Curly's Capers

A short while ago I showed you a photo of the giant wheel in Cheltenham Imperial Gardens. This was part of the festival of lights.  Last night ( 22/02/'19 ) I ventured forth in the evening and took some photos of  those  magical lights: here are my best shots. The Queen's Hotel at the top of the Promenade. The wheel looking down from the Queen's. Cheltenham Muncipal Building. The Fountains in Blue. Promenade views. I hope very much  that this, very successful venture becomes an annual festival; switching the lights on before the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival in March. 👌👌👌👌 With the football season well past the halfway stage, it's about time I looked back at my league predictions and checked out the winners and losers. Premier League My placing                   Actual placing. 1st Manchester City         2nd 2nd Liverpool        

It is hard to believe that I am typing this on February 15th 2019 ; so warm (15C), has it been.  Indeed, as the bottom right photograph shows, crocuses have come out to play in time for Valentines Day. Normally,  in the past with half-term coming next week, I would be concerned with the freezing nightly conditions and even the appearance of the treacherous black ice. It is ironic with the recent outbreak of equine 'flu in some stables, there has been some cancellations of horse-race meetings and although this matter has hopefully been curtailed , with the big Cheltenham Festival, only a few weeks away and the prospect of good fast ground, nerves in some places,  are a little taut. 🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇🌇 The Mount Rising up on a mound at the end of the Gloucestershire village of Stanton, ( which is itself near the town of Broadway,)  is the delightful village public house, " The Mount." On the aforementioned day D. and I visited this establishment. All was

The Silence The first fold of the newspaper brings that crispness. So it is with newly-fallen snow, as alien-like I move, as in a sealed vacuum . The frozen ground bears witness  to an identify crisis;  for what denizens  of nature have marked their progress upon this chalky surface? Silence is sharp and wind cutting, but cracked open with boots  as they penetrate that whiteness and make their mark, passing by the cathedral- like tree-groves. Those  guardians of knowledge the trees, stand naked, but triumphant, erect or bent  sounding a coda to winter-times. Dormant they may appear,  but underneath they await the shoots of spring as the Season's circle begins to slowly spin and unleash a future green potential. Err I to hug a trunk, I  believe, I would hear that old refrain 'Live Long and Prosper.' as it pulses from the ancient bark and swallows a dose of dioxide of carbon  liberating oxygen which we all gr