Waitering at the Gleeful & Greedy!

My apologies, dear bloggy friends, for recently keeping you waiting with blog posts and comments: while you've been waiting - I've been waitering!

On top of my already busy schedule running Giraffe World Tours, I've been helping out at the Gleeful & Greedy Restaurant at their busiest times.

As many of you know, the very popular Gleeful and Greedy is situated in Neckelchester Village, and is owned by my sister Nektareeni and her partner Girth.

Talented and good-natured Girth does everything to do with the cooking, including inventing all the delectable recipes.

Glamorous Nektareeni is the expert on wine.

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I'm hopeless at both, and a little clumsy too. However, I seem to amuse the customers... (Oh dear - I've just thought - maybe they think I am a comedy act rather than a waiter!)

The real act of the evening is when Nektareeni gets up and sings.

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Her favourite song is 'They call me Nektareeni.' Do click on the title to be transported to an evening at the Gleeful & Greedy!

Necktune's Chariot!

This has been a thrilling week for our Giraffe World Tours business! We have dramatically increased the scope of our outings ... Not only do we still have our lovely blue bus, we have just acquired a new vehicle for underwater nexpeditions - Necktune's Chariot!

The above drawing by Nexi shows us setting off on our inaugural ride. The sub has long retractable legs, which are so useful for setting off on the beach and getting into the shallow water. Once in the deep ocean we can submerge and look at the above-sea views through our long giraffe-neck periscopes. The round port-hole windows allow us to observe the sea-life.

Fortunately I am not expected to sail Necktune's Chariot! We have a new member of staff at Giraffe World Tours - Captain Gurgle. I took this photo of him through my telescope, (he is a little camera-shy).

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However, when it comes to singing shanties, all bashfulness departs! Get him in the Gleeful & Greedy on an evening, and he'll entertain the whole village ... Here are the lyrics of his favourite song about his favourite brew - tea.

(My dear bloggy friend and poet, Poetikat, recently asked if there were many poets in Giraffe World. I know Captain Gurgle wouldn't consider his shanties to be poetry - but they're certainly fun to sing!)

Who'd like to join us on our underwater adventures?

A Proud Dad (with Ear Defenders) ...

As many of you will know, our eldest daughter Nexi is studying at Art & Design College. Her most recent assignment has been in film.

For her project, Nexi chose to film her younger sister Necky Becky, (pictured above), singing with her boyfriend Neko's band, The Stiffnex.

I expected extreme sibling storms, squalls and shrieks - but no! (Although you may dispute the latter when you watch the film). Nexi and Necky Becky worked together splendidly as a team, together with Neko on guitar, Sgruff on bass and Nukkle on drums.

So here we have it - Nexi's debut pop video, 'Be Who You Wanna Be!' with Necky Becky and The Stiffnex!

I'm a proud dad! But I'm going to hide in the kitchen until it's over ...

A Giraffodil Poem

The first of April seems like a good time to make myself look a little silly!

I'm referring to my foray into writing a poem around this time last year. No-one really knew my blog existed then, so I was relatively unabashed. But now ... a good number of you are proper poets! However, I'll stick my neck out and post it again anyway.

Poetry is something I know very little about - but I know what I like! My favourite poem of all time is 'Moonlit Apples' by John Drinkwater.

I first read it during my student years and was captivated by its sense of wonder. All my life a sense of wonder has been one of my most cherished 'riches'. The Grizzled-But-Still-Incorrigible-Scribe-Himself! recently posted about wonder and describes it far better than I ever could.

Plants are one of my passions. The sight of the wild giraffodil Narcissus sylvestris ssp. giraffodil growing in woodland fills me with the most exquisite wonder.

I used the structure of 'Moonlit Apples' as an homage to John Drinkwater for all the pleasure his poem has given me.

My poetic effort and language is 'over-the-top' I know - but I suppose that is what you would expect from a giraffe!

Wolliecobblies: Comments cause a Haiku!

One of the things I so love about blogging is how it creatively and humorously brings together people from all over the world, (and beyond!).

I hadn't intended to post for a couple of days, but this 'thread' just had to be woven into the fabric of the blogosphere immediately!

In my previous post I suggested that folk have fun thinking of a caption for Littl' Nicky's speech bubble. If you go to the Comments you will see how this evolved ...

Bindu suggested for the caption, 'It's good to eat, but also good to toss into the air and catch!'

I responded by saying 'Catch the cauliflower would be a good new sport! Or using raquets, a bit like badminton, but with cauliflower florets ...'

The Weaver of Grass commented, 'As for the speech bubble, I am guessing he cannot speak all that well yet and feel he might be saying "more wolliecobblies".'

My response to Weaver's glorious word 'wolliecobblies' included noting 'I wonder if it could be incorporated into a haiku?' (If you read Weaver's recent posting you will see some of her beautiful haikus there).

The brilliant Sepiru Chris (also an accomplished Haiku writer - see his recent posts), wrote 'You ask, I deliver:' and sent the haiku which he had written!

I'll type it again here just in case the text isn't clear in the speech bubble:

Wolliecobblies haiku:

Serve wolliecobblies.

Follow with eyes; swing racket!

Thwack; microflorets.

Thank you for putting your necks together in this way, my wonderful bloggy friends! My thanks also to all of you who commented and came up with fun captions - do please read them all in the previous post's Comments ...

Necky Knoll New Year Greetings!

Happy New Year Everyone! To all our friends, human and giraffe, bloggers and readers!

Our fancy dress party yesterday was hilarious! After wishing our guests a merry farewell, we grabbed a couple of hours' sleep, then got up to watch our early Giraffe World sunrise.

Gathered on our drive, we experienced a magical moment as the sun emerged from the grey sky. Shafts of golden light illuminated the Knollshire landscape and the copses of bare trees seemed to reach up to drink in the new sunlight. We stood in silence for a few moments. Gently Maureen started to sing our special family song, 'With our Necks Entwined'. (Click on song title to hear).

May your Year be luminous, harmonious and fun, dear friends!

Birthday Greetings to our special friend, Brendy Neckson!

Our Daughter has the Nex Factor!

The Gleeful & Greedy Restaurant was packed on Saturday evening for the local final of the Nex Factor. It seemed as though every giraffe in the county was there to hear the finalists sing.

To cut a long story short, our family song and my sister Nektareeni's song didn't make the top three. The winner of the competition was an outstanding young singer, Nexandra.

However, there was a surprise in store for us ... Our middle child Necky Becky was awarded a special prize! When she gave her neck-bending rendering of 'Be Who You Wanna Be!' backed by local band The Stiffnex, she totally won the audience and judges over. She was way too young to enter, but had jumped up on stage last week anyway. Everyone said she had more neck than anyone, and it was decided to award her the accolade of 'The Neckiest Factor!'

You can listen to her song here: 'Be Who You Wanna Be!'

(NB: Necky Becky has just pointed out that her long-term ambition is to be a gardener, not a pop-star - but she doesn't see why that should stop her from singing if she wants to).

The Nex Factor comes to Neckelchester Village

We had a really exciting evening yesterday!

A couple of weeks ago Necky Becky had picked up a leaflet advertising a singing competition to be held in the village. The competition is called 'The Nex Factor', and lots of our friends are entering. Of course, we all wanted to join in!

After much debate, we put together several entries, and spent vast amounts of time rehearsing. I had a great number called 'Raph's Rap', which seemed to cause embarrassment and cringing among the family whenever I 'sang' it. My sister entered 'They call me Nektareeni', which she often performs in her restaurant. Necky Becky insisted on screeching 'Be Who You Wanna Be!', to the horror of her sister. Our final entry was our family song, 'With Our Necks Entwined'. We had written this to celebrate moving to Necky Knoll House and launching our new business.

The Village Hall was packed last night for the first round. All the giraffes of Neckelchester and Raffsburgh must have wanted to stick their necks out and sing! After a long evening of music, merriment and intense competition, the judges made their decisions as to which contestants will be going through to next week's final ...

Three of our acts are going through! (Unfortunately my rap number was not chosen). Twenty songs will be performed again next week at The Gleeful & Greedy Restaurant. Of these, one will be selected to win:

Moonlit Giraffodils

I've been in a giraffodil mood for days! I should really say 'moods' in the plural, for giraffodils can induce a whole range of emotions, from merry and light-hearted, to tranquil, through to mysteriously inspiring and numinous.

There's a picture hanging in our diningroom entitled 'Moonlit Giraffodils'. For me it essentially captures that transcendent moment when you are suddenly face-to-face with swathes of pale giraffodils all nodding in the ethereal light.

The moon is currently full, so yesterday evening I ventured out into the woods just beyond the farm. The scene was remarkably similar to our picture! I felt so moved that I was unable to stay long, but returned home and penned this poem. A little clumsy, but it expresses how I felt.

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Moonlit Giraffodils

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At the edge of the wood the giraffodils wait in swathes,

And the sunlight bids the twilight in, which bathes

Those nodding blooms in rose, and dwindling rays

******Of gold, to usher in the night.

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A bird in the branches trills and trills again its song so high

In the bud-laden twigs, whose tips shall rake the sky,

Now clouded. Gently the breeze whispers, rustles turf, trees sigh.

******The moon, unveiled, reveals her secret light.

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Now silver trumpets lift on slender necks of gold, and sing

To the moonlight shining forth - their homage bring

In graceful rhythm, fragrant dance of spring,

******Pulsating pattern of scent and sound and sight.

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And I, like an interloper, watch from birch bole hide,

Trembling lest so transfixed and rooted, I abide

Forever in this sylvan glade! O quickly turn aside,

******And run for home and snug and slumber tight.

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Raph G. Neckmann 28th March 2008 14:41GWT