Living With Huns 3: Germany Is Not a Civilised Country

Germany is not a civilised country. Disregard the arguments many make to the contrary. Germany is, again, not to be considered a civilised country. Germany cannot be considered a civilised country because it is lacking in the three key requirements for being considered a civilised country: aged cheddar cheese, proper tea and a functional postal service.

The importance of the first requirement cannot be overstated. How does one survive without a steady supply of aged cheddar? I simply do not know. Recently, in my Hun-induced reduced living conditions, circumstances have obliged me to become more frugal in culinary habits. As the weather grows chiller I have started making more soups. Herb and dumpling soup, yeast soup, pumpkin and courgette soup, etc. One soup I have not been able to make is the humble, honest Cheshire soup. Potatoes, carrots and aged cheddar are the three primary ingredients. On more than one occasion I have embarked on a perilous journey in the search of the Holy Cheddar only to return as successfully as I did from my Measuring Spoon Saga.

Continue reading “Living With Huns 3: Germany Is Not a Civilised Country”

World Rhino day

From my daily read …

A game ranger at the Kruger National Park gives an orphaned baby rhino water. Its mother was killed by poachers. Today is World Rhino Day to sensitise people about the devastation poachers cause as South Africa and neighbouring countries battle to protect endangered species. More than 750 rhino have been poached in South Africa since the beginning of the year

 

EP v OFS and EP v Pumas

My programme

For those of you who have missed my regular updates on the (non) performance / (non) progress of my Eastern Province rugby team, fear not, we still go, we still watch and we still leave disappointed!

Some may remember my post on our first match since rejoining the top tier of SA rugby not to long ago. Well not much has changed since then, our record in this year’s tournament now reads played 7 – lost 7.

Yesterday was no different, we started off not to badly, went behind to a couple of penalties, conceded a try, scored a beaut of a try ourselves and went into half time trailing by only 6 points, then the wheels fell off!

Most disappointing however was the crowd, in my many, many visits to our stadium for a variety of football and rugby matches yesterday’s crowd has to be the smallest that I’ve ever witnessed, I know, supporters love a winner!

Notwithstanding the result, a great day, great weather, great company.

Only one more home game left, so not much more of the agony to endure.

(until next year that is.)

…….

…..

Continue reading “EP v OFS and EP v Pumas”

The Nag’s Head – Nuneaton

As some of you may have read in my entry to the September photo competition, I originally intended to enter with a ‘then and now’ of the Nag’s Head Pub. I have many fond memories of this particular pub and was quite disappointed when I arrived at the scene last week, during a home visit to see my parents, only to find that it had recently been demolished.

Some people advise never to go back. It is generally good advice as I often feel quite depressed as I see more and more of my old memories destroyed. However not going back is not an option for me as I have my parents, many aunts and uncles (all 90 years old plus or minus a few years), one of my two children and five grandchildren all living there, not to mention the 30 or so cousins and their children and grandchildren. Anyway, this is about the Nag’s, not me.

This is believed to be the Nag’s Head around 1890.

Nags 1890

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Living With Huns II: Trains and Buttered Brötchen

One of the more pleasant aspects of living in the Trier region is the architecture. Trier, as I have not been remiss in informing you, was at one time the second city of the Roman Empire. St Helena was born in Trier and Constantine the Great much preferred his mother’s hometown over Rome. Most days, when returning from grocers, I walk past St Nikolaus Church. A dreadful miscreation of the 1970s, it was built over a beautiful, if decrepit, Baroque church which in turn was built on the ruins of Constantine’s summer villa. The foundation stones can still be seen in the crypt, remnants of the bath can be seen – and touched – just beyond the church, nearer the cemetery.

From the church one can also see the former Konz train station. At one time a villa for military leaders of some standing in the region, this Renaissance structure has tragically seen better days. While structurally sound, years of neglect and oiks have conspired to the worst. The sandstone walls are covered with spray-paint and many windows are broken. Inside, graffiti is scrawled on the walls and the ceiling. Some oiks, it seems, have at least that much ambition.

Continue reading “Living With Huns II: Trains and Buttered Brötchen”

Over and over and over again

“That which is repeated has been, otherwise it could not be repeated, but the very fact that it has been makes the repetition into something new,” Kierkegaard

I am positive that this is the first time Kierkegaard has been quoted on The Chariot. It’s always good to bring something new to the table.

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Mrs M Forever

There I was manning the barricades of sanity against the gibbering hordes of the SNP and attempting to counter their deranged rantings with carefully selected barbs of calm wit and reason. And, to be scrupulously fair and honest, shouting at the odd one of the traitorous bastards just a tad every so often.

Then Mrs M suggested that I should unman said barricades for a long weekend and go for a wee trip just to allow me to calm down and to recharge my batteries of reasoned, totally understandable and justified invective. I humoured her and we drove off at lunchtime on the Thursday after I had set the Sky box to record the opening NFL game of the season on Thursday night, the England v India ODI on Friday and Germany v Scotland on the Sunday. Continue reading “Mrs M Forever”

The bagpipes…

… are thought by many to be the worst ‘musical’ instrument ever invented.As a soldier, though, I can tell you on the best of authority that when you’re cold, wet, hungry, down to your last magazine and in the deep, deep do-do, the faint sound of the pipes floating in through the freezing fog is the most beautiful sound you’ll ever hear. The Jocks are coming…

In the wider social matrix, the contribution of Scottish engineers, scientists, mathematicians and canny businessmen, as well as artists, writers, musicians, historians…. is well known and widely documented in our history books.

If you’re ever wandering through the malls and street markets in Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong for example, you may notice this:

 

Taikoo_Dock

 

and I’m sure the charioteers, spread as we are over a significant portion of the globe, could add many more examples Continue reading “The bagpipes…”