Blast From The Past: Poems Loved By Me

Just few days back, while I was looking through some of my college books ( I finished my college education ages ago) I couldn't help noticing all the lovely quotes and parts of some really good poems enjoyed by me in those days, jotted down here and there inside my books.

I used to have beautiful handwriting, and I used to write with the slant of letters towards the right. However, there were times, I used to change my style by writing straight, or making the letters come out more rounded and so on. All the styles looked good.

It brought tears to my eyes, when I saw my hand writing, for today I cannot write like that as I have lost my ability to write fluently or even continuously, or even fast. After about 1 or 2 lines my writing loses is clarity.

I could have worked on it, and I can still work on overcoming this very simple problem through regular practice, but it is sheer laziness that is stopping me from achieving any success in this matter, also the keyboard is to be blamed to some extent. This problem is because of a Stroke which I had suffered 13 years back. I was so thrilled at overcoming almost all my stroke related problems, that, I never bothered much about my writing. Although,  I can manage without perfecting this art, I am going to start writing a few pages each day.

Now,  that is another story to be told, in another blog, at another time, but for now let me take you to my favorite poems.

Parts of some of the poems loved by me:

These beautiful lines from "The Blessed Damozel" ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti

And still she bowed herself and stooped

Out of the circling charm;

Until her bosom must have made

The bar she leaned on warm,

And the lilies lay as if asleep

Along her bended arm.


Another one from the same poem:

' I wish that he were come to me,

For he will come', she said.

'Have I not prayed in Heaven?--on earth,

Lord, Lord, has he not pray'd?

Are not two prayers a perfect strength?

And shall I feel afraid?


It is a very sad story of a young girl separated from her beloved, however, she has not given up hope and is waiting for the reunion. It is a very sensual poem. She dreams of the day that they will be together and present themselves in the beauty and glory of God. Gabriel Rossetti lets the reader know that she has not yet entered heaven. She is at the outer gates of the kingdom of heaven waiting for her lover.

In those days, being young meant having some crush on somebody, and we could easily relate with all the emotions and feeling depicted here.

I remember how we used to enjoy our poetry classes and the reason behind it was that we were all romantically inclined.


Another favorite: Stanzas From The Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayyam.

The Moving finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it

There was a time I truly believed in this philosophy, but with experience I understood, that none of the words written above is true, or applicable to me. However, there are people who still believe in such theories and feel some unseen fate has control over their lives. Even now I love these lines, though their meaning no longer resonate with me.

John Keats, the most loved poet:

Ode To A Nightingale:

My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thine happiness,
That thou, light-wingèd Dryad of the trees,
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.

In the end the poet says: Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music:- do I wake or sleep?

The emphasis is so much on Nightingale's immortality. As we go through the poem we feel the happiness felt through the song of the Nightingale, but only to realize soon, that we are to face this ugly world full unhappiness and despair, we are left feeling lost, for we cannot be like the Nightingale.
Those days when we felt down and sad, we would go through such poems, and make ourselves more miserable.

When we felt lost and dejected, we would also turn to Shelly for inspiration:

Drive my dead thoughts over the universe
Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth!
And, by the incantation of this verse,
Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawakened earth

The trumpet of prophecy; O, Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

I am sure many of us were inspired by Shelly's Ode To The West Wind.

The most romantic poem, and I simply love it: it is by Robert Burns

My love is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June :
My love is like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in love am I :
And I will love thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun :
And I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only love,
And fare thee weel a while !
And I will come again, my love,
Thou’ it were ten thousand mile.

Then there is the beautiful sonnet of Milton's

On His Blindness
Who can forget these famous lines:

"God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts. Who best
Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best. His state
Is kingly: thousands at His bidding speed
And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait."

I also thoroughly enjoyed his Paradise Lost too

Then there is Wordsworth. We can never forget the famous lines from his famous poem: Daffodils:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -and gazed -but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the daffodils.

