A2K London Meet IV

Prince Walter? Awwww, that is so sweet! And a song to sleep with the peaceful lambs(?) & baby birdies... yawn... It's making me sleepy.

My mom had a story poem that she'd speak... The solemn little owl, sleeping in the tree, he opens his eye and looks at me... Are you sleeping? the owlet says. Who is sleeping? Who's in bed? Who? Who? Whooo?


Steve! Wonderful!!! Now THAT's some good descriptive prose. I love it... the red/yellow theme? Ahh, yes. I think I may have seen that the next morning as well. Why was I drinking cognac? I feel awful that I was supposed to be supplying the first round of aperitifs ala Ossobuco and forgot. Next time... the round is on me.

Ros is such a clever gal to spot the sign! We'd gone by earlier in the day and NOT seen it. In fact, I never did see it myself, but was luckily guided around by two helpful, handsome men. But, honestly, I didn't realize we were THAT late... <hanging head even further in a morass of sodden shame>. Sheesh, I'm gonna blame Mr. P as he is not here to defend himself.

And apparently you got home OK...

Fifey, as in wifie.

These sailing fishing boats went really fast (old fish does not sell well) and the other main type was called the Zulu. Why, I know not, but I shall find out soon.
We saw the Reaper, herring drifter, at this year's Festival of the Sea in Leith, Edinburgh and I went on board. Fascinating.

A web-search found this:
http://www.alangow-marineartist.co.uk/

Inshore craft, and their history, have long been an interest of mine.

Ahhh, red boats on a blue sea.

This picture looks like a privately-held castle fortification just south of Stonehaven... trying to think of the name. We saw a bunch of black whales following the coastline there. Hmmm, what was it called?



Here it is... Dunnottar Castle:


Here's a website that shows a little detail on Zulus and Fifies:

http://www.lemur.demon.co.uk/boatsa.htm

From what that says, it sounds like the Fifie would be a lot easier to sail. I LIKE a docile craft!

i still can't get over how those pix of things scottish look like Cape Breton. I guess that's why it's part of Nova Scotia. La Nouvelle Ecosse.

ehBeth, it pains me to have to disagree with you, but actually it's Canada which looks like Scotland. :wink:

I found a picture of a zulu. In a breeze, these craft must have been exhilarating, frightening, to sail (especially loaded down).

http://www.evhw.supanet.com/images/pic04.html

Enough with the fishing boats, already?

So where's the spear and shield. And Michael Caine?

I think these boats were developed in the 1890s, around about the time of the zulu wars in South Africa. Indeed there can hardly be any other explanation for the name. It was very topical then.

<deep drum beat -- boom, boom, boom, boom>
ahem...
"See him there...<boom, boom>. the Zulu warrior....
See him there... <boom, boom>... the Zulu chief, chief, chief.....

See him there... the Zulu warrior...
See him there.... the Zulu chief, chief, chief, chief.

I come a zimba, zimba, zi-yah,
I come a zimba-zimba-zee.
I come a zimba, zimba, zi-yah...."

Ahhh, shades of my old Girl Scouts (Girl Guides to you) days.

Joke from around the time of the Michael Caine film:

"And here comes the first wave of the zulus over the hill..............."
*
*
*
*
"Yoo-hoooooo........!"

lol -- a wave of Zulus. Good one. <shiver> Gads, that was an upsetting film for me. First sign of violence and my heart starts double-beating.

On a lighter note (steady, Steve) I like Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the zulu singing group. Their concerts are terrific. We've seen them here, and on television, but they're much better live.

Are they the ones who played with Paul Simon?

Yes they are, quite correct.

I think maybe Paul Simon was instrumental (there I go again, sorry) in bringing them to a worldwide audience.
I like choral music, and for me, African choirs have a special power and poignancy.

McTag, When I visited Tanzania several years ago, we were privy to visit a school in Karatu where over five hundred children sang to us. There was not a dry eye in our group, beause the singing was so beautiful. I have never experienced the same in the US.

Well I'm sorry to have reduced the tone of this conversation with such crass observations about Michael Caine, but I did think Carry on Up the Kyhber was a very good film. As for poingnacy, its a bit like as Bush said , "the trouble with the French is they dont have a word for entrepeneur".

Do svendahnya

....

Hey did anyone see the TV programme about the British curry habit this evening?

Take a bow, Gautam, because they featured....The Bombay Brasserie!!

Very complementary, too. The restaurant, and the food, looked very attractive. It made the memsahib very peckish, and I had to go and make her some toast.

I wish I had one of those in my neighborhood (on my continent). Their tomato gravy > yummy.

No didn't see or smell the curry but ate some in Cornwall...(uurrgghh)

but the good news is that I FINISHED the roll of film therefore pictures of the Bombay Brasserierie experience should be appearing on a website near you soon, i.e. certainly before Xmas, well I hope so, as an aspriational objective sort of.