Boadicea's Chariot

My cherished fellow Charioteers,
in April I will spend two weeks in the British Isles
before returning to California for roughly two months.
Having found Hunland increasingly unpalatable, and with my
job still based in California, a long working holiday
seems to be in order. That, and I have to obtain records
in California required for a Chinese work visa. I will be
visiting England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic
of Ireland before flying from Dublin to San Francisco.
The dates for my times in the British Isles is 8 April to
22nd April. Because of this, I will not be travelling to Scotland
in January.

Mrs FEEG and I will be celebrating Thanksgiving in the US of A next week and when we get home on December 3^rd, I am hoping to find lots of pomes on the subject of “Giving Thanks” for judging in the Month’s Poetry Competition.

There have already been a couple of very good ones, but rather fewer than we might hope for. So, please, put on your thinking caps and start composing.

Flying over France left me hopeful. There was a fair amount of visibility and it seemed as if the weather would co-operate. Flying over the English Channel did little to break my mild streak of hope of seeing a bit of English coastline from the air. The grey, churning waters were clearly visible. My hope grew as time progressed and Davey’s Follies started appearing below, spin, spin, spinning in the wind. Quietly, gently I hummed “the Man of la Mancha” to myself as my small aeroplane flew over rows and rows of Davey’s Follies. Soon, I thought, I will see the English coast. The colour of the water started to change, more waves became apparent. My hope was rising in a sharp crescendo – the English coast in autumn! Suddenly, my Luxembourg Airlines Bombardier flew into a thick cover of clouds – grey, grey, white and then grey. A few minutes later, the pilot announced that we had started our final descent into London City Airport as the clouds broke and suburban South-Eastern England appeared beneath. “Oh, g-d, good old England” I thought.

The rest of my flight progressed nicely. We arrived in London half an hour late. Passport control was quick and painless – although it took a few minutes for my suitcase to arrive. After a 15-minute chinwag with two members of the Royal British Legion, I purchased my perquisite poppy and set out to see if Boadicea made it from Hove. Not seeing anyone, I purchased a single fare ticket and went to Waterloo Station. Having a few hours to spare, I walked to Westminster and explored the Houses of Parliament from the outside. Security was high and I heard a news-reader announce that the Jaguar that just drove through the gates was bringing Davey of Davey’s Follies’ fame to another session of wrecking the United Kingdom. I could not help myself humming “the Man of la Mancha” again, albeit slightly louder this time in response to the din of traffic.
Continue reading “A tremendous week.”

The photo competition, which asked for ‘photos which focusses on some detail we may usually overlook’ had an encouraging number of entries, considering how quiet it is currently around these parts.

Ara’s delicate silhouetted tree was the first entry, and a striking one at that, with blue sky and pink tinged clouds in the background, plus the chance to see the flowers and the green of the leaves faintly against the house.

(Personally I feel the strength of the image may have been improved by cropping to keep just the silhouetted image, loosing the house.) Continue reading “Pseu’s ‘Detail’ photo competition, results, November 16th 2014”

I have been wondering for some time why this silly woman had her bottom enlarged to such a ludicrous extent.  Now I know.

http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2014/11/12/photos-kim-kardashian-fesses-jean-paul-goude-paper-magazine_n_6143576.html?utm_hp_ref=france

Most people would just go out and buy a new occasional table.

Thanks to Janus’s incredibly good taste, it appears I am in a position to set the theme for November’s Pome Comp.

Since Mrs FEEG and I will be visiting our son and daughter-in-law in Washington, for Thanksgiving, I think a good theme for a poem would be Giving Thanks.
Continue reading “A poem for the November competition.”

I always think of “Toc” our late member when this time of the year comes around.

It was always he that stirred us into to casting our minds back and thinking of those who fell during the many conflicts, in many different parts of the world for far too long.

I was pleased to see the Springboks with the poppy on our shirt during the destruction of the Welsh in Cardiff yesterday. In remembrance of Toc and the millions of others, I’ve changed mine.

(re-posted from last year, complete with comments)