Things that have bothered you for a long time.

[jefmcg]

Can anyone think of a substitute for blue bird? It should comply with the following criteria:

• It should be a bird with either two long syllables, or two short syllables and a long syllable, or it won't scan.
• A bird you might plausibly see over the cliffs of Dover.
  
• A bird that might be driven away due to war time activity disturbing its habitat, but could be expected to re-establish itself as a colony once the war is over.

I wondered about the Sandwich Tern. It was named after Sandwich, which is just up the road from Dover, but does not nest around there any more. It does not really scan though.

You're over thinking this.

There'll be blue skies over
The white cliffs of Dover

 

[Profpointy]

How about skylark? They've been used to symbolise hope and optimism in poetry. Also, there's a slight naval reference. Sailors used to skylark about up in the rigging.

There's a song about that. I don't think they used the word "skylark" though

 

[Dirk]

Albert Ross.

 

[Yellow Fang]

Why did the "baddies" in old Bond films come up with the most complicated and always ineffective ways of killing Bond? Why not just shoot him?

Bond villains are sadists and narcissists. They don't just shoot Bond, because they want to brag to other supervillains about the inventive and long drawn out death they inflicted on him.

 

[lazybloke]

Infinity always got me. The only way I could rationalise it was by imagining ALL of space in a box....but then you instantly think ...whats on the outside of the box

On the subject of space...why is it you turn a light out...the light disappears (almost) instantly. So why can we see light from stars that died billions of years ago.

Yes I knows there' a logical explanation, but my head doesn' seem to want to absorb it

I see what you did there (took me a while)

 

[srw]

Can anyone think of a substitute for blue bird? It should comply with the following criteria:

• It should be a bird with either two long syllables, or two short syllables and a long syllable, or it won't scan.
• A bird you might plausibly see over the cliffs of Dover.
  
• A bird that might be driven away due to war time activity disturbing its habitat, but could be expected to re-establish itself as a colony once the war is over.

I wondered about the Sandwich Tern. It was named after Sandwich, which is just up the road from Dover, but does not nest around there any more. It does not really scan though.

Light aircraft.




(I think you might've got confused about the purpose of poetry.)

 

[rich p]

Light aircraft.




(I think you might've got confused about the purpose of poetry.)

Poetry has a purpose?

 

[Threevok]

Who employs Radio 1 Newsbeat presenters ?????

I just overheard one say

"Scotland look set to become the first in the UK to introduce a minimum alcohol price. So how will this affect the price we pay for alcohol?"

Seriously ?????

 

[Profpointy]

Poetry has a purpose?

Didn't Robin Williams' inspiring teacher character in Dead Poet's society say that the purpose of poetry was seducing women?

 

[NorthernDave]

Who employs Radio 1 Newsbeat presenters ?????

I just overheard one say

"Scotland look set to become the first in the UK to introduce a minimum alcohol price. So how will this affect the price we pay for alcohol?"

Seriously ?????

What was the answer..?

 

[jefmcg]

Poetry has a purpose?

"All art if useless" - Oscar Wilde

 

[youngoldbloke]

Swallows and housemartins, hmm. I have never heard them referred to as blue birds. Do they nest in cliffs? I thought they nested in eaves of houses. Also, they are not really like geese, they just appear and disappear. You don't see streams of them migrating, at least I have not noticed them do so. Still, they're the most plausible candidates so far.

 

[youngoldbloke]

As this is a cycling forum ........ how come 'Car UP' and 'Car DOWN' can mean the same thing

 

[Yellow Fang]

Didn't Robin Williams' inspiring teacher character in Dead Poet's society say that the purpose of poetry was seducing women?

Yes, I have memorised His Coy Mistress for that very purpose.

 

[Yellow Fang]

Sea Gulls scans well.

I think seagulls would be as puzzling. Of course there would be seagulls over the white cliffs of Dover. Seagulls are coastal birds and Dover is on the coast. People would wonder why Vera Lynn was singing this pretty obvious commonplace.