Awesome lines, flowing so beautifully one after another, which only Wordsworth could do. There was time I could recite this poem by heart, and even now although I don't remember it so well, I still enjoy reading it.

Then there is the sad romantic in all of us: Christina Georgina Rossetti was my favorite :

To meet, worth living for:
Worth dying for, to meet.
To meet, worth parting for:
Bitter forgot in sweet.
To meet, worth parting before,
Never to part more

I think I must have been crazy about her poems for they reflected everything I felt at that particular time. Here is another:

As you set it down it broke-
Broke, but I did not wince;
I smiled at the speech you spoke,
At your judgment that I heard:
But I have not often smiled
Since then, nor questioned since,
Nor cared for corn-flowers wild,
Nor sung with the singing bird.

Another :
My blindest buzzard that I know,
My special mole, when will you see?
Oh no, you must not look at me,
There's nothing hid for me to show.
I might show facts as plain as day;
But since your eyes are blind, you'd say:
Where? What? and turn away.

Shelly's:
We look before and after,
And pine for what is not;
Our sincerest laughter
With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those
that tell of saddest thought.

Another favorite poet, Robert Frost.
What he said is so true even today. 
Such great poets, and such wise words.

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. "


"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep".

Robert Frost

I can't believe I had written some of these verses and more, in the various empty back pages of my books in my beautiful handwriting.
Do you have any favorite poems which you enjoyed in your youth or enjoy now?
Please feel free to share them here.

Seville, Spain

                                                                 

Italica, a few kilometers North of Seville.

What attracts people to Seville?

 It is their famous Flamenco dance. Though there are many interesting places to see in Seville, it is the flamenco show that is the most fascinating. One cannot visit  Spain , without  having Seville in their itinerary, which  is world famous for its  flamenco show,  for it would be like coming to India and not visiting Taj Mahal.

   Flamenco in general, consists of three artistic elements: the singing ( cante), the dancing (bailla), and the guitar (guitarra). 

 Although mass media has brought Flamenco to the world stage, at its heart it has always been and will always be an intimate form of music. To hear authentic flamenco, I heard you have to be with a small group of friends, at midnight , somewhere in the south of Spain, where there is nothing around but the voice, the guitar and the body of the dancer moving in the moonlight : sounds pretty romantic, well that is the "Romantic Spain" for you.

 The pictures were taken with great difficulty by our daughter who was with us. The movements are very fast, still I think she managed to take them  quite well.

  

Now I would like to mention about the special flamenco shoes. Women have to wear a well- reinforced pump with a strong two inch heel and a strap across the ankle, with small nails driven into the heel and the tip of the toe to make smooth metal surface. For men it is almost the same except , that it has to be in ankle boot form.

 It is interesting to note that , the flamenco dance actually finds its origins right here in India. For it was the gypsies  who arrived from India around 1425, and  they brought with them many songs and dance styles that had strong Indian connections ( especially from the north of India, the Punjab region).

At this time the Andalucia, was still under the Arab rule, and along with the jews, the moors, the gypsies were soon to be persecuted by the Catholic monarchs and the inquisition. Everyone was forced to convert to Christianity, and those who refused, were expelled from Spain. The gypsies were subjected to some of the worst atrocities in an attempt to exterminate them as a race. Many laws were passed by various monarchs, which forbid them to do anything with their identity.

They were to stop wearing their style of dresses, stop speaking their language, and stop their wandering and seek steady employment. These laws forced bands of gypsies, moors and jews to take refuge in the treacherous mountains, which were too desolate for the authorities to pursue them.

These people of different cultures lived in relative harmony for many years, and the fusion of their music and dances is what we know today as flamenco.

 They  look so graceful, and the look on their face is so  intent, despite the fact, that they must be performing it so many times. Every time, it would look as if they are performing not to the the tourist like us, but they are performing somewhere else in their own private world. The way the men sing, play the guitar : it is all so mesmerising, so deep, taking you along with them  into another world. One has to see it to believe it, no amount of words can do justice to this art form.

