23rd October 2017 - Random Stuff

Thought for the day:"I just bought a vintage Rolls Royce, but the budget didn't cover a driver. So I spent all that money, and I've got nothing to chauffeur it."

A sort of mix and match of a day today. Susie in Hospital with an unknown high blood pressure and headaches. A mountain of paperwork that I really can't be asked to look at for the moment. A wet and grey day.

Latest from Susie on blood pressure..
Coming down slowly they have booked me in for the MRI today, seen the consultant again he is sure it's not meningitis so they gave me the antibiotics and antiviral s just to be careful. So it looks like a small bleed somewhere, just need to find it.

So a random day for random posting - have a couple of pictures that have been floating around...

Firstly, the subject of Catalonia and its wish to be independent. It has all gone a little quiet over there now - but I enjoyed this little news report..

not sure if it was true -but love the concept

Then I saw this little gem - and thought it was too long to use as a thought of the day - but would be a shame to lose it ...

And Finally, as they used to say on the Two Ronnies
I found this picture which says it all...

Cheers ...

22nd October 2017 - Star Trekking - across the Universe

Thought for the day :"Being an adult is just walking around wondering what you're forgetting."

And for the trekkies (orig: 90skids.com)

James Doohan, the actor who played engineer Scotty on the show, was sometimes seen with a missing finger on his right hand. Doohan served with the 14th Field Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division during the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944. While Doohan crossed between command posts in the middle of the night, a nervous Canadian sentry took him for a German soldier and opened fire. Doohan was shot four times in the leg, once in the chest and once straight through his middle finger. Luckily, Doohan survived, but his finger had to be amputated. He tried to conceal the fact he had a missing finger for most of his acting career, but it can occasionally be seen in certain episodes of Star Trek.

This story is told slightly differently here but is the same 

One of the most famous – and groundbreaking – kisses in television history occurred in 1968 Plato’s Stepchildren episode of Star Trek. The moment Uhura and Kirk kissed on screen was a landmark moment in American broadcast history as it marked the first interracial kiss to be seen on US TV. However, what is less known is that Uhura was originally supposed to kiss Spock, not Kirk. When William Shatner read the script, he said to Nichols, “No you will not! If anyone’s going to be part of the first interracial kiss in television history, it’s going to be me!” The script was hastily rewritten and the rest, as they say, is history!

When the official blueprints for the USS Enterprise were released to the public in 1975, fans noticed something rather unusual on Deck 21. Right next to areas designated ‘Refreshments Area’ and ‘Basic Foods and Beverages Preparation Facility’ was a six-lane bowling alley! Hey, even Captain Kirk needs a bit of recreation time when he’s not fighting Klingons or getting it on with a galaxy of sexy ladies!

Bowled over

The show’s pilot, The Cage, never aired on TV. Network bosses were worried that the show was too sexually suggestive for a family audience to accept. It’s not hard to see with its steamy scenes of green-painted dancing girls, though these scenes seem incredibly tame by modern standards. Producers did take notice of the network’s prudishness. they would often insert scenes into the show knowing they would be cut. However, this enabled the producers to insert controversial storylines such as 1968’s Vietnam War allegory, A Private Little War while the network execs fussed over dancing girls and displays of female flesh.

Definitely a Green One

William Shatner had a tendency to put on weight during filming of Star Trek. To combat this, costume designers came up with his unique green tunic. The folded-over design held the actor’s belly in, making him appear less portly than he actually was. In later years, one of the running jokes about Shatner was that he always wore a girdle under his costume.

Maybe I should try this ...

James Doohan was cast in the role of Scotty primarily because of his ability to mimic a wide range of accents. Show creator Gene Roddenberry didn’t have a particular accent in mind for his chief engineer, so Doohan tried a few different ones out on him. Roddenberry was particularly impressed with Doohan’s Scottish accent, and so a legend was born. The jury’s still out on what actual Scottish people think of Doohan’s accent!

