Saturday, 23 January 2021

Yellow

This Saturday's blog is brought to you by: the colour yellow, the number 7, the letter K, the planet Mercury, the Sicilian lemon, the custard frog protection society and the fans of Primrose Hill. Let the sunshine in.

In anticipation of this deepest, darkest winter lockdown when scheduling the latest run of topics, I hoped yellow could be a theme the Dead Good collective might respond to happily. That turned out to be a good hunch, as this is the sixth blog in a week on the subject (and we haven't seen that kind of run in a while).

I've always regarded yellow as a special colour, light and fresh with positivity, warmer and richer than white, vibrant and bold. It floods the eye. It's the colour of sunshine (if indeed sunshine has a colour), of laughter (if indeed laughter ditto...), of happiness, honeycombs and gold, of jonquil and primroses, of sandy beaches, butter, canaries, emergency vehicles, bananas and custard.

It's the brightest (and best?) of the primary colours and a fitting counter-point to the blues.  As with its near-neighbour on the colour wheel (the fabulous tangerine), in my view you can never have too much of it. Need I go on? I think I need not. What's not to love?

Primrose Hill models yellow?
Proceeding then, to a poem on theme, the catalyst for this latest piece from the imaginarium was finding a couple of post-it notes adhering (forgotten?) inside the back cover of a novel that I bought second-hand from an online bookshop during lockdown. Before I got to reading the novel, I spent time wondering what that other story might have been, the real-life one. 

This, then, while not exactly another 'found' poem, does quote both notes verbatim as part of a more speculative 'so what might that all have been about and where did it go next?' exercise. I hope you approve.

On Yellow Post-it Notes
found stuck in the back of a second-hand book,
an intriguing list of things to do.
The first note reads thus: Lillywhites - suitcase,
Accessorize, bank, Boots No. 7,
penguin toy, Marble Arch M&S - tape measure!

There's no inscription on the title page
to give a clue to previous owner.
Now if it had been me: name, date and place.
That's how one could trace my movements 
through half a century, homes, colleges, holidays,
even work assignments, if one chose to look.
But I digress. The title might provide an insight:
Mary Renault's 'The Friendly Young Ladies',
a Virago Modern Classic (147 to be precise).

A second note states: Sofa bed 174 (coincidence?),
H 85 x W 196 x D 97, seat H 45 arm H 61,
back rail 73, colour Jonquil, cushions extra!

What do I assume from those ageing sticky scraps? 
Mission accomplished at M&S with tape measure?
Bijou metroland nest being fitted out for guest,
perhaps a child? Holiday or hospital visit planned?
Tiny bedsit being reconfigured to accommodate
another? Maybe the reader's new-found lover?
Unlikely that she owned a penguin as a pet -
herring would surely have been on note one if so.

Clearly a girl of sunny disposition on a budget
and a mission, but those forgotten posts - worrying.
I wonder did she ever get her Jonquil sofa bed 174?
Maybe she lost the book on the journey home,
encumbered by a suitcase and shopping bags,
dimensions disappearing down the Central line.
Or did she simply one day offload the book? 
Plot not compelling? Shelves not broad enough?
Maybe the reminder of a relationship which didn't
measure up? Questions remain. There's no telling. 

Thanks for reading my zany stuff. Stay bright, S ;-)

202 comments:

  1. Such a fun, relaxing, thoughtful read - and poem. Loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I see why you were so sad that I don't like yellow much (your comment on my blog of this week)!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I rather think she was leaving and planning on equipping a wee camper van..keeping things to a minimum and buying a bed to fit in the van !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jeanie Buckingham23 January 2021 at 14:58

    Loved the poem... great use of words.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Enjoyable, Steve, though it seems not everybody shares your enthusiasm for things yellow. I recall Adrian Mitchell's sci-fi dystopia novel The Bodyguard (no, not THAT one, or THAT one), in which he notes that the European Riot Police (known generally as "the Yellows") had their uniform colour chosen because it naturally strikes mortal fear into people, and because (just nipping to the bookshelf here for my Picador copy) it was specifically chosen: "by a panel of neurologists, advertisers and witch-doctors who pondered its association with pus, with vomit, with mustard gas”. Funny thing is, I hardly remember anything else from that book - although it's not bad, and I enjoyed his poetry a lot - except that particular reference to selecting a colour as a weapon of mass destruction. YMMV.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, wonderful. ❤️

