Sunday, 24 November 2013

100 years of fashion

This video was filmed in London. The images change very quickly, but it's fun to watch.

Friday, 22 November 2013

Signs of pregnancy

Mrsgunka sent us this very funny story:

ACTUAL AUSTRALIAN COURT DOCKET 12659 ---

A lady about 8 months pregnant got on a bus. She noticed the man opposite her was smiling at her. She immediately moved to another seat. This time the smile turned into a grin, so she moved again. The man seemed more amused. When, on the fourth move, the man burst out laughing, she complained to the driver and he had the man arrested.

The case came up in court..

The judge asked the man (about 20 years old) what he had to say for himself.

The man replied, 'Well your Honor, it was like this: When the lady got on the bus, I couldn't help but notice her condition.

She sat down under a sign that said, 'The Double Mint Twins are coming' and I smiled.


Then she moved and sat under a sign that said, 'Logan's Liniment will reduce the swelling,' and I grinned.

Then she placed herself under a deodorant sign that said, 'William's Big Stick Did the Trick,' and I could hardly contain myself.


But, Your Honor, when she moved the fourth time and sat under a sign that said, 'Goodyear Rubber could have prevented this accident!'

... I just lost it.'

'CASE DISMISSED!!!'

Thank you, MrsG.

Sunday, 17 November 2013

The haka - Maori traditional challenge (UPDATE)

The rugby international tournament is taking place at the moment. We used to live in Twickenham, the home of English rugby, and enjoyed the atmosphere around town when there were big matches. The crowds are very well behaved (unlike soccer supporters), drinking together at the local pubs before and after the matches, all in their colourful and sometimes humorous attire.

England/Wales supporters

South Africans

French supporter

A couple of Irish fans

One of the highlights of this competition is the haka, performed by the New Zealand All Blacks.

From Wikipedia:

Although the use of haka by the All Blacks rugby union team and the Kiwis rugby league team has made one type of haka familiar, it has led to misconceptions. Haka are not exclusively war dances but were traditionally performed by men. In modern times, various haka have been composed to be performed by women and even children. Haka are performed for various reasons: for amusement, as a hearty welcome to distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements, occasions or funerals.

War haka (peruperu) were originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. Today, haka constitute an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries, serving to impart a sense of the importance of the occasion.

Various actions are employed in the course of a performance, including facial contortions such as showing the whites of the eyes and the poking out of the tongue, and a wide variety of vigorous body actions such as slapping the hands against the body and stamping of the feet. As well as chanted words, a variety of cries and grunts are used. Haka may be understood as a kind of symphony in which the different parts of the body represent many instruments. The hands, arms, legs, feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the occasion.

The haka before a rugby match is a challenge to the other team, as explained by a former player:



Here's an example of the haka performed by a Maori dance group:



The All Blacks challenge South Africa's national team, the Springboks:



Some people find the haka controversial, but Peter and I really enjoy it. We know the players get on very well and that the whole thing is just part of pre-match tradition. Tonga and Samoa also perform the haka before their matches, but the New Zealand one is the best. They beat England yesterday in an exciting match, including a very good haka!

UPDATE

Lynn in VA posted the link to this lovely haka:



Thanks, Lynn.

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Don't mess with old people

View sent us this joke. Thanks, View.

A little old lady went to the grocery store to buy cat food. She picked up three cans and took them to the check out counter.


The girl at the cash register said, "I'm sorry, but we cannot sell you cat food without proof that you have a cat. A lot of old people buy cat food to eat, and the management wants proof that you are buying the cat food for your cat."

The little old lady went home, picked up her cat and brought it back to the store.


They sold her the cat food.

The next day, she tried to buy two cans of dog food.


Again, the cashier said, "I'm sorry, but we cannot sell you dog food without proof that you have a dog. A lot of old people buy dog food to eat, but the management wants proof that you are buying the dog food for your dog."

So she went home and brought in her dog.


She then was able to buy the dog food.

The next day she brought in a box with a hole in the lid.


The little old lady asked the cashier to stick her finger in the hole.

The cashier said, "No, you might have a snake in there."

The little old lady assured her that there was nothing in the box that would harm her.

So the cashier put her finger into the box and quickly pulled it out.

She said to the little old lady, "That smells like sh*t."

The little old lady said, "It is. I want to buy two rolls of toilet paper."


