They've Slain the Earl of Murray...

And since Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden is one year old, one lucky reader will win a birthday treat.  Read on.

When I look at the journey so far I cannot believe that I am part of the story I am telling.  What began as a gentle journal to chart the making of a garden and the restoration of a house, has become something else entirely.  How could I not be charting my bereavement as well as the effect of Mother Nature's vengeance, on my comfortable existence?  These influences feel too interwoven with the personal discoveries I have been making about my past and any choices I may make about the future.

At the same time I have learned a lot about internetting.  Confusion reigns but I understand more about how to think and how to seek answers.  I just wish I understood programming.  And Commenting!  For all the blogs I

can Comment on there seem to be
 a dozen that I can't.  Help lines are
 vaguely helpful if you read them for long enough. The most helpful Comment tip I can contribute is to make sure that you have checked Full Page in this progression:

Settings>Comments>
Comment Form Placement>Full Page>Save.  This gives prospective commenters more flexibility with their identities.  The Embedded Below Post option is impossible to use for some, taking us around in an endless loop of signing-in and word verification.

Right from the beginning, I knew how I wanted my blog to 'feel' to readers, and judging by the feedback I get from both

friends and strangers I have achieved the impression of a beautiful album (and since the word album has long ceased to mean a book of white pages, maybe a web album is as real as anything tangible).  At least one of my readers has trouble reading the white text over the silvery arabesque, but I feel this is part of the illusion and ask readers to indulge my choice for the time being.

But, having asked that of people, I also realise that many people are skim reading, especially if they chance across my blog on their way to somewhere else.  When I am sizing photos, I keep in mind that many people are using
laptops, and even cellphones, with smaller screens than the one I compose on, so I choose my photos taking ease of viewing into consideration.  These small photos are a review of the year's header

photographs, which disappear from the blog - as far as I can tell - when I renew

them.  Placing photos by the way, is always done on a wing and a prayer; sometimes they sit exactly where I want them but most often they defy control!

I have discovered that I enjoy

very much the editorial process: this is the closest I will get to running my own magazine!  I first realised the potential for drafting ideas onto the Edit Posts list when I wanted to have one of my stories (cut

and pasted from Word), and some

photos ready to post while I was away

from my home computer.  Now I

have two or three draft ideas on the go at a time.  This post is one of those, but I don't want to lose spontaneity and yesterday's Snow Pancakes was an example of immediate experience shared.

Why Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden? 

The Secret Garden is a realisation that what has evolved here has a unique charachter, but I have needed the insight of others to show me this and I am grateful to have Lady Mondegreen to remind me not to be too heavy handed with my ideas of progress ... or my chainsaw. 

Lady Mondegreen is also my companion in language.  The word mondegreen was coined by Sylvia Wright in 1954 to describe the mis-hearing of words, particularly lyrics; her inspiration being her own mis-hearing of They've slain the Earl of Murray and laid him on the green from the Scottish ballad The Bonny Earl of Murray. Sylvia had heard this in childhood as They've slain the Earl of Murray and Lady Mondegreen.  An example gleaned from another Ashley resident is Christ, the royal duster, Leans against the phone.
The words from the hymn Onward Christian Soldiers are really Christ the royal master, Leads against the foe.

And so to that Birthday treat... the pictured eco bag, designed by Trelise Cooper .  Made in durable hessian, it has a design of flower seed packets and dancers on one side, and butterflies on the other.  Yes, there is only one.  Send me your very own mondegreen and with Lady Mondegreen's help I will select a winner - from anywhere in the World. Family Friends and close neighbours - men - don't be shy; you all qualify.  Please use elwin@xtra.co.nz to email me by 1st September and include your postal address.  I hope to share some of the best mondegreens on a later post.