My oldest son begins his fourth and final year at university next week. His third year was spent on placement at a firm. He should have finished there two months ago but the powers that be asked if he would like to stay for the extra months. He said yes. His last day was on Friday and he had a night out with his co-workers. On his behalf I felt overwhelming sadness. Sadness that we all have felt. This would be the last time he would see some of these people in his life. We move on, we always move on and left behind are persons, good and bad. Continue reading “I’ll meet you further on up the road”
Author: theroyalist
Who’s eating who?
The cartilaginous fish, the stingray, is not an aggressive creature.
Tell that to Steve Irwin the self-styled Crocodile hunter. It’s just over four years ago that the over-confident wildlife expert was speared in the chest by a stingray barb, killing him. Irwin exhibited all the negative characteristics of your chummy Australian: porky, cocksure, idiotic gestures. He was colourless, humourless and ultimately reckless.
Just as Steve Wright in the Afternoon begat the transforming of DJ’s from spinners into all-round irritating personalities, Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter, spawned many copycat followers. The wildlife expert was now an adventurer. Suddenly it wasn’t enough to show nature in the raw, there had to be interaction. Irwin would get up close and personal with his favoured reptile inviting them to have a bite. This was what the TV executives craved. Exciting, reality television with dangerous animals; peril sells. Continue reading “Who’s eating who?”
Impulse
Ever fed up doing the same old thing? Has routine got you down? The only way to stop the rot is to do something out of the ordinary. You know the types of things I’m talking about: go to the library and hire out a Louise Doughty book, memorise pi to seventy-three decimal places, seek out broken traffic lights on a four-way junction and direct the traffic.
Well I always like to cover new ground and a dangerous inclination came upon me in the pub this morning. Continue reading “Impulse”
Other women
Hagar the slave girl was the first recorded mistress in history. In ancient times the role of the other woman differed from today‘s. The then-barren Sarah pragmatically let Hagar sleep with her husband. Eventually, jealousy kicked in and Sarah exiled the mistress and her son to the wilderness of Beersheba.
Continue reading “Other women”
Diptych (missed the cut)
Taking photographs of the great outdoors is not one of my hobbies. Therefore, most of my snapping is done indoors. I know I’m a bit late to enter the 14th photographic competition as set by my castle-dwelling, tram-travelling cousin, though I found this old dusty shot in my archives (hark at me) that might have been suitable as an entrant. You can judge for yourself what this is meant to be.
The case against fishing
One of the things almost as bad as rugby is fishing. I have an in-law who fishes every weekend. He has invited me, on occasion, to take advantage of his spare rod and trek the ponds and waterways with him. Now I can see the attraction of sinking a good few beers while you’re waiting for your line to be pulled, it’s just that those good few beers could be supped doing better things. Continue reading “The case against fishing”
First signs of deterioration
When I’m unwell I try to brave it out. My antibodies have done a good job in keeping serious illnesses away from me and Ken Norton anti-virus will punch any pathogen that dares to intrude. Lately, however, there’s been a pain in my shoulder that’s hampered my sleep. This ache would probably be a sports injury or so I thought. Continue reading “First signs of deterioration”
Ein wenig licht musik. Take two…and action. Schön und weich
Slideshows killed the flip chart
Downloads, legal or otherwise, are affecting sales in CDS/DVDS. E-books are damaging paperbacks. DRS technology is interrupting the flow of live sports. Henry Kissinger winning the Nobel peace prize made satire redundant (that one is © Tom Lehrer). David Miliband mutated from Sonny to Fredo when Ed led the family business. Apart from watches, digital crushed analogue. Continue reading “Slideshows killed the flip chart”
The name remains the same
Depending on the website I visit the Libyan leader (well he is as I go to press) Gaddaffi’s surname changes. I’ve seen Gadhafi, Kadaffi and Quadaffi on my travels. It seems there are 112 ways to spell the tyrant’s name. Even his “Christian” name is problematic with Muammar or Moammar the top two in the charts.
Another guy who gives me headaches is Mahmoud Abbas or Abu Mazen as he is sometimes called. This man with two names should make his mind up. You don’t see our newspapers writing Cliff Richard or Harry Webb as he is known to some.
I suppose I’m being hypocritical as most of us have alibis (sic) we use in cyber space. Some with multiple identities. I’m now about to venture into dangerous waters as I might upset the owner with this one. Boadicea, seemingly, has a Gadhaffi-like tentacle alternative list of monikers. Boudicca and Bodica, two such examples.
Quickly moving on and finishing with a Royal flush, misspellings don’t bother me when they are still logical. You know what I mean, Rodger instead of Roger, Bryan instead of Brian, Jon instead of John. However, when Freddie is spelled Freddy I blow a fuse. Spell it rite i.e without the y.
Boadicea's Chariot 
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