t want to lose anyone.
Especially not to something as stupid
As war.
Maybe you like the idea of war
Because you’ve confused real life with action movies.
Maybe you hate another group of people for what they have done.
I can’t convince you to forgive another’s atrocities
That is something you must grow into on your own.
But I can beg you this:
When dogs of war bark
Don’t feed them.
You will be told it is the honorable thing
To die for your country.
You will be told you have enemies abroad
Monsters in human flesh.
But the monsters are in your back yard
Baying for blood.
Don’t
feed
them.
You will be told
That if you love your family
You will abandon it
And submit yourself to the state.
Give up your mind, body, and soul
To be consumed.
Don’t feed them.
You will be called weak
You will be called subversive
You will be stamped
Kicked
Drowned
Thrown into jail
Dumped in the gutter.
Still,
don’t feed them.
They will scream about the chaos
Unleashed in the world
They will plead for your aid
They will put weeping women before you
They will show you the bodies of children
They will appeal to your humanity.
But if you join them
You become the monster.
You will rape the women
You will bomb the children
You will force them all into the machines.
Don’t feed them.
They offer you money
Insurance for your families
Early retirement.
Ask your wife how she feels
When you go abroad.
She may smile then, proud and supportive,
But when she gets the letter,
Insurance will be a cold comfort
A reminder
That her loved one was eaten alive.
Don’t feed them.
The politicians get fatter.
The generals get fatter.
Our fearless leaders
Have little to lose.
What is noble
About sacrificing yourself for these people?
Are they so wise, so just?
They have enough.
Don’t feed them.
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 