Author: bravo22c

16th Photo Competition – Result.

Well, my apologies for not getting this done yesterday. Not that I was at all distracted by the absolutely terrible mood brought on by the dreadful, pathetically inept departure of the English team from the RWC at the hands of, for pete’s sake, why them? Anybody else I could have stomached, any other team – Zimbabwe, Dubai, Luxenbourg, Monaco, but why, of all teams, couldn’t they just raise their game long enough to beat the bleedin’ French…

I even laughed at this joke sent to me by my Brother wot lives in Sydney, (well, Newcastle, actually, though at the moment he’s driving his supertanker somewhere around the Southern Ocean – he’s the smart one of the family.)

An Englishman, Irishman and a South African walk into a bar

………………at the departure lounge.

Ha, bloody ha, ha.

Anyhoo, on to a much more congenial subject. I liked all of the photos – Araminta’s was especially creative, I thought, and OZ’s was, well, OZ’s, though he did redeem himself with the charming shot of Das Furballen cuddling each other

Soutie’s pride was splendid – we often hear the expression ‘feral grin,’ but the middle lady in the shot really embodies the phrase.

Toc’s gatos rechonchos look expressively indolent, and RR’s Cleo, with her tail mid-twitch, has that ‘You think you’re getting away, don’t you,’ look that cats do so well, even with a furry toy.

But the one I liked best, was Pseu’s, even though it marked a sad occasion. The slightly glazed look in the eyes says, ‘Yes, I know I’m on the chair, but I’m going to sleep, live with it.’

So, the winner is Pseu – over to you, Ma’am.

Drugs, by a Soldier.

I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to earn that pay , I train for war and eventually deploy. I am required to pass a random urine test… for drugs, with which I have no problem. … What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to p…eople who don’t have to pass a urine test. Shouldn’t one have to pass a urine test to get a benefits cheque because I have to pass one to EARN IT for them? Please understand that I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do on the other hand have a problem with helping someone sit on their arse drinking beer and smoking dope. Could you imagine how much money the government would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a benefit cheque?

And then there’s politicians, the people who decide when and where I should fight…

A Tragedy for Dan Carter.

Perhaps tragedy is too strong a word – after all, it’s only a game. I do, however, feel a lot of sympathy for Dan Carter. He is, without doubt, the finest outside half currently playing the game and the World Cup Final would have been a crowning glory of his career. No schadenfreude here, btw. If New Zealand do not win this World Cup, Carter’s absence from the team will, no doubt, lead to a lot of, ‘ Ah, if Dan had been playing…’ and a feeling of some kind of devaluation of the, (imagined,) winners’ achievement. I still don’t expect New Zealand to lose – they are playing by far the best rugby of any of the sides in the tournament.

I predict an England – New Zealand final with the All blacks to win, though not by a cricket score.

I might even have a little punt on England to sneak it 🙂 (I did a double on Samoa to beat SA and Tonga to turn the French over – nearly £900 quid for a £10 stake – Samoa were so close…)

I need a tool.

Now, now, settle down.

I have a song going round in my head and I’m blowed if I can remember what it is.  So, I thought to myself, why isn’t there a musical search engine that you can sing, hum, or whistle a tune into and find it?  But wait, I thought to myself again, the charioteers are an amazingly talented bunch, one of them will know for sure, so here’s some Bizet, I think, from Carmen, I think, so that someone can put me out of my misery.  (A capella and entirely unrehearsed…)

A video, latterly deleted by Bravo.

The 28 Panfilov Heroes Park

The Panfilov Division of the Red Army took part in the Defence of Moscow and marched to Berlin. The Division was raised in Kazakhstan and the 28 Panfilov Heroes Park commemorates the 28 Soldiers of the Division who earned the honour, Heroes of the Soviet Union, and the rest of the Kazakh soldiers of the Division. Interestingly, a high percentage of the 28 were Jewish. The park is just at the bottom of the road outside the little estate where I live.

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16th Photo Competition

First of all, thanks all for the kind comments. To tell the truth, the pic of the shadow of the tree on the church was an ‘accidental’ shot. You all know me and buildings 🙂 I was shooting pics of the church and discarded this one from the ‘church’ shots because the shadow of the tree distracts a little from the image of the church I was trying to get. I kept it because, despite not being a shot of the church I liked, I did like the actual composition, and when the subject of the competition came along…

I like dogs. I don’t have one of my own because I travel so much and usually live in flats – I don’t think that flats are the right environment or dogs, they need space. That’s why I have a cat, pop her in her travel bag and she goes anywhere. Mind, I do like cats too. You don’t own a cat in the same way that you can own a dog, they’re much too bloody-minded and independent. I always call my cat my owner because that’s how, I’m sure, she sees me 😀

So, the subject of the next competition is ‘Cat!’ (Note the exclamation mark 🙂 )

Entries please by midnight UK time on the 8th Ocotber. (Extra week because I’m probably going to be travelling in the last week of September.)

Creative heads on!