In the 18th century attitude towards the gypsies changed considerably, which resulted in numerous bands of gypsies descending on the small villages and towns, bringing with them, their exciting seductive music- flamenco. Their mysterious music and stimulating dances were soon to catch the attention of the romantic writers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Stories abound of these strange people performing their wild erotic dances and the harsh unusual tones of their songs.

Soon flamenco  clubs called Cafe Cantantes began to spring up in most of the cities, and the most famous was the Cafe Silverio's in Seville, which was the idea of the flamenco singer, Silverio Franconetti.

The cafe cantante period, 1850- 1910, was known as the "Golden Age", but this was also a period of decline of what was originally known as the flamenco art. Many gypsy singers refused to perform in these establishments, forcing a wave of non -gypsy to take to the stage to perform a lighter and milder form of flamenco, the Fandangos, which were Andalucian folk songs.

 It is said that the gypsies were very independent bent of mind, and flamenco being very spontaneous, the gypsies simply refused to perform at a set time,and even worse be told what styles they were to sing.

There is an area of land known as the "Holy Trinity" or golden triangle of flamenco, which is thought to be the area where all the major styles of cante jondo ( original flamenco)  originated. The points of this triangle are  Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera, and Triana in Seville, and it is believed that this area of land  is where the flamenco song began. It is in these areas in Seville, that one can find, that they still hold on dearly to their age old flamenco tradition.

 While the fusion boom was going on, there were certain artists like Fosforito and Jose Menes, who refused to commercialise their art, and thankfully cante jondos is even more popular today, and the flamenco festivals that are held all over Andalucia is proof of this. If you have ever listened to a twangy, tinny sounding old guitar, accompanying a gravel, almost out of tune, ancient style of voice, rusty and dry as if straining for its last breath and rhythmed only by the rapping of the knuckles on a table top, then you will have probably witnessed Cante Jondo, which is flamenco in its purest form. 

If again at some stage, while listening to this ancient song you have felt as though death has passed over the top of you, making your skin tingle and your emotions clash, from joy to sheer excitement, to the depths of sorrow and pain, then you could have also experienced duende.

I must also tell you something about the use of castanets by the flamenco dancers. It is said Spanish gypsies, did not originally use castanets, moving with, "easy, undulating filigranos" ( soft movements of the arms and hands), reflecting their eastern ethinic heritage. The early gypsies felt no need for devices, beyond their own innate, rhythmic hand clapping (palmadas), finger snapping (pitos), clicking of the tongue, and often tapping of a stick (b culo). These sounds were further embellished by the shouts ( grittos), and expressions of animation, that conjured the magic ( duende) of the moment ". However, even though gypsies have taken up the use of castanets, many still play in the primitive way, on the middle finger instead of the thumb. So castanets are not part of the true flamenco, they are an element that has been added to enhance finger snapping.

Castanets are actually a percurssion instrument that are several centuries old and which, as time passed, has become typical of Spanish folk-lore. and in Andalucia it is known as "palillos". The best matrial for making  them is wood, the harder the better. However, other materials such as pressed canvas and fiberglass have become more common in the last few years due to good results that they have provided. To play them, the castanet's string must be wrapped around the thumb, and they must be played using the remaining fingers.

                                  You can see them having Castenet in one of their palms

These Flamenco shows are of 2 hours duration, and usually starts at 9pm and the next show starts at 11 pm. A free drink of your choice comes with the ticket to the show.

Planning a trip to Spain, then do not miss to visit Seville.

Seville has other attractions also, would soon write about those too.

Time Spent With My Daughter

The six days spent with my daughter was indeed good. It was time well spent with her. It is over, for 

today she left for Mumbai by the evening flight. And in another 4 days she would be leaving for London. I don't know when we might get together again. As they say, all good things must come to an end. However, I am happy for her, and wish her a wonderful life in London with her husband Ram.

They are both very good people, and I know that good people always do well in their lives.

The day she landed here in  Bangalore , she wanted me to make Vatha Kouzumbu for lunch as that is her favorite dish to have with rice, and my husband promptly went and bought Okra for her , which again is her favorite vegetable dish, which he himself made for her.
She dragged us to Phoenix Market City Mall in Whitefield, the same evening, both of us had a nice time there, only poor husband was bored to death, so we just had a look at what was on sale (which itself took us nearly more than 2 hours), and decided to come back again to do the real shopping/ buying.

The next day we had an appointment with the Tattoo studio, and we knew once we had gone there, we would not be able to return before 8.3 p m.
Tattoo artists are late risers, for they come late in the afternoon and work till late evening / night, depending  on the work they end up with. It needs lots of back bending concentration and precision in their work. They are really patient, and devoted in their work, one must really love tattooing to have all these characteristics. You would be surprised that some of them are studying engineering, some of them are doctors and architects and so on.
Once you see them working you come to appreciate them and genuinely feel that they deserve every penny they charge.
I had already decided what I wanted to get tattooed, but unfortunately the person who is supposed to be an expert in the field of portrait tattoo fell ill and so I could not get the portrait tattoo done.
However, I had other tattoos to be done, which would have been difficult to combine with the portrait tattoo, which I wanted to be done, so I decided to get the small tattoos  since we had an appointment with them. My daughter too wanted an Ankh Tattoo put on her ankle,( it symbolises life/ forever/ growth /evolution). So Sunday went off at the tattoo studio.

On the nape of my neck

You all already know my relationship with Time

BTW, (12.48 a m) that was the time I was born in the cold month of December

Mary Poppins just popped out of nowhere, and just got magically placed behind my ear: a real cute tattoo, just  the right size. Seeing my tattoos my dear friend  Padmaja wrote a poem on that, which I must share it here:

"Well after looking at the pics you sent, you energized me so much, I felt like writing these lines for you!

ZEST

The rainbow and the colorful butterflies
The dew drops on the rose garden
The sound of the splashing rain
The sweet smile on the new born's face
All remind me of her, her zest for life
Zest is the secret of her beauty
And that zest has a second name called Rama!"
Love Padmaja


Thank you Padmaja for this lovely poem. I will always treasure it.

Our Mall mania was not yet over, we decided to leave Ananth at home and go and shop peacefully. We went back to all the shops we had checked out during our earlier visit, and had a gala time trying out various outfits, and finally selecting the ones we liked. we had such fun shopping. Although I enjoy shopping alone, I also enjoy shopping with like minded people, and my daughter happens to be one of them.

Next we had to check out the just opened Starbucks Coffee in the same Mall. We got to taste lots of free coffee too, as we ordered our Espresso and Cappuccino.

My daughter had some wonderful time playing with her dog Loki, and also with our dog Bumbilli.
Though we don't allow dogs on bed, however, this once, I let her dog snuggle with her on her bed. I felt bad for both of them, for they were used to it, and  I did not have the heart to be strict now.
Anyway it was just for a few days: let them enjoy their bonding, for God knows when they would get to meet  once she left for London.
 I must say, her dog Loki is not fussy, he is very adaptable, he full of life and is always happy,  he loves to sleep  outside in his basket along with Bumbilli and the night watchman.
Here  is a picture of them together: bed-

sheets can be washed, but their love for each other cannot be washed away, it is there to stay forever, although they may not be together for long, so let them enjoy the  togetherness just for a little while. 

 There  is no doubt that we are all going to miss her, but she has a life of her own, and we must let her go. We can see each other, talk  with each other through G talk/ Skype, : modern technology is there by our side. Her stay with us has come to an end today, however, she leaves behind pleasant memories to revisit again and again.

Can Time Stand Still?

Good relationships are like needles of a clock, They only meet for
sometime but always stay connected . How very true it is. 

It means that we should give each other the much needed space to feel fulfilled in any relationship. We can learn so many things by just watching the clock.

