Interior with a Woman Weighing Gold Coin 1664 Dutch Golden Age Oil on canvas Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany
‘Interior with a Woman Weighing Gold Coin’ is from De Hooch’s mature period portraying a wealthy woman weighing coins. The woman wears a blue, fur-trimmed top symbolic of her wealth.
Pieter De Hooch Dutch Golden Age Born: 20 December 1692, Rotterdam Netherlands Nationality: Dutch Died: 24 March 1684, Amsterdam, Netherlands
De Hooch was a painter best known for his genre works of quiet domestic scenes with an open doorway. He was a contemporary in the Delft Guild of St Luke of Jan Vermeer. De Hooch was first recorded in Delft when he and another painter witnessed the signing of a will
The delicate rose Drew me in with the first scent Like a passing bee to her flower Probing and seeking Slowly opening the petals Softly accepting my reward I sip at her sweet nectar
Growltiger was a Bravo Cat, who lived upon a barge; In fact he was the roughest cat that ever roamed at large. From Gravesend up to Oxford he pursued his evil aims, Rejoicing in his title of “The Terror of the Thames.”
His manners and appearance did not calculate to please; His coat was torn and seedy, he was baggy at the knees; One ear was somewhat missing, no need to tell you why, And he scowled upon a hostile world from one forbidding eye.
The cottagers of Rotherhithe knew something of his fame, At Hammersmith and Putney people shuddered at his name. They would fortify the hen-house, lock up the silly goose, When the rumour ran along the shore: GROWLTIGER’S ON THE LOOSE!
Woe to the weak canary, that fluttered from its cage; Woe to the pampered Pekinese, that faced Growltiger’s rage. Woe to the bristly Bandicoot, that lurks on foreign ships, And woe to any Cat with whom Growltiger came to grips!
But most to Cats of foreign race his hatred had been vowed; To Cats of foreign name and race no quarter was allowed. The Persian and the Siamese regarded him with fear– Because it was a Siamese had mauled his missing ear.
Now on a peaceful summer night, all nature seemed at play, The tender moon was shining bright, the barge at Molesey lay. All in the balmy moonlight it lay rocking on the tide– And Growltiger was disposed to show his sentimental side.
His bucko mate, GRUMBUSKIN, long since had disappeared, For to the Bell at Hampton he had gone to wet his beard; And his bosun, TUMBLEBRUTUS, he too had stol’n away- In the yard behind the Lion he was prowling for his prey.
In the forepeak of the vessel Growltiger sate alone, Concentrating his attention on the Lady GRIDDLEBONE. And his raffish crew were sleeping in their barrels and their bunks– As the Siamese came creeping in their sampans and their junks.
Growltiger had no eye or ear for aught but Griddlebone, And the Lady seemed enraptured by his manly baritone, Disposed to relaxation, and awaiting no surprise– But the moonlight shone reflected from a thousand bright blue eyes.
And closer still and closer the sampans circled round, And yet from all the enemy there was not heard a sound. The lovers sang their last duet, in danger of their lives– For the foe was armed with toasting forks and cruel carving knives. Then GILBERT gave the signal to his fierce Mongolian horde; With a frightful burst of fireworks the Chinks they swarmed aboard. Abandoning their sampans, and their pullaways and junks, They battened down the hatches on the crew within their bunks.
Then Griddlebone she gave a screech, for she was badly skeered; I am sorry to admit it, but she quickly disappeared. She probably escaped with ease, I’m sure she was not drowned– But a serried ring of flashing steel Growltiger did surround.
The ruthless foe pressed forward, in stubborn rank on rank; Growltiger to his vast surprise was forced to walk the plank. He who a hundred victims had driven to that drop, At the end of all his crimes was forced to go ker-flip, ker-flop.
Oh there was joy in Wapping when the news flew through the land; At Maidenhead and Henley there was dancing on the strand. Rats were roasted whole at Brentford, and at Victoria Dock, And a day of celebration was commanded in Bangkok
TS Eliot Born: 26 September 1888. Missouri, USA Nationality: British-American Died: 4 January 1965, London, England
Eliot was an essayist, publisher, playwright, poet, literary critic, and editor. He is considered to be among the major poets of the 20th century and a central figure in English-language Modernist poetry. Eliot was born in Missouri and moved to England at the age of 25 where he settled, worked, and married. In 1927, at age 39 he renounced his American citizenship and became a British citizen
Watching and Waiting Album: To Our Children’s Children’s Children Date: 1969 Genre: Rock Artist: The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are a rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964. The initial line-up consisted of Graeme Edge (drummer), Denny Lane (guitarist and vocalist), Mike Pinder (keyboardist vocalist), Ray Thomas (multi-instrumentalist and vocalist), and Clint Warwick (bassist and vocalist). Throughout the history of the bad Edge has been the only continuous member. Laine and Warwick left the band in 1966 and were replaced by Justin Heyward (guitarist and vocalist) and John Lodge (bassist and vocalist). The moody Blues embraced the psychedelic rock movement of the late 1960s with a fusion of rock and classical music
The chilly air fading in the sunshine As the first spring breezes come out to play And teasing the tightly closed jasmine buds Whilst on their pegs clean sheets dance and sway
The legs of some jeans are kicking about Like Can Can dancers on a Paris stage To the sounds of sparrows playing kiss chase This April morning, the spring comes of age
Frisky T-shirts outrageously flirting Washing hung in gardens never gets old The coldness of winter is on its way Like a scolded child it’s soundly been told
Despite the showers of the April rain Life is returning to the Earth again