hardy missing out the zzzzzzzzzz! !

The reading group had been planning to start the challenge of Hardy being such a keen reader the first question I am often asked "what are you reading " and with the answer of hardy you could feel the mouth go down and the most common statement is OH SO BORING " but we are not deterred Evian though we had read "The uncommon reader "(how the queen found reading )with much hilarity we felt Hardy may prove more of a challenge than the Qeane but determined its leaving the hustle and bustle of Birkenhead and off to Wessex unmmmm (CIDER) HIC!


First things the title FAR from the madding crowd conjure up various images such as escaping like we are from the town to deepest wessex to a more simple life! or as one lady sudgested it just escaping from the mad people you meet in life !! I am with the former but still early days


I have read Mayor of Casterbridge and yes I did enjoy but have been told this is BORING but lets not give a final verdict til at least half way !


The main character called GABRIAL OAK gave abit of discussion of his name as someone called FRED !WILLOW would not give off the same aura ! as the mere name GABRIAL sound stating the obvious quite angelic and an oak is sure and steady and grows over time !


BETHSHEBA reminds you of yje other bethsheba and her behaviour with David in the bible although must reread this as not entirely sure of Bethsheba in bible!!

I was quite surprised to find us laughing quite frequently with the meeting of the two over the toll bar and the payment of twopence , I found him quite a likable character cant put my finger on it!! but not all thought so especially when the 2Nd installment came creeping along and found Mr Gabriel peeping through a crack at two women discussing the most exciting subject of sheep so from then on he became MR PEPPING TOM but come on only human nature to take a peep and I think you are lying if you are saying you would not!

BEING honest the 2nd chapter found few of us going on " oh we want a story as a lot of waffle about all things nature , I do like the finer things in life but cant stand waffle in a story (but then I am a fine one to talk or maybe that should be write

Good point while discussing this chapter at least you could feel the country side almost and this gave discussion how difficult a farmers life is and probably how isolated he feels so as said no wonder he peeped!

Bathsheba came across as a bit of a teese and somewhat vain especially when admiring herself in the mirror but most young girls do that !
By now settling down but we were glad of abit of drama which we got with a lost hat , yes you did read that right but much laughter as the peeping Gaberial was watching bethsheba as lost her hat but he dutifully returned it,but we were beginning to wonder if already in love and much discussion about "love at first sight" and wow ! how she blushed like a red tomato when she returned the hat ( just picture an overripe tomato)

the drama gets hotter and hotter as Gabriel overheats what is cooking like me not a fan of masterchef but luckily his faithful friend, what else but a dog goes for help from bathsheba
and all is well or otherwise would have been a very short book!

The humour between the two is very much evident and not to much is mad of the great and gallant rescue and their it all ended and yes we did enjoy it and we did laugh at Hardy wow!
more zz z of the sheep next time!

feeling crabby

ha ! I bet we have often felt out of sorts and the saying "I,m crabby " comes to mind.but no one as been able to say for sure were the saying comes from could come from 2 sources , the sourness of the apple or well you would not be happy if a crab nipped you


Last week a company's selling various sauces like mustard took local children on their local crabapple fruit collecting day to make jelly with and you thought all that went out of fashion yeons a go!!


Actually the English Dictionary does not know what the word means so what chance have us mear mortals and not sure whether crabs or apples are related !

I am not sure whether Shakespere understood the word crab but that is what the dog is called in two gentlemen of verona


I don't think i have ever been bitten by a crab but i would not like to be snapped by a Japanese spider crab which its leg span is over 12 feet , well I am 5 feet four so this is unimaginable well its not but still and don't forget weighs over 40 pound and live for about a century so all that pinching and nipping people must be doing some good

I am not to sure how many people will go to Japan , I doubt it will be me as don't Even like leaving merseyside but still be aware very afraid as their is the largest crab called spider crab whose legs can reach over 12 feet yes that is right 12 feet golly goshand weigh over 40llb and lives over 100 years so although well a pensioner dont have a fight with it!

