Chef Pants

The tradition of Chefs clothing begins in the 19th Century. The chef’s uniform was first created by Marie Antonine Careme (popular French Chef). The Chef’s uniform includes coat, hat, pant, shoes, etc. The attractive uniform gives an elegant look to chefs. The company culinaryclassics.com is in Chicago is one of the best companies that makes different varieties of Chefs Uniforms. For example, the Chef Pants are in four varieties such as Classic pants, Cargo pants, Baggy Pants and Scrub pants.

You can select from the in stock items or you can order your requirements combining different models. Their sales representatives will help you in placing your customized order. All the Chef pants (for men and women) are made from soft Egyptian cotton that suits for hot kitchens or the other material comprises of 65% polyester and 35% cotton Fine line Twill which prevent wrinkles and gives durability. If you order for more than $150, you will be provided with free shipping.

Sealife

Lounging on beaches is a lovely pastime. However, when engaged in this inactivity I will often get restless and do a little exploring - even if it's only an amble to the far end of the beach or an investigation of the flotsam and jetsam left by the last high tide.

So it was near Albufeira, on Santa Eulalia beach in southern Portugal. I left Shirley gobbling up the pages of yet another novel and padded over to the rock pools that the outgoing tide had revealed at the western end of the beach. Two bikini-clad English girls were doing the same - one of them sporting hideous tattoos. Each pool was like a little underwater world in itself but you had to look closely and wait, perhaps disturb a rock or two. Little silver fishes, translucent shrimp-like creatures, shiny anemones like blobs of jelly and little crab pincers poking out from miniature caves.

There was a lot of henna-coloured seaweed draped around in the pools and over the rocks. I had to tread carefully for fear of slipping. Just as I was about to return to my beloved nurse, I noticed something. It had the exact same colour as those sea weed drapes but was it moving? If it was moving, it was advancing extremely slowly. Its body shape was reminiscent of a healthy courgette. I crouched down and disturbed it gently with a piece of bamboo I'd found. Yes it was moving.

It was a creature, not a strange seaweed bud. It seemed to propel itself by expelling water from its rear end. It had lines of stubby tentacles rippling almost imperceptibly and it was about nine inches in length. Though a garden snail could surely move quicker, I would swear it was fleeing to safety. I watched it for ten minutes or so before departing. It had found shelter under seaweed fronds so I was hopeful it would be safe till the tide returned.

Alan

This wasn't a Great White Shark or a Loggerhead Turtle, it was, as I have just discovered by foraging in Google, a Tubular Sea Cucumber (Holothuria tubulosa). There are at least 1250 known species of sea cucumber and the one I spotted is relatively common in the eastern Atlantic. There are, astonishingly, websites devoted to sea cucumbers and they have many enthusiasts around the globe. They are primitive creatures without real brains or sensory organs. Many species are capable of sort of liquefying their bodies in order to squeeze through impossibly small gaps. They have several other unique features.

I have a feeling that along with the cockroach, the sea cucumber may be around long after homo- sapiens has disappeared from this much-abused planet. I named the one that I spotted Alan - after the smug TV football pundit - Alan Hansen.

Skating in Sheffield

The Junior Grand Prix is making it's next stop in Britain at the John Curry Memorial Trophy in Sheffield. Contendors here will include.

Ladies
Adelina Sotnikova- fresh of her win in Graz
Yasmin Siraz and Kristeine Gong of the US could both be contenders for the podium
Stephanie Ridgley (right)- who I've always seen as being one of Caroline Zhang's rink buddies in California is apparently competing for Great Britain.
Isabelle Olsson- a JGP circuit regular with the ability to reach the podium if she skates well.

Mens
Joshua Farris of the US will definitely be looking for another medal, as will Keiji Tanaka of Japan and Zhan Bush of Russia. None of them have yet added JGP gold to their collection.

Pairs
Japan's Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran are the standout names here having been their countries main senior pair for several years now and the reigning world jr silver medallists.
Russian pair Ksenia Stolboza and Fedor Klimov will be hot on their heels after their win in Graz
Fellow russians Alexandra Vasileva and Yuri Shevchuk will also be in the hunt for a medal.

Dance
Aside from Ridgeley, this may be where the GB team has their best shot of a medal with 3 good teams out there
However, competing with reigning JGP champs Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin of Russia may be a step too far.
Other medallists this season so far include Lauri Bonacorsi and Travis Maeger (USA, 3rd in Brasov) and Viktoria Sinitsiva and Ruslan Zinganshin (2nd in Graz)

Ed

Today I made a point of watching television coverage of the Labour Party Conference in Manchester. The new leader, Ed Miliband, delivered his keynote speech as his defeated brother, David, looked on. I have always voted Labour. It has never occurred to me to vote any other way as Labour is the party of welfare, free health care for all, decent educational provision for every one, local authority housing, the minimum wage and social justice. My vote is habitually a vote for decency, fairness and a squeezing of the gap between the haves and the have nots. Tactical voting is a total anathema to me. I have often tramped the streets delivering Labour Party leaflets. So naturally, I am interested in how Labour's doing at any particular time.

