Enormous and Hideous

I needed to get to the Royal College of Music in Kensington. Since it was so sunny I walked through Hyde Park to get there.

Now, I know that the Royal College of Music is in front of (or behind) the Royal Albert Hall. And I sort of knew that there was something called the Albert Memorial behind (or in front of) that. I thought I would probably find it alright. It's true, I did.

As I approached the A.M., I could see that I would be there quite soon. Ten minutes later, I still hadn't got any closer despite continuous ambulatory motion of the legs (walking). Was it a medium-sized monument in the middle distance, or was it a large monument further away? Now I can tell you: it is an enormous monument a bit further away than I thought!

The other thing that it is (as you may have guessed from the title today) is hideous. Hid-e-ous. It seemed to me that it was not very tasteful, at least. This was partly because it was too big (it seems that when humans get pleased with themselves they build big things to show they rule the earth!) but mostly because it was black and gold. Well, I don't much like black-coloured things anymore because they look gloomy, and the gold just seemed wrong too. But you see the whole of the Victorian era was about being dark and gloomy. I am thankful that England is recovering a little now.

The Albert Memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria (1819-1901, reigned 1837-1901) in memory of her husband Prince Albert.

I like the trees better. Some of them are big, too...

My Dream Has Come True

All week I have been reading the weather forecast. In the temperature column I was watching the number "24" (Centigrade)...to see if it would, as usual, turn into "4" when the day arrived (or "-4"!).

Before I went to sleep last night, I had only one wish. It was a simple wish. Please let it be sunny tomorrow - was my wish. Yes, readers, that was the only thing I wanted in my whole life, as of last night! Maybe it is a sign that I have become simple-minded. Shouldn't I have been wishing for a million pounds? A fast car? A swimming pool?

So - my dream came true! And, even better than that, I have just checked the weather page and it says it is TWENTY-FIVE DEGREES! So I got at least one degree more than I was offered!

So now everything has come true, what do I ask for from life? What do you give the man who has everytthing? I don't know, I'm quite happy!

Right, now I'm going back outside. See you out there!

Recommendations

There are 25 countries in the world that have no army. Did you assume, like I probably did, that all countries have an army?

I suppose we are used to conflict - it is the rule rather than the exception.

Among the 25, there are different reasons for the absence of an armed force. In a number of cases, the US military takes care of any hostile situation that might arise.

But I can see at least one that deliberately doesn't have an army.
Here is what I read on Wikipedia about Costa Rica:

On December 1, 1948, president José Figueres Ferrer of Costa Rica abolished the country's army after victory in the civil war in that year. In a ceremony in the Cuartel Bellavista, Figueres broke a wall with a mallet symbolizing the end of Costa Rica's military spirit. In 1949 the abolition of the military was introduced in the Article 12 of the 1949 Constitution.

The budget previously dedicated to the military now is dedicated to security, education and culture; the country maintains armed Polices Guard forces. The museum Museo Nacional de Costa Rica was placed in the Cuartel Bellavista as a symbol of commitment to culture.

In 1986, president Oscar Arias Sánchez declared December 1 as the Día de la Abolición del Ejército (Military abolition day) with law #8115.

Unlike its neighbours, Costa Rica has not endured a civil war since.

This is my first recommendation for today: staying away from conflicts.

Further recommendations:

Squid
Squid Ink
Mushrooms: Morels, or any kind, dry-fried for a while, then with lemon juice and black pepper added - tastes of autumn

Quiz: what is the tastiest part of the prawn?

English Weather