Midnight Mass.
God knows as an altar boy I went to enough masses to last me two lifetimes, but there always was something special about midnight mass, one came out of the church feeling a warm glow all over, especially with several large swallows of altar wine in ones belly.
The stuff used to come in in crates, nobody ever seemed to keep track of it, and it wasn’t bad stuff either, just opened and half bottles of it lay about the vestry practically saying “Drink Me”, everybody was at it, even the cleaning ladies took the odd swig, of course I was no wine connoisseur at that tender age, but I did know it tasted an awful lot nicer that Aunt Sally’s red biddy, the stuff she kept in the parlour for the money lender to soften him up before she broke the bad news that he wasn’t getting paid that week, she had a date and needed new shoes or something. She wasn’t exactly an oil painting, more of a rough sketch and she was pushing 40, I think she paid the blokes to take her out. Anytime the brother and me took a lash out of the bottle we always got sick after it, but the stuff for the bishops and priests was a different story altogether, no rich red ruby cement for their ecclesiastical gullets, nothing but the best for the collar and vest.
Strange thing that, Christ condemned a lot of things while on this earth, even lost his temper with the money changers and gamblers in the temple, but he never had a bad word to say about gargle, as a matter of fact he helped a mate out at a wedding when he was running out of wine, after all that’s what mates are for, ain’t it.
Gods Tavern, or The Hard To Get Inn.
Beyond the Universe there is a bright white star
Known to the few as God’s favourite Bar
Furnished with silk cushions and golden stools
Where he relaxes and looks down at us fools
He’s not bothered with money or political debate
He just smiles and has another one over the eight.
There’s no ban on fags and there’s spirits to spare
God keep me a place for when I get there.
Jem that was such a lovely post.
My hubby is Catholic, but I am not. It was frowned upon when we married, but 33 years later we haven’t done bad.
We take turns attending our churches, when we go, sorry I am not a regular attendee, perhaps you could ask for my forgiveness.
Midnight Mass at Christmas in his church is a very humbling experience.
I do feel very close to something, so I guess goodness is in abundance.
I did see several arrive late, stagger in, and sway in their seats. Not very respectful, but who am I to judge?
For myself, I embrace all cultures irrelevant to their beliefs, all men are equal in my book. It saddens me on a Friday outside the Mosque in Bournemouth, where all the shoes are lined up outside, that have to be guarded by the local police.
Ok, you have a serious post from me at last. Come back Young Robert, we miss you.
I do like a good latin liturgy - I was having a wedding dinner feast once with a catholic priest on our table [well someone had to have him and he had married the couple!] I was in my usual debating mood and we got to discussing religion [God forbid] - I don’t remember most of the conversation but his one comment rings in my head to this day [ well Henry VIII was a good catholic boy at heart he just let sex get in the way too much!]:shock::shock:
I took to watching ‘call the midwife’ recently and always enjoyed the nuns chorus !
So there really is a place called ‘Walla Walla’? I always thought that was a joke, well I’ll be darned!
I started to google odd Australian place names and there are hundreds of quare names out there, most of them original Aboriginal names, nice to see them keeping the native Australian place names.
Here’s just a few from the top of the alphabet. There are some choice ones there, but I’m keeping me mouth shut.;-)
Boing Boing - State: NT - Google Map
Meaning “mosquitoes buzzing” in Aboriginal
Bong Bong - State: NSW - Google Map
An Aboriginal phrase meaning ‘Out of Sight’
Boyland - State: QLD - Google Map
Popular place with teenage girls and it’s where all the boy bands are manufactured, no really.
Broke - State: NSW - Google Map
A wine growing region in the Hunter Valley.
Burpengary - State: QLD - Google Map
Meaning the ‘place of the wattle trees’, apparently not named after some guy called Gary with excessive stomach gas.
Burrumbuttock - State: NSW - Google Map
According to locals Burrumbuttock means ‘bullock’s backbone’
Chinaman’s Knob - State: VIC - Google Map
Name of a hill in Victoria
Chinkapook - State: VIC - Google Map
Means ‘waterhole’
Cock Wash - State: SA - Google Map
There’s also a creek of the same name.
Beyond the Universe there is a bright white star
Known to the few as God’s favourite Bar
Furnished with silk cushions and golden stools
Where he relaxes and looks down at us fools
He’s not bothered with money or political debate
He just smiles and has another one over the eight.
There’s no ban on fags and there’s spirits to spare
God keep me a place for when I get there.
one of the first cantonese phrases you learn in HK on first bumping into a friend on the street is - “hi have you eaten yet” - [lei sIk dzo fan mei a! {rising on the ‘a’} ] - if they answer is no - you pay!
everyone ‘inherits’ their own collection of chinese friends who come in very useful for all sorts of social events. they can take you places often off limits to gweilos and their gweipors!
one such evening as we wandered aimlessly around Tsim Tsa Tsoi out for fun they suggested a real ‘sex’ show on the island - off we went - up 10 storeys in an elevator [too many steps to walk!] then a knock on a door and literally the sliding wooden slider and a face appears - rapid cantonese is exchange between our cantonese friend and the door is opened - money is exchange and we are shown to our seats and table - beer is ordered and a several bowls of highly salted nuts place before us.
then the show starts with a small music combo to arouse passions!! - simulated sex - the real act was not permitted in HK by law [ or by any other position] after a few performances it became boring and we left - we needed the real thing! :shock::shock:
the couples performing can be mixed races - same races and very fast races! and they are known to move around all evening from ‘club’ to ‘club’ to give the patrons variety - very sordid!
ah now BK is higher on the sordid scale than HK and probably scores higher than Amsterdam - after a while ya just wanna night in with ya fluffy teddy bear!
If you remember how much easier it is to remember what you would rather forget than remember, than remember what you would rather remember than forget, then you can’t forget how much easier it is to forget what you would rather remember than forget, than forget what you would rather forget than remember.