Friday, 15 November 2013

Sad music to go with a cold, rainy day (Renamed)

I had called this post "Sunny music to brighten up a cold, rainy day." Mrsgunka pointed out that the music was too sad. I listened to it again and have to agree...

Thursday, 14 November 2013

Birthday party!

Today is Ripley's birthday. Happy birthday, dear friend! I collected some photos especially for this occasion.







We also need some humour. This photo was sent to me by a friend and I'm sure Ripley will appreciate it.

Has anybody seen the cat?

We can't have a party without a cake! I couldn't find one that looked exactly like Foofy, so this one will have to do...


Have a great day, Ripley!

Monday, 11 November 2013

Ubuntu

I saw this on Facebook and I think it's quite inspiring.


An anthropologist devised ​​a game for some children of an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit next to a tree and told the children that the first who came to the tree would win all the fruit. Given the signal, all the kids came out at the same time and holding hands! Then they sat down together to enjoy the reward. When the anthropologist asked why they had acted that way, knowing that one of them could have all the fruit for themselves, they replied: Ubuntu, how could one of us be happy if all the others were sad?

UBUNTU in the Xhosa culture means "I am because we are"

Sunday, 10 November 2013

Why I love this blog

I designed this blog and had the first post ready in June 2011. Then I waited and waited for our friend from the north to make some kind of announcement that would release me from her clutches. It came in October and I could finally launch this gentle blog on October 15, 2011.

I love this blog when people share their experiences, I love it when we send good vibes to somebody going through a bad patch, I love the birthday parties and the very funny shenanigans that ensue. I love it when you pull each others legs, the gentle ribbing when the sports season gets going. I love receiving contributions in my inbox and the links to fun sites that appear in the comments.

A few days ago, View sent me a video, saying: "this is 'what time is o'clock' is for me" --- View

When the video was nearing the end, I had a lump in my throat. This is "What Time is Clock" is for me too. And I'm very, very grateful to enjoy the company of some amazing people everyday.

Saturday, 9 November 2013

Things going bump in the night

We have a phantom cat who's a regular visitor on most evenings. We first noticed something strange when Pirouette was fast asleep upstairs, there was a noise of a cat coming through the catflap, but Pirate didn't come upstairs. We tried to investigate, but all we could see from the top of the stairs was a dark cat making a quick exit. So, it wasn't Pirate and we couldn't really identify the intruder.

I googled a phantom cat lookalike

Our cats never leave their bowls sparkling clean, but the phantom cat never leaves a single scrap...

A few weeks ago, on returning from a friend's birthday party, I came through the door first and caught a dark grey cat in the middle of the kitchen. He didn't know which way to go, hesitated for a few seconds, then made a mad dash to the front door, ran past Peter and disappeared into the night.

Sometimes we hear him coming in to polish the bowls and, as Pirouette hardly reacts to the intrusion, we leave him to it.

Last night things were a bit different. Both Pirate and Pirouette were asleep upstairs when we went to bed. Peter heard a commotion and decided to investigate. He found Pirouette on top of the door, various adornments, remote controls and other things scattered on the floor, and Pirate on the stairs. This morning, Pirate was sitting on one of the kitchen chairs looking at the catflap very intently.

Pirouette on top of the door on another occasion

Phantom cat is getting very cheeky!

We fitted a magnetic catflap a couple of years ago, when a different (and aggressive) cat used to come in. It worked very well until Pirate lost the magnet on his collar. We didn't have a spare, so we went to a large pet store in Brive to look for one. We found it, but it wasn't the same make as the original and soon after that the magnet on the catflap stopped working. We decided to take the collars off and treat the catflap as an ordinary one.

If things continue to go bump in the night on account of this uninvited cat and one of ours gets hurt, we may have to fit another magnetic flap. Then we'll have to worry about Pirate or Pirouette getting snagged somewhere and choking because of their collars.

What to do...?


Friday, 8 November 2013

Thursday, 7 November 2013

Have cake, will travel

Here's something absolutely fabulous for the woman who loves to travel.

Happy birthday, CC! Love and kisses to you, dahhling.


Amy sent this lovely gift of roses:


Wednesday, 6 November 2013

A bunch of funnies to make you smile

Mrsgunka sent us some really funny cartoons and pictures. Thank you, MrsG.


GrannyJ will dig this one:








I think this one is for Amy: