Southern Ijaw

When you go on holiday or fall ill, someone needs to look after the cat, dog or rabbit. Neighbours are ideal: short distances and a familiar face for the animal. It's best to meet beforehand for a quick visit. Are you l…

For some older people the trip to the supermarket is hard work, especially when it's icy or very hot. If you're going shopping anyway, it's often easy to pick something up for someone else. A note in the hallway or a qu…

Guitar, drums, singing or beats on your laptop: music brings people together. Many towns have rehearsal rooms, music schools or open-mic nights where you can try things out. And bands are often looking for exactly the i…

Looking for an apprenticeship can feel huge at first. A good start: think about what you enjoy and ask local businesses directly about a work placement. Many companies welcome speculative applications even when nothing …

Festivals, customs and small rituals connect people across decades. Which tradition in Southern Ijaw means the most to you, and do you take part yourself? Tell us about it in the comments!

So many nice things happen that never make the papers: a lost wallet returned, a new shop opening, a lovely celebration. What good news from Southern Ijaw would you like to share this week? We look forward to your posts!

A sunrise over the rooftops, a front garden in bloom or a funny sign: home is full of great pictures. Show us your best photo of the week from Southern Ijaw and tell us briefly where you took it!

Southern Ijaw is a Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Southern part of Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Oporoma (or Osokoma) in the north of the area at 4°48′17″N 6°04′44″E. The area has a coastline of …

I leant upon a coppice gate When Frost was spectre-gray, And Winter's dregs made desolate The weakening eye of day. The tangled bine-stems scored the sky Like strings of broken lyres, And all mankind that…

OUT of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeon…

I HAVE a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my be…

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. 5Men marched asleep…

“To be, or not to be: that is the question.” — William Shakespeare

“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” — William Shakespeare

“Brevity is the soul of wit.” — William Shakespeare

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” — William Shakespeare

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” — William Shakespeare

“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.” — John Keats

“To err is human, to forgive divine.” — Alexander Pope

“Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” — Alexander Pope