Thursday, 1 January 2026

THE STARRY SKY

“Nothing prevents happiness like the memory of happiness.” - André Gide

This week, The New What’s Going Blog has set as its theme: “The Things I’ll Remember”. Memory is a powerful force in our life and is indispensable to our wellbeing and health - one only has to look at the dire effects of dementia… My poem looks at a perfect memory that will persist till the moment I’ll no longer be able to remember or think of anything anymore…

The Starry Sky

On a clear and dark night
We gaze up and see stars;
Cold and clear is their light,
Burning in the small hours.

Your hand’s in my hand,
Our breaths synchronised;
We sit still on the sand
Making memories prized.

High up all the planets align,
Our arms firmly entwine;
Hear the music of spheres,
That’s delight to our ears.
How the sky conspires
With its starry bonfires,
Our true love to inflame
Lighting our heart’s flame.

While we wait for the dawn,
We embrace and we kiss;
Wide-eyed we look on,
Not a moment to miss.

As a star falls from above,
We wish never to part,
And swear that our love
Will forever be in our heart.

High up all the planets align
While our arms firm entwine;
Hear the music of spheres
That’s delight to our ears.
How the sky conspires
With its starry bonfires,
Our true love to inflame
Lighting our heart’s flame.

The poem is set to music, and you can find all my music in my Instagram site “Otidorchestre” channel or listen to it on YouTube, SpotifyAmazon, Deezer, Flo, Pandora, and other music sharing sites.

Tuesday, 30 December 2025

TRAVEL TUESDAY 530 - YANGSHUO, CHINA

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” - Laozi

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.
There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and then share it with the rest of us.
Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Yangshuo County
(simplified Chinese: 阳朔县; pinyin: Yángshuò Xiàn) is a county under the jurisdiction of Guilin City, in the northeast of Guangxi, China. Its seat is located in the town of Yangshuo. Surrounded by karst peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River, it is served by bus and by boat from nearby Guilin.

The area has been inhabited for about 3,000 years. In 590 CE, under Emperor Wen of Sui, Yangshuo County was incorporated. At the time, the county hosted a street 5 metres wide, and 200 metres long that would become contemporary West Street.

Yangshuo County would briefly fall under Japanese occupation in 1944, and Imperial Japanese troops looted many prominent local businesses in the county during that time. By the 1970s, domestic tourism in Yangshuo County was commonplace, and the government made efforts to open up the county to foreign tourists, including European and American tourists.

Tourism is a major component of Yangshuo County's economy. West Street serves as a major local focal point for tourism, receiving over 21.1 million tourists in 2023, and is lined with various tourist-oriented shops and restaurants. Due to the county's popularity with foreign tourists, including those who speak English, the county has a sizable English language learning industry.

Yangshuo offers spectacularly beautiful scenery, particularly along the hill-lined Li River, which you can tour by cruise boat or, if you’re feeling more confident, by bamboo raft. Streets in Yangshuo are kept in their original style, preserving the layout of the ancient city. savoury local specialties like beer fish and shatian shaddocks are served on West Street, one of the town's liveliest thoroughfares. Kids will adore the local butterfly cave.

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