If I had had my choice it would have been David Miliband up there. I felt he had more of the aura of a true leader about him. Erudite, sharp and quietly confident, he would surely have ripped his Tory opponents to pieces in the House of Commons. Nonetheless, I must admit that Ed Miliband's opening performance was impressive. There was a certain dignity about his delivery and a clear command of the issues but there was also a passionate sense of Labour's democratic, campaigning history. He's only forty years old but that could be a big advantage in winning over younger voters. Perhaps he will grow on us. We will see. But in the meantime - if you're reading this blog Ed - good luck brother! As you said in your speech, this great country cannot allow the anti-social ConDem monster to be in office for more than one term. After all, the people's flag really is deepest red...

Full Moon!!!!!!!!!

Fantastic
Unexplainable
Lovable
Lasting
Memorable
Ongoing
Occasion
Nested Permanently In Hearts!!!!!!!!!

PS :- Dearies, Thanks A Lot For All Your Cherishable Compliments For Previous Posts, "Severe". 

Written For,

Acrostic Only

Prompt #4

Las Vegas hotels

Las Vegas has many best in the United States. Some of them are Sahara, Mayflower Cuisenaire, Batista’s Hole in the Wall, Pamplemousse, Bertolini’s, Picasso, Top of the World, etc.
Sahara: Like many of its neighbors, the Sahara began as a small motor hotel and built itself up by adding towers. It has a gaming center and serves as a business hotel for the convention center down the street. Tower rooms are large and those that face south overlook the Strip. More than 1700 rooms, 5 restaurants and health clubs are available here.

Mayflower Cuisenaire: Head to this off-Strip restaurant for creative Chinese dishes with eclectic accents such as pan-seared ostrich with brandy sauce and an Asian Portobello mushroom burrito are available.

Batista’s Hole in the Wall: Batista Locatelli, a famous opera singer, roams his domain here, short walk from the Strip. Decorated with wine bottles, garlic and celebrity photos, this Italian restaurant offers lots of special and all the free wine you can drink.

Bertolini’s: This sidewalk café inside the Forum shops at Caesars can be noisy, but the northern Italian fare is first rate. You can order individual pizzas, soups, salads and luscious gelato and sorbet of your choice and taste.

Picked for the team.

Thanks to Elaine on the IG forum and Brigid, The Couch Gymnast for this info. More and more world teams are now taking shape. These teams are nominative only and much can (and probably will) change...

Team USA
Rebecca Bross, Mackenzie Caquatto, Alicia Sacramone, Kytra Hunter, Mattie Larson, Alexandra Raisman (Samantha Shapiro -reserve). No mention of reigning world champ Bridget Sloan - she supposedly is too injured to compete. If this team stays the same then Bross will be the only common element with last years team.


Team Russia:
Ksenia Afanasyeva, Ksenia Semyonova, Tatiana Nabieva, Aliya Mustafina, Anna Myzdrikova, Ekaterina Kurbatova (Anna Dementieva -reserve). Sad not to see olympic veteran Anna Pavlova make the cut.


Team Romania:
Sandra Izbasa, Ana Porgras, Diana Chelaru, Raluca Haidu, Cerasela Patrascu, Gabriela Dragoi and Amelia Racea (reserve). This is surprising as Racea is the reigning european champion on beam, again I suspect injuries play the part. Olympic floor champ Izbasa looks in good form.

Team China:
Sui Lu, Huang Qiushuang, Deng Linlin, Jiang Yuyuan, He Kexin, Yang Yilin Wu Liufang (reserve). If all goes well for themChina are certainly capable of stealing the beam and bars golds and possibly upsetting the US or Russia on floor or in the all around. Sui Lu is looking fantastic!

Team Japan:
Koko Tsurumi, Yuko Shintake, Rie Tanaka, Mai Yamagishi, Momoko Ozawa, Kyoko Oshima (Akiko Sato -reserve).

Team North Korea:
Hong Un-jong, Hong Su-jong, Kim Un-hyang, Kang Yong-mi.

Team Ukraine:
Yana Demyanchuk, Alina Fomenko, Angelina Kysla, Yevzhenya Cherniy, Valentina Holenkova, Anastasia Koval and Alyona Kaidalova (reserve). No mention of Daria Zgoba.

Team Belarus:
Alina Sotnikava, Nadezhda Visotskaya, Liliya Khaan, Anastasia Marachkouskaya, Volha Makhautsova, Yevzhenya Zaitseva, no reserve.

Ecuador, Guatemala and Singapore have withdrawn from the event. Several other countries have reduced the number of athletes competing, prompting the FIG to wonder whether the draw for the event should be amended.

I love this!

A few mistakes in the short dance kept Maia and Alex Shibutani from reaching the podium on their senior debut at Nebelhorn last week. However - this free dance is a fantastic piece of skating and a breath of fresh air.

