Who Did That?

Who Created The World?
by Angela Lansbury

Who invented the purring cat?
Who invented the barking dog?
The handy horse, donkey, camel?
The grinning goat, stoat, tasty frog?

Who invented large elephants?
The rat, red squirrel, cute dormouse?
The tall giraffe, dead dinosaur -
Both much too big for my small house!

Who made the ant and mosquito?
The snake, and friendly crocodile?
Hungry lions, bears hid in snow?
Parrots whose swearwords make us smile!

I'm sure that we shall find out soon
Who designed the planets and sun
For man's sent rockets to the moon
We've worked out how most things are done

Maybe, in Space, bright folk, like us
But twice as smart, can tell us how ...
Yet watch us silently and wait
Until we're ready - that's not now.
-ends-
Copyright Angela Lansbury March 31 2019

Please see my blog on travel.

Life's Rollercoaster

Life's Rollercoaster

by Angela Lansbury

Life is a rollercoaster
Life has its ups and downs
Most of the people you meet have smiles
But a few are bound to have frowns

Life is what you make it
Most are not both deaf and blind
You can see and hear what you want
And choose what you want to find

Some days you are really well
Other days you find you're ill
You've a choice, use your voice
You can wait, or smile, or take a pill

You can try not to get depressed
You can do everything right
You can exercise and get your rest
And wait for day to follow the night

Smile at every child, woman and man
Be remembered as a sunny soul
Always do the best that you can
Forget bad parts and see the good whole

Every day somebody dies
But thousands more march on
Be silent for a moment
Then rejoin the world's wonderful song

You are a pearl in the necklace
You can be a joy in everyone's day
You can inspire them to carry on
To feel you're near when you're far away

Every mother has fears and hopes
For every child, girl or boy
Be the bad things' antidote
And add to the world's bank of joy

See how you can help others
Then you'll forget your pain
While you are busy helping them
You'll find that you're content again

You can be the teacher
The guardian angel on the shoulder
You can be the preacher
To make the timid feel bolder

You're only here for a short while
When you reach your December
Be the one who raises a smile
Who everyone loves to remember.

The roller coaster goes up and down
Please support your friends
Be the one to help them
And laugh with them 'til the triumph end.

-ends-

Photo credit
Article on rollercoaster in wikipedia. Photo author Mttbme.

Morning Marvels: animal life - dogs, and snails and me

Pad, pad, pad plods the big fluffy dog
Wag, wag, wag waves its silent fur tail

Centimetre by centimetre
Slow and steady slides the spiral snail

Forward and back fan my flabby arms
Energetic, I paddle, float, swim

Thoughtful, stress-free 'though purposefully
Back-to-nature holidays begin. 

-ends-

Giant snail from  Wikipedia

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Poem Praising Buns

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Now, with the lid off, we can see clearer. What shall I choose, the ones with the sesame topping, or the green ones? 

Singaporeans like green. They think it suggests fresh green plants or fruit.

Looking at the picture, savouring it, is like eating twice.

Three green buns. Sounds like the nursery rhyme, Three Blind Mice. 

The Story Of Six green Buns

Six green buns

Six green buns

We're all so happy when breaktime comes

Six big buns.

The order of eating is all rehearsed

We let the visitors go first

We want them all to share the fun

Five green buns.

I'm watching the numbers carefully

To be sure there's one left for me

Four green buns.

I think I ought to hand them round

I need some food so I survive

We all need food to stay alive

Three green buns

Good, someone says, Already had

I smile because I'm very glad

If they'd all gone I would be mad

Three green buns.

Three big buns.

Three big buns.

The green one is my favourite one

I ate the green one, now it's gone

Two big buns

One of them has sesame seeds

It looks delicious, it was indeed

One big bun.

No-one saw that I took too

But I must leave one for you

Hurry, friend you must be fast

Or otherwise I'll take the last ...

With two of us - I have to share

I'll share with you to show I care

No big buns.

No big buns.

But we have shared our memory

What we ate for last weekend's tea 

Green been paste, kaya, (and) sesame

Three big buns.

I'm looking forward to next weekend

Three dollars isn't a lot to spend

In Singapore eating never ends

I dream about them every day - six green buns.

-ends-

See more photos of the buns and the filling in

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

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Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Drink, Drink, Drink - water

Drink, d-rink d-r-rink, water

I'm scared to tell you what I think
On holiday give up the drink
You'll lose your passport, Dad, son, daughter
Just stick to juice, milk, tea, or water.

In strange places stay alert
To be sure that you don't get hurt
Make sure that you avoid a fight
Don't walk into a tree at night

Drink, drink, drink water
Drink, drink, drink water

You bought a bottle then ordered a magnum
Went on to hoist a jereboam
You cannot drink all that alone
Call a taxi, let's go home

The local drink is very strong
They drink it, so what could go wrong?
You do know that they don't live too long?
No wonder they sing such bad songs.

After a drink you feel alive
Except you're not allowed to drive
You sing well, tell jokes and hear laughter
But find the toilet's too far after.

You buy a round, what could go wrong?
Nothing, until the money's gone
Remember your child, what you taught her
Sit down, shut up, drink your water.

-ends
Copyright Angela Lansbury 2018
Please read the posts on my travel blog
travelwithangelalansbury
You'll find lots of irony and subtle humour. Please share links to my posts with your friends and family.

Warm Feelings About Worms

Warm Feelings About Worms
by Hazel Nutter also known as Angela Lansbury

A garden's got a million worms
Your eyes are filled with doubt
Just go and watch those little birds
Which keenly hop about

They know something which we don't know
As each bird taps its beak
They seem to be the winners
In their game of hide and seek

I'm standing at the window
And watch the daily show
Nasty worms aerate lawns
But taste good when birds swallow

I try to see the bright side
Worms do a lot of good
I try to see the light side
To birds a worm is food

I've a sandwich in my hands
I lick my lips and munch
All those birds with open beaks -
Those birds are out to lunch!
-ends-
out to lunch, idiom meaning crazy

Text Copyright Angela Lansbury 2018.
Photo by Per Harald Olsen.
My draft of the poem had the pun, but look good to a swallow. I hoped some readers would spot the pun on the birds, swallows.
I checked what swallows eat and they eat flying insects, not worms. So I changed the line to read But tast good when birds swallow 
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Read my travel posts, too. Many of them have a hidden irony, or damn with faint praise.
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Love is like a cuckoo

Love is like a cuckoo
by Hazel Nutter (aka Angela Lansbury)

Love is like a cuckoo
I love to hear it sing
But other people warn me
It's fun, it's false, it's bling

It wants to shove the others out
It wants to be the one
It does not care for others
When all is said and done

A cuckoo starts off small
But it grows big and hungry
You race about to feed it
It's ungrateful - and angry!

Cuckoo from Wikipedia.

If you suspect a cuckoo
What is it you should do?
Make sure you are not cuckoo
And the cuckoo's not with you.

-ends-
Copyright Angela Lansbury.
Photo by Per Harald Olsen.

Poem inspired by Dolly Parton's Love Is like a Butterfly.
I watched a butterfly flutter past and thought, just write a song starting  LOVE IS, making a metaphor from something you see. My first thought was bird.

I thought of names of birds, Magpie, Robin, cuckoo. Cuckoo offered the greatest opportunities for puns and metaphors. I might try Robin next.
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