View allAll Photos Tagged Bare to Breakers
This photo is courtesy of Tahoma99.
Drinking is the unofficial rule of Bay to Breakers. A marathon is not a street fair. If you are going to encourage drinking then the City needs to pick a specific location with finite parameters and keep people there to gather and party.
The nature of the event does not work with how the "race" is organized and moves through the city. Check out more photos from Tahoma99 here: sfist.com/2010/05/17/bay_to_breakers_runners_use_tehama.p...
If it's a race, there shouldn't be drinking, if its a parade, there shouldn't be drinking, if its a street fair, bare it all, freedom love fest, move it to the Polo Fields for a frolicking good time. But letting this mess move through the streets of SF knowing that over 30k have no official connection to the race but will be showing up creates a public need for adequate resources like bathrooms. There is no way around the fact that we have 60k or more people drinking and swarming our neighborhoods and behaving rudely, disrespectfully and aggressively.
Sockdolager Rapid
Grand Canyon National Park
'On August 14, 1869 John Wesley Powell and crew were already a couple of months into their exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers. They'd been no stranger to disasters, losing boats, rations, oars and equipment on multiple occasions. Powell and his crew were in no way prepared to run the big rapids, instead they opted to line or portage almost any whitewater that looked intimidating. But this morning when they finally entered the Granite Gorge in Grand Canyon, they saw something that absolutely terrified them - a rapid they could not avoid.
Powell wrote this in his journal:
"About eleven o'clock we hear a great roar ahead, and approach it very cautiously. The sound grows louder and louder as we run, and at last we find ourselves above a long, broken fall, with ledges and pinnacles of rock obstructing the river. There is a descent of perhaps 75 or 80 feet in a third of a mile, and the rushing waters break into great waves on the rocks, and lash themselves into a mad, white foam. We can land just above, but there is no foothold on either side by which we can make a portage. It is nearly a thousand feet to the top of the granite; so it will be impossible to carry our boats around, though we can climb to the summit up a side gulch and, passing along a mile or two, descend to the river. This we find on examination; but such a portage would be impracticable for us, and we must run the rapid or abandon the river. There is no hesitation. We step into our boats, push off, and away we go, first on smooth but swift water, then we strike a glassy wave and ride to its top, down again into the trough, up again on a higher wave, and down and up on waves higher and still higher until we strike one just as it curls back, and a breaker rolls over our little boat. Still on we speed, shooting past projecting rocks, till the little boat is caught in a whirlpool and spun round several times. At last we pull out again into the stream. And now the other boats have passed us. The open compartment of the "Emma Dean" is filled with water and every breaker rolls over us. Hurled back from a rock, now on this side, now on that, we are carried into an eddy, in which we struggle for a few minutes, and are then out again, the breakers still rolling over us. Our boat is unmanageable, but she cannot sink, and we drift down another hundred yards through breakers - how, we scarcely know."
Lead boatman John Sumner was a tough and fearless mountain guide who fought in the Civil War. He described in his journal that rapid was one of the scariest experiences of his life.
"I have been in a cavalry charge, charged the batteries, and stood by the guns to repel a charge, but never before did my sand run so low. In fact, it all ran out, but as I had to have some more grit, I borrowed it from the other boys."
Powell and his crew would name the rapid "Sockdolager," a slang term for a bare-knuckled knock out punch. Little did they know the most ferocious rapids of the entire expedition were still yet to come.' (sockdolagerequipment.com)
Please note the 15 man raft out in the River. Powell's boats would have been about 1/4 the size. If you zoom in you can see rocks out in the River with water flowing just over the tops.
In January, the beach is quiet and the trees are skeletal. The cold winds can penetrate the best of the wind breakers. But there is also a stark beauty. Taken at Bronte Beach, Oakville, Ontario.
Pity there were no surfers to ride it! No HDR.
Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!
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Auction now closed:
Congrats to Peter Kent from NSW, Australia with his winning bid of US $ 400.00!
And in a late night email, which I didn't see until the next morning, Kenny Shields from Scotland matched Peter's $400 final bid.
So I'm going to make two prints, and this photo has now raised US $800.00 for Haiti Charity Relief!
See the bidding in the comments below.
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I have entered this image in to the Flickr group Charity Print Auctions:
www.flickr.com/groups/charityprintauctions/
for the Haiti Earthquake Appeal.
The print that is for auction is 24 in. wide x 16 high (at 250dpi!) and will be printed on canvas, sealed with a semi-glossy protectant that makes the colors pop, signed, and shipped to you in a roll. And for the moment, it is (was) #1 in Explore too and the #1 most interesting photo out of 4+ million tagged with 'landscape' on Flickr .
To bid, you need to comment below the image with the amount that you would like to bid.
When the auction closes, the person that has bid the most, wins the print.
The auction will close on the date set in the thread, in the case of the Haiti Earthquake Appeal, it will finish on Sunday 17th January 2010 at midnight. If you wish to have the auction run for longer, you can do so but you must specify this in your text that accompanies your image.
The winning bidder has to pay that amount to the Red Cross:
www.redcross.org.uk/emergencysite/default.aspx?id=88916
When they do this, they MUST make a screen grab of the donation confirmation page to send to the photographer. This is the only way the photographer knows that you have paid and can arrange for the print to be sent to you.
The photographer accepts that they will pay the costs of production of the print and the postage to the winning bidder.
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-- now for the usual description ----
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See the 1200 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/427731157...
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Settings etc.:
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Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40L @40
1/6-second exposure @F16
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm) 0.9 + 0.75
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
No polarizer.
ISO 50
Small Slik tripod with Manfrotto pistol grip ball head
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
Bare feet and rolled up blue jeans. You have to get wet for this.
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Story:
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Here is another view from the first annual Big Sur Photographic Summit held on the customary date of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. There were a total of 2 attendees including Ivan Makarov and me. The full package price was kept to a modest US $ 10,000.00 for the two-hour shoot with the first two attendees getting a $10,000 discount. Fortunately I was one of the first two to sign up!
Seriously though, I could hardly believe the light on this evening. It really was like painting a canvas, but without the smell of turpentine and the headaches that follow. (Hint, use Lavendar Spike oil!) All I had to do was arrange the scene and wait for a nice curling aquamarine breaker to add the finishing touch.
The map shows exactly where this is. It is an easy hike from the parking lot.
See my Flickr profile for a link to my newly designed website.
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Resources:
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Google Earth
Simply the best way to scout out locations that there is. You can see sun angles and pre-visualize light under lots of different conditions. Sometimes you can actually pre-compose your shots! This has saved me many thousands of vertical feet of climbing by avoiding spots with blocked views etc.
Satellite imagery (choose 'National' for a local US region or use your fave website)
www.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/?wfo=mtr
Tide charting and preditions: (chose your area in US, other countries have similar websites)
tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=235
Wave Heights (I choose 'North Pacific from Global')
polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/main_int.html
Or Here:
www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/RP1bw.gif
Photos of every inch of the California coastline from a small plane. Excellent for close in detailed views.
I get my cameras, filters, etc. here:
or
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A Dream of Venice
NUMB, half asleep, and dazed with whirl of wheels,
And gasp of steam, and measured clank of chains,
I heard a blithe voice break a sudden pause,
Ringing familiarly through the lamp-lit night,
“Wife, here's your Venice!”
I was lifted down,
And gazed about in stupid wonderment,
Holding my little Katie by the hand—
My yellow-haired step-daughter. And again
Two strong arms led me to the water-brink,
And laid me on soft cushions in a boat,—
A queer boat, by a queerer boatman manned—
Swarthy-faced, ragged, with a scarlet cap—
Whose wild, weird note smote shrilly through the dark.
Oh yes, it was my Venice! Beautiful,
With melancholy, ghostly beauty—old,
And sorrowful, and weary—yet so fair,
So like a queen still, with her royal robes,
Full of harmonious colour, rent and worn!
I only saw her shadow in the stream,
By flickering lamplight,—only saw, as yet,
White, misty palace-portals here and there,
Pillars, and marble steps, and balconies,
Along the broad line of the Grand Canal;
And, in the smaller water-ways, a patch
Of wall, or dim bridge arching overhead.
But I could feel the rest. 'Twas Venice!—ay,
The veritable Venice of my dreams.
I saw the grey dawn shimmer down the stream,
And all the city rise, new bathed in light,
With rose-red blooms on her decaying walls,
And gold tints quivering up her domes and spires—
Sharp-drawn, with delicate pencillings, on a sky
Blue as forget-me-nots in June. I saw
The broad day staring in her palace-fronts,
Pointing to yawning gap and crumbling boss,
And colonnades, time-stained and broken, flecked
With soft, sad, dying colours—sculpture-wreathed,
And gloriously proportioned; saw the glow
Light up her bright, harmonious, fountain'd squares,
And spread out on her marble steps, and pass
Down silent courts and secret passages,
Gathering up motley treasures on its way;—
Groups of rich fruit from the Rialto mart,
Scarlet and brown and purple, with green leaves—
Fragments of exquisite carving, lichen-grown,
Found, 'mid pathetic squalor, in some niche
Where wild, half-naked urchins lived and played—
A bright robe, crowned with a pale, dark-eyed face—
A red-striped awning 'gainst an old grey wall—
A delicate opal gleam upon the tide.
I looked out from my window, and I saw
Venice, my Venice, naked in the sun—
Sad, faded, and unutterably forlorn!—
But still unutterably beautiful.
For days and days I wandered up and down—
Holding my breath in awe and ecstasy,—
Following my husband to familiar haunts,
Making acquaintance with his well-loved friends,
Whose faces I had only seen in dreams
And books and photographs and his careless talk.
For days and days—with sunny hours of rest
And musing chat, in that cool room of ours,
Paved with white marble, on the Grand Canal;
For days and days—with happy nights between,
Half-spent, while little Katie lay asleep
Out on the balcony, with the moon and stars.
O Venice, Venice!—with thy water-streets—
Thy gardens bathed in sunset, flushing red
Behind San Giorgio Maggiore's dome—
Thy glimmering lines of haughty palaces
Shadowing fair arch and column in the stream—
Thy most divine cathedral, and its square,
With vagabonds and loungers daily thronged,
Taking their ice, their coffee, and their ease—
Thy sunny campo's, with their clamorous din,
Their shrieking vendors of fresh fish and fruit—
Thy churches and thy pictures—thy sweet bits
Of colour—thy grand relics of the dead—
Thy gondoliers and water-bearers—girls
With dark, soft eyes, and creamy faces, crowned
With braided locks as bright and black as jet—
Wild ragamuffins, picturesque in rags,
And swarming beggars and old witch-like crones,
And brown-cloaked contadini, hot and tired,
Sleeping, face-downward, on the sunny steps—
Thy fairy islands floating in the sun—
Thy poppy-sprinkled, grave-strewn Lido shore—
Thy poetry and thy pathos—all so strange!—
Thou didst bring many a lump into my throat,
And many a passionate thrill into my heart,
And once a tangled dream into my head.
'Twixt afternoon and evening. I was tired;
The air was hot and golden—not a breath
Of wind until the sunset—hot and still.
Our floor was water-sprinkled; our thick walls
And open doors and windows, shadowed deep
With jalousies and awnings, made a cool
And grateful shadow for my little couch.
A subtle perfume stole about the room
From a small table, piled with purple grapes,
And water-melon slices, pink and wet,
And ripe, sweet figs, and golden apricots,
New-laid on green leaves from our garden—leaves
Wherewith an antique torso had been clothed.
My husband read his novel on the floor,
Propped up on cushions and an Indian shawl;
And little Katie slumbered at his feet,
Her yellow curls alight, and delicate tints
Of colour in the white folds of her frock.
I lay, and mused, in comfort and at ease,
Watching them both and playing with my thoughts;
And then I fell into a long, deep sleep,
And dreamed.
I saw a water-wilderness—
Islands entangled in a net of streams—
Cross-threads of rippling channels, woven through
Bare sands, and shallows glimmering blue and broad—
A line of white sea-breakers far away.
There came a smoke and crying from the land—
Ruin was there, and ashes, and the blood
Of conquered cities, trampled down to death.
But here, methought, amid these lonely gulfs,
There rose up towers and bulwarks, fair and strong,
Lapped in the silver sea-mists;—waxing aye
Fairer and stronger—till they seemed to mock
The broad-based kingdoms on the mainland shore.
I saw a great fleet sailing in the sun,
Sailing anear the sand-slip, whereon broke
The long white wave-crests of the outer sea,—
Pepin of Lombardy, with his warrior hosts—
Following the bloody steps of Attila!
I saw the smoke rise when he touched the towns
That lay, outposted, in his ravenous reach;
Then, in their island of deep waters,* saw
A gallant band defy him to his face,
And drive him out, with his fair vessels wrecked
And charred with flames, into the sea again.
“Ah, this is Venice!” I said proudly—“queen
Whose haughty spirit none shall subjugate.”
It was the night. The great stars hung, like globes
Of gold, in purple skies, and cast their light
In palpitating ripples down the flood
That washed and gurgled through the silent streets—
White-bordered now with marble palaces.
It was the night. I saw a grey-haired man,
Sitting alone in a dark convent-porch—
In beggar's garments, with a kingly face,
And eyes that watched for dawnlight anxiously—
A weary man, who could not rest nor sleep.
I heard him muttering prayers beneath his breath,
And once a malediction—while the air
Hummed with the soft, low psalm-chants from within.
And then, as grey gleams yellowed in the east,
I saw him bend his venerable head,
Creep to the door, and knock.
Again I saw
The long-drawn billows breaking on the land,
And galleys rocking in the summer noon.
The old man, richly retinued, and clad
In princely robes, stood there, and spread his arms,
And cried, to one low-kneeling at his feet,
“Take thou my blessing with thee, O my son!
And let this sword, wherewith I gird thee, smite
The impious tyrant-king, who hath defied,
Dethroned, and exiled him who is as Christ.
The Lord be good to thee, my son, my son,
For thy most righteous dealing!”
And again
'Twas that long slip of land betwixt the sea
And still lagoons of Venice—curling waves
Flinging light, foamy spray upon the sand.
The noon was past, and rose-red shadows fell
Across the waters. Lo! the galleys came
To anchorage again—and lo! the Duke
Yet once more bent his noble head to earth,
And laid a victory at the old man's feet,
Praying a blessing with exulting heart.
“This day, my well-belovèd, thou art blessed,
And Venice with thee, for St. Peter's sake.
And I will give thee, for thy bride and queen,
The sea which thou hast conquered. Take this ring,
As sign of her subjection, and thy right
To be her lord for ever.”
Once again
I saw that old man,—in the vestibule
Of St. Mark's fair cathedral,—circled round
With cardinals and priests, ambassadors
And the noblesse of Venice—richly robed
In papal vestments, with the triple crown
Gleaming upon his brows. There was a hush:—
I saw a glittering train come sweeping on,
From the blue water and across the square,
Thronged with an eager multitude,—the Duke,
And with him Barbarossa, humbled now,
And fain to pray for pardon. With bare heads,
They reached the church, and paused. The Emperor knelt,
Casting away his purple mantle—knelt,
And crept along the pavement, as to kiss
Those feet, which had been weary twenty years
With his own persecutions. And the Pope
Lifted his white haired, crowned, majestic head,
And trod upon his neck,—crying out to Christ,
“Upon the lion and adder shalt thou go—
The dragon shalt thou tread beneath thy feet!”
The vision changed. Sweet incense-clouds rose up
From the cathedral altar, mix'd with hymns
And solemn chantings, o'er ten thousand heads;
And ebbed and died away along the aisles.
I saw a train of nobles—knights of France—
Pass 'neath the glorious arches through the crowd,
And stand, with halo of soft, coloured light
On their fair brows—the while their leader's voice
Rang through the throbbing silence like a bell.
“Signiors, we come to Venice, by the will
Of the most high and puissant lords of France,
To pray you look with your compassionate eyes
Upon the Holy City of our Christ—
Wherein He lived, and suffered, and was lain
Asleep, to wake in glory, for our sakes—
By Paynim dogs dishonoured and defiled!
Signiors, we come to you, for you are strong.
The seas which lie betwixt that land and this
Obey you. O have pity! See, we kneel—
Our Masters bid us kneel—and bid us stay
Here at your feet until you grant our prayers!”
Wherewith the knights fell down upon their knees,
And lifted up their supplicating hands.
Lo! the ten thousand people rose as one,
And shouted with a shout that shook the domes
And gleaming roofs above them—echoing down,
Through marble pavements, to the shrine below,
Where lay the miraculous body of their Saint
(Shed he not heavenly radiance as he heard?—
Perfuming the damp air of his secret crypt),
And cried, with an exceeding mighty cry,
“We do consent! We will be pitiful!”
The thunder of their voices reached the sea,
And thrilled through all the netted water-veins
Of their rich city. Silence fell anon,
Slowly, with fluttering wings, upon the crowd;
And then a veil of darkness.
And again
The filtered sunlight streamed upon those walls,
Marbled and sculptured with divinest grace;
Again I saw a multitude of heads,
Soft-wreathed with cloudy incense, bent in prayer—
The heads of haughty barons, armed knights,
And pilgrims girded with their staff and scrip,
The warriors of the Holy Sepulchre.
The music died away along the roof;
The hush was broken—not by him of France—
By Enrico Dandolo, whose grey head
Venice had circled with the ducal crown.
The old man looked down, with his dim, wise eyes,
Stretching his hands abroad, and spake. “Seigneurs,
My children, see—your vessels lie in port
Freighted for battle. And you, standing here,
Wait but the first fair wind. The bravest hosts
Are with you, and the noblest enterprise
Conceived of man. Behold, I am grey-haired,
And old and feeble. Yet am I your lord.
And, if it be your pleasure, I will trust
My ducal seat in Venice to my son,
And be your guide and leader.”
When they heard,
They cried aloud, “In God's name, go with us!”
And the old man, with holy weeping, passed
Adown the tribune to the altar-steps;
And, kneeling, fixed the cross upon his cap.
A ray of sudden sunshine lit his face—
The grand, grey, furrowed face—and lit the cross,
Until it twinkled like a cross of fire.
“We shall be safe with him,” the people said,
Straining their wet, bright eyes; “and we shall reap
Harvests of glory from our battle-fields!”
Anon there rose a vapour from the sea—
A dim white mist, that thickened into fog.
The campanile and columns were blurred out,
Cathedral domes and spires, and colonnades
Of marble palaces on the Grand Canal.
Joy-bells rang sadly and softly—far away;
Banners of welcome waved like wind-blown clouds;
Glad shouts were muffled into mournful wails.
A Doge was come to be enthroned and crowned,—
Not in the great Bucentaur—not in pomp;
The water-ways had wandered in the mist,
And he had tracked them, slowly, painfully,
From San Clemente to Venice, in a frail
And humble gondola. A Doge was come;
But he, alas! had missed his landing-place,
And set his foot upon the blood-stained stones
Betwixt the blood-red columns. Ah, the sea—
The bride, the queen—she was the first to turn
Against her passionate, proud, ill-fated lord!
Slowly the sea-fog melted, and I saw
Long, limp dead bodies dangling in the sun.
Two granite pillars towered on either side,
And broad blue waters glittered at their feet.
“These are the traitors,” said the people; “they
Who, with our Lord the Duke, would overthrow
The government of Venice.”
And anon,
The doors about the palace were made fast.
A great crowd gathered round them, with hushed breath
And throbbing pulses. And I knew their lord,
The Duke Faliero, knelt upon his knees,
On the broad landing of the marble stairs
Where he had sworn the oath he could not keep—
Vexed with the tyrannous oligarchic rule
That held his haughty spirit netted in,
And cut so keenly that he writhed and chafed
Until he burst the meshes—could not keep!