When Star Trek was being filmed, it shared studios with some of the biggest TV shows of the 1960s. It wasn’t unusual for the various shows to share cast members and extras when they were not required. As a result, you can see crew members from Star Trek popping up in the backgrounds of shows such as Mission: Impossible, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, Batman and Get Smart.

The various beverages you see in the original Star Trek TV show were actually modified versions of real world beverages. Due to trademark restrictions, the producers of the show couldn’t use real life beverages, so instead they took the bottles these drinks came in and modified them. Therefore, George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey became ‘Saurian Brandy’, and Cuervo Gold 1800 Tequila became Scotty’s favorite tipple, ‘Aldeberan Whiskey’.

One of the strangest things about watching the original season of Star Trek is how much the character of Janice Rand appears in the first eight episodes, but then suddenly disappears. The reason behind this is Rand was supposed to be the principle female lead on the show. However, executives decided that Shatner should have a different love interest in every episode as they didn’t want the captain ‘saddled’ with just one woman. The actress, Grace Lee Whitney, was promptly fired and sunk into depression. Several years later, the actor DeForest Kelly, who played Bones on the show, saw her in the unemployment line and told her fans had been asking for her at conventions. She was brought back into the fold for Star trek: The Motion Picture, going on to play Janice Rand in three more Trek movies, as well as making an appearance in Star Trek: Voyager. She passed away in 2015 at the age of 85.

A huge name throughout the 60s, Yvonne Craig appeared in the Star Trek episode “Whom Gods Destroy”. This beautiful lady had an unstable mind and when she failed to seduce Kirk, she pulled out a knife.

and another Green One

And so ...   with other Science Fiction images in mind - I rather like this one which seems to me to sum up the Trump World ....

Cheers!

21st October 2017 - Life of Brian - in the Royal Order

Thought for the day:" Apparently I snore so loudly that it scares everyone in the car I'm driving. "

A mixed week - but a trip down to Cardiff today - Hurricane Brian was playing around in Ireland and that was having an effect with the high tides - so train from Llanelli was 20 minutes late - and the trains were running slow - intentionally apparently

But got into Cardiff 40 minutes late but in time for the Provincial Meeting of the Royal Order of Scotland and my party piece as Junior Warden - well trained by my mother who can almost recite the names of the nine muses ...

And so, almost word perfect for the ceremony - and a great meeting with many good friends so back for a quiet evening at home...

and a glass of Chateau 41 !!
(not to wife - we need more for Christmas !!)
  

20th October 2017 - paramedico go go ...

Thought for the day:"Walk a mile in my shoes - you'll end up in the tavern"

Fraught night in Glangwili Hospital for Susie - probably food poisoning but worrying head pains - got to say - the Medical Support in this country is not fast but it is amazing the care you get as long as you are patient - long wait for ambulance - but the paramedico has amazing equipment these days and the support ambulance was there in minutes ...

Approximate waiting times in the Hospital was meant to be 1 hour - 2 hours nearer to the score - but once seen the care was great including full blood tests and CAT scan in the early hours

Home at 7.30am and really not worth going to bed - so tucked Susie in and set up the Lodge for Royal and Select Masters - checked stock and sorted floats for the bar. Quick visit to mother and checked the shopping lists and back to sort out the accounts for the evening lodge...

Managed to get to sleep at 12.30 until 5pm - and boy - were they good dreams!! Well up to the "Eat Cheese at Night" syndrome and very cinematic - no idea what it was about - but very cinematic...

Good Installation this evening and after the washing up sat at home for a few moments of TV  - oh - and the blog...

So... Royal Order of Scotland tomorrow so better get the kilt out ..

Cheers ! 

19th October 2017 - Back to Blighty

Thought for the day"So how would Brucie and Yoda greet one another?"

So, back from Crete and back into reality of Grey and Wet and Cold .... 