    ReplyDelete
  7. Such wit, such style, such... yellowness. Loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cracking blog Steve. Sorry fabulous tangerine wasn't the colour of the afternoon, any more than canary was. It was very neat what you did with that poem - deserved to get you a win. Still, it's only the cup - promotion is the real prize, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Funny intro, great blog, groovy pic, loved the clever poem. You shine on. 🌞

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nice one! I know a great joke about being up Primrose Hill... :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. Brilliant Steve. I was half expecting a reference to Sunny Goodge Street - or even Sunny South Kensington - in your Yellow Post-It Note poem, which is fab. Well done (sunshine superman).

    ReplyDelete
  12. That has brightened up my rather gloomy Sunday. Thanks Steve.

    ReplyDelete
  13. H.M, HRH Laxmiben Hirani Author of Poems From The Heart Books 1 & 2.

    Beautiful detailed yellow theme! Enjoyed it very much after a long evening of work my dear one! You brightened up my evening with a restful night's sleep.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a pleasure to read. Loved the poem. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  15. A lovely blog and a delightful poem.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Brilliant seems a fitting description, such a warm and witty blog.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very clever Steve. I laughed the Sesame Street spoof opening (very funny) and you make a good case for the colour of happiness. Your poem is a delight. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Beautifully written. 🌞

    ReplyDelete
  19. I loved this Steve. Quite often when I read your poems I think "I wish I'd written that!" and this was one of them. The idea was inspired, the execution deft. Making the title part of the poem was neat, the playful speculation was witty and kind of wistful, there was intrigue and innuendo in your clever wordplay and a return to the measurement imagery was killer, dinkum.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Yellow is also a sacred colour in India for Buddhists and Hindus, the colour of sanctity and enlightenment.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I like yellow as a rule. It's a happy colour, as you say. The one time it irritates me is when I see a huge field of rape in flower. It doesn't look right - too intense and unvaried a block of colour in a predominantly green landscape. A field of sunflowers is an entirely different matter. I greatly enjoyed your speculatively sleuthing poem. :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Charlotte Mullins26 January 2021 at 11:06

    That was such fun. I loved the blog, the (zany) study in yellow and the delightfully worked and poignant poem.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Alistair Bradfield26 January 2021 at 15:00

    How inventive, most impressed. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  24. Grant Trescothick26 January 2021 at 20:31

    Tremendous blog. Loved the poem.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Some sunny fun. Well done! 🌞

    ReplyDelete
  26. Yes, I most definitely approve. An inspired idea and a nicely worked poem. I love some of those lines: bijou metroland nest being fitted out for guest... unlikely that she owned a penguin as a pet... dimensions disappearing down the central line (shouldn't that be capital C?)... and of course the (telling) final couplet. I was going to protest that you could have bought the book from me - only I don't have it in inventory; though I have some other more recent Mary Renault titles if you're interested.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I googled the Custard Frog Protection Society. It doesn't exist. There's not even any such thing as a custard frog! You are a cheeky blogger!! (LOL) But a very entertaining one. And what a great poem. Stay sunny.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Just a random yellow recollection. Do you remember the 'House' system we had at junior school? Red, yellow, green and blue for Hillary, Gordon, Rhodes and Scott respectively (unashamed of Empire!) and we were both in Gordon. I remember you won the poetry prize, stood you in good stead.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Such a treat to read as ever. What a lovely poem. πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  30. Brilliant yellow, Mr R. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  31. Most enjoyable. Elegantly and amusingly written and the poem was - as you billed it - engaging. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Mellow yellow, like the cello! This colour has wonderful connotations.

    ReplyDelete
  33. If you are into Yellow, then you will LOVE this:

    ROOKIE (Late 19th century: perhaps an alteration of recruit, influenced by rook). In Polish the word is either REKRUT (not that interesting), but also ΕΌΓ³Ε‚todzioby, which literally means yellow clothed, but looking at the etymology of the word in Polish, it is actually quite interesting:

    SΕ‚owo ΕΌΓ³Ε‚todziΓ³b oznaczajΔ…ce przenoΕ›nie 'niedoΕ›wiadczonego ΕΌyciowo mΕ‚odzieΕ„ca' nawiΔ…zuje do wyglΔ…du pisklΔ…t majΔ…cych tuΕΌ po wykluciu siΔ™ ΕΌΓ³Ε‚tawe noski i upierzenie oraz Ε‚apki, wymagajΔ…cych opieki rodzicielskiej.

    The word rookie, meaning figuratively 'inexperienced young man', refers to the appearance of chicks with yellowish noses, plumage and feet after hatching, requiring parental care.

    Which brings us back to YELLOW

    In Dutch, we call a Rookie "een Groentje" literally it means a Green πŸ˜‰
    Makes me think that also in English you of course have "Freshman"

    And how did I get started on this journey?

    Because I did not know the word CALLOW (I know, it is strange not knowing such an important English word; I guess I always used the easier Inexperienced), which in Polish is translated as Nieopierzony, which is 2 words put together: Nie (not) and Opierzony (feathered), again magnificently translated as unfeathered.

    What an amazing vocabulary is out there...

    Maybe my maybe somewhat inconsistent rambling can be an inspiration for a future Polish-inspired poem πŸ˜‰

    Speaking of which, once Corona is behind us, do please come & visit us in Poland... Would be great!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Very good Steve: witty blog and intriguing poetry. FYI some people write to me as Harry Lemon (sic)...thinking of changing it to Harry Lime (LOL). Keep up the excellence, always a treat to read you.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Did it ever occur to you that the person who wrote the post-it notes might one day read your poem about them? It wasn't me, but I thought how spooky would that be? I think it's a charming poem.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Splendidly sunny (a)musings, Steve. You make the case well and the poem is a treat. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  37. You're right, an uplifting theme for a dark time. I felt warmed by the tone of the blog and especially your latest poem, which is lovely. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Bright, delightful wordsmithery and intrigue. I really enjoyed this Steve.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Fabulous. All power to the imaginarium, lad! Yellow is the colour... πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  40. Brikkiant yellpw

    ReplyDelete
  41. What an inspired idea for a poem, and a delightfully written blog. I loved it Steve.

    ReplyDelete
  42. So very English, my friend, and yet no Yellow Submarine. It's not my favorite color, right now that's Democrat Blue (praise the electorate) but I dig what you've done with the poem, real neat. Stay well in troubled times. Tom.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Bella Jane Barclay1 February 2021 at 11:12

    What a delightful read. So much yellowness. I was taken by the idea for your poem and the way it unfolded, loved the measuring metaphor.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Zestful blogging! I loved the concept and execution of your poem Steve, what a great idea. Also, did you read 'The Friendly Young Ladies' yet and is it any good (with a compelling plot)? I've read some of Renault's Greek historical novels but none of her earlier stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  45. I'm with you regarding the colour, and what an evocative roll-call: happiness, honeycombs, jonquil and sandy beaches (not to mention the Sicilian lemon). Great poem too, very nicely done. 🌞

    ReplyDelete
  46. This is wonderful. All your blogs are so well put together they are like works of art. Might I add egg yolks, mimosa and and saffron to your litany of lovely yellows?

    ReplyDelete
  47. Indeed. What's not to love? Fabulous poem that. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  48. Delightful blogging Steve. You have such a way with words. I loved the poem and the illustration. Agreed you can never have too much yellow.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Yes that's very good... "a girl of sunny disposition on a budget and a mission", love the lyricism of your poetry Steve. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  50. That's brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  51. Zoe Nikolopoulou3 February 2021 at 22:18

    I think you have made a great piece out of this theme, such a warm and uplifting post and a beautifully crafted poem. πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  52. Big Bird's Custard ;) Great blog and lovely intriguing poem. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  53. Really lovely Steve.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Such a vibrant, immersive post. I loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  55. That was wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Natalija Drozdova5 February 2021 at 15:09

    What a great blog. I'm now a convert to yellowness, and that's a lovely poem.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Noragh Montgomerie5 February 2021 at 19:08

    Well I loved this witty and thoughtful blog and poem. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  58. You asked for feedback and having read some of the comments I struggle to know what to add. You write with wit, style, imagination and this was a delight to read.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Beautifully done. As you said, what's not to love? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    ReplyDelete
  60. Charming, warming, spell-binding words. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  61. A suffusion! Loved it all Steve.

