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justkeeptrekkin · 5 years ago

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Brief Omens

An ineffable wives drabble- Brief Encounters inspired- that I wrote in collaboration with the amazing artist @selene-yoshi-chan , her pictures posted here with her agreement! This was fun to write, and I can’t believe how beautiful the illustrations are- thank you friend.

You can read it on AO3 here, or read under the cut! MORE ILLUSTRATIONS BELOW!

***

The weather is grey today. A strong breeze rolls over from the hills, tumbling into the valley of Devil’s Dyke. Aziraphale chose the meeting place herself. She thought that Crowley might find it amusing.

This isn’t really a breeze, so much as a strong wind- it’s displacing her styled hair. Fashion has never interested Aziraphale in the same was as it fascinates Crowley, but the 40s really do have some smashing hairstyles and clothes. Now that the War is over, high-street shops are beginning to pop back up again, putting on their lights once more and dressing their mannequins with all manner of hats and a-line skirts. Of course, much of London remains destroyed from the Blitz. West Sussex, at least, has survived.

Aziraphale lays her manicured hands on the wooden bridge, peers down at the burbling stream below. The water is clear, enough that she can see the smoothe rocks at the bottom. She can’t see her reflection, only the vague shape of her cream suit, orange and brown leaves floating along the surface.

She breathes in. She breathes out. She is nervous.

“Morning, angel.”

She spins around- she doesn’t know why she’s surprised to see her here, she invited her. And yet Crowley has a habit of slinking up to her without warning, especially with this noisy wind covering the sound of her footfalls.

“Hello, my dear,” Aziraphale says too quietly. She clears her throat. “You got here quickly.”

“Yeah. I drove up last night and stayed the night a little further into the South Downs. Beautiful part of the world, this, isn’t it?”

Aziraphale simply nods. She continues to rest her hands along the rough, mossy wood of the bridge, but her gaze is on Crowley; her red hair spilling out of a silver snake hair-pin, curls tickling the sides of her neck. Red lipstick. Aziraphale wouldn’t dare to try a lipstick that shade, but she’s always wondered how it would look on her. How it would look if Crowley kissed her and left a taste of it on her lips.

Yellow irises dart over to Aziraphale. She stops staring and looks away promptly, watching the rolling green hills. With the lack of rain recently, the grass is turning a greyish green and blending into the sky. The clouds beyond make the horizon hazy, like a weak watercolour painting.

“What was it you wanted to discuss,” Crowley asks, all business. Her sunglasses don’t conceal peripheral gaze- Aziraphale can see her staring out at the view beyond. She’s avoiding eye contact, Aziraphale realises. And it’s not just the square shoulders of her jacket that make her look tense.

“Um,” Aziraphale says. She feels herself panic. She feels her eyes widen and her chest rise with a too-deep breath. “It’s- not all that important really.”

That gets Crowley to turn and look at her, brows furrowed. “What? Why are we meeting here then? We could have gone to any of our normal meeting places.”

“I know, but I rather thought that we might like to try somewhere new,” Aziraphale says.

What she doesn’t say is that she had an inkling that Crowley would like the South Downs- Devil’s Dyke and all. She felt that it might be nice to try somewhere different with expansive views, rolling hills, little tearooms. And none of the World War II rubble. Something a little more- romantic.

Crowley pokes out her bottom lip. Then, nods in concession. “Alright. Devil’s Dyke, though?”

“Yes.”

“A bit tongue-in-cheek for you,” Crowley says, sounding impressed. Then a smile grows on her lips. Firey red hair dancing in front of her face. “I like it.”

They stand side by side on the little bridge. They’re the only people (beings) here for miles. The wind pours down, and it makes Aziraphale’s ears ache. She looks down at her shoes- totally inappropriate for a country walk, but pretty. Crowley has been more sensible and put on some leather boots.

“Crowley.”

“Angel.” She says it like she’s been waiting for them to get down to business. Waiting for them to discuss something serious, perhaps The Arrangement.

“Back at the church, during the Blitz,” Aziraphale starts. She swallows, her throat raw from the cold air. The stream trickles happily, singing a gurgling song below. “At the church, you saved my books for me.”

Crowley looks dead ahead and doesn’t move. Aziraphale doesn’t miss the way her fingers clench on the wooden fence of the bridge.

“Yes,” she replies slowly, quite primly.

She has been dreading this moment. She has fought with herself over this decision for months. But after what Crowley did-

Inside her handbag, Aziraphale finds a tartan flask. It looks so innocent, nestled amongst the packets of tissues and lipsticks. She removes it carefully, placing it on the fence. And if Crowley wasn’t tense before, she certainly is now; she straightens beside Aziraphale, red lips parting in silent surprise. Brows pulled together, raised above her sunglasses.

Aziraphale keeps a hand on the flask, holds it there between them, waits for it to sink it.

“Angel…”

“Holy water won’t just kill your body,” Aziraphale interrupts. She has to say this, before Crowley thinks she’s doing something nice for her. “It will destroy you completely. But I can’t have you risking your life, not even for something dangerous.”

Crowley is staring at her- Aziraphale can sense it. She can see her floundering. She’s speechless in a way that Aziraphale’s never really known before. There isn’t even the usual garbled stream of noises coming out of her mouth when she loses her words; it’s just silence. Aziraphale has stunned Crowley to silence.

She clears her throat, feeling her wind-bitten cheeks heat up. “Don’t go unscrewing the cap.”

“You did this for me,” Crowley says, almost too quietly over the wind.

And then Aziraphale turns to look back at her. Her hair is caught in the breeze. Crowley is so beautiful. Aziraphale always knew, always found her beautiful, even when she pretended she didn’t. But now- now, it’s impossible to ignore. How had she managed to ignore it for so long? How deluded has Heaven made her, that it took this long? Aziraphale is a being of love; it’s absurd that she hadn’t been able to see the wood for the trees until that bomb destroyed that church, Crowley handing over a briefcase, hands touching. Just for a moment.

“Anything,” Aziraphale whispers.

She isn’t sure whether Crowley hears. If she didn’t, then that would be OK. Some things aren’t meant to be.

They look over at the view again. Crowley takes a moment to pick up the flask and put it in her own purse.

“I haven’t been as far as Ditchling before,” Crowley says suddenly, voice too light. “‘S where I’m staying at the moment. I’ve- I’ve only been as far as Hastings.”

Aziraphale goes along with it. “I helped evacuate some children here, during the worst of the War.”

“Ah. Yes. I was mostly in Liverpool helping out with that.”

Aziraphale frowns, registering this. When she tries to find answers in Crowley’s expression, she only sees her own white-blonde hair in her face and Crowley’s turned away. “You helped with the evacuations?”

“Yes,” she says sharply.

“That’s awfully… good of you.”

There’s a twist to her lips as she fights back a retort. “They were very naughty children, I assure you. Wales was traumatised by their arrival.”

She is too much. Oh, she is just too much. Aziraphale smiles at her, even though she won’t look back. “You are quite… something, Crowley.”

Crowley sneers. Aziraphale ducks her head and hides her smile.

A single seagull flies overhead. The aren’t that close to the sea- it must have flown over from Brighton. It coasts on the wind. The air is fresh here, unlike London. Aziraphale breathes it in deeply, and tries to save it there. Save it for when she needs it in the coming days.

“Are you happy?”

She doesn’t expect the question. She doesn’t even really understand it. “I’m sorry?”

Crowley hesitates, bites her lip. Then, “Do you ever ask yourself whether you’re happy? With the way things are?”

Constantly, Aziraphale thinks, but she never admits it to herself. No, she sees those kinds of questions float through her head and she banishes them to some bottomless pit in her mind. A pit that doesn’t feel so bottomless these days; all the doubt and confusion and questions she’s wanted to ask Heaven and Hell and God are piling up and starting to overflow. It’s only a matter of time before she decides she won’t be able to hide it anymore.

Crowley is watching her, waiting for her answer as she thinks on this.

“I don’t know,” she says, eventually. “Am I happy? Oh, Crowley. I don’t know.”

“Don’t you hate not knowing?” She rushes. “Don’t you ever just…”

Crowley trails off. Her hand rests against the fence beside Aziraphale’s.

“I suppose you don’t ask questions, not being the snake of Eden,” Crowley eventually finishes.

Aziraphale doesn’t know what to say. She doesn’t know what she thinks. Any opinions she has are obscured under layers and layers of Heavenly instructions and Bible verses and ineffable plans.

For a moment, she finds a reply in a hand hold; not quite a hold, rather, her own hand gently placed on top of Crowley’s. Just to let her know that she’s there. And then she removes it again.

She has been friends with Cowardice far longer than she has known Crowley.

***

The Bentley is parked somewhere over the nearest hill. They walk in contemplative quiet, Aziraphale trying not to trip in her silly shoes, Crowley sighing in frustration at her. And whilst Aziraphale has achieved what she meant to today, something sits uncomfortably in her.

The wind tries to push her back down the hill.

When they reach the car, Crowley gives her a lift to the nearest train station, just outside Ditchling. It’s not far from where she’s staying, she assures Aziraphale, and she can’t cope with the idea of Aziraphale wobbling all the way to the station in her heels. Crowley makes it sound like an accusation, but Aziraphale recognises the kind gesture in it. She looks out of the window and watches the hills fall away, watches their moment in Devil’s Dyke fall away as if she’s abandoning it.

The engine turns off and Aziraphale waits. Crowley says nothing. They both wait, although there’s no sign of there being anything to wait for.

“Are you sure you want to head back to London?” Crowley asks. She doesn’t say it like a question. She turns to look at Aziraphale suddenly, lips parted and brows raised, looking lost. And Aziraphale realises then that it’s her that she’s abandoning, not Devil’s Dyke. “I’ll give you a lift. Anywhere you want to go.”

And she sees it. Oh, Lord, Aziraphale sees it in her mind’s eye; the two of them in a cottage in The South Downs, walking through the neighbouring fields in wellies and Barbour coats. Trips to Brighton with ice-creams and sun hats, even if the weather is dreary. Trips to places they’ve never been before; days inside, drinking cocoa and reading and simply being together. Existing together, without any fear of the universe collapsing. Forgetting that this juxtaposition of theirs is a crime against nature. Aziraphale sees it, this daydream hanging between them in the Bentley, parked outside Ditchling station.

It would be cruel to even pretend that such a dream could exist.

“You go too fast for me, Crowley.”

She doesn’t stay to see the heartbreak in Crowley’s eyes, because she feels it herself- she can’t bear heartbreak for two. She gathers her handbag and steps out of the car, walking neatly towards the station. She has fifteen minutes until her train.

When she steps inside and turns around in the doorway, she sees the Bentley pull away.

Everything feels very sharp and clear. An awful lot like she has fallen into that little stream back in the valley, like she’s lying in the water and her senses are stinging with the cold. She feels too much until she feels nothing. And so Aziraphale stares at the receding Bentley, clutching her handbag like a liferaft and turns back around, onto the platform.

There are only two other people heading towards London from Ditchling. A middle-aged man with a case in his hand, and an older woman, who sits on the damp, dewy bench. She dabs at her nose with a handkerchief. Aziraphale finds herself drifting into the waiting room, where there is also a little cafe.

She orders a cup of Earl Grey from the waitress, finds a seat to perch on.

She holds the cup between her hands, but feels no less adrift.

Crowley keeps her tethered, she considers in that moment. That look of abandonment on Crowley’s face; the feeling that Aziraphale is floating away; the sky is grey and the world is grey and she is lost in it.

“I made the right decision,” she says quietly to herself.

“What’s that, sweetheart?”

Aziraphale takes a moment to realise that that waitress has spoken to her. “Oh- I’m sorry. I was merely talking to myself. A silly habit, I’m afraid,” she laughs emptily.

“Not to worry, not to worry, talk to meself constantly- sign of a sound mind, my nan always said.”

“Quite so,” Aziraphale breathes.

She doesn’t feel sound, she considers. She feels silent. A disorientating quiet, like those moments in the middle of the night, when one is awake when they shouldn’t be. When she has awoken and found herself alone, in a dark room. Echoing, claustrophobic. She feels it in her throat and she feels it prick her eyes with tears.

“I made the right decision,” she whispers.

The two of them walking down a muddy country road towards the nearest pub- talking loudly about anything and nothing, the usual silliness in all likelihood, arms swinging and cheeks rosy. The two of them side by side on a sofa, bowties undone and tights on the floor and wine bottles empty. The two of them at a dining table in the morning, reading the newspaper and buttering toast. The two of them at the Ritz, just as it has always been.

She made the correct decision. It is the decision that Heaven would choose for her. But is it the right one?

Aziraphale stands up abruptly, tea sloshing over the edge of the mug and into the saucer. She is going to catch up with Crowley- she can find her in Ditchling town somewhere, she could ask around and-

No. No, even if she has that dream, it doesn’t mean that Crowley shares it. Crowley might have offered to take her anywhere, but how far does Crowley mean? How could Aziraphale know whether this is the right thing for both of them? This would jeopardise Crowley’s life too.

She sits back down slowly, just as the whistle of the London train screams down the platform. A shaky hand picks up the teacup and she takes a small sip.

She steps onto the platform and waits for the train to stop. The steam billows; she can’t see anything. She hears the train conductor shouting out of the window. She sees a door materialise before her, opens it and steps into the compartment where three other people sit and read. She takes her own seat.

She looks through the window and she feels like she is drowning. She feels as if the train’s steam is inside her. She feels the walls around her in a way she has never experienced a room before, as if it is designed to trap her. She hears the scream of the conductor’s whistle in her ears, rattling in her brain.

She feels herself breath in. She feels the air rushing into her lungs, like water filling a glass.

The train begins to pull away from the platform.

She grabs her handbag, opens the door, and jumps onto the platform.

Aziraphale hangs her head back and closes her eyes. The steam surrounds her in clouds and the mechanical chug of the train recedes; she feels it rumble beneath her feet.

“Aziraphale!”

That voice- she opens her eyes and turns to meet it, but she sees no one for all the smoke and steam.

“Crowley?”

And then again- desperation, relief- “Aziraphale.”

She turns on the spot and searches for her, but she can’t see anyone- she’s lost, alone in the mist, until she sees the silhouette approaching. The clouds part and there she is, Crowley, holding onto a handbag with both hands. An expression so soft it could have been painted.

“Crowley.”

Right or wrong, correct or incorrect- Aziraphale sees none of that, now. She walks towards her. Crowley walks towards her. And they meet each other, standing so close that Aziraphale can see through the lenses of her sunglasses.

“You got off the train,” Crowley says.

“You came back,” Aziraphale says.

When they kiss, it isn’t like it is in the movies. It isn’t desperate hands on each other’s arms, desperate lips pressed together as if they don’t care about breathing. When they kiss, it’s hesitant, careful not to break everything that came before. It’s unsure, but it’s also a promise.

Next time we kiss, Aziraphale thinks, I won’t be so afraid.

#Good omens #ineffable wives #ineffable partners #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale #my writing #selene-yoshi-chan #THANK YOU SELENE

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piletechposts-blog · 6 years ago

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Whether you run a commercial business or you require groundworks on your own garden, Pile Tech can help you! As an experienced groundwork contractors, we are able to provide a broad range of specialist foundation services at highly competitive prices.

#piling contractors brighton #mini piling contractors #piling west sussex #cfa piling contractors london #piling contractors hampshire #cfa piling

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probablylisteningtoledzeppelin · 6 years ago

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41 Years Ago: The Tragic Loss That Changed Led Zeppelin Forever by Jeff Giles Led Zeppelin appeared to lead something of a charmed existence during the early part of their career, enjoying blockbuster success with fans in spite of negative reviews from critics and quickly earning a spot near the top of the rock ‘n’ roll pantheon. But by the mid-’70s, they seemed to be suffering from a curse, as multiple setbacks kept them from capitalizing on the momentum they’d built – and on July 26, 1977, when singer Robert Plant suddenly lost his five-year-old son Karac to a stomach virus, it nearly split the band completely. The Plant family’s terrible tragedy came during what was supposed to be a triumphant American tour for Zeppelin. Two years earlier, the band had been forced off the road for an extended spell when Plant and his wife were involved in a serious car accident while visiting the Greek island of Rhodes. But even if the time off helped Plant recuperate from his injuries, it did nothing to prevent a series of disasters that dogged the tour, starting with Plant picking up a case of laryngitis that forced the group to push its first date back from February to April. Ticket sales were still strong, but the postponement had a ripple effect. As guitarist Jimmy Page later pointed out, the band’s equipment had already been shipped overseas, complicating any efforts to rehearse. “We didn’t have any instruments for a month,” he once lamented. “All the equipment was shipped over there five days before we were due to go. I didn’t play a guitar for a month. I was terrified at the prospect of the first few shows.” Once they were finally able to get out in front of fans, the problems continued to pile up. An April 1977 stop in Cincinnati was marred by violence when a group of ticketless fans tried to force their way into Riverfront Coliseum, and a “mini-riot” broke out after their June concert in Tampa ended up being rained out partway through the set. Things got even uglier the following month, when manager Peter Grant led a group – including drummer John Bonham – into the savage beating of a Bill Graham employee following their July 23 performance in Oakland, Calif. “There was an extraordinary amount of tension at the start of that tour,” a band employee later recalled. “It just got off to a negative start. It was definitely much darker than any Zeppelin tour ever before that time … The kind of people they had around them had deepened into some really criminal types. … They still had their moments of greatness (but) some of the shows were grinding and not very inspired.” After making their way out of Oakland, the band members made their separate ways to the next stop on the itinerary, a planned appearance in New Orleans. Shortly after arriving in the city, Plant received the devastating news, half a world away and helpless to join his son during his confusing final moments. “The first phone call said his son was sick,” said tour manager Richard Cole, describing a fateful pair of calls from Plant’s wife. “And the second phone call, unfortunately, Karac had died in that time.” “Karac was the apple of Robert’s eye; they idolized one another,” said Plant’s father in an Associated Press report announcing the immediate cancellation of the tour, which had been scheduled to run into August. Searching for answers about the sudden illness, Plant retreated home, taking comfort from his wife Maureen and daughter Carmen while Zeppelin went on hold. As Page later put it, “We were all mates. We had to give the man some space.” That didn’t mean Plant shut out his bandmates, however. “After the death of my son Karac in 1977, I received a lot of support from [Bonham], and I went through the mill because the media turned on the whole thing and made it even worse,” Plant told Barney Hoskyns. “I had to look after my family and at that time, as we regrouped, I applied to take a job at a Rudolph Steiner training college in Sussex. I wanted to just get out of it – to go away and forget it.” In a separate talk with Rolling Stone, Plant said “I lost my boy. I didn’t want to be in Led Zeppelin. I wanted to be with my family.” He also later claimed to have quit all of his chemical habits cold turkey. “I stopped taking everything on the same day,” Plant added. “The most important thing to me is my family and when I got off my face, I found it difficult to be all things to the people that meant a lot to me.” Plant was quite serious, at least for a time, about pursuing a new career in education, too. Admitting that “it’s not something that we, as a family, have been able to get over yet,” he told GQ in 2011 that “our family had always been close to the Rudolf Steiner Waldorf education in the West Midlands and I just liked the way it all worked. … I just thought there was something far more honest and wholesome about just digging in and putting the ego away in the closet. Because no matter what we say, entertainers are usually quite insecure, wobbly characters underneath – and maybe that bit of glory or that bit of expression or whatever it is compensates in some area. But I thought I should be rid of it. Yeah, I thought it was not a bad idea. Sometimes, I still feel like that.” In 2013, Plant remembered that “during the absolute darkest times of my life when I lost my boy and my family was in disarray, it was Bonzo who came to me. The other guys were [from] the South [of England] and didn’t have the same type of social etiquette that we have up here in the North that could actually bridge that uncomfortable chasm with all the sensitivities required … to console.” Zeppelin biographer Mick Wall took Plant’s comments a step further, claiming that the distance Robert Plant describes was even more profound — and that when Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones, and Grant declined to appear at Karac’s funeral, it created a rift that never truly healed. “Until then, Robert was still in thrall to Jimmy and what he had created with Zeppelin. After that incident, Jimmy no longer held the same mystique for Robert,” Wall claimed in 2011. “It was also the beginning of Robert having much more power over what the band did or didn’t do next. He truly no longer cared and therefore was ready to walk at any point if they didn’t fit in with him. And that’s the way it remains to this day.” But if Bonham stayed closest to Plant’s side during the months following Karac’s death, it was ultimately Page who talked him out of retiring from music. “I was thinking about leaving the group, but Jimmy Page kept me from doing it,” Plant said in an interview at the time. “He said without me, the band’s nothing. He wanted me to take a break until I felt ready for playing again. I realized that we are more than business partners. We are real friends. We have enough money to live a life without troubles, but nobody knows how long our fans can wait. They might forget us if we don’t play anymore. I don’t want this to happen to the band. Our friends kept calling us every day. They helped us through this.” To Zeppelin fans’ everlasting regret, the road ahead for Zeppelin wouldn’t last much longer; although they soldiered ahead for 1979′s In Through the Out Door, Bonham’s sudden death on Sept. 25, 1980 ended the band as a creative unit once and for all. And although it’s impossible to know what they might have accomplished together if he hadn’t passed away, the group’s final days found them in an artistic flux, struggling to move forward while coming to grips with what they’d been through. “In Through the Out Door wasn’t the greatest thing in the world, but at least we kept trying to vary what we were doing, for our own integrity’s sake. Of all the records, it’s interesting but a bit sanitized because we hadn’t been in the clamor and chaos for a long time,” Plant pointed out in 1990. “In ’77, when I lost my boy, I didn’t really want to go swinging around. ‘Hey hey mama, say the way you move’ didn’t really have a great deal of import anymore.”

#led zeppelin #robert plant #karac plant #Carmen plant #in through the out door #1977 #john bonham #bonzo #jimmy page #john paul jones #mick wall #peter grant #zeppelin history

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anonymoushouseplantfan · 7 years ago

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Wedding Round-Up Post

Cheesus, I have 100+ anons. Sorry, guys, I’ll be out most of the day, but I’ll do the best I can when I come back.

Here’s the post I wrote yesterday. It’s super-long, so no pics:

Oh, well, I reached my posting limit, so I might as well do the round-up. (yes, this was yesterday)

Sorry about that guys. I’ll pace myself next time. I’m also going to start clustering anons and answering in groups as I’m hitting posting limits waaaaay too early every day.

Anyway, wedding roundup. I love overall themes and I think the theme here was “last minute save by the BRF.”

Remember when Harry reminded Meghan “you have a wedding to plan” during the Foundation Forum? Remember the invitations without his KVCO? Remember how we all wondered about the last minute cake and flowers?

Yep, it really was that slapdash.

Titles

But let’s start from the beginning--the titles. Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton, Baron Kilkeel. A rogue baron known for his outlaw marriages and divorces, Dumb-arton, and a small Irish village with a matching reference. You can’t beat that.

The DM is already starting with the “The Only Way Is Sussex” jokes.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5748627/Funnyman-James-Corden-host-royal-wedding-reception-Frogmore-House.html

The Program

Oops!

http://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-prince-harry-royal-wedding-order-of-service/

Décor

They really did just throw together a whole bunch of fake flowers. This looked positively nightmarish. I love the New Yorker description:

I walked in, through the “cascading hedgerow” that was wreathed around the church’s west door, and caught the full impact of the floral arrangements within. So overpowering was this that, to be frank, I wasn’t sure whether I should be taking notes or gathering pollen. If the guests had stayed in their pews for long enough, they would have ended up producing their own honey.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/harry-and-meghan-look-to-the-future-but-some-royals-never-change

Guests

The guest arrivals--Amal, Idris, James Blunt, James Corden, and a cast of millions...well, six hundred anyway. This truly looked like a red carpet with the guests posing and preening for the cameras.

http://deadline.com/2018/05/royal-wedding-photos-meghan-markle-prince-harry-celebrity-guests-arrivals-1202394501/

Interestingly, Pippa and Fergie seem to be classified as Hollywood celebs and Kate and the other royals aren’t.

This was the one part of the wedding that was definitely thought up in advance. That trip to LA in December was definitely Meghan putting together her dream celebrity guest list and getting the agents on board. Note that all of her agents were invited (of course!). This think looked and felt like a Hollywood party. I had an anon who said that it was "the Oscars she never had.” Yep, that describes it exactly.

No foreign royals (because they had no “personal connection” LOLOLOLOL). Very few non-US/UK people (even though they supposedly “own” the Commonwealth now). Few aristo friends (seated BEHIND the celebrity acquaintances, LOLOLOL). Tons of celebs that they don’t even know.

My favorite part was the DM describing Oprah as “US chat show queen.” LOLOLOLOL.

Guess the DM was right about that six-hour meeting with Doria and the pile of presents. I imagine we have an interview in the near future. I bet the BRF is thrilled to pieces about that. Not.

I gotta say, I was expecting celebs, but I wasn’t expecting THIS MANY celebs. This was a full Hollywood takeover.

But the aristo crowd still put up a good showing. Everyone looked lovely (even Fergie!). Eugenie and Bea looked cute. Chelsy, Joss, Pippa and Cress were gorgeous (even if Pippa did look like the Arizona iced tea can). Kitty Spencer stole the freaking show. She looked amazing.

Was Fergie the happiest guest there? She was positively ecstatic.

https://us.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2018052048764/jack-brooksbank-sweet-moment-sarah-ferguson/

BTW, Chelsy and her friend smh-ing at all the celebs in attendance was one of my favorite moments. You can tell they are trying to figure out who all these people are. That was a big contrast, the celebs were all greeting each other in a very showy way and the aristos were all taking their seats and wondering what exactly they had wandered into.

The family looked great, if a little recycled and mournful. There was a marked blend-into-the-background effort here. Everyone seemed to be trying to be calling as little attention to themselves as possible.

I’m not sure I like Sophie’s new love for the 3/4 skirt, but Louise looked great. Zara looked amazing, it a little shell-shocked by the fact that this seemed to actually be happening. Kate and the Middletons recycled like crazy and managed not too laugh maniacally through the whole thing, a testament to Middletonian good manners.

The family show saved this from being just a crap celeb wedding. Charlotte’s wave stole the show.

But the theme of the wedding was clear from the beginning. Tons of celebs and they were given preferential treatment over even old friends. The architecture of the chapel worsened this effect as there was clearly a VIP seating area. Oprah’s “I can't choose my own seat? Don’t you know who I am?” moment did not help. Well, we know what Slutsex’s priorities are now. God, what a pair of assholes these two are.

But I love being able to use that nickname. Thanks, HM!!!!

Anyway, the DM did a seating graph, just to make sure everyone got the point.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5748561/Royal-wedding-whos-sitting-best-seats-Harry-Meghans-marriage.html

Here are the pics of Meghan’s side of the aisle. I think the Royal Housewives crowd would have done a better job.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5748085/Meghan-Markles-closest-girlfriends-support-wedding-day.html

The Groom Arrival

Boy, they looked like they were going to a funeral. I think the goal here was simple elegance and this is a uniform that Harry consistently gets praise for...when he uses it for Remembrance Day. It is very somber and sad. I think they should have picked something else.

Notably, there were no “cute” Will and Harry moments. You could cut the tension with a dull knife at this event.

Time tried to go for “sweet” brother moments, but they had no luck.

http://time.com/5260147/prince-william-prince-harry-royal-wedding/

People compared the brothers’ two wedding appearances and the difference is striking.

http://people.com/royals/royal-wedding-compare-prince-william-prince-harry-best-man/

The Bride Arrival

I thought this was actually well done. No Spencer tiara, which was a good call. They looked lovely in the car and I’m sure Doria got a Cartier nose ring for the occasion. Nothing but class for these ladies, lol.

Elle, by the way, thought the “diamond” nose ring was the epitome of “chic.” I can’t handle it, the coverage for this fiasco is amazing.

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a20106901/meghan-markle-mother-doria-ragland-royal-wedding-dress/

The tiara looked fug as hell, but the arrival in the car was not bad. For a minute there, I thought they might pull this off.

Then Meghan got out of the car.

The Dress

Well, I got the designer wrong (Stella ended up doing the evening dress), but this was exactly the silhouette I was picturing. She tried out the bateau neckline with that fug Theory top in Wales.

Never in a million years did I think she would pick the house that designed Kim Kardashian’s wedding dress, but there you go.

https://www.eonline.com/news/937038/meghan-markle-kim-kardashian-and-more-stars-who-wed-in-givenchy

http://people.com/royals/royal-wedding-meghan-markle-audrey-hepburn-givenchy-brides/

As I suspected, it looked meh and underwhelming in the Windsor Castle setting. The dress (the whole wedding, in fact, strewn flowers and rustic cake and all) would have looked lovely in Scotland or Norfolk or a place like that. It looked bland in Windsor and it didn't seem to fit very well. The bouquet was meh. The veil looked like mosquito netting.

It was also JLO’s gown.

http://people.com/royals/royal-wedding-meghan-markle-dress-like-jennifer-lopez-wedding-planner/

The kids were cute because kids are always cute, but the stark black uniforms were just as sad and funeral-looking as the adults’.

Again, the BRF saved the day by planting a honking big (if abysmally ugly) tiara on her to make up for the underwhelming dress. They also announced that Harry had picked the bouquet flowers himself, a truly ludicrous statement since the bouquet matched those of the flower girls. I think they realized this and turned it into “one” flower or the forget-me-nots or something. LOL, I love how the KP lying is to painfully obvious now.

BTW, People identifies the true “Cinderella” story here. Meghan once struggled to get “Big Designers” to loan her clothes.

http://people.com/royals/juliet-angus-claims-no-designers-would-dress-meghan-markle/

and the messy bun was “supposed” to come loose. LOLOLOLOL. I can’t stop laughing.

http://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-messy-bun-royal-wedding/

The Entrance

This was carefully planned to produce a charming kid photo op and it failed utterly. All we got was Meghan impatiently waiting for less’ boys to get their act together.

They scheduled the event around the US time zones and forgot that the bright Spring sunlight would not work for photography. The skylights inside the chapel did not help, and neither did cutting down the number of photographers outside the chapel. I don’t think she has one good pic. James Whatling was, of course, the favored photog, but even he couldn't get a pic without harsh shadows and bad lighting. Even the flower girl pics were bad.

And WTF with the mini-mes pageboys and flower girls? They really did dress the kids like they did the adults. This was my one huge disappointment with the ceremony. I was expecting the trainwreck of meh, but I was at least hoping the kid outfits would be awesome. They were the exact opposite of awesome. I feel like Ma Ingalls could have done a better job with a few flour sacks and her trusty sewing box.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5749359/Royal-Wedding-Harry-bride-dressed-page-boys-bridesmaids-match-themselves.html

Jessica Mulroney put on a “slutty Pippa” costume and nailed her butt shot. Hey, we all have goals.

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a20758098/jessica-mulroney-pippa-middleton-royal-wedding/

The big BRF save here was having Chuck walk her down the aisle. The big laugh was Harry saying “You look amazing—I missed you” and Meghan simply replying “thank you.” True love, y’all.

The Service

Tentacle hands!!!! I thought the gospel choir was lovely and the preacher, of course, stole the show. Zara’s reactions were amazing. It was a lovely sermon, but very much in the American style, and you could tell that the Brits didn’t know what to make of it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5747835/Bishop-raises-eyebrows-chapel.html

The royals’ faces were EPIC. Zara looked shell shocked and Kate was trying hard to keep from laughing out loud.

http://people.com/royals/royal-wedding-prince-harry-meghan-markle-preacher/

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/05/19/zara-tindall-makes-herself-comfortable-at-royal-wedding-twitter-notices-her-bored-look.html

Most giggles arose during the “FIRE, FIRE, FIRE” section, but I, personally, started cackling when the reverend said “[w]hen love is the way, we actually treat each other — well, like we are actually family.” Extremely ironic words given the state of Meghan’s family. He should have said “we actually treat each other—like we are powerful celebrities with common financial and marketing interests.” That doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue though.

Justin Welby’s “x-rated line” (“together in the delight and tenderness of sexual union”) was also the cause of much merriment.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/703828/Royal-Wedding-X-rated-Prince-Harry-Meghan-Markle-sexual-union-archbishop-video

Harry cried during Diana’s funeral song, of course he did.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5750031/Harrys-tears-Diana-wedding-ceremony.html

Chelsy’s “somber” face became a meme, which is interesting because EVERYONE was wearing this face.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5749897/Chelsy-Davys-facial-expression-ex-Prince-Harrys-wedding-sparks-meme.html

The Fly

No, I am not kidding about this.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/meghan-praised-barely-flinching-during-12563691

The Vows.

Harry sounded sincere. I think this idiot is really in love. Meghan sounded more sincere during her Suits wedding. You’d think she’d be better at this given she’s had so much practice.

Doria did a good job and looked suitably moved. She has also had practice.

Walking out/The Kiss

Harry looked into it and poor Meghan looked like she was not enjoying it at all. I guess she’s more at home with the tentacle hands and burping. The DM called it theatrical. I guess it was, but I dunno, I think she’s done much better work before.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5749201/Harry-Meghans-Hollywood-Kiss-signalled-able-lead-day-says-body-language-expert.html

The extremely awkward kiss was the pic that made ALL THE COVERS. Wow, it looks hella stiff.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-the-papers-44186589

Carriage Ride.

Well, this made up for having to kiss Harry in public. They were both positively giddy during the carriage ride. They also got their one good pic here, an overhead shot where you can’t see either of their faces. They are holding hands while they soak up the crowd noise. LOL, you can tell that’s their favorite part of the whole thing. I guess this is why they wouldn’t budge on the $40 million expense.

Meghan dropped the F-bomb. Totes relatable, y’all.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5748277/Meghan-appears-drop-F-bomb-horse-drawn-carriage-ride-Windsor-Prince-Harry.html

Family Pic

Another Chuck save as he walked Doria and Camilla out of the church. The Cambridges looked lovely. Everyone looked bloody relieved.

The Cake

What the fug was this? I expected the cake to be bad, but this was atrocious. This was another big save by the BRF as they dug up their gaudiest gold serving plates to try to make this look good. It really was that crap layer cake she was working on. Was this supposed to feed 600 people? Were they serving their guests crumbs?

The baker proudly posted a close-up of the messy frosting on her IG. She really did just spackle on some buttercream and toss on some flowers. I honestly don’t understand why this woman is not dying of embarrassment right now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi_QLu9AXH4/?hl=en&taken-by=violetcakeslondon

The Reception

Stand-up (The Duchess of Kent arrived in sneakers, so I guess someone had warned her) and serving finger food. The BRF again saves the day by stuffing as many obscure words as they could into the menu to make it somewhat interesting. Still, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto? Tomato and basil? I guess the Olive Garden touch is a lovely nod to the bride’s American heritage. I bet the guests wished that the nod would have extended to all-you-can-eat breadsticks.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5749117/Harry-Meghan-enjoy-wedding-party-naughty-speeches-Princes-pals.html

Notably, Chuck did not break out the vintage vino for this crowd. That says it all.

https://us.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2015021123377/prince-william-kate-middleton-wedding-menu/

Meghan’s much vaunted tradition-breaking speech actually happened during the evening event. Ah, the hype of it all.

She finally got to thank the Academy, sorry the Royal Family, for the support.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5748651/Meghan-Harry-head-Frogmore-House-reception-royal-wedding.html

The After-Party

LOLOLOLOL. She got Di’s divorcee ring. That is so, so creepy. She looked overjoyed about it though, even happier than she was during the carriage ride. That ring is famous because Di wore it to her 1997 clothes auction, a huge symbolic break with her royal past. I bet the royals parted with it gladly.

http://people.com/royals/something-blue-meghan-markle-shoes-ring-wedding-reception/

And STEEEEEELLLLLAAAAAAA!!!!!!! Finally, I guess she hit TWO celeb-connected designers instead of one. She’s covering all her celeb bases. Halter top was tacky as hell and didn’t fit, of course, but it gave her a long-desired Bond Girl moment. Slut strand city too.

This wedding was all about giving her the Hollywood events she couldn’t earn through her acting talents—celeb red carpet, Bond Girl scene, tiara acceptance speech.

A new Jag, without the sentimental luggage of the car Will and Kate used for their getaway, and a very James Bond exit to Frogmore House. These two really think they are filming a movie, or rather a Bond-themed car ad. He absolutely murdered his “regular joe,” “People’s Prince” image in one fell swoop.

I loved that little wave she did showing off her Diana loot. There is a refreshing honesty to Meghan Markle. She’s not going to pretend that she’d rusticate in Dumfuck, Wales with her man. She’s into it for the BS Weekly covers, the Oprah interviews, the BFF Amal leaks and the Diana loot and she’s not ashamed to show it. Harry really does have the IQ of stale hummus, doesn’t he? I think he straight out owned this ring and he just gave it to her as a present. Good luck getting it back in the divorce, dumbass.

Harry cried again during the after party.

http://www.itv.com/news/2018-05-19/emotional-prince-harry-in-tears-as-he-talks-about-love-in-grooms-speech/

I’m honestly surprised at the fact that Meghan didn’t even bother to fake-cry. This dude is practically dying of dehydration, Megs. Make en effort.

But the best part of the after party is all the new celeb friends merching and posting on IG and bragging about meeting the BRF. Congrats on your “new circle” of friends, Harry.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5748627/Funnyman-James-Corden-host-royal-wedding-reception-Frogmore-House.html

https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/suits-cast-will-not-attend-meghan-markle-prince-harrys-evening-wedding-reception/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5749403/Jessica-Mulroney-makes-moment-royal-wedding-limelight.html

Cheesus, even Nacho was selling cologne with his “evening invite” and I’d always been so proud of him for not using the royal connection on anything but sport and charity business. Guess the rules have changed.

I hear that someone leaked reception pics to the DM and Harry had them taken down. LOLOLOL because hypocrisy much?

Oh, and kudos to Priyanka on merching the Dior “Diana” bag. Bitch does her research.

Jess got a second Pippa “butt pic” in. LOLOLOLOLOL.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5749403/Jessica-Mulroney-makes-moment-royal-wedding-limelight.html%5BIMG%5D//

Her Family

The Markles celebrated with Burger King crowns and television cameras.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5748403/Meghans-uninvited-family-celebrates-wedding-Burger-King-crowns.html

The Website

The BRF website is now officially the TIG. OMG, she’s bragging about her high school volunteering. These people have been doing charity all their lives and she’s bragging about her 9thgrade extracurricular.

https://www.royal.uk/duchess-sussex

I saw a few tweets wondering why she didn’t mention her acting. LOLOLOLOL, this is typical Markle re-invention. In a few months, it will be as if she never acted at all.

Random Stuff

She gave Kate a friendship bracelet!!!! I had an anon who said this would happen. Kudos anon. It looks like a Claire’s Easter special, and it’s for sale for $450 dollars because of course it is.

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a20764085/meghan-markle-royal-wedding-gift-bracelet-kate-middleton/

And on a scale of 1 to Millie Mackintosh’s publicist, how good are you at your job? This girl got more publicity out of the wedding than most invitees (Priyanka Chopra excepted, of course).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5750035/Millie-Mackintosh-shows-theres-no-hard-feelings-watches-Royal-Wedding-invite-snub.html

Ratings and crowd

18 million in the UK, way less than W&K’s audience of 24 million.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/20/royal-wedding-confirmed-as-years-biggest-uk-tv-event

US ratings were 22.4 a smidgen less than Will and Kate’s 23 million.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tv-ratings-royal-wedding-brings-18-million-viewers-us-broadcast-1113498

They got 4M in Australia which was close to Will and Kate’s 4.8 million. I thought these numbers were ridiculously low, but then I realized that Australia only has 24 million people. They are smaller than Texas!

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/royal-family/seven-claims-royal-wedding-ratings-win-as-millions-tune-in/news-story/4b020773c51004c1657ed52322c6802b

Crowd seems to be generally described as “around 100,000.” I can’t find a closer number than that, but I’m guessing it’s going to come out below that.

The BBC trolled Trump with a pic of his inaguration. I loved this because I hate Trump more than I hate Meghan, but, sadly, they are full of shit. Trump was mocked because he said his inaguration crowd was “the biggest ever” and it only pulled in like 240,000 people in the Mall, which is pathetic when compared to Obama’s 800,000. He still, however, pulled in 240k and I’ve heard of Dem “scare the troops into working” emails that screech “don’t’ be complacent because he may have actually gotten 400k, which is an average inaguration crowd!!!!! Get back to door knocking you lazy buttholes.”

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bbc-trolls-president-trump-with-royal-wedding-crowd-size_us_5b0048f9e4b07309e058bd76

https://www.factcheck.org/2017/01/the-facts-on-crowd-size/

And they seemed to be expecting A LOT more.

https://twitter.com/ParryTom/status/997784606396026881

Conclusion

The general theme here seemed to be “Will & Kate’s wedding, but tackier.” Where the Cambridges stressed family and continuity, the Slutsexes are stressing materialism and celeb worship. Where the Cambridges focused on British heritage and history, the Slutsexes focus on luxury brands and self-promotion. Where the Cambridges had composure and restraint, the Slutsexes had Hollywood posing and random cursing.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5749175/Anything-Kate-Meghan-Two-familiar-different-Royal-Weddings.html

But at least the Kardashians sent their congratulations.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5748907/Kim-Kardashian-lovestruck-Prince-Harry-telling-Meghan-Markle-look-amazing-Royal-Wedding.html

http://people.com/royals/royal-wedding-khloe-kardashian-congratulates-meghan-markle/

And the K-Klub even produced a little merger offer. I doubt William will pick them up on it, but the Slutsexes are likely going to have a baby soon so a future Kardashian-Slutsex marriage may not be out of the question.

http://hollywoodlife.com/2018/05/19/khloe-kardashian-wants-true-prince-george-marry-royal-wedding/

The other main theme is, where the hell did the money go? $270k for that David’s Bridal special? No way. The cake was tiny and took no effort. The flowers were plastic. The reception menu was a Costco appetizer platter with a good thesaurus. Did they spend all of Chuck’s money on Meghan’s gotta-catch’em-all Cartier collection and Harry’s new Jag? “Sorry, honeybun, we can’t afford the Jag AND mozzarella. One’s gotta go.” “Oh, hell, just serve them tomato with a basil leaf on top and call it a ‘tartare.’ They are American. They won’t know the difference.”

And, finally, hooray for the celebration of black America. It wasn’t what anyone expected, but I’m sure it will serve Meghan in good stead when she ditches her groom and returns to the States.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/19/world/europe/meghan-markle-prince-harry-wedding.html

http://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-changing-discussions-about-race-in-america/

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/an-american-energy-at-the-royal-wedding-of-prince-harry-and-meghan-markle

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/20/is-meghan-markle-the-american-the-royals-needed-all-along

Even Piers Morgan was all “well, this is highly significant for the Americans.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5749015/PIERS-MORGAN-gives-verdict-ultimate-showbiz-wedding.html

We Americans are amazing. We just conned England into paying $40M for a celebration of out culture. We rock.

This little wedding trip plays to both countries’ psychoses. We get to re-establish our position as the belly-button of the universe by having Britain’s royal family be all about us and our racial wounds, and Britain gets to feel like a world power again by acting like their two-bit hereditary whatnot trumps our first Black First Lady and validates our social progress. It’s the special relationship at its best.

Overall, however, I say this is a win for the BRF. Long after Meghan has divorced Harry, packed her Diana ring and Cartier collection, the BRF will still have pics of the day they embraced multiculturalism with a gospel-themed wedding with MLK quotes. Well done.

They didn’t look triumphant, though. That last pic of Doria, Charles, Cam, and the Cambridges was, imo, relieved, yet mournful.

My last thought is, how fucking whipped is this dude? From the “I hope Meghan’s alright” moment to the baby-ish hand-holding, to the aquamarine ring, it was pretty clear (at least to me) that this guy is idiotically in love. I’ve gotten a lot of anons asking me what’s going on behind the scenes and why is she “getting everything she wants” and asking if she’s blackmailing the BRF or something.

I think he’s in love. It’s as simple as that. He’s and idiot and he’s in love and he’s desperate to keep her and he knows this is the way he can keep her—jewels and publicity and Diana crap.

It’s gonna be pretty goddamn tragic when she ditches him the way she has ditched everyone.

I also have a lot of anons asking me what I think will happen next. I think it will be the same stuff we’ve seen until now Harry and Meghan fuck up (engagement dress, nude pics, family drama) and the BRF comes in an saves them (Sandringham, Commonwealth everything, and Charles walking Megs down the aisle). It will be wash, rinse, repeat until they fuck up so magnificently that even the BRF can’t save them. Also, baby rumors around August, baby announcement by September, and baby bump by Eugenie’s wedding. I also think they will go on a “work” spree to try to overshadow the Cambridges who will just roll their eyes and get working on Cambridge #4. We should also see a ton of ill-fitting, untaiilored high fashion “lewks” because this woman has now reached merching Nirvana.

Cheers.

123 notes · View notes

andrew-bain · 3 years ago

Photo

Standen, East Grinstead, West Sussex. 18 May 2021.

My second e-bike / train excursion is to this 1894 pile designed by Philip Webb for James Beale, solicitor to Midland Railway. I have arranged to meet a school friend there at noon, but the Worth Trail, the old railway from Three Bridges is challenging and its entry into East Grinstead is unfamiliar to me. Then there is a downpour, I am late. In the early 1990′s I visited Standen, in my original home town, with my mother, over from Canada, She brought me a CD of Bach’s Mass in B Minor which jumped us into buying our first CD player, This sketch I made from the shelter of the summer house through further showers. I cycled back via Gullege the C16th stone farmhouse my oldest surviving pencil sketch subject done in 1967.

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premiercarriageuk · 3 years ago

Text

Discover The Symbolism Behind Rolls Royce Wedding Cars And Why They Remain Such A Popular Choice For British Bridal Couples

Luxury cars driven by a professional chauffeur have been a principal of the classic wedding for generations, lending a sense of splendour and prestige to the occasion, so you need a model that can deliver all of that while also embodying the classic style, elegance, and timeless sense of beauty you want your wedding, and be remembered for.

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megalium · 4 years ago

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U.K. PM Boris Johnson will not attend Prince Philip's

LONDON — Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not attend Saturday’s funeral for Prince Philip to allow as many members of the royal family as possible to be present amid coronavirus restrictions, his office said in a statement Saturday.

“Only 30 people can attend the funeral of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the statement said. “The prime minister has throughout wanted to act in accordance with what is best for the royal household, and so to allow for as many family members as possible will not be attending the funeral on Saturday.”

Although England is set to come out of its latest Covid-19 lockdown on Monday, there are still substantial restrictions on mass gatherings, including limitations to how many people can attend funerals and weddings.

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Attendees will also have to respect social distancing guidelines and keep 6 feet apart from people outside their household, the rules state.

Prince Philip’s funeral will be a much more subdued affair than was originally planned due to, in large part, the pandemic restrictions, but also his own wishes.

Buckingham Palace said Saturday that the ceremonial funeral will take place in St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle where he died at 99 on Friday, without any public access.

The procession will take place entirely within the grounds of the 11th century palace and will be broadcast live from the small town around 30 miles west of the capital.

It will not be a state funeral, reserved for ruling monarchs, and his body will not lie in state.

The palace said Philip's naval cap and sword will be placed on top of his coffin before it is transported from the castle to the chapel in a purpose-built Land Rover that he helped to design. Prince Charles and other senior royals will follow on foot.

Ahead of the ceremony, a national minute's silence will be observed.

On Saturday, Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, thanked the public for their condolences following his father’s death, saying his "dear papa" will be missed "enormously."

Since Philip's death, flowers and messages of support have been piling up outside Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, but the royal family has asked people to make donations to charities instead over pandemic concerns. Gun salutes rang out in Philip's honor across the nation on Saturday.

Members of the royal family also visited the grieving Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.

“The queen has been amazing,” said a tearful Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, as she left with her husband Prince Edward, the youngest son of the monarch.

Prince Harry, one of Prince Philip's eight grandchildren, is expected to travel from the U.S., where he now lives with his wife Meghan Markle, for the funeral, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Saturday. However, Markle, who is pregnant with their second child, has not received medical clearance to travel from her physician, according to the palace.

All eyes will be on Harry and his interactions with his family after the couple's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey last month, exposing a raft of allegations about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's lives before and after their split with the royal family.

The palace said Prince Harry will be following Covid-19 protocols for travel to and from the U.K.

Under current regulations, travellers arriving from the U.S. have to quarantine for 10 days, but they have an option of taking a Covid-19 test after five full days of isolation and end their quarantine early if the test is negative.

Federal health authorities recommended Tuesday that providers temporarily stop administering the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine while they investigate a potential link to very rare blood clots.

Six women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed blood clots after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. One person died, and another is in critical condition, the Food and Drug Administration said.

"We are recommending this pause while we work together to fully understand these events, and also so we can get information out to health care providers and vaccine recipients," Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting FDA commissioner, said during a briefing Tuesday.

The review is expected to be completed quickly, lasting "a matter of days," officials said.

The clots are considered extremely rare. Overall, more than 6.8 million people in the U.S. have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

No such issues have been reported with the Covid-19 vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, health officials said.

In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said it was aware that blood clots had been reported with some Covid-19 vaccines, but that "no clear causal relationship has been established between these rare events" and its shot.

"We continue to work closely with experts and regulators to assess the data and support the open communication of this information to healthcare professionals and the public," the company said.

The pause "will not have a significant impact" on the country's vaccination plan, Jeff Zients, the White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator, said in a statement, adding that there is "more than enough supply" to meet President Joe Biden's "goal of 200 million shots by his 100th day in office."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will convene its vaccine advisory committee on Wednesday to look into the possible link between the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and blood clots.

"I know that the information we're providing today is going to be very concerning to Americans who have already received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine," Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director for CDC, said during the briefing. "For people who got the vaccine more than a month ago, the risk is very low."

For those who recently got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Schuchat advised to be aware of sudden, severe headaches, abdominal pain or shortness of breath.

The six people who experienced clots were all women whose symptoms began six to 13 days after vaccination, the FDA and CDC said. They developed a type of blood clot in the brain called a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, or CVST, as well as low levels of blood platelets.

Usually, people with blood clots are treated with a blood thinner called heparin. But in rare cases, the immune system reacts to the drug in a phenomenon called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, which increases the risk for clotting.

For this reason, giving those who develop CVST heparin might actually be dangerous. Other blood thinners or medications may be more appropriate, officials said.

The call for a pause mirrors a situation that played out in Europe last month.

Some European governments paused the rollout of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine after a similarly tiny number of people suffered CVST blood clots. The AstraZeneca vaccine uses the same type of technology as the Johnson & Johnson shot.

Most European countries have since resumed administering the shot, but with a messy patchwork of different age restrictions and other guidelines. There is some evidence that as a result of this widely publicized fear, public trust in this vaccine is lower than others that are available.

The situation in Europe has divided experts, with some saying that governments could not ignore the possible link, and others saying that the pause may have increased infections and hesitancy, damage that far outweighs the dangers from these extremely rare side-effects.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson also announced it will "proactively delay the rollout of our vaccine in Europe" while the company reviews potential cases overseas.

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crownlettings · 4 years ago

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Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual hill climb featuring historic motor racing vehicles held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England in late June or early July; Goodwood Festival of Speed the event is scheduled to avoid clashing with the Formula One season, enabling fans to see F1 machines as well as cars and motorbikes from motor racing history climb the hill.The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a wonderful celebration of the best of motoring, based out of the front garden of the Earl of March's country pile near Chichester. New reveals, launches and debuts all happen on the iconic hill climb.In the early years of the Festival, tens of thousands attended over the weekend. As of 2014 it attracted crowds of around 100,000 on each of the three days it was held. A record crowd of 158,000 attended in 2003, before an advance-ticket-only admission policy came into force; attendance was subsequently capped at 150,000.The Goodwood Festival of Speed was founded in 1993 by Lord March in order to bring motor racing back to the Goodwood estate — a location steeped in British motor racing history. Shortly after taking over the estate in the early 1990s, Lord March (who later became Duke of Richmond) wanted to bring back motor racing to Goodwood Circuit, but did not have the necessary permit to host a race there. Therefore, he instead hosted it on his own grounds.

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severingt · 4 years ago

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Ned, My Paternal Grandfather

There is a lot of documented history of both my grandfathers, through their war records and, in the case of granddad Travers, Michael Fitzpatrick’s history of Gorey, Ireland. However, these are not the tales I wish to retell here; this is a personal memory and as such may be correct or not, but it is how I remember it. He joined the navy and after worked till retirement in HMS Vernon which is now Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth. He was a pretty big guy, stocky and sure footed. He had tattoos on each arm – I don’t know of what as they just looked like a mess of blue ink to me. He wore glasses and was pretty much bald, which to his credit he didn’t try to hide under a comb-over. He used to wear a green cap, I don’t remember ever seeing anyone else wearing one like it, but I guess I didn’t look that hard. He used to grow his own vegetables and fruit. I think he has an allotment as well. His garden had vegetables down one side, fruit down the other and a mixture across the end. There was an old apple tree in the garden. He grew carrots and peas, runners and onions, potatoes, blackberries, raspberries and loganberries, all sorts. My uncle used to tell a story of a set of golf clubs he bought, second hand. He needed left handed clubs as that was the way he played. Anyway, he got a good deal on these clubs and they were pretty good. Sometime later, after he had moved away, he read in a paper about a particular brand of golf clubs that were quite rare and worth a premium. They were the same make as my uncles. Realising that perhaps left handed ones were even rarer, my uncle thought he could make some money selling his clubs. So, the next time he visited my grandparents, he asked my granddad whether he knew where those old clubs were. Granddad did, indeed, know where they were as one day when he was stringing up some vegetables, he ran out of bamboo cane. He went to the greenhouse, looking for something that he could use and his eyes fell upon these clubs that hadn’t been used for many years. So, inspiration struck him and he quickly found his wood saw and cut off the ends of the clubs. They made wonderful supports for his vegetables. He decided to make me a kite one day that I was over there. When I arrived he was fairly near finishing it. It was traditional shape, made from brown paper. He used flour and water as the glue to hold it all together. We went over to Milton Park to fly it. It didn’t go very well, but it didn’t matter either; that wasn’t the point. I can remember him running, trying to get some lift under it and failing. The dog, Gora(?) running along side her master. Once he and grandma took my brother and I to an open day or something, maybe it was a navy day – I can’t remember. There was a big trampoline there and I can remember my brother have a good old time bouncing up and down. We used to go to my paternal grandparents every Wednesday. That was early closing day for my dad and so he’d pick us up from school and we would go there for supper. I was there once when he was eating his supper, a big pile of potatoes and, I think, a stew of some kind. He used to make a sound, I’ll never forget, when he was eating; it was like a minor exhalation of breath during effort. I do it sometimes now and it always reminds me of him. He used to take me to the football at Fratton Park to see Pompey play. Well, perhaps play isn’t the right word as at that time they were always to be found languishing in the lower reaches of Division Two and once popped down to Division Three, just to see what it was like. I believe it was from standing in the Fratton End freezing, watching some inept, over weight and over aged footballers lose every Saturday that my deep hatred for football comes. However, that wasn’t his fault. I can’t remember how many times we went, it was a few though. I don’t know how old I was either. Once we drove out to Fairmile Bottom, which was out past Singleton in West Sussex. There was just a wooden café there so blink and you’d miss it. Interestingly, this café was considered of such local importance that it was bought by the Amberley Museum and transported there where it stands, refurbished to this day. Anyway, it was a whole family get together as my aunt and uncle, Mike and Sally (who was just a toddler at the time) and their red and white Hillman Minx were there. Granddad and grandma were there as were the four of us. I only know this much detail as it is recorded on cine film. I do remember, however, the kick around we had behind the café; there was a sort of picnic area there, I think. So I guess that must have been 1966? As with most Irishmen, my granddad was a bit of a drinker in his time. Legend has it that he used to give directions by pubs, i.e. you go down to the Ship and Anchor then turn right and go along till you get to the Vines then go left till the White Hart, etc. I went to Ireland with my grandparents once and contracted mumps. It was then that I was introduced to the delights of sugar sandwiches and tomato sauce mash. We went over by train as neither of my grandparents could drive; we must have taken the night crossing to Rosslare, as once on board ship we had a bunk which I seem to remember sharing with granddad, but I’m not sure on that. I don’t remember much more; only that, near the end, he lost a lot of weight thus becoming a shadow of his former self. I didn’t see much of him in his final days / weeks / months. He was just there, and then he wasn’t there. That was it. Once again, I didn’t go to the funeral; as I remember, a few came back to our house for lunch. I think his ashes were taken to Ireland and buried alongside someone whose name escapes me.

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nicksayers · 4 years ago

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On Monday afternoon I drew David Kisige in Uganda, via Zoom, for my #NickDrawsNationals pandemic art project. We’d been trying for weeks to connect for this session. Internet access has been a big challenge. We tried at his friend’s internet cafe, but it was too patchy. He then travelled to a local hotel, where the wifi was slightly more reliable. We finally managed about an hour of chat and portrait drawing on the hotel balcony, overlooking a garden of date palms. David is a Christian pastor, and is studying for a certificate in theology at church school most days. He has travelled within Africa on Christian missionary work to Tanzania, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya. He has a wife and five children aged between five and 19. They all work together on the family farm, growing beans, corn and other vegetable crops. They can’t afford agricultural machinery, so have to use hand tools and hard manual labour. David used to work as a security guard in the capital, Kampala, patrolling around the city and arresting thugs. Then he got a calling from God to devote his life to religion. It took me a while to understand that he contacted me at first about my project because my name is the same as an evangelical Christian from Australia, who debates religious matters online. Sadly, that’s all the conversation we managed while I drew him. His battery ran low, the connection died and he had to save power for the end of the day. On a follow-up call, he showed me the church he’s building with the local community. There were happy children running everywhere, music, drumming, women sharing food, and bricks being made from red earth dug from the ground and fired under piles of wood. He said that Covid lockdown has been devastating for community life: travel between towns is banned, and churches had to close. I really enjoyed meeting and drawing David – he was very friendly and accommodating, and warmly welcomed me to visit Uganda when travel becomes possible again. #nickdrawsneighbours #drawing #portrait #portraitdrawing #portraiture #birodrawing #ballpointpen #ballpointpenart #ballpoint #neighbours #sketching #artinlockdown #artinisolation #isolationart #NickDrawsNationals (at Portslade, West Sussex, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLul1uhn_qM/?igshid=xetc1r3l6tsm

#nickdrawsnationals #nickdrawsneighbours #drawing #portrait #portraitdrawing #portraiture #birodrawing #ballpointpen #ballpointpenart #ballpoint #neighbours #sketching #artinlockdown #artinisolation #isolationart

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bbcbreakingnews · 4 years ago

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Beaches and parks brace for an onslaught of visitors as temperatures are set to hit 82F today

Beaches and car parks are bracing for an onslaught of visitors as London and the south is set for 82F (28C) sun hotter than Mexico today – but rain will keep things cooler further north.

The Met Office forecast a weather front to bring a split in temperatures between the two regions with a ‘fairly grey’ day for northern England and north Wales but scorching conditions towards the south-east.

It follows police saying UK motorways looked like a ‘cross between a caravan and a boat show’ yesterday after millions hit the roads ahead of this weekend as the official school holidays begin for many families.

The busy roads heading southbound towards Cornwall, South Devon and Plymouth were piled up with traffic and delays were reported on the M5 southbound, from Gloucestershire all the way down to Somerset.

Most schools are set to break up for the summer holidays between July 20 and July 22, after months of home schooling due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Britons make use of the outdoor seating at Northcote road in Battersea, London, which has been pedestrianised so that customers can maintain social distancing rules following the easing of lockdown restrictions

Beachgoers in East Sussex on a sunny start to the weekend as families with children that have already broken up from school arrive at Camber Sands to enjoy the golden fine sands and miles long beaches

Two people at Bournemouth beach as most schools are set to break up for the summer holidays between July 20 and July 22, with the mercury possibly hitting 82F (28C) towards the south-east over today

Two people sunbathe on Bournemouth beach today, as the south-east is set for sweltering 82F (28C) temperatures today

Two people take to the sea on paddleboards and a third on a jet ski as they enjoy the sunny weather at Bournemouth beach

Forecasting today’s weather, Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: ‘For northern England, north Wales it looks fairly grey with outbreaks of rain especially to the west of the Pennines, at times some of that rain could just trickle into mid-Wales and eventually maybe into parts of the Midlands too.

‘But looks like most of the Midlands, most of southern England into East Anglia, dry, bright and very warm once more. Should brighten up a little bit across the far north of England but there is, as I say, quite a bit of uncertainty about the position of this weather front.

‘It could be a bit further north, it could be a little bit further south. But it will definitely bring that contrast in temperatures again, another warm one across the south-east, 28C (82F) is possible, whereas it will be cooler further north but still pleasant enough in the sunshine where we see it across eastern Scotland, north-east England, 20C (68F) is possible.

‘If you’re stuck under that cloud and rain from that weather front though it will feel pretty cool. Now that weather front may pep up again on Saturday evening across parts of Wales especially and again north-west England, staying fairly soggy, the rain could expand as we go into Sunday too.’

The scorching highs of 82F (28C) make Britain hotter than Mexico City, which is currently at 55F (13C) and set to reach highs of 77F (25C) throughout today.

Towards the end of the weekend, many areas will see ‘sunny spells’ with any rain across the south slowly clearing away.

Bournemouth beach starts to become rather busy this morning as scorching temperatures are forecast for the rest of today

Families pictured enjoying the sunny weather at Branksome beach in Dorset this morning as the temperatures heats up in southern parts of the UK

Beachgoers take a dip in the sea at Branksome beach in Dorset today. Towards the end of the weekend, many areas will see ‘sunny spells’ with any rain across the south slowly clearing away

One member of the public prepares to take to the sea for water sports at Branksome beach in Dorset today. Coral bookmaker has made it odds-on at 1-2 for 86F (30C) or higher being recorded this weekend in the UK

A group of people enjoy the sunny weather and set up a tent at Branksome beach in Dorset this morning. Busy roads heading southbound towards Cornwall, South Devon and Plymouth were piled up with traffic yesterday

One family set up camp and take a bodyboard as they prepare to enjoy the scorching temperatures on Branksome beach in Dorset

One member of the public goes roller-skating at Branksome beach in Dorset, with cyclists also seen in the background. It follows yesterday becoming the hottest day so far this month as the mercury hit 83.3F (28.5C) at London’s Heathrow

A cyclist pictured at Branksome beach in Dorset this morning. The sunny weather follows police saying UK motorways looked like a ‘cross between a caravan and a boat show’ yesterday after millions hit the roads ahead of this weekend

Mr Deakin added: ‘That weather front then slowly chugging south into Sunday, still a lot of uncertainty about the timing although it kind of stalls, again though further north the cooler air for Sunday but a fresh bright day for much of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

‘A few showers, some drifting inland. But across England and Wales that weather front still likely to be around, certainly initially bringing cloud and rain, it should start to clear away though through the day.

‘We could though see some heavier showers breaking out across East Anglia and the south-east later on but there’s a lot of uncertainty about how quickly that weather front scoops away.’

Coral bookmaker has made it odds-on at 1-2 for 86F (30C) or higher being recorded this weekend in the UK.

Coral’s John Hill said: ‘We are set for one of the hottest weekends of the year so far, with our betting indicating 30C or higher could be reached in the UK.

‘With more sizzling temperature on the horizon, we think we could still get a record hot summer this year.’

Queuing traffic on the M5 near Bristol with caravans as people head off for the start of the summer holidays this morning

Queuing traffic on the M5 near Bristol today as the official school holidays begin for many families and millions hit the roads

Met Office’s Alex Deakin, above, forecast a ‘fairly grey’ day for northern England and north Wales but scorching conditions towards the south-east today as a weather front brings a split in temperatures between the two regions

Towards the end of the weekend on Sunday, many areas will see ‘sunny spells’ with any rain across the south slowly clearing away, but ‘uncertainty’ surrounds how quickly the front will last

The firm also made it odds-on at 10-11 for a hosepipe ban this summer and 5-4 for the hottest summer on record in the UK.

It follows yesterday becoming the hottest day so far this month as the mercury hit 83.3F (28.5C) at London’s Heathrow.

The Met Office tweeted: ‘It was the warmest day so far this July as temperatures reached 28.5°C at Heathrow.

‘A cold front brought cloud and rain further north, where it was much cooler. Fresher air will spread south this weekend as the cold front clears through.’

Meanwhile, a swarm of flying ants so large it can be seen from space was spotted over the south-east coast yesterday.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner has warned that there may be more domestic visitors to Cornwall and Devon than ever this year due to foreign travel restrictions. Pictured, the M1 near Worksop

Traffic pilled up on the M1 near Worksop (above) yesterday and delays were reported on the M5 southbound, from Gloucestershire all the way down to Somerset

Drivers have been asked to avoid travelling in peak times and check how busy the roads are before setting off for long trips

The Met Office’s weather radar picked up the cloud of ants, around 50 miles wide, over Kent and Sussex. Smaller swarms can be seen over London.

The forecaster tweeted a video of the swarm and said: ‘It’s not raining in London, Kent or Sussex, but our radar says otherwise… The radar is actually picking up a swarm of #flyingants across the southeast.

‘During the summer ants can take to the skies in a mass emergence usually on warm, humid and windless days #flyingantday’.’

A spokesman for the weather service said there are likely ‘thousands’ of ants within the swarm.

He said: ‘It’s not unusual for larger swarms to be picked up. A similar thing happened almost exactly a year ago on flying ant day.

‘When it is sunny, the radar detects the swam but we are able to see they are not the same shape as water droplets, and in fact look more insect-like.’

Flying ant day occurs when males and new queens leave the nest to mate, with many ant colonies doing so on the same day.

According to the Royal Society of Biology, there is not always one flying ant day, but as many as 96 per cent of days between June and September flying ants are spotted.

The post Beaches and parks brace for an onslaught of visitors as temperatures are set to hit 82F today appeared first on BBC BREAKING NEWS.

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thekillerblogofkillers · 7 years ago

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John George Haigh (1909-1949)

John George Haigh, also known as the Acid Bath Murderer, was an English serial killer who was convicted of murdering 6 people, although he claimed to have killed 9. He would beat or shoot his victims to death before using concentrated sulphuric acid to destroy their corpses before forging papers to be able to sell their possessions and collect money. During the investigation, it was revealed that Haigh was using acid to destroy the victims’ bodies because he misunderstood the term “corpus delicti” (body of the crime), mistakenly believing that if no bodies were found a murder conviction would not be possible. Despite the absence of his victims’ bodies there was sufficient evidence for Haigh to be convicted for the murders and he was subsequently executed.

John George Haigh was born on July 24, 1909, in Stamford, Lincolnshire. He grew up in the village of Outwood, West Riding of Yorkshire to parents John Robert and Emily, who were members of the Plymouth Brethren, a conservative Protestant sect. Haigh would later claim that he suffered from recurring religious neighbours throughout his childhood. Despite this, Haigh became greatly proficient at playing the piano, which he learned at home. He was fond of classical music and would often go to concerts featuring music by Felix Mendelssohn, Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, and others. Haigh won a scholarship to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Wakefield, before winning another scholarship to Wakefield Cathedral, where he became a choirboy. After leaving school Haigh was apprenticed to a firm of motor engineers. After 1 year he left that job, taking jobs in insurance and advertising. At the age of 21, he was fired after being suspected of stealing from a cash box.

On July 6, 1934, Haigh married Beatrice ‘Betty’ Hamer, 23, but the marriage didn’t last long. The same year Haigh was in jail for fraud, Betty gave birth to a baby girl but gave her up for adoption and left her husband. His conservative family ostracised him from that day forth. He moved to London in 1936 and became chauffeur to William McSwan, a wealthy amusement arcade owner. At this time Haigh began to pretend he was a solicitor named William Cato Adamson with offices in Chancery Lane, London; Guildford, Surrey; and Hastings, Sussex. He sold fraudulent stock shares that he purported were from the estates of his deceased clients, at below-market rates – this scam was uncovered by somebody who noticed that he had misspelled Guildford as “Guilford” on his letterhead, which was an odd mistake to make for an educated solicitor. Haigh was given a 4-year jail sentence for fraud and was released just after the start of WWII. He continued defrauding people and received several other terms of imprisonment. Haigh realised that his repeated arrests were due to leaving victims alive to report him, and he became intrigued with French murderer Georges-Alexandre Sarret, active in 1925, who would dispose of his victims’ bodies in sulphuric acid. Whilst in prison Haigh came up with a method of destruction for the bodies of victims by dissolving it in the acid. He experimented with field mice and found that it took just 30 minutes for the body to dissolve.

Haigh was released from prison in 1943 and became an account with an engineering firm. By chance, he bumped into former employer McSwan in The Goat pub in Kensington. McSwan introduced Haigh to his parents, Donald and Amy. McSwan worked for them collecting rent on their London properties, and Haigh grew jealous of his lifestyle. On September 6, 1944, McSwan vanished. Haigh later admitted to hitting him on the head after he lured him into a basement at 79 Gloucester Road, London SW7. He placed McSwan’s body into a 40-gallon drum and tipped concentrated sulphuric acid onto it – within 2 days the body had become sludge, which Haigh poured down a manhole. He told Amy and Donald McSwan that their son had gone into hiding in Scotland in an attempt to avoid being called up for military service. Haigh took over McSwan’s house and began to collect rent for the McSwans, but he wanted the money for himself. Donald and Amy McSwan began to get curious as to why their son hadn’t returned in light of the fact that the war was coming to an end. On July 2, 1945, Haigh lured them to Gloucester Road by telling them that William had come back from Scotland to visit. He murdered them in his basement with blunt force blows to the head and disposed of them. Haigh stole William McSwan’s pension cheques and sold their properties, stealing around £8,000, before moving into the Onslow Court Hotel in Kensington. Haigh was a keen gambler and was running out of money by the summer of 1947. In order to solve his financial problems, he found another couple to kill and rob – Dr. Archibald Henderson and his wife Rose – whom he murdered after faking interest in a house they were selling. He was invited to the Hendersons’ flat by Rose to play piano at their housewarming party. Whilst there, Haigh stole Archibald Henderson’s revolver, planning to use it for his next crime. Haigh rented a small workspace a 2 Leopold Road, Crawley, Sussex, and moved acid and drums there from Gloucester Road. Haigh was known to have stayed at Crawley’s George Hotel on more than one occasion. On February 12, 1948, Haigh drove Henderson to Crawley on the pretense of showing him an invention. On their arrival, Haigh shot Henderson in the head with his own revolver before luring Mrs. Henderson to the workshop, claiming that her husband had been taken ill – he shot her also. After he disposed of the Hendersons’ bodies in oil drums filled with acid, Haigh forged a letter from them and sold all of their belongings for £8,000, keeping their dog and car.

Haigh’s next and final victim was 69-year-old Olive Durand-Deacon, the wealthy widow of solicitor John Durand-Deacon, who was also residing at the Onslow Court Hotel. By this time Haigh was calling himself an engineer, and Olive told him about an idea she had for artificial fingernails. He invited her to the Leopold Road workshop on February 18 1949 and, once inside, shot her in the back of the neck with the revolver that he had stolen from Archibald Henderson. He stripped her of her valuables, including a Persian lamb coat, and put her into an acid bath. 2 days later, Durand-Deacon’s friend Constance Lane reported her missing. Detectives soon uncovered Haigh’s record of theft and fraud and searched the workshop, finding Haigh’s attaché case which contained a dry cleaner’s receipt for Mrs. Durand-Deacon’s coat, and papers referring to the Hendersons and McSwans. The workshop in Sussex rented by Haigh didn’t contain a floor drain, unlike the one he had rented at Gloucester Road in London, so he had to dispose of his victims’ remains by pouring out the container on a rubble pile behind the property. Investigation of that area, conducted by pathologist Keith Simpson, revealed 28 pounds of human body fat, part of a human foot, human gallstones and part of a denture which was later identified by a dentist as belonging to Mrs. Durand-Deacon. Haigh asked Detective Inspector Albert Webb during interrogation: “Tell me, frankly, what are the chances of anybody being released from Broadmoor?” The inspector told Haigh that he couldn’t discuss that, so Haigh replied, “Well, if I told you the truth, you would not believe me. It sounds too fantastic to believe.” He then confessed to killing Mrs. Durand-Deacon, the McSwans and the Hendersons – as well as 3 others: a young man named Max, a girl from Eastbourne, and a woman from Hammersmith. These claims were never proven.

After his arrest, Haigh remained in custody in Cell 2 of Horsham Police Station in Barttelot Road. He was then charged with murder at the nearby courthouse in what is now known as the Old Town Hall. John George Haigh pleaded insanity, claiming he had drunk the blood of his victims. He confessed that as a young boy he had dreams dominated by blood. When he was involved in a car accident in March of 1944, he remembered his dream: “I saw before me a forest of crucifixes which gradually turned into trees. At first, there appeared to be dew or rain, dripping from the branches, but as I approached I realised it was blood. The whole forest began to writhe and the trees, dark and erect, to ooze blood...A man went from each tree catching the blood...When the cup was full, he approached me. ‘Drink,’ he said, but I was unable to move.” Sir Hartley Shawcross KC, the Attorney-General, led for the prosecution at Lewes Assizes, and urged the jurors to reject Haigh’s defence of insanity because he had acted with malice aforethought (premeditation). Sir David Maxwell Fyfe KC, for the defence, called many witnesses to testify about Haigh’s mental state, including Dr. Henry Yellowlees, who claimed that Haigh had a paranoid constitution, adding: “The absolute callous, cheerful, bland and almost friendly indifference of the accused to the crimes which he freely admits having committed is unique in my experience.” It only took the jury a few minutes to find Haigh guilty – Mr. Justice Travers Humphreys sentenced him to death. In the condemned cell at Wandsworth Prison, Haigh asked one of his guards, Jack Morwood, if it would be possible to have a trial run of his hanging so everything would go smoothly. It is likely that this request went no further, or, if it did, the request was denied. On August 10, 1949, John George Haigh was led to the gallows and hanged by execution Albert Pierrepoint.

#john george haigh #acid bath murderer #serial killer #robber #london #sulphuric acid #sulfuric acid #drums #hanged #executed

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emawalker0001-blog · 5 years ago

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Best Coffee Capusle to buy in 2020

Quick, handy and downright tasty, the humble coffee tablet has revolutionised our every day cuppa (element in way to a instead clever George Clooney). However, it has been stated that a huge 350 million tablets are thrown away every year – and that’s just inside the UK alone. A pretty sobering notion.

Don’t fear though, we’re not approximately to suggest you forgo your quick caffeine repair (heaven forbid!) because thankfully there’s an entire host of brands offering an eco-opportunity.

Convenience is undoubtedly key – only 28 in line with cent of Nespresso’s pods are recycled, partly because of the fact they need to be collected or taken to a set factor. It’s all nicely and top that your pod can be recycled, however until you without a doubt do it, it’s really pretty useless.

Of route, the contents of a pill is simply as critical – while setting those pods to the check we had been seeking out notable tasting coffee, sourced ethically with the minimal amount of middlemen in the chain to make certain the farmer receives the fairest possible price. We were also in search of other eco-credentials along with charity donations.

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10 high-quality pod espresso machines redirect take a look at article

10 first-rate impartial coffee manufacturers to delight any aficionado

10 exceptional reusable espresso cups A capsule this is Fairtrade, natural and recyclable, might also sound like the business enterprise is creating a push for sustainability, however in fact the Fairtrade rate (a protection internet that permits farmers at the least this a whole lot for their produce if the market fee of the coffee falls underneath that charge) can nonetheless be quite low – and coffee may be natural due to the fact the farmer is definitely too terrible to buy insecticides, now not because they installed area sustainable farming practises.

Of path that’s not to say we should be warding off Fairtrade (some distance from it!), with many hundreds of farmers relying on this. However, we had been satisfied to look some brands going above and past this.

So in case you’re eager to honestly make a difference, it’s important to debunk the label. We’ve attempted to do this for you, so that you can get on with ingesting the good stuff.

Eco pod thesaurus

As the world has wizened as much as the environmental effect that our time-saving behavior are inflicting, so too have brands and are now adapting their gives. There virtually is not any want to make a contribution to the unmarried-use plastic hassle with compostable, biodegradable and recyclable alternatives all available. However, with all of this new terminology flying round it can be difficult to recognise what’s best.

Biodegradable – this certainly means the pod will finally break right down to not anything with the aid of natural techniques - so technically even plastic should claim to be biodegradable. However, maximum brands that boast of biodegradability use pods to be able to take less than six months to disappear. A big development at the pronounced 500 years or so it takes a plastic pod to do the identical.

Compostable – frequently harassed with biodegradable however with a key difference. Although biodegradable merchandise will in the end disappear, a compostable product will damage down to become a pile of nutrient-wealthy soil. It’s critical to check if those may be composted at domestic or need commercial composting facilities. The former might appear easier however very regularly will take tons longer to break down as situations need to be just right to permit the manner to take area. The latter isn’t a catastrophe, it just approach pods will want to be installed your food series bin in preference to chucked for your garden. The advantage to compostable pills is that there’s no want to dismantle the pod, the entirety may be composted, contents and all. How long it takes to interrupt down will range but you may anticipate it to take some thing from round 4 to 16 weeks.

Recyclable – pods created from aluminium are designed to be popped into your everyday recycling, like an empty tin of beans! They will need rinsing first although, so aren’t pretty as faff unfastened as compostable – however they’re nonetheless a terrific option in case you don’t have get admission to to a meals waste disposal bin.

Plastic-loose – manufacturers need to simplest be making this declare if there is no plastic in any respect inside the pill itself, as well as the packaging it comes in.

Organic – just like some thing we eat, it’s higher if it hasn’t been doused in unwanted chemical compounds – both for us and our planet. However, espresso can often declare to be organic without a doubt due to the fact poorer farms can’t simply find the money for the chemical substances, so make certain to check this along with a logo’s Fairtrade price rules.

Fairtrade – which brings us well onto Fairtrade. It’s imperative that farmers are paid a fair rate for his or her espresso beans. This ensures we’re contributing to a better existence for farming households and the wider network. If possible look for brands paying above the Fairtrade minimal rate.

