Stag

Look! They have deer in London!

I found this one in Richmond Park. It takes one hour to get there from door to door.

I hadn't seen deer before. There are also a lot of parakeets flying around. I don't know how they got there, but they seem to like it.

OK my deers?

Crown Clowns

The Crown Jewels of England are well known. I suppose they are the number one thing in this country to try and steal. Or, you could just admire them at the Tower of London without resorting to crime, which, after all, does not pay.

We had some other Crown Jewels, but one of our Kings (John of England) lost them. Yes, he lost them! He was near the bit of sea known as The Wash, and they got washed away. Deary me.

Then Oliver Cromwell took over many years later. He was not a King but a "Protector", and what he was protecting us from was Kings, among other things (he also protected us from theatre, Christmas, and fashionable haircuts). Having examined the record of one previous head of state, we can be glad Oliver was also protecting the Crown Jewels (which obviously need a lot of protecting, particularly at high tide). However, he didn't do a very good job, because all that is left of the Jewels of that time is three swords and a spoon. And you try fighting with a spoon. Possibly this is why he stopped protecting us, gave up and a big nest of Kings started growing again as Charles II returned from France where he had been visiting relatives for some time. Now that the English had resolved to stop cutting off the heads of Kings etc, it was safe to return and start thinking about new crowns and so on. Crowns are known for being uncomfortable, but let me tell you, you'd be glad of the feeling as long as it meant you still had a head to keep the crown on.

Right, who's going to lose the Jewels next? Oh, and have you looked behind the fridge?

Quizzezzz

Take a quiz!

It might stretch yr brain a bit!

Go here ... mostly they are good.

Antworten

The answers are:

1. He is twitching because...he owns a coffee shop! He really was shaking quite a lot, rather like Tweek in South Park (whose parents give him a lot of coffee because they own a coffee shop).

2. The venue was firebombed! But the fire went out and Ian Pace could continue his performance of Finnissy's Verdi Transcriptions. That explains why several large policemen came out of the door as I went in for my rehearsal on Sunday morning!

3. Django Bates rhymed lemon with demon-strate. Only once, he did not base his entire performance on this feat!

Berlin was more relaxed than London. And hotter! Agh! Or Ach, in German.

Berlin Facts

I am back!

Here are some handy facts about Berlin:

1. Somewhere in the Prenzlauer Berg area of Berlin, a man is twitching. He is twitching quite a lot.

2. When a performance of Michael Finnissy's piano music gets out of control, burly berlin policemen get called in.

3. It is easy to rhyme only with lonely, maybe with baby, but only one person could rhyme lemon with demonstrate.

Answers tomorrow.

The Berliner Klaviertage 2006 were impossible: it was impossible that such interesting pianists could ever play in the same city, in the same festival, over three days - most of them on the same night! Amazing. It was very very good and I hope they get the opportunity to have a lot more piano festivals.

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?

Quiz

I took a test - so can you! Here is my result:

You Are Sunset

Even though you still may be young, you already feel like you've accomplished a lot in life. And you feel free to pave your own path now, and you're not even sure where it will take you. Maybe you'll pursue higher education in a subject you enjoy - or travel the world for a few years. Either way, you approach life with a relaxed, open attitude. And that will take you far!

What Time Of Day Are You?

I feel like it was right. Probably because I only notice the things I agree with and ignore the things that are not right! See if you can do the same!