I watched and waited, feeling sick at heart;
And then I saw a figure, robed in black—
One of their dark, ubiquitous, supreme
And fearful tribunal of Ten—come forth,
And hold a dripping sword-blade in the air.
“Justice has fallen on the traitor! See,
His blood has paid the forfeit of his crime!”
And all the people, hearing, murmured deep,
Cursing their dead lord, and the council, too,
Whose swift, sure, heavy hand had dealt his death.
Then came the night, all grey and still and sad.
I saw a few red torches flare and flame
Over a little gondola, where lay
The headless body of the traitor Duke,
Stripped of his ducal vestments. Floating down
The quiet waters, it passed out of sight,
Bearing him to unhonoured burial.
And then came mist and darkness.
Lo! I heard
The shrill clang of alarm-bells, and the wails
Of men and women in the wakened streets.
A thousand torches flickered up and down,
Lighting their ghastly faces and bare heads;
The while they crowded to the open doors
Of all the churches—to confess their sins,
To pray for absolution, and a last
Lord's Supper—their viaticum, whose death
Seemed near at hand—ay, nearer than the dawn.
“Chioggia is fall'n!” they cried, “and we are lost!”
Anon I saw them hurrying to and fro,
With eager eyes and hearts and blither feet—
Grave priests, with warlike weapons in their hands,
And delicate women, with their ornaments
Of gold and jewels for the public fund—
Mix'd with the bearded crowd, whose lives were given,
With all they had, to Venice in her need.
No more I heard the wailing of despair,—
But great Pisani's blithe word of command,
The dip of oars, and creak of beams and chains,
And ring of hammers in the arsenal.
“Venice shall ne'er be lost!” her people cried—
Whose names were worthy of the Golden Book—
“Venice shall ne'er be conquered!”
And anon
I saw a scene of triumph—saw the Doge,
In his Bucentaur, sailing to the land—
Chioggia behind him blackened in the smoke,
Venice before, all banners, bells, and shouts
Of passionate rejoicing! Ten long months
Had Genoa waged that war of life and death;
And now—behold the remnant of her host,
Shrunken and hollow-eyed and bound with chains—
Trailing their galleys in the conqueror's wake!
Once more the tremulous waters, flaked with light;
A covered vessel, with an armèd guard—
A yelling mob on fair San Giorgio's isle,
And ominous whisperings in the city squares.
Carrara's noble head bowed down at last,
Beaten by many storms,—his golden spurs
Caught in the meshes of a hidden snare!
“O Venice!” I cried, “where is thy great heart
And honourable soul?”
And yet once more
I saw her—the gay Sybaris of the world—
The rich voluptuous city—sunk in sloth.
I heard Napoleon's cannon at her gates,
And her degenerate nobles cry for fear.
I saw at last the great Republic fall—
Conquered by her own sickness, and with scarce
A noticeable wound—I saw her fall!
And she had stood above a thousand years!
O Carlo Zeno! O Pisani! Sure
Ye turned and groaned for pity in your graves.
I saw the flames devour her Golden Book
Beneath the rootless “Tree of Liberty;”
I saw the Lion's legend blotted out,
For “rights of men”—unutterable wrongs!—
Dandolo's brazen horses borne away—
The venerable Bucentaur, with its wealth
Of glorious recollections, broken up.
I heard the riotous clamour; then the change
To passionate minor cadence—then the sad
And hopeless silence settle down; and then—
I woke. The flickering water-gleam was gone
From off the ceiling, and white snows of light
Fell softly on the marble walls and floors,
And on the yellow head of little Kate
Musingly bent down from the balcony.
The lapping of the tide—the dip of oars—
The sad, sweet songs, and sadder city bells,
Mellowly borne along the water-streets:—
The swirl and ripple around lumbering keels
Of heavy, slow, Rialto market-boats,
Adown the broad and misty highway, lit
With moonbeams and the far-strown light of lamps,
Following the track of vanished gondolas:—
The flutter of a fig-leaf in the wind,
A faded fig-leaf, flapping faded walls,
With faded, crumbling, delicate sculpture-crusts:—
The voice of dreaming Katie crooning out
A snatch of melody that the Austrian band
Played in San Marco's Place some hours agone,
While patriots, neath their shadowy colonnades,
Sauntered, and shut their ears, and ate their hearts:—
A measured footstep, pacing to and fro—
The brush of two strong hands upon my brows—
The tenor-music of dear English lips,
Whispering, between two kisses, cheerily,
“Wake up, my wife; Nina has brought our tea:”—
These were the sounds that called me back to life.
Rialto (Rivo alto)
Ada Cambridge
If you want to see how I made this (and how you can too!), visit my HDR Tutorial. I hope it gives you some new tricks!
I can't tell you how many times I've spent mornings and evenings on the beach by myself. I think it's quite alright, and I don't entirely mind it at the time.
For me, it is even more strange, I think. Because I always have my camera with me, I suppose I'm not really alone because you are there too, along with the tens of thousands of others. We're there at slightly different times, but still there together with the moment frozen. I'm not sure I can be good company to everyone at the same time, but there are always certain people with whom bare toes on the beach would be more than welcome.
from my daily photo blog at www.stuckincustoms.com
Doesn't it look like the calm water is at the same level as the open ocean? Okay, well it is, but this scene did remind me of an infinity pool. No HDR.
Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!
See the 1200 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/357845706...
---------------------------------------------------------
Settings etc.:
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Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40L @ 37 (I really zoomed in for this one!)
30-second exposure @F14 (It is one hour after sunrise)
Hoya ndx400 (9-stop) very dark circular filter
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm) 0.9 + 0.6
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
Bare feet (soft sand)
A very low tide on this morning created a still pool that extended out to the breakers. Every minute or so, waves would interrupt the stillness and then things would eventually become still again. I waited for a time where I would get 30 seconds of stillness. The extra long exposure made things look even more still, and was made possible by a very dark circular filter. The clouds moved a lot during the 30 seconds. I made sure to include some solid sand and some offshore rocks and islands to anchor the image somewhat to reality!
I will admit that it took about 20 minutes to get this image. It seemed like every time the pool was nearly calm, another wave would mess things up. I was starting to worry because the tide was rising and the calm periods were getting shorter and shorter. After this, the ocean moved in for good and that was it. The next morning the tide was too high to get this shot.
The map shows exactly where this is.
See my profile for a link to my website where I have limited edition prints and less expensive open edition prints.
.
Hello...!
Yay, it's Brickshifter!*
All gold and shiny now!
That's not my name! My name is Sunshine!
We've been through this.
Yep, you keep coming back,** and we keep calling you Brickshifter because Brickshifter is a much cooler and more appropriate name than 'Sunshine'.
That's it! You're getting my origin!
GAH!!
They're using their origins as a weapon now!
Sunshine (サンシャイン) is a key antagonist towards Kinnikuman, considered by General Devil as the Leader of the elite team of the Devil Knights. Years later, in Kinnikuman Nisei, he became one of the key members of the d.M.p organization, as well as the mentor of Check Mate and Rex King.
Sunshine debuts as a member of the elite team of the Devil Knights, and after his defeat at the hands of a mere human, he was then absorbed by General Devil. Later he return alongside Ashuraman, planning to steal the Friendship Power of the Justice Chojin, but both of were defeated in the Tag Tournament.
In Kinnikuman 2011, he and the Devil Knights raid the Chojin Graveyard, and he face against one of the Perfect Origin, Thingman, who he manage to defeat. He later stays at General Devil's side for the rest of the matches.
After this, he retired from wrestling and was not seen again until Kinnikuman Nisei, in which he trains Check Mate and Rex King, and eventually comes to respect the Justice Chojin on his defeat. It is at this point he explodes the d.M.p base and eradicates all evil chojin, except for one that miraculously survives named Scarface. He is very rarely seen again within the anime or manga.
Personality
Overall, Sunshine is like the rest of his comrades: a rude, brute, and merciless fighter that use brutal and dirty tactics to defeat and kill his opponents. He is particularly vicious in this, since it is said that he believes that a match is only won by knocking and opponent while he's out, thus, he never won any championship. He considers himself to not be too smart, and that he tends to forget things a lot, thinking that's the best way to advance as a fighter and as a devil.
Despite his brutal and rude ways of fighting, he can also show a softer, more compassionate side, like when he trained with Rollerman in the Arabian Desert, forming a good friendship with him. Or when Kinnikuman opened his eyes during their fight, and saw that the Devil Chojin can have friendship too. This makes him consider Ashuraman as his friend, rather than just his partner-in-crime.
Appearance
He is a giant golem-like chojin often with a yellow/golden coloration due his body been made of sand/gold dust, giving him the ability to re-shape himself in different ways, such as a pyramid or a giant top. In his debut he has a rather simplistic body design, consisting in a giant block as his body, with limbs in shape of rectangles, ending in two big hands. His faces has a rather humanoid look.
After his defeat at Geronimo's hands, he returns with a slightly altered appearance, now sporting a more elaborate body-design, with the special ability to summon a concrete roller in his chest. By Nisei times, his body has become more slim, as well as loosing one of his "eyes". He also tends to wear some clothing to hide among humans.
Relationships
Ashuraman
Sunshine has a strong loyalty to his fellow Devil Knights, but his strongest relationship lies with his friend Ashuraman as he formed a tag team during the Dream Tag Tournament arc. Before Ashuraman's match against the Blood Evolutions in Nisei, Sunshine wants to be his tag partner, but Ashuraman refuses.
Rollerman
After finding and spending some time with Rollerman in the Arabian Desert, they become very close, to the point of doing the same routine the same way day after day. Their bond became so strong that Sunshine travels to a near town to rescue Rollerman from some Justice Chojin that were plaining on execute him.
Check Mate
Checkmate has a close relationship with Sunshine, who acts as a father-figure to him and a coach. Sunshine unofficially adopts Checkmate during Checkmate's youth, rescuing him from a life on the streets, and delivers strict training to help him become a Brutal Chojin capable of fighting in matches. Sunshine is willing to risk his life to save Checkmate, before taking him to teach him to be a better chojin, after his breakdown. They later meet again during the Demon Seed Arc, where they appear civil and on friendly terms, despite their worldviews now having diverged.
General Devil
Although General Devil doesn't show any affection nor respect for his followers, he has said in different occasions that he considers Sunshine like his successor, and the both of them spend time together during the fights at Yggrasil.
Abilities
Sunshine has the ability to manipulate and shapeshift into sand. To shapeshifting into other objects, he needs to study and learn the whole object that he wants to emulate. He can also fuse with his fellow Devil Knights to become General Devil's body.
Golden Mask Arc
Sunshine appeared as one of the Devil Knights, a group of Devil Chojin who had supposedly stolen the Golden Mask, a sacred relic on Planet Kinniku that was once the head of a god. He fought Geronimo during the Five Story Ring battle within Warsman's unconscious body.
A five-tier ring appears, with each ring holding a different opponent. Geronimo fends off The Ninja on the fourth floor, while Kinnikuman climbs the spine to reach the top ring. The Ninja switches places with Sunshine, forcing Geronimo to compete against him. At one point, he skewers the mat with his tomahawks so that Terry - in the ring below - could grab a hold of something during Asuraman’s Asura Buster.
In his fight with Sunshine, he started off hitting Sunshine with a fury of Tomahawk Chops.
Geronimo lands a Flying Boy Press, but Sunshine counters by bending his legs. Sunshine uses his Sand Hell techniques on Geronimo, and Geronimo uses a Tomahawk Tornado to sweep away the sand. After being pressed into the mat by Sunshine, Geronimo attempts another Tomahawk Chop, but the damage done to Sunshine is undone by his regeneration abilities. The sweat from Geronimo is also absorbed into Sunshine and makes his sand weigh even heavier, as he crushes Geronimo from above.
Sunshine prepares for a Back-Drop, and Geronimo breaks his hip attempting to counter with a Flying Maier. Geronimo tries a Guillotine Drop, but Sunshine stops him with a Giant Swing, and Geronimo manages to stop Sunshine with a headbutt, but sustains great damage in the process. Geronimo believes he has won when he chops Sunshine in half, but instead he found himself trapped inside Sunshine.
After forcing his way out of Sunshine's body, Sunshine begins to use his most brutal Sand Hell techniques. He uses a Canadian Back-Breaker, while Geronimo counters with a Reverse Suplex, and Sunshine attempts a Mexican Stretch. Geronimo uses a Toe-Kick to shatter Sunshine's body into multiple pieces, and Sunshine uses a Hell's Pyramid. Being severely injured - after having his gut stabbed by Sunshine’s Hell’s Pyramid technique - causes Terryman to realize that Geronimo is human. Geronimo uses a Brain Buster, despite the pyramid piercing his heart.
Sunshine rebuilds himself with his Hell Arc de Triumphe. Geronimo smashes Sunshine again, but Sunshine uses a sun-styled key to enter his sun-mark upon his chest, and this regenerates him. Geronimo keeps fighting and eventually grabs Sunshine's chest, where he removes the key that controls the Sand Hell techniques. As the key hits the canvas, Sunshine grabs his head and screams, causing Geronimo to realize that Sunshine’s weakness is loud noises. He used his trademark Apache War Cry.
This reduces Sunshine to dust, but - before Geronimo can finish - his heart stops. He remembers the bravery of the chojin who saved him and his sister, and he then sticks his hand into his chest and massages his heart. He finishes off Sunshine with the Apache War Cry.
Like the other Devil Knights, he was absorbed by Akuma Shogun before the fight with Kinnikuman.
Deep of Muscles 12
After his humiliating defeat at Geronimo's hands, and the defeat of General Devil, he and Ashuraman decide to get revenge on the Idol Chojin, stealing their friendship after hearing about the tag tournament that was going to happen. Then, in order to overcome his defeat at the hands of a human, Sunshine decides to travel across the world, to train from zero. After parting away from Ashuraman, he arrives at the Arabian Desert, where, after trying to find some water for his thirsty mouth, he came across a peculiar chojin with a roller in his chest, and saw him killing and squeezing the liquid out of those chojin.
Sunshine fights him, and after a quick match, the chojin known as Rollerman gave Sunshine a glass of water, and then Sunshine explains him about what is he doing in the desert, and what that he wants to learn Rollerman technique. Rollerman accepts, and the two of them start living together in the desert. Sunshine realize that learning the technique will take more than he suspected, but one day, he finds that Rollerman has been kidnapped by a vigilante corps of a near by town, so he went there, in rage.
After destroying the vigilante corps, he challenge their boss, and suddenly, Rollerman throw him his rollers, which Sunshine absorb, and use them against their leader, squeezing all his liquid, killing him. But Rollerman was beyond salvation, and dies at Sunshine's arms. After parting from the Arabian Desert, he return in time to participate in the tag tournament, were he finds his partner, Ashuraman, and show him his new technique. But while showing the rollers, a tear fell from one of Sunshine eyes, and Ashuraman asked him why did that happened, so Sunshine answer him that it was because the Arabian sand that was stuck in his eye...
Dream Chojin Tag Arc
Asuraman, as a part of the Stray Devil Chojin Combo with Sunshine, takes part in the Dream Chojin Tag Arc. The two demons, last survivors of the Golden Mask Arc concoct a plan to steal the Friendship Power of the Justice Chojin by using some cursed dolls. They manage to steal the very emotion of friendship among the Justice Chojin, greatly weakening them, as a Justice Chojin can't fight without friendship in his heart.
As such, Ahuraman and Sunshine are able to beat effortlessly the Big Bombers and the New Machineguns, in the process turning the former friends Kinnikuman and Terryman against each other.
During the fight against the New Machineguns, Sunshine begins to believe in the power of friendship, Ashuraman keeps holding to his ideal as an uncaring, evil fiend, and by observing how the attempts made by Kinnikuman and Kinnikuman Great to save Geronimo and Terryman ended up in their cursed doll being broken, he claims the breaks are parts of a prophecy, and uses Sunshine's Cursed Roller to injure his foes where the dolls were broken: Geronimo ends up with a badly shattered right arm, and Terryman is forced to surrender his Star Emblems, or get Geronimo killed and himself decapitated.
The prophecy comes to pass in a roundabout way: Prince Kamehame, the former Kinnikuman Great, succumbs because of the strain of helping the New Machineguns and decapitates Terryman, giving him the Kinnikuman Great to allow him fight with Kinnikuman even if he lacks the Star Emblems and Kinnikuman now despises him.
During the fight between the Muscle Brothers and the Stray Akuma Chojin Combo, Asuraman is exposed to the Friendship power: Asuraman witnesses Kinnikuman and Terryman starting to mend their friendship, and sees Sunshine caring for him and even apologizing when the Cursed Roller ends up tearing off his right arms. Asuraman tries to still act cold and uncaring, but when Prince Kamehame's arm, who used as a replacement, rebels to his will and leads to his defeat, starts believing in Friendship too, sharing with Sunshine the memories of Samson Teacher.
Once the Stray Devil Combo are defeated, and Ashuraman's faces are rip off by the Hell Missionaries, Sunshine tries to stand up, but is quickly attacked by Big the Budo, who after seen that he doesn't have a mask to steal, he was sentence to dead. Big the Budo throws him against Neptuneman, who used his Double Leg Suplex to knock him down, killing him.
Survivor Match for the Kinniku Throne
Sunshine would later appear during the Survivor Match for the Kinniku Throne Arc as one of the Chojins The Omegaman captured, killed, and therefore could now transform into.
Perfect Origin Arc
Prehistory
General Devil proceeds to rotate the Forbidden Mortar backwards, connecting the surface world to the Chojin Graveyard. To General Devil, life and death of a Chojin should only belong to themselves and the Perfect Chojin controlling that is a grave mistake. The Perfect Chojin have grown arrogant ever since they followed that foolish custom for a 1000 years. The leader of the Perfect Chojin is a monster now. General Devil's mission is to stop the leader and make sure he'll never return.
When he stops, General Devil says that no one will be coming back to life. As cracks appear in the ceiling of the Chojin Graveyard, he tells his elite minions, the Devil Knights, that they can enter. With a dynamic entry, the Devil Knights appear and start attacking. While the Graveyard Demons are occupied, General Devil plunges further into the Chojin Graveyard.
Sunshine vs. Thingman
The match takes place at the Statue of Liberty. [10] It appears as if the Ninja has returned, but it is revealed to be Sunshine. [10] Sunshine jumps in search of his opponent, but they catch him by surprise and get him in a lock, until Sunshine breaks free and they both land on different sections of the statue. Thingman summons a hurricane of sand, which erodes the Statue of Liberty and transforms it into a statue of a Perfect Chojin. They are to fight within the ring that exists on the palm of the transformed statue, and the two finally clash within upon the canvas.
The two start evenly matched, until Thingman delivers a blow to Sunshine's neck. Sunshine begins to turn to sand, which allows him to return to normal, and uses his sand to counter against punches to the chest and a middle-kick to his abdomen. Thingman attempts a power-bomb, along with a Thing Demolition Wave, and the latter releases a metallic sound that reduces Sunshine to a pile of sand, but Sunshine rebuilds his body.
Sunshine throws Thingman against the statue, who retaliates with an Extreme Shoulder Armory, which leads Sunshine to attempt a Cursed Roller. The attack fails, as Thingman's previous attack has turned Sunshine from sand into concrete, and Thingman is able to deliver a series of blows, as he gains the upper-hand. Thingman attempts a German Suplex, but Sunshine blocks the move with one arm, and retaliates with a body-scissors, before delivering many blows and finishing with a Death Valley Bomb.
Thingman reveals his body is made from a meteorite, as such he cannot be easily damaged, and uses a Shoulder Armory Disc Cutter. He uses the ropes of the ring to crack parts of Sunshine's body, and his Thing Demolition Wave then breaks open the cracks and sends Sunshine crumbling to the canvas. Sunshine's head proceeds to cry, as he struggles to regenerate his body, and - begging for death - allows Thingman to reduce him to nothing but sand, after destroying his head. Thingman gathers his sand up in the canvas, but - before he can toss Sunshine's remains into the see - the canvas appears to catch fire.
The iron and sand in the small canvas, which is spun around fast, creates a scientific effect that leads to a vast amount of heat. Sunshine recombines into a red-hot giant key, which he inserts into part of his body and restores himself to normality with a Sand Hell. Sunshine then turns into sand and reappears behind Thingman, where he destroys his Extreme Shoulder Armory with his bare hands. Thingman tries to retaliate, but Sunshine uses a Sand Cemetery Press. This defeats Thingman, who collapses onto the ring.
Sunshine takes Thingman's dumbbell. After a confession by Ganman about the origins of the Perfect Origin, Sunshine smashes the dumbbell into his head, before he knocks Thingman out of the ring and returns the Statue of Liberty to its previous state.
Post-Match
Sunshine, alongside The Ninja, return to inform General Devil about their victories, giving him Painman, Crowman and Thingman's dumbbells. Then, the two follow their general to Japan's National Stadium, were he stays at his side, watching all the battles. After getting all the remaining dumbbells, General Devil sends Sunshine to finish his mission, and erase the remaining Perfect Origins. With Black Hole's help, he travels to the Chojin Graveyard, and with great grief, he put one by one the remaining dumbbells, but, surprisingly, none of the Perfect Origins disappear...only Psychoman, who had manipulated the mechanism long ago to erase only him!
And now, with Buffaloman at his side, Sunshine travels with General Devil to watch his fight with The Man. And after the defeat of The Man, Sunshine, Buffaloman, and the "spirits" of the rest of the Devil Chojin, follow General Devil out of the ring.
Omega Centauri's Six Spear Arc
He was hanging out with the remaining of the Devil Chojin, when suddenly, a magic barrier seal them inside their HQ, making them unable to face off against the Omega invaders.
Unnamed Arc
When the Justice Chojin were arguing of who would travel to the Tower of Babel to face against the Chojin, Sunshine appears in a screen, saying that he was upset that they let him out of the fights, and wants to also enter the challenge, leaving the Devil Chojin HQ, and traveling with the rest of the team to the Tower.
There, while the rest of Chojin were telling Geronimo that he shouldn't be the first one fighting, Sunshine was the only one encouraging him to fight, since he was one of his strongest enemies, and was angry for seen how weak he was after their fight. Geronimo, moved by his words, enters the ring to face against the Choushin. There, he stays in the sidelines cheering for him, congratulating the young chojin once he defeated his opponent. After the revelation of The Executioner about the true intentions of the gods, he and Ashuraman decide to team up and cross one of the three opened doors.
d.M.p Arc
Sunshine appears first on a television set, after the Tokyo matches against the dMp members: Kevin Mask, Maxman and Tel-Tel Boy. He is with two mysteriously cloaked men, who are his two proteges, and he is also in Osaka after having defeated Gorgeousman and Barbarian. He is a founding member of the DMp and head of their Akuma Chojin division. In the past thirty years, he states he has grown bitter and angry at the Muscle League, and has found two of the strongest proteges to get revenge on his behalf. He declares his proteges are The Nightmares.
They meet again in an izakaya (bar), where Sunshine claims that he is neither friend nor foe until the matches, and treats Mantaro Kinniku and Alexandria Meat in a civil manner. He reveals he is now blind in one eye and lost much of his power, as well as feels abandoned by those of his team who sided with the Seigi Chojin, and - due to feeling alone - he doubled down on his quest for revenge. He notices that Terry the Kid has broken in the Osaka Dome via a portable television set, and orders his Nightmares to capture him. He leaves and reappears later to catch Mantaro in an adult establishment, despite him being underage, and so he blackmails Mantaro into being the referee for the following match.
Sunshine announces the "Osaka Battle at High Noon", as well as that Mantaro will be acting as the referee for the upcoming match, and Mantaro acts as a strict referee and often penalizes the Kid. Sunshine obtains a yellow card when Mantaro begins to help the Kid, as he steps into the ring, but he obeys and returns to observing the match from the side. Sunshine antagonizes the Kid to gain the upper hand, but soon Rex King is defeated and he infuses Check Mate with his spirit to make him stronger, so as to prepare for the second match against Mantaro Kinniku. Sunshine announces the following match.
It is revealed in flashbacks that Sunshine beat and tortured Checkmate, so that he would be impervious to pain and an invulnerable warrior. Checkmate then reveals he carries a photograph of his old team, which he holds dear, and that he founded the dMp with two other members in hopes of gaining his own faction to control. Sunshine then intervenes with the match when Mantaro is unable to fight, begging Check Mate to stop, but - disgusted by his tears and emotion - Checkmate attacks him and pins him to the ropes. He is devastated when Checkmate tears up his photo, which is his sole memento of the past, and follows this by preventing Check Mate from attacking a small child, saving the child's life. Checkmate proceeds to attack him, until he loses his eye-patch, and is eventually helped up by Mantaro.
After Checkmates crosses boundaries in battle, he starts to cheer for Mantaro. This inspires the crowd to rally behind Mantaro and provide him invaluable strength and inspiration to continue. Checkmate is then defeated. Sunshine refuses to allow anyone else to tend to his wounds, as he runs to his protégé who he still holds with great regards and affection, but his colleagues in the dMp send an arrow crashing through the roof of the stadium to kill Sunshine. His army back at base stages a rebellion, but loses in the fight, and so one creates an explosion that destroys all of the dMp and its base. Sunshine - in his bittersweet victory - carries a bleeding Checkmate out of the stadium with the promise to train him to be better.
Demon Seed Arc
Sunshine appears drunk in Osaka, where he laments nostalgically for the events of 36 years ago, where there were ‘real’ Devil Chojin: the seven Devil Chojin and Six Devil Knights. He sees the Demon Seed as mere imitations of their predecessors, and leaves in a drunken stupor to Ganryu Island where the last two Demon Seed are preparing to battle the Blood Evolutions. He swims across the sea to reach the General Rib in his attempt to reach the last of the Demon Seed.
Sunshine arrives as Ashuraman resurrects. He offers Checkmate the chance to return to the path of evil, as he explains that Ashuraman always regretted joining the Muscle League. Ashuraman rejects Sunshine's attempt to reconcile and form a tag-team. He periodically compliments Checkmate, while cheering on Ashuraman during his match. Sunshine later weeps to see Ashuraman angry, as he reminisces about the past. After Ashuraman wins the match against the B-Evolutions, he proceeds to attack Kevin Mask despite him being incapacitated and the match over, and Sunshine stops him.
He states that Ashuraman never shed blood needlessly, but Ashuraman says he's changed.
Sunshine later appears at the Demon Womb, as the final match commences. Kinnikuman realizes that Asuraman plans to resurrect General Terror, as he spots Sunshine about to enter the Demon Womb, and proceeds to tickle Sunshine until his stomach opens up, allowing Kinnikuman to hide inside his abdomen. Sunshine then enters the Demon Womb (unknowingly with Kinnikuman). Inside, Sunshine comments that Asuraman is even more ruthless than their time together in the past.
It is at this point that Kinnikuman bursts out of his stomach. Sunshine is commanded by Ashuraman to ring the bell that shall awaken the Demon Womb from its slumber. He bickers with Kinnikuman, before ordering Ashuraman to kill Mantaro Kinniku. Kevin Mask later drags Sunshine into the waters beneath the ring, where his sand merges with the electricity to gold-plate his body.
As Sunshine is made of gold dust, this allows him to defy the micro-waves of Voltman. Sunshine loses his legs in the process. After General Terror is revived and defeated, the Diamond Dust of Rebirth restores his legs and allows him to walk again. He swears friendship to Ashuraman, who - now elderly - is helped out of the Demon Womb by Sunshine, as they leave to safety together.
Kinnikuman Nisei ~All Out Assault~
d.M.p Arc
Sunshine first appears alongside Shimao and Qilinman.
He kidnaps Mantaro Kinniku, Gazelleman and Terry the Kid, after he kidnaps Meat Alexandria and holds him hostage within the DMp base. He reveals that they took Meat after he attempted reconnaissance at their base, and - if the others want him back - they need to fight three challengers in the base to earn him back.
Sunshine waits in the "Chess Room" of the final competitor.
He opens his jacket to reveal an Evil Chojin that bursts out from his body: Check Mate. Sunshine proceeds to watch from the sides.
A series of flashbacks reveal Checkmate was Sunshine's personal protégé, but treated very harshly and raised in strict conditions. When Checkmate is defeated, Sunshine cradles him on the ring. When the Justice Chojin try to rescue Meat, Qilinman and Shimao go back on their word, which prompts Checkmate - seeing the error of his ways - to dive before the Justice Chojin to protect them from an oncoming attack by an arrow. Sunshine dives in front of the arrow to save Checkmate, which impales him.
When Qilinman and Shimao start a self-destruct on the base, Sunshine reveals a secret exit to allow Checkmate and the Justice Chojin to escape. He chooses to stay behind, so as to not to slow down the others, and is seemingly crushed to death by the collapsing dMp base.
Top Chojin Festival Arc
At Yokohama Stadium, a new tournament is announced by Ikemen Muscle.
The tournament is between both Justice Chojin and Evil Chojin, and Ramenman acts as the representative for the Justice Chojin, while Sunshine acts as the representative for the Evil Chojin. The two shake hands on stage, but - when Sunshine squeezes Ramenman's hand too hard - the two start to fight. Sunshine goes on to announce the preliminary match to wheedle down the combatants to the eight finalists.
Sunshine confronts Ikemen when Mantaro Kinniku stays in the competition due to a technicality, but is ultimately placated. He sleeps at the stadium, until the finalists are announced the next day. Sunshine follows this by announcing the lottery for the match-ups.
He follows this by attending the match between Fiona and The Doomman, and helps Ramenman to ring the bell. After witnessing the Kevin Mask vs. Naankeeman, he proceeds to go with Ikemen Muscle to watch the Kinniku Mantaro vs. Tentacles match. Once the semi-finals are complete, he appears on stage in a matching suit alongside Ikemen Muscle and Ramenman to announce the finals.
Sunshine later is seen at the awards ceremony, where Mantaro is named winner.
💪M💪U💪S💪C💪L💪E💪
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
M.U.S.C.L.E. No. 39, "Sunshine A"
Painted by CM, thus losing all collectible value forever.
* He was thus named in his first appearance, back in BP 2019 Day 337!
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/49165867671/
** Sunshine has had continued encounters with the Bijou Planks audience.
In BP 2020 Day 84:
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/49057761652/
In BP 2020 Day 252:
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/49057759932/
In BP 2022 Day 18:
"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."
[John 15:4-6 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
From the beginning of 1961 to 1983, Vasa was housed in a temporary structure called Wasavarvet ("The Vasa Shipyard") where she was treated with polyethylene glycol. Visitors could only view the ship from two levels and the maximum distance was only 5 m (17 ft). In 1981, the Swedish government decided that a permanent Vasa museum was to be constructed and a competition for the design of the museum building was organized. A total of 384 architects sent in models of their ideas and the final winners were Marianne Jakobbäck and Göran Månsson with Ask ("box"). The construction of the new building began on and around the dry dock of the old naval yard with an inauguration ceremony hosted by Prince Bertil on 2 November 1987. Vasa was towed into the flooded dry dock under the new building in December 1987, and during the summer of 1989, when visitors were allowed onto the construction site, 228,000 people visited the half-finished museum. The museum was officially opened on 15 June 1990. So far, Vasa has been seen by over 25 million people. In 2017, the museum had a total of 1,495,760 visitors.
The main hall contains the ship itself, and various exhibits related to the archaeological findings of the ships and early 17th-century Sweden. Vasa has been fitted with the lower sections of all three masts, a new bowsprit, winter rigging, and has had certain parts that were missing or heavily damaged replaced. The replacement parts have not been treated or painted and are therefore clearly visible against the original material that has been darkened after three centuries under water.
The new museum is dominated by a large copper roof with stylized masts that represent the actual height of Vasa when she was fully rigged. Parts of the building are covered in wooden panels painted in dark red, blue, tar black, ochre yellow and dark green. The interior is similarly decorated, with large sections of bare, unpainted concrete, including the entire ceiling. Inside the museum the ship can be seen from six levels, from her keel to the very top of the sterncastle. Around the ship are numerous exhibits and models portraying the construction, sinking, location, and recovery of the ship. There are also exhibits that expand on the history of Sweden in the 17th century, providing background information for why the ship was built. A movie theatre shows a film in alternating languages on the recovery of the Vasa.
The museum is in the process of publishing an 8-volume archaeological report to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the salvage. Vasa I: The Archaeology of a Swedish Warship of 1628 was published at the end of 2006. Subsequent volumes will be published annually.
The museum also features four other museum ships moored in the harbour outside: the ice breaker Sankt Erik (launched 1915), the lightvessel Finngrundet (1903), the torpedo boat HMS Spice (T121)|Spica (1966) and the rescue boat |Bernhard Ingelsson (1944).
Vasa or Wasa is a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship sank after sailing roughly 1,300 m (1,400 yd) into her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. She fell into obscurity after most of her valuable bronze cannon were salvaged in the 17th century, until she was located again in the late 1950s in a busy shipping area in Stockholm harbour. The ship was salvaged with a largely intact hull in 1961. She was housed in a temporary museum called Wasavarvet ("The Vasa Shipyard") until 1988 and then moved permanently to the Vasa Museum in the Royal National City Park in Stockholm. The ship is one of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions and has been seen by over 35 million visitors since 1961. Since her recovery, Vasa has become a widely recognised symbol of the Swedish Empire.
The ship was built on the orders of the King of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus as part of the military expansion he initiated in a war with Poland-Lithuania (1621–1629). She was constructed at the navy yard in Stockholm under a contract with private entrepreneurs in 1626–1627 and armed primarily with bronze cannon cast in Stockholm specifically for the ship. Richly decorated as a symbol of the king's ambitions for Sweden and himself, upon completion she was one of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world. However, Vasa was dangerously unstable, with too much weight in the upper structure of the hull. Despite this lack of stability, she was ordered to sea and foundered only a few minutes after encountering a wind stronger than a breeze.
The order to sail was the result of a combination of factors. The king, who was leading the army in Poland at the time of her maiden voyage, was impatient to see her take up her station as flagship of the reserve squadron at Älvsnabben in the Stockholm Archipelago. At the same time the king's subordinates lacked the political courage to openly discuss the ship's problems or to have the maiden voyage postponed. An inquiry was organised by the Swedish Privy Council to find those responsible for the disaster, but in the end no one was punished.
During the 1961 recovery, thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people were found in and around Vasa's hull by marine archaeologists. Among the many items found were clothing, weapons, cannon, tools, coins, cutlery, food, drink and six of the ten sails. The artifacts and the ship herself have provided scholars with invaluable insights into details of naval warfare, shipbuilding techniques and everyday life in early 17th-century Sweden. Today Vasa is the world's best preserved 17th century ship and the most visited museum in Scandinavia. The wreck of Vasa continually undergoes monitoring and further research on how to preserve her.
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
From the beginning of 1961 to 1983, Vasa was housed in a temporary structure called Wasavarvet ("The Vasa Shipyard") where she was treated with polyethylene glycol. Visitors could only view the ship from two levels and the maximum distance was only 5 m (17 ft). In 1981, the Swedish government decided that a permanent Vasa museum was to be constructed and a competition for the design of the museum building was organized. A total of 384 architects sent in models of their ideas and the final winners were Marianne Jakobbäck and Göran Månsson with Ask ("box"). The construction of the new building began on and around the dry dock of the old naval yard with an inauguration ceremony hosted by Prince Bertil on 2 November 1987. Vasa was towed into the flooded dry dock under the new building in December 1987, and during the summer of 1989, when visitors were allowed onto the construction site, 228,000 people visited the half-finished museum. The museum was officially opened on 15 June 1990. So far, Vasa has been seen by over 25 million people. In 2017, the museum had a total of 1,495,760 visitors.
The main hall contains the ship itself, and various exhibits related to the archaeological findings of the ships and early 17th-century Sweden. Vasa has been fitted with the lower sections of all three masts, a new bowsprit, winter rigging, and has had certain parts that were missing or heavily damaged replaced. The replacement parts have not been treated or painted and are therefore clearly visible against the original material that has been darkened after three centuries under water.
The new museum is dominated by a large copper roof with stylized masts that represent the actual height of Vasa when she was fully rigged. Parts of the building are covered in wooden panels painted in dark red, blue, tar black, ochre yellow and dark green. The interior is similarly decorated, with large sections of bare, unpainted concrete, including the entire ceiling. Inside the museum the ship can be seen from six levels, from her keel to the very top of the sterncastle. Around the ship are numerous exhibits and models portraying the construction, sinking, location, and recovery of the ship. There are also exhibits that expand on the history of Sweden in the 17th century, providing background information for why the ship was built. A movie theatre shows a film in alternating languages on the recovery of the Vasa.
The museum is in the process of publishing an 8-volume archaeological report to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the salvage. Vasa I: The Archaeology of a Swedish Warship of 1628 was published at the end of 2006. Subsequent volumes will be published annually.
The museum also features four other museum ships moored in the harbour outside: the ice breaker Sankt Erik (launched 1915), the lightvessel Finngrundet (1903), the torpedo boat HMS Spice (T121)|Spica (1966) and the rescue boat |Bernhard Ingelsson (1944).
Vasa or Wasa is a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship sank after sailing roughly 1,300 m (1,400 yd) into her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. She fell into obscurity after most of her valuable bronze cannon were salvaged in the 17th century, until she was located again in the late 1950s in a busy shipping area in Stockholm harbour. The ship was salvaged with a largely intact hull in 1961. She was housed in a temporary museum called Wasavarvet ("The Vasa Shipyard") until 1988 and then moved permanently to the Vasa Museum in the Royal National City Park in Stockholm. The ship is one of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions and has been seen by over 35 million visitors since 1961. Since her recovery, Vasa has become a widely recognised symbol of the Swedish Empire.
The ship was built on the orders of the King of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus as part of the military expansion he initiated in a war with Poland-Lithuania (1621–1629). She was constructed at the navy yard in Stockholm under a contract with private entrepreneurs in 1626–1627 and armed primarily with bronze cannon cast in Stockholm specifically for the ship. Richly decorated as a symbol of the king's ambitions for Sweden and himself, upon completion she was one of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world. However, Vasa was dangerously unstable, with too much weight in the upper structure of the hull. Despite this lack of stability, she was ordered to sea and foundered only a few minutes after encountering a wind stronger than a breeze.
The order to sail was the result of a combination of factors. The king, who was leading the army in Poland at the time of her maiden voyage, was impatient to see her take up her station as flagship of the reserve squadron at Älvsnabben in the Stockholm Archipelago. At the same time the king's subordinates lacked the political courage to openly discuss the ship's problems or to have the maiden voyage postponed. An inquiry was organised by the Swedish Privy Council to find those responsible for the disaster, but in the end no one was punished.
During the 1961 recovery, thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people were found in and around Vasa's hull by marine archaeologists. Among the many items found were clothing, weapons, cannon, tools, coins, cutlery, food, drink and six of the ten sails. The artifacts and the ship herself have provided scholars with invaluable insights into details of naval warfare, shipbuilding techniques and everyday life in early 17th-century Sweden. Today Vasa is the world's best preserved 17th century ship and the most visited museum in Scandinavia. The wreck of Vasa continually undergoes monitoring and further research on how to preserve her.
Possibly my all time favourite photo to date everything just seems so believable.
While I was taking this photo a couple came though and they noticed a peacock in amongst the flowers. The young woman turned to me and said are you taking a photo of the peacock?
