THE RIVER, BAR AND BIGHT
Nostalgia for the life ashore,
But as a magnet drawn,
The gentle movement of the deck,
Tells me again I’m borne;
For distant shores I’ve never seen,
What better than to sleep and dream,
To lullaby of engine room,
Its song of fate, adventure, doom?
Without inspiration, there can be no communication. Every line we read be it a news report, biography or poem, is inspired by someone or something. Such was my inspiration when from my rooftop garden situated on the highest home in Mijas Pueblo I watched a sunset to die for. Yes, it was indeed Christmas Eve 2011. Inspired, I then scrawled my thoughts down. ~ Michael Walsh
Ships aren’t meant to sink, but sometimes you have to wonder what miraculous forces kept a vessel afloat. The SS Baychimo was such a ship. For nearly four decades after it was abandoned, this 1,300-ton cargo ship sailed the Arctic without fuel or crew, until it disappeared just over fifty years ago, but some believe she is still out there drifting among the frozen icebergs.
There has been a lot of talk around social media users being shadow banned from different social media platforms, but what does the term actually mean on the internet? Have you ever been using a social media platform and your engagement with other users/followers just suddenly drops dramatically? You could have been shadow banned.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer and pianist, who is arguably the defining figure in the history of Western music. Born in December 1770, he was baptized on the 17th. As baptisms customarily took place the day following birth consensus is that the world’s greatest composer was born December 16, 1770. The earliest recorded piece that Beethoven composed is a set of nine piano variations, composed in 1782.
It was Oscar Wilde who said that anyone who doesn’t judge by appearance is a fool. Well, Oscar, I hate to disagree with a fellow Irishman but the latter comment doesn’t necessarily hold water. We do judge on appearance, which is not to our credit. Furthermore, such an attitude doesn’t add credit to one’s bank account.
‘I had the privilege of knowing and becoming a friend of the international tracker and survival specialist, Eddie McGee (1938-2002). A former Special Air Forces (SAS) army sergeant, Eddie achieved international fame when in 1982 he used his phenomenal tracking skills to track down triple-killer, Barry Prudom (1944-1982).
Would anyone be inspired to write books, compose music, or paint pictures if there was no one to enjoy them? Yes, I think they would. It is my belief that each of us is given a gift although many go through life without discovering their unknown ability; a great pity.
The story about the sinking of the Gairsoppa is ordinary, but the weight of the treasure it was carrying when sent to the bottom was one of the largest in the world.
The eyebrows of my cardiologist lifted when I conceded that I once smoked 40 cigarettes a day. Smiling, he then told me that had I said I had never smoked he wouldn’t have known. My lungs had completely recovered from the effects of 25-years of heavy smoking. My addiction started when I was a 16-year-old sailor and continued until I was 40-years-of-age.
Michael Walsh Stories and Books 
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