On this day the Great Fire of London started, the first ATM opened for business and the Allies celebrated VJ day.
It’s also that time of the year when leaves begin to turn
brown or red, and thoughts about Christmas begin to form. We have decided this
year to take ourselves off to the seaside for Christmas and see if we can
entice some of the family to join us – at least for Christmas lunch. We know
that No. 2 son is off to foreign parts with his family, - to a man turning left
as they get on the plane bound for, among other places, Borneo. Seems a strange
place to go for Christmas, but if the opportunity arises, I suppose you should
take it.
August was relatively quiet. Grand-daughter came to stay
overnight the other day. It’s nice to have young people about. We fed and
watered them and took them to see Swallows and Amazons at the local cinema. A
gentle film, a bit like one of the Famous Five books by the sainted Enid
Blyton, bit very enjoyable, and very different from the sort of films that they
usually watch. Also taught them to play Mah Jongg which seemed to go down well,
but they have always enjoyed playing board and card games. They asked to be
taught bridge next time!! And strangely, I found that no-one had taught them to
play chess, so this is all for the future.
Had the two-yearly CT scan to check that the stent that was
put in to neutralise the aortic aneurism is still in place – and awaiting the
result of that. Reverted to the Tonbridge School pool for swimming – but I may
have to stop that if getting out does not get easier. I packed up the leisure
Club at Tunbridge Wells because it is quite chaotic, and you can never tell if
the pool, which is only 4 lanes and 20 metres, is going to be free, full of
unscheduled private lessons or mother and baby sessions. Can’t complain about
the latter, though – it is really important that kids are taught to swim at a
very early age.
Lots of 50th wedding anniversaries about now.
Life does seem to go in phases, - engagements, 21sts, weddings, births, and so
on.
August, being holiday time, results in less incoming mail,
and less entertainment. Thanks to Alan for the following:
AN
AMAZING WALK ON "CHRIST THE REDEEMER", BRAZIL
If
you suffer from vertigo, this might not be for you to watch…
THE
EUROPEAN UNION, BREXIT - AND THE SURPRISINGLY TOPICAL SCRIPT FROM "YES,
MINISTER"
FILM
STAR AMBUSHED IN JUNGLE BY APES…
MY FOOTSTEPS?
An
acquaintance of mine who is a physician told this story about her
then-four-year-old daughter. On the way to pre-school, the doctor had left her
stethoscope on the car seat, and her little girl picked it up and began playing
with it. Be still, my heart, thought my friend, my daughter wants to follow in
my footsteps! Then the child spoke into the instrument: "Welcome to
McDonald's. May I take your order?"
A
golfer is in a competitive match with a friend, who is ahead by a couple of
strokes. The golfer says to himself, "I'd give anything to sink this next
putt." A stranger walks up to him and whispers, "Would you give up a
fourth of your sex life?" The golfer thinks the man is crazy and that his
answer will be meaningless. At the same time he thinks this might be a good
omen, so he says, "Okay," and sinks the putt.
Two
holes later he mumbles to himself, "Boy, if I could only get an eagle on
this hole." The same stranger moves to his side and says, "Would it
be worth another fourth of your sex life?" The golfer shrugs and says,
"Sure." He makes an eagle.
On
the final hole, the golfer needs yet another eagle to win. Though he says
nothing, the stranger moves to his side and says, "Would you be willing to
give up the rest of your sex life to win this match?" The golfer says,
"Certainly!" He makes the eagle.
As
the golfer walks to the club house, the stranger walks alongside and says,
"You know, I've really not been fair with you because you don't know who I
am. I'm the devil, and from now on you will have no sex life."
"Nice
to meet you," says the golfer. "My name's...Father O'Malley."
+++
Another Golf Story
A
pretty decent golfer enters a tournament and is assigned a caddie. On the first
day, the golfer misses a few easy shots and turns in a poor round. He tries to
forget about the first round, but on the second day, he scores even worse. The
third day-worse yet. By the last day of the tournament, he's so disconcerted
that he can't even break 100. Finally on the last hole, after one final
chilli-dipped 9-iron he looks at his caddie, who has been very patient all
week-end, and shouts: "You've got to be the worst caddie alive!"
The
caddie thinks about this for a second, shrugs, and replies, "No, I don't
think so, sir. That'd be too much of a coincidence!"
+++
That’s all we have to offer this month. Keep them coming.