Now bare in mine said peacock was in the opposite direction the camera was pointing I thought her must be an ice breaker.
We had a little chat about the bird being shy and not wanting to be photographed today when all of a sudden out of the blue the woman said " I love your dress I said to my partner how lovely you looked walking beside the lake"
A little flustered but flattered I thanked her. The couple then walked off.
Looks like it was an ice breaker :-)
Its little things like this that makes my day and makes me feel good about being who I am. I find it funny that women will comment on another woman's outfit even to the point of going out of their way to ask about where it came from.
Chronicles of lifting Light :
Tales from The Poet and the Peasant
There is a certain daring “edge” in acting out a role playing game on a partner(s) in public, especially if (in our case) one favors pickpocketing.
It’s a certain adrenaline thrill, both addictive and desirable, that increases up until the “mark” is relived of one or more of her dangling valuables. Whether its carried out with a simple bump, a lift conveyed while, say dancing, or a squeeze play maneuvered with a second player, it all creates and holds a level of excitement most thrilling in its nature, quite erotic within its scope.
This Chronicle contains short essays on pickpocketing games played solely within our group over the past few years.
These were games only, done with full knowledge and consent of all the players ( with a couple of exceptions where the parties involved were not informed of the actual happenings until sometime after the fact.)
Any articles of jewelry lifted were returned to their original owners, albeit sometimes those owners at first thought the jewelry being returned had just simply fallen away.
The actual facts have been stretched, padded and enhanced, due primarily to the significant detail that I rather like those in my immediate circle, and in order to keep them liking me, have agreed to “put meat on the bone” so to speak, when putting pen to paper.
This journal is far from complete, and additional stories will be added as they are played out.
The “Poet and the Peasant” Is a little backwater pub owned and run by Brian’s Aunt and Uncle. It’s a laid back place, music (Mostly live, some dead, as our saying goes) .Beyond its ornate doorway one finds the usual caste of regulars ,Including us, consuming a generous selection of ales and other “demon” drink.
The pub is housed in an ancient old building with all sorts of old Victorian era objects, found and given a home in the pub’s numerous nooks and crannies. Including the yellowed skull of poor Erik.
Erik was a 14th century welsh poet and balladeer who supposedly was beheaded for making several torrid lyrics about a certain Saxon king. The lyrics are long forgotten, but Erik’s remains still reign. His grinning skull sits high up in a shelf along a balustrade, usually with a cigar clamped in his jaws. Couldn’t tell how many times some bloke with more’in his fill of drink has tried to light it for the poor blighter.
The pub is a regular howl around Halloween, thanks to Erik, who has obtained quite a degree of notability, despite being dead and silent for all these long years. Costume and poetry contests abound around this time of the year.
Basically, Erik aside, the “Poet and the Peasant” is a great place to hang out and make plans with a pint in hand.
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Opening Act
Atonement
We were heading to a small resort that we once had stayed at for a wedding and reception. It was Just “Ginny” and I on a 4 day escape from reality. We were passing through one of the small towns on the way, when Ginny spotted a dress shoppe, with several mannequins wearing evening frocks. She had to stop, we had a function the next month and she had “nothing to wear”( Liar I thought grinning).
We went inside and on a “gently worn” rack she pulled out this long string sleeved satin number and tried it on. The young clerk said it was patterned after the one in the movie atonement ( which neither of us had seen) but its rich deep green( Irish green the clerk called it, which I really had no idea was a colour) really set off Ginny’s long copper hair, and I liked the way her hair laid down her bare backside.
We arrived at the resort in early afternoon and claimed our suite( paid for by an anniversary gift) and set out to explore the place. The resort was packed, and we found out that there were 2 evening wedding receptions taking place on Saturday. An Idea began to take seed and as we walked I found a way to bring it into conversation.
Ginny had brought her rhinestones ( see Album Chronicles of lifting Light, B) for a bit of date roleplay in our suite some chosen evening of our stay. I suggested that she should give her gown and the rhinestones a try in public. Where she asked? I than laid out my game plan and a smile crept across her face, lit up by the sun poking through the trees on the wooded path we had been walking. Ginny liked to dress up, and I used that trump card to my advantage.
At around 5pm I slipped into the larger of the two receptions (crashed if you like) and wondering over to the bar I got a drink and waited, nursing it. I was reasonably presentable in a suit jacket, slacks, silk shirt and satin tie. As I waited I found myself pretty much unnoticed, which was a far cry from what Ginny encountered when she cautiously entered about fifteen minutes later, green gown swirling, rhinestones all a glitter. It didn’t take long for the sharks to start circling. One lad started a conversation, and I watched her squirm a little, before putting my drink down and coming to my damsel’s rescue. I had to literally peel the bloke away from her. We went onto the dance floor, pretending like we had never met. As we danced through several songs I could tell by the look in Ginny’s eyes that she was feeling the same fire within that I was. Ready for part 2 ? I asked, she got a surprised look in her eyes, and began to check herself, uh uh I said, not till we leave. We went out together; I spied the bloke watching us from a table, and smirked to meself over his look of frustration.
Outside we started to walk along the promenade, joining along with several other ladies, charming in their in gowns and frills, with their tuxedoed escorts, escapees all of us from the receptions. Ginny felt exceptionally good as, with my arm around her, she cuddled into my side while we walked some distance. But our bliss was not long, when Ginny , looking back, said there was a hotel security cop heading our way. Damn I thought, pinched for crashing the reception.
The rent-a-cop came up to us, and placing a firm grip upon my shoulder(or tried, I was a good foot taller, where do they find these blokes?) talked directly to Ginny. Everything alright then Miss, he questioned Ginny, trying to sound professional, and he almost pulled it off, except he squeaked on the word Miss.
Why yes, officer Ginny said, pouring on the charm( which is a quite frightful weapon in her capable hands), thank you for your lovely concern, but why do you ask? I received a report that this man may have been bothering you, Ma’am he said , no squeaks this time. He looked at me, I just grinned back at him, waiting for Ginny to belt it out of the park. She smiled, her green eyes brite, and laying a hand on the “officers” chin, told him how adorable his concern was for her safety, but her husband and she made sure he saw her ring, is really not that much of a bother most of the time. Husband he started, than stopped, caught his embarrassment nicely, then tried to save it, but Miss, I heard you had lost a necklace.
Whatever reaction he had hoped by saying this, it was not the one he got. Oh that, she said, the clasp broke, so my husband took it for safe keeping, really, where would I have put it, and she stepped back and let him look her over for evidence of supporting her statement. Game, Set and Match, I smirked to myself!
With the way she looked in that satin gown, and her charm at full output, no mere mortal male would have been able to stand a chance. Well, he choked out, all’s good then isit, and releasing my shoulder; he turned heel, and walked off hurriedly, like a scolded puppy with its tail between its legs. Ginny giggled, well played I told her, well played. And, again with my arm around her and Ginny cuddling in, we continued our stroll, with Ginny letting out the occasional chortal of laughter over the whole incident.
We reached an overlook over the lake, where a pair of swans was meandering about. A young lady in a long white dress with a glittering bracelet around one wrist, was walking along the path that edged along the lake. The swans were near her, reminding me of a tele commercial I had seen long ago ( If anyone else remembers it please leave a comment).
Ginny caught me looking, wanna do the path luv, she whispered with in a most beguiling manner. We did so, and eventually found a rather isolated little nook behind a hedge grow. Here I will have to leave to the readers imagination what transpired there, for the only witnesses were the two of us, and a rather surprised chippy who crawled out of his hole for a gander…
On our way back we once again stopped at the overlook. Time to tally up I said. Ginny smiled and opening her purse pulled out a scrap of paper. She showed it to me, on it was written the word necklace. Lucky guess, did you feel me take it I asked. Of course she lied; I could have done it better. Wanna bet I teased. Maybe someday we’ll see she responded. Now the way the game worked was that I pretended to be a light fingered jewel thief, with my eyes on the lady in green’s jewels. It was my objective to lift a piece of Ginny’s jewellery some point in the evening..
Ginny agreed to it on the condition that beforehand she would write down a piece of jewellery on a piece of paper, if it matched the piece I had lifted, than I could decide what we would do the next evening, if not, she would decide. So later, as we had a few drinks in a nearby pub ( still dressed in “costume”) I (the winner) outlined the plans for the next evening.
So the following evening, after a rather nice feast by the fireplace in the resorts great room, we found ourselves once again in a bar ( this time the resorts lounge). I was wearing the same suit, and had Ginny’s purloined necklace in my jacket pocket. Ginny was wearing a black satin blouse, ¾ sleeved, with long white and blacked stripped skirt. She wore her gold jewellery, and her long hair was up, held by rhinestone clips. At one point she excused herself to the loo, and when she returned took the chair next to me, and started to come on to me. I played along and after a few drinks, and dances, she led me out to the lobby.
Making way outside to the long wooden walkaway of the promenade, we began our way along it. Finding an isolated bench, we began to make out, as if we were strangers who had just met. After a long (glorious) while, we stood( wobbly) and made our way down to the lake, and continued our light petting.
At one point Ginny stopped, and looking me in the eye, said, well sir, its been fun, but id better go. Immediately I patted my pocket, the necklace was gone. Naughty I said, distracting me on the bench hussy, I teased. Her eyes got a gleam, follow me she said. We retraced our steps, hand in hand, and she led me to the the bench, and then surprisingly passed it. We regained the lobby, and she stopped by a corner, where a larger fern like plant sat in a rather big ceramic pot. Reaching in, she pulled out the necklace. Very good I said, never felt you take it.
So, I win then, she smirked. Yes I agreed, I had guessed wrong by thinking she had picked my pocket on the bench. So let’s go an collect me winnings then, sir, she ordered me, her eyes large and hungry. As we made our way I tried to get her to tell me when she had lifted the necklace, but she just placed a secret little smile on her lips, and remained silent on the subject….
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Act 2
Squeeze Play
Anyone who has taken the bother to riffle through my earlier Chronicles of Lifting Light, knows I have a twin sister who at times past has been my foil to practice upon. Well, I will leave it up to you to decide who the foil was in this tale.
We were all hanging out at the pub (“Poet and the Peasant” of course) one evening, the four of us, being the silly selves that mid- twenties youth are prone to being, especially when alcohol is involved.
We were trying to drink away the memories of what our previous week of work had given us, and were well on our way to meeting that objective, when a song from the band Cold Play come on. Ginny had asked my sister who it was, and instead of answering right away, she gave something a bit of thought, then my sister started smirking. Cold Play, like squeeze Play , remember “Ginny?”
Both Girls just started giggling, “Brian” just got a sullen look at the memory, and I, I just reflected…..
In our University years, my sister worked part time for a company that raised funds for charities, like OXFAM, etc. Among the various types of events were a couple of “Black Tie” affairs that I enjoyed because it gave Brian and I the chance to escort my Sister and Ginny ( the girls ever beautiful in fancy dress) to attend them.
Now, my sister had this co-worker,”Shiela”, who was absolute vinegar to my sister’s honey, hell, she was vinegar to any pretty female’s honey! She was a squawker, a squealer, and a backstabbing slag, in other words, not a very nice girl atoll. She was also was twice divorced from wealthy young scions who could not spot a gold digger for the life of them until they had been broadsided along the head with her gilded shovel.
During one warm late Autumn we were attending one of the Charity Dances being held in the big city proper. They had a pair of bands lined up, one kind of a Disco’ish throwback, and for later, a proper one that played a more romantic beat, one that called for slow dancing. The Girls were more into the Disco then we males were( a feeling that affected most of us in attendance) and the floor was flooded with a gaggle of swishing dresses and gowns dancing and swirling around to the frantic beat of the music, all performed with swirling lights in the darkened, smog filled dance floor, while the guys just sat around enjoying the show being put on.
As Brian and I watched the provocative females on the floor dancing, we noticed that our girls were slowly moving out amongst the throng of pretty dancers, rather than maintaining one area. Soon they had moved next to “Shiela”, who was dancing with this cousin of hers. Now I found this surprising, because Sis and Ginny had been throwing daggers with their eyes at “Shiela” all evening. She had been sitting with her wealthy new boyfriend, who was always bending to her demands, as evidenced by the expensive new finery she was sporting, which really had gotten a certain Twins goat. So it was with some puzzlement that when her cousin took a breather, Ginny and my twin slipped in to take her place, moving in rhythm with the now quite intoxicated “Shiela”.
Sis was facing “Shiela” and Ginny was behind her, all three of them gyrating their arms, hands and most of their other body parts in motion, up down and all around each other , so close at times that you would have had an effort at squeezing a hand between them.
What’s that pair up to now? Brain questioned me, as if I had a hand in it, I just shook my head, knowing only that I wanted to be in the middle of that sandwich instead of “Shiela”, but as it turned out, good thing I wasn’t.
We watched as the long song went on, with its deep bass beat that almost sounded like it had been lifted from some horror flick. Ginny and Sis continued to revolve, twist and swirl around the guileless “Shiela” as their colourfully brite (slinky) dresses shimmered in a most provocative fashion, bathed as they were caught by the dimly lit, smoke filled, dance floors blue strobes. A few times “Shiela” seemed to lose her footing, and fell against my Sister, who I thought took it surprisingly well as she gently steadied her foe.
Then the song ended, and all three girls laughed and giggled, actually hugged one another. I heard Brian letting out an chiding snort, I , well I was still just mesmerized by the whole act. Ginny and My Sister than walked the slightly dizzy “Shiela” back to her table, even going so far as to help her set down, before turning and heading back to our table. Both of them wearing chuff grins like the kittens that had eaten the canary.
Wotcher?, said Brian questioning their look. Oh God I thought, knowing the answer, for I had been watching “Shiela” as the girls had left and approached. My sister, looking around, held out her hand and opened her fist. There, all balled up and glittering, was the expensive diamond pendent of the set of matching diamonds that “Shiela” had been flaunting about to everyone all evening.
Brian Jumped all over the two, giving them quite the bollocking, “games we played on each other was one thing, but what you pair had done was wade into some very dangerous waters indeed”! So what’s next I chimed in, and by the looks on their heavily made-up faces realized the silly twits hadn’t thought of that end. We hastily discussed the matter, knowing that time was anything but on our sides. Finally Brian took it from my admonished(seemingly) twin, and marching it up to the disc jockey, had him make an announcement describing what his “sister” had found in the loo.
“Shiela”, whom we all had been watching, let out a shriek as her hands flew groping to her chest in fruitless examination, jumped up and immediately claimed it, or tried to as the Jocky had a little bit of fun with it first. “Shiela” and her haplessly star struck Beau, were so hopping mad at the Jocky, they pretty much gave no thought as to how the pretty thing actually had been lost in the first place. This was a lucky break for a couple of girls, who still sat their smugly smiling, as Brian tried in vain to continue scolding them. Me, I just looked at the twittering pair, wondering, pondering thoughts of me own.
Now it wasn’t until a couple of years later on the night my sister made the remark about the cold play song that the girls felt comfortable talking a bit more about the incident .And before Brian could listen without tabooing the subject. And it was then that I learnt how the pair of them had managed to take the diamonds from “Shiela”
It turned out the two had had no real plan, just that they had been discussing “Shiela” between themselves and had been debating over how fun it would be to knock her down a peg or so. One of the scenarios presented was to have her be given the shock of losing a piece of her expensive jewelry, and they even discussed bringing me into the fold, but thought better of it.
Although I am not sure if I would have taken them up on it, but since then I have thought out different ways I would have approached the problem, both by myself, and with the girls help. Although I wouldn’t have tried for the necklace, I figured her ring or bracelet would not have been beyond my scope of achievement. Although, with the girls help…….
Anyway they finally decided to try it themselves, after all how hard could it be to take, say a cocktail ring from “Shiela’s” sweaty finger as she was dancing away on the crowded floor?
They decided to join in the dance and get close to “Shiela” and if an opportunity arose, my sister was to signal Ginny by rubbing a finger alongside her nose to bump against “Shiela”, pushing the hapless B… into me devious twin. It was Ginny who came up with the name “squeeze play”, because I once had grasped and squeezed her from behind, removing her ring in the process.
Now “Shiela” was wearing what I guess is called an A-line gown, where her front was totally covered by the gowns shiny material, no gloves, just sweat glistened skin. As they moved in on “Shiela” Ginny took position behind, while Sis took the front, and at one point laid a hand upon “Shiela’s” shoulder, “Shiela” did likewise as they swayed to the deep rhythmic beats. Sis tried to grasp “Shiela’s” free hand, the one where she was wearing a diamond cocktail ring, but she kept missing. In the process she realized that the hand she had placed on her victims shoulder was almost touching the thick gold chain of her nemesis’s necklace, which held the diamond pendent that was bouncing about.
Looking “Shiela” directly in the eyes she began to work the necklace along as they danced, until her fingers felt the clasp. It was lobster clasp, similar to one my sister had on the emerald necklace Brian had given her. Sis gave it an exploratory push, and it surprisingly opened under her fingers. Startled at what had happened, she forgot the signal, and nodded to Ginny, who plowed into the hapless “Shiela’s” backside, as my sister felt “Shiela” fall against her. She whisked off the necklace with one hand, while steading the giggling “Shiela” with her other. Backing away she placed both hands behind her back as “Shiela” turned to receive Ginny’s apologies. Sis balled up the chain in one hand, holding it tightly closed for the remainder of the dance. They helped “Shiela” back to her table, my Sister placing the fist holding the necklace alongside her victims back as they helped guide the still giggling “Shiela” to a seat.
Walking away, my Sister thought that it had been almost scary how easily it had been to open the clasp and pluck off the necklace. It shouldn’t have been, she kept telling herself, but she knew it was, for she had the evidence in her hand, and she was not even close to ever being a professional about such things. My twin has said that afterwards that it had given her a lot of perturbed thoughts when wearing any good jewelry of hers in public, (particularly her emeralds with the Lobster clasp) and finds herself on occasion still doing spot checks whenever she has been brushed by someone. But then, I think we all do on occasion, knowing the kind of games we like to play.
So as one can see, overall ,this is a rather touchy subject to tackle. But there was no denying that Sis (and Ginny I suspect) were proud of their accomplishment at the time. It was almost like my twin was trying to impress upon me that I was not the only one with light fingers. A subject that, trust me, has been, and will continue to be explored down a sometimes crooked “garden” path.
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Anyone who has read Chronicles B knows that Ginny and Brian both received the upcommence for the manner in which they had gotten my sisters jewelry at the wedding reception. But as for me, she waited a bit, biding her time, for like the proverbial elephant( which she has a bit of a collection) my twin does not forget.
Upcoming :
And revenge is a dish best served cold.
She had pleaded with me to lend her £80! Her beguiling eyes were opened wide as she begged; “It’s perfect” she had said, “I will pay you back, with interest” she coyly added, looking into my eyes with that certain look that has served her purposes so very well.
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A bit of background:
We had all had been invited to my sister’s boyfriend “ Brian’s” parents renewal of their wedding vows the following month and , I knew she wanted to make an impression at the fancy dress. Sis and my better half, “Ginny” had gone dress shopping, and apparently Sis had found a gown that they both liked quite a bit, but it cost a bit more than she could afford the moment and Ginny, having just bought a new dress herself that day, was temporarily out of lending cash. So Sis had had them hold it, then tracked me down to ask a favor( nothing new there), and was now begging me to lend her £80, to help pay it off.
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She knew I was a sucker for a good plead, especially when I received the puppy eye look that my sister, and Ginny , had down pat ( not to mention my golden retriever Sam).
As it happened, I owed her a small favor, so I gave her the needed notes without making her bargain her life away, and she skipped off happily. I figured that would be the last of it until her payday, but being a mere man in a lady’s world, I was yet once more wrong on that account.
Later that week sis rang me up. She had a formal reunion she just received the invitation to. It was at a large, multipurpose hall about an hour away, and was going on the weekend before Brian’s parents do. It was being put on for her old coworkers at the Barristers office she had interned at while at Oxford. Brian was busy that weekend getting ready for his parents party, and would not be able to be her escort. So she called to see if I would be his backup. As incentive, said she would wear the gown I had lent her the money for if I agreed to be her chaperone. Seeing how smashing my sister looks when she dresses up (like my Ginny also), It was impossible to say no to her pleads. Unfortunately Ginny had switched weekends with a co-worker so she could make Brian’s do the next weekend, so she was out of the picture also. Which was a shame, escorting a pair of well-dressed young ladies is always something I always looked forward to doing. But one is also quite nice.
I arrived at my twin’s apartment that appointed evening and waited while she put on the finishing touches. Ready? she had called out sweetly, yes I said, and out she came strolling, a wide big smile on her dolled up face. I figured my eyes did a bugger, for she started to giggle in the way she does when overly pleased with herself (which actually happens quite a bit frequently).
She was totally stunning, a living “Galatea”, and I told her as much. Her long silvery gown was hanging from her figure like someone had poured it over her. And that is just what it looked like someone had done! I have heard the term liquid satin, but this was just incredible the way it delightfully flowed and swished as she moved about. Brian was going to go nuts when her saw her, and she definitely would be turning some heads as she strolled in with him. She twirled around in a circle for full effect, and I just stood there mesmerized by the women before me that was my kid sister( by all of 4 minutes), the same sister that had only days before been wearing stained shirt and jean jumper, tramping through the barn in the horses stalls, while hauling shovelfuls of …… well I’m sure you get the gist of it..
As I said it was a long thin gown, of a colour that seemed to change between silver and cream as it moved slinking along her youthful figure, with wide straps that went over her shoulders ending in four thin spaghetti straps along her back. The bodice was all decorated with swirls of rhinestones, going down and around her gowns waistline. She was also wearing her sliver open toed heels, the ones with the rhinestone straps (with pointed toes that rightfully hurt when kicked….. another day, another story). She had also put on her rhinestone jewelry, a set consisting of earrings, necklace and wide dangling bracelet. The total package presented was quite a vision to behold, and I told her as much.
That, my girl, I said with enthusiasm, is one rightful picture of eye-catching loveliness you have gone and managed to make of yourself! She gushed, your sweet, and gave me an all-enveloping hug. As she broke away, sis looked up at me smiling and curtsied, why thank you kind sir, and once you have picked your jaw off the floor, can we please be going. Certainly I said, and opened the door for her. As she rustled past, sis asked if I thought Brian would like it? Lass, I said with all due modesty, He would be a daft bugger if he didn’t. I added, It was certainly money well lent, and she looked at me teasingly, okay mood breaker, for that you won’t get the first dance. Likely I will be the only one wishing to dance with you anyway I retorted, what will you be doing then? She just squished her eyes at me, turned and closed and locked her apartment door.
Suddenly I stopped, Oi! , wait a minute, I felt my suit coat pocket, okay luv, give it back I said as she grinned back at me, producing my thin, special occasion only, wallet. Getting better, aren’t I? She stated happily, it wasn’t a question. A bit I admitted, you’ve been practicing then? Only on you and Ginny she stated, but you two are getting too easy she smirked. I playfully tapped her on the back, what’s all this about easy I asked, producing her bracelet from me pocket, dangling it shimmering in front of her mascara lined eyes, you may want to put this back on I said.
Turd, she exclaimed taking it back, no more hugs for you mister, she stated, taking my arm and pulling me out to my car. All tricks out of the way now?, Good we can enjoy the evening with no more worries. I just nodded as I led her to me car, a bullet grey 1954 Circa Mercedes that Brien’s Uncle had helped me restore. As I opened the door, my sister slipped herself in, while under her breath she said playfully ( and not for the first time) “how I ever survived those first nine months I spent with you in such close proximity without going bonkers, I will never know!”
It took us almost 90 minutes to find the joint, arriving with the do in full swing. I was amazed at the number of vehicles in the over filled lot. When we got inside the poshly decorated “palace” We discovered that there were a total of 3 formal functions going on, ours, and a wedding reception on the second floor, and a formal dance for some private girls only academy occupying the entire first floor.
We went upstairs and found the chamber where the Barrister’s office reunion was being held. Now I will admit that I had harbored some thoughts that Sis may have been quite a bit overdressed for the event, but my fears were unfounded. What greeted my eyes was quite a “snob fest” of overdressed and fairly pompous looking guests. I had only ever met a couple of my sister’s former coworkers, and they had been interns her own age. But the majority here were the snooty , older husband and wives, of , of course, a group of stuck up Barristers. We were unable to spy any of Sis’s old friends, but while looking we were immediately scooped up by one of her old bosses co-workers ( whom sis had found insufferable) and led around like some prize colts, being introduced to a bunch of older coots who forgot our names as fast as they were given( we were nobodies) , although I satisfactorily noticed more than a few leering and jealous eyes looking over me sister. But, alas, nothing from the female end found me even remotely interesting (ouch in the ego department there)
We finally found an empty table, and I went off for drinks. As I watched over my sister while waiting for the barkeep to mix the drinks, I saw a rather posh looking tux boy zero in on our table and swoop in for the kill.
He was a rather tall chap with devilish good looks, thin moustache, small ponytail, monkey suit, the works! Looking like he was a model Fortunes mag rag, he loomed over me sister, and I knew what the cheeky devil was asking. Sure enough, sis cutely offered him her hand and he helped her up and led her to the dance floor. The barkeep handed me our drinks, and as I turned , Sis shot a look back at me as they were passing, a rather chiding look that I took meant “ told you, no first dance, mate” my suspicions were confirmed when added insult to injury as she stuck her tongue out at me over his shoulder.. I raised my glass in cheers, and headed back to our table.
I watched the two swirling around, feelin a bit jealous, but then this was me sister, not Ginny. I knew Brian would be seething, so I felt jealous for him I told meself. Then my mind went on to fantasize “what if he was after something, like say her jewels, and my mind went into a jewel thief mode, with him as the main character. ” I almost wish he had been, than he would be just no realizing that this little charmer had nothing to offer, and would soon be leaving her for greener pastures ( of which there was acres of at that place) and so dump his pretty partner after the one dance.
I tried to lose my envious nature, but at one point he held her close, too close I reckoned. I felt like shouting out to them “Aye mate, make room for Jesus”! This bit came from couple of elderly nuns who had been chaperoning one of my old seminarian academy dances, would walk up to couples dancing a wee bit too close in their eyes, and place their hands between them, separating them a bit, while spouting off, “make room for Jesus children”- Ginny and I had been amongst the chastised ourselves!
When sis got back I rose and greeted the pair, shaking his hand as sis introduced us. She did not say I was her brother, so I knew that she wasn’t eager for any repeat performances. The Git had hands that didn’t know where to stop, in my opinion anyhows. But all that didn’t change the fact that my sister was still a bit smitten with the gigoloish bloke. All in all though, he was quit the polite bugger, shooting me a self-confident look like, ‘no worries old chap’, as I shook a firm hand, I nodded, and off he went to those greener pastures.
I turned to my now still fawning sister, Remember Brian I said, and she just gave me a simpering smile. I held out my hand, care to, Mademoiselle? Sorry luv, She apologized, I need to freshen up a bit first and she darted off like a swallow taking wing. She started to head off to the exit stairs, whoa I called out after her, powder room is the opposite way luv! No doing, she said as she coyly looked back at me over her shoulder, whispering her words, not sharing with any of those old crows, I will be using the one downstairs in the main lobby! And she scurried away on her mission, long gown fluttering merrily about her high heels.
I waited, bored, not one pretty female came up to my side and asked me to have a go on the dance floor, like “fingers” romeo had done with me sister. I looked around carefully, but I just did not see any female of the same ilk sitting alone and bored as I was at her own table, waiting for someone to rescue her pretty self. So I waited, and waited as the minutes went by, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 26,27,28,29..I had just decided to take a meander down to make sure there was nothing serious going on the first floor that might have been keeping her, like say, a sudden breakout of kittens, when I finally saw her smirking face popping up from the stairwell.
As she sat down I tried to playfully admonish her behavior, failing miserably. About time I said, since when does it take 30 minutes to have a P.. she cut me off by placing a finger to my lips, Sorry luv, You wouldn’t believe the twit I just ran into she said and leaned closer to me, for my ears only it seemed.
She started talking in a low voice, though no one else was in ear shot. Apparently that private girls Academy dance that is going on downstairs,.. well I , I just ran into one of em, a snobbish princess, a real talker and spinner of tales her about her pretty own self, a young girl named Rose. Sounds like Micke, I said, and sis suddenly exploded into giggles. She finally controlled herself, placing her hand on my shoulder, yes, exactly like our cousin Michele, they almost even look alike, though Micke’s hair is longer, and blonder
Our cousin Micke was one who could never tell the truth about anything, even when she was tattling on some poor soul. Apparently born with an overactive imagination ( Kinda runs in the family I suppose) her stories were always overly embellished with tall tales, stretched out wild examples, and added characterizations, all centered around herself being the Heroine. Someone like that would have made a great children’s story book writer, or gossip columnist, but not our Micke, she turned around and became, of all things, involved in politics….God save the Queen!
The upshot is that we all started to treat anything coming out of Micke’s mouth ( horrid pun that, I do apologize) as mostly fabrication, which would rile her to now end, especially if she was tellin the God’s honest truth! So I knew exactly what this cheeky creature named Rose was all about, as I looked at my giggling sister.
One she caught her breath, Sis started in on Rose. Just as she did, a song started up from the band and rising, I took her hand, lifted her up from her seat, her gown falling swishing down to her feet. But through all that she never stopped talking about the annoyance she had encountered downstairs whom had obviously stricken a nerve! I led my twin to the dance floor, taking the talkative imp into my arms as she continued to fill me in on the quite over imaginative young lady named Rose.
“My Lord” sis exclaimed, as we danced, “within the first ten minutes I learned more about this girl than even her own parents probably know. Talk about stuck up on herself. And did you know there is a rose garden by the entrance, just like her name!”, My sister did an imitation of a twittering nasally voice at the end of her statement, rolling her eyes in disbelief of it all. Of course we had noticed the rose garden, bit difficult not too since it was lining both sides of the concourse into the main way into the building. It had short paths branching off along the way with benches and fountains. But This Rose apparently had acted like she was the only one who had noticed, the rest of us apparently being blind as a colony of bats, Sis spitted out the words.
Sis went on, building up steam, her figure becoming rigid… “She first noticed me dress and come up to compliment me on it, but before I could thank her, she went off on a tirade about her own gown.” OOH, I hate people who ask you a question only because they want to tell cut in about their lives rather than give a listen to anything you may actually have to say… “he thought I was one of the chaperones at her party, apparently because I looked too old to be one of the guests! That stuck a nerve I tell you. I wasn’t able to get word in too let the little tripe know I didn’t belong with her elitist crew atoll!”
She took a breath, and now it was my turn to shush her with a finger placed to her lips. She actually bit it( well more of a playful nip, actually)! Better now I asked. She sighed, and I felt her figure go from tense to a bit more lithe. She leaned against me, yes she said, than pulled away and went off again! One more thing, she asked if my jewels were real, than before I could set the girl straight, Rose cut me off and spouted off about how she had won the pearls she was wearing at the Arthurian Carnival, and had decided to wear them rather than her own better diamonds. I mean, come’on, talk about rude, her pearls weren’t any more real than this, and she flipped her necklace in my face, then sis caught the look in me eyes, and went quiet, concentrating on her dancing, with a wicked little grin creeping across her face. Finally we were able to enjoy the music as we danced to the rest of the song.
Now after the song ended, sis spied, and dragged me over, to introduce me to her old chief, a pretty lady called Sarah. A lady not much older than ourselves. She had her long hair down, wearing a sequined red gown with long red satin gloves. Her green emeralds were real, a dainty set that set off her figure rather nicely. She was a rather pleasant lady, with a mischievous gleam to her green eyes. It had been a pleasant conversation, which ended abruptly as her husband called her away. As Sarah moved off, Sis explained that Sarah had been the “class clown” always telling jokes and playing tricks. But being the boss, no one who fell victim to her pranks ever dared to try and repay her back in kind!
The rest of the evening (shortened because the band was stopped at 9:30 – Barristers are such Scrooges!) followed pretty much to same formula; light mingling with people who only seemed able to talk a few minutes before being called away, snacking on a rather fancy display of hors d'oeuvres , and drinking ( the bar was the best attraction in my humble opinion).
I spotted Romeo a few times, but he never did a second approach on Sis, and I couldn’t really tell if she was relived, or not. As for myself, I was starting to feel fairly pleased that I had resisted the temptation to play any of my tricks on my Twin’s jewelry, so I had been a man of my word, so far. So, it was with mixed feelings from both of us, when the last dance was announced. The whole “congregation” seemed to flock swishing out on the floor, crowding it. It was a slow dance ( Mr. Rod Stewart, as I recall) and quite a pleasant way to end the evening.
Well, it was after the last dance, as we had collected our things to leave, when Sarah caught sight of us and called us over to the bar ( located off the main chambre, it was a small 3 sided room open to the dance floor with no seating) , where she was now holding a lonely court, apparently all alone! Sara was by now also pretty well toshed…..
We ordered a round of drinks ( bar was open till eleven, but the music had ended, a total ballyhoo on someone’s part in the planning) Taking mine, I left the chatting ladies and wondered over ( not for the first time) to a rather fine set of J.M Cameron prints on display. Soon I was joined by the 2 ladies, and I started to explain to Sarah about the photographer’s history.
As we talked, my sister maneuvered herself around behind Sarah. By the look on my sister’s face, I knew she was up to something. She got close behind, and Sarah backed into her, Sarah turned, there you are she said, and smiled, then looked back at me. She appeared to be deeply interested I what I was telling her about the life and times of Julia Margaret, a shirttail cousin of ours! As I continued, I saw that sis had her fingers on the red silk clutch purse that Sarah was holding to her side in her left hand. Sis said, “oh Sara, show my brother your ring”! Sarah held it up and I looked at it, Sis reached put her free hand on Sarah’s left arm, jostling it a bit, as she made like she wanted to look also, ,but I could see the red clutch out of the corner of my eye, and as sis was doing her little performance, she was gently pulling the small purse form Sarah’s gloved fingers. Slippery Satin gloves holding an even slipperier silk clutch purse, made the maneuver much easier than it probably should have. I started feeling a bit uncomfortable as I watched my amused sister manage to slip away with it, and holding the purse behind her come to my side, her back to a wall. We chatted for about another couple of long minutes, before Sarah was called away, and she left us, never realizing her clutch purse was gone. We walked steadfastly away, I imitated Bogart, and how much do you think the dame has in her purse. Oh, my twin answered, a few pence, and a soiled lace handkerchief she joked, without opening the purse.
Fine I said, you get the handkerchief, Rather not she said, giggling, and we headed over to The now deserted table Sarah had been sitting at, and Sis unflappably placed the purse on Sarah’s’ chair, alongside her satin wrap.
So have I created a monster no? I asked her as I led her away, she looked up at me with those big eyes of hers wide open with satisfaction, no worries luv, Sarah was always playing tricks on someone another, I just never dared to pay her back when we worked together. Just how much work did you girls actually accomplish? I chided She just sqoze my arm, and hurried me our way, as we tried not to look like we were bolting for the exit stairway.
We gained the stairs without any further ado, and made it through the lobby, and had gained the outside concourse, when I saw something up ahead, and taking my sister’s arm , I held her up from going any further.
Ahead of us was a petite lady in a shimmering blue satin dress, chatting away to a bored looking young man in an ill-fitting tux. If the lass’s hair had been a bit more blonde, and longer she would have passed as Micke’s double. Is that your Rose then I asked, nodding in the couple’s direction?
Sis looked over, and then answered me by pulling me forcibly the rest of the way off the path and out of sight of the main concourse, into a small alcove surrounded by some hedges. What do we do she said , That is her! That’s that twit of a creature named Rose I was tellin you about! She looked back towards the building, I don’t want to go back in she said, Sara my see us. What do we do?
The pair were some distance off in the rose garden. But there was no way out other than walking past them. I thought about it for a minute. Looking at my sister, in her quite fetching gown, with its sparkling bodice, as well as the sparkling rhinestone she was wearing, made me recall the fantasizing I had been doing as she had danced with that posh bloke. Thinking of him being a Jewel thief, and watching the other female guests in their finery, had been putting beguiling visions in my head all the evening long. Let’s play a game I said, one that will give yonder Rose a story no one will believe ever happened.. My sister looked at me wryly,( I could see it in her eyes,’ no time for games now lad, this is serious’’ but she just stated inquisitively, what sort of game sir?
One where we get yonder Rose girl to believe you have met a jewel thief I said, I could feel myself warming up to the idea now that I had said it. If we pull it off, that will be a story she will try telling that everyone will believe she totally made up in her head.
My sister balked, no, she said, one bit of fun this evening has been enough for this girl.
Okay I said, but how would this girl feel about having a bit of fun if she wasn’t owing her brother £80?
I saw her mascaraed eye’s light up, and she again gave me that wicked grin. Let’s have it than you scoundrel, I will give into your chicanery for the debt you hold over my head sir , she said giggling, stealing a line from a play she had been involved with. Knowing I had her hooked, I could tell she was warming up to the idea rather nicely, and not just because she owed me a healthy bit of the realms’ currency.
First off, I said, you don’t know me from Adam.
But your name’s not Adam she said in all seriousness.
Attend pleas, I told her smiling.
You go up and fall into Roses clutches, I follow once the lad leaves after being freed from his bondage.
Hey, how did bondage get into this she said, giggling, I don’t owe you that much mister. I just looked at her, we have to do this seriously to pull it off.
Okay she said, placing a hand across her mouth, like she was zipping it shut.
I follow after the lad leaves ( and he soon will ). I come up on the two of you, and make your acquaintances. Your act will be to find me charming… that’s not going to be easy, sis said, then quickly went back to listening
Then you, I said ignoring her, and continuing on …..
Once Rose has me in her hooks, you Meander off, bend down to look at some flowers, remove your earrings, and place them into your purse. I will listen on for a bit, take my leave, let Rose come find you, and let her discover your earrings are gone. Then let her think they were stolen by you? She asked. Right, and she should, as bobs your uncle, fall right into your story, I said. Then added, just play along like they were real diamonds and astonished at how I had managed to get them. Send Rose off back inside to go upstairs find your mother Sarah,( sis like that bit of it), and say in the meanwhile you are going off to see if you can get me license number. I will be waitin by the car to make our getaway….
I finished mapping it out, and she told me she had the gist of it. I had her hand pull her sunglasses from her purse and I put them on. Then she asked before walking off, “ not bad for on the fly, or had you already been putting thought into this play earlier?” I just patted her on her derriere, get going lass, times a wastin.
Turning she headed out, and from a hole in the hedgerow I watched as she moved off, her gown definitely swished in a most pleasing fashion I admitted to myself again. I’ll have to have Ginny buy one like it, I thought to meself, wincing over how pretty the thing was with sis wearing it , imagining my Ginny wearing it, her long red hair flowing free. I would willing give Ginny the money also, I promised to meself, no lending, and hang the cost….
Sis rustled her way up to the couple, Rose spotted her immediately and pulled her over. The 3 of them started to chit chat together.
