Read any good books lately?

Two of the books in this pile were not for me, but for Cycloman. I expect you can guess which two, without much thought.

There’s something so very different about reading on holiday.
I had started and not progressed with ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ months ago and put it away. Something made me pull it out and pack it for the holiday and this time I found it an enjoyable and informative read while relaxing in France. Amusing and light, but still managing to convey some of the horror of living under German occupation. Continue reading “Read any good books lately?”

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?”

It is OK, ladies, I have put my hard hat on already :-)

New Seat Belt law

This became effective Sep 1, 2011 in ALL Countries.

The International & National Highway Safety Council has done extensive testing on a newly designed seat belt.
Results show that accidents can be reduced by as much as 95% when the belt is properly installed.
Correct Installation is illustrated below…….
Continue reading “It is OK, ladies, I have put my hard hat on already :-)”

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”

The Plight of the Little Green Pond Hoppers in Germany.

This is the second part of the saga of the amphibians in Germany. At a later date I will write about German views of the British and American military presence as well as the French military occupation, though the latter will be touched on here. This post will be depressing, please accept my apologies in advance for that.

France does not have a volunteer military, something reflected by the generally low morale of their soldiers. They are treated terribly, get paid painfully little, and miss out on some of the best years of their lives. As a result of this, French soldiers often did not have much money to buy clothes or to keep them properly clean. In Germany this becomes instantly noticeable. Germany being, of course, a country in which appearances are important. It’s not uncommon for Germans to put on new, clean clothes simply to walk to corner shop to get one or two items in the evening out of fear of meeting someone they know and losing face. The French, however, were not given a chance to dress properly. Their trousers would often be filthy and raggedy. Their shirts scummy. The cut of both was almost universally poor. Much of the time the clothes were also second hand. Germans are infamously impatient and unforgiving people with such things, generally preferring conformity in virtually all ways. Their appearance would often lead to either sympathy or contempt, especially considering France’s reputation as one of the world’s foremost fashion centres. Continue reading “The Plight of the Little Green Pond Hoppers in Germany.”