The pair should be well recieved in their first season. They're benefitting not only from the expert tutelage of Igor Spilband and Marina Zueva (coaches of champions!) but also from the fact that Maia has grown significantly over the summer and the height difference between them is not so crazy!

Bingo

Paddy McGinty - Number ten!

I collected my tenth traffic warden on Friday night down in Birmingham. Our Frances is renting a house on Dawlish Road, Selly Oak. In front of the house are double yellow lines but I parked on them in order to be able to unload our car. It was chock-a-block with possessions for student living including a five foot canvas from "Poundstretcher" with a black and white photograph of Brooklyn Bridge printed on it.

Huffing and puffing after my umpteenth short trip into the house, I noticed someone loitering on the broken pavement. Damn me! A civil enforcement officer in all his military garb. "You can't park here mate!" he announced in a broad Irish accent. Two points to wind me up - calling me "mate" and not even a British citizen. "I'm unloading. My daughter's moving in here and the Highway Code says you can unload when parked on double yellows," I snapped, eyeing him up and down in the manner that a Serengeti lion might peruse an oryx antelope. "Well oim still givin yez a ticket!" grinned the evil paddy.

"The Goose" Selly Oak, Birmingham

I looked up and down Dawlish Road. Traffic was crawling by "The Goose" at the bottom on Bristol Road but on Frances's bedrizzled street, nobody was about. "No you're not!" I snarled and the Irishman's face was a picture of surprise as I bundled him into the open hatchback. My trusty old fishing net wasn't there so I had to tie him up with orange electrical extension wire. I pushed a chamois windscreen cloth into his protesting mouth before slamming the hatchback door. I might have accidentally caught his fingers. Number ten!

Back in Sheffield with Paddy safely locked up with the others in the stinky underhouse, I set off this afternoon for "Netto" at Woodseats - mainly to get my moaning captives some cheap grub to eat. Greedy devils they are. Imagine my delight when I spotted two lady parking officers sauntering along Chesterfield Road. I skidded round the corner into Helmton Road and quickly parked up behind a rubbish skip. My heart was beating like a hunter's. Then I was out of the car in a flash raising the hatchback door.

I remembered how in John Fowles's "The Collector", the anti-heroic Frederick Clegg trapped lovely Miranda with a sob story about an injured dog. As the gossiping wardens reached the street corner, I went into melodramatic actor mode, running over to them and in an affected, quivering voice said - "Help me! Help me please! I think I've just killed a dog. He's in the back of my car!" The Nazis rushed to my Astra and bent over in unison. They were unbalanced momentarily but it was enough time for me to push them headfirst into the hatchback and slam the door.

They were kicking and screaming as I drove off so I cranked my car radio to full volume - somewhat like a cruising twenty something in a souped up old Subaru. A few pedestrians looked at me disdainfully as I drove by with "Please Don't Let Me Go" by Olly Murs bursting out of the car's speakers but at least the protestations of Numbers Eleven and Twelve could not be heard above the eardrumming din.

I stopped near the quiet postbox where postman David Hird was murdered a few years back and prised open the hatchback door again. The two pathetic women were in a tangled heap. I threatened them that if they didn't stop kicking and screaming, I'd drive over to Hull and drop them off the Humber Bridge. Admittedly, I coloured my threats with numerous vulgar swear words while squeezing their chins simultaneously and as firmly as I could. "So shut the f*** up!" I growled before slamming the hatchback door so hard it was a bit like a shotgun going off.

Back home, I got the old net before forcing my last two captives through our front door and out through the back then down into the underhouse. I didn't even ask their names and couldn't be bothered to read their identity badges. All you need to know is that they are meter maids, civil enforcement officers, traffic wardens or whatever you might want to call them. And they're down there now with the other ten, wondering what's going to happen to them.

SEVERE.

Severely
Electrifying Minds To
Violate The
Encouragement of Individuals By
Rupturing  And
Enforcing To Kill One Self. 

Written For

Acrostics Only.

Prompt #13

PS :- Thanks A Lot For All Your Cherishable Compliments For Previous Post, "SHAME".

 

Chop

Reduced to 10 men, the Royals still managed to score 3 goals in the second half and grab the points.

Reading 3 - 0 Barnsley

Position	Team	P	GD	PTS
1	QPR	8	20	22
2	Cardiff	8	7	16
3	Watford	8	9	15
4	Ipswich	8	4	15
5	Leeds	8	1	14
6	Norwich	8	0	13
7	Reading	8	4	12
8	Burnley	8	3	12
9	Swansea	8	1	12
10	Doncaster	8	-1	12
11	Nott'm Forest	8	2	11
12	Millwall	8	1	11
13	Coventry	8	0	11
14	Barnsley	8	-2	11
15	Hull	8	-2	11
16	Scunthorpe	8	1	10
17	Middlesbrough	8	-5	10
18	Sheff Utd	8	-6	10
19	Derby	8	1	8
20	Crystal Palace	8	-9	7
21	Bristol City	8	-6	6
22	Preston	8	-8	6
23	Portsmouth	8	-4	5
24	Leicester	8	-11	5

Kashmir

It's so sad when something or someone you have cherished for years suddenly disappears. That's how I feel right now about the sudden closure of "The Kashmir Curry Centre" on Sheffield's Spital Hill, just before you reach Burngreave, a racially mixed and vibrant community heading north from the city centre.

Aesthetically, The Kashmir would not have won any awards. No flock wallpaper here or gilt-framed pictures of the Taj Mahal, no fawning waiters in uniform or piped mood music. It was clean and basic, rather like an old transport cafe with formica-topped tables and a lino floor. The place could comfortably accommodate only about fifty diners and another nice thing about it was that it didn't serve any alcohol. However, you were welcome to nip across the road to "The East House" pub and bring back pints or jugs of local beer. Sometimes it could be a challenge not to spill your pint as a Number 45 bus roared up the hill towards you.

However, it was the quality of the food that made The Kashmir so wonderful. The freshest ingredients cooked on the premises by a couple of chefs who were born and raised in the hills of Kashmir itself. No jars of bought-in sauces or shortcuts. The famous "mixed starter" included potato and mushroom bhajis as well as delicious curried lamb chops, choice pieces of chicken and fresh but mild chilli peppers. It was a meal in itself so you shared it.

The nan breads were legendary, so light and then lightly brushed with a little ghee butter. Beautiful. But my favourite dish was the Kashmiri Lamb with toasted almonds: succulent pieces of tender lamb in a dark gravy which only partially disguised the herbs and spices added to enhance this dish's delicate flavours. To think that I'll never eat it again brings a tear to my eye.

Whenever we visited, the curry house was always presided over by the eloquent and intelligent owner - Bsharath Hussain - sometimes known as "Paul" (above). He had worked there for the full thirty six years of its existence. In an interview with "The Star", he cited the recession, cost of produce and competition for his decision to close down.

We were going to visit The Kashmir again on Thursday night before Frances returned to university in Birmingham but the bad news broke on Wednesday. Instead, we went to The Mumtaz on Chesterfield Road and couldn't really complain about the quality of the fare but it was similar to so many little curry houses. Predictable. The Kashmir was different and put the letter "a" into "authentic". I am sure I won't be the only Sheffield curry fan who is currently mourning its untimely disappearance.

Guilty

As regular readers will know, Cancer is a subject close to my heart: Mum died of Secondary Breast Cancer in 2008. There's two UK charities I support- one largely carries out research into prevention and cures, the other concentrates mostly on providing care for patients.

I don't give a lot, rather each charity gets what I can afford. So how come I get to feel guilty every time I get a begging letter asking me to make greater contributions? Am I being heartless..?

SHAME.

Swarm of Individuals

Hording
Awful Acts

Mentoring The Same For
Encouragement of up comers.. 

PS :- Dearies, Thanks A Lot For All Your Compliments For Previous Post, "STILL"

Written For

Acrostic Only.

Prompt #11

Welcome to Pain free world

The fast moving world is asking too much form everyone and especially life in New York City is very tough on body. People not only get aches and pain but also trauma on the body. Spine and Sports Medicine care for us and they help us to have a pain free life. Doctor Kessler, MD of Spine and Sports has a superlative team with him who identify the source of the problem and diagnose a treatment plan so that we can lead a pain free life. The fast rising problems with TMJ Temporomandibular joint disorder has become quite common among people and some of the common symptoms for this are chewing discomfort, headache, earache especially in the morning and severe pain in neck and shoulder.

Spine and Sports is place where they diagnose this problem completely and help us to get out of the pain. First and foremost we should thank their superlative team for providing complete support to us at such affordable rates. They have even Acupuncture specialist in their superlative team. I think you must have a look at the testimonials to get a better understanding about their services. Just use Spine and Sports services and feel like you are born again. Welcome to the pain free world.

Commonwealth Chaos

Excitement for the upcoming commonwealth games in Delhi has been tarnished as the first teams to arrive have found not only filthy conditions in the athletes village, flood waters near the site breeding mosquitoes and even competition venues falling around them.


Several nations have even threatened to pull out if things don't improve and fast. The organising commitee stands fast that everything will be ready in time. The british gymnastics teams are still in training and planning to fly out Monday. I personally want to see all the gymnasts still attend and do well, and for them all to stay healthy (particularly the ozzies, many of whom are also due to compete at Worlds.)

Speaking of Worlds. The GB world team have been training together at the Lilleshall sports hall and posed held a media day. Photos can be seen on the BG facebook page . Several more nations have also announced their world teams this week.

Romania

Sandra Izbasa, Ana Porgras, Diana Chelaru, Raluca Haidu, Ceresela Patrascu, Gabriela Dragoi, Amelia Racea (one will be the alternate)

Argentina Ayelén Tarabini, Lucila Estarli, Aldana Carraro, Delfina Ortuño
Australia

Georgia Bonora, Ashleigh Brennan,Emily Little, Larissa Miller,Lauren Mitchell, Georgia Simpson,Georgia Wheeler

Also in the world of skating. The JGP has headed to Japan this week with several rematches of medallists from some the earlier events this season. The senior international season is also kicking off with the Nebelhorn trophy in Germany.

