We Decided To Go For A Walk,

so wrap up warm,

and we were off, to walk around Beckenham Place Park,

also I had one thing to do,

post a letter in the snail mail box,

it was a holiday,

so the park was packed with people,

we passed the front of the mansion,

time for a pose,

the mansion, today we did not go inside,

all the fun of the fair!

great for the kids,

we walked along the side of the mansion, where there was a shop selling items from the 1950s or thereabouts,

looking towards what was once one of the fairways,

the lake in the distance,

another of the fairways,

the big tree,

well I just had too!

we started our walk to the café, for coffee and cake, 

but the queue was enormous,

we decided to wait until we arrived home,

the first sign of spring,

above Diana,

the first of the cherry blossom,

we started towards the woods,

passing the mulberry tree,

the legend says it all,

no swimmers in the lake today,

a new pool in the making,

we started through the woods,

time for a pose,

or two,

or three!

I just had too as well,

considering the number of people at the café and courtyard, the woods were almost empty,

we came to the muddy bit, I do wish Bromley council would make this part of the park up, it really is so muddy,

still on to the dry bit now for our walk home,

in the evening a read and a sherry,

the orchids putting on a good show,

well two of them anyway,

this one particularly nice,

for our starter a thick country vegetable soup with diced ham,

steak for our main course,

with a few trimmings,

this weeks flowers looked nice,

and unusually had a thistle,

for the first time since we have been back,

time to tuck into chocolate cake with brandy and cream,

next for us some popcorn to snack on as we watched a Midsomer Murder before we were off to bed.

Do Not Mess With Fish 273,

and you thought fish were fun!

well this one was, sort of, in Thailand instead of buying small bottles of drinking water, it is common to have a delivery service of large water containers, the same as you see in many offices, the bottle upside down and chilled in a dispensing machine, but here is the thing, in this container which was factory sealed there was a fish happily, it is assumed, swimming around! photograph and story Sanook, if you go to the link there is a video of the bottle with the fish in it, as you might imagine Thai netizens had a field day with comments, hundreds liked one that referred to a famous inscription in ancient Sukhothai known to all Thais that speaks of a time of plenty: "Nai nam mee plaa, nai naa mee khao" - There are fish in the water and there is rice in the fields", as is common in defamation fearing Thailand, no one mentioned the name of the water company, if the name was published it would result in a court case, guaranteed! I wonder if the fish was introduced by a disgruntled employee? we will never know!

I Guess We Have All Heard Of Elephants Eating Fruit That Has Dropped To The Ground,

the fruit had fermented and turned to alcohol, 

which then got the elephants drunk when they ate the fallen fruit, so why the photograph of a parrot by KittyKat79/Flickr? well, because the drunken elephants of Africa story is a total hoax! it is surprising how many people fall for it, but it is a fact that Red-winged parrots in Western Australia’s Kimberley region are allegedly “flying under the influence”, mangoes are particularly sugar-rich, and can produce relatively high levels of alcohol as they ferment, humans are unlikely to consume fruits that have reached a certain fermentation point because they have a mushy texture and a taste that is no longer considered pleasant, but to red-winged parrots, a mango is a mango, even if the ethanol level in it is likely to get them drunk, “Once the fruits are ripe, the next phase will be fermentation where the sugars will take the pathway to become alcohol and that process makes the aroma compounds volatile which attract the birds and other animals,” Doctor Michael Considine, an Associate Professor in Plant Molecular Biology at the University of Western Australia told ABC.net.au, 

Paul Murphy, a veterinarian at Broome Veterinary Hospital, in the town of Broome, told reporters that about a half dozen “tipsy” red-winged parrots had been brought in over the past few days. These were the lucky ones, as many others reportedly died before they could be rescued, either flying into hard obstacles, being run over by cars, or being too drunk to escape predators, “So far, we’ve seen about half a dozen in total, but there are a lot of them, unfortunately, that don’t make it to the clinic because they pass away before people find them,” Murphy said. “Usually, they’ve been suffering for a couple of days. That’s generally when people are able to pick them up and catch them. They’re quite lethargic and at various stages of malnutrition.” apparently, it’s not the alcohol itself killing the birds, but the drunken behavior it induces, parrots have been reported flying into windows, or walking around aimlessly, without worrying about cats and other predators, drunk parrots, who would have thought it?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

to everyone,

but before that I was out,

out of the park, now no leaves on the trees that shed them,

Rudolph will be leaving soon,

first stop the dry cleaners, I had a zip that needed to be replaced and a couple more things to be dry cleaned,

going out side I spotted this beauty,

next stop into Boots the chemist for my bi-monthly medication,

a walk to the 227 bus stop,

and into Bromley, past one of the trees,

to Lakeland to exchange our CO2 cylinder for a filled one,

into The Glades,

the choo-choo train now illuminated,

I dropped off our used pods at Nespresso and bought a couple of descaling packs, the good news was that we received a 20% discount and a £5.00 credit due to buying a few packs of pods over the year,

outside the fun fair was in full swing,

we wanted some flowers for the table,

so I made my way towards Lidl,

past the fair,

and food stalls, in and out of Lidl with flowers and a few other bits and pieces,

