#irish guards 22

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

The Princess of Wales Winter 2024 Photo Challenge!

Day Two: Favourite photo(s) of Catherine on St Patrick’s Day/St David’s Day/St Andrew’s Day

The last St Andrew's day activity that was St Andrew's day related being in 2012 while she has 47 thousand photos available to show her celebrating St Patrick's day... something something

[protagonist-art]

he's dead by the time rdr2's story begins but i'm pretending he's not

[theplotmage]

50 Supernatural Entities to Haunt Your Halloween Night for Paranormal Fantasy Writers:

1. Vampire

Description: Blood-drinking creatures of the night.

What They Do: Feed on the blood of the living, sometimes charming their victims first.

Appearance: Pale skin, sharp fangs, often dressed in dark, old-fashioned clothing.

2. Werewolf

Description: Human by day, wolf-like beast by full moon.

What They Do: Transform into violent wolves and hunt at night.

Appearance: Muscular, covered in fur, with fangs and claws; halfway between wolf and human.

3. Ghost

Description: Spirit of a deceased person.

What They Do: Haunt places they have ties to, usually in a restless state.

Appearance: Translucent, often resembling the person they were in life.

4. Banshee

Description: A female spirit who forewarns of death.

What They Do: Wails loudly to signal someone’s impending death.

Appearance: Gaunt, with long hair and wearing white or gray robes.

5. Poltergeist

Description: Mischievous, noisy spirit.

What They Do: Throws objects, slams doors, and causes disturbances.

Appearance: Invisible but known for chaotic energy and moving objects.

6. Revenant

Description: Corpse risen from the grave for vengeance.

What They Do: Seeks revenge on those who wronged them in life.

Appearance: Decayed and skeletal, with tattered clothing.

7. Wendigo

Description: Cursed, cannibalistic spirit.

What They Do: Feeds on human flesh and spreads madness.

Appearance: Tall, emaciated with antlers and pale, cold skin.

8. Zombie

Description: Reanimated corpse, often mindless.

What They Do: Wander in search of living flesh to consume.

Appearance: Rotting, decayed, with vacant eyes.

9. Ghoul

Description: Creature that feeds on the dead.

What They Do: Raids cemeteries, feasting on corpses.

Appearance: Grayish, decayed, with sharp claws and teeth.

10. Shadow Person

Description: Mysterious dark figure, often seen in peripheral vision.

What They Do: Follows or observes humans, inducing fear.

Appearance: Tall, dark silhouette without detailed features.

11. Lich

Description: Undead sorcerer who achieved immortality.

What They Do: Uses dark magic to control other undead beings.

Appearance: Skeletal, with tattered robes and glowing eyes.

12. Mummy

Description: Reanimated, embalmed corpse from ancient tombs.

What They Do: Seeks vengeance or protects their treasures.

Appearance: Wrapped in bandages, often missing pieces.

13. Grim Reaper

Description: Personification of death.

What They Do: Collects souls of the deceased.

Appearance: Hooded figure in a black robe, carrying a scythe.

14. Succubus

Description: Female demon that seduces men.

What They Do: Drains life energy through intimate encounters.

Appearance: Attractive, sometimes with bat wings and horns.

15. Incubus

Description: Male counterpart to the succubus.

What They Do: Preys on women, draining their life force.

Appearance: Handsome, often with dark or demonic features.

16. Dullahan

Description: Headless horseman from Irish mythology.

What They Do: Rides a black horse, heralding death.

Appearance: Carries their own head, glowing eyes, wearing dark armor.

17. Necromancer

Description: Sorcerer who commands the dead.

What They Do: Raises and controls undead creatures.

Appearance: Dark robes, carrying a staff or book of spells.

18. Hellhound

Description: Fiery, demonic dog from hell.

What They Do: Guards the underworld, hunts souls.

Appearance: Large black dog with glowing red eyes and flames.

19. Draugr

Description: Undead Norse warrior.

What They Do: Guards treasure and attacks intruders.

Appearance: Bloated, decaying corpse with armor.

20. Chupacabra

Description: Beast that preys on livestock.

What They Do: Drains blood from animals, mainly goats.

Appearance: Reptilian, with spines and sharp teeth.

21. Djinn

Description: Ancient spirit capable of granting wishes, often with a trick.

What They Do: Manipulates wishes to harm the wish-maker.

Appearance: Wispy, ethereal, with sometimes human features.

22. Yurei

Description: Vengeful spirit from Japanese folklore.

What They Do: Haunts those who wronged them in life.

Appearance: Pale, disheveled, with long, dark hair.

23. Headless Horseman

Description: Decapitated rider seeking revenge.

What They Do: Rides at night, often hunting for a head.

Appearance: Headless, in dark clothing, riding a black horse.

24. Gorgon

Description: Snake-haired monster that can turn people to stone.

What They Do: Hunts or curses those who look upon her.

Appearance: Female, with snakes for hair and a terrifying visage.

25. Kraken

Description: Giant sea monster, often attacking ships.

What They Do: Destroys ships, drags sailors underwater.

Appearance: Gigantic, tentacled beast resembling an octopus.

26. Nosferatu

Description: An older, monstrous version of a vampire.

What They Do: Preys on blood, more feral than elegant vampires.

Appearance: Rat-like features, bald, with elongated claws.

27. Shtriga

Description: Witch from Albanian folklore that preys on children.

What They Do: Sucks life energy from young children.

Appearance: Elderly, shriveled, with a long, pointed nose.

28. Jiangshi

Description: Chinese hopping vampire.

What They Do: Drains life force, hopping instead of walking.

Appearance: Rigid, dressed in ancient attire with a pale face.

29. Aswang

Description: Filipino shapeshifting creature.

What They Do: Hunts humans, especially at night.

Appearance: Changes from human to monstrous form with long tongue.

30. Noppera-bo

Description: Japanese faceless ghost.

What They Do: Terrifies people by erasing their face.

Appearance: Normal human but with a blank face.

31. Kitsune

Description: Fox spirit from Japanese folklore.

What They Do: Plays tricks on humans, can possess or enchant.

Appearance: Fox with multiple tails or as a human with fox traits.

32. Rakshasa

Description: Demonic being from Hindu mythology.

What They Do: Devours humans, uses magic to deceive.

Appearance: Animal-like face, often with fangs and claws.

33. Wraith

Description: Malevolent spirit tied to a place of death.

What They Do: Harms those who enter their territory.

Appearance: Shadowy, with skeletal hands and a hooded cloak.

34. Ghast

Description: Larger, more terrifying version of a ghoul.

What They Do: Consumes living and dead flesh.

Appearance: Grayish, skeletal, with sharp teeth.

35. Kappa

Description: Water demon from Japanese folklore.

What They Do: Drowns humans and feeds on them.

Appearance: Humanoid with a beak, webbed hands, and water-filled head.

36. Selkie

Description: Mythical seal creature that transforms into human form.

What They Do: Lives as human on land, as a seal in water.

Appearance: Human with soft features, seal-like in water.

37. Manananggal

Description: Filipino monster that detaches its torso to fly.

What They Do: Feeds on unborn children and blood.

Appearance: Upper body separates and grows wings at night.

38. Gashadokuro

Description: Giant skeletal monster from Japanese folklore.

What They Do: Crushes and devours people.

Appearance: Enormous, skeletal, with fiery eyes.

39. Pontianak

Description: Vengeful female spirit from Malaysian folklore.

What They Do: Attacks men, especially those who wronged her in life.

Appearance: Beautiful, but transforms into a blood-stained, terrifying figure with long nails.

40. Strigoi

Description: Undead creature from Romanian folklore, precursor to modern vampires.

What They Do: Rises from the grave to feed on blood or energy.

Appearance: Gaunt, pale, with sharp teeth, sometimes bearing claw-like nails.

41. Demon

Description: Evil entity from various mythologies.

What They Do: Possesses or torments humans, spreading chaos.

Appearance: Often with horns, red skin, and menacing features, sometimes invisible.

42. La Llorona

Description: “The Weeping Woman” from Mexican folklore.

What They Do: Wanders near bodies of water, crying for her lost children.

Appearance: Pale, drenched in white, with a sorrowful, ghostly presence.

43. Kelpie

Description: Shape-shifting water spirit from Scottish folklore.

What They Do: Lures people, usually children, into water to drown them.

Appearance: Often a beautiful horse, but can appear as human.

44. Dybbuk

Description: Malevolent spirit from Jewish folklore.

What They Do: Possesses living people, usually to fulfill unfinished business.

Appearance: Invisible, but exerts dark energy around the possessed.

45. Hag

Description: Wicked, old woman often associated with witchcraft.

What They Do: Casts curses, manipulates people, sometimes feeds on fear.

Appearance: Elderly, with wrinkled skin, often carrying magical trinkets.

46. Mare

Description: Spirit that causes nightmares.

What They Do: Sits on the chests of sleeping people, creating disturbing dreams.

Appearance: Shadowy, mist-like figure, sometimes with a vague human shape.

47. Fenrir

Description: Gigantic, mythical wolf from Norse mythology.

What They Do: Destined to bring about Ragnarok, devouring gods.

Appearance: Massive, fierce wolf with powerful jaws.

48. Tengu

Description: Supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, part bird and part human.

What They Do: Mischievous or malevolent; protect forests and mountains.

Appearance: Humanoid with bird wings, red face, and often a long nose.

49. Doppelganger

Description: An exact double or duplicate of a living person.

What They Do: Appears to forewarn misfortune or even bring harm.

Appearance: Identical to a specific person, but with an eerie, lifeless presence.

50. Nightmare Horse

Description: Fiery, demonic horse that haunts dreams and the night.

What They Do: Gallops through night skies, bringing fear to those who see it.

Appearance: Black horse with glowing red eyes and flaming mane and hooves.

[juniper-divination-and-witchery]

The Evil Eye in Irish Folklore

In pre-modern Ireland, like in many other cultures, the power of the gaze held immense significance. Practices and customs associated with the evil eye were passed down through generations, and many were collected in The School's Collection in the 1930s.

The School's Collection has proven to be an indispensable asset in my exploration of Irish paganism. However, it can be quite a task to read, classify, and integrate all the materials on any given topic. The following are my notes from what I've encountered searching the records, but I hope they'll prove useful to others.

What is the evil eye in the Irish folk tradition?

In Irish folk traditions, the evil eye was believed to possess an otherworldly power, capable of causing illness, misfortune, and even death.

It was believed that those who possessed the evil eye could knowingly or unknowingly project this baneful magic onto others simply through their gaze. The evil eye could affect many aspects of life including people, livestock, and crops.

This ability is often referred to as "overlooking" or "blinking" in the Duchas records and the terms can be used interchangeably.

In this locality, long ago, it was a common belief, that if people met with any reverses, or suffered any loss of property, the misfortune was due to "the evil-eye," meaning that some person supposed to have an evil eye "overlooked" their property, and that was considered the reason for the particular piece of ill-luck. If a person with an "evil-eye" took particular notice of any animal, for example, the animal would either do himself an injury or pine away gradually. Usually, the possessors of the "evil eye" were not aware that they had such a particular kind of eye, or were connected with other people's misfortunes. Duchas.ie

What causes the evil eye?

There are numerous things that could cause someone to be born with the evil eye (people are generally considered to be born with it rather than acquiring it later in life). Some of the reasons recorded are:

Having the surname Marrinan 1, 2, 3 or Kingfisher 4.

Being born on Whit Sunday (the seventh Sunday after Easter) 5, 6 or on June 29th 7

Babies returning to breastfeeding after being weaned 8, 9

Babies seeing their baptismal towel before it was washed 10

Your Godparents omitting a word during your baptism 11

Prevention of the evil eye

To protect themselves from the ill effects of being overlooked, people developed customs and rituals, the most popular of which included:

Waiting to light their fires on May Day so that the evil eye did not take their luck and profit for the coming year 12

Placing St. Brigid's crosses around the home (and outhouses) 13, 14

Nailing a donkey's shoe to the threshold of the home (this also helped to guard against the Good Neighbors) 15

For animals, placing a Gauldoron Garragh knot on their back would provide protection 16

Using red items (usually cloth) to distract the evil eye 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Asking God to bless the person or thing being talked about after you suspect an overlooker (a common term for those who possess the evil eye) has spoken about them 22, 23, 24, 25

Jumping through the flames at midsummer 5

Cures for the evil eye

If all your preventative measures failed, there were several cures that could be tried.

For a baby born on Whit Sunday or another unlucky day, the cure was to place green sod over them three times 4, 6, 8

A cure commonly used with animals thought to have been overlooked was to write the overlooker's name (if known) or the entire alphabet (if the overlooker's name is unknown) onto a piece of paper or other burnable material and burn it under the animal's nose so that it inhales the smoke 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

A piece of thatch from the overlooker's house, or even a piece of their clothing can also be burned under an animal or person's nose (or burned and then the ashes put into a drink) to cure the evil eye 27, 28, 29

Water from a place where three townslands meet can cure when sprinkled on the overlooked animal or person, but the person who gets the water must not speak to anyone on their way there and back 30

Forge water can also be used in the same way 31

While the belief in the evil eye has faded over time, the echoes of these traditions can still be felt in Irish culture today. These records serve as a reminder of the deep-rooted folklore and superstitions that once shaped the lives of the Irish people and can help inform our Irish pagan practices today.

[aphroditeslover11]

The Flat Next Door

Fun to write and thank you for the ask! i swear to God I feel this gif somewhere deep inside of me!

Warnings: a bit of touchy feely, mentions of divorce, not proofread and fuelled by lingering red wine and exhaustion!

Jim was fresh out of his divorce. He had lost his kids in a custody battle after getting into a fight with their step dad, along with the majority of his savings, his new girlfriend left him as soon as he wanted to get serious and he really was completely alone in the world. Bearing all of this in mind he moved across the Irish Sea and took up a new job in Liverpool. The pay wasn’t the best but he wasn’t responsible for anyone apart from himself now and the city itself made up for it. It did mean though, that aged 42, he was having to live in an absolute dive in a block of apartments he never though he would have to see the likes of again until now. The kinds of people living here were the ones that you didn’t want to bump into on a dark night or had just decided to give up on life and slowly rot into the decaying depths of society. He was pretty sure that the apartment to his left was being used as a weed farm from the smell and the weird times that people were walking in and out. The flat to his right was a bit different though, it belonged to a girl who simply didn’t fit in among this band of junkies and lowlifes. She couldn’t have been much older than 22 and always kept herself to herself. Everyday she would come home at around the same time, make dinner, work for a bit and fall asleep with the tv on in the background. It was hard not to notice these things with how thin the walls were. Who was she though? That was something he was curious to find out.

~

It was three months after you had moved into your apartment that the absolute unthinkable happened. Somebody had broken into your flat, not that you should have been surprised. The door had been kicked clean off the hinges and nobody had even thought anything of it. The place missing a door though meant that it was hardly safe to stay here and fixing it was not a job that you could do yourself. This was how you had come to meet Jim, the helpful man from the apartment next door who had spotted your distress and come over with a toolbox to help you fix it. You had invited him in for coffee and the pair of you had fallen asleep on the sofa, not that it meant anything of course, you were scared so he had stayed incase the burglars had made a return visit.

After that you had started meeting up for coffee periodically. He learnt that you were a student, having ended up here after fleeing from the house you had been sharing after discovering that your boyfriend was cheating on you with one of your housemates. Though you were at very different points in your lives there was some sense of empathy between the two of you. Perhaps a friendship based on a mutual sense of abandonment wasn’t the healthiest thing in the world, but it was certainly what you were both craving around this time. 

The other thing that Jim learnt about you was that you were a very tactile person. Whenever you walked past him in the kitchen whilst making a cup of coffee you would place a hand on his shoulder, as if to move him out of your way. If you were sat together on his shitty little sofa and he made a joke you would always place a hand on his thigh or his forearm, as if to keep you grounded as you laughed.

As of late he was starting to wonder whether there was more to these touches than he had originally thought. It was moments like these, when you watching television together with him sat at one end of the sofa with your feet in his lap, that he questioned what you really wanted out of him. He was caught off guard by you moving your feet in his lap.

“You know Jim, I’ve put them there for a reason. I missed the bus and my feet are killing me and I was hoping I might get a foot massage out of you?” You chuckled.

“You poor thing, I can’t promise I’ll be much good but I can certainly try.”

“You’re an angel, I promise I’ll make it up to you in time.” What the hell is that meant to mean?

 ~

Three weeks later and he still didn’t know what that comment had meant. Rents had been put up and he, remembering the financial struggles of being a student, had starting offering to cook for you more often. He wanted to make sure that you were eating something other than pot-noodles or HP Sauce on toast.  You’d started helping him cook as well, if he was honest the evenings were when he missed his kids the most, so the little arrangement worked out well in his favour. You were coming back from one of the cupboards with a tin of tomatoes, he was expecting your hand to find his shoulder, but it didn’t stay there like it normally did, instead trailing down his back until it came to briefly rest on his ass. Caught unawares he automatically reached for your arm, holding it in a gentle grip.

“Y/n, what are you doing?”

“You remember how a while ago you gave me that massage?”

“Yes.” 

“And I said I’d make up for it in time?”

“Yes.”

“How would you feel about cashing in on that now…” 

[world-of-wales]

─ •✧ CATHERINE'S YEAR IN REVIEW : FEBRUARY ✧• ─

1 FEBRUARY - Catherine appeared in a video for Shaping Us Campaign.

2 FEBRUARY - Catherine appeared in a video with Roman Kemp as part of the Shaping Us Campaign.

4 FEBRUARY - Kensington Palace released a childhood photo of Catherine with Michael Middleton for the Shaping Us Campaign.

5 FEBRUARY - She visited St. John's Primary School to mark the start of Children's Mental Health Week 2023.

8 FEBRUARY - Catherine was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire (Mrs. Elizabeth Fothergill) as she visited Landau Forte College along with Captain Harpreet Chandi.

9 FEBRUARY - Catherine and William were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall (Colonel Edward Bolitho) at the National Maritime Museum Falmouth in Discovery Quay. Afterwards, they visited the Dracaena Centre.

19 FEBRUARY - Catherine and William attended the British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall where and were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London (Sir Kenneth Olisa).

21 FEBRUARY - She was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire (Mr. James Puxley) at the Oxford House Nursing Home in Slough.

22 FEBRUARY - Catherine held an Early Years Meeting.

23 FEBRUARY - Catherine received Mr. Ian Hewitt (Chairman, AELTCC ) at Windsor Castle. Subsequently, she received Major General Christopher Ghika and Lieutenant Colonel James Aldridge (Regimental Lieutenant Colonel & Commanding Officer) of the Irish Guards.

25 FEBRUARY - Catherine and William met the volunteers and staff of the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust and attended the Six Nations Rugby Match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. They were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of South Glamorgan (Mrs. Morfudd Meredith).

28 FEBRUARY - Catherine and William were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of West Glamorgan (Mrs. Louise Fleet) at Brynawel House Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Pontyclun. Afterwards, they visited Aberavon Celtic Leisure Centre, where His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Mid Glamorgan (Mr. Peter Vaughan) received them. Subsequently, they were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Dyfed (Miss Sara Edwards) as they opened the new patient room at Wales Air Ambulance in Dafen.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

The road to the next duty is the only straight one.

- George MacDonald

General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith was the youngest Head of the British Army in over a century, the longest serving Chief of the General Staff since the Second World War and the most senior Special Forces officer in Defence.

The son of a major-general, Carleton-Smith went to Eton and later Durham University to read history. He joined the Army 40 years ago in 1982 on a university scholarship and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an Infantry officer in the Irish Guards. 

He passed the SAS Selection Course in 1990 and served around the world with the SAS for most of the following 15 years in the Gulf, South America, Africa and the Balkans. Carleton-Smith was Commanding Officer of 22 SAS Regiment after 9/11 and commanded all Special Forces operations in Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan.

He subsequently assumed command of 16 Air Assault Brigade, the Army’s high readiness parachute intervention force which culminated in his command of all British Forces in Afghanistan during one of the war’s most intense periods.

Promoted to Major General as Director of Special Forces, he commanded all the United Kingdom’s Special Forces for 3 years which included implementing the strategy to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq. 

Prior to taking up the post of Chief of the General Staff, the professional Head of the British Army in 2018, he was Defence’s Director of Military Strategy and Operations which included directing the UK response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea and military support to Ukraine. 

General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith has also been Honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards and of Oxford University OTC and also been a member of the England Rugby mentoring team preparing the squad for the 2023 World Cup and Colonel Commandant of the SAS.

Photo: General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, KCB, CBE (As Colonel Irish Guards) Portrait Sitting London. (Rory Lewis Photographer) London 2023.

[justforbooks]

Colin Bradbury, who has died aged 90, was the BBC Symphony Orchestra clarinettist whose dazzling cadenza in Sir Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs held audiences breathless at the Last Night of the Proms for many years. He became principal clarinet in the orchestra in 1960, and continued until his retirement in 1993.

During the 1970s, with Pierre Boulez as the principal conductor, the orchestra achieved worldwide prominence. Bradbury described it as “a unique time, musically and orchestrally – a golden age”. Away from the orchestra, he became an outstanding exponent of the clarinet’s lesser-known 19th-century repertory, in recital and on record.

He was born in Blackpool, the younger child of Jim Bradbury, a railway clerk, and his wife, Nellie (nee Cookson), both amateur singers. Encouraged to sing from an early age by his mother (his father died when he was four), Colin began to learn the piano at seven and soon bagged the only B flat clarinet at his primary school. Using his initiative, he worked out the transposition and was soon playing along with the school recorder group.

At Blackpool grammar school he started clarinet lessons with a local semi-professional, Tom Smith, and acquired a pair of simple-system Barret-action Albert clarinets. In 1947 he auditioned for the newly established National Youth Orchestra, becoming a founder member.

His sister Jean went to university, intending to become a teacher, and Colin assumed he would follow. A career in music had not crossed his mind, so when the viola player Bernard Shore came to the second NYO course to talk to young musicians intending to enter the profession, he did not attend. Ruth Railton, director of the NYO, took him for a long walk, four times around the Leys school in Cambridge, where the course was being held, and by the end he was persuaded. She went on to offer him the opportunity to play the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the NYO at the Edinburgh festival in 1951, on condition that he left school that Easter and began studying with the clarinettist Frederick Thurston.

This he did, missing his A-levels, and started at the Royal College of Music in London in the autumn of 1951, funded by a Blackpool festival scholarship. After a year he left to join the Irish Guards, then returned to the college and completed his national service concurrently with the rest of his music studies. He won the Tagore gold medal for the best male student of his year.

During the summer of 1956 he drove an ice-cream delivery truck to get himself out of debt, having not quite paid for a 22-litre Jaguar with his earnings from a West End run of Summer Song that had folded unexpectedly.

That September, he joined the Sadler’s Wells orchestra as second clarinet, becoming principal in 1957. Playing in the pit was enjoyable, but also “frustrating for an extrovert, conceited character like me, but I learned a great deal”. He married Janet Forbes, the principal flute, in 1959.

During the 1959-60 season he began working with John Carewe and the New Music Ensemble and took part in Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in the second of the new series of BBC Thursday Invitation Concerts. He was also invited to give some solo recitals for the BBC Home Service; at the first concert he played Seiber’s Andantino Pastorale and the Sonatine by Honegger.

In September 1960 he joined the BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBCSO) as principal clarinet. When the orchestra appointed co-principals in 1963, Bradbury shared the position with Jack Brymer for seven happy years. During that period, with more flexible working hours, he was able to play with other orchestras such as the LSO and the Philharmonia and take part in recordings. He also performed as a soloist, playing the Mozart Concerto, the Nielsen Concerto, the Weber Concertino and the Debussy Première Rhapsodie at the Proms.

During the 70s the structure of the BBCSO was changed and Brymer moved on to the LSO. It was during this period that Bradbury was elected chair of the orchestral committee, representing his fellow players’ interests.

In 1979, Bradbury’s old teacher, Smith, sent him his collection of amusing 19th-century pieces, the sort that the younger Bradbury had been rather snobbish about. Together with the pianist and scholar Oliver Davies, he produced The Victorian Clarinettist – the repertoire of the 19th-century virtuoso Henry Lazarus. This was followed by three more LP records: The Drawing-Room Clarinettist, The Italian Clarinettist and The Edwardian Clarinettist; selections from these LPs were reissued in CD format as The Virtuoso Clarinettist (1990), and The Art of the Clarinettist (1994).

In 1993, Bradbury retired from the BBCSO, and made the CDs The Bel Canto Clarinettist (1996), a sequence of 19th-century opera paraphrases, and The Victorian Clarinet Tradition (1998), linking Bradbury to Lazarus through Lazarus’s pupil Charles Draper, and Draper’s pupil Thurston. An interest in computer music software took Bradbury on to publishing good editions of these 19th-century works under his own imprint, Lazarus Edition.

From 1963 to 2000 he was professor of clarinet at the Royal College of Music, eventually becoming head of woodwind. His greatest joy was the RCM Wind Ensemble. Having no love of wind bands (which add saxophones and brass to woodwinds), he created a Harmonie ensemble – woodwinds and horns, as for the wind music of Mozart – which toured extensively, with visits to Japan and Vienna.

In 1999 he revived an earlier partnership with the pianist Bernard Roberts to record both Brahms sonatas together with the Hindemith Sonata. A review in BBC Music magazine commented: “Bradbury plays in a beautifully natural way without resorting to the forced rubato adopted by some artists in a contrived attempt to be different, and he allows the music to speak for itself.”

Bradbury is survived by Janet and their five children, Keith, Louise, Paul, John and Adrian, and 15 grandchildren.

🔔 Colin Bradbury, clarinettist, born 4 March 1933; died 28 May 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[faeyells]

1. Sian (like shaan)

2. 15

3. 17/02/2010

4. Aquarius

5. Green brown or red

6. 7556 (it’s complicated)

7. *deep breath in* a cat named Katy, a dog called finny, and axolotl called belladonna, a chicken named Ramona, two chickens called FO and MO,*deep breath in* four more unarmed chickens, two ducks called wadi and yugi and the spirits in the empty space above my closet *coughing fit*

8. I live in Australia but I’m like 80% English 12% Irish and 8% danish :)

9. 5’1-5’2 I’m shorter than my 5’2 friend by like two inches but I always measure 5’2 and so does she T0T

10. I don’t know my old broken shoes have worn through the soles (I touch the ground as I walk) so I can’t see anymore :,)

11. Four, two fit me, I only wear one, they’re broken.

12. Nightmare, zombies

13. Drawing (see page, idk if it’s a talent but it’s the thing I’m best at)

14. Nah just undiagnosed and the mum friend

15. Currently? Chaos space marine by black country new road, totally fits the vibe of my fic I’m writing

16. Fantastic Mr fox (see the nails I got done that are the apples from it)

17. Idk, I always go for people who are slightly mean to me.

18. Yes, I have baby fever so bad, I love their chubby little faces I NEED ONE

19. I don’t think they’d let me (lesbian) (pagan/hellenic)

20. Pagan/hellenic (devote of Persephone Aphrodite and Athena)

21. Yes, when I had pityriasis rosea never again though, my mum doesn’t believe in hospitals.

22. Done heaps of illegal shit, but idk if getting called up by a security guard at Sephora ans being escorted out counts (I don’t do that anymore)

23. I know Dave grohl from the foo fighters personally. Well, I know the whole band, but y’know. My dad used to work for them as a roady so they catch up every time they come to Melbourne.

24. Wish I could take baths but we don’t have one :(

25. oh no, odd ones, my left foot is an Australian postal service sock and on the right is a blue sock with pink and black horses on it

26. Walked out on stage at a fooies concert once then realised I went the wrong way and ran back, crying I was seven. Or nine, can’t remember. I do remeber walking into the (okay I just looked it up to fact check, it was 2018 so I was 8 and they were in) Etihad stadium and thinking “I wonder if the security guards will remember me if I come back in a few years and describe what I was wearing” like a) they would be the

27.

Get To Know Me Uncomfortably Well

PLEASE DON’T LET THIS FLOP AHHHH

1. What is you middle name? 2. How old are you? 3. When is your birthday? 4. What is your zodiac sign? 5. What is your favorite color? 6. What’s your lucky number? 7. Do you have any pets? 8. Where are you from? 9. How tall are you? 10. What shoe size are you? 11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 12. What was your last dream about? 13. What talents do you have? 14. Are you psychic in any way? 15. Favorite song? 16. Favorite movie? 17. Who would be your ideal partner? 18. Do you want children? 19. Do you want a church wedding? 20. Are you religious? 21. Have you ever been to the hospital? 22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? 23. Have you ever met any celebrities? 24. Baths or showers? 25. What color socks are you wearing? 26. Have you ever been famous? 27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? 28. What type of music do you like? 29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? 30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 31. What position do you usually sleep in? 32. How big is your house? 33. What do you typically have for breakfast? 34. Have you ever fired a gun? 35. Have you ever tried archery? 36. Favorite clean word? 37. Favorite swear word? 38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? 39. Do you have any scars? 40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? 41. Are you a good liar? 42. Are you a good judge of character? 43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? 44. Do you have a strong accent? 45. What is your favorite accent? 46. What is your personality type? 47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? 48. Can you curl your tongue? 49. Are you an innie or an outie? 50. Left or right handed? 51. Are you scared of spiders? 52. Favorite food? 53. Favorite foreign food? 54. Are you a clean or messy person? 55. Most used phrased? 56. Most used word? 57. How long does it take for you to get ready? 58. Do you have much of an ego? 59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? 60. Do you talk to yourself? 61. Do you sing to yourself? 62. Are you a good singer? 63. Biggest Fear? 64. Are you a gossip? 65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? 66. Do you like long or short hair? 67. Can you name all 50 states of America? 68. Favorite school subject? 69. Extrovert or Introvert? 70. Have you ever been scuba diving? 71. What makes you nervous? 72. Are you scared of the dark? 73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? 74. Are you ticklish? 75. Have you ever started a rumor? 76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? 77. Have you ever drank underage? 78. Have you ever done drugs? 79. Who was your first real crush? 80. How many piercings do you have? 81. Can you roll your Rs?“ 82. How fast can you type? 83. How fast can you run? 84. What color is your hair? 85. What color is your eyes? 86. What are you allergic to? 87. Do you keep a journal? 88. What do your parents do? 89. Do you like your age? 90. What makes you angry? 91. Do you like your own name? 92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? 93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? 94. What are you strengths? 95. What are your weaknesses? 96. How did you get your name? 97. Were your ancestors royalty? 98. Do you have any scars? 99. Color of your bedspread? 100. Color of your room?

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

IRISH GUARDS | The Princess of Wales attending the annual St Patrick's Day parade with the Irish Guards

[worldreporttv24]

Man missing from yacht in the sea prompts coastguard search

HM Coastguard Crews are continuing to search for a man who went overboard from a yacht. The vessel was believed to have been travelling to Swansea from Brighton, via Falmouth in Cornwall on Saturday. Irish Coast Guard received a call at about 22:55 BST, with a rescue helicopter from the UK’s HM Coastguard sent to help, as well as a fixed wing aircraft. The search is continuing on Sunday…

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.7 (before 1960)

49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army, prompting the tribunes who support him to flee to where Caesar is waiting in Ravenna. 1325 – Afonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 – French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, take Calais, the last continental possession of England. 1608 – Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia. 1610 – Galileo Galilei makes his first observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa, although he is not able to distinguish the last two until the following night. 1708 – Battle of Zlatoust: Battle between Bashkir and Tatar rebels and the government troops of the Tsardom of Russia. It is one of the events of the Bashkir rebellion of 1704–1711. 1708 – Bashkir rebels besiege Yelabuga. 1738 – A peace treaty is signed between Peshwa Bajirao and Jai Singh II following Maratha victory in the Battle of Bhopal. 1782 – The first American commercial bank, the Bank of North America, opens. 1785 – Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries travel from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in a gas balloon. 1835 – HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board, drops anchor off the Chonos Archipelago. 1867 – The Kingstree jail fire kills 22 freedmen in Reconstruction-era South Carolina. 1894 – Thomas Edison makes a kinetoscopic film of someone sneezing. On the same day, his employee, William Kennedy Dickson, receives a patent for motion picture film. 1904 – The distress signal "CQD" is established only to be replaced two years later by "SOS". 1907 – A workers riot in Rio Blanco, Veracruz leaves many people dead and injured while demanding better working conditions. 1919 – Montenegrin guerrilla fighters rebel against the planned annexation of Montenegro by Serbia, but fail. 1920 – The New York State Assembly refuses to seat five duly elected Socialist assemblymen. 1922 – Dáil Éireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by a 64–57 vote. 1927 – The first transatlantic commercial telephone service is established from New York City to London. 1928 – A disastrous flood of the River Thames kills 14 people and causes extensive damage to much of riverside London. 1931 – Guy Menzies flies the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman flight (from Australia to New Zealand) in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand's west coast. 1935 – Benito Mussolini and French Foreign minister Pierre Laval sign the Franco-Italian Agreement. 1940 – Winter War: Battle of Raate Road: The Finnish 9th Division finally defeat the numerically superior Soviet forces on the Raate-Suomussalmi road. 1948 – Kentucky Air National Guard pilot Thomas Mantell crashes while in pursuit of a supposed UFO. 1950 – In the Sverdlovsk air disaster, all 19 of those on board are killed, including almost the entire national ice hockey team (VVS Moscow) of the Soviet Air Force – 11 players, as well as a team doctor and a masseur. 1954 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York at the head office of IBM. 1955 – Contralto Marian Anderson becomes the first person of color to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. 1959 – The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.

[manhattanindulgedrp]

The following characters have been accepted and so we ask that you follow the checklist in the server within 24 hours:

marwa zara Giovanni Zinoviev fayra carney alister "ace" meraldi

name: marwa zara fc: brandi quinones age: 22 gender & pronouns: female - she/her 4 personality traits: nurturance, gentleness, helpfulness, cooperative, witty, cold, extroverted yet reserved. occupation: she is currently a high-end escort. affiliation: none for now. (?) open for suggestions. filling any connections/positions: poppy davies's room mate. two facts about your character: * fact one: she and her family are immigrants / war refugees. * fact two: she is borderline illiterate however, very street smart.

(Ivan)

----------------

Name: Giovanni Zinoviev FC: Ben Barnes Age: 29 Gender & pronouns: Male, He/him 4 personality traits: extremely clever/intelligent, cold, reserved, introverted Occupation: Club owner Affiliation: None Filling any connections/positions: No 2 facts about your character:

He is based off of the Hostel trilogy. He is a protege of rassimov, sharp in the underground crime business of Europe.

. He is fluent in German, Russian, and is at a 3rd grade level in English. Giovanni is currently trying to settle down from being in prison for half a decade. His past is rather secretive, and something he doesn't wish to speak about to anyone.

(Veronica)

--------------

Name: fayra carney FC: katie douglas Age: 24  Gender & pronouns: female she/her 4 personality traits: naive, artistic, playful & sassy Occupation: college student majoring in art Affiliation: Irish mafia  Filling any connections/positions: the last Carney pleaee 2 facts about your character: 

- she was adopted by the family when she was six after her mother ( who was friends with Elizabeth ) was murdered. feeling bad for the girl, Elizabeth would end up adopting her. 

- she is bisexual and came out when she was fourteen feeling safe enough to do so. 

(Rhyan)

--------------------

Name: alister "ace" meraldi FC: Matthew daddario Age: 29 Gender & pronouns: male he /him 4 personality traits: protective, easily tempered, commitment phobic, intelligent Occupation: body guard Affiliation: Italian mafia Filling any connections/positions: lieutenant 2 facts about your character:

he had a very traumatic childhood in and out of foster care before he got in with the wrong crowd as a teenager but the family would slowly become the only family he has ever known.

he is covered in scars from abuse as a kid but as a adult he got rune tattoos over the scars.

(Rhyan)

[stellar-waves]

staring down the sun [22]

⏯ chapter index ⚠ warnings: suggestive sexual themes, angst, threatening, deception

. . .

you can never look back

. . .

For a moment, she forgets to breathe when Connor looks at her.

This is not how this is supposed to go. And she realizes she’s been saying that to herself over and over and over again ever since the MacManus brothers entered her life…ever since Connor entered her heart. 

Forget what would’ve—could’ve—should’ve happened in that motel room. The evil they are chasing is bigger than whatever they are feeling. 

“Ye sure about this, lass?” he asks her again, his body visibly tensing up under his peacoat as they stand in the dark alley behind the bar. 

Elena fluffs her hair, letting it fall carelessly around her face. She rubs her lips together, licking them enough to create a sheen of glossiness over her pout. “You have your big guns, I have mine,” she says with a mix of confidence and flirtation. 

Murphy chuckles as he pats Connor’s shoulder. “Aye, remember? Girl can take care of herself.”

She sees the jealousy in Connor’s face, the urge to protect her from something that hasn’t happened yet. But there’s no way their usual Saints-like approach to apprehending a bad guy will work here. She relaxes her shoulders and her voice, “Cops are all the same. Especially the dirty ones. And if there’s one thing guaranteed to lower their guard, well…” But Elena hesitates as she watches Connor’s jaw tighten, the anger growing in his face much like that night they killed Lombardo. “Connor…”

He shakes his head, his features softening ever so slightly. “Just…be careful, yeah?” his tone is warm, vigilant. And Elena forgets to breathe again.

“Always,” she finally exhales. She adjusts her shirt, making sure the low V-neckline cradles her cleavage perfectly. Despite her self-assurance, a sliver of doubt fills her throat, and she raises her eyes to look at the boys. It’s been so long since she’s dressed more feminine, since she’s sought a man’s attention. 

Murphy smiles, raising his eyebrows yet keeping his gaze from lingering down her body. “Ye look great, lass.”

Blushing, she diverts her hopeful eyes to Connor. His mouth falls open as he stares at her, slowly bringing his eyes back to hers. He doesn’t need to say anything, it’s written all over his face. 

Elena bites her lip, swallowing the urge to kiss him as she reviews the plan. “And if I’m not out within half an hour, you two go back to the church.” Both MacManus brothers press their lips together, still not entirely in agreement with leaving her behind if things go awry, but they nod in compliance anyway. “Good,” she exhales a bit of relief and turns back down the alley to round her way to the entrance of O’Malley’s. “Muinín dom.” 

. . .

“Men are fallible,” Smecker reminded her over the payphone a few days before. His words echo in her head as she moves into the bar, and she smiles. The place reeks of spilled beer and cheap aftershave. Several pairs of eyes fall on her, following her body as she leans against the polished wood and orders a Jameson. 

She carefully looks around, her face seductive as she scans for the cops from Billy Valencia’s list. The bartender sets her Irish whiskey in front of her and announces the amount owed, but as she reaches into her pocket for cash, another man sets an empty glass next to hers. “I got it, Mikey. Just put it on my tab,” he says with a wink. “And I’ll have what she’s having.”

The line makes her want to laugh, but she holds her tongue as she thanks him. “You really shouldn’t have,” she smiles, entirely in character, as she recognizes his face. “My name’s Megan.” She offers a handshake, but he takes her hand and kisses it like he’s some stereotypical knight in shining armor. Hopefully, he doesn’t feel her nerves vibrating with disgust under her skin.

She keeps smiling, though, because she has to for all of this to work. The man holds her hand, rubbing his fingers over her knuckles, the touch briefly reminding her of Connor. 

“Name’s Johnny. Johnny Beck.”  

Why some men, cops especially, always want to give their full names, she’ll never understand. He lets go of her hand to raise his glass, waiting for her to do the same, and they tap their whiskeys together. Elena keeps her eyes on him as she takes a small sip, enough to wet her lips again. 

His eyes not so subtly fall to look at her mouth, and he draws his voice out. “So what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

She lays the lie on thick. “Oh, my boyfriend just broke up with me, and I had nowhere else to go.”

He takes another sip of his drink. “Well, sounds like he’s a damn fool. I can help you forget all about him, sweetheart.”

Elena flutters her eyelashes. “I already have.”

Beck inhales with a smile. “That so?”

“Mmhmm,” she hums as she takes another conservative sip of her whiskey, keeping her eyes locked with Beck’s brown gaze. He is attractive, she’ll give him that, with his ‘70s-era Robert Redford aesthetic. But her heart is somewhere else, even if she can’t admit it. And she has a job to do…for the greater good. 

“Is there somewhere where we can talk more…privately?” she drops her tone, leaning in closer and grazing her fingers along his forearm. 

“Absolutely,” he purrs, taking her hand and leading her to the back of the bar. 

They dip into the hallway that runs between the restrooms and the door to the alley. Beck pushes her against the wall and kisses her. But Elena doesn’t let his lips linger, as she pulls her mouth away to coax him to her neck. She rubs his shoulders, making all of the motions as if she actually feels lust for this man. But she has to get him outside somehow, so she takes his face and presses her lips against his again, clumsily pushing him toward the back door. 

They stumble into the alley, and Elena leads Beck away from the light. She shoves him against the brick wall, kissing him and sliding her hands under his shirt. And in one smooth movement, she breaks the kiss and cocks his off-duty gun at him. 

He laughs in the dim glow. “You’re making a huge mistake, sweetheart. Holding a New York City Police Officer at gunpoint behind a bar full of cops?”

“I’ll take my chances,” she smiles back, knowing that Connor and Murphy are now standing behind her as Beck’s face falls in defeat. “Let’s go somewhere where we can talk…sweetheart.” 

. . .

“Ye know who we are, yeah?” Murphy asks the crooked cop, shoving him to sit in the chair in the middle of the abandoned building. Their only light source is the constant glow of the city filtering in through the dusty windows, casting a subdued array of colors over everything. 

“We know what you did, so we can deliver you right fucking now if we wanted to,” Connor threatens cooly.

“Okay, fine. I’ll talk,” Beck concedes, dropping his shoulders. The twins have their guns pointed at him from both the left and the right, with Elena standing face-on, forming their now signature triangle stance around their hostage as he shakes his head. “I thought Lombardo was just blackmailing me to cover up his drug and sex trafficking rings. But it turned out he was part of this secret organization called Obsidian.” 

Elena feels her eyes slightly widen. She pulls the paper with the geometric design drawn out from her pocket, holding it for Beck to see. “Is that what this symbol is? For Obsidian?”

He nods. “They had recruited some other cops to join. Sold it as working with the mafia ‘for the greater good.’ I didn’t…” he trails off, dropping his head again almost as if he’s holding something back. “I didn’t know they’re actually angling toward something…bigger. What exactly, I don’t know. By the time I realized that, it was too late. They control everything.”

Elena, Connor, and Murphy all look at each other with confusion, and maybe a hint of fear. Connor speaks up, asking, “What the hell does that mean?”

Beck doesn’t turn his head, but shifts his eyes to the side and takes a deep breath. “It means, they have powerful people working for them, people who can make things disappear from existence.”

“Like they work for the government or something?”

He shrugs. “Surely, but I don’t know who or how. All I know is one guy I knew, a vice guy from Brooklyn…he was a part of this too, but something happened, and he just…no one knows where he is, if he’s dead, nothing.”

Elena feels her skin crawl from the vague information, remembering that vice cop who helped prep her all those years ago was from Brooklyn. Hopefully, that’s just a really fucked up coincidence. 

The thick silence between them breaks when Beck’s cell phone rings in Elena’s other hand. She holds it up to him so he can see the caller ID, and his eyebrows go up fast. “Shit, it’s my lieutenant.”

Elena nods slightly, handing him the phone. “Go ahead. Answer it.” 

“Yeah, boss?” The twins cautiously step around toward Elena, adjusting the angle of their triangle so they can face the cop better. Beck’s eyes widen with worry as he listens to his boss on the other end. “Jesus…yeah, yeah I’ll be right there.” He flips the phone back shut, his eyes darting around as the concern builds on his face, erasing all of the arrogance he had displayed earlier. “Saint Agnes is on fire,” he says in a somber tone. 

Elena feels her very being hollow out, emptying every last remaining bit of faith she barely hung onto. The church that took in those girls…

The boys’ telepathic conversation vibrates around her, but she can’t bring herself to move. “Anyone get hurt?” Murphy asks, his voice having softened almost in an instant. 

Beck shakes his head. “I don’t know yet. Doesn’t sound good though.” He rubs at his jaw, and looks at Elena. “I’m sorry. I gotta go.”

Her eyes unfocus, staring through the cop, only to finally blink when Connor says her name. “Let him go, Elena.” She feels Connor’s hand carefully take Beck’s gun from her. “He won’t talk.”

“I won’t,” the cop calmly assures. “I promise.”

He moves to stand up, but Elena suddenly shoves him back into the chair. That silent rage fills her lungs again, and she grabs at Beck’s shirt collar with both hands. Connor just as quickly hands the cop’s gun off to Murphy, wrapping his hands around Elena’s upper arms. He tries to pull her back firmly as she leans her glowered face in close to Beck. 

“If anything happens to those girls, I will kill you.”

“Elena, come on,” Connor urges in a low voice. 

She feels Connor’s hands still holding her, and she releases her grip on Beck, allowing her Irish counterpart to draw her back. Returning the cop’s gun, Murphy quietly signals for him to leave, while Connor wraps an arm over Elena’s clavicle and pulls her against his chest. 

Her heartbeat steadies under his grasp, allowing the anger that had bubbled up inside to slowly dissipate. Connor rests his cheek against her hair and rubs her shoulder in small circles with his thumb. 

And for a moment, she remembers to breathe as Connor holds her.

. . .

⏮ [21]

[23] ⏭

[world-of-wales]

─ •✧ WILLIAM'S YEAR IN REVIEW : MARCH ✧• ─

1 MARCH - William was accompanied by Catherine for presenting Leeks to the Welsh Guards during the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards St. David's Day Parade at Combermere Barracks. 2 MARCH - William and Catherine received The Crown Prince and Princess of Norway at Windsor Castle. They later held a Meeting with Norwegian business delegates accompanied by the Crown Prince Couple. 6 MARCH - He chaired a Meeting of The Prince's Council. 7 MARCH - William held an Investiture at Windsor Castle. 9 MARCH - William and Catherine were received by Ms. Manju Malhi (Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London) at the Hayes Muslim Centre in Middlesex. 10 MARCH - He received Ms. Hannah Jones (Chief Executive, Earthshot Prize) at Windsor Castle. 13 MARCH - William and Catherine attended the Commonwealth Service in Westminster Abbey. Afterwards, he attended the Commonwealth Day Reception at Buckingham Palace. 14 MARCH - William held a Meeting at Windsor Castle. 16 MARCH - William held an Investiture at Windsor Castle. Afterwards, he visited Aston Villa FC at Bodymoor Heath. 17 MARCH - William accompanied Catherine in presenting Shamrocks to Irish Guards as they attended the 1st Battalion Irish Guards' St. Patrick's Day Parade in Aldershot. He appeared in a TV special with Groundswell for Red Nose Day. 19 MARCH - William wrote a letter to Alpha United Juniors condemning the incidents of racism being faced by their players. 20 MARCH - He received Mr. Alastair Martin (Secretary of the Duchy of Cornwall) at Windsor Castle. 21 MARCH - William held a Meeting with Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez & Pierre-Yves Paslier (Founders, NotPla) 22 MARCH - William departed Royal Air Force Northolt for Poland where he was by His Majesty's Ambassador to the Republic of Poland (Her Excellency Ms. Anna Clunes) upon arrival at Rzeszow-Jasionka International Airport. He met British troops at the Airport. Afterwards, he visited a Rzeszow Military Base in and visited British troops providing support to Poland and Ukraine. Subsequently, William met Ukrainian refugees living in temporary accommodation in Warsaw. In the evening, he was spotted at Butero Bistro having dinner. 23 MARCH - William laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Plac Marszalka Józefa Pilsudskiego and called upon The President of the Republic of Poland at the President's Chancellery. Afterwards, he met Ukrainian refugees at Hala Koszyki. Subsequently, subsequently he met Ukrainian staff from the British Embassy in Kyiv at Hala Koszyki. After completing his visit to Poland, William arrived at the Royal Air Force Northolt from Poland. 24 MARCH - William approved the appointment of the High Sheriff of Cornwall (Mr Toby George Howell Ashworth)