Several of the names to watch at Nebelhorn include-
Ice Dance
Anna Capellini and Luca Lanotte - the italian olympians won the short dance earlier today.
Natalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat- always crowd favourites
Alex and Maia Shibutani - promising US juniors for several seasons now- hoping to make a splash on the senior scene.
Ladies
Kiira Korpi and Jenna McCorkell are the seasoned faces.
Ashley Wagner of the US has withdrawn due to illness and will be replaced by Melissa Bulanhagui.
Mens
Long time favourite of mine Kevin Van-Der-Perren appears to be still putting off retirement. If he's healthy I'd predict a two horse race between him and Michael Brezina for the title.
Pairs
The promising young russian team Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov are the favourites here, although I couldn't like to count out Megan Duhamel of Canada and her new partner Eric Radford.

Also Queen Yu-Na has told the LA times that she has settled in well in California, she is looking for an appartment and will announce her new coach next month. As it is someone based in the LA area some potential names include Rafael Aratunian, John Nicks, Frank Caroll, or maybe even Michelle Kwan (unlikely - but it would be cool!)

Robot new stills

Way of living together

Happy married life is what most persons will usually bless the young couple when they get wedded. But in the real sense, things may not be as bright as it would seem to be. There should be a perfect understanding between the husband and wife and the same should continue even year after years for a meaningful wedlock. In most cases, initially there won’t be a much of the problem and things all along have been wonderful. But during a course of time, both man and wife may feel disoriented; not caring with one another may surface. For sorting out the above types of problems we have the site eastbaycouples.com.

In the above site, the couple can find a fruitful solution. Jay Slupesky who is a licensed marriage and family therapist will be guiding the couple through proper counseling. Those who are in need of any such counseling help can even have a free consultation from him. Generally counselors will not like to discuss the related problems in front of the concerned couple but whereas at eastbay.com, the couple can get counseling at the same time. To understand elaborately on the researches by Jay at the above site, the couple will find it worth to read their marriage therapist blog.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers now growing ragged in our garden

Back in April, I bought a 35p packet of sunflower seeds from Lidl. Having never attempted to grow sunflowers before, it would be another experience I could tick off on my "Things to do before I die" list. Forget driving a Ferrari, swimming with dolphins or bungy-jumping from the Kawaru Bridge in New Zealand. My list includes such items as - carving a wooden bowl, reading the Koran, making a homemade rice pudding and returning to Spurn Point - the teardrop end of Yorkshire.

Anyway, I sowed the sunflower seeds in little pots. Five survived, poking their heads towards the window and just begging to be planted out. I prepared a little plot in a sheltered gap near our great hydrangea bush and like a good father pressed my little plants into the soil. In dry times I watered them. Sometimes I fed them liquid fertiliser and as they grew, I protected them with little stakes. Gusting winds did their best to snap the little sunflowers so I replaced the stakes till each plant ended up with a six foot bamboo stake.

I am six feet tall myself and each one of the sunflowers has grown taller than me but there is one which has grown to over eleven feet, having reached up much higher than its protective stake. I named it Lofty. It took a long time for the flower heads to emerge. At first they were quite small, as if this particular variety of sunflower could only produce small flowers but gradually they expanded. The flowers are all a bit ragged now - past their best and it's hard to show Lofty's tallness in a photograph. Relatedly, did you know that the film actor Mel Gibson is only 5'9"? Squirt!

Below "Les Tournesols", near Pamiers in southern France (2005)

STILL

 Sweet And Cool Breeze

Tunes of The Heart Which 

I Always Hear And

Like The Most, Which Is Said As  

Lasting Beauty of Life!!!!!!

Written For,

Acrostic Only.

Prompt #1

A Little Cute Girl Was Very Fond of Horses. Her Father Was A Professional Horse Rider. She Too Wanted To Learn Ride Horses. But As She Was Too Young, Her Dad Told Cuite To Wait For Few More Years.

But For Her, Each Passing Day Was Like A Decade. She Was Standing On The Grass Staring At The Horses. One of The Horse Would Easily Identify Her & Would Run To Her To Greet Her.

One Such Pleasant Evening, When That Girl Went To The Horse Race Place To Call Her Dad, The Horse Which Would Always Greet Her, Came From The Opened Gate & Ran Towards Her. He Kneeled Down To Make It Easy For The Child To Climb On Him. As Cuitie Was Very Much Fond of Horses, She Jumped & Sat On Him. Horse Was Slow At His Speed & Cuitie Was Enjoying The Ride. 

But Her Dad Saw Her From Quite A Distance & Commanded The Horse To Come Back. As The Horse Came Back, He Mercilessly Scolded That Horse & Locked In Its Shed. From Then On, Cuitie Missed That Horse A Lot & Cry For Him Standing In Front of The Locked Gate :((

Both of Them Could Just Stare & Greet Each Other From Quite A Distance!!!!!!!