I now thought of myself as the smarmy bloke who had cheated me out of a dance earlier, making him a thief in my mind. And like said thief, looking over the situation before me. I remembered an old show where this bloke in a white suit was pointing out his female guests jewels to a male who fancied himself a pickpocket and had just minutes earlier relieved the white suited host of his gold watch. As the camera (representing the blokes eyes) moved around the room, focusing on various well-dressed ladies and their jewels( hanging around necks, dangling from ears, attached to well-shaped bosoms ,bracelets wrapped around gloved wrists and ,rings glittering on fingers) the viewer was led to imagine the wheels turning in his head as to how he was to acquire them, ala Arsène Lupin. I had to leave, so I never finished watching it, nor could I ever find it listed again. But it was this type of character that I now fancied meself portraying.
(In Character) I had ducked into the hedge, the pair near the bend had not seen me, so it gave me time to plan how best to approach them. One was wearing a pretty dress of blue, long black hair up in a bun. She was the younger, definitely not a relation, I could tell by the way her companion was listening. The girl was wearing a cheap set of pearls, paste, not worth more in a few farthings. It was her companion that had caught me eye, and not just the pretty gown she had quite nicely wrapped herself in. But it was her diamonds, a pretty glittering set, that with a minimal bit of effort, would be coming home with me. I had actually danced with her earlier, so I had been able to appraise em, and now providence had put her in me way. I remembered how that shimmery little necklace had been taunting me while we had danced, my fingers had ached for a go at them. Now, all I needed was for a brief diversion, to get both the girl’s attention focused elsewhere, by, say smelling a rose, and with a nimble flick of me fingers, the necklace would be off from around her sweet throat and in me pocket. Possibly those dangling earrings of hers instead, if it was a long time she was paying attention to her roses.
My brief fantasy ended abruptly, it was time. Sis said something to the lad, who had been growing more and more uncomfortable, he answered, and then, managing to interject into Roses story long enough to pay his leave, He walked off. He was now coming up the path towards me, but not seeing me as I had moved further into the hedgerow. He walked on past, staring straight ahead…
Mentally prepared, I waited till he was well past my hiding hole. I adjusted the sunglasses and left my shadowy corner. Between the electric lamps that run along the gardens path, and the waning moon, I was able to see quite clearly with them. I also saw happily that the sparkles from sis dress and jewelry were not at all too muted.
I silently approached, came up upon the two without notice. They both jumped( In a quite charming manner, actually) as I started to speak.
Excuse me, this is that way out I asked, sounding confused. Certainly both girls chirped, and Rose pointed to the way out. Sis asked me if I had been at the dance. What dance I answered.? Is that why the two of you are so beautifully dressed. . Rose ate it up. And showing off her gown to me( and unknowingly ,her pearls) happily took the lead, telling me of the academies dance. As Rose started to tell me about all her academy, I walked over to a bush of white roses just off one of the branching paths, at the end of this particular path was as a fountain from which merrily gurgling falling water could be faintly heard. I bent down to smell a white rose. I offered it up to my sister, who bent over to sniff, her necklace and earrings swaying to and fro in a quite nice exhibition of colorfully brite sparkles. Rose just stood behind us, kept on chatting with her story, as I winked at my sister and she winked back. We both stood back up.
Sis turned to Rose, and suggested she take a smell also. As Rose ( still chattering )bent down to smell, sis, who had had her hand on Rose shoulder let go and of it, and as I watched out of the corner of my eye I saw my sister move her hand to the back of her neck and subtly undo her own rhinestone necklace, slipping it off, then she moved behind me as Rose, in her tight fitting dress, managed to stand back up and faced us, still prattling on. I was half listening, wondering what my sister was up to, changing the game plan like that. From behind me I felt the subtlest touch of a hand, and realized something was being skillful placed into me pocket, a reverse pick I remembered thinking, when all of a sudden, from behind me, I heard sis exclaim, all too loudly enough , “me necklace, its gone! “
Rose looked and I turned, me twin was standing there, holding a hand to her bare throat, looking down at the front of her gown. It was here a minute ago she went on, and then looked me dead in the eye, absolutely in all seriousness, “You!, it was you me lad, took me necklace as I was smellin them roses didn’t he Rose!” She looked at Rose, who was now looking me over aghast, as she started to check her own jewels to see if any of em were missing, nodded in agreement.
I was totally taken aback by the accusation, and placing a hand in my pocket with out thinking, felt the necklace, which startled me no end, even though I knew that it was there. All the while uncomfortably wondering how this story would be ending up?
Rose glared at me, “not much of a jewel thief then are you?” My sister and I both just looked at the prig , our jaws dropping as Rose carried on with it. “ Anyone can plainly see me pearls are worth a lot more than her shiny baubles!” she stated quite matter of factly. Sis kicked in without missing a beat, saying to me, quite a bit too rudely I thought , “How could you make a mistake like that, especially since nicking her pearls would have been child’s play to someone of your ilk!”
Rose, totally missing the insult, lifted up her necklace and taunting me with it, as she asked me twin, “ what should we do with ‘em, get the police? As Rose turned her attention back to me, I saw me sisters face over the top of Rosie’s head, smiling all for the world like the cat catching the canary. My sister said to the back of Rose’s head” No, go back inside and find out how many others lost jewels, you will be a hero. Ill take care of this one! Rose’s smug face lit up at the thought, as she turned and looked back at my sister. Sis held out her arms, and Rose went and gave my twin a big hug. Then turning and giving me a glare as she passed and off she went. I didn’t think it important to tell her that her pearl necklace was now absent from around her throat.
As Rose traipsed happily back up the path, sis grabbed me arm, “come along thief, best we get going.
I watched for a second, as me sister dropped the pearl necklace on the grass, where it laid clearly visible, and with a swish of her gown scurried off. She looked back at me, get a move on then, and I broke me stance and went dutifully after her.
We scurried to the entrance, and crossed into the lot and made for the other side, skirting around towards my vehicle while making sure the coast was clear. We regained my Mercedes. I let my sister in, slamming the door and practically jumping over the hood to get to the drivers side. Peeling off my suit coat and tie, tossing them along with the glasses into the jump seat , I climbed in fired up the engine, and tried not to speed as I left the parking lot.
As I had pulled slowly away, a couple had walked out and were heading to their car, paying us no never mind other than a nosy glance by the gentleman at me car. But I figured it was time to make ourselves scarce, and put up a bit of speed.
So, I said, still facing forward as I turned from the lot, what was that all about?
Killin a pair of birds with me stone she replied in a quite self-satisfied tone of voice. Then she started to fill me in on what had been transpiring before I had made me entrance…
When that Rose creature and I were talking with that lad she had snared, She admired me diamonds, then said, not real ducky, are they. Well I thought that was pretty rude, but held me tongue, and avoiding a smart answer, I asked about her pearls. were they real? Pretty valuable she said, I only spent 6 shillings at the carnival, but he said they were worth a lot more! . Then she shad started repeating the same nonsense about how she had a real diamond necklace at home that was worth quite a bit, and she was angry her Mater had not wanted her to wear the them out this evening,
So, then when I saw you coming up to play, I thought of a new plan to humiliate Rose. Can you just imagin what is going on in the ball room now.
…. and she broke into that nasely twang she had use earlier in imitation of Rose..
Rose- “Everybody There’s a thief stealing everyone’s jewelry! ! Party Guest- “ I see( in a disbelieving tone) “Rose, no one is missing jewelry “ Except you, what did you do with your necklace?” Rose – He must of stole it, the thief!” Party Guest- “What thief Rose, were is he?” “Rose- “Outside with me friend, he nicked her imitation dimonds dint he!” Part Guest-“ Rose, why would a thief steal fake diamonds?, and what Friend would that be now?” Rose- “ The chaperone, you know, the one with the silvery gown and long black hair!” Party Guest –“ Ther wasn’t no chaperone wearing a silver dress , show us what you are on about!” ( On the path by the rose bush) “ there’s no one here, Rose, and there are your pearls, laying on the ground! you and your stories you balmy twi…..”
Sis could not finish her routine, starting to chortle so hard at the picture of it in her mind, she nearly busted a gut. But I still had questions, so after she was through patting herself on the back I said
I get that, and it was a brilliant piece of work, but why call me out on it, that wasn’t the plan, me dear.
I know luv, she said, again quite smugly, placing her hand on me shoulder…. Recall that time you had me jewels in your pocket after the wedding reception, I owed you one luv, and having you put on for stealing me necklace was payback.
Use shortcut below for the story:
I had forgotten that you had said I would be paid back someday I admitted, and it was a really grand way of doing It I praised her, and saw her smile radiantly as I stole a look out of the corner of me eye.
Then she could contain herself no more, and starting to chortle so hard at the picture of all of it in her mind, she nearly busted a gut. I also was smirking, the whole affair, in my opinion, had all played out brilliantly!
All in all, twas a merry drive back to town for us, with me twin sister talking miles a minute over her successes that evening, including the obvious fact that she was quite pleased with herself for not only had she finally gotten her sweet revenge on the remaining member of the group who had swiped her diamonds on a dare so long ago, but her debt to me had been paid totally off in the process..
With interest paid darling, I thought to myself, as I stole a glance at my beautifully decked out passenger, with interest paid!
.
A bit of a side note:
Come to find out later the police were actually called to the place much later in the wee hours of the morning. Apparently some bloke in a tux waylaid two ladies he had met and been chatting with as they were all leaving an mugged them both good and proper. He was caught, but I still chuckle in wonder what Rose would have made of it all?
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In Appraisal
I do highly encourage anyone who has read my chronicles,( or looked at the clips below) and on the off-chance may actually have been entertained by them, and would like me to divulge more of our tomfooleries , to please leave behind a comment expressing that point.
Thank You
Food for thought:
Jewelry lifting Clips
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAZdjhNVjxk&authuser=0
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls8rw2V1QCU&authuser=0
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RbLiI9ZFQ8&authuser=0
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XZ8s-R9vl4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofodSjKQ_-8
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Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives
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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Tuesday Night Fights! Approaching the ring is MISTER BARRACUUUUDAAA, or better known as, the ROOOOBIIN MAAAASK!!!!
This guy again! How many versions does he have?? *
At least five since this is "E".
Don't forget 'Mr. Barracuda'.
Ah, yes! Will we ever know all the versions of Robin Mask?
It's good you asked! Perhaps we need a history-
NO!
Please, not again! Not like with Warsman! **
-so, without further ado-
No, please!
More ado!
We'll ado!
-here is the history of ROBIN MASK!
Prehistory
Robin Mask stands at an imposing 217cm/7'1". He weighs in at 155kg/341 lbs. He is blood type 'A'! He hails from England and is a Seigi Chojin of 960,000 power! He has teamed with Warsman, Kinnikuman and Terry the Kid. He is the master of the Tower Bridge and the Robin Special.
Though he began as a villain, Robin Mask soon became one of the most essential members of the justice Chojin (Justice Supermen) team. Robin wore knight-type armor made out of sapphire (later remade out of steel), and wearing the armor reduced his strength, giving his opponent a fair chance at beating him. Although Robin is only a few years older than most of the cast, he is considered the veteran of the group and often comes up with the teams’ overall battle plan.
Robin Mask often wears a blue undershirt underneath his armor, making it seem at times that he has blue skin. He is depicted as having pale skin beneath his undershirt, and his armor - in its original form - is blue-and-black (with pink accents) to match his undershirt.
Robin is a pale man with blond or brown hair (depending on his aesthetic choice. He is handsome with thick eyebrows'. His later armor he wears is silver/steel in color, with red accents, and he lacks an undershirt so that his skin is visible. He has red eyes through his mask, but it is not clear if they are red when his mask is removed.
Born into England’s famous Robin family, Robin Mask began wrestling at a young age and made quite a name for himself.
By 1979, he had become so famous that he was invited to compete in the 19th Chojin Olympics. He not only made it into the actual tournament but went on to win, defeating Japan’s Uldraman. Over the next year, he had numerous matches, including one against a man named Quarrelman. Before the match could get under way, Quarrelman walked away, saying that the he saw no point in fighting such an easy opponent.
We are introduced to Robin "42 Years Ago" from the Demon Seed Arc in Kinnikuman Nisei, where he acts as the rugby captain in Oxford University and scores every point in the match as the most popular player. He is dating the team assistant, Alisa, and he is seen to be very excited about becoming a wrestler and meeting Alisa's parents. He acts unwittingly in an uncouth manner, to which Alisa's father derides him from snobbery and forbids their union.
Robin drowns his sorrows in a bar, where he engages in fights and gets drunk, only for John Bullman to intervene. He then reveals to his father, Robin Knight, that he wishes to forfeit his Chojin status and become human for Alisa's sake, just as she was willing to give up her family for his sake. He is given the blessing of Robin Grande and the "Icon of Robin", that will allow him to become human. Robin goes to Stonehenge and reneges on his powers, thus becoming human.
After seeing John Bullman die in the ring, he flees in order to assume again his position of Chojin to protect the people, and gives up his second chance with Alisa's family to be a justice Chojin. He is ganged up outside a bar by hooligans and beaten up, only to be rescued by Terryman, who gives him back his powers with the stone used to remove them. He then goes to the ring to defeat Guillotine King. On September 9th, 1976, he wins the battle with the support of Alisa, making his debut.
Kinnikuman - 20th Chojin Olympics Arc
The 20th Chojin Olympics were coming around and Uldraman’s previous loss to Robin caused the committee to decide not to use a Japanese representative this year, upsetting Kinnikuman. Robin decided to confront Kinnikuman and test his skills. He instantly was able to put Kinnikuman in a Bow and Arrow Lock. Kinnikuman, however, refused to submit, and after a few hours, Robin let go of the hold. The fact that Robin Mask - the champion - was caused to struggle impresses the committee and gained Kinnikuman a spot in the Olympics. It is revealed Robin Mask only pretended to struggle, so that Kinnikuman could gain a place in the Olympics.
Robin gives the commencement speed during the preliminary matches, on November 13th 1979. When participants refuse to engage in the rock-paper-scissors first preliminary round, Robin chastises them and demands they respect the process. The third and final preliminary match is a race to the moon and back, in which Robin comes first place. In the match-ups, Robin is given the A-Block, and his first match is against Canadianman. He is due to fight at Kourakuen Stadium at 6.30pm, which is broadcast worldwide.
Canadianman lifts the entire stadium, before becoming giant-sized and putting Robin Mask in a Canadian Back-Breaker. Robin counters by a Suplex, sending Candianman hurtling into the stadium, which wins him the match. After the match he raised Canadianman’s arm in a show of good sportsmanship.
Robin next appears as a special commentator for the Terryman vs. Skyman match.
The Nippon Budokan is the setting for the semi-final match between Terryman and Robin Mask, who both arrive together as friends. Shortly before their match, Terry had been shot in the leg by Kinkotsuman (who was aiming for Kinnikuman). Because of this handicap, Terry stooped to dirty fighting in order to gain and advantage over Robin, but Robin was much too strong for Terry. After being thrown out of the ring, Robin leapt back in and continued the fight. He then applies a Boston Crab on Terry. Terry soon submits, giving Robin the win. When Robin realised that Terry had fought with a wounded leg, he offered Terry his spot in the finals, but Terry refused it.
Kinnikuman and Robin Mask face a press conference in anticipation of their match in the finals. The match will be a one-round death-match at the National Stadium, at April 4th at 4pm. They add a rule that a three-count pin will also allow a victory, at Robin's request, to give Kinnikuman a chance to win due to his lack of a finishing move. They also instigate a rule, at Kinnikuman's request, that losing the match will lead to exile from one's home-country. At this point, a celebratory dance occurs. Kinkotsuman sends enlarged animals to attack them, which Robin Mask defeats single-handed.
The match begins to 100,000 spectators. Moved by Ramenman’s tearfully begging him to defeat Robin (and allow him to look back on his own defeat with pride), Kinnikuman took his fight seriously. Kinnikuman was so skilled, that it inspires Robin to remove his armor; this reveals that he wears the armor for his opponent’s protection rather than his own. After a series of exchanged blows, Kinnikuman manages to remove Robin's mask. Robin then runs head-first into the corner of the ring, which causes a huge crack to appear in his mask.
Robin proceeds to stab Kinnikuman in the back with the spike of his mask, causing him to bleed profusely on the canvas. He proceeds to trap Kinnikuman in his trademark Tower Bridge, but Suguru refused to give up until finally a loud crack was heard. Robin let go of Suguru believing him to be dead. When he noticed the crowd wasn’t cheering for him, he looked at Kinnikuman’s lifeless body and begun to realize that he had been taking things too far. As he was distracted by thought, Kinnikuman jumped onto his shoulders and pinned him with a Mexican Rolling Clutch Hold, gaining the victory.
During the closing ceremonies, Robin is shunned by the English fans. Alisa appears to console him, and Kinnikuman tries to revoke the exile rule so they can have a good life, even willing to sacrifice his championship belt. He offers Robin a chance to live in Japan, which Robin seemingly accepts. It is later shown that Robin has refused the offer due to his pride, and decides - against Alisa's wishes - to live as a wanderer.
American Tour Arc
Robin reappears in South America. Kinnikuman confronts him when he sees Robin murder an opponent in the ring, when Robin's opponent is torn in two pieces. Alisa is currently absent. When Kinnikuman is capture by the World Supermen Federation, Robin brings him food so that he will survive and remain strong. After tearing Dynamite Piper in half at the Luck Lumber Joe, Robin was allowed the chance to regain his title from Kinnikuman and faced him in a match.
The match with Kinnikuman takes place over the Grand Canyon, at 1,600 meters high. Before the fight can be finished, Iwao crashes an airplane into the ring. The match is determined to be in Robin's favor, but - due to his assumed death - the belt then goes to the next in the WSF's line, which is Skull Bozu. Kinnikuman is revealed to be alive, while Robin took the brunt of the airplane attack and is willing to let himself be sacrificed as Kinnikuman has not enough strength to remove the plane.
Robin reveals that he and Alisa went to live in Africa, where Robin became an animal ranger. He read about Kinnikuman's activity in Hawaii and yearned to return to the life of a justice Chojin, which caused him to leave Alisa at home, and be taken in by the Sheik Seijin. Kinnikuman eventually manages to free Robin, but the WSF explode the ring, and only Kinnikuman can escape. Robin seemingly falls to his death.
Warsman Begins
It is later revealed that Robin Mask survived. As it turns out, he went to Russia to survey potential candidates as "Mr Barracuda". Warsman catches his interest, especially when Warsman discovers and masters the Pallo Special, a move Robin had been working on in secret. Robin decides that Warsman will be the one to overthrow Kinnikuman and become the new Chojin Olympics champion.
When Kommandas has Warsman on the ropes, Robin shows up to cheer him on. Kommandas is no longer Warsman's friend, now he's a killing machine for the Soviet Union. After getting some advice from Robin, Warsman shows Robin that he can be a perfect Brutal Chojin, even killing Kommandas with his Pallo Special by tearing his arms off. Robin is shocked, thinking that he's seeing the birth of a cold, fighting computer in action.
Robin offers Warsman a chance to become the champion of the Chojin Olympics. Still paranoid, Warsman tries to attack Robin, but Robin easily blocks the punch and repeats his offer. Robin reveals his true identity. Robin notes that Warsman's Pallo Special is still incomplete, but it was pretty good for a first try. Robin Mask offers Warsman a towel, which he accepts, making Robin Mask his new manager.
21st Chojin Olympics Arc
"Mr. Barracuda" doesn't show up at all until the semi-finals of the 21st Chojin Olympics: The Big Fight; Barracuda exits the vehicle taking Warsman to the arena, where he is seen carrying a chain, and chastises Warsman for taking time to sign children's autographs. He intensely trains Warsman in preparation for his match against Ramenman. Just before the match, he strikes people in the way with a whip to allow Warsman passage.
