June 12
Did you
by any chance watch the trooping of the Colour yesterday? I certainly did and I
have a feeling that for some reason I can’t put my finger on, it wasn’t as
good, or perhaps a smoothly run, as it normally is. I’m not so sure that Liz
was all that impressed either. The fly-past though was certainly well done,
even if it was a fairly small display compared to what it used to be. I mean,
where was the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy? Oh of course, they don’t have
any fast jets now do they even if there is a huge great carrier almost ready
and another on the way. They do have helicopters however, but of course the RAF
had hogged that one too.
So the RN
was conspicuous by their absence. Right at the end though it reminded of
something that I have seen on YouTube a few times, the Death Marches of the
Indian and Chinese armed forces. The drill and turn out of these forces is superb.
After I first saw it I made a comment that struck me at the time; ‘While the
parade was excellent, millions of people are hidden around the back starving.’
It was at
the end of yesterday’s fly past that the same thought struck me. Those airplanes
would have flown over some of the poorest areas of England to get there and to
get back. Just how much did the whole show cost the tax payer? How money could
have been spent on the NHS or on feeding some of hungry people of England? Of
course, I’m not a royalist, even if I am a proud ex-soldier, and perhaps that
colours my view point here.
But I
also love history and that parade speaks of centuries of proud and noble history
for the regiments involved. Even so, I’m not a lover of tradition for
traditions sake. I mean, come on, do anything twice in the exact same way and
it becomes a tradition! So now I know; I’m a republican lover of history who
hates tradition. Oh dear … no wonder me erts s’much!
I wonder
of you have ever thought about the power in our voices. Not all of us have done
so and not all of us have used our voices to the full, thankfully! Really great
orators a few and far between. Think of Churchill’s ‘We will fight them on the
beaches’, speech being given by Roddy MacDowell for example. A voice that has
always made me sit and taken notice of is Richard Burton. The man wasn’t at all
likeable, but that voice of his was really powerful. His narration of Jeff
Wayne’s War of the Worlds was
brilliant; so much so that when I came to read the book it entered my mind in
Burton’s voice, not mine. Now I understand why Ian Rankin won’t watch or listen
to any of actors who have played his Rebus.
This
train was started when we sat and watched one of the Natural World on butterflies. The narrator was one Imelda Stoughton,
or if it helps, Prof Umbridge of Parry Hotter fame. Two entirely different ways
of using her voice, and both a success; a sign of a great actor folks. On a border
front I’ve noticed that one of favourite actors, Morgan Freeman is doing voice
overs in a number of ways, including the Tom Cruise version of the H G Wells
classic. (Oh yes, it looks like Mr Cruise is going to be filming part of his
movie in the Digbeth area of Brum later this year. What a nightmare for traffic
that will be!)
Peanut
butter … the mere thought of the stuff makes me shudder! I don’t like nuts of
any kind, and yet to show my contrariness even more, I do like the flavour of
nuts. It’s the texture of the nuts themselves I don’t like. Every time I try
them I end up with effects on different people though. My brother Dave loved
them; but every time he ate them he had a really bad smell come off him, and
no, he was clean and tidy. It got so bad in the cinema one time, no-one would
sit near him. Of course, Dave being Dave, he loved that idea of having all that
room just himself.
But I do
wonder why so many people love peanut butter. Crunchy or smooth it flies off
supermarket shelves. It seems that we Brits (or some of us that is), are slaves
to the stuff. As for me, I’ll stick to jam, lemon curd and marmalade!
Today’s
photo …
Easter eggs I saw on sale on January 7 this year. Have a look at the
EXIF data if you don’t believe me.
Today’s
funny …
Why do bananas never get lonely?
Because they always go around in bunches.
Because they always go around in bunches.
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