    ReplyDelete
  62. I read this and winter seemed a world away for a while. Thank you. I love the clever and connotative poem. πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  63. I love it! What a great blog. What a lovely poem. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  64. Fabulous, Steve.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Yes very clever, but also such fun. It's a fine poem :)

    ReplyDelete
  66. I really enjoyed this. Such a vibrant post and clever poem. Just one technical question on that: isn't it convention to italicise the quoted parts (e.g. the notes themselves)? Just asking.

    ReplyDelete
  67. You've converted me to yellow with your zestful post and that stylish photograph. (Primrose Hill is not real, I assume.) I thought the poem was clever and thoughtful. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Ooh, such a lovely speculative poem. ⭐️

    ReplyDelete
  69. Reading this was a tonic but it has made me crave spring and 'normal' life again. We've been down and dark too long. Keep sending the blogs along.

    ReplyDelete
  70. I found something in my bookshelf after reading your yellow post it notes poem. I bought Michael Zwerin's 'A Case For The Balkanization Of Nearly Everyone' years ago second-hand and there's a letter inside from the author to a friend, still there when I bought it. Zwerin is an interesting guy with an industrial and then a jazz background, worth looking up. The book examines independence driven parties and is quite prescient really... Thought you might be interested in what turns up in books;)

    ReplyDelete
  71. Brilliant blogging! πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  72. Oozes class and positivity. Your poem is delightful.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Writing inside books - exactly! That's how I win arguments with my other half about when was it we were in Istanbul? Did we really do Florence and then Rome, not the other way about? Neither of us can actually remember clearly 40 years on, but my books hold the proof. I thought this was a lovely blog. Thank you and well done.

    ReplyDelete
  74. A friend put me on to your blog site knowing yellow is my favorite color. I love what I've just read, all beautifully expressed. I don't know Primrose Hill (a model I suppose) but a zany gal by the looks of her. I did the math on that sofabed, it looked huge, then I saw cm (centimeters, right?) and so I get it now. I just wanted to say I think your poem is fabulous, so clever, very touching. What a joy to read. Thank you much.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Excellent that! A lovely read.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Wonderful! Wittily written and what a delightful poem. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  77. I loved all of this and I'm dying to know was the novel half as good as your real life speculations?

    ReplyDelete
  78. Laudable yellowness. This was funny and thought-provoking. I love the poem, a neat idea and well done.

    ReplyDelete
  79. A stunning composition, such a great idea, some beautiful lines. I loved it all.πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  80. Apart from the glorious yellowness of it all (that others have praised) I just love the whimsical intelligence at play in your clever poem, willing to explore any possibility (e.g. that 'penguin toy' might be a toy for a penguin, like a wind-up fish or something; or the suitcase could signify a hospital visit as easily as a holiday). And the incidental connection between 147 and 174. And the idea of vital measurements 'disappearing down the Central line'. And all those inferences in the last stanza, plus the way the whole thing is lyrically driven. Magical, Steve.

    ReplyDelete
  81. That's a fantastic read, funny and uplifting. So many good things in the natural world are yellow. To your list I'd add amber, candle-light, mimosa, sunflowers. The suggestion that laughter has a colour - brilliant. I loved the OTT yellowness of the illustration and as for your poem - fabulous. I can't wait for summer! Please let this be the year that we all escape into the colour of sunshine.

    ReplyDelete
  82. I once found money in a book I bought second-hand. It was a 10/- note (remember them? old brown things equivalent to 50p). I guessed it was used as a bookmark as it was hidden two-thirds through, so well tucked into the spine that it had stayed there. I figured the reader might have been quite well-off as the book's cover price new was only 5/-. I really liked your poem.

