Author: theroyalist

Core values in action

In a frantic hurry I rushed from my house to be on time for an engagement that had just popped up suddenly. As I’d have to park the car some distance from my rendezvous it was quicker running. Unless you’re running for a bus it does look suspicious to see a grown-up sprinting down the street. However, care went out the window as my meeting was important so I ran like the wind. Continue reading “Core values in action”

An Endurance too far

Leafing through a dictionary can be enlightening, much more rewarding than browsing a phone book. A directory I receive annually is as good to peruse as a lexicon. The almanac in question is the ever changing Yellow Pages. Businesses come and businesses go, Old Yeller is a listings manna manual. Continue reading “An Endurance too far”

No gesture out of place

The answer was Richard Jaeckel. It was only a difficult question if you didn’t know the answer. Knowing the answer gave me full bragging rights. My son looked at me with a mixture of awe and contempt. I milked the silence for all it was worth and then compounded his misery. Continue reading “No gesture out of place”

Canvasses and Mattresses (JM’s creative comp)

The top floor studio was ideal. Stacks of old paintings, metal utensils and other assorted clutter were scattered all over the place. This made the property cheap by the city’s standards. Dereliction might be off-putting for some; although I’ve watched TV builder entrepreneurs transform pits into palaces. For me dilapidation was right up my street, I work better in chaos.

At last I had somewhere to forget my kinky muse and I didn’t need to march to a far away desert singing about a black pudding with other outcasts. This spacious, detritus strewn attic made me dismiss thoughts of jumping in quicksand. Yes, it was touch and go for awhile there. I remember the fateful day as if it were yesterday. Continue reading “Canvasses and Mattresses (JM’s creative comp)”

It’s a crying frame

There have been recent scandals in snooker concerning match-fixing. John Higgins and Stephen Maguire have been two of the individuals involved. I believe that snooker has been “bent” for a long time. While not having hard evidence to substantiate my allegation I can put forward a good argument to back-up my claim. And it’s all to do with Pot Black.

Pot Black was the colour TV marketing man’s dream; a multitude of colourful balls randomly displayed on a green baize. This successful programme was watched by millions and contributed to snooker becoming more professional and popular. Continue reading “It’s a crying frame”

A Day in the Lift

With my mind full of other important pre-occupations, I’ve never got round to working out the correct button to press on the outside of the lift. Inside the lift, of course, I’m as smart as Ozymandias and it’s simply a matter of pushing the number button of the floor I want to reach. This will take me to my destination. Like a bird learning to fly, a child learning to walk, a Queen-side castle, the first process of lift ascending is the hardest. Continue reading “A Day in the Lift”

Social taboos

It goes without saying that the breaking of wind in company should at all costs be avoided. There are other disgusting habits that should not be formulated when others are about. I will not expound.

Gratuitous swearing is not nice and I have stopped swearing for over a year now (I got a round of applause at the last SA meeting). Something happened on Saturday that was many times worse than swearing in public. Continue reading “Social taboos”

A different snapshot for Pseu’s comp

Following Bearsy’s instructions I have clicked on the thumbnail of some of the images I’ve inserted on the Chariot’s hallowed pages. The sizes of these ugly uploads are pretty big. I can emphasize with his concerns about re-sizing. The pre-processing is the problem for me. I know it’s been said before but as a newbie I might have missed the tutorial. What is the best program, by which I mean the easiest to use, for trimming photographs?

As for the photography competition I don’t think I’ll be participating much because in my neck of the woods a guy wandering about with a camera taking snaps would be-
a) called a weirdo. Continue reading “A different snapshot for Pseu’s comp”