[brookston]

Holidays 12.14

Holidays

Ako Gishi Sai (Honoring the 47 Ronin; Japan)

American Revolutionary War Day

Audubon Christmas Bird Count begins (until 1.5)

Buy A Christmas Tree Day

Chernobyl Liquidators Day (Ukraine)

Day of the Martyred Intellectuals (Bangladesh)

Deck the Halls Day

Email Tag Day

47 Ronin Remembrance Day (Sengaku-ji, Japan)

Free Shipping Day

Halcyon Days begin (7 days before & after Winter Solstice)

Hug Day (South Korea)

International Hello Day

Journée du pull de Noël (Christmas Jumper Day; Belgium, UK)

Martyred Intellectuals Day (Bangladesh)

Monkey Day

More Good Today Day

National Alabama Day

National Energy Conservation Day (India)

National Irish Sign Language Day (Ireland)

National Screwdriver Day

National Tree Planting Day (Malawi)

National WTF Happened To Surf? Day

Opposites Attract Day

Ozcanabans of Oz Convention (a.k.a. Oz Christmas)

Play An Old Song That You Didn't Like To See If You Still Don't Like It Day

Police Day (Bahrain)

Precalentines Day

Quantum Mechanics Day

Sandy Hook Remembrance Day

Sorrel Day (French Republic)

South Pole Day

U.S. Park Police Day

World Energy Conservation Day

Yoga Day

Yuletide Lad #3 arrives (Stufur or Shorty a.k.a. Pan Scraper; Iceland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Biscuits and Gravy Day

National Bouillabaisse Day

National Sausage Balls Day

Roast Chestnuts Day

2nd Thursday in December

Global Day of Joy [2nd Thursday]

Klopfleisnachte (Germany) [2 Thursdays before Xmas]

National Truck Driver’s Day (Netherlands) [2nd Thursday]

Independence Days

Alabama Statehood Day (#22; 1819)

Feast Days

Cat Herding Day (Pastafarian)

D'Alembert (Positivist; Saint)

Day of Iuventas and Hebe (Pagan)

Folcwin (Christian; Saint)

François-Hubert Drouais (Artology)

Hanukkah Day #7 (Judaism) [thru Dec. 15th]

John of the Cross (Christian; Saint)

John III of the Sedre (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Losoong (a.k.a. Namsoong; Sikkim, India)

Matronian (Christian; Saint)

Nani Bird (Muppetism)

Nicasius of Rheims (Christian; Saint)

Nimatullah Kassab (Maronite Church)

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (Artology)

Spyridon (Western Church)

Venantius Fortunatus (Christian; Saint)

Whiny Victimization Co-Dependency Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 57 of 60)

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [56 of 57]

Premieres

Bee on Guard (Disney; 1951)

Berlin, by Lou Reed (Musical Play; 2006)

Bird Box (Film; 2018)

The Bridge Over the River Kwai (Film; 1957)

Broken Toys (Disney; 1935)

Childhood, by Tove Ditlevsen (Novel; 1967)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Film; 1977)

Crimson and Clover, by Tommy James and the Shondells (Song; 1968)

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Film; 1988)

Dragnet (TV Series; 1951)

Dune (Film; 1984)

El Cid (Film; 1961)

The Expanse (TV Series; 2015)

A Farewell to Arms (Film; 1957)

Flowers for Madame (WB MM Cartoon; 1935)

Frankenweenie (Disney Cartoon; 1984)

Glory (film; 1989)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Film; 1990) [Hobbit #1]

If Beale Street Could Talk (Film; 2018)

If You Want the Rainbow (You Must Have the Rain), recorded by Fanny Brice (Song; 1928)

I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (Film; 1988)

The Jerk (Film; 1979)

King Kong (Film; 2005)

Lady, by Styx (Song; 1974)

Let’s Drink to the Ruby or Stoned Again (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 328; 1964)

Little Big Man (Film; 1970)

London Calling, by The Clash (Album; 1979)

Mermaids (Film; 1990)

Miss Congeniality (Film; 2000)

1941 (Film; 1979)

Philadelphia (Film; 1993)

Rabbit Romeo (WB MM Cartoon; 1957)

The Royal Tenenbaums (Film; 2001)

Ruby Yacht, Part 1 (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 327; 1964)

The Saint and the People Importers, by Fleming Lee (Novel; 1971) [Saint #44]

Saturday Night Fever (Film; 1977)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Animated Film; 2018)

Starman (Film; 1984)

The Strudlhof Steps, by Heimito von Doderer (Novel; 1951)

Time Out, by The Dave Brubeck Quartet (Album; 1959)

The Towering Inferno (Film; 1974)

Vanilla Sky (Film; 2001)

Wozzeck, by Alban Berg (Opera; 1925)

You Can't Take it With You, by Moss Hart (Play; 1936)

You’re Living All Over Me, by Dinosaur Jr. (Album; 1987)

Today’s Name Days

Berthold, Johannes (Austria)

Snezhala (Bulgaria)

Ivan, Venancije (Croatia)

Lýdie (Czech Republic)

Crispus (Denmark)

Eho, Hengo, Hingo (Estonia)

Jouko (Finland)

Odile (France)

Berthold, Johannes (Germany)

Arrianos, Lefki (Greece)

Szilárda (Hungary)

Valeriano, Venanzio (Italy)

Auseklis, Dailonis, Gaisma (Latvia)

Alfredas, Kintvilė, Tarvainas (Lithuania)

Stein, Steinar (Norway)

Alfred, Arseniusz, Izydor, Naum, Pompejusz, Sławobor, Spirydion (Poland)

Apolonie, Calinic, Filimon, Tirs (Romania)

Branislava, Bronislava (Slovakia)

Juan, Nicasio (Spain)

Sixten, Sten (Sweden)

Apollonia (Ukraine)

Boyd, Boyden, Byrd, Horace (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 348 of 2024; 17 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 50 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 17 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Jia-Zi), Day 2 (Bing-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 2 Teveth 5784

Islamic: 1 Jumada II 1445

J Cal: 18 Zima; Foursday [18 of 30]

Julian: 1 December 2023

Moon: 4%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 12 Bichat (13th Month) [D'Alembert]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 4 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 82 of 89)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 23 of 30)

Calendar Changes

December (Julian Calendar) [Month 12 of 12]

Jumādā ath-Thāniyah (a.k.a. Jumādā al-ʾĀkhirah or Jumada II) [جُمَادَىٰ ٱلثَّانِيَة or جُمَادَىٰ ٱلْآخِرَة] (Islamic Calendar) [Month 6 of 12] (Second of the Parched Land; the Last of Parched Land)