Selfsufficientish.com

Ok, so it's not Christmas for everyone, and it's not winter for everyone but it is always a season of goodwill on Ish. To that end I'm announcing a new competition.

And because it's that time of year there'll be a couple of prizes. One is a small hamper of Green Aura products - I've not decided what yet, but it'll be good and the other is a book called The Ultimate Container Gardening By David Joyce (plus a couple of GA goodies).

So what do you have to do to win one of these amazing prizes? Well the simple answer is - pretty much anything! You can write a (VERY) short story, or compose a poem or song, or send in a photo.

The theme of the competition is "A winter's tale" - no entries from Shakespeare, please

I know it's not winter in the Southern hemisphere, but you're bright folks and can presumably think back to a memorable time.

So, come on, amuse and entertain us with your wit and talent!

Because I've left it so late, I suggest we have 3 weeks for the competition and 5 days voting - that way I should be able to get them posted before Christmas. Unless you all want more time, in which case I can extend it to the New Year.

I've edited it to add - whatever you enter must be your own work and not seen on Ish before. That's all

hoorah , great stuff Green

.... Cushty, I feel a prose coming on.....


BA

oh great do we just add to this thread....

Yes, I think so. I'd not thought about putting them elsewhere! You'll all have to be patient with me - I've never done anything like this before

Winter Peace.
A winter’s morning
The day, still, new
Fresh, virgin snow
Unspoiled, cloakes
The resting, frozen Earth
Waiting expectantly
For Spring’s rebirth.

GAZZ ’99.




Photo by me and is one that I use on the cards I sell and the poem is by my old fella

oops edited to say also that this picture is true and was taken at Baggeridge Country Park in April 2003... what a sight to wake up to on a Sunday morning.

A Winter's Tale by Millymollymandy

In winter when you want to take to your bed
Why not do something Ishy instead?
You can join our forum
Talk to friends, you won't bore 'em
You'll be amazed at new ideas popping into your head

When your allotment's turned into a quagmire
And you just want to sit by the fire
Why not take up a craft?
Make an excluder for that draught
Or finish that project you started ten years prior

Winter's a good time to stay in and bake
You can't beat a good home made cake
Amongst our Ishy recipes
Are beetroot and courgette (but not peas)
You'd be amazed at what veggies will make!

When it's nice enough to venture outside
Grab your beanie and go for a bike ride
With your knitted gloves and socks
In a colour which rocks
You should wear your Ish clothes with pride!

(I wrote this poem whilst washing the floor
As you know, that's a horrible chore
But engaging my brain
Made it less of a pain
Though it didn't make me want to clean more!)


MMM

Twas the night before Christmas - ish (hugely plagiarised from the original by Henry Livingston)

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The mouse he was lying, dead on the floor,
Brought in by the cat and left by the door.

The Children were nestled all snug in their beds,
Visions of home cooked sweets, danced in their heads.
Mamma in her homespun shawl and me in recycled cap,
Wrapped up in a hand knitted blanket for a long winter’s nap.

The fire had gone out and the wood was outside
So we snuggled in bed with a dog on each side.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter

The light from the neighbour’s security lamp
Lit up the plot, the henhouse and root clamp
Away in the distance a pair of eyes so yellow,
A fox, I thought, and gave such a bellow

But a voice came back, “Don’t panic, it’s us
“It’s Santa and pals in our shiny new bus.”
A bus, I wondered, so where are the deer?
And he whistled and shouted and called them come here:

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
“We have here a present especially for you,
“A big pile of steaming, fresh, reindeer poo!”

Then off went the bus, and the deer and the man
Flying away just as fast as they can
With a sleigh full of toys and other plastic tat
I knew that my kids would have better than that

They'd have love and laughter and food home grown
In a garden blessed with seeds freshly sown
And fed with manure from Santa's magic reindeer
They’ll glow with happiness and good Christmas cheer.

Christmas New Zealand style


Tis Summer down under
with sun, sea & sand.

Christmas day on the beach
with pink champers in hand.

Salads and hams and pavlovas too
or even a traditional turkey will do.
However you spend this special day
Up there, or down here I just want to say
"Nga miti o te Kirihimete Ki a koe"**
from me and my Whanau*, **Christmas Greetings to you**



* Whanau = family

What fantastic entries thus far - aren't we a clever bunch

Breaking news is that we've been offered a third prize by one of our larger members so keep 'em coming.

some brilliant entries so far!

can we enter more than once ?

Oooo, I have to come up with something!

i took this on Feb 2nd 2009 (my daddys birthday),, its a place by my house, next to a busy road and the railway line. its just a little woody area with a path thru it, where we used to go play as kiddies and climb trees this pic made it onto the bbc website ;) haha