WTF-Beta

Prunus in beautiful flower

It was Easter 1985 (!how old!) when I stayed in a pension on the grand via for only three nights - not long enough.
I recall seeing some of the things you have photograped, in hot sunny weather.
My vivid memory of a then dusty Madrid was walking out in the cool of the first evening and happening on a fab Semana Santa firework display on the smallish road junction at Callao I think. Way too little space for a massive display. Standing less than ten yards from the men lighting things by hand, and the explosions had everyone reeling back against the buildings. What health & safety back then.
I made a daytrip to El Escorial and realised I could stay in Madrid for much longer; but stuck to my plan and moved on to Toledo, then staying a couple of nights in Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, then back north staying at Merida, Cacares and Salamanca.

Next time I'll do what you did and have a leisurely week exploring the capital.

Sounds like an intense hour of concentration. The hardest thing we sang at school was Handels Messiah. Everything else was short, or a comic opera by Gilbert&Sullivan.

@big_al, forgive my ignorance, is a handbell choir a group of handbell ringers like this:

Link to video
Wondering if you sing along?

Wonderful photo essay, thanks for sharing; I so want to go back to Spain right now. Next year maybe.
Wife and daughter are off to Barcelona soon for a long weekend.

Leave it on, you may yet be proved right that he is dead. He has been notably off stage. Especially compared to the theatre of Trump

You need to talk about something? PM me if you need to.

Al Jazeera and George Galloway may be amusing or annoying to watch, either way they are the worst for agendas.

It was on the BBC news. I didn't record it.

He was just on BBC news, in the streets inspecting damage (seemed to be in response to 180 people injured over the last day by missiles from Iran)

He's alive btw.

Try a chap who publishes under the moniker Brian Bilston. A true poet, his wit and humour are often written with unusual appropriate style.

Much more than your limerick, I just opened one of his books and got this

I 'discovered' another poet this week, so to thank you for your good wishes, here's a few lines I hope you'll enjoy, a comic melancholy on life:

I had a hippopotamus; I kept him in a shed
And fed him upon vitamins and vegetable bread.
I made him my companion on many cheery walks,
And had his portrait done by a celebrity in chalks.

His charming eccentricities were known on every side.
The creature's popularity was wonderfully wide.
He frolicked with the Rector in a dozen friendly tussles,
Who could not but remark on his hippopotamuscles.

If he should be affected by depression or the dumps
By hippopotameasles or hippopotamumps
I never knew a particle of peace 'till it was plain
He was hippopotamasticating properly again.

I had a hippopotamus, I loved him as a friend
But beautiful relationships are bound to end.
Time takes, alas! our joys from us and robs us of our blisses.
My hippopotamus turned out to be a hippopotamissus.

My housekeeper regarded him with jaundice in her eye.
She did not want a colony of hippopotami.
She borrowed a machine gun from her soldier-nephew, Percy
And showed my hippopotamus no hippopotamercy.

My house now lacks the glamour that the charming creature gave.
The garage where I kept him is as silent as a grave.
No longer he displays among the motor-tires and spanners
His hippopotamastery of hippopotamanners.

No longer now he gambols in the orchard in the Spring;
No longer do I lead him through the village on a string;
No longer in the mornings does the neighbourhood rejoice
To his hippopotamusically-modulated voice.

I had a hippopotamus, but nothing upon the earth
Is constant in its happiness or lasting in its mirth.
No life that's joyful can be strong enough to smother
My sorrow for what might have been a hippopotamother.

thank you. We went to a local pub and ate far too much, then snoozed the rest of the afternoon away.

To celebrate, I started a new project:
To rescue the garage doors and surround which were going to be replaced with brick & steel

Before:

Windows done:

Garage doors, the rolling hardware & surrounding wood all need attention

So it was mother's day last Sunday and my birthday mid week.
Daughter in London on Tuesday 9th sent us two cards and a parcel by Royal Mail post office, and ordered a box of flowers for Sunday via a private internet company.
The flowers arrived Monday

One card arrived on Tuesday (taking a week) the other card and parcel arrived Friday (9 days).

I quote "so allowing a week isn't enough even for first class, next year it'll be sent two weeks in advance".

Now we live only a few miles from a distribution centre and England is, let's face it, small.

Honestly, Royal Mail has gone to the dogs for service. Its cheaper than driving there of course

Excellent choice, enough miles to show up any fault (which will have been fixed) but still barely run in; perfect age to avoid new car depreciation and high insurance.
Looks too

Well firstly I love the ai photo.
Secondly, bring on the cheap octopus & chips at the local chippy.
I ate pulpo regularly when I lived in Pontevedra. Omnomnomnom

I think Pituffik is so critical to your defense against Russia (and China) that Donald wants sovereignty over the area. Especially when you consider that the proposed golden dome may cost three trillion and not be effective.

I read he's been dead a few years and we've been watching a double who just died.
Never fear, Mossad are training a triple.

Memories for me too.
I'm wholly against all capital punishment, but sincerely hope the family may, if possible, move on.

Prices here in England are as high as: petrol £1.62 and diesel & £1.74 per litre.

That's £7.90 a gallon of diesel.