Just before the match, Bibimba accidentally runs into Warsman, which causes Barracuda to try and strike her with his whip - Warsman stops him. Barracuda also reveals that Warsman is a 'fighting computer' capable of memorizing moves of his opponents and analyzing how best to counter them. When Bibimbap tries to get Warsman to show mercy on Ramenman, Barracuda convinces him to brutally attack until Ramenman is left paraplegic.
He helps Warsman prepare for the finals, against Kinnikuman, by releasing death-row inmates for him to kill while blindfolded. When Kinnikuman suffers a mask mishap, Barracuda realizes that the removal of Kinnikuman's mask will mean his death, and creates a rule that the finals will be a Mask Removal Death-Match. At Warsman's weigh-in, Barracuda is outraged to find out that the belt (gifted by Bibimba puts him overweight); Warsman soon loses control, where it is revealed only Barracuda can calm him, and he drags Warsman away in chains. Barracuda reveals his motivation is revenge against Kinnikuman.
Barracuda reveals himself to be Robin Mask.
Robin reveals he survived the fall, but his body was too injured to ever fight again. Unable to personally fight and with the world thinking he was dead, he went in search for a student to train for the purpose of defeating Kinnikuman. He found one in Russia in the body of young Robo Chojin Warsman. Robin trained him to be a cold-blooded killer and then entered him into the 21st Chojin Olympics, after teaching him all of his techniques.
When Kinnikuman refused to take an opportunity to throw Warsman onto his own Bear Claws, Warsman decided to fight the rest of the match fairly and destroyed his Bear Claws. Robin ordered him to put on the spare Bear Claws and when he wouldn’t, Robin began beating on him. When Bibimba (who had befriended Warsman) tried to stop him he slapped her, causing Warsman to strike him and then proceed with the fight. Robin realizes that he was wrong and crushed the spare Bear Claws. After Kinnikuman won, both Warsman and Robin joined the justice Chojin side.
Seven Akuma Chojin Arc
Robin is next seen after the battle with Black Hole.
He announces that Kinnikuman is too injured to fight, so the remaining Devil Chojin should fight against the remaining Justice Chojin. Robin chooses Atlantis for his opponent. He fights Atlantis on a special ring on a lake in Ueno, where Atlantis surprises Robin in the ring before attacking from behind. Robin starts strong, as he manages to counter Atlantis, but Atlantis ultimately dives into the waters.
He follows with high speed into the lake, as he rapidly kicks at Atlantis' head, but he is eventually knocked away by a Magnum Canon. Atlantis tries to force Robin into the lake with his Magnum Canon, but the ropes stretch and Robin is able to use those to jump away. He proceeds to ride the Magnum Canon, until he lands a Drop Kick to the face. Atlantis then throws Meat's leg into the lake. This causes Robin to abandon his strategy, as he dives into the lake to save Meat's leg from harm. Atlantis follows him and proceeds to strangle him.
Alisa arrives to support Robin, at which point he attempts a Pile Driver. This creates two whirlpools, as the power of Atlantis and Robin collide, and then - after several seconds of silence - Atlantis emerges from the lake with the mask of Robin Mask in his hands. It is revealed, after rescuing Meat's right leg, that he was trapped within an Atlantis Driver. Alisa clutches Robin's mask in grief, while Kinnikuman retrieves Meat's leg. This is the last Robin is seen, due to his death, until later in the arc. Robin is later revived by Buffaloman, who sacrifices his life force. He emerges alive from the lake, as he retrieves his mask.
Golden Mask Arc
Robin Mask appears with the other justice chojin for a fitness test. It is during this time that the Golden Mask and Silver Mask are separated, resulting in all justice chojin slowly losing their power. Robin Mask - along with his companions - are placed into plastic bubbles, which act as life-support devices. During Kinnikuman's battle with Planetman, Planetman steals the souls of the seigi chojin trapped within the life support devices. Robin - and the others - are saved when Kinnikuman sacrifices Warsman in order to protect the rest of the group and defeat Planetman. This defeat of Planetman restores Robin - and others - to full power.
Warsman is revealed to be alive, but in a precarious state. Robin Mask decides to turn into a microscopic size and go inside Warsman's body, along with Terryman, Brocken Jr., Kinnikuman, and Geronimo. Terryman decides that the group will hold off the remaining Devil Knights, until Kinnikuman can reach the top floor and retrieve the Golden Mask - the matches will take place on a tower of rings formed along Warsman's spinal column.
Junkman shows his true form.
Robin Mask challenged Junkman on the first ring. Junkman sees Kinnikuman scaling the spine, but - as he seeks to stop him from reaching the top - Robin Mask intervenes and stops him from an attack. Junkman attempts a Junk Crush, but Robin dodges and the attack strikes the spinal column instead. When Junkman tries the same attack again, Robin tries a Shoulder Throw, but he then attacks once more the spinal column. Robin realizes the aimed attacks are deliberate: Junkman seeks to disable Warsman and prevent Kinnikuman from climbing higher.
Junkman tries a Junk Crush again, and Robin allows himself to be caught, before he reveals the philosophy he teaches to younger chojin: "when forced to make a sacrifice, try to save both things". He thus removes his armor and saves himself from being crushed, as it seemingly stops the Junk Crush. Junkman crushes the armor and uses it to prove his strength, before he tries to attack Kinnikuman again - Robin stops the attack with his bare hands. Junkman retaliates by making spikes appear on his front, which violently cut and slash at Robin.
Robin believes he has found Junkman's one weakness, which is that he cannot see what happens at his back, and flips him over, until his front spikes trap him in the ring canvas. He tries a Robin Drop, but Junkman uses his Double Face technique. Junkman strikes again with a Junk Crush. Robin refuses to stay down and circles Junkman, only to be hit again, and - in an attempt to gain speed, to avoid being hit following times - removes his belt and part of his helmet. It appears Robin has used all his strength, even as he gains an advantage and Junkman smashes his face on a corner-post. Junkman uses another Junk Crush, but Robin counters with a Reverse Tower Bridge.
Junkman is thus defeated, with Robin as the victor.
Dream Chojin Tag Arc
Robin Mask first arrives at Beverly Park.
He - along with the other Idol Chojin - take Kinnikuman to Korakuen Hall. They reveal that there is a new tag-team tournament, and that Robin and Warsman have formed the Chojin Master/Student Combo. The two of them then leave. They are shown - as part of the preliminaries - defeating Blood Illusions with a Double German Suplex Hold. They arrive early in Japan to plan for victory, before they arrive at Tournament Mountain. They make their way through a maze to find their allocated partner in the first rounds.
They are matched against the Hell Missionaries.
When Robin Mask tries to shake Neptuneman's hand, he is rejected and Neptuneman kills Kendaman. This causes Robin Mask to flashback to his youth, where he met Quarrelman, and he reveals that Quarrelman was due to fight him in the English preliminary finals of the Chojin Olympics, but that Quarrelman decided against this and walked away. He was known for the same attack used against Kendaman: the Quarrel Special. Robin reveals - in a flashback - he invented a new attack just for Quarrelman, as payback for refusing to fight him in the finals of the Olympic preliminaries.
During the match, they send in Big the Budo first, to prevent Robin from fighting Neptuneman as he desire. Robin manages to avoid the attacks by Big the Budo, before Warsman takes a lead and distracts him, and Neptuneman reveals he will not tag into the ring, even if Big the Budo dies. Robin Mask then uses a Tower Bridge to help Warsman perform a Rolling Bear Claw, which manages to slice open Neptuneman's chest. Robin then uses his Robin Special on Big the Budo, which convinces Neptuneman to join the ring.
Robin attempts a Robin Special on Neptuneman, but Neptuneman counters with a Neptune Sliding. After stabbing Neptuneman with the spike of his helmet, they exchange in a series of blows, until it seems that Robin has given up and let down his guard, but - by allowing Neptuneman to attack him - he becomes certain that this is Quarrelman. Warsman then tags in to take over, but loses his mask.
Quarrelman reveals his plans to steal the masks of the strongest Chojins and then give them to their minions (thus giving them their powers). Warsman is then killed by a Cross Bomber, before dying in Robin's arms and being reassured that no one is laughing at his exposed face. Robin then attacks in earnest. Robin fights on Warsman's behalf, including using both the Tower Bridge and the Bear Claw, and seems to have the advantage for a while. Robin is distracted by retrieving Warsman's mask, which allows him to be severely injured. Neptuneman uses the Robin Special against Robin, followed by the Cross Bomber.
This causes Robin to become unmasked.
The Hell Missionaries decide to give the spectators a closer look at the Chojin Master/Student Combo, by throwing them out of the ring and intending for them to fall their deaths. Right when they were about to hit the ground, the first Kinnikuman Great - (Prince Kamehame in disguise) - catches Robin and Warsman, but he injures his knees in the process. Robin is placed down on the ground, but - when he gets up - his face is fully revealed for the first time. The media tried to get close-ups and photos of his handsome face.
Kinnikuman and the others - excluding Terryman - attack the media, as they say it is rude to try and get pictures of his face. Kinnikuman then gives Robin a towel to put over his face. The aftermath of this was Robin losing his fighting spirit. During the semi finals between the 20 Million Powers and the Hell Missionaries, Robin returned with a cut out mask to help support the justice Chojin.
He offers Kinnikuman his steel armour, which allows him to reach the ring, when Neptuneman uses a magnetic power against the 20 Million Powers. At the tournament end, Robin retrieves all the stolen masks from Neptuneman and swears to give them back to their rightful owners.
Survivor Match for the Kinniku Throne Arc
Robin Mask can be seen celebrating with Kinnikuman.
Robin is promoted to Chief of Staff, which means - at first - he must not help Kinnikuman, when his position as a member of the royal family is challenged. He and Terryman are obligated to protect their new posts within the Chojin Association, and so they stay behind as Kinnikuman goes to his matches alone.
While teaching a class, one of Robin’s students listened to the Kinnikuman vs. Kinnikuman Mariposa battle on his radio. This alerts Robin to Kinnikuman's peril, and he and Terry rush to Japan. They arrive just in time to save Meat from King the 100-Ton. Robin initially attended in his role as Kinnikuman's friend to offer support, but Kinnikuman reveals he wrote down Robin's name on his team roster in invisible ink.
He is thus able to fight as Team Leader.
After seeing how important winning the tournament was to Kinnikuman, this caused him to regain his fighting spirit and fight Mariposa himself. Mariposa attacks before the gong, and manages to get in a second attack soon after the first, but Robin is able to counter the third time with an overhead throw. Mariposa starts to push Robin's body through the mat itself. Robin is nearly knocked unconscious by the Muscle Revenger by Mariposa. He breaks free and uses a Tower Bridge, and then Mariposa covers himself in flames.
Robin learns that Mariposa - (while still George the Thief) - had stolen the Robin Family treasure: the Anoalo Sceptre. Robin nearly gives the match to Mariposa due to numerous factors, including the staff in his possession, the power of his touted trump card (the Muscle Revenger) as well as hearing the Chojin's story of his sorrowful past, nearly forcing him to forfeit the match. After being reminded of Kinnikuman's own sorrowful history, Robin overcomes all of Mariposa's deception and reclaims the staff. He uses its power to ultimately defeat Mariposa with a Robin Special.
The next round is against Team Zebra.
Robin teamed up with Kinnikuman against Kinnikuman Zebra and Parthenon. They are successful against the duo for most of the match, until Robin ends up becoming petrified within Parthenon's pillars, in order to save Kinnikuman (who was preparing for his inevitable defeat after taking the Fated Prince's Muscle Inferno). While trapped inside Parthenon, Robin ends up laying the ultimate groundwork for Zebra's defeat, using his Friendship Power to prevent Kinnikuman from being completely covered in Parthenon's shadow of brutality. This prevents Zebra from fighting at full power.
Using the methane from the decayed bodies and fossils used to build Parthenon in conjunction with his own Anoalo Sceptre, Robin escapes from the giant Chojin and breaks him using his Robin Special, both defeating him and forcing Robin out of the match with his work successfully done. He saves Kinnikuman's life later in the match, with his "Handshake of Friendship".
Robin later helps Kinnikuman in training for the final match.
After Kinnikuman's match with Satan Cross, Kinnikuman is left weakened and Robin Mask carries him to the next match of their final round. It is during this time that Kinnikuman accidentally urinates on Robin.
In the final match against Team Super Phoenix, Robin took part in a Six-Man Tag Match with Kinnikuman and The Samurai (actually Neptuneman, and originally none other than Quarrelman) against Super Phoenix, Omegaman, and Mammothman. To make the battle “more interesting”, Super Phoenix began burning the Muscle Prophecy pages of both fighters, causing them to slowly disappear. Robin and Mammothman begin a fierce one-on-one battle. As they fought, Mammothman used his blood-seeking Big Tusks against Robin, but Robin overcame this by putting his own blood on Mammothman.
This causes the Big Tusks to attack Mammothman.
Robin eventually defeats Mammothman with the Rope Work Tower Bridge. Mammothman then disappears, and shortly afterwards so does Robin, leaving only his helmet and armor behind. During the fight between Suguru and Phoenix, the souls of Robin, Neptuneman, Kinnikuman Soldier, and Geronimo (all of whom had their Muscle Prophecy pages destroyed) helped Kinnikuman regain his Kajiba no Kuso Djikara and defeat Super Phoenix.
After the tournament, Robin and the others were revived by Kinnikuman’s Face Flash.
Robin returned to England to serve the Queen.
Farewell, Kinnikuman!
This one-shot takes place during Kinnikuman's retirement ceremony.
The Justice Chojin are dismayed that Kinnikuman's retiring. Wolfman's disappointed because Kinnikuman's retiring right after Wolfman's retirement, leaving Japan with no protectors. Ramenman's shocked that Kinnikuman retired before he did. Terryman promises that he'll find a stronger partner for a new tag-team.
When Warsman rings the bell, he uses his Bear Claws, causing it to crack. Brocken Jr. calls out Warsman for ruining the atmosphere. Robin Mask even tells Warsman to back down before challenging Kinnikuman to one last fight. Robin Mask says the ceremony is a farce and shatters the bell with a chop, which Terryman likens to a slap to Kinnikuman's face. Robin Mask's quite angry at Kinnikuman's retirement and demands an answer from Kinnikuman.
Kinnikuman says he'll explain after the ceremony, but that isn't enough for Robin Mask. Thus, Robin Mask attacks Kinnikuman. While Kinnikuman defends himself against Robin Mask's assault, he realizes that the helmet Robin Mask is wearing is from the 20th Chojin Olympics tournament, more specifically the finals match after Kinnikuman caused the helmet to crack. Robin Mask wants a proper rematch since the last two matches weren't proper losses.
Buffaloman and Terryman try to interfere, but Warsman tells them that Robin Mask wants a serious match against Kinnikuman. Robin Mask places Kinnikuman into a Robin Special, but Kinnikuman doesn't feel that at all. Kinnikuman counters with a Kinniku Driver. Robin Mask reverses the Kinniku Driver and places him into the Tower Bridge, causing Kinnikuman's torso to tear up. Kinnikuman escapes the Tower Bridge because the Kinniku Driver left a mark on Robin Mask. Kinnikuman uses this opportunity to land a Kinniku Buster.
Robin Mask compliments both of Kinnikuman's techniques before punching Kinnikuman's face. Kinnikuman returns with a punch of his own, leading to a mighty fisticuffs exchange. Harabote tells Meat about the time Mayumi retired and reveals that he wanted a last match with Mayumi, but he didn't want to break tradition. He sheds a tear because Robin Mask did something he couldn't achieve. The other Justice Chojin cheer Robin on. Although this match is a sham in Robin's eyes, he still wants to fight.
Seeing as the Chairman receiving the retirement letter is the only way Kinnikuman's retirement can be made official, Kinnikuman hands Robin Mask his retirement letter. Robin Mask crushes the letter and gives Kinnikuman a bro-fist, showing off their friendship as Justice Chojin.
Kinnikuman (2011) Perfect Origin Arc
It is revealed - after accumulating so many injuries over the years - that Robin Mask has entered suspended animation as a part of his healing process. He is in England, where he will remain in stasis until his healing is completed. During this time, Marlinman appears at the River Thames to challenge Robin Mask. After the defeat of the first group of Perfect Chojin, a new group appears, and it is at this point that Robin Mask is revealed to have been fully healed and returns to his companions.
The next tournament is scheduled to take place on a pyramid, with seven steps and seven rings, and Robin Mask convinces Kinnikuman to rest, so that they can take care of their opponents on his behalf. A series of tunnels leads the Justice and Devil Chojin to their opponents: Robin - on ring six - is assigned Nemesis. Nemesis starts with an upper-hand, as he employs a one-handed back-breaker. Robin eventually is able to land a knee-kick. After exchanging a series of blows, throughout the other matches, Nemesis attacks with a Flying Head Scissors. Robin Mask evades and counters with a Boston Crab.
Nemesis evades the attack and reverses it with a Pile-Driver, but Robin Mask breaks free in turn with a headbutt, and proceeds with an Ice Rock Gyro. They engage in a series of blows, before both fall to the canvas and hold each other in an equal grapple. At this point, Nemesis reveals the origin of the Perfect Chojin. He states that Perfect Chojin are descended from chojin chosen by the gods, but all other chojin are descended from those rejected by the gods. He proceeds to use a Nemesis Driver.
He drives Robin's head into the canvas, but Robin pulls himself out. Nemesis throws Robin again with a double-arm suplex, and follows through with a high-kick, until Robin is able to counter with a throw. Robin uses a Unicorn Fire Head, but Nemesis counters after with a Battleship Sinker, and Robin still stands, as he reveals that Kinnikuman is his main motivation and reason for throwing away his pride. He describes in detail how his defeat by Kinnikuman allowed him to be reborn as a better chojin with Friendship Power.
Nemesis knocks off Robin's Analo Staff with a knee-strike, and they engage in a series of blows again. He is eventually able to stop Robin's blows with the Perfect Defender, which is a variation of the Muscle Curtain, and continues to use the Perfect Assailant, which Robin dodges and uses to lead into a Robn Special. Nemesis breaks free and uses a Scorpion Death-Lock. He convinces Robin to remove his armor and fight at full-power, which leads to Robin attempting a Naked Tower Bridge.
The attack starts to tear apart Nemesis' body, but also has an effect on Robin's body. Nemesis eventually breaks free and uses a Tombstone Driver, leading Robin to try a British Steel Edge. The technique is broken, leading Robin to say goodbye to his friends, before Nemesis uses another Battleship Sinker. Robin is knocked out and the match it declared to be in Nemesis' favor. Nemesis then tosses Robin's body down the pyramid and into the sands of the dunes below. Despite Kinnikuman's attempts to save Robin, he is only able to save the visor of his mask, and Robin's body sinks out of reach of his friends.
Robin Mask is currently still dead as of volume seventy.
Kinnikuman Nisei Hercules Factory Arc
In Kinnikuman Nisei, Robin is the headmaster of the Hercules Factory and the father of rogue Chojin Kevin Mask. He is one of the original chojin defeated on Earth by the new dMp, which prompts a state of emergency among the older chojin. He is present as a key player in the international meeting at the Muscle League headquarters, and he is the one to propose opening a school: the Hercules Factory. They decide to use the next three months to train the new generation. He is often the one to referee and chaperone training. At graduation, Robin is the one to make the announcements. He engages in an argument with Mantaro Kinniku about his placement.
HF First Year Replacement Matches Arc
Robin has a very brief appearance as he referees the matches of Generation Ex, often commenting on their victories against the older generation. He appears very much as he did in the prologue chapters, as he acts in the role of headmaster.
Ultimate Chojin Tag Tournament
He is involved with the current story-line as two evil Time Chojins have gone back in time to steal the Completion Bulbs on the bottom of the Tag Trophy and end up killing him and subsequently mess up the timeline. Now, Kinniku Mantaro and the others (along with secret stowaways Neptuneman and Warsman) have gone back in time to stop Kevin from disappearing. Mantaro manages to save Robin but accidentally bumps into Alisa, causing her to become a victim of the Death Watch Branding in his place.
