Olympic Games

I may not be able to add to my blog for a few days as I am holding out for a medal in the 'Sofa Endurance' event.  x

Some things are just unexplainable....

This picture is of a lady named Pearl Witherington an SOS Agent thoughout the War years.  She was born in Paris of British parents which gave her a dual nationality, love of both countries and a perfect French accent.   She joined the SOE, finishing her training as the best shot the service had ever seen and was paracuted into occupied France where she joined a leader and began causing havoc with the train lines the German army depended upon for troop transportation.  After 8 months her Leader was captured by the Gestapo and she took over and went on to run an active marquis  of some 2,000 men and women with bravery, gallantry and distinction until the war ended when she then presided over the surrender of 18,000 German troops.
At the end of the war she married and lived in London and was strongly recommended for an MC but apparently women were ineligible for such a high honour so she was actually sent  a civil MBE.  She sent this back with a sweet note saying she did not deserve it as she had done nothing civil at all during the war, she had been a serving soldier.
She was to wait 60 years before being given her parachute wings by the British.
 The French decorated her with the Legion d'honneur.
She returned to France later in her long life and died in a Residential  Home near Paris aged 93.   RIP Pearl and thank you.

all I need now is..............

 



I have just come across this picture of a tree we had in out garden in Spain
and I realise that all I need is some gin, tonic, ice, the blue sky and the warmth of the sun and I will think it is summer in the UK!

uniform ...or not?

A short time ago we had a large group of children in the Cathedral for an education day.
The Dean welcomed them all wearing full fig of long black cassock and brightly coloured cummerbund
and they all enjoyed his sense of humour as he welcomed them to the Cathedral, the Archdeacon, similarly attired wandered around having just done a daily Service.  Then one of the Canons came to tell the children what was going to happen
during their day with us but he was dressed in a plain grey suit.  After the meeting and greetings we split the children into groups and off we all went to different areas to take part in the activities and to enjoy ourselves.
I was just getting to know my group when a very worried little blonde girl put up her hand and said
'Miss, I really don't think that man was Canon Robert'
I assured her I knew Robert and that was definitley him and asked why she should think he wasn't who he said he was and she said  'Well he wasn't wearing a uniform so he could be anybody couldn't he?'
This seemed to amuse all the other children and I knew I would have to rescue her so I told her she was a very good girl and never to be ashamed or embarrassed to ask people to prove who they are as we have all been told to.  She was happy with that and looked at the other kids with a look of distain but it got me thinking - do we trust people in uniform more than those who do not wear it and should we?   I thought of a friend who went into a psychiatric hospital and the state his confused and worried mind was confounded by the fact that none of the nursing staff wore uniform and really could only be recognised by the size of the bunch of keys they carried around.   He came home in the same state as he was before being admitted and I am sure that the simple fact that he did not know who to turn to for help led to his delayed recovery.
All the children in the UK wear a uniform of sorts and I am so glad because my grandaughter who lives with me would NEVER get to the school bus if she had to select an outfit for the day, every day.

Beautiful Bristol

 This is a picture of the Council Houses in Bristol - do they really need all this room?
I know lots of boring items appear on their agenda and I appreciate the fact that
they sit and discuss for hours on end but whenever I pass by I always think what
good accomodation it would make and how much money the council would raise
    by selling the building for up market homes right in the centre of the city....
...........only a thought! 

please leave me alone

Why do the servers suddenly decide to 'update' these blogs without our knowledge?
Why fix something that isn't broken?
It has take me some time to understand how to upload my pictures and even compose the text.
I am not very IT literate but I do get used to using sites only to find when I get the hang of it
it has been updated 'to make it easier'...............is it just me?    Grrrrr!

Raja Ram MohunRoy 1772 - 1833

This picture is of Bristol Cathedral and in foreground stands the statue of Raja Ram MohunRoy
an Indian reformer who died whilst visiting friends in Bristol.
I always feel like making a bow to him as I pass him by very often as he is a great hero.
As a religious and social reformer the modern day Indians owe him a great deal.
Whilst working tirelessly against what he saw as superstitious and unjust practises in his homeland such as sati (the practise in which the widow was burned on her husband's funeral pyre), caste rigidity, polygamy and child marriage he also fought courageously to get the British Government on the side of giving welfare to the Indian nation which they ruled and for the education system, such as it was, not only to improve but to include girls.   He died at the age of 61 of meningitis whilst visiting friends in Bristol who were supporting his cause with the Government but not before he had seen the Hindu Nation ban sati for ever.  He is buried in the Arnos Vale Cemetery in southern Bristol.   Lots of visitors from the Indian Continent visit his grave - he lived and died a hero.

football crazy

One good thing about England being knocked out of the European championship
was the demise of these silly little mittens that appeared on all the car wing mirrors.
Once it was pointed out that the flags attached to cars were coming adrift and therefore a danger to other road users some wit came up with these 'cute' little mittens.
I hope some other brains are designing some other symbol for the next tournament.