Friday 28 October 2016

Happy Halloween to One and All!


Round about the cauldron go;  
In the poison’d entrails throw.  
Toad, that under cold stone   
Days and nights hast thirty one  
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,  
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.  

     Double, double toil and trouble;  
     Fire burn and cauldron bubble. 





Fillet of a fenny snake,  
In the cauldron boil and bake;  
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,  
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,  
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,  
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,  
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.  

     Double, double toil and trouble;  
     Fire burn and cauldron bubble. 



Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,           
Witches’ mummy, maw and gulf       
Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark, 
Root of hemlock digg’d i’ the dark,  
Liver of blaspheming Jew,       
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Sliver’d in the moon’s eclipse,           
Nose of Turk, and Tartar’s lips,         
Finger of birth-strangled babe             
Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,     
Make the gruel thick and slab:           
Add thereto a tiger’s *chaudron,         
For the ingredients of our cauldron.

     Double, double toil and trouble;  
     Fire burn and cauldron bubble. 

Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I
William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616
This poem is in the public domain


According to this Macbeth Glossary *chaudron are entrails.  Who knew?


By Pumpkins fat and witches lean...
By coal black cats with eyes of green,
By all the magic ever seen...
I wish you luck this Halloween..



Happy Halloween to family, friends, and all readers of my blog. Stay safe this Halloween. Me? I will be hiding under the bed covers. 

I must say a very big thank you to Yvonne for this fantastic Halloween card (right).  If you have not had the pleasure of meeting Yvonne, you will find her over at her Etsy shop here


38 comments:

  1. I didn't know that either about the world CHAUDRON; I would have taken that as a French derivative! And isn't this a fun time of year my friend?

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    1. Hello Anita, I have read those words so many times without even realising it said Chaudron – in fact, I think I’ve always read it as cauldron. :) I’m sure there will be other interpretations, but I decided to go with the Macbeth glossary thinking they should probably know.
      It is a fun time of year, and I must say I am enjoying your autumn photography on Instagram. The colours are truly spectacular.

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  2. Good old Willie Shakespeare..1564~1616..
    Did'nt know he died sixteen minutes passed
    four...! :). Have'nt read any of his things,
    though l've just read the above..seen all
    the films to! :).

    Halloween...Oh! Yes! This year, l've something
    special up my sleeve for the older kids that come
    round..HeHe! Wish l could tell you..But! No! At
    least l won't want 'buckets' of water this year!
    All, l can say is..it involves food...!!! :0).

    And, l had a lovely card from Yvonne to...even had
    a stamp on it...! One, l will certainly keep..! :).

    So, there you are...I'm off....Oh! Hang on....
    Knock! Knock!
    Who’s there?
    The Porter from Macbeth.
    The Porter from Macbeth who?
    The Porter from Macbeth, who wants to know how you like it! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! :0).

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    1. OK, I can’t resist;

      Knock, Knock.
      Who’s there?
      Shelly.
      Shelly who?
      Shelly compare thee to a summer’s day?

      I hope you tell us about your Halloween surprise after the event. Thinking about it makes me want to be five again – just so I could knock on your door!

      Happy Halloween Willie, have fun. Xx

      PS

      Will's physician signed the death certificate at exactly 16 minutes past 4. Honestly do I have to tell you everything? :-)

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    2. Knock! Knock!
      Who's there?
      Hamlet.
      Hamlet who?
      Hamlet the dogs out! (woof, woof woof woof...).

      Yes! I'll let you know, re the Halloween trick..!
      I expect they'll give me paper and a pen, in my
      prison cell...! :).

      Knock! Knock!
      Who’s there?
      Noah...
      Noah who?
      Noah’s the winter of our discontent. :).

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    3. OK you win. I gave it my best shot, but you shot me down in flames!
      I was going to say I would visit you in jail but I'm not so sure now. :-)

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  3. Happy Halloween to you, too, Barbara. These are great Halloween cards and well, you can't go wrong with Shakespeare, who always seems to have penned just the right words for any occasion. and love the Knock, Knock jokes!

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    1. Thank you Alex and Happy Halloween back to you. I agree, if in any doubt turn to Shakespeare! Willie certainly got the better of me with the knock, knock jokes, and after I tried so hard as well.

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  4. What a beautiful card from Yvonne!

    I love this fun Halloween post. I always found it interesting that words in Shakespeare's writing often had a different meaning from one I was expecting. :) Love the pictures that go with the post!

    Happy Halloween!

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    1. Hello Stephanie, Yvonne made my day with the beautiful card. She is a very talented lady.
      I’m so please you enjoyed the pictures.
      Happy Halloween, Barbara

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  5. What a great Halloween post Barbara! I love it! I'm with you about hiding under the bed covers! I remember back in the day, Halloween was so sweet and just a bit spooky. All the hideous gore that is celebrated over here is just too much for me! Have a Happy Halloween my friend! ~ Diane

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    1. Under the bedcovers is the only place to be Diane. I enjoy seeing the little kids trick or treating but some of the grown ups scare the life out of me, but then I suppose that is the idea! :-) Happy Halloween xx

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  6. Barbara you smartie, that is another wonderful piece of work you have posted! Also that hilarious repartee between you and Willie.....superb! Thank you both for the chuckles!
    John

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    1. Thank you John you are a love! As for hilarious repartee – it’s all down to Willie. He is a “scream”!
      Hope you enjoyed your visit with your cousin.

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  7. Such a wonderful post, Barbara, and the card from Yvonne is beautiful! Your posts always make my day, and I always look forward to them. Thank you so much for sharing, and I hope your weekend will be fantastic!

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    1. That is really kind Linda, thank you so much. I was super excited to get the Halloween card I’ve never had one of those before. I hope it becomes a tradition in the UK.
      Have a lovely weekend. x

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  8. What an adorable Halloween card! And I love the fun poem. Halloween's my favorite holiday, but I haven't figured out how we'll celebrate it this year. Trick-or-treaters don't come to our door because we're on a main street, so handing out candy isn't an option. Maybe we'll go somewhere spooky.

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    1. Hi Stephanie, I tried to find Halloween cards in the shops this year, but didn’t see a single one. Maybe I will copy Yvonne next year and make my own. Have a lovely Halloween whatever you do.

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  9. I'll be going to a Halloween party later tonight and your fun post will surely get me in the mood. We also have trick-or-treaters coming from 5 to 7 (our town always does it on the Saturday before Halloween instead of right on the date.) I never knew there were so many Shakespearian knock-knock jokes, fun! My son performed in a local college production of MacBeth when he was around 12 (as MacDuff's son), this brought back good memories. Happy Halloween!

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    1. Hello Marcia, maybe we will hear about the party in a future post? Are you dressing up for the occasion? What a good idea to get the trick-or-treaters organised like that. With us, it is just pot luck, sometimes we have lots of little witches and ghosts and other times none. I’ve got some treats ready, in the hope some will arrive.
      I was quite pleased to know one Shakespearian joke. It is just like Willie to know so many; he always has something up his sleeve. You must have been very proud of your son, such a lovely memory.
      I hope you are having fun this evening.

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  10. My first year in college I was fortunate enough to have a brilliant Shakespearean scholar as a professor. I'd never been a fan of Shakespeare because I couldn't understand it! Well, I was eighteen and unschooled, so that was my excuse. He made the bard's work come to life and gave me such an appreciation for the stories and beauty of the language. The witch scene has never failed to give me delightful shivers. Thanks for it just before All Hallows Eve. Oh, and thank you so much for your cousin's amazing story that you posted on my blog. It was a fabulous read.

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    1. Hello Lee, oh lucky you to have such a brilliant professor, I do think it makes such a difference.
      I’m so pleased you enjoyed my cousin’s tale. It made me smile, and I wanted to share it.

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  11. A perfect Halloween post! Enjoy the day and don't eat all the treats.

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    1. Eating the treats is all part of the fun Darlene, but I might leave a few for any little visitors. Happy Halloween.

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  12. What a gorgeous post. Thank you so much for mentioning my blog and shop. I love the way you've photographed the Halloween card ♥

    Happy Halloween, lovely Barbara xx

    PS. Not sure anyone can beat Willie at joke telling, but we can always try :D

    Knock knock.
    Who’s there?
    Toby.
    Toby who?
    Wait, sorry. Not Toby.
    Make up your mind! Who’s there?
    Toby or not Toby, that is the question.

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    1. Actually Yvonne, I think you win the battle of the Knock, Knocks, love it!

      I had a lot of fun photographing the card. I wanted to find a nice cobweb but there were none to be had, so I contented myself with the ivy. I think the neighbours wondered what I was up to!

      Happy Halloween, have fun. Thanks for coming over xx

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  13. What a perfect post for the season! Happy All Hallows Eve.

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  14. What a fun Halloween post. I didn't know what a chaudron was either, although we probably should have learnt it at school, but that was long, long ago. Thanks for visiting my blog today, nice to meet you. Happy Halloween, hugs, Valerie

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    1. I think you could be probably right about chaudron and school, but I have absolutely no recollection of it. No surprise there as I don’t remember very much at all these days. :-)
      Thanks for coming over, Barbara x

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  15. Happy Halloween, Barbara.
    Keep the cauldron boiling:)

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    1. Hello Sandra, I’m just giving it a quick stir all I need now are a few entrails, and it will be good to go!
      Happy Halloween.

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  16. Update! Update! Is the Pizza Poisoned....? :).

    Well, about 15mins ago..at about 7 o'clock some 'ugly' looking
    children came to the front door, good job it's Halloween! 🎃.
    There was eight of them...how do l know...l counted them! :).
    I had bought a couple of cheap pizza's from Iceland! I topped
    one of them up a bit more, and made it look like a weirdo...self
    portrait you might say! :).
    When it was nicely cooked, and looked edible, l put it on a plate,
    and cut it into eight pieces!
    So, Knock! Knock! l opened the door...there they ALL were.....
    moaning and groaning...."Trick or Treat" ???
    So..l lowered the plate of Pizzas..and said..."There's eight pieces
    of pizzas..but two of them are poisoned" :).
    I~could'nt~believe~it....within seconds...ALL..Yes ALL..the pieces
    were gone...
    They all went off down the path..chomping on Pizza..!!!
    When they got to the bottom of the path...they turned round and
    said...."Thanks Willie"...or words to that affect!!! :).
    But..I'd recognise them again..one had a red mask on, one was wearing
    horns and a mask, one had a ghost hood on...etc..etc..
    So no problem there then !!!
    Bless them! I love kids...I used to be one you know....!!! :0).
    Bit of fun and a laugh was had by all....! 👀

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    1. Brilliant Willie, I’m pretty sure the kids love you every bit as much as you love them. I bet they will be talking about your ‘poisoned’ pizza for years to come!

      It is very quiet in Henstridge, so I can only assume everyone has heard about the free pizza in your neck of the woods.

      Enjoy the rest of the night xx

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  17. Dearest Barbara, hello! Happy November 1! And thank you so kindly for coming to visit my post! Shine that light dear friend!

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    1. I’ve turned on full beam – hope you can see it! :-) Happy November xx

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I really appreciate your comment. Thank you!
Barbara xx