Such Was The Relationship With The Horse & The Kid. 

Written For 

Thursday Tales.

#25

 PS :- Dearies, Thanks A Lot For All Your Cherishable Compliments & Wishes For The Previous Post, "Thanksgiving 251st Post" 

These Days I'm Very Busy & Missed All Your Posts. Very Soon Will Visit Your Blogs!!!!! Everybody Take Care.

Equinox

Fly agaric

Here in the northern hemisphere we always think that summer ends and autumn begins on September 21st - the time of our autumnal equinox - though in the contrary southern hemisphere, it is of course the moment of their vernal or spring equinox. The word "equinox" comes from the Latin aequus meaning equal and nox meaning night so at the time of the two annual equinoxes, nights will be of equal length. In truth, the day of the equinox can vary and this year it will actually occur on September 23rd, not the 21st.

Nonetheless, which ever way you look at it, autumn is upon us heralding the dark days of winter. I have dug up the last of our potatoes and my four vigorous courgette plants are struggling to provide any more fruit. Apples are falling and there are no more than half a dozen plums left on the little tree we planted a year ago. I know I need to dig over the vegetable patch and kill off any endemic weeds ahead of early frosts or heavy periods of rain. That way the soil will be better prepared for next year's duties.

Autumn feels like my season. In my birth family, I was the only one to have a birthday then. The football season got properly underway and just ahead there was Bonfire Night, with biscuit tins of fireworks, buttery jacket potatoes and fresh toffee apples. A time for climbing trees for the most promising conkers and just a little further ahead sparkled our pagan midwinter festival which was renamed "Christmas" - really quite recently in the great span of time.

Forgive me this indulgence, but a poem for the coming season...

Autumn

Fungi stirs in bejewelled turf

The fly agaric wraps its whiskery roots

Subterraneanly round hidden arms and fingers

Anchoring our defiant trees to this Earth.

Bonfires burn in gardens -

Loppings and prunings -

Summer's debris crackling

Like jetsam piled on suburban shores.

The rising smoke smells bitter-sweet

Curling and billowing greyly,

Unsure of its direction.

I see a single sycamore leaf

Suspended by a cobweb

And observe its veins -

Its delightful variegation

In amber, ochre and dappled green.

Like a piece of Mediterranean Art

Hanging in September sun

Quite lovely yet unseen.

Nine

Max and Tina seen on previous reconnaissance outing

Earlier this summer, we left our daughter at home while we holidayed in Cornwall. She was under strict instructions to water thirsty plants and to regularly feed our feathered garden visitors. Needless to say, when we returned all local bird-life looked strangely emaciated and if the plants could talk they'd have been croaking "Water! I need water!"

So perhaps I shouldn't have been too surprised to discover that while we were in Portugal, my captives received very little in the way of food or water and their slop buckets were filled to the brim. The stench hit me like a tsunami when I went back down to the underhouse. Honestly, how can people live like that?

Newspaper stories come and go so rapidly. Editors are always looking for fresh items to keep their readers engaged. After seven days, "The Star" seemed to have completely forgotten about the disappeared parking officers so this afternoon I felt okay about bagging two more. It seems that they are under instructions to operate in pairs now.

With seven of the blighters languishing in our cellar/underhouse area, I was happy to bring the number up to nine. I netted them when they were on their lunch break in The Botanical Gardens not far from the old bearpit. They were just sitting on a bench swapping tales of motorists they had victimised while tucking into their potted meat sandwiches and Cheesy "Wotsits". I tiptoed up behind them, as quiet as goose down. Then after looking left and right to check that nobody was around, I hurled my trusty net over them.

The female one started squealing like a demented piglet but I had come prepared and quickly stifled her noise with a cooking apple. The male one yelled "Geroff!" half a dozen times before his mouth was also immobilised with fruit.

With not a little difficulty, I dragged the pair of them through rhododendron bushes and into my car which was waiting on the access road on the other side of the shubbery. She's called Tina and he's called Max. I had a hell of a job forcing Max's right leg into the boot. He kicked me in the belly which annoyed me so much that my strength increased and in a jiffy I was able to slam the hatchback door. I felt slightly winded.

Driving home, I planned to wait till just past midnight to move these latest two into the underhouse. They're still in the car as I type this update. Twice I have had to go out to the car to prevent Max from kicking at the bodywork like a donkey. If I had some chloroform, he'd get a face full I can tell you. Meanwhile, Tina just lies there whimpering and shaking slightly like a small child. Serves her right for becoming a parking enforcement officer. I mean, what did she expect?

Nineteeth century bearpit, in Sheffield's Botanical Gardens

Step Mum

Dad got married today.

SM and Dad with a friend's 1938 Austin











Mixed feelings but I guess I need to update the family tree I've been compiling.







Middlesbrough 3 - 1 Reading.

An overdue update

Finally - I have internet again! Here are some of the goings on that been happening while I was under the blogging radar.

