Toad Work

Recently I have been enjoying the British television series “Down Cemetery Road.” It is a brilliant mystery drama with first-rate acting, and it can be found on Apple TV and Amazon Prime in Canada.

I discovered the source of the show’s title only when one of the key characters, played by Emma Thompson, recited some of Philip Larkin’s poem “Toads Revisited” which mentions Cemetery Road.

I found the poem on The Poetry Hour website and read it through three times until I felt as though I was in tune with the author’s meaning. I was especially taken by the last stanza which reads:

When the lights come on at four
At the end of another year?
Give me your arm, old toad;
Help me down Cemetery Road.

As I write this post, it is 4:05 PM, and the sun has just gone down behind the buildings that I see from my windows. My blinds have closed automatically already; they are set to close at half an hour before sunset. The lights that my neighbours have placed in the community gardens have been on all day, but the Christmas lights that I have strung around my patio came on at 3:40. Not four o’clock exactly, but pretty close to the poem’s imaginings.

The verses refer to working people of various kinds, and I wondered what was meant by “toad work” so I Googled it. This is how Google AI explains it:

“The toad work” in Philip Larkin’s poem “Toads” symbolizes the heavy, unromantic, and burdensome nature of daily work and societal obligations, a persistent, ugly pressure that squats on one’s life, forcing the speaker to trade days of freedom for money and a pension, even as he grudgingly recognizes his own “toad-like” participation in this system. It’s a metaphor for the monotonous 9-to-5 grind that stifles personal passions, contrasting with the dream of living by one’s wits, yet the poem concludes that both internal and external “toads” (work and creative duty) are inescapable, says Interesting Literature and All Poetry. 

My days of toad work are over, but the lights still come on at around 4 PM in winter here, and I enjoy them. It would be nice to have someone to take my arm as my aging body takes walks, but I am grateful that I have the strength to walk alone.

I heartily recommend both the TV show and the poem. They will give you lots to think about.

#aging #christmas #downCemeteryRoad #lights #philipLarkin #poetry #sunset #television #toadsRevisited #winter

The Shard from Borough High Street #city #night #lights #london #street #photo #photography

🎄
#photography #night #christmastree #decoration #lights #holiday

Beneath it all

#photography #fensterfreitag #windowfriday #philadelphia #rittenhouse #buildings #windows #christmas #lights

Aldik Home Christmas Displays 2025 8, Van Nuys, California

Aldik Home (https://www.aldikhome.com/) always puts on a grand display for Christmas, and each year we make a point to visit, take some photographs, and pick up a new ornament or two. A great Christmas tradition for us and close to home, too.

https://welchwrite.com/blog/2025/12/05/aldik-home-christmas-displays-2025-8-van-nuys-california-photography/

Pixelfed: https://pixelfed.social/p/douglaswelch/902614391917306849

#christmas #decor #holiday #lights #ornaments #trees #store #home

I've always rolled my eyes at colour changing lights embedded in a path as they need a lot of expensive maintenance.

More recently I've changed my mind as I've seen many small and tiny humans having great fun running and stomping on the lights.

If you add up the happiness hours they create then the value for money equation changes dramatically.

#muscat #oman #lights #children #fun

Today’s #weather is quite #stormy. There’s a strong #storm today with persistent heavy #rain and strong #SouthWesterly #winds gusting up to about 70 km/h but a steady 40 km/h. The #clouds are thick, cutting out a lot of light and making the whole day seem like dusk. So, it was best to be prepared for today’s #cycling and I wore my #waterproof #overtrousers as well as my usual #hi-viz jacket. Using #lights was also a must in these conditions.

#Cycle #Bike #Bicycle

* ACHIEVED 1ST PLACE IN FAA CONTEST - Australian Extreme Weather - December 2025

#Lightning above The #Opera #House by Kaye Menner #Photography Wide variety #Prints & lovely #Products at:

https://kaye-menner.pixels.com/featured/lightning-above-the-opera-house-kaye-menner.html

#sydneyicon #storm #operahouse #photography #sydneyharbour #lights #homedecor #mastoart #fediverse #fediart #fedigiftshop #giftideas #wallartforsale #Art #artforsale #BuyIntoArt #AYearForArt #Artist #FineArtAmerica #PhotographyFeed #VisualArts #CreativeArts

Work is progressing slowly, and I always feel a bit down and exhausted towards the end of the year - trying to counteract with lots of quality time with friends and family this week 🤎 Christmas market stroll at Charlottenburg castle in Berlin today 🎄

#Berlin #Christmas #lights #December