I called into the club for a couple on the way home,

looking back to the club,

the pitch fenced off to give the grass a head start,

I made my way towards the pavilion,

before arriving home for my evening read and a sherry,

I had a selection of Italian and Spanish cold cuts with gherkins and silver skin onions, some cheese with Scottish rough cakes and peppered flat breads, after Diana arrive home we watched a fascinating program about Killer Hornets, it was soon time for Jools Holland with his Annual Hootenanny, to see the New Year in, (I should of course say it is prerecorded),

image: BBC/Michael Leckie, joining Jools and his orchestra in the studio this year were Ed Sheeran, Gregory Porter, Lulu, Joy Crookes, Rag’n’Bone Man, Yola, Vic Reeves, Ruby Turner and the Pipes and Drums of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, archive performances came from the likes of Craig David, Madness and Soul II Soul, with the BBC promising a "musical medley of legends and newies, pop bangers and treasured classics, to guide and entertain us through the last moments of 2021 and into 2022." we saw the New Year in, at about 02.30 we decided that it was time we were off to bed.

We Have Often Seen Steam Punk Fashions,

like these,

we saw all of these,

when we were in Venice,

back in March 2018,

so we are no strangers to the genre,

I mentioned at the time,

I could not believe the amount if work that had gone into this backpack, if you want to see more of our trip,

 and other splendid costumes,

 have a look here,

 the parade of the Steam Punks is towards the end of the post, all of the above photographs by, wait for it, me!

and I should get back to the post I was writing, from here on in all photographs Dmitry Bragin, who is a Ukrainian artist who specializes in steampunk masks that make the wearer look more machine than man,

the talented artist starts off with a flimsy plastic mask that’s easy to shape as his base and adds all sorts of decorative elements to it in order to transform it into the wearable wonders,

the materials in his arsenal range from motorcycle parts and discarded camera lenses to metallic children’s toys, 

Bragin’s steampunk-inspired masks look 100% metallic, but that is only an illusion created with the help of metallic paint,

many of the components in the mask are actually lightweight, making it a lot easier and comfortable to wear. It’s the paint that gives the impressive-looking accessory its weighty, vintage appearance,

if you want to keep up with Bragin’s steampunk-inspired masks have a look here, or at his etsy shop, 

as it happens on another day in Venice, we had our own masks, very scary dairy!

At The 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance,

a long forgotten 1934 BMW R7 was presented,

all photographs Courtesy of NMoto Studio, the motorcycle had been stashed away and, presumably, forgotten about for more than 70 years, after its rediscovery in 2005, the one-of-a-kind motorcycle was painstakingly restored by BMW Group Classic, also at the show was Alex Niznik, a self-professed serial entrepreneur, “When I saw the R7 for the first time,” Niznik says, “I fell in love with it right there and then.” after finding himself retired the entrepreneur amassed a team of engineers, metal shapers, mechanics, painters, and managers to oversee what he calls “the rebirth of the mythological R7.”

and so the NMoto Studio, a Miami-based company was born from those efforts, and the NMoto Nostalgia is the modern-day motorcycle that teems with vintage BMW appeal. “Because the R7 never reached production and most people did not see or hear about it, it definitely stirred an unprecedented interest for this type of bike,” Niznik explains. “It’s mind-boggling that the R7, built in 1934, was designed with aesthetic appeal that is still relevant to riders and buyers of motorcycles today.”

utilizing the current BMW R NineT model as its foundation, the NMoto Nostalgia incorporates classically styled body panels and 96 handcraft parts, 74 of which are built by Nmoto’s team of engineers and designers. “I didn’t want to recreate the original R7; my main goal was to bring timeless design to a modern platform,” Niznik says. “With supreme speed and maneuverability, the R NineT serves as the perfect base for the Nostalgia project. As a heritage motorcycle, it’s the ancestor of the R7 and maintains that family line. It’s modern, fast, and comfortable, with a legendary air-cooled, 1,170 cc Bavarian boxer engine. The 110 hp engine, six-speed gearbox, traction control, and anti-lock braking system are all modern improvements to the line that help the Nostalgia compete with—and surpass—today’s motorcycles.”

the NMoto Nostalgia is a low-production motorcycle, which means only a limited number will be produced each month. Available in 11 color combinations, the bike also offers opportunities for customization, including adjustable steering and alterations to the motorcycle’s luggage box, passenger seat, and seat trim finish, it is difficult to give a price as there are so many options, so the best advice is to go to their custom page and build your own motorcycle, would I like one? You bet!