    ReplyDelete
  83. A lovely blog and a super poem. πŸ’› Don't forget the radiant assortment of yellow spices esp. caraway, cumin, curry (garamasala), ginger, mustardseed, saffron and fabulous turmeric - good for health and vitality ;)

    ReplyDelete
  84. Such a sunny treat in dark times and your delightful post-it note poem, so cleverly worked.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Brilliant blogging and poetry. I loved it all. 🌞

    ReplyDelete
  86. A super blog Steve. Impressed by your the speculative poem. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Absolutely fabulous and what's not to love indeed. You've brightened up my day.

    ReplyDelete
  88. I enjoyed your blog. Found post-it notes a clever basis for a lovely poem. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  89. A novel angle for a poem. I really like the way you've unfolded the thought-process for us, brought your own personality into it as well as trying to gauge that of the book's original owner. It's a captivating work. Very well done.

    ReplyDelete
  90. FAB 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞

    ReplyDelete
  91. Really well written. I love your quizzical and witty poem.

    ReplyDelete
  92. I'm horrified to find there is no such creature as the Custard Frog. There really ought to be, it's such a great name. I love the whole blog for its wit and your poem is a treat.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Wonderful! πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  94. Superb. Such a sunny post and a beautifully turned poem. I love it Steve. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  95. How lovely, a London poem by a Northerner :)

    ReplyDelete
  96. Yes, yes, yes, wonderful writing oozing charm, intrigue and wit.πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  97. The Existentialist26 February 2021 at 18:21

    All very good. I specially like the concluding line of your teasing poem: Questions remain. There's no telling. Exactly!

    ReplyDelete
  98. Your opening sentence sold me. What a beautifully written post this is and I love the clever poem - great notion. I'm a convert to the colour.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Nicci Haralambous27 February 2021 at 12:51

    A delight for Xanthophiles everywhere. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  100. You asked for comments Steve, but you've already got a ton of them. I don't know what I can add except to say how much I enjoyed this (goes for most of your blogs really). It was uplifting and the poem was captivating!

    ReplyDelete
  101. Wonderful and witty writing exudes a feelgood radiance and that poem is fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  102. What a fantastic post and poem.🌻

    ReplyDelete
  103. I'm way behind here, just followed your email link sent at the end of Jan! Blame lockdown paralysis. However, this was stupendous, such a delight to read. Thank you for the tonic. Stay sunny! 🌞

    ReplyDelete
  104. Lowri Williams1 March 2021 at 18:14

    Mwynheais ddarllen!

    ReplyDelete
  105. Your sunny prose matches my mood perfectly. Spring it seems is sprung. As for your poem, very cleverly done and beautifully written sir. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  106. Samina Chander2 March 2021 at 13:57

    After I read your lovely poem I think of all the stores that has disappeared from our high streets in the last years or are endangered; banks too. Maybe Boots and M&S will be all that is left after online and pandemic.

    ReplyDelete
  107. I really like what you did in your post-it-note poetry, clever, thought-provoking and endearing writing. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  108. Terri Rosenberg3 March 2021 at 10:54

    Genius idea for a poem and a lovely blog.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Terrific wordsmithery, entertaining and uplifting. I am a convert to yellow.

    ReplyDelete
  110. Ivy Harrington3 March 2021 at 21:41

    Absolutely top zany stuff, loved it all.πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  111. Ella Bogdanovic4 March 2021 at 12:43

    Splendid blog and poetry Steve, and I'm with you on the writing name and date inside books (never thought of adding place though). BTW what's happened to your own book of poems that was promised back in the autumn?

    ReplyDelete
  112. Radiant writing.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Tom Billington4 March 2021 at 22:15

    Brilliant! I've bookmarked - look forward to reading more. Are you published? (saw comment above about a book...)

    ReplyDelete
  114. Felicity Goodwin5 March 2021 at 11:58

    This was a treat. Thanks so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Tony Sabatelli6 March 2021 at 12:07

    Crocuses and daffodils, egg yolks and honeydew melons, taxis and... OK, I love yellow things too. What a delightful post and lovely poem. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  116. A most enjoyable read. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Lucinda Sheppard7 March 2021 at 09:31

    What a great blog and what's not to love about glorious yellow? I've just had my living-room redecorated in yellow (Forsythia on the tin) and it's transformed it.

    ReplyDelete
  118. It was a pleasure reading your zany stuff (LOL). Yellow rules. Great post, fabulous poem. πŸ‘ πŸ‘ πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  119. Have you seen the painting 'Pauline in the Yellow Dress' in the Harris Gallery in Preston? It's a beautiful picture and worth a visit. I loved your yellow blog and poem. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  120. I love the poem. It's a clever idea and the thinking-out-loud nature of the piece is tremendous, witty and with great verve.

    ReplyDelete
  121. Desiree Domanico8 March 2021 at 17:22

    Fluffy chicks, legal pads, taxi cabs, all kinds of yellow bring joy. Loved the blog and the poetry.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Loving your blog. It reminds of fields of sunflowers. 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

    ReplyDelete
  123. Thanks for the links Steve. I get around to reading them all eventually. This one I love. It glows with style and wit and the poem is beautifully executed. Stay bright.

    ReplyDelete
  124. Marvellous! πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  125. Deanna Jane Harding12 March 2021 at 15:51

    I love how you've pitched this. Yellow is definitely the color of laughter. Great poem too.

    ReplyDelete
  126. "Yellow means yes" - The Roswells ;)

    ReplyDelete
  127. Genius post that! πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  128. Yes, definitely approve. You've made a lovely poem out of an intriguing find. Very well done.

    ReplyDelete
  129. I can only applaud one of the most delightful posts I have read in a long time. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  130. "Yellow is the colour of my true love's hair..." Donovan ('Colours'), not blonde - just like your zany Primrose Hill. Loved the blog, the artwork, the poetry. πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  131. So good! I love the idea of imagining the 'real life story' accidentally seeded, and you speculate so entertainingly. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  132. The business! πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  133. A lovely sunny blog and a clever idea for an intriguing poem.

    ReplyDelete
  134. Francesca Marrone19 March 2021 at 21:02

    Bellissimo giallo, what a fabulous post. Well done, Steve!

    ReplyDelete
  135. In the 1960s, Coventry's fire-engines were painted a shade of yellow developed in conjunction with the local polytechnic. The theory was it made them more easily visible. Read all here: https://www.fire-engine-photos.com/picture/number40166.asp

    ReplyDelete
  136. Congratulations. That's one of the best blogs I've read in a long time (and I read a lot of blogs). You're bookmarked now :)

    ReplyDelete
  137. Marianne Seymour24 March 2021 at 12:34

    A delightfully pitched post and clever and thoughtful poem. I love it all. πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  138. Phillipa Sharpe26 March 2021 at 12:11

    So uplifting, a true delight to read.

    ReplyDelete
  139. Wonderful writing. 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞

    ReplyDelete
  140. Very nicely done! πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  141. OK, sign me up as a xanthophile. What a tremendous blog.

    ReplyDelete
  142. So very lovely blog and poetry.

    ReplyDelete
  143. Fabulous writing. Loved the spoof 'dedications', your passion for yellow and the clever and touching poem - such a good idea. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  144. Jim Ketteridge1 April 2021 at 11:10

    The sun shines out of this. I loved reading it and must congratulate you on the poem, such a neat idea, so well contrived. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  145. Lovely. lovely, lovely. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  146. Very good. Found notes - great premise for a poem.

    ReplyDelete
  147. Good day sunshine! Wonderful blog and poetry. I love it. 🌞 πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  148. Rachel Harrington6 April 2021 at 09:34

    Your 'zany stuff' was a pleasure to read, written with wit and style. The poem is clever and beautifully developed and how I covet that yellow bicycle! (Thanks sis foe the share.)

    ReplyDelete
  149. What a fabulous poem! πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  150. That's it! Now I know! I'm a Xanthophile. πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  151. Fabulous writing, what a lovely poem.

    ReplyDelete
  152. As you say, what's not to love in the brightest of colours? Also, what a brilliant idea for a poem and how beautifully pitched.

    ReplyDelete
  153. Sonja Makarova3 May 2021 at 18:45

    Funny and touching. I love this.

    ReplyDelete
  154. Gabriella Schofield5 May 2021 at 08:50

    What a happy sunny read! Your prose is witty and eloquent and I just love the poem. 🌞

    ReplyDelete
  155. Donna Camilleri15 May 2021 at 11:18

    Brilliant, sunny blogging, a total delight to read. Your clever poem is almost a yellow soliloquy. πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  156. Esther Mwangie18 May 2021 at 17:37

    What a joy!

