Author: Bearsy

A Queensland Bear with attitude

Aunt Lisl comes to stay

He was the sole occupant, his left hand grasping the remains of a pint that was resting on a small copper-topped table, its polished surface weakly reflecting the evening sun through a puddle of what looked like blood, but was probably only Campari. The key was placed carefully away from these dregs, lying half concealed by his leather driving gloves. Nobody wears them any more, but in the early sixties they were still an accessory to be admired, an indication of a certain wealth, or at least of breeding, in the owner.

I had followed his instructions to the letter, turning left off the A3 at the Malden roundabout, and heading south towards Worcester Park. His directions had been accurate, The Plough coming into view on the right almost immediately after I had passed under the railway bridge. I had pulled across the traffic into the car park and rushed into the bar. Mine host had looked up expectantly, but I had already seen what had to be the Snug; a small room half-hidden behind the fireplace. Progress has since replaced it by a modern extension of the restaurant, but in those days it was a lovingly preserved adjunct to the old building, roughly built from local stone, with two tiny windows and ancient wooden bench seats, now comfortably covered with deep red cushions. Continue reading “Aunt Lisl comes to stay”

The Monarchy and Rangers – a Surf through two Nations

I am a regular reader of the ABC’s Drum – a fact that probably leaves most of you cold unless you happen to recall the occasional article that I have linked here for your amusement.

Most of the time the articles are too specifically Australian to be worthy of exposure on The Chariot, but today there is a beaut inspired by the imminent arrival of Betty and Phil in Canberra this evening for a short visit which will, at last, include Brisbane, and will culminate in the opening of CHOGM in Perth in ten days time.

Strangely, the piece – entitled “Long to reign over us – God save the Republicans” – was not written by an Aussie, but by an antipodean-savvy Brit; it’s a lament for the failure of republicanism in both countries, and a damning, but amusing, indictment of the movement’s shortcomings.

Having chuckled, I decided that I needed to learn more about this bilingual Brendan O’Neill, so I did a little armchair  surfing.   It turns out that the gentleman is the editor of Spiked, a UK web-site vaguely similar to the Australian Punch, a source that has also been linked here to the dismay of our more restrained members.

Now, this is where the story really takes off.

Now peruse the unexpected dénoument . . .

Not Fade Away

OK, I’m a little slow, so it wasn’t until I heard a short tribute program on ABC Brisbane this arvo that I realised that to mark what would have been his 75th birthday last month, a tribute album had been issued with covers by some fab performers.  I don’t usually like covers, but most of these are beaut – or awesome, as the kids would say.

Here’s Stevie Nicks (think – Fleetwood Mac) with my all time Buddy favourite –

Ringo’s “Think it over” is well worth a listen, too. 🙂

Hear the entire album courtesy of Rolling Stone.

Bugger!

As you know, Boadicea and I know next to nothing about Rugby Union, but when I found that the Wales-France match was on free-to-air, live, we had to watch it.

They had their chances, didn’t they?

We both thought that Wales had got the conversion after their try, but obviously they didn’t.   Perhaps someone can explain why?   It seemed to go between the two bits of wood and over the other bit, but perhaps our eyesight’s failing.   Update after reading the sports journos – Ah! I now understand that the ball hit one of the bits of wood, so it doesn’t count.

Great shame, the crowd would have gone wild if they’d won. 😥