Don Pearson's Posts

Think Incitatus.

see www.poetryteignmouth.com and www.moorpoets.org.uk for other contacts, Don

Poppies2 (For all at Brook House and Overbrook, Dawlish.) In Flanders fields that May, watered with chlorine tears, frail red blooms appeared as usual, anticipating nothing but their own brevity. Now they weep themselves for a time when they can parade again simply as flowers, beautiful, unadorned. They pray to the sun that we remember well enough to release them ...

Neil, Thanks.  It was the usual Topsy problem where I did not set out for it to be long and I became completely absorbed in thought and action - searching out links, reading, pasting them into the message, etc. (completely missing the rugby I had intended to watch.) Don

@Lynne , brazilnut, neilh I am not entering the debate only because I do agree with you.

Almost everybody.

I haven't seen the car park but I would have thought that £2000 could pay for a lot of cleaning up.

@bryony Good post. According to the politicians the unemployed fall into two categories: Those who are unable to work because of sickness or disability. On this basis, one might imagine that they are also unable to carry out much voluntary work. Those who are job seekers. They are supposed to spend their time demonstrably seeking work and should not have much time left over for voluntary ...

@willosindawlish I am not clear what it is that you are saying. I know that this is a low crime area - that is the point. In the late Sixties I lived in Liverpool 8 (Toxteth) and, even then, the police patrolled only in armoured land rovers like an occupying army. Subsequently, I was in London for many years. When I moved to Teignmouth, I couldn't believe that the flashing blue lights were ...

The views of local people count for a great deal but both Teignmouth and Dawlish are tourist towns. The opinions of people who have visited are also important, whether positive or negative, and should not simply be dismissed because we don't like what they are saying.

@J.Warrener The forum is obliged to allow multiple accounts to avoid accusations of discrimination against people with Multiple Personality Disorder, Don

However, perhaps I was wrong as to the intentions of the men looking at the trees:- http://www.dawlish-today.co.uk/News.cfm?id=36369&headline=No-go%20for%20Strand%20echelon%20parking%20proposals

@FRONTERAMAN , Couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, I can't see it happening. Don

Blaming the previous Government/management/committee etc. for the mess in which you find yourself is just a standard technique on taking office. It is the time when you have the best opportunity to do what you want and everyone knows that it is the game.

You may not be on his distribution list for progress reports, DM. An oversight presumably.

I agree with you. (please guys, don't accuse me of being DM) Threads do evolve naturally and that is a different process from hijacking. I can imagine a ferryman having to do a three year course to get a certificate of ferrymanship even if he's been on the sea or river all his life. Don

The excellent link provided by Wild Ash a few days ago included a map showing the erosion over the period 1851 - 1962. link repeated I know that Dawlish Man read the document but, much to my amazement, I discovered that I could post the map here for other forum users. Those seriously interested really should read the sections from about halfway down the page covering the erosion, previous storm ...

The conundrum could be solved by asking him, politely, of course.

Welcome back, FEL-699, I always worry when people call me Donald. They are usually telling me off. Two exceptions: My parents always call me Donald (wait a minute - they are always telling me off) My own conversations between Donald and Don (but I never listen, so I don't know what they are about or which I am) Don

On top of which I believe that the "duty to house" is a duty to house people who are homeless and vulnerable. TDC does everything it can to avoid that duty. I asked a doctor to write to the council a few years ago on behalf of a friend of mine, in his mid-60s, homeless and obviously mentally ill. The doctor did write but said, "Vulnerable to this council, if you are a single man, means sleeping in ...

Thanks, Don

Orchid Lady, Would this be a reasonable summary of posts to date? For those who need a book-keeper, it is an important function requiring someone who is competent. As such, it is sensible to check carefully before you engage someone to do it on your behalf. Don

Thankyou, Roy, That explains a lot. It also explains posts from "Roy" last year that were worded identically to posts from Dullish. It must have been like Bethlehem Hospital here in those days. Don

Innocence (Dedicated to those who are not personally responsible. Without you, this would not be possible. ) I have caught tears in my mouth, washed in the dust of the dead, burned the grass in the meadows, watched the fires spread. I was told by my leaders to kill in my country’s fight. Crimes are defined by victors, We say what’s right. I flew into a building to tear apart ...

Young gulls are crying: I stand in awe of posters Who know they are right. Don

Perhaps one of the posters who hold strong views should offer themselves as a benevolent dictator. Do as the parties do: promise anything that sounds good, the closer to meaningless marketing bullshit the better. (e.g. Vote "for change" or "a better tomorrow" or "tax reform" or "a bright future" or "a new Britain") When you get in, continue to do as the parties do, i.e. do as you please. ...

Excellent, Authorburch. Thanks for posting. I won't fall out with you over form or structure. poem link Don

Roy, Broadly, I agree with you. It is because of the efforts and suffering of those who sought to establish democracy that I am not apathetic. Even now, there are parts of the world where brave people are fighting the same battle. I just do not believe that the structures that we have bear any but the most superficial resemblance to those for which so many have died. Futile though you may think ...

Roy, Good to see you demonstrating your sense of humour in the post above. Expat. is, of course, short for expatriate not ex-patriot and that is a neat use of a near homophone. Don

My sources tell me that Fortnum and Mason will be taking over the premises.

As I am in a frivolous mood this morning, may I ask whether there is a club of pseudononymous negative posters that I could join, please? If so, would it present a problem that I use my real name, prefer constructive posts, do not like spurious claims and do not wish to wind up other posters?

Joey, I just missed out the word "evidence". But, as it happens, that is the sponsorship amount I had in mind. Your tag clue suggests that, like me, you are not going to hand out answers. The first of my two postings this lunchtime (at 12:42, I see)was a clue to info in the second (at 12:48) Don

Sorry, missed the point above.

Sea (Between Teignmouth and Dawlish falls the shadow.) The sea is always dangerous. Its currents stir my depths. Its eddies write runes in my sands. Close to it, I resonate. Closer still, I think. Drawn out from equanimity, Beneath its waves, I sink. I walked down to the sea today, Answering a summoning, to meet a past, A piece of herstory. She was late, perhaps delayed by ...

Further to Joey's reply, there are also two duplicate bridge clubs in Teignmouth and one in Shaldon. Teignmouth Bridge Club meet on Friday afternoons 2pm at the Alice Cross centre. They provide a host, which means that you can go along without a partner. The second Teignmouth club meets at Richard Newton Hall at 6.45pm on Mondays. Shaldon also meet at 6.45 on Mondays and meet at the hall ...

Viaduct, Perhaps he's been shot by a Civil Enforcement Officer who thought he might being going to park illegally, Don (Frivolous Sunday afternoon version)

I apologise if I am being dense, but the news report makes no mention of a drug/alcoholic centre close to that incident. It does not either add to or detract from an argument against such a centre in Dawlish.

DevonSlope (In memory of and acknowledgement to Pastor Martin Niemöller) First they installed CCTV in Teignmouth, To deter vandals and to catch litter louts And people whose car tax was a day overdue. I applauded, scoffing at Tony Blair’s dream Becoming Eric Blair’s nightmare. What could the law-abiding have to fear? When they dispersed groups of two or more Who might be about to cause ...

Dullish, I apologise if what I was saying was unclear. I am not trying to persuade anyone as to what they should do on these issues. People are able to make up their own minds and any questions I pose are for readers to answer to themselves, not to me. I am prompting Viaduct,yourself and others generally, to consider from a different perspective from that taken in some other posts: a)Let us ...

Dullish, If I never did anything because lots of other people were better at it, I would be immobilised. Don