Not the torturer will scare me
Nor the body's final fall
Nor the barrels of death's rifles
Nor the shadows on the wall
Nor the night when to the ground
The last dim star of pain, is hurled
But the blind indifference
Of a merciless, unfeeling world

Lying in the burnt out shell
Of some Albanian farm
An old Babushka
Holds a crying baby in her arms
A soldier from the other side
A man of heart and pride
Breaks ranks, lays down his rifle
To kneel by her side

He gives her water
Binds her wounds
And calms the crying child
A touch gives absolution then
Across the great divide
He picks his way back through the broken
China of her life
And there at the curb
The samaritan Serb turns and waves ... goodbye

And each small candle
Lights a corner of the dark
Each small candle
Lights a corner of the dark
Each small candle lights a corner of the dark
When the wheel of pain stops turning
And the branding iron stops burning
When the children can be children
When the desperados weaken
When the tide rolls into greet them
And the natural law of science
Greets the humble and the mighty
And the billion candles burning
Lights the dark side of every human mind

Each small candle
Each small candle (repeated)
Each small candles lights the dark side of every human mind

And each small candle
Lights a corner of the dark

(Roger Waters 1987)

Tags: lyrics
Current Mood: cold

Chimes of freedom (here are the best bits)

What are the chimes of feedom? What do we look for and listen out for? Look and you will see.

"Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight.
And for each and every underdog soldier in the night
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing."

"Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned and forsaked,
Tolling for the outcast, burning constantly at stake,
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing."

"Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind,
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind.
And the unpawned painter behind beyond his rightful time
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing."

"Tolling for the deaf and blind, tolling for the mute
Tolling for the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute.
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased and cheated by pursuit
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing."

"Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail
For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale.
And for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing."

Here it comes:

"Starry-eyed and laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended.
As we listened one last time and we watched with one last look
Spellbound and swallowed 'til the tolling ended.
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones and worse
And for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing."

BTW -  check out the date: 1964

Tags: dylan lyrics

Thief of my heart, it's only fair
you should give me yours or cherish mine for ever.

No, I'm asking too much - simply let me love you
and Venus will have answered all my prayers.

I'll be your slave for life
your ever faithfull lover.

I can't claim nobel ancestry,
my father's a mere knight,

my acres are hardly broad,
my allowance barely enough.

But Phoebus and the Nine are with me,
the wine-god and the god of love,

fidelity, integrity,
sincerity, sensitivity.

                            Ovid Am 1.3.1-14. trans. Guy Lee (1969)

Tags: poetry

the famous Cafe Sport - favourite of locals and the sailing community is now (I'm told) franchised outside Faial.



the wall is holding me up - I think!!!!

Horta is the principal town on the island of Faial in the western Azores.  Pico is larger but Horta has been popular with sailors crossing the Altantic for many years.

Be warned: the marina will not come out of the harbour to tow you in - even in  an emergency! It's almost as if it's a statuary requirement that you are actually at/in the harbour entrance before they want anything to do with you. We spent 8 hours in the bay between Faial and Pico, getting to within half a mile of the entrance, with no wind and no engine and no help - despite a distress call as we were drifting towards the rocks. A slow wind taking us across the bay and 5 miles away from Horta gave us the angle to tack in a direct approach to the harbour entrance. If we got there, the plan was to drop anchor blocking the entrance and so forcing them to tow us in. As we made our way painfully in and me poised with the anchor at the ready, just as captain was shouting at me to let go the chain, the marina tender appeared! Hmmm! maybe they must have been watching!

Anyhow -   



the lights of Horta (seen this time from the safety of the commercial dock)






Pam resting!

Still looking at Horta



Having a break from looking at Horta



Note the jumper and safety harness!! What's that all about?

Horta on the Port side



Oh look - now it's on the starboard side ?!?



Just HOW do we get into Horta with no engine and no wind??????

No this is done from the office not literally *at sea*!! Although we did have a satellite phone.



View from my bunk.




One of many sunsets :-)



Oh no - where's that sun. An underused solar panel.



Who's driving??????




Dolphins come to play almost every day.



Orca!! wont go swimming today then.



Horta in sight.

Mixing with the locals


St Martin is part French where they have a heavy local accent which is impossible to understand! It's also part Dutch and so full of Dutch people (who do speak English) and a few Germans (who are not from Essex!)


Found another sandy beach - but look out EGs back!!

Favourite bar is the Soggy Dollar - that's not it's proper name but how it's known. You have to get there by dingy hence your dollars are always wet! No pix - sorry - didnt risk my new camera in the soggy dingy.



Leaving St Martin - they kindly open the gate to let you out :-)

Moored up in St Martin



Simpson Bay Marina




Found a sandy beach (and a girl from Essex!)



Keeping my distance (captain's perks!)

Another day another drink




It's very nice but will it fit in my flight-bag????

safely back in London! more details and pix to follow soon.