Further Adventures of Major General Algernon Gove

Poor Algernon (if I may be so familiar). I abandoned my Major General last month as he planned further destinations in a trip to invigorate him in his old age. He’s my stooge as I attempt to complete Paula’s Pick a Word Challenge. The five words Paula offers us are intended to be a stimulus to us to choose five appropriate photos: I decided a bit of verbal silliness would add a little extra difficulty. Not ‘alf. These are Paula’s chosen words: distinctive; floating; fortified; playful and saddle. Make something of that, Major General!

In case you’re not familiar with him, this is how his saga began …

A retired Major General from Hove
with the moniker Algernon Gove
said ‘Before life unravels
I must finish my travels.’
And forthwith he made plans to rove.

But it gets worse …

His next plan was to go pony-trekking.
He booked something in Wales without checking.
It might be quite a chore ?
He could get saddle-sore?
Oh dear no - there’s a plan that needs wrecking.

Our old chap nursed a long-term ambition
to explore sites with years of tradition.
A castle, he voted,
fortified, or deep-moated.
He’d find one - he'd make that his mission.

Perhaps all his plans were restrictive?
He should aim now for something distinctive.
Something playful and fun.
‘Cos when all’s said and done
to enjoy life should just be instinctive.

He knew he’d no taste for long trips
that took him o’er oceans in ships.
But he’d go in a boat
floating nowhere remote -
while enjoying some fresh fish and chips.
When the Major General saw frisky ponies like these, he knew he’d never be able to stay in the saddle.
He started off at Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland. Not very adventurous. So he went to the Château de Lagarde in the Ariège, France, shown in the featured photo, and then…
… Sagunt, near Valencia.

You can have a playful time on London’s South Bank, and at the London Eye. But it’s more distinctive to discover pastures new – at the evening fair in Gdansk, perhaps.

That’s more like it. Floating quietly on Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia. He had the fish he’d caught in the lake later, where they cooked it for him at the lakeside restaurant.

WP is being very irritating today. It won’t let me centre some of my photos, or alternatively to align all my shots to the left, whatever I try, and however loudly I shout at my laptop. So I have to admit defeat.

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

33 thoughts on “Further Adventures of Major General Algernon Gove”

  3. Oh, that’s really clever – a great way to showcase Debbie’s words! Your poem is brilliant and the photos match up very well. I especially enjoyed seeing Dunstanburgh featured, one of my favourite spots in Northumberland (even if Algernon didn’t find it fortified enough!) As for the photo alignment, until I saw your comment at the end of the post I assumed it was deliberate, to break things up a bit, and I found it quite effective 😀

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  11. Funny! I’d love to see what the Major General would make of WP, were he a blogger. It was half signing me in and half out today, although after a struggle I fixed it.

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    1. This is now a constant with me. Half in, half out, and nowt I can do. My Army fellow wouldn’t stand for it. He’d demand a bit of discipline from those IT chappies.

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      1. I suspected as much. Mine is very intermittent. It has been throwing up two notification columns side by side unasked and so obscuring the bit you press to send the comment. I find it very embarrassing because I am sure it does the same on my own site. I may be incompetent but prefer not to appear that way!

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