Check that horoscope!

I like that list too, Clary, including the Dancing with Horses. I always wave my arms about though, so my horse doesn't tromp on me. She's awfully big, though she's usually quite gentle. Keep 'er guessing, that's what I do. She never knows WHAT I'm going to do next, so she thinks SHE'S the responsible one!

I'm worried about your big decision. I'd have to go with my heart, at least that's the way I make my choices. When I think, I get things all messed up. Good Luck to you!

Don't you love it, that Drom's horoscope says "What you see in someone else, you could have for yourself?" Drom, you can be an honorary Sag!

Drom -- I'm sorry to hear that there was a family bust-up over an inheritance. Happens a lot, I'm sorry to say... happened in my family. (I have a wicked stepmother.) The folktale of the Witch of Leanachan tells the story of Ulric (or Ualraig) and how he and his family were cursed by the witch so that the family would never again live in the forest there.
I'm adding the folktale here just in case you can figure out what it has to say. I translated most of the words once, but without knowing what all the endings mean, I wasn't sure if I got the story right. There were two very odd things that happened while we were still in Scotland two years ago that seemed related to what someone had told us about the story. I'll tell you about them if you're able to read it but I don't want to influence you beforehand. The man in the photo said that he thinks the story is wrong anyway... Gaelic was his first language, learned somewhere down in Ayrshire, so maybe he knows. The story is translated in the Carmina Gadelica, volume 2, but that is so expensive and rare that I haven't been able to see it yet.

BTW -- On The Road is one of the books I keep in the bathroom. The others I'm not familiar with, but sound interesting. Really, that doesn't seem too high a price for four books. It is always easy to spend money on them though, isn't it? Books are our friends!


Okay, here comes a whole bunch of Gaelic. Don't worry if you can't translate it. Nobody has managed to do it yet. Maybe that's part of the curse.:

Glaisteag Lianachain
Tha an sgeulachd seo air a h-ath-sgrìobhadh bhon sgeulachd a chaidh fhoillseachadh ann an Leabhraichean-leughaidh Blackie, leis a' Chomunn Ghaidhealach. Bha a' Ghlaisteag air aon de na h-iomadh creutair borb anns an robh na Gaidheil a' creidsinn. Bha i letheach eadar an saoghal sìthe is an saoghal daonnda; mar sin bha beagan coltais aice ri sìthiche na gnè. Fhad 's a dheigheadh a cumail dòigheil, bha i gun mhòran croin, ach cha robh e math a thighinn tarsainn oirre 's i fiadhaich. B' ann dlùth do chaisteal no do sheann làraich bu trice a bhiodh na glaisteagan. Bha cuid dhiubh eadhon a dh'aithnicheadh daoine, ach cha robh, is dòcha, aon idir dhiubh cho ainmeil ri Glaisteag Lianachain am bràigh Loch Abair. B' ann le Clann Ualraig a bha Lianachan fad linntean, agus bha a' Ghlaisteag seo air a h-ainmeachadh orra. Ach cha tug i càil math thuca oir bha e air a ràdh gur ann ri a linn a chaidh seargadh anns an teaghlach chomharraichte sin. Bha Clann Ualraig nan daoine mòra làidir, is cha robh "An Gille Dubh Mòr", leis an robh Lianachan aig an àm air a bheilear a' bruidhinn an-dràsta, air dheireadh, mur an robh e air thoiseach, air a' chòrr den teaghlach sin. Bha esan aon oidhche a' dol dhachaigh às a' cheàrdaich le coltair a' chroinn-àraidh, is àm an àitich a' tighinn dlùth. Bha e a' marcachd air àigeach dubh beòthaile, a chlaidheamh stàilinn air a chliathaich, is sean-chrios innleachdach mu mheadhan. Dìreach an uair a bhe e a' dol thar Uisge Churr aig Beulath Chriosg, chunnaic e a' Ghlaisteag roimhe air an àth. "Fàilte ort, a Ghille Dhuibh Mhòir," ars ise; "an dèanadh cùlag feum dhut?""Dhèanadh agus beulag," ars esan, agus an sin fhèin ghabh e grèim oirre, is sa bhad bha i aige na shean-chrios air a bheulaibh air muin an eich. Bhòidich is mhionnaich e an sin, nach leigeadh e às i gus an nochdadh e an làthair dhaoine ri solas latha.Thòisich a-nis a' mhire is an ùpraid. Gheall a' Ghlaisteag gach beairteas is gach buaidhe shaoghalta dha, nan leigeadh e às i. Bha iad sin aige mu thràth, thuirt e rithe. Thairg i an sin taigh a thogail dha an làrach nam bonn, "taigh mòr, daingeann, dìonach, air nach drùidheadh teine, uisge, saighead no iarann". Ghèill MacUalraig don tairgse seo, is dh'aontaich e a leigeil às. 'S dòcha gur e an gèilleadh seo, is nach b' e na thachair an dèidh làimhe, a thug a-mach binn a' Ghille Dhuibh Mhòir is a theaghlaich. Leig a' ghlaisteag sgread aiste, mar a tha an duan ag ràdh, "a chluinnte thar seachd beanntan". Am prioba na sùla bha a' mhòinteach làn shìthichean, oir tha comas aig a' Ghlaisteag na sìthichean a ghairm gu a cuideachadh. Agus am briseadh an là, bha an taigh mòr, farsaing, fial, deas glan; bha eadhon teine air fhadadh, is an Gille Dubh Mòr aig a theallach fèin. Bha a' Ghlaisteag a-nis deiseil gu falbh, ach dh'fheumadh i a "beannachd" fhàgail aige, ach bha esan deiseil air a son.An uair a chaidh an teine fhadadh, shàth e coltar a chroinn ann, is bha e a-nis dearg. Is e an coltar dearg a bhrùth e an làimh na Glaistig. Leig ise an sin sgread eagalach eile aiste; thug i aon siuthadh air falbh, is cha do stad i gus an robh i air mullach Sgùrr Finisgeig. Thionndaidh i an sin a h-aghaidh air an taigh air an robh crìoch air a chur, is thug i a-mach a' bhinn seo air a' Ghille Dhubh Mhòr is air a theaghlach:"Fàs mar an luachair, crìonadh mar rainich, liathadh nur leanabain, caochladh an treun bhur neirt." Chuir i an sin a-mach trì làin beòil de fhuil a cridhe, is chaidh i às an t-sealladh. Tha trì tomannan luachrach, is iad ruadh air dhath na fala, fhathast rim faicinn air taobh na Sgùrra, ach chan fhacas a' Ghlaisteag riamh na dhèidh sin.

Mullach na duilleige

Birthday wishes to you both! How are you enjoying your days? What did you get?

Ah you see, Piffka, I do the tango usually, and the horses around me usually run off when they see me coming. Unloved by horses, damn them .

I'm sure that Clary will make the right decision, and- if not- will be able to cope with it. I do hope that it was the right decision anyway. I usually judge with my heart, but when it comes to matters financial, my spontaneous heart leaves things to my mind. If I were to judge everything by heart, I'd be bankrupt, crossing Europe again and again.

Aww thanks Piffka! I'm so proud to be an honorary Sag; I feel that I have all the Sag features in me, although I still reserve a Gemini side too.

MSBLAST is closing my computer, and I can't save this, so I'm posting it and amending later.

I'm back! The awful thing about the Inheritance war was that my great-grandmother's wishes (never made a will) had stipulated that my grandmother receive 50% of the money and belongings, and that my great-aunt (the most savage and money-hungry) receive the properties. The great-aunt and my grandmother's sisters took everything, and my grandmother was too dignified to take part in the fight (which I thought was noble.) She said that she wasn't fighting over her mom's belongings, as what was most important to her was memories of her mom. Because they marred the whole thing because of fighting over what would be given to whom, my Gran estranged herself from them, and told us to do the same.

I love 'On the Road' thus far. I have had it for only a day, but I haven't stopped reading it. In fact, I woke up last night (from a dream that involved everyone having to speak what looked like Turkish) and started reading it. I like different, original, slightly off-the-wall but believable books;I spend most the money that I claw together (after paying rent, utilities, etc) on buying all sorts of things. I think that it is awful to be set in the ground as to what one reads, but in saying that, I wouldn't read novels-by-numbers. 'The unconsoled' is a very strange book about a pianist who is in some unidentified Central European city, about to give a concert that he never remembered giving... and it's like a long dream. Dirty Havana trilogy is a long journey with a very unsavoury guy through the lives of the people there. Murakami's work is about student life in Tokyo, and an interesting combination of the future and the past... yes, books are wonderful; much better than television, I feel. I keep books and a newspaper in the bathroom too! What other books do you keep in there?

Woo... I'm going to have to sit down later with a Scotch Gaelic dictionary, in front of the fire. From what I can read (the problem for me isn't the grammar, but some of the words differentiating from Irish) it seems interesting--- but then again, I might be reading it completely wrong. Luckily enough, we do have a Gaelic scholar in the family, so if I get stuck, I can ask him! He wrote something about Kilcumney a while ago, and is working on a 'virtual history' about what would happen if Scotland defeated England at key points in history...

Hey d-et-r, thanks for your wishes. So far I have had 2 big bunches of flowers, 7 cards and a mug with my house on it which a local artist happen to have included. But I haven't had my family presents yet. Errant husband coming over tonight to plead for readmittance to family; but I will rush into nothing, he has to prove he's worth readmitting. Nice lunch with business partner & my 2 younger sons, and dinner out pending...phat!

Drom, I think you might enjoy Hokkaido Highway Blues, a book about hitching through Japan, by Will Ferguson. Funny and interesting.

Fantastic! I'm glad that you're enjoying your day, and I hope that what happens tonight goes well.

As for Hokkaido Highway Blues, it sounds really interesting; I'll buy it the next time that I go shopping! Ah... my soul is on the road.

By the way, do many people actually give hitchhikers lifts in the Western world these days? I have not tried...

Hi! I can just stop in for a minute... getting ready to go out to lunch with a friend, and oh, I don't really want to eat anything since I had a late, a very late breakfast. She gave me a darling espresso-sized mug. All my friends know that I only like to drink coffee in small mugs so it stays hot.

I'm glad that you're having a good day too, Clary. Happy Birthday!!! I love getting flowers for my birthday! Cards & flowers from both my daughter & Mr.P, who also gave me a gorgeous midnight blue robe with sock slippers to match, My son gave me a pair of down slippers that very cleverly and coincidentally match the robe, even though he didn't plan it that way. (So smart!) I also got a bunch of new make-up things from my d. and a new, cool magnifying lens. (Yay -- my eyes are bad and it is nice to see.) I still have a few more presents, but they'll wait 'til this evening. The best present of all has been the weather which is awesome today. I woke to a clear, dark sky and the moon high in the sky... followed by a very colorful sunrise while I was feeding Pearl. There is a lot of sunshine today and it is, wow, 58 degrees F! My son will be going on a walk with me after lunch.

Glad to be sharing this day with you Clary. Thanks for all the good wishes, Drom. I'll be back later. So interesting about the tango and the books, sigh.

Nobody picks up hitchhikers anymore... some day maybe I'll tell you about hitchhiking from Bellingham, WA to LA and back again in the 70's.

Hope the rest of your day was great too, Piffka! I had a load of interesting books and girlie stuff too, and a good meal in our local Indonesian restaurant, yummy! Didn't even feel the need of a choc fudge cake

Back to work on my grammar books today, so dull... but better than most other work.

We have hitch-hikers round here, there's an ageing hippie lifestyle in Totnes and everyone's kids hitch to school or to the towns for entertainment - 'sgreat.

I'm glad to hear that your two days were good... and that you were the focuses of the attention, rather than other people.

Doing grammar books has to be better than a stable routine!

Talking about chocolate fudge cake, we had a pre-Christmas party last night (before we all go our own ways and leave the flat) and there were big chocolate slices, freshly baked... yum. But I ate only one; others had three or four. I'm back in Birmingham, again.

Totnes sounds great. I would give hitchhikers a ride, but in this mad world, there's little trust...

I made a resolution when I was 18 never to go to Birmingham. I have had to change trains at New St occasionally, driven through spaghetti junction, and left from the airport. Since the centre has been completely revamped, I may change my mind - but need convincing!

Yes, we have a new Bull Ring now (instead of the hideous old one) and if I were to have left Birmingham ten years ago, and came back today, I would not be able recognise the town centre. It's all new and shiny, with every shop under the sun in a relatively compact place, especially if one consider Birmingham or Manchester. So, it's good for shoppers, but whenever I come here from Warwick, or from Paris, I feel as if Birmingham is trying too hard. Still, there are little pouches of heaven in Birmingham, especially the New New Street up until Paradise Forum, and Brindleyplace by the canals with lots of odd little shops, great restaurants, and plenty of exhibitions. So, it's not all that bad. Still, I couldn't envision myself being in the Midlands in six years' time- I can't really envision myself being in England in six years' time. Whereas I find the skull-numbingly boring suburbs depressing, Birmingham makes for a great short break.

Still, if I have my way, I'll be going somewhere random tomorrow or the day after, and coming back on Christmas Eve.

Yay, let's hear it for going to random places! Last time my (Saggy) son did that he ended up going to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the course of 5 days.

Somewhere random? What a Sag. attitude! I hope you can. Some of your friends ate 3 or 4 pieces of cake? And it wasn't even their birthday? Good! heeheehee

I faded, I admit, towards evening. Apparently I can no longer sustain that level of fun. Could only eat soup at lunch and at dinner, wasn't up to cake, but Mr.P went to the store to get me some Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream for my wish candle. We didn't make it to the Revels, which was a big disappointment. Spirit willing, body weak. I was reveled out after a long walk on the beach with my son & the dogs. The colors of the sky & water were truly amazing. Even my son was agape and he tries hard to be nonchalant about scenic beauty. I fell asleep on the couch while my family tried to interest me soup, ice cream and the Pirates of the Caribbean. How lame is that? What a lot of scary images, I was afraid I was going to have nightmares, but didn't.

At least, we're having another beautiful morning today. The good thing about having a birthday on December 17th is that there is a week 'til Christmas Eve and it can be loads of fun. Solstice things, lots of last-minute this and that, decorating, everybody wants to squeeze in a visit. I love it! Then a week 'til New Year's Eve, ahhh. Good.

Clary, I'm glad you were able to keep up the birthday action well into the evening. Hope everything went very well for you. I don't understand all this talk about never wanting to go to Birmingham. Are many Brits like that... the way some are here about Texas? If convincing is what you need, that description of canals, little shops, restaurants and exhibitions should entice you. Totnes sounds good, too, I like the name, it has a sort of snap to it. Seems like I've been there. <just checked map> Oh, relatively close to Lymington. We stayed in L. for a month, years and years ago and toured a little. I think we must have driven through, though the photos of the town didn't look familiar. I liked it along the coast. I went back a couple of years ago to see the big trees of the New Forest and couldn't find any. They said that the giant oaks had come down in a storm, years earlier. Do you know anything about that?

Yeah! Somewhere random! I'm just milling about where to go; leaving things to drop-outs at the airport (which rarely happens here) is a bad idea. The Baltic States in five days sounds great; did he enjoy it? That sounds like something that I'd do; my ideal holiday would be bouncing around all of Europe by rail and car for a few months, perhaps on the Interrail. Paris would be nice, but I go there frequently, and all my friends leave to their own departments at this time of the year. Budapest would be wonderful at this time of the year, but whereas the country itself is cheap, getting there is expensive. Hmm... I think that I'll go for Genève, but by tomorrow, I'll have changed my mind. Have you two ever gone somewhere random?

The next few weeks for you sound fun-filled (but hectic!) Yes, we had a party, I got these pastries dripping with chocolate, and they ate four. We had a good time, though one of my friends is anxious, as her family is off to New Zealand until the New Year, so she had nowhere to go. I've put her up, much to the disdain of my family. My plans for the holiday? Go somewhere random; come back for the usual boredom of the family Christmas; avoid awful Xmas TV (it's terrible over here this year, terrible); read; go up to Edinburgh; linger; get back to trying to read Günter Grass; go back to Warwick. Walking on the coastline sounds wonderful, Piffka.

Clary is the first person whom I've met who has an aversion to Birmingham (though at times, I don't blame her.) It's not a bad place; it's quite nice and has more miles of waterway than Venice. I haven't been to Totnes (though I have been around the South West many times,) but I will.

happy belated piffka,

Pale was the wounded knight that bore the rowan shield
Loud and cruel were the raven's cries that feasted on the field
Saying "Beck water cold and clear will never clean your wound
There's none but the witch of the Westmoreland can make thee hale and sound
(OR: There's none but the Maid of the Winding Mere...)

So course well, my brindled hounds, and fetch me the mountain hare
Who's coat is as green as the West water or as white as the lily fair."
Who said, "Green moss and heather bands will never staunch the flood
There's none but the Witch of the Westmereland can save thy dear life's
blood.

So turn, turn your stallion's head 'til his red mane flies in the wind
And the rider of the moon goes by and the bright star falls behind."
And clear was the paley moon when his shadow passed him by
Below the hills were the brightest stars when he heard the owlet cry

Saying "Why do you ride this way, and wherefore came you here?"
"I seek the Witch of the Westmorland that dwells by the winding mere."
"Then fly free your good grey hawk to gather the goldenrod
And face your horse into the clouds above yon gay green wood."
And it's weary by the Ullswater and the misty brake fern way
Til throught the cleft in the Kirkstane Pass the winding water lay

He said "Lie down, my brindled hound and rest ye, my good grey hawk
And thee, my steed may graze thy fill for I must dismount and walk,
But come when you hear my horn and answer swift the call
For I fear ere the sun will rise this morn ye will serve me best of all"

And it's down to the water's brim he's born the rowan shield
And the goldenrod he has cast in to see what the lake might yield
And wet rose she from the lake, and fast and fleet went she
One half the form of a maiden fair with a jet black mare's body

And loud, long and shrill he blew til his steed was by his side
High overhead the grey hawk flew and swiftly did he ride
Saying "Course well, my brindled hound, and fetch me the jet black mare
Stoop and strike, my good grey hawk, and bring me the maiden fair"

She said "Pray, sheathe thy silvery sword. Lay down thy rowan shield
For I see by the briney blood that flows you've been wounded in the field."
And she stood in a gown of the velvet blue, bound round with a silver chain
And she's kissed his pale lips once and twice and three times round again

And she's bound his wounds with the goldenrod, full fast in her arms he lay
And he has risen hale and sound with the sun high in the day
And she said "Ride with your brindled hound at heel, and your good grey hawk in hand
There's none can harm the knight who's lain with the Witch of the Westmorland."

Cool, Mikey! Thanks loads! That's awfully nice of you to pop in with greetings and with such a fantastic vision, too. I love those lyrics and the images. I'm sure the knight was very, very handsome. <grin> Is that a song you play? I wish I could hear you sing it.

Drom - We spent most of a year following our noses around the states, probably before you were born. It was a great time! We had ol' Mr. Truck, a "lunar green" Ford F-100 with a small canopy on the back, a footlocker of provisions and some maps. Wandered, back-tracked and did what ever we felt like doing. Haven't tried it with rail passes or flights, but I suppose I would if I could. I know it works well if you've got a car.

I'm glad to hear the Birmingham is not a pariah among cities. I was worried. I'm fascinated that you're in the planning stages of a short trip. I'll plan on traveling vicariously through your eyes.

nahhh, i don't sing it, i'd scare you half to death if i did. It's an Archie Fisher tune. Here's another one for you. This one's spoken....


When I rode the grey horse that carried Merlin's name
I broke the wizard's curse to make the bold moss-troopers claim
Again I rode a lean grey in the mountains of the west
Through hanging bog and corry to Garry Goul-logs crest
I've swung to many's a saddle sing on bay and chestnut too
But I will ride the black horse 'til I ride home to you

And I will ride the black horse with a lurcher at his heel
From Lammermuir to Cheviot and along by Teviotdale
Across the windy Minchmoor and down through Liddesdale
And o'er the crag of Ruberslaw to Bowmont and to Kale
For I will take the long track where every day is new
And I will ride the black horse 'til I ride home to you

And I will ride the black horse all the summer long
To hear a distant echo join the chorus of a song
And when I cross the Ettrick or ford the Yarrow's flood
In the autumn woods of Tweedsdale I'll feel you in my blood

And as the winter westerlies come howling through Traquair
I'll turn his head into the wind to taste you in the air
And when spring creeps o'er Soutra Hill and nature loves anew
Then I will mount the white horse and I'll ride home to you.

Wow; it sounds great, Piffka! A year? I bet that you've a lot of stories to tell about that year! Was that after you had gone to college? With the then future Mr. P? Where was the best place to which you went? The worst? That's the thing about America: there's so much to see; it's so wide. I do have a car, well an old VW van, but I cannot drive it yet. I think that I'll have to trade it in for an automatic! I once had a riot van, that someone coming into our pub was selling. With the trains though, there's less stress and less cost-- it costs something like £230 for a month's worth of unlimited rides on any train in most countries of Europe-- the Interrail pass. Still, I'd love to do something like that which you did.

No, Birmingham is actually on the cutting edge! HULL, Hull is the pariah of the cities. There is nothing to do there. Other unhonourable mentions include Scunthrope, Preston and Blackburn. It's just the suburbs that are so awful!

For cost effectiveness, I think that I will be headed to Berlin. I haven't spent more than a few hours there, and I have a friend there trying to learn German who will put me up. It opens the door for a few day trips to Vienna, Munich and random little mountain villages too. Whatever happens, I'll bring my trusted laptop and tell you all about it!

Edit--- I said that Piffka wrote this, which she did not. It was I, honest! I wrote quote instead of color. Still, it's better than writing [google], which I do repeatedly.

Places
Birmingham in the 1960s was a dump, with ghastly new 60s buildings amid crumbling Victoriana and a crime problem. Maybe it is a spanking new city and the canal has been rehabilitated; maybe I should change my mind. But there has to be somewhere in England that I don't go! I have also decided not to go to Russia. You can take me on about this, if you like. I have been to so many countries and there are still plenty to go, so I don't think I need Russia.

Interesting historical note:
Totnes was sending 4 MPs to parliament when Birmingham wasn't sending any. Look at my website www.totenglish.co.uk for nice pix of pretty Totnes; that archway is where my School of English is housed!
http://www.bistro67.co.uk/ is where we had the staff Christmas lunch, just down from the school.

Mikey -- That one's a good one, too. <smiling> They sound like Ceili songs. You must have remembered that I had a horse... I think the last one was for some Reivers. Mikey, Thanks, these are great -- I love 'em .... got any more?

(Oh, I woke up this morning and found this was still waiting to be submitted. Duh. Must have been a little sleepy!)

Drom -- Mr.P and I refer to our trip around the country as our honeymoon. We decided before we went to any other countries, we'd want to see our own first. So we quit our jobs in Seattle and piled into Mr. Truck with nothing in mind except visiting all the places we'd heard about. Some of our friends thought we were nuts and, of course, we traveled on the cheap, camping and cooking out most of the time that we weren't sponging off our friends and family all along the way. We went from the upper left hand corner to all the other corners, Florida, Maine, California. We traced our track on a map which we still have. It is a very big country! Bigger than you'd think by looking on a map. We never went more than 200 miles a day, which is less than some people commute to work. I ought to find some of our old slides (Yes, we took slides then!) and have them put into digital format somehow. Haha, we weren't exactly hippies, but close. It is good to know the country of one's birth. For us, it's such a huge place that it took quite a while. The one place we refused to go to was Texas! <silly grin> Just an awful prejudice! Some sort of vehicle is truly necessary to do this in the states -- it's such a big place, they just can't lay down enough rail tracks and buses are... well, buses. ugh. Btw, I don't know what a riot van is, but it sounds like something specific.

I've often wished I'd gone to Germany. I think it is a magnificent country, Walter has often provided interesting websites about places there. I remember there was a garden that I desperately wanted to see... can't remember where exactly, I thought it was in Berlin. I hope you have a wonderful time and I'm so pleased that you'll pack your laptop and take us along with you. Yay! Froehliche Weihnachten~ though I guess you're coming back on Weihnachten, hmmm? Is there a word for Weihnachten abend?

Clary -- That's your school? Wow! Totnes must LOVE you! A superor website -- I'll bet the school is amazing. What a great idea; English instruction in a beautiful, historic town with all of Devon, So.Hampshire and Cornwall around. It sounds terrific; too bad I already know English. Both my kids did an intensive Spanish language program in Costa Rica a couple of years ago and came away saying that was the best way to learn a language. (Of course, they loved the travel aspect!) I'm very impressed. Next time I come to the UK, I'm going to try and head over in your direction. It sounds lovely and we need another visit to Lymington, anyway. (I loved the Bistro, from that lunch menu -- I think I'd have the house salad, though it all looked good.) So the River Dart and Dartmoor... must be related, eh?

And what's this about grammar books? Something you do on the side?

Here is the Sag horoscope for today:


Maybe it's time to find my holiday avatar?


PS -- Okay, and I'll never go to Hull or those others. With so much to see, no reason to waste time on the bad un's.

Ooh, I know what you mean about the Birmingham of the past: two words sum it up; grotty and unæsthetic. The city centre and immediate surroundings have, however, changed remarkably; it's only the suburbs that remind you of the old Birmingham; reactionary, dull, ugly. But to think that Birmingham is as it was is akin to considering Liverpool, or Manchester, or Newcastle still remain the way that they did in the sixties and seventies. Hmm... avoid Leeds! Or Barnsley! Or Salford..

I'd like to go to Russia, and probably will next June to October-- the long break--, although it can be rather grim.