The third stop on the JGP circuit visited Graz, Austria. Another talented russian prodigy - Adelina Sotnikova (Pictured Right) won the ladies event ahead of Brian Orser's new leading lady Christina Gao. Sotnikova won the Russian senior nationals 2 years ago as a 12 year old and is only now old enough to compete internationally. In the pairs event world junior champions Wenjing Sui & Cong Han (China) attempted to make history by trying a quad throw and a quad twist. The throw came off but the twist was downgraded. They ended up second here behind Stolbova & Klimov of Russia but if they continue to throw such big skills they could be the next ones-to-watch! Han Yan of China won the men's event and Americans Lichtman and Copely took Ice Dance gold. Next week the JGP heads to Karuizawa, Japan.

In the Gymnastics world the Romanians have had their national championships - Ana Porgras won gold (57.55) Amelia Racea silver (56.75) and Diana Chelaru bronze (56.70). The Romanians have one more international meet to finalise the world team.

The Russians have named an 8 woman preliminary team for the world championships, including 2008 olympian Anna Pavlova, who has been out of competition for the better part of 2 years. Russia's national and youth olympic champion Viktoria Komova is not old enough to compete in Rotterdam. The selected gymnasts are- Ksenia Afanasyeva, Anna Dementyeva, Yekaterina Kurbatova, Aliya Mustafina, Anna Myzdrikova, Tatiana Nabiyeva, Anna Pavlova and Ksenia Semyonova.

Team USA is have gathered at the Karolyi ranch for the first of two camps to select their world team, only vuague rumours circulating at the moment. International gymnast has a whole forum of world team gossip for those so inclined. The choices made for the USA team will no doubt have quite an effect on the distribution of world medals come Rotterdam.

This his old news but well worth a mention! GB announced their world team while I was off the airways.

Women’s Artistic
Beth Tweddle, Rebecca Downie, Danusia Francis
Nicole Hibbert, Jennifer Pinches, Hannah Whelan

Men’s Artistic
Sam Hunter, Ruslan Panteleymonov, Dan Purvis
Theo Seager, Louis Smith, Kristian Thomas

And finally - for those who like a bit of acro. Britain's got Talent winners Spelbound gave a new performance with Katherine Jenkins at the concert for heroes. Watch it on youtube ot here.

Interpretation

Whilst on holiday in Portugal this past week, I noticed a number of women with tattoos in strategic places. Of course such embellishments would normally be hidden from view but on beaches and by swimming pools much flesh is exposed and design secrets are revealed. Shirley and I are of course as tattooless as our two children are. Very probably the tattooed sector of society would think us rather square but we prefer our skins to remain unblemished and unadaorned. I guess we are crazy that way.

Having seen a wide range of tattoos of different design and merit, I decided to investigate what they might all mean and have come up with this basic visual glossary that I may extend after future beach holidays. If readers of this humble blog can assist my research I would be very grateful. So here we go.

Firstly: The Dolphin. There are many different dolphin designs. They can appear leaping on the shoulder blade, belly, upper thigh or breast. Basically this common design may be interpreted in this way "I lack design taste and a sense of the future but it is my dream to swim with dolphins - preferably dolphins that don't bite you - oh and the sea would have to be warm and calm and besides my mate Veronica got her dolphin tattoo first".

Secondly: The Mermaid. Again - quality and location of designs are variable but someone with a mermaid tattoo is showing the world that they like to go to the seaside where they sometimes eat battered fish. The mystical mermaid symbol represents a deep seated desire to meet a Premier League footballer and get married in Barbados.

Thirdly: The Chinese Symbols. Various Chinese symbols may be selected - all with different spiritual meanings that can inspire expressions of admiration from intimate onlookers such as "Oo! That's nice. Our Tracey wants one of them". The particular sophisticated shoulder example you can see above means "Pork Chop Suey with Fried Rice".

Fourthly: The Hummingbird. Obviously with its nectar sipping proboscis, the hummingbird is a subtle symbol of fertility. To wear this tattoo means that you're hoping to get laid - preferably by a Premier League footballer with a fat wallet and an Italian sports car. It shows you also like pizza and tequila shots and don't mind wearing dresses that are too tight and too short. Wearers will generally shop for their clothes in Primark.

Finally: The Tramp Stamp. These are etched on to the lower back where the wearer can't see them so the tattooist can pretty much do what he wants. There are hundreds of different designs. This particular one means "I haven't got the brains I was born with and I will leave a gap between my top and jeans even in the depths of winter just so that anybody who follows me can see the crap design on my lower back. Oh and I used to date a guy called Rory till he went off with Kaylee. The bitch."

Post script - Take a close look at this one:-

Written with very sincere apologies to any bloggers who have tattoos about their person.

Surviving Heartbreak- My Two Cents

A lot of people are a big fan of the concept of "time" when they're giving advice or dishing out words of wisdom.

"Time will heal everything."

"Healing takes time."

"In time, everything will be okay."

"Just give it time."

"Take some time for yourself."

To list some popular ones.

