Boadicea's Chariot

Julio Iglesias

On Saturday the 7th of August my da and I drove with a full ute  to San Francisco in order for me to move into the flat that was, my contract, mine for at least a year. Upon arriving at the leasing company’s office I was informed that they had no record of it and that, in fact, the lease was invalid as the lease agent who signed it was, according to the new lease agent, in no authority to sign it as her company no longer owned the property when she did so. Having just spent 4 hours on the road and 30 minutes trying desperately to find a loo I was somewhat less than clear in my thoughts when this news was delivered. Worse, even, the flat was occupied by the new property manager! Since the lease was not valid, the nice young lady said, there was absolutely no way they could require him to move. Instead, a smaller, cheaper, less desirable flat in the same building was offered to me. In a state of panic and confusion I signed the second lease and went to inspect it. It was, in short, simply unliveable. The carpet was tattered and taped down. The walls were peeling lead paint and wall paper. I could not, under any circumstance, content myself to living in those conditions for any period of time. After rescheduling a delivery of furniture from IKEA my da and I drove back across California to the small mountain town where I am, once again, sitting. My father, more cynical than even I — and such a thing IS possible — had me investigate the issue further. By Monday afternoon the situation had changed drastically. After discussing the matter with the San Francisco Rent Board and the Housing Rights Commission of San Francisco I found out that the original lease was, in fact, legally binding AND valid and that the second lease was, in fact, void. Since I only signed it under false pretences and under emotional duress the contract simply would not hold up under California law. At the moment I am in the process of working with a solicitor in order to have the second lease voided and my deposit/first month’s rent returned to me. I have hotel rooms booked for the following six days and will look for a new place to live then. I have written one woman who has a basement flat for rent and have written another man who has a small, but fully furnished, flat to rent. Once this is sorted I will let you all know the details.

There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.
Gilbert K. Chesterton

Goodnight everyone, sleep well.

This is by far the best explanation of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read.. The author of this email is said to be Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well-known and well-respected psychiatrist.

Dr. Tanay’s views on Islam:

A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. ‘Very few people were true Nazis,’ he said, ‘but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.’ Continue reading “A German Doctor’s View of Islam”

By your command, ladies 🙂
(These were all taken with my pocket camera – Fuji Finepix.)

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4^th January 1982. Mrs M doing one of the many things which she does superbly. In this particular case, singing with her usual, thrilling and powerful alto voice. Me,  just happy to be there.

We had enjoyed our time in Jerusalem where the ‘Scottish Chorus’ had performed ‘Belshazzer’s Feast’ twice and ‘Israel in Egypt’, once in concert and once in a recorded studio version.. I had had a major ‘Wheeeeee’  time and she had worked her socks off. Continue reading “How I Ended My Holiday at Christmas 1981”

Some first impressions. I flew here on the national airline, Tarom, which was fine; modern aircraft, good service and the light meal – it’s only a couple of hour hop from Cyprus – was reasonable, for airline food. A couple of vignettes from my first week should give you the – flavour>

Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a whole one.
E. B. White

Goodnight everyone, sleep well.