[John Whitworth]

Re Speccie: Town Mouse

Congratulations to Mary Meriam, Marion Shore and Bill Greenwell. Commiserations to Martin Elster for a near miss. THIS competition is a honey. I can see Sam's encomium (is that the word I want) on Texas already. And I shall work hard and Men of Kent and Kentish men.

No. 2605: County sounds
You are invited to compose an anthem for a county of your choice. Competitors from abroad may substitute state/canton/département, etc., as appropriate (16 lines maximum). Entries to ‘Competition 2605’ by 16 July or email lucy@spectator.co.uk.

[Mary Meriam]

Oh my! I found the link:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magaz...petition.thtml

Thanks for leading me to the Speccie, John. I'll write you later, then, after I hear from Lucy? The 20 translates into how many US $ again? Thanks!!


Congrats to Marion and Melissa! What a thrill to be on the same page with the doyens of light.

[Roger Slater]

Congrats!

Someone mentioned Melissa Balmain is Spherical, though I haven't see her here. She also won.

[Marion Shore]

A little sleuthing reveals Melissa Balmain is a new member.
Elementary, my dear Watson.

With Melissa and Bill Greenwell in our camp, conquest of the Speccie is practically assured.

[Roger Slater]

But with Melissa having discovered Speccie, I fear the competition has gotten a good deal harder.

[R. S. Gwynn]

O Beaumont, neither beau nor mont,
Where oil spurts from each public font
(To each according to his want),
We hail thee!

‘Wildcatters' come to stake their claim
Where "crude" is not a term of shame,
And "roughneck" is a worthy name--
They hail thee!

Where hot is hot and humid thrives,
Where men are men and women wives,
A hundred thousand spend their lives
And hail thee!

Beaumont, where unrelenting rain
Falls daily on the soggy plain,
Hail to thy yearly hurricane--
All hail thee!

[John Whitworth]

Well now, Sam produces the goods. I knew he would. Here's mine. I wrote it last night after a very good dinner and about a vat of wine.

Kent Anthem

Kent, Kent, glorious Kent!
Your trip from Victoria’s money well spent.
A week in the city
Is very tough titty.
It’s ever so pretty in glorious Kent.

Kent, Kent, glorious Kent!
When Saints spoke of Paradise that’s what they meant.
So hurry on over
To Margate or Dover.
You’re living in clover in glorious Kent.

Kent, Kent, glorious Kent!
It won’t cost a packet to buy or to rent.
Though London is blightful
And perfectly frightful,
It’s always delightful in glorious Kent

[Mary Meriam]

A Kentish Rhapsody

Something in the Kentish waters
Makes the Kentish sons and daughters
Busy with their pens and papers.
Or is it something in the vapors
Rising from the Kentish bogs
That clears the Kentish mind of fogs?
The Kentish folk may eat an apple
On their way to Kentish chapel.
Garden of England! Bless its name!
There many a Sir and many a Dame
May traipse the lanes on Saturday
Then sail the main, whilst salty spray
Inspires lines of Kentish verse
Ubiquitous as shepherd’s purse.

[Gail White]

John, I've always wondered - what IS the difference between Men of Kent and Kentish men?

[FOsen]

People here are kinda flaky
Real estate seems pretty shaky,
But choirs singing Palestrina
Can’t compete with P-P-P-P-Pasadena.

Norton Simon, Huntington,
Bought books and paintings on the run.
Alive, each was a robber-baron;
Now that they’re dead, they’re into sharin’

Who needs a Bay where f-f-f-fog is hung?
Here you can leave your heart and lung.
Now I’m not cryin’ for Argentina,
Our air is green in P-P-P-P-Pasadena.

We got blue-hairs, we got blue-noses
And life is just a Bowl of Roses,
But should there be a heaven, heck,
They’ll synthesize it at Caltech.

If there’s a finer place to dwell,
We’ll go there via JPL.
You’ll see I ain’t no o-o-o-overweener,
Should you sashay to P-P-P-Pasadena.

[exeunt, to rumbling bass solo and crashing crockery]