2021 July – Eventually, Misty, Circle of Life, FFL, Too Hot to Handle, The Dark Side
Eventually
This is a picture of me struggling to find somewhere to kip, in amongst all the stuff that has appeared out of nowhere today. I found somewhere eventually.
Apparently it belongs to an Aunt. Mum is going to go through everything and sort it all out.
Eventually.
I’m not holding my breath. Mum can be quite slow about dealing with stuff like this. It usually just gets moved around the house for a year or so, and then Mum gets fed up and does something about it.
I am resigning myself to my new life amongst the debris.
Misty
This is Misty.
She’s a dog we sponsor on behalf of offspring #4. Mum would probably have got another dog except she knows perfectly well that I would take a pretty dim view of that idea.
Also, let’s be honest, I am more than enough to handle.
So it proves that when she does engage brain, Mum is perfectly capable of making sensible decisions.
Although, from what I gather, over the years there appears to have been quite a high level of inconsistency in the thinking-things-through department.
Just saying.
Mum has pointed out that if she always thought-things-through, I probably wouldn’t be here.
Fair point.
Circle of Life
The garden has been invaded by small (rather handsome) critters.
Mum is taking the view that it’s all part of the circle of life and if they’re left alone then nature will balance everything out in the end. In the meantime bits of the garden have been devastated and some of the plants are covered in aphids.
This is the second year Mum is leaving it all to nature and interestingly, more plants seem to be surviving than last year. Also, really weirdly, the aphids seem to be congregating on a few sacrificial plants and all the rest are fine.
French Foreign Legion
The offspring know someone who has joined the FFL. Apparently it’s still a thing. And apparently they’re still there.
Fun Facts: Created in 1831 by the King of France to permit foreign soldiers to join the French Army. Over the years, these guys have been everywhere, Algiers, Spain, Crimea, Italy, Tonkin, Africa and of course in WW1 (highly decorated) and WW2 and more recently the Gulf war, Cambodia, Sarajevo, Somalia, Rwanda, Kosovo, Afghanistan & Ivory Coast.
Currently the FFL comprises 11% of the French Army ground forces and soldiers come from 140 different countries. FFL has distinctive headgear known as the Kepi Blanc. The FFL is the only part of the french army that does not swear allegiance to France but to the Legion itself (Honneur et Fidelite) . If you have a clean record after 3 years service, you can apply French citizenship.
Too Hot to Handle
This is me. I am exhausted. It is way too hot.
Mum has decided we’re not going out. So curtains closed to try and keep the place cool.
The Dark Side
Powerful you have become, the Dark Side I sense in you.
Offspring #3 has been admitted onto the Roll of Solicitors.
So, it’s official now.
Saffron’s recommendations this month:
Music: Shall we go for a bit of Adam Levine and Maroon 5? Yes, I think we shall. An LA pop / rock band. They’ve sold more than $135m records making them one of the best selling music artists. Go for:
Sugar
Animals (naughty)
Payphone
One More Night
Wake-up Call
Daylight
Misery
Reading: Starmaker by Olaf Stapledon, published by Orion Books.
First published in 1937, a history of life in the Universe encompassing billions of years and supremely influential within sci-fi. Mum reckons quite a lot of Star Trek seems to fall quite naturally from this book (but who knows eh?). This book arguably eclipses his other cosmological novel, Last and First Men, although that is a good read in its own right.
Films: Has to be anything Star Wars doesn’t it really? If you were to watch the Star Wars films in chronological order (and why wouldn’t you?) it would look something like this, although new stuff keeps being added:
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Solo
- Rogue One
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Challenge accepted?
In the News:
England beat Ukraine 4–0 in Rome to reach the semi-final of the Euros for the first time in 25 years :) Go Gareth.
England beat Denmark 2–1 after extra time at Wembley in the semi final :)
England lose 2–3 on penalties to Italy, following a 1–1 draw after extra time. :(
Five people are arrested after England footballers were racially abused online following their Euro 2020 final defeat.
The High Court rules that approval for a road tunnel under Stonehenge is unlawful.
Northern Ireland experiences its hottest day on record, reaching 31.2 °C and torrential rain causes flooding in many parts of London.
COVID-19 in the UK: Most remaining legal restrictions on social contact in England are removed