    ReplyDelete
  157. Hikka Kinnunen24 May 2021 at 10:17

    🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞

    ReplyDelete
  158. Yellow is my happy colour! Beautiful, funny blog.

    ReplyDelete
  159. Brizette Lempro21 July 2021 at 11:34

    Such a great post. I loved it! πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  160. A wonderful read. You are so inventive. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  161. Simply delightful and so imaginative, from the spoof Sesame Street opening to the wonderful poem. Star quality that. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    ReplyDelete
  162. Maid Glorious! πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  163. Nina Kaye Mauskovich21 September 2021 at 18:47

    Fabulous writing. The best opening paragraph to a blog I think I've ever read - a lovely take-off. Yellow is a favorite color, so that helps. The idea for the poem is inspired. I loved all of this. πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  164. Engagingly funny blogging. I loved it and the clever poem for its 'found' idea and resultant witty speculation.

    ReplyDelete
  165. Such a delightful, witty and uplifting read. I was smiling to myself all the way through. And I loved the tone of your clever, speculative poem, so many great lines and touches. "Clearly a girl of sunny disposition on a budget and a mission..." is tremendous.

    ReplyDelete
  166. Loved this! So funny and sunshiney. 🌞

    ReplyDelete
  167. Wonderful! πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  168. I liked very much. It suits my disposition. Loving your poem.

    ReplyDelete
  169. Brilliant opening! What's more, a funny and uplifting blog and a clever, intriguing poem. Bravo.

    ReplyDelete
  170. Wonderfully witty blogging and superbly speculative, clever poetry. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  171. That was brilliant, simply a delight to read, and what a clever idea for a poem.

    ReplyDelete
  172. It was a joy to read such an uplifting post at such a dark time. Witty and wonderful writing and I love the poem. πŸ’™πŸŒ»

    ReplyDelete
  173. Danny The Man Mannion28 March 2022 at 18:09

    Top top blogging! πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  174. Jeena Murthalai31 March 2022 at 10:38

    Wonderful and wistful. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  175. What a delightful read, so sunny, positive, witty - and that's a splendid poem.

    ReplyDelete
  176. What a great blog and some winning sleuthing poetry.πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  177. Brilliant writing, beautiful poem. I love it. 🌞

    ReplyDelete
  178. Jodie Ridehaulgh24 April 2022 at 10:32

    A perfect delight, a joy to read. I have you bookmarked now!

    ReplyDelete
  179. Sunny, speculative, sparkling. What a joy to read. πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  180. I felt so happy after reading this. Dazzling prose and a delightfully clever and speculative poem.

    ReplyDelete
  181. Genius writing! Loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  182. What a wonderful read.

    ReplyDelete
  183. Glorious blogging. What a clever idea for a poem.

    ReplyDelete
  184. Bravo! My favourite colour and a great post. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  185. An absolute delight.

    ReplyDelete
  186. Bright and beautifully done. 5⭐️s

    ReplyDelete
  187. Cam Gavrilovska24 May 2023 at 09:25

    Ooh. I lived this. πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  188. Utterly delightful reading.

    ReplyDelete
  189. Marika Fleming3 June 2023 at 11:10

    Fabulous yellow blogging. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  190. Sweetness and light. I love your poem.

    ReplyDelete
  191. A brilliant read for a golden October day. I needed cheering up and your wonderful post has done the trick. I just wanted to tell you. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  192. I loved this.

    ReplyDelete
  193. Dylan Bailey-Agora17 November 2023 at 22:49

    One for xanthophiles! What a terrific blog and poem.

    ReplyDelete
  194. Funny and fabulous. πŸ’›

    ReplyDelete
  195. This makes me happy. 🌞

    ReplyDelete
  196. Exquisite. Loved the Sesame Street take off.

    ReplyDelete
  197. Brilliant! A xanthophile's delight. πŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  198. What a clever idea for a poem. It's intriguing to find forgotten notes etc in books - has happened to me with library books as well.

    ReplyDelete
  199. Marissa Danziger17 January 2024 at 18:33

    Just a brilliant read! Yellow is my happy color. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete