#she gets the isolation - which fun she can deliver letter in all weathers but she is also prone to overheating

[chaoticly-shy-dragon]

@muffinlance​ I tried. They still haven’t come into their colors or feathers and instead are literal balls of fluff!

do I think they are fierce AND fuzzy? yes

[theretirementstory]

Dear me I have had such a busy day and still have lots to do. Marie-Therese arrived about 10.45 and has just left. I had prepared a picnic for us and had it hidden in the boot of the car, we headed off to Chateauvillain and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous. We arrived at the market and were checking out the stalls, then we saw our friend Sarah who was selling her gift cards and paper, from there we had a walk to the brocante. I was wandering around just looking at things with no intention to buy and Marie-Therese was having a good look around too. Blow me down she only bought two African chairs which are to be her sons’ Christmas present! The guy had said he would deliver them to her next Sunday, but just before we were going to leave, she asked if they would fit in my car, so we brought them home today. As we wandered around again, I asked if she would like a drink of coffee, she declined so then I said that I had brought a picnic. She was amazed and we went to the car to collect the “picnic basket”, she had taken some coconut milk and some watermelon to keep herself hydrated and when I unpacked our lunch, chicken, endive, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, peppers, tabbouleh and olive bread sticks she was more than happy to tuck into it. We shared the watermelon and both really enjoyed our salads, we had plum crumble for dessert which was really tasty too. The picnic table was underneath a huge hazelnut tree which was dropping nuts onto the ground, we had such fun picking up as many nuts as we could, mine are all in the picnic basket and I cannot wait to be shelling those. “The Daddy” who has been self isolating asked if I would get the stamp collection out and he video called me so that he could see the stamps…….we were on the phone for over 2 hours but it was really good fun and I didn’t really want to put them away again! As usual I feel as if I haven’t done much this week, well I did have a birthday and I went to have a glass of champagne at the bar, it turned into two! It was a lovely way to celebrate. I received a card from a lady I lost touch with a good few years ago, we have a friend in common and she had given “Jane” my address. That was such a lovely surprise and of course there was a letter in with the card. I decided to give her a call, so you can imagine her surprise too. My gorgeous granddaughter video called me too, I was showing her the cake I was having for my birthday tea and “The Daddy” brought in a sliced up chocolate roll as her piece of birthday cake. All in all my birthday was a wonderful day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I got a message to say that Monique was unable to go to the French class on Wednesday and to be honest I was glad to spend the afternoon at home. I know I should have offered to take the class but I had lots of things buzzing around in my head and I could not be bothered to add to that. Then I had to attend my first physio on my shoulder, my appointment was 4pm but I didn’t get seen until 4.40pm it was really busy. I knew I had to have shock treatment but I had no idea what that was, well it was a bit like a mini pneumatic drill hitting my shoulder very quickly, 2000 hits on the shoulder then 2000 hits on my bicep. She had done some manipulation first and then I was on the tens machine, I came home with my shoulder strapped up with blue tape. I took that off this morning and surprise, surprise there had been some light bruising. I am back on Friday morning this week, so that should be fun. The weather has been really lovely all week and I have made the most of it in my garden, not working in it, just sitting out enjoying the sunshine. Talking of gardens, I finally got the “devis” from the gardener! I messaged and asked him to call round just so that I could remember what I had asked him to do. I am now waiting for a devis to take the laurel, forsythia and some other shrub, which all stand at about 2 metres plus, out of the garden completely. (Cannot wait to see the price for that!) Oh well its only money!! I went and spent time with my refugee ladies, only two this week, we were knitting, talking and eating…...what a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours. Yesterday was the National Day of the Firefighters, here in France. Living not too far from the Fire Station, I could hear drums and brass instruments so went out to investigate, I forgot my mask so I had to observe from a distance. The Fire Station has been renovated recently and it was also an opportunity to showcase that, it is very smart now. “The Graduate” is still waiting to hear when he (and others) will be able to take their re-sits and hand in their dissertations. It is to be hoped it will not be too long as he had other plans for this time period. One of my friends from Newcastle also celebrated a birthday this week. I am sure she had a wonderful time and has also enjoyed her weekend away. “The Daddy” returned to work on Thursday and then had his day off on Friday and isn’t back to work until Monday. My granddaughters Great Grandma celebrated her birthday on Friday and with my cousin celebrating today it has been a week for birthdays. The 12th of September also saw the 50th Wedding Anniversary of another cousin, one of his brother’s celebrated his 50th last year, how amazing is that in this day and age. Now, I have to pack a bag, get myself all sorted for my adventure tomorrow. I am heading to Rheims for two nights and really looking forward to it, a nice little break away is just what is needed at the moment. Hopefully, I should have a lot to tell you next time. Have a good week, until next week. Photos: Chateauvillain market earlier this year and another memorial to thse that were transported to concentration camps from Vitry-le-Francois.

