Where have all the flowers gone,

Set me thinking Shack - is war still about armies fighting each other or is it about civilians getting blown up by sophisticated missiles fired from miles away? Where have all the flowers gone long time passing? Blown to atoms everyone...

John have you been sharing your drugs out again? Tsk! Tsk!

they have been stripped from the ground and posted in our chapel.

The song was written by Pete Seeger, and the 'flowers' referred to are the young soldiers that died in wars, past and present, a reference that's been used several times before, eg. 'The Flowers of The Forest', a Scottish pipe lament.

Happy Easter Wakky Shakky, hope you and your family had a good one. Bet the lawn is immaculate.

Michael, the song you refer to is actually called 'No Man's Land' (though The Furey's always call it 'The Green Fields Of France'). It was indeed written by Eric Bogle, a Scot from Peebles, who has lived for many years in Australia. I have known him personally, albeit on a tentative basis, for many years and usually go to see him when he's on tour over here.

Here's the link to his site, all his recordings are listed though without some accurate lyric I can't identify the song you mention.

"I Hate Wogs" - what's that about then George?

You work it out. I Hate Wogs by Eric Bogle I'm a dinky-dye Australian guy and me name is Bluey Schmidt. I love this sunburned country and I'm bloody proud of it And I love our simple way of life and the things we all hold dear Like V.F.L. and Big Ben Pies and foamin' Touey's beer I love our open friendliness where a man can make a mate In fact in all Australia there's just one thing I hate: I hate Wogs, they live like dogs Some eat bananas and some eat frogs Some wear turbans some wear clogs It's all the bloody same to me 'cause I hate Wogs. They can't speak proper English and they never seem to learn And the awful guff that they call food would make your stomach turn It's always dipped in garlic sauce or fried in olive oil I've never tasted it meself, but I bet it all tastes vile! What's wrong with good Australian food, you Slovaks and you Poles? Good healthy stuff like pie and sauce and chips and chigger rolls' Cause I hate Wogs, they live like dogs Some eat bananas and some eat frogs Soome wear turbans some wear clogs It's all the bloody same to me 'cause I hate Wogs. And the local chip shop down the street is run by a bloody Greek He's open sixteen hours a day and seven days a week And every cent that you spend there on a pie or a dimsim Helps to send back home to Greece for a bastard just like him! Oh, I never eat there meself 'cause I couldn't touch Wog meat I usually eat at the Chinese caf' that's just across the street! Cause I hate Wogs, they live like dogs Some eat bananas and some eat frogs Soome wear turbans some wear clogs It's all the bloody same to me 'cause I hate Wogs. I was queueing down at the Registry, a-pickin' up me dole In front of me was a Yugoslav, in front of him a Pole Behind me was an Italian, behind him was a Turk Those lazy migrant bastards, do they never bloody work! But in spite of what the papers say, there's work for those who want to The wife and twenty-seven kids is all the work I'm going to! Cause I hate Wogs, they live like dogs Some eat bananas and some eat frogs Soome wear turbans some wear clogs It's all the bloody same to me 'cause I hate Wogs. So send the bastards home to Spain, to Italy and Greece And maybe when they've all gone home, we'll get some bloody peace To sit in the shade of the Coolabar tree and drink beer all day long And run amok with a flat-bed truck, down by the billabong And every night at twelve o'clock to show that we're not slaggards We'll stand and sing our national song, Advance Australia , backwards!

Thanks George - not quite "Where Have All The Flowers Gone". So Jasper could be a typical Aussie then.

That depends partly on your interpretation of the songs meaning, and partly on your interpretation of both the kangaroo jockey and your average Aussie. Having lived in Oz, and also having discussed that particular song with it's author, I would probably arrive at different conclusions to you. So what's new?

I wasn't being serious, George ;o)

Does anyone take you seriously Mykle :0-)

More seriously than they take you I think, Flash :)

So you've spent a weekend in OZ then George?

Well i don't think anybody takes me seriously Mykle...well i hope not:0-)

:o-) Oh, my nose isn' as big as your Flash.

*sighs* I emigrated in 1973 and lived and worked in Perth. I stayed a while before returning to England. Your childish remark is hardly worthy of a reply but I'm feeling magnanimous tonight.

I suspect that Australia, like everywhere else, has changed a heck of a lot over the last 20 or 30 years, George. I quite fancy a visit though and to New Zealand too - one of these days.

I wonder where Jasper is? Perhaps he can't use the prison computer at holiday time - I think that's where he cleans isn't it?