And I don't know about you, but I find it maddening. I know people mean well when they say these things, I know there's truth to it, I know there's not much else that can be said, but I still just want to snap back, "Oh yeah? Well can you googlemap TIME for me and give me the directions so I can get there TODAY, because what sucks more than what I'm going through is the thought of having to sit with it for a period of TIME that is impossible to calculate."

This is all floating in my head right now because I've recently received two emails from readers of my blog who are going through break-ups, and they've read up on past posts of mine regarding love and the end of love, but they're both like, "Your posts have been so helpful, but I'm still in pain. Can you tell me how to get through this? Can you blog more about this?"

What they really want is a formula that will make their pain go away as fast as possible. They want to be okay again, and they want it now. They're searching for it everywhere.

(If I were to shout out now, May all who know such agony say "Aye aye!", the whole world would have one thing in common.)

Reading about how other people have survived their heartbreaks does help. It's one of the things, along with chocolate over-consumption and spontaneously painting your bathroom mint-green, that can bring us back to life. When I was nursing a heartbreak a few years ago, Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat Pray Love" was incredibly helpful. I needed to read a story that reminded me that heartbreak is universal and, perhaps more importantly, so is surviving it. The pain of losing someone is lonely, and it can save us to know that while our pain is our own, we are not alone in feeling it.

I read her book, I ate tons of carbohydrates, I went to yoga, I prayed, I started creating beautiful things, I performed rituals, I cried my guts out- in essence, I actively addressed my pain on a daily basis- and one day, indeed, I was okay again.

Yeah, we're paralyzed for a while. We forget how to laugh. We go through the motions of everyday life robotically. Caring about anything feels like an awful lot of work. We are sad and we want comfort- immediate, cost-what-it-may, good ol' comfort.

But there isn't a formula. There's no magic mantra, no super-powerful yoga pose, no sacred ritual, no fast-pass to the land of Being Okay Again. And it's not just TIME that heals us. WE have to show up for ourselves too.

If we suffer a car accident that cripples us and we're told that a certain amount of physical therapy for a certain amount of time will heal us, most of us will probably show up for physical therapy every day. It'll be painful and frustrating, but we'll do it, because we need our bodies. The "car accidents" that happen to our hearts are harder to work on, because we don't see the results physically manifesting- we don't even see the wounds- and there's not much value placed on taking time off our day to do "heart therapy". We have to be the wounded player and the cheering physician. We have to come up with our own healing routine, and then we have to be the ones to make sure we do it. It's a lot of work, and it's pretty damn lonely.

Here's what I realized one day mid-heart-recovery, when I was feeling particularly defeated by my own pain and in need of a pep-talk: No one was going to knock me out, cut open my chest, and surgically remove my heartache. Trust me, said a voice in my head, if that could be done, there'd be some rich-ass heart-healing doctors around. Even the people who help you- your therapist, your yoga teacher, your meditation buddy, your gay bff, and the girl whose blog you randomly follow *wink wink*- even those people's efforts are not enough on their own. So get out of bed, put some clothes on, and find out what you need to do today to heal your heart.

I did heal. I didn't shove anything under the rug and build on top of it. I was right there with my wound, present for every stitch, giving it what it needed every day- be that a good cry, a walk by the river, a conversation with my plants, a cooking experiment, or a new tattoo- until my darling heart was healed.

It took some icky sticky TIME, yes. But, more importantly, it took commitment and perseverance. I made myself a priority and I showed up for my recovery.

My healed heart, full of space to love again, was the pay-off.

*

Whatever Next?

Absolutely yummy.

11 Sept
Reading 3 - 0 Crystal Palace

14 Sept
Millwall 0 - 0 Reading

The Royals move to 11th out of 24 in the Npower Championship.

Algarve

Coastal view just a hundred yards from our apartment

Shirley and I last visited The Algarve region of Portugal in 1983. We tootled all over in our little green Mini rental car - from Cabo de San Vicente in the far west to Vila Real de Santa Antonio in the east where we gazed across the Guadiana River into Spain. It was a wonderful holiday, before the children came along, when our bones never ached and grey hairs were impossible.

This time we were more sedentary - like sea-lions basking on a sunny beach or by the lovely swimming pool which our apartment overlooked. It was the very first holiday I have ever taken in the month of September. We were just outside the resort of Albufeira in the quite splendid Alfegar holiday village. It was a last minute booking. Some readers will remember why this was so. (More of that in another post)

One day we hired a car - a nippy Renault Clio - and headed for the hills - places we had missed in 1983 like the ancient former Moorish capital of the region - Silves and the mountain spa village of Monchique. We also ventured to the far western township of Aljezur and a spectacular beach at Arrifana, returning to Aljezur for a delicious traditional evening meal taken al fresco by a cobbled square. Then it was back along an empty motorway that had not even been dreamed of when we last visited to see a troupe of traditional Algarvian dancers in our holiday village.

Here's a small sample of the photographs I snapped:-

Silves - The twelfth century Moorish castle walls

Amazing sand sculptures in Albufeira

Old lady in a Monchique window

The fabulous beach at Arrifana

View from our apartment