Their has been a lot of of fuss over the years of women parading around the world in beauty concerts but what about crabs who I am sure have no choice not like human beings but in Ocean city NEW JERSEY they have a concert for crabs were the C winner is crowned MISS CRUSTAEAN(I bet miss beautiful crab was not crabby that day)! the winners have been very varied such as COPA CRABANA Crabunzel, SANTA CRAB AND CRABOPATRA and you thought human names were bad!

I adore crab sticks!In fact I can eat packets at a time well maybe exaggerating slightly but unsure if is actual crab I am eating but still tastes yummy , but many humans must like crabs as 1.5 million are eaten each year!! ( I thought i liked them but not this much!

You would have thought that the crabeater seal would eat crabs as its name suggests but NO ! not on its menu but small shrimps needless to say it was not the cool British but the french who named the frog should have been SHRIMP EATER but still we all make mistakes with names!
I don't know how long humans have been eating crabs but the crab peeler was not patented til 1980 by Harry M.snr!! oh well i am getting ratty now or should I say crabby so will nip off!

FIRE PHOTOS

the photos below well the 1st one pretty and the second needs no explanation but the 2Nd shows the monument to the GREAT FIRE OF LONDON in 16666 although a bit of mystery why they would call such a tragedy great but i suppose the whole place was rebuilt and people are supposed to learn from their mistakes but such shame often takes a great tragedy for things to progress

Un-Edited

Monument to the Fire of London.

FIRE !FIRE !LONDONDS BURNING

I loved that tune when a child London burning londons burning and still try to sing it today when sing rounds in old people homes!!


The great fire of London actually started today in 1666 and destroyed most of the medieval city of London!

At a rough guess 13,2oo houses were burnt down, and 87 Churches including the original ST Pauls cathedral although i never believe these numbers , i have always wondered about the number things and who it is who counts the houses or today the number of people who visit a shopping centre, in a day how do they know!

Today the first thing someone thinks when disaster strikes is "I hope I have paid enough insurance " well you might not know (or you May depending what you read that we have got the

Great Fire as the first insurance company started a year later and aptly called the fire office
Today comments are often mad about the ridiculous names people have especially the craze to have the most original name but THANK GOD not got the original name of the person involved with the insurance agency was "hath christ not died for thee wouldst be damned Barebone "" so was quite understandable when changed name to NICHOLAS which his mates probably hastend to change to NICK although his Dad had thename Issac nothing wrong with that but not to sure of the "PRAISE GOD bit
I have always been slightly frightened of Fire when quite young I remember a flim something about people falling into fire but dont want to dwell to muchas wont sleep tonightand I rember coming home one day and the house behind us was gutted due to a chipshop fireand was always checking things especially when people who smoked came into the house!!although Hans Christian Anderson must have had a fear of fire always carried a bit of rope to clambour down on incase of the Shout FIRE!
A friend of my brothers also died in a fire which was a pure accident probably started with a hairdryer left 2 brothers managed to escape but not the eldest, people always this kind of thing will not happen to them but I am afraid to tell you fire causes 600 deaths a year and 18,600 injuries and actually 3/4 of all accidents in the home so beware you have been warned

The cost of fire damage to our homes and other building currently cost about 7 billion a year not something to be sneezed at , but then while i write about all these disasters , this reminds me got on Insurance so maybe Iam one of those that says will never happen to me although people who know me say very accident prone

The most famous fire will I think always be the GREAT FIRE OF LONDON so only fitting to have a huge monument which is 202 feet tall and stands exactly 202 feet from were the original fire started although I would hate to be the one who does all the calculations, Leave that to the numbers people and stick to my words.
One of the most famous quotes was by KING HENRY V who stated "War without fire is like sausages without mustard, although I eat my sausages with no dressings so to capture the flavour !(OH well I suppose it was a long time ago he said that)
Oh well for a game of MONOPOLY BUT i doubt wont last as long as the one on the end of a fire engine which lasted 101 hours obviously no water to dampen the spirit then

BE CAREFUL