Ultimately, the pleasant pod for you is going to be the only that’s simplest to be able to dispose of properly. So in case you stay in a fifth-ground flat with out a lawn, the idea of composting your pods can be frankly ridiculous, while recycling can be more potential. It’s up to all people to do what we can. All of the pods we examined were well suited with a wellknown Nespresso device.

So read on for the manufacturers presenting quick, tasty espresso that doesn’t price the earth.

You can trust our impartial evaluations. We can also earn fee from a number of the outlets , but we in no way allow this to influence selections, that are shaped from real-international checking out and expert recommendation. This sales facilitates to fund journalism throughout The Independent.

Roar Gill starte %: £17.50 for a field of forty, Roar Gill roar-gill-starter-%-coffee-pods.Jpg This brand takes a 360-degree approach to its eco-credentials. Not most effective are the farmers continually paid greater than the Fairtrade price (that's in reality quite low to start with) but all the coffee is natural and sourced sustainably too. The tablet manufacturing is carbon impartial and it even offsets its sea miles (that are unavoidable when moving the unroasted espresso from where it’s grown). Suitable for domestic and industrial composting, this starter percent consists of its bold, distinguished and rare pods, perfect for lungos, espressos and ristretto respectively. They’re all scrumptious however Roar Gill has created something mainly unique with their rare pods – expect a silky easy chocolatey body and zippy balanced acidity.

Toast Coffee taster box: £17.50 for fifty assorted pods, Toast Coffee toast-coffee-taster-container-espresso-pods.Jpg Toast Coffee have been the primary logo to make us recognise simply how delicious coffee from a pod may be. It simplest uses speciality grade coffee beans from man or woman farms (which money owed forless than 1 consistent with cent of the sector’s espresso), so despite the fact that you can locate less expensive pods out there, they in all likelihood gained’t be such super great. The taster box doubles up on the residence blend in region of decaf, permitting you to strive the whole caffeinated variety. A large gain with those biodegradable pods is that there’s no want to scrub and rinse out, the whole pod can be composted or popped in with your lawn waste. Hurrah! Not most effective are the pods themselves eco but the outer packaging is completely plastic-free, the usage of recycled card sourced from sustainably controlled forests.

Lost Sheep smooth adventure coffee: £3.Ninety five for 10 pods, Lost Sheep lost-sheep-smooth-journey-espresso-indybest.Jpg Plastic-free and one hundred in keeping with cent compostable, Lost Sheep Coffee capsules are crafted from wooden bark. Only ever the use of Grade 1 single-origin espresso beans sourced from a pal’s Rainforest Alliance Certified farm in Brazil, the beans are then roasted here in the UK’s Garden of England, Kent. It’s this near-knit, fully traceable supplier chain that ensures the farmer can be paid a fair fee. Packaging is made using paper from FSC certified forests and notwithstanding the dearth of plastic, pods are fully airtight so last as long as three hundred and sixty five days. The smooth adventure pods are the best normal brew, with gently nutty, milk chocolate notes. If you’re searching out something a bit specific, the funky camper has a extra fruit-forward pink berry tasting profile.

Dualit aluminium capsules: £three.20 for a field of 10 or £thirteen.Eighty for a p.C. Of 60, Dualit dualit-aluminium-espresso-drugs-indybest.Jpg Suitable for both Dualit and Nespresso machines, those aluminium drugs are less difficult to recycle than ever, with maximum neighborhood government accepting them. However, what’s inner subjects too and these Fairtrade pods supply in relation to flavour, with all coffee roasted, ground and popped into the pods of their on-website online roaster in West Sussex. There are 4 blends inside the new variety consisting of our favorite the orange-hued ristretto, which is the strongest, with creamy chocolate notes and a buttery smooth mouthfeel. There’s additionally a full-bodied severe (dark brown pod), a pink medium-energy lungo designed for americanos and subsequently a shiny blue decaf model for those shunning the caffeine. Once used, the espresso grounds can be introduced to compost or a meals waste bin, whilst the tablet and lid can pass instantly in with your ordinary recycling. In addition, Dualit has reduced the outer field size ensuing in a greater compact and space-saving layout with out a sachet inside, helping to further reduce the environmental effect.

Halo espresso tablet: From £7 for 10, Halo Coffee halo-coffee-capsule-indybest.Jpg The daterra moonlight, which happens to be Halo’s most inexpensive coffee, is a unmarried-origin from Brazil. It’s sourced from a own family-run farm – the first in the world to be awarded a Rainforest Alliance Grade A. Because the pods are crafted from a hundred in line with cent compostable sugar cane and paper pulp, they are able to make bigger and get a touch stuck in the device, so we observed it turned into fine to eject instantly after making your espresso for peace of mind. And to make certain you by no means run out of pods Halo offers a handy subscription provider so you can ensure you in no way must forgo your caffeine restoration.

You can check more about nespresso here

Eden Project biodegradable Costa Rican espresso capsules: £three.Forty nine for 10, Lakeland eden-venture-biodegradable-costa-rican-coffee-pills-indybest.Jpg These biodegradable pods use organic, unmarried-starting place beans sourced from Costa Rica wherein the light roast allows nuanced flavours of nuts, spices and citrus for freshness. Medium-bodied and properly balanced, once finished you could either compost at home or add for your food recycling bin wherein they’ll wreck down inside weeks. Enjoy your espresso that little bit greater, understanding it’s also not contributing to weather alternate – pods are produced the use of power generated from wind, solar, hydropower and biogas.

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steenpaal · 5 years ago

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Grime's Graves - Wikipedia

flint mine

Grime's Graves is a large Neolithic flint mining complex in Norfolk, England. It lies 8 km (5.0 mi) north east from Brandon, Suffolk in the East of England. It was worked between c. 2600 and c. 2300 BC, although production may have continued well into the Bronze and Iron Ages (and later) owing to the low cost of flint compared with metals. Flint was much in demand for making polished stone axes in the Neolithic period. Much later, when flint had been replaced by metal tools, flint nodules were in demand for other uses, such as for building and as strikers for muskets.

The scheduled monument[1] extends over an area of some 37 ha (91 acres) and consists of at least 433 shafts dug into the natural chalk to reach seams of flint. The largest shafts are more than 14 m (46 ft) deep and 12 m (39 ft) in diameter at the surface. It has been calculated that more than 2,000 tonnes of chalk had to be removed from the larger shafts, taking 20 men around five months, before stone of sufficient quality was reached. An upper 'topstone' and middle 'wallstone' seam of flint was dug through on the way to the deeper third 'floorstone' seam which most interested the miners. The site is managed by English Heritage and can be visited.

The site is also a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest[2] and a Geological Conservation Review site.[3] It is part of the Breckland Special Area of Conservation[4] and Special Protection Area.[5]

Mining method

Plan of old shaft and galleries

In order to remove the chalk efficiently, the ancient miners built wooden platforms and ladders as they dug downwards and piled the spoil around the shaft opening using turf revetments to hold it in place for the season, when the shaft and all its galleries were thoroughly and fastidiously backfilled to promote stability. The landscape around Grime's Graves has a characteristic pockmarked appearance caused by the infilled shafts. This is probably what inspired the later Anglo-Saxon inhabitants of the area to name it after their god Grim (literally the masked, or hooded one, a euphemism for Woden). Although the pagan Anglo-Saxons seem to have had some idea of what the site was, as the name of the site means literally "the masked one's quarries" (or Grim's Graben), it was not until Canon William Greenwell excavated one of the shafts in 1868–1870 that their purpose was discovered in modern times. Other similar sites have been found in Europe like Cissbury in West Sussex, Krzemionki in Poland, and Spiennes in Belgium.

The miners used picks fashioned from the antler of red deer. They probably used wooden shovels, although this is only inferred by analogy with other flint mines with better conditions for the preservation of artefacts. Analysis of the antlers (Clutton-Brock 1984: 25) has shown that the miners were mainly right-handed and favoured the left antlers out of those that were naturally shed seasonally by the deer. The 28 pits excavated up to 2008 yielded an average of 142.5 antler picks each, of which an average of 14.8 have been found to be left-handed.

Once they had reached the floorstone flint, the miners dug lateral galleries outwards from the bottom, following the flint seam. The medium-depth shafts yielded as much as 60 tons of flint nodules, which were brought to the surface and roughly worked into shape on site. The blank tools were then possibly traded elsewhere for final polishing. It is estimated that 60 tons of flint could have produced as many as 10,000 of the polished stone axes, which were the mines' main product. Extrapolation across the site suggests that Grime's Graves may have produced around 16–18,000 tonnes of flint across the 433 shafts recorded to date. However, there are large areas of the site covered by later activity which are believed to conceal many more mineshafts.

There were other hard stones used for axe manufacture, those of the Langdale axe industry and Penmaenmawr in North Wales being traded across Europe, as well as other less well-known igneous and metamorphic rocks. The axes were much in demand for forest clearance and settlement, development of farmland for arable crops and raising animals, which characterises the Neolithic period.

Customs and beliefs

Neolithic flint axe, about 31 cm (12 in) long

One unproductive shaft (pit 15) appears to have been turned into a shrine. An altar of flint lumps had been built with a chalk bowl at its base and antler picks piled around. In front of the altar had been placed a Venus figurine of chalk, a chalk phallus and some balls, also of chalk. It may have been an attempt to ensure that the mine remained productive or 'fertile' after this particular shaft turned out to have little flint in it. However, it is possible that the Venus figurine and the phallus are modern fakes – there is a lack of primary evidence surrounding their recovery in 1939, and rumours circulated at the time of the excavation that they were planted in order to deceive Leslie Armstrong, the archaeologist overseeing the dig.(Piggot 1986: 190, Longworth et al. 1991: 103–105).

Neolithic infrastructure

The remains of mineshafts, pits, and spoil heaps pockmark the surface of Grime's Graves

Such a large industry may have required supporting infrastructure. Assuming no more than two shafts were open at any one time, around 120 red deer may have needed to be bred and managed nearby, in order to provide a steady supply of antler as well as skin, food and other products that the miners would require. Alternatively, the mines may have been worked intermittently by local farmers, as happened in many early metal mines during the Bronze Age and the later Iron Age.

Earlier flint mines in Britain such as Cissbury in Sussex were just as important as Grime's Graves, and there were many very local sources of flint which were exploited on the downlands. However, it is probably relevant that Grime's Graves were close to the very rich soils of the Fens, and forest clearance here would rely on local products.

There was also extensive farming settlement during the Bronze Age, known from middens that infill the mouths of many Neolithic mineshafts. Animal bones from these middens show that the Bronze Age people kept cattle, which they milked, sheep and a few pigs. They also grew barley, wheat and peas.

The site today

Grime's Graves is in the care of English Heritage. It is open to the public and it is possible to descend a 9 m (30 ft) ladder and explore one of the shafts. There is a small exhibition area.[6] This is the only shaft of its kind open to the public in Britain.

Publications

The full English Heritage reports on the excavations at Grime's Graves in 1971–72[7][8] are now available online through the Archaeology Data Service. Doctor Philip Harding FSA, later to appear in the TV programme Time Team, dug the site each summer from 1972 to 1976.

The visitor's hut and picnic tables.

The entrance to Pit I at Grime's Graves, the only flint mine open to the public.

One of the many pits at Grime's Graves.

The first of two Second World War foxholes at Grime's Graves, located between the car park and visitor's centre.

The second of two Second World War foxholes at Grime's Graves, located on the eastern side of the site.

The exhibit in the visitor's centre.

Multimedia exhibit at the visitor's centre.