Category Archives: News Box

News – July 2020 – A Special Thank You Letter from Goff James

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Well, Dear Friends, July has arrived. Here we are entering the seventh month of 2020.

Lockdown restrictions continue. After three months; one can now leave the house; but, no travel permitted further than five miles from the doorstep. Consequently, I am now able to venture forth bearing sanitiser gel: wearing a mask: protective gloves: and, go for walks with my camera and sketch pad. Social distancing (2 metres) rules still in place. Fortunately, gardening, painting, reading, writing and blogging have kept me sane. And, now look;

‘Summer is here! Summer is here!

I love to rise in a summer morn

When the birds sing on every tree;

… …

And the sky-lark sings with me

O! what sweet company

William Blake

The weather over the last few weeks has continued to be glorious; apart from from some heavy stormy rain filled days. The garden continues to be festooned with roses. Their colours and fragrance a joy; and, so uplifting during these difficult times. I have been busy dead heading to ensure a second flush.

The daises have emerged. There’s a glut of wild strawberries. The bees, birds and butterflies are enjoying themselves.

I would like to express a special note of appreciation to all of you who visit, follow and read my blog.

I also extend a very warm welcome to all new visitors, readers and followers.

To those many writers who I follow; an apology for not spending more time visiting and reading your valued blogs. There are so many artists, photographers, poets and writers with such beautiful and interesting blogs; and, so many new exciting emerging bloggers. I wish that I could read every single one. However I am finding it ever increasingly difficult to pay each of you regular visits; this is something that continues to bother me. I trust you all understand the dilemma faced.

I take this opportunity to say to you all;

“Happy July; and many thanks for following Art, Photography, Poetry. I truly appreciate the visits: the follows: the reads: and, all your positive comments. I am extremely grateful for your valued and continued generous support; thank you everyone.”

During these difficult times: Stay Well: Stay Safe: Stay Smiling.

June 2020 – A Note of Special Thanks – Open Letter by Goff James

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Dear Friends, June is here. Two month have passed by since my last letter. Somehow I missed writing a May letter; why and how I cannot recall. Here we are entering the sixth month and halfway through 2020.

‘Summer is coming, summer is coming.

I know it, I know it, I know it.

Light again, leaf again, love again.‘

Alfred , Lord Tennyson

The weather over the last few weeks has been glorious; officially the driest and hottest May on record. The garden is festooned with roses. Their colours and fragrance a joy; and, so uplifting during these difficult times.

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic has changed everything. The opening flowers; the birds busy feeding their young; the dawn and dusk chorus; each little joy a blessing to hear and behold.

To all those people at the frontline who, on our behalf, are acting so courageously fighting and dealing with Covid-19; I would like to express, yet again, my thanks to you all for; the selfless work that you are doing; the risks that you are taking; the sacrifices you are making; the compassion that you are showing caring for the sick and dying: in homes: local communities: villages: towns: cities and nations around the world. You are all heroes.

I would like to express a special note of appreciation to all of you who visit, follow and read my blog.

I also extend a very warm welcome to all new visitors, readers and followers.

To those many writers who i follow; an apology for not spending more time visiting and reading your valued blogs. I am finding it increasingly difficult to pay you regular visits; this is something that constantly bothers me. I trust you all understand the dilemma faced by bloggers.

I take this opportunity to say to you all;

“Many thanks for following Art, Photography, Poetry. I truly appreciate the visits, the follows, the reads, all your positive comments and am extremely grateful for your valued and continued generous support. Thank you.”

During these difficult days: Stay Well: Stay Safe: Stay Smiling.

April 2020 – A Note of Special Thanks – Open Letter by Goff James

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Image Attribution © Goff James, Ribes 1, 2020

Dear Friends, April is here. Another month has passed and we are already entering the fourth month of 2020.

In the garden the daffofils, primroses and snowdrops are in full bloom. The ornamental ribes and forsythias are painted in hues of pink and yellow.

It is a time that that no one at the onset of the year could have anticipated or imagined. The onset of the coronavirus pandemic has changed everything.

To all those people at the frontline who, on our behalf, are acting so courageously fighting and dealing with Covid-19; I would like to express my thanks to you all for; the selfless work that you are doing; the risks that you are taking; the sacrifices you are making; the compassion that you are showing caring for the sick and dying. You are all heroes.

I have been, over the past months, redesigning my blog. At the beginning of 2020 I stated that come April I would review the process.

I have made several adjustments, in an attempt, to improve the experience of anyone visiting Art, Photography, Poetry. I am now much happier with the site.

All this now appears to be so unimportant in the light of the catastrophe that is unfolding in homes: local communities: villages: towns: cities and nations around the world.

However I would like to express a special note of appreciation to all of you who visit, follow and read my blog.

I also extend a very warm welcome to all new visitors, readers and followers.

I take this opportunity to say to you all;

“Many thanks for following Art, Photography, Poetry. I truly appreciate the visits, the follows, the reads, all your positive comments and am extremely grateful for your valued and continued generous support. Thank you.”

In these trying times keep yourselves safe.

March 2020 – A Note of Special Thanks – Open Letter by Goff James

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Dear friends, how quickly time flies by. Another month has passed and we are already entering the third month of 2020. March is here and Spring is tapping loudly on the door.

March the first is St. David’s Day. St. David is Wales’ patron saint. The Welsh flag with its red dragon flies proudly across the land.

Wales possesses another two, contrasting, national emblems; the daffodil and the leek. Each is proudly worn on this very important day in the Welsh calendar.

On this memorable day I would like to express a special note of appreciation to all of you who visit, follow and read my blog.

I also extend a warm welcome to all new visitors, readers and followers.

I take this opportunity to say to you all;

“Many thanks for following Art, Photography, Poetry. I truly appreciate the visits, the follows, the reads, all your positive comments and am extremely grateful for your valued and continued generous support. Thank you.”

Happy St. David’s Day.

Have a great day.

A 2020 New Year Special Thanks – Open Letter by Goff James

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© Goff James, Purple Orchids, 2020

Happy New Year Everyone. 2019 has come and gone. Welcome 2020.

I would like to express a special note of appreciation to all of you who visit, follow and read my blog.

I also extend a warm welcome to all new visitors, readers and followers.

I take this opportunity to say to you all;

“Many thanks for following Art, Photography, Poetry. I truly appreciate the visits, the follows, the reads, all your positive comments and am extremely grateful for your valued and continued generous support. Thank you.”

Many of you will know that over the past year I have been attempting to to redesign the scheduling of posts. After much mind searching and tweaking; I now feel, that I have a fairly satisfactory format for my blog.

As 2020 begins I feel it is necessary to reassess, review and revise my daily posting schedule.

For the time being, at least, due to circumstances related to; the need to find more quality time for reading, my writing, painting, my photography and gardening; I have decided to cut down on the number of daily posts to three or four.

The same scheduling format will be followed. This I will review again around April 2020.

Revised Schedule 2020

Art, Photography and Poetry is an Award-Free Blog; and, is attempting to become an Emoji-Free blog. The latter goal, I confess, appears to be a losing cause. Emoji’s, nowadays, seem to have a growing acceptance as a means of general communication.

For me, the excessive use of emojis in the comments box, not only, deter the use of the written word; they considerably lower the ranking of posts and should be left to social media forums the genesis of their creation.

Have a wonderful and blessed day.

A Happy and Prosperous New Year to you all.