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Wednesday 8th August 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  I hope you slept well and feel refreshed to face the day, Coffee tastes good this morning as always and I poured you a cup, so enjoy, Bella my dog is relaxed after walking under a clear sky filled with stars and is sleeping at my feet as I ready to type the Daily Tulip, having read the news from around the world, I don’t quite know where to start today, So as my Mother used to say start at the beginning..

SWISS POLICE SAY DOGS SHOULD WEAR SHOES IN HEATWAVE…. Police in the Swiss city of Zurich are urging owners to buy shoes for their dogs, in order to protect their paws in the high temperatures, reports say. According to the public broadcaster SRF, the police in Zurich have launched the "Hot Dog campaign", and are educating dog owners on how they can protect their four-legged friends in the hot weather, given that the overheated pavements can be painful on their feet. A prolonged heatwave throughout Europe means that Switzerland has had one of the hottest summers since records began in 1864, with temperatures this July hovering around 30C (86F). Parts of the country have also experienced droughts, the SwissInfo news website reports. According to Zurich Police Spokesperson Michael Walker, 30 degrees can feel like 50-55 degrees on the ground, and can cause particular discomfort to canines. "When a dog walks on hot asphalt, he can burn his feet - just like a human walking barefoot," he tells SRF. The Zurich City Police are advising owners to check before taking their dogs out on walks whether the ground is too hot, by measuring the temperature with the back of their hand for five seconds. They are also advising pet owners against leaving animals in hot cars, and ensuring that they have enough drinking water.

NEW ZEALAND SHOP BATTLES IN COURT OVER WEETABIX IMPORTS…. A shop owner in New Zealand is involved in a battle of the breakfast cereals after her plans to import British favourite Weetabix ended up in court. British expat Lisa Wilson wanted to sell the wheat-based breakfast to homesick Britons in her Canterbury-based shop A Little Bit of Britain, but has come up against domestic manufacturer Sanitarium, which says the brand name is too similar to their own local brand Weet-Bix, Radio New Zealand reports. Customs officials seized a shipment of Weetabix last August after a complaint by Sanitarium. Weet-Bix is a hugely popular brand in both Australia and New Zealand complete with celebrity endorsements, and Sanitarium are keen to protect their trademark. "The issue is the potential and real threat of Weetabix coming into this market and cashing in on this great brand that Kiwis love," Sanitarium's Rob Scoines told the New Zealand Herald. Mr Scoines pointed out last August that Weet-Bix cannot be sold in the UK because of its similarity to British brand Weetabix. With the case at the High Court in Christchurch hinging on whether customers are likely to be confused by the difference between a hyphen and the letter 'a', Ms Wilson thinks that her largely expatriate customers in New Zealand know exactly what they're buying. "The Weetabix box actually has the UK price in pound sterling written on the front... and I have never had anybody asking why our Weetabix are so expensive, thinking they were New Zealand products," she says. "They know they are British Weetabix as we sell British groceries." She went on to tell the local Newshub website that she's making no attempt to pass the cereal off as Weet-Bix, and has turned down a compromise offered by Sanitarium to have the Weetabix logo covered. Ms Wilson is hoping for a swift judgment in the case, not least because last August's shipment is still being held by customs officials. Tomorrow is the last day of the hearing; however, Ms Wilson may have a bit longer to wait, with Radio NZ saying that Justice David Gendall is likely to reserve judgement.

RUSSIAN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN TURNS SONGWRITER…. The Russian Foreign Ministry's chief spokeswoman seems to have a burgeoning second career writing lyrics for pop songs. Maria Zakharova, despite a full-time day job as the public face of Russian diplomacy, has supplied the words to "Paid in Full", a break-up song performed by popular singer Katya Lel, Argumenty i Fakty newspaper reports. The bouncy number, which would not sound out of place on Eurovision, came about as a chance encounter between Katya Lel and Ms Zakharova, the latter coming up with the lyrics "after a sleepless night". "I paid for everything… The race is over, and you are not the only one anymore. I'm free like a wave, once again," the Russian lyrics go. It's not the first time that she's branched out into song, either. Last year she wrote "Return the Memory", a song about Syria for singer Narghiz. However, Ms Zakharova has pointed out that she's not for hire. She told the official TASS news agency: "Many people ask me to write, but I don't work to order. I need to feel, to understand - emotions come first, and then the words." Nor is she the first Russian government official to go into music. Vladimir Putin's former speechwriter Jakhan Pollieva has written lyrics for a number of songs, including the 2007 hit "A Snowstorm is Coming", while the president's advisor and one-time deputy prime minister Vladislav Surkov reportedly wrote lyrics for the now-defunct Russian rock band Agatha Christie.

CANADIAN PUDDLE SPLASH VAN DRIVER LOSES JOB…. A van driver in the Canadian city of Ottawa has been sacked after they were filmed repeatedly splashing pedestrians. Contracting company Black & McDonald said in a Facebook post that the individual concerned is "no longer employed" with them after a video of their anti-social behaviour went viral, Canadian broadcaster CBC reports. A 45 second clip, filmed on a rear-facing dashcam, shows the unidentified driver veering into the kerb on a rainy day to drench pedestrians at least three times. At the very end of the clip, the company's logo is clearly seen on the side of the vehicle. The video has been viewed over 750,000 times, and Black & McDonald subsequently made an apology for their driver's behaviour on its Facebook page. It says: "We apologise to everyone impacted by the recent incident in Ottawa of unacceptable driving by one of our van drivers... This is an isolated incident and the individual is no longer employed with Black & McDonald." A spokesperson also said the company had been co-operating with the police over the incident. According to the Ottawa Sun newspaper, the driver will not face any criminal charges, with police considering the driver's sacking being punishment enough. "We consider the file now closed," Sgt. Mark Gatien told the press. "The outcome from the employer we feel is enough of a lesson learned for him and your readers and viewers."

BEAR SCARES TRANSYLVANIA POLITICAL SUMMER CAMP…. A summer camp for young Transylvania political activists is reeling from close encounters with a bear in the mountains of northern Romania. The local members of the ethnic-Hungarian minority were looking forward to lively debates at the annual Tusnadfurdo gathering of their branch of Fidesz, the right-wing populist party that governs neighbouring Hungary, according to the Budapest Sztar Klikk news site. But the first sign that events might be taking a livelier course than usual came on Wednesday night, when a female bear entered the camp at Baile Tusnad and bit a man on the arm and clawed his leg. He is receiving treatment in a local hospital, the Romanian newspaper Adevarul reported. But when the bear reappeared in the parking lot the following evening, many of the participants "ran screaming in panic", Sztar Klikk said. The encounters have more than local implications, as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban is due in the camp at the weekend to deliver a keynote speech about his government's policy towards Hungarian communities abroad. He used the same event to set out his vision of building an "illiberal state" back in 2014. Csaba Borboly, the head of Harghita Council, said he had asked the Romanian government to deal with the danger posed by bears in the area for some time. Environment Minister Gratiela Gavrilescu responded by authorising hunters to move the mother bear to the Zarnesti Bear Sanctuary - in particular as it appeared that her cubs had been killed in a train collision, and there was a danger that she might become more aggressive, Romania's Observator TV reports. The forests of Transylvania are home to 6,000-7,000 brown bears, and controlling the population has been a hot political issue in Romania for years.

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, morning… …

Our Tulips today are the world's largest tulip carpet is seen at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, Turkey

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Wednesday 8th August 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus