Marty

Here's my week 38 contribution in my attempt to take and upload a new monochrome photograph each week for 52 weeks: Actually, it's not really a singe photograph, but a collage of two separate photographs that I took this week. And... week 38... Wow!! That means that next week I shall be three-quarters of the way through this challenge.

晚上好 Albert!

Guten Tag, Gary! Hoffentlich geht es dir gut.

Dors bien, jeune Albert!

He possibly did... Which may explain why the photo was only of the top portion of his body. Wouldn't want the grannies panting over a pantless Mr B.

Tieguanyin Tieguanyin (simplified Chinese: 铁观音; traditional Chinese: 鐵觀音; pinyin: tiěguānyīn; Cantonese Yale: titgūnyām; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Thih-koan-im; lit. 'Iron Goddess of Mercy'; Standard Chinese pronunciation [tʰjè.kwán.ín]) is a variety of Chinese oolong tea that originated in the 19th century in Anxi in Fujian province. Tieguanyin produced in different areas of Anxi have different gastronomic characteristics. Name The tea is named after the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin, who is known in Japan as Kannon and in Korea as Gwan-eum. Guanyin is an embodiment of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. Other spellings and names include "Ti Kuan Yin", "Tit Kwun Yum", "Ti Kwan Yin", "Iron Buddha", "Iron Goddess Oolong", and "Tea of the Iron Bodhisattva". It is also known in its abbreviated form as "TGY". (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tieguanyin) __________________________________________________ (And with that piece of trivia, I'm heading to bed, as it's half past midnight here. Night, Folks! )

Just don't end up Zoombi-fied, bro...

True. And I suspect it was that that allowed the local village kids to actually destroy the bottom part of the door when the house was standing empty...

And all the earlier talk of Mums and Aunts has me quite teary eyed here. I know I'm going to miss my own Mam this Christmas. Until she died, she was the reason I always went home to England every Christmas, and since she died my siblings and I have always held her in our thoughts and hearts when we would meet over Christmas. Unfortunately we shall have to share those thoughts with each other remotely, and online this Christmas, as this cursèd pandemic means we can't meet up in person. We've already made a promise that once things return to some sort of normality and we can meet up again, we're going to have one huge(!) Christmas celebration: with cards, decorations, presents, mince pies, Christmas cake and pudding, carol singing, and all the other usual trimmings of Christmas. Even if that doesn't happen until next September!

My tradesman arrived today. He has the new door in place now, but has to come back tomorrow to finish sealing around it. Here's a collage showing the state of the old door before it was removed (taken from inside the hallway) and the new door and doorframe almost in place (taken from outside):

And and from me to you and Mum, as well, bro.

Hey, bro!

Greetings, young Albert!

Greetings, young Drew!

Here's something that may (or may not) delight our resident orchid aficionado, young Albert... Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/17/ugliest-orchid-in-the-world-among-2020s-new-plant-discoveries-kew-gardens

Enjoy! I am having a lovely cup of red berry tea. As an alternative to my usual nightcap of cocoa.

And so clo has moved us on to page 1,979... 1979 was the year I finally visited Ireland for the very first time. Although dad had brought two of my older siblings over when I was child, I'd never been fortunate enough to get over myself with him, before mam and dad separated in 1957. I had planned to travel over with an old university acquaintance in the summer of 1972: plans we first started making in late 1971. Unfortunately "Bloody Sunday" took place in Derry (aka: Londonderry) on January 30th 1972, and things got even more tense in Northern Ireland. The friend with whom I was planning to travel dropped out of the trip, saying she felt Ireland was no longer a safe place to travel to, even though we were planning to travel no closer than about 40 miles from the Border. I couldn't blame her, though, as Northern Ireland at the time was the first item on just about every news bulletin in England. As I had very little money at the time, having only just started working, I was forced to cancel as well.

Chronologically speaking, that is indeed a true fact. And you'll never find me disputing the indisputable.

It must be true. I read about it on the interwebs. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/dec/16/whats-that-skip-researchers-kangaroos-communicate-talk-people

Not as much as I love....

Hi, Drew! Sorry, didn't spot you wander in at first, there. How's life in the second largest state in the Union? All's good, I trust...

True enough... But I have plenty of "someones" in my life. Far be it from me to be so exclusive as to just pick one of them.

I'll be safe enough not knowing exactly where you live... Just as long as I know where I live! Wouldn't do for me to walk into some stranger's house by mistake one night...

Jayzus, woman! I find it hard enough myself to live with me! Don't reckon you'd find anyone else who'd be willing to put up with what I have to put up with every day...