Clocks are so fascinating, they not only keep moving endlessly, but also keep us moving, we can never slow down, never race it and we can never stop its progress.

Clock can never be conquered too. And it is always watching.

We have different feeling about the clock, sometimes we are angry with it for moving so fast, and there are times when we feel it is moving too slowly.

However, isn't it surprising, that clock is always working exactly in the way it is meant to work, and it is our mind that is always playing tricks with us?

Here are some thoughts about Clocks:

Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things; the past is
gone, the future is not come, and the present becomes the past even
while we attempt to define it, and, like the flash of lightning, at
once exists and expires. ~Charles Caleb Colton

 I remember, feeling that time passed very fast during our son's last visit,  he was there for two weeks, yet I felt that somehow I did not get enough time to spend with him.

Every time  our daughter visits us, time seems to just fly off, leaving me feeling quite helpless.

However, it is only me, my husband is totally fine,  not affected by the comings and goings  of anybody for any length of time (short or long).

                                              I really miss Ram (our Son in Law) too.

Now that he is in London, I wonder, when we will see him again. My daughter is coming to spend 6 days with us and her dog Loki, before she also leaves for London to be with her husband.

I plan to spend the six days without wasting any time, so that after she leaves, I would feel as if I have spent 6 months with her. Is it possible?

We blame time for slipping away so fast, but time is always in our hands to be utilized properly.

Despite, everything, I feel I have lots and lots of time at my disposal, except for a few occasions, 

( like ones above) I feel I have all the time in this world.
The title of my blog is proof enough.

Neither does time hurry me, nor do I feel that time is rushing past me. People have always asked me how I kill time, to them I feel like telling, 

"Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them". ~Dion Boucicault

All my life I have been blessed with ample time for everything, I had time while I was young, I had time while I was a mother to two little kids, and now also I have plenty of time. I don't have any special formula to have more time than others, I just make time for everything  in my life.

When I want Time to stand still, it stands still with me, and when I want time to fly with me it flies with me, and when I want time to go at its normal pace it goes at its normal pace too with me.

Do I control time ?

The answer is no.

Well, for me Time has always been a friend, a guide, a mentor, a father all rolled into one.

He has always been there, is always there and would always be there for me.
He is my constant companion, hand in hand we have traveled together, in good times and in bad, never leaving each other's side, even for a second : our bond is strong.

                                         Here among the snow capped mountains, I could make time stand still                                               with me in Sikkim

                           Time waited as I admired my dog watch the world go by, from our terrace

                                            Time and the waves stood still with me in Spain

       I feel,  Time is  like a butterfly.... when you go after it ... it flies away,  but when you stand                                                 still... it comes to you, to stand still with you

                   
                            Time stood still (in pin drop silence) as I clicked these two cute Labs as they slept cuddled together.

The clock too stopped ticking for a while,  mesmerised by the glitter and glamour of Las Vegas

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.~ Carl Sandburg

          Time looked on indulgently, as it stood watching me go crazy in Times Square NY

Time stands still when I sit in our rock garden and meditate

                                       Time always stands still when I am with my husband.

I don't need to fight time, race with it or race against it, or outwit it, or even kill it. I feel so blessed to have time constantly with me, nurturing me, healing me, encouraging me, changing me,and inspiring me.

Thank you dear time, for I cherish every minute of our togetherness in this great and wonderful journey called Life

What is your view about Time and Clock?

Years Do Not Pass They Only Continue

Today, I let go this year, which as all other years in the past has been pretty good to me. I am really grateful, that I was blessed with goodness all around me in every aspects of my life. I don't think I have anything to regret, and that makes me very happy and fulfilled.

I had joined the Gym and thoroughly enjoyed working out there for the year. Though I used to do Yoga off and on, however this year, I really hooked myself to it on a regular basis. So 90 minutes of Yoga became mandatory for me, and that too I really enjoyed. Bikram Yoga is very tough, however, I saw myself becoming better and better in that. My Aerobics classes picked up a little bit, and that too gave me a lot pleasure.

Because of my weight gain, I tried to follow a much stricter diet than before, but alas, it turned out to be  "the battle of bulges", no improvement there. But never mind, I am sure that, all the good things I am doing, without losing faith in myself would definitely show positive results in the coming year.

This year, I had the opportunity of meeting my father in Chennai, after nearly two years, and I loved the time spent with him.

There was a new addition to our family: a cute Labrador, who came all the way from Mumbai by car, patiently bearing the discomfort of such a long journey( done of course in two days). He is our daughter's dog, who came and left him with a heavy heart in our care, for she is joining her husband Ram in London. She would have loved to take him with her, but the UK laws regarding animals are very strict, and also very few landlords in London allow dogs in their house.
Anyway, he is a

                                         The brownish one is Loki with dark, big, black eyes

                                                            The one in front is Loki

good company for our dog Bumbilli, and he is really adorable. He is as naughty as his name, which is Loki.

We went to Andaman Islands, and there I really enjoyed Scuba Diving. We also made short trips to Virajpet in Coorg, Poovar in Kerala, giving  us the much needed short breaks.

I was so happy when I heard that our son Janardhan had taken to Yoga, and had become a regular at the Bikram Yoga studio.  He has also enrolled himself for the US Yoga competition. He has already completed 30 days challenge twice, by going to the yoga class everyday. I admire his dedication, to think he comes back from work at about 5.30 pm and then goes to the yoga studio to do 90 mins of Yoga.

                  
                         Our son after completing 60 days challenge:  with the Bikram Yoga Instructor


I am grateful that he has inspired me also  to follow the same line of Yoga that he is practicing.  We  often end up discussing the various yoga poses, and  the techniques of overcoming some of the difficult asanas.

I saw a whole lot of movies in the Youtube, both English and Hindi, all classics. I blogged a lot, wrote two stories, shared a whole lot of inspiring stories too.
Made many new friends in the blog world, and also lost some of my old blogger friends.

I am really happy that our political system has forced our politics to change for the better, because of the youngsters, the old hags are forced to be more accountable to us. I must say we have come a long way from being resigned to our fate, to actually becoming the architects of our own destiny: that is really  great!
It is just a beginning, though it might seem a little chaotic, however, from chaos to stability is the natural process, which we will soon see in the coming years.
I am glad that the media has become more aggressive, and there are lot of investigative journalism: nothing is hidden for long from the media.
All these and many other good things have happened, that has led us to believe, that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

With the sweeping away of the old and worthless politicians, we can look forward to a clean and young government, which means a clean and corruption free India.
I wanted to concentrate only on the positives of the year gone by, and by doing so, I am sure I will attract only the positives in my life and also in my country.

I can never say goodbye to this year, or to all the years that have gone by,  for each year has brought something new and valuable in my life, something to love about it, something to cherish, many memories etched  within me, and all these years would definitely take me back to them often, and I will relive them again and again. Years are like our loved ones, who although may leave us physically at some point, can never leave us mentally.

                                                               Our second dog Toffie

 

                                                       Our very first dog Cookie

                                                 Time spent with my father

                                                           My aerobics class

                                                              My husband of 33 years
I am sure the coming years too would bring  their quota of good events, make me more evolved, make me a much better person, and leave me with memories to be cherished forever.

Dear old year, you are making way for the new year to come, but for me “Good bye may seem forever. Farewell is like the end, but in my heart is the memory and there you will always be.”

Happy New Year!

The Hues Of The Sky And The Sea In Andaman Islands: Simply Gorgeous

Pictures Of Enchanting Andaman Islands:

This was the Cruise which took us to Havelock Island: a very comfortable cruise, with videos showing the must visit places in Andaman Islands, it has seats like Plane, but with lots of leg room and also very wide. It is a 90 minutes trip.

                                                          The resort in Havelock Island

 All I can say is,  'enjoy the pictures'