I know I complained about he heat when I went out four weeks ago and the weather this time around was very nice indeed - though best to listen to the whole conversation when someone says - "come as you are .... but bring a jumper for the evening" and not just the "come as you are bit"...

It can get very chilly up the top of Crete near Psiloritis... Mount Ida is 2,456 mt high that is 8,057 feet in real money and it can get really blowy if you are just in Crocs, shorts and a light hawaiin shirt...

Especially if you are near a village that sounds particularly like Annoyah - 

Crete is a one of the most mountainous islands of Europe with high mountain ranges crossing the island from West to East. They are composed of limestone. The geological upheavals which created basins and plateaus also formed a large number of impressive caves, many of which were used for religious purposes during antiquity. The mountains of Crete make up a section of the Dinaric -Taurus chain, which starts in the Dinaric Alps and comprises the mountains of Albania, Pindus, the Peloponnese, Kythira - Antikythira, Crete, Karpathos and Rhodos, and ends in Taurus in Asia Minor.

On Crete these massifs form three large mountain complexes and in between some lower mountains and semi-mountainous zones. The biggest mountain range is in Western Crete, the White Mountains or "Lefka Ori” with the Pachnes (2453m) as its highest peak. In the middle of the island Mount Ida, a single elongated mountain mass whose highest peak is Timios Stavros (2456 m.), the highest point in Crete. In eastern Crete there are the Dikti Mountains with the highest peak of 2148m. 

Vamos in Winter

And of course - as usual there are the caves where Zeus was born ..

"In the middle of the island you find Mount Ida, or Psiloritis, a single elongated mountain mass whose highest peak is Timios Stavros (2456 m.), the highest point in Crete. The Ida mountains are located in the prefecture of Rethymnon. On its slopes lies the cave Idaion Andron, in which, according to legend, Zeus was born. On the south side of the mountain massive is the green Amari valley. Interesting features are the plateau of Nida and the forest of Ruva on the east side. The observatory of the University of Crete is located on the secondary peak Skinakas at 1750m."

Road Trip and Walking Trip

Note the Coats and Wrappings

And the warm Jumpers

But the views are still spectacular

And places int he shade (It was very Windy as well) 

Views over the Plateau 

and into the Mountains

And now we are back  ....
Ho Hum 
Glass of Chateau 41 ?  Don't mind if I do - 
And maybe a plate of baked beans on toast with an egg on top
Can't fault it 

18th October 2017 - and Last day in Paradise

Thought for the day:"Skiing is probably the most expensive way to fall down a mountain."

Well that week has gone quickly. Seems only last week that we arrived. But I am sure that the tightness in my trousers represents the shrinking power of the sun out here in Crete and nothing at all related to the amount of food I have managed to stuff into my mouth over the last week or the copious amounts of beer, wine , raki.

I obviously haven't really been drinking as my bottle of scotch (Lidl's best from last trip) is still practically full and will be going back into the cupboard for next time - along with the new guitar, the lilo, the pump, the spare food and all the other things that stay here when we are away. 

Once again a sunny morning, and we seem to have acclimatized to the two hour difference on this occasion - which was probably helped by the first night where I found myself strangely going to bed about 9pm and sleeping for over 12 hours...

But otherwise I would not really be expecting to be writing my blog at 8am having already had my two cups of tea. The laptop is still not very good for working photos so I shall just post some raw pictures again and get back to learning the Royal Order of Scotland - Provincial Junior Warden - ritual..  First World Problems as they say :)

Two of my Girls

and a third

Traditional Cretan Rooms in the mountains with Traditional Food 

We thought it was a canon - turns out to be two grinding wheels for Olive Oil

 Road Trip....

Cheers - or rather Yammas!

17th October 2017 - And Donkeys ....

Thought for the day:" My email password has been hacked. That's the third time I've had to rename the cat. "

So - coming up to the last day in Crete - gosh that has gone quickly ....
So here are some pictures form teh Donkey Sanctuary...

Cheers ...