I have always depended on the kindness of strangers

hot hens
Its 18 degrees here in Trelawnyd but it feels hotter/The hens started to sunbathe against the church wall but now have all taken themselves off to the field borders to sleep in the shade. I have strimmed the long grass and nettles until the strimmer ran out of petrol. and now am just about to clear up. The dogs have been taken back inside the cottage to cool down and Winifred especially is in need of a lie down with a cold drink and a lace hankie
Bulldogs cannot cope with heat of any sort...they resemble Blanche DuBois when the sun's out
and go all limp and pathetic
Winnie this afternoon
Anyhow, as i have been working, I have been listening to the film composer John William's lesser well know pieces. This one is particularly good. Its a reprise of the hymn LOOK DOWN LORD which Williams used in the film ROSEWOOD (1997)
it has a wonderful power about it
I had no idea that whole towns were attacked in racially motivated mob riots in the deep South USA
Apparently Rosewood was a primarily black town in Florida that was abandoned in 1923 after several hundred whites attacked it burning most of the houses to the ground
The hymn takes on more poignancy given the reality of the story

41 comments:

  1. We have a Westiepoo who cant' cope with the heat, well we think he's a Westiepoo but he resembles a rescued mop rather than a rescue dog x

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    1. We have a rescued shi'poo mop who'll need a cut very soon!

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  2. Wasn't it in Florida where they had 'sundown towns'? Any 'african american' found outdoors after sundown was a fair target!

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    1. Maybe it was California.

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    2. Sundown Towns were all across the States but probably more prevalent below the Mason-Dixon Line.

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    3. Sundown is a new term for me too

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  3. Perhaps the hens can be coaxed to produce ready-fried eggs in their shells.

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  4. Hot and dry here in the desert, 96 (F) yesterday afternoon. I felt a bit like your bulldog. Back east to DC this afternoon.

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  6. Rosewood is only one example of murderous racism here in the US. The others are well-chronicled, but largely ignored. We just never did it on a scale, except for the native americans, to attain the questionable status of Rwanda, or the Balkans, or Germany.

    What puts apart is our place in the world as an industrialized, wealthy and 'modern' nation. The attitudes that foster behaviour like this continue, largely sub-rosa, and continue to this day.

    We are certainly not alone, but we seem somewhat unique in insisting that this time is over, it's the past.

    Cheers

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    1. I have just read ( and was totally shocked) by the story of the town of Rosewood.... At least there was a good number of white local people who sheltered black,families in their own homes

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  7. Should Fish More is right. Although racial conditions are unquestionably better now than they were fifty or sixty years ago, it's absurd to hear some politicians bluster that racial injustice is a thing of the past. We still have a long way to go.

    That song is wonderful. As you say, it delivers a powerful impact.

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    1. Love the hens!!
      As another US resident I agree with the comments above. Racial injustice rears it's ugly head in so many ways everywhere, but some folks in this country act like we have moved past it because we have a "black" President. Honestly, it got worse once he was elected with the blatant racism. People, sometimes they are just full of sh*t.

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    2. I think it is vital not to forget the Rosewoods of this world

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  8. I could do with a lie down in the shade myself.

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  9. Lovely to see the hens out in the sun

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  10. poor winnie! teddy is the same way. when it gets hot, she lays on the stone floor in the air conditioning with a fan blowing on her.

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  11. please let us learn from the past and move on in harmoney respect and love for all . poor winnie hooo ray for cold tiled floors could even try putting my nude bum on them

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  12. I'd say Winnie in the heat (as opposed to "in heat") looks a damn sight more kissable than she did when you were kissing her. I may consider getting myself a hot bulldog bitch.

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    1. Give her a dog biscuit and she'll let you

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    2. Hmm... That may not sound like much to ask, but I don't need to offer even a dog biscuit to my lady... Although perhaps if I tried I may get even more success... You give me food for thought. A trip to Pets World tomorrow and I'll report back after Saturday night.

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    3. Make sure she doesn't bite your fingers

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  13. The amount of arseholes that leave their dogs in the car in this heat! Seen one today already.
    Yes of course you can go to Marks. Nothing else around here except Asda, the customers make me laugh if nothing else!

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  14. I have always admired John Williams, and his tremendous talent. But this hymn...oh my. This song goes beyond anything he has ever done.

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  15. I agree with Winnie about the heat.
    And, you frequently are the kind stranger.

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  16. Didn't you want to slap Blanche? I'm with Brando on that one.

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  17. That hymn is beautiful. Attacks on black communities, groups of black people, or one black person alone are part of America's sad history. I lived near Springfield, Illinois, for a while. Race riots there led to the creation of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). We have our race-history revisionists who actually say that slaves were treated well and black people today would be better off if they were slaves. I've watched the news footage from the 1950s and '60s of black people being attacked when they tried to vote or sit at the counter in a restaurant, and I shudder. The Freedom Riders are particularly interesting. The song "Strange Fruit" is about a lynched black man hanging from a tree. I knew one woman who was part of a group that integrated a southern college. She said it was so horrible that she can't remember most of it, but she did remember her dress was soaked from white people spitting on her.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. North Wales compared to my previous home of Sheffield ( think of pittsburgh) is incredibly racist
      I will never get my head around it..... I also remember hearing
      " strange fruit" when I was 15
      It blew my mind

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  18. Hope you all have a great weekend, John. ♥

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  19. I have never heard that, nor have I seen the movie yet. Will look for it. The town where we live was instrumental in the Underground Railroad. "Strange Fruit" always makes me cry.

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  20. it can still happen today; racism is alive and well over here, but only the ignorant right-wing douchebags practice h8.

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  21. My Pug too is useless in the heat of the last few days. She lies and snores her way through the day ...... it's a dogs life!!

    Walks are suddenly ridiculously short, once around the paddock and then collapse is the order of the day. Rosy isn't too bothered she can keep herself entertained for hours down the rabbit holes in our
    woods.

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  22. I hate to be so rude when im so new to the blog but are you seriously all in need of a cool down at 18? Goodness, we are two weeks off winter and it was at 23 today. As i look across, Hubby has a jacket on and im in full sleeves. Oh, what's that i hear.... the gas heater running!

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    1. Welcome Lynda
      You need to remember that I'm welsh
      18 degrees is bloody hot

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  23. I remember watching the movie Rosewood when I was younger. I was appalled that things like that happened less than 100 years ago. So sad isn't' it? Thank goodness we've come so far. But we still have a long way to go...

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  24. The US has much to be ashamed of when it comes to race. Many things have changed outwardly, but hatred still wells within many. It is not only in the south, idiots and ignorance are everywhere, more so now that we have a mixed race President.

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  25. I love the idea of Winnie lying exhausted on the cool floor with a lace hanky draped over her face.

    For a supposedly "civilized, developed, Christian" nation, the US has had from its inception a surprisingly violent culture. Reading Twain's "Roughing It" really opened my eyes to this; the violence of modern day America was established long before movies, tv and video games came along. Add to that the presumption of the inferiority of the "uncivilized" races, and what a recipe for suffering!

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