After the Ultimate Chojin Tag Tournament is announced Robin goes with Alisa in a medical helicopter, but not before hearing Terry the Kid refer to Kevin by name. While in the helicopter, Alisa asks if they can name their first son after their favorite pub, Kevin's Bar. This cause Robin to trust the New Generation and decide to help them. He comes across Terry the Kid, who is depressed about always being Mantaro's sidekick, and witnesses him saving a puppy from an oncoming bus. He tells Kid that he believes Kevin may be his son, and the two of them form The Adrenalines (ジ・アドレナリンズ).
Battle Royale
During the preliminary Battle Royal entrances, Robin sees a fading Kevin in a glass chamber, which had been stolen by the Time Chojins.
First Round
The match takes place at Kuramae Kokugikan, at 2.30pm. The Adrenalines arrive in matching costumes and masks, until Terry the Kid reveals himself by removing his mask, and the Wailing Ghost Gang arrives on palanquins, but the Adrenalines strike the Wailing Ghost Gang before the bell is rung. The bell is rung and The Adrenalines start with a flying body attack in a synchronized aerial move, before the Wailing Ghost Gang toss them across the ring.
The Wailing Ghost Gang retaliate with a Gaon's Bamboo-Copter Blood-Fountain. This knocks Terry the Kid out of the ring, and Robin Mask slams Gaon down onto the mat. The Gaon gains an advantage, as Robin Mask becomes distracted by the sight of Kevin Mask disappearing at the ring-side. The Wailing Ghost Gang team up against Robin Mask, and use a Wailing Leg Slash, which causes Robin to collapse at the side of the ring and allow Terry the Kid to switch with him. Kid is able to take the lead.
Kid uses a Dead-Crush Arm-Breaker against Emperor Death. Emperor Death counters with a Snake-Belly Hand, before using an Emeishan Drop. Gaon joins in with a drop-kick to Kid's face, while Kid works out that Kevin's survival depends on Robin's victory during the match, as his death will result in Kevin's death. He kicks Gaon on the back of his head, before Gaon counters by tossing him to Emperor Death, who uses a Cobra Claw to force Kid to his feet. The Wailing Ghost Gang gain an advantage, until Robin Mask sees Kid in distress and tags himself into the match. Robin Mask uses a Kingdom Neck Chancery.
Emperor Death uses his snake-hand to remove Robin Mask's armor, and he tosses the armor onto Kevin Mask's clear-bed. Robin Mask then uses an Indian Death-Lock on Emperor Death, and Gaon then stops him with a Gaon Ride. Emperor Death then uses a Snake-Tail Foot against to hang from the rafters, as he uses a Snake-Belly Hand and engages in Slow-Slicing. Emperor Death then uses a Blood-Leech Bowl technique to keep Robin Mask alive, while he announces his aim to gain immortality with the trophy bulbs.
Terry the Kid then kicks Robin's armor back into the ring. Robin Mask uses a Blood Fountain to blind his opponents, before Kid uses a $1,000,000 Kick to incapacitate Emperor Death. Robin uses his Maelstrom Power, followed by a Greenwich Time Crash, and puts back on his armor, which helps to heal him with its familial and ancestral powers. The Wailing Ghost Gang try to use another Bamboo-Copter, until The Adrenalines use Tag Formation A. Kid also then uses a Texas Tornado Elbow.
This knocks out Gaon. The Adrenalines then use an Adrenaline Bridge upon Emperor Death, which causes Emperor Death to be knocked out in turn, and Harabote Muscle declares the match in The Adrenalines favour, causing the audience to throw cushions into the ring in support of them.
Quarter-Finals
The Adrenalins then face the Five Disasters in a Water Deathmatch, which freaks Robin out because of him dying against Atlantis in his last one. Not only that, but Kevin, in his healing tube, was tied above the ring. It had seemed like a close match at first, until Thunder threw Kevin's tube into the water, causing Robin to go after him. After that, it had looked like Robin had died the same way as his first death, but he had actually taken Kevin's mask since it doubled as an oxygen tank. Robin then put Lightning in a Tower Bridge, but it only broke his original costume and revealed a second one. Lightning then broke out and performed Justice Crushing Finale on the Adrenalines. They then tried to do Deathwatch Branding on Robin, but Terry saved him with a Condor Kick only to get slashed by Thunder's Lion's Authority, ending the match.
💪M💪U💪S💪C💪L💪E💪
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
M.U.S.C.L.E. # 197, "Robin Mask D"
Painted by Paprika, thus losing all collectible value forever.
* So far, we have seen Robin Mask C in BP 2020 Day 245:
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/49087843181/
And his alias of Mister Barracuda in BP 2019 Day 197:
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/48297957742/
There's much more to come... 😏
This is the beautiful hidden gem of a beach below Tintagel Castle, full of rock pools to explore and inviting turquoise waters to have a dip, or explore Merlin's Cave when the tide is out.
Tintagel, situated in the centre of a rugged and romantic coastline, is the Mecca of every traveller who wanders into the West. The legendary connection with the life of the mystic King Arthur, is undoubtedly one of the reasons for the attraction the village exerts. Yet the group of old and modern houses on the bare upland half a mile inland, the isolated church, and the gigantic headlands with their majestic cliffs falling steeply to the never-ending roar of the Atlantic breakers, hold in themselves the mysterious charm of Cornwall, old and new. Its bleakness and its humanity, its openness and its ancient scenery. The castle ruins which tradition has associated with King Arthur and his Knights, awaken the enthusiasm of sightseers from the world over, but what binds them to Tintagel is the spirit of Cornwall which the place expresses. And if they are very modern and not open to that spirit there is so much for them to love.
(Words taken from the 1950’s Official Souvenir Guide 'Tintagel and Boscastle, North Cornwall' by the late Ronald Youlton)
The site of Tintagel Castle has been inhabited at least since the late Roman period, and a community flourished here in the 5th to 7th centuries. In the 12th century Tintagel gained literary fame when Geoffrey of Monmouth named it as the place where King Arthur was conceived. These Arthurian associations may have inspired Richard, Earl of Cornwall, to build a castle at Tintagel in the 1230s, and the enduring legend still ensures Tintagel’s international renown.
I saw a water-wilderness—
Islands entangled in a net of streams—
Cross-threads of rippling channels, woven through
Bare sands, and shallows glimmering blue and broad—
A line of white sea-breakers far away.
There came a smoke and crying from the land—
Ruin was there, and ashes, and the blood
Of conquered cities, trampled down to death.
But here, methought, amid these lonely gulfs,
There rose up towers and bulwarks, fair and strong,
Lapped in the silver sea-mists;—waxing aye
Fairer and stronger—till they seemed to mock
The broad-based kingdoms on the mainland shore.
I saw a great fleet sailing in the sun,
Sailing anear the sand-slip, whereon broke
The long white wave-crests of the outer sea,—
Pepin of Lombardy, with his warrior hosts—
Following the bloody steps of Attila!
I saw the smoke rise when he touched the towns
That lay, outposted, in his ravenous reach;
Then, in their island of deep waters, saw
A gallant band defy him to his face,
And drive him out, with his fair vessels wrecked
And charred with flames, into the sea again.
[from "A Dream of Venice by Ada Cambridge]
the island of Burano in the Venetian Lagoon, famous for its multitudinous colours and lace-making...
Photoshopped
The closure of the Tunbridge Wells to Eridge line was a total travesty as BR were stuck between having to replace the rotting Hastings DEMU fleet and electrifying the Hastings line at the bare minimum cost. The idea being they could just cascade existing EMU's onto the route rather than have to fund new bespoke diesel units. The casualty was the line to Eridge as the junction was deemed too costly to replace along with the associated signalling and Grove Hill Tunnel south of Tunbridge Wells Central required track lowering and a fixed slab track base which impinged on the junction. Having worked on the line until closure I was fully aware BR had "cooked the books" when it came to passenger numbers only taking into account receipts from the two intermediate station on the line and none for the through traffic from the likes of Crowborough and Uckfield. The train passenger head counts had been done in the previous year school summer holidays when ridership was always low. BR's answer to through travel via the line was to simply extend the car parks at Wadhurst and Etchingham knowing commuters would drive to them instead thus weakening the case for retaining the Oxted to Uckfield line as well, which faced rationalisation and managed decline. Despite the loss of the unique Hastings DEMU's electrification of the mainline to Hastings was a good thing but it was done on a shoe string to the extent 12-car EMU's were banned south of Tunbridge Wells as there simply wasn't enough money for a third sub station so the associated TP huts were spaced further apart to balance the third rail current. The prospect of 2 x 12 car trains taking power in the same electrical section would have the effect of tripping the substation breakers, hence the restriction.
In this image the up line connection has already been removed in readiness for the full removal of the junction and DEMU sets 1317 & 1311 are seen working the 14.59 Eridge to Tunbridge Wells Central on the last day of public service. They will run wrong road through Grove Hill Tunnel to terminate at the Central as BR had shut Tonbridge to Tunbridge Wells Central for engineering works this weekend although had conceded people would come to pay their respects so doubled up the branch shuttle to a 6-car DEMU formation.
For a picture based on a poem - A-Shelling Peas by Harry Breaker Morant (114 Pictures in 2014 # 55 & 197/365 in 2014) See first comment box to find out about Harry.
"Now, all the world is green and bright
Outside the latticed pane;
The fields are decked with gold and white,
And Spring has come again.
But though the world be fair without,
With flow'rs and waving trees,
'Tis pleasanter to be about
Where Nell's a-shelling peas.
Her eyes are blue as cloudless skies,
And dimples deck her cheeks;
Whilst soft lights loiter in her eyes
Whene'er she smiles or speaks.
So all the sunlit morning-tide
I dally at mine ease,
To loaf at slender Nelly's side
When Nell's a-shelling peas.
This bard, who sits a-watching Nell,
With fingers white and slim,
Owns up that, as she breaks each shell,
She also "breaks up" him;
And could devoutly drop upon
Submissive, bended knees
To worship Nell with apron on -
A saint a-shelling peas.
The tucked-up muslin sleeves disclose
Her round arms white and bare -
'Tis only "shelling peas" that shows
Those dainty dimples there.
Old earth owns many sights to see
That captivate and please; -
The most bewitching sight for me
Is Nell a-shelling peas."
A rare sighting of this super rare, priceless and highly endangered (kena threaten) tailless cuckoo. Thought to be extinct at the turn of the century when one of these freak was sighted perching on a CB (chee bye) tree just outside Elvis's Pub (China Town, SG) on Independence Day in 1945. As far as records shown, this is the second sighting since the second world war, WWII. I'm sure there are more world wars ahead if this species continue to be sighted especially in SG and especially among the CB photographers here. The first sighting was however, in a faraway Jalan Bersar toilet a long long time ago, too long to remember and there's no point mentioning.
In fact this sensationally enigmatic bird is long suspected to be a close relative of a very strange thing called Archaeopteryx (missing link between dinosaur and modern bird. The anatomical characteristics between the 2 are almost identical except for one major difference in their respiratory system in which one take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide while the other take in money and expel laughing gas) this strange creature possess feathers just like a modern bird but with a mouth full of very sharp teeth just like the cuckoo shown above. The set of 32 sharp teeth always get the job done in amazing ways. Feathers first evolved as a means of temperature regulation, inadvertently providing the wonderful possibility of flight. A 200 million year old fossilized remains of this creature suggest that it possesses advanced flight feathers which bear close resemblance to the Long-legged bare-backed Cuckoo shown above and thus for sure it's able to fly like a housefly. It also shared many characteristics such as long sexy legs, bare back, 2 boobs, long hair, nice butt, nice smell, nice shape, tasty, crunchy, smooth complexion, contour body and most strikingly of all, able to stand on just 2 legs with or without heels. This is a clear indication that she is a bipedal vertebrate and having the ability to walk upright and wear dress. A far cry from its ancestors which could at the best of their ability only crawl in small circles on the floor and could fart a little bit along the way. But exactly at which stage of the evolutionary ladder when she starts to develop such unique and impressive characteristics remains unknown and often hotly debated among the brightest brains in the scientific community. One such bright sunny brain is Professor Humpty Dumpty from the University of Hornytown. He had devoted his entire life studying a 220 million year old fossilized remains and has make a startling discovery that the remains were actually leftover chicken bones from last night's dinner xyz***!!F__K!!KNN.
However it's hypothetically accepted that once the position of her butt had evolved sufficiently to line up with her skull within an angle of 13deg from her spine or in simple terms when all of her 206 bones have anatomically fall into their correct place to take the form of half a cuckoo she would begin to stand upright and able to walk and run in circles probably able to jump and sings twinkle twinkle little stars along the way. Fossilized records had showed that this happens around 135.25 million years ago and still happening today at 4pm. Incidentally, by looking at this bird you are watching evolution unfolding in real time right before your very eyes.
However, scientists are still missing 2 critical components needed to establish the link between the 2 creatures to be the same exact species....the elusive number 2 left butt cheek bone and the left nipple bone If anybody happen to come across these 2 missing items, please alert the ICI (International Cuckoo Institute) The 2 cuckoo scientists on duty will be glad to provide protocol on the handling of artifacts with great paleontological significance such as these.
Birds like this one is one of the immensely successful evolutional outcomes of nature, a cornerstone to the trail of life on the planet.
In the beginning of time (some 150 million to 220 million years ago), there was only one single most successful design of living thing on our primitive world known as the sexysaur. One fine day, this group of hopelessly overweight organism decided to go air borne. In order to achieve that, they dramatically reduced their size and started to develop wings and took flying lessons. The possibility of flight opens up numerous window of opportunities greatly enhancing the survival of the species and thus securing a successful path in the process of evolution. The ability to fly allows them to travel over great distances in short period of time to places otherwise unreachable in search of food or mate, sight seeing, look for loss pets, search for food court, or serve as quick getaway from nasty flightless debt collectors. The perfect strategy that results in the successful evolution of bird species in the world.
The Long-legged bare-backed Cuckoo display above is one of its success story for which she serves as a living testimony. No other species, subspecies, antispecies, funnyspecies or even nonspecies is as successful as this sexyspecies.
Those that did not buy the idea happily went extinct some 65million years ago (this group of idiots become known as the dinosaurs)
Those that took to the sky, took their success, secrets, tactics, riddles and technology with them. Those folks became the birds that we know today including the one shown above.
In fact, in the history of evolution, the earth has underwent not one but several mass extinction brought on by either very violent natural causes or of extra-terrestrial origin such as a massive asteroid impact. The most recent is 65 million years ago (in geological time scale is just about during the last Christmas when you are about to have the first bite of your favorite Christmas pie when a stone the size of a football stadium hit the earth with incredible devastating consequences). In that geological instance, the big boys dinosaurs are completely annihilated, leaving behind their descendants flying above us today and some left-over bones for us to ponder. Destructive and violent as it sounds but such occurrence actually accelerates and assist evolution by wiping out the out-of-date, out-of-fashion, out-of-steam, incorrigible, bossy, stingy, rude, smelly, noisy, inconsiderate, oversize, unreasonable, difficult to control, impossible to tame, obese, unfriendly, grumpy, uncooperative, busybody, potential terrorist, all talk no action, indecent, big bully and out-of-money dominant life forms and provide the possibility of diversification in the development of new and improved life forms or organism. Our very own existence is the eventual outcome of such destructive forces. Prior to this, we are just a bunch of noisy little apes wondering around the plains of Africa looking for berries to eat.
One burning riddle scientists are still trying to figure out is that why this particular cuckoo has taken evolution not 1 not 2 but hundred of steps further and go wingless yet fully capable of flight. Perhaps this is an adaptation to the strange combination of high sugar bubble tea/apple pie diet and the lack of horny ground predators in sg. Nevertheless, it's clear that birds have evolved from dinosaurs (some might have even developed from sexysaurs, a kind of horny dinosaur that refuse to be annihilated 65 million years ago despite being hit by a massive meteoroid from an amusement park across Wall street) and this bird has came a long way transforming from a 40 ft ferocious meat-eating T-rex to a bird-sized gentle bubble tea sucker.
Looking at the image, not much eye contact though. But back contact is not bad too. This one comes with my favorite original contour body, rosewood fretboard on maple neck, sexy G-string, synchronised tremolo and locking tuner by Fender. Wonder if she is a brood parasite. I certainly would not mind if she visit my nest, I would be more than happy to provide full gps coordinates of my nest : 3rd stone from the sun
Additional note :
130 million years of gradual speciation had resulted in a pair of long slender cuckoo legs that is covered with gorgeous fair smooth skin instead of scales found in other bird or bird-like species. This gives the animal a huge evolutionary advantage over a pair of stupid scaly legs. That would allows her to attract more horny male species resulting in higher number of nesting cycles, hence more offspring, especially horny female chicks..the more the better
This is the only cuckoo and for that matter the only bird species which spot the longest hair on the planet. These what looks like human pubic hair is in fact very fine strands of crystallized radioactive carbon 13.13 isotopes. The phenomenon is a result of a combination of factors. One such combination is the excessive exposure to male species not of her own kind during her most horny period.
This is a direct result of a hypothetical condition known as Reset Windup. In engineering term, Reset Windup is a situation whereby the cuckoo's brain is overloaded with corrupted data during an attempt to correct an excessive amount of error information accumulated in her hippocampus as a result of some serious horny misjudgment As a consequence, the inner lining of her skull's tissue is heated up by the contaminated fluid to extremely high temperature and pressure. In a response to such deadly situation, her brain would then starts to drain off the deadly sexy fluid thru' the follicles thus allowing the internal pressure to falls back to its normal level of 13000 PSI (Pound per Sexy Inch) at ambient temperature. Million of years of evolution has equipped this cuckoo with a super brain capable of processing tremendous amount of data in a very short period of time with self diagnostic, self troubleshooting, self stimulating and debugging function. This special abilities allow the cuckoo to correct the mentioned deadly condition incredibly fast thus protecting her brain from serious hardware, software as well as underwear injury. Otherwise she could be a mad cuckoo or worst, dead cuckoo with a living but very corrupted brain. For any other bird species, the result would be undoubtedly 100% fatal. Even panadol can't help either.
The sexy sticky yellowish fluid subsequently cools and crystallize into the black-colored hair-like particles suspended from her skull as shown in the image.
Anyway, regardless of the vast number of strange combination of factors, long hair is always better than no hair (botak) for this particular species..
A recent discovery of a set of fossilized upper jaw bone by Professor Robin Hoody (Swordsman University) lies buried for 200 million years
under a 7-Eleven store at Wall Street belonging to this species has revealed something extraordinary. At some point in its evolutionary past this creature has possessed something out of anybody’s imagination, venom yes 100% pure venom no joke.
It is evident by its 2 enlarged front teeth still attached to the jaw structure after 200 million years by a tiny piece of pre-historic Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum. It has evolved to generate and store huge amount of venom ready to inject into her lucky prey victim just for one single most important purpose, kill the bargirl.
Traces of fossilised DNA in her mouth indicates there are at least 2000 complex chemical components of various type of toxin in her venom composition.
Each component has evolved to perform a very specific task, some of which makes the victim laugh and dance in circles fully naked while others destroy the blood structure turning it into a thick straw berry chicken soup which halt blood flow resulting in a joyful death. Both methods are extremely effective in taking the lives out of its living victims
Together they form a very potent Hemotoxin cocktail cough syrup which design to kill its victim in miniseconds in one single bite sometimes 2, depending male or female sexually active prey.
How and why at one point in time this sweet and gentle creature has developed such a nasty defensive/offensive mechanism is still a subject of intense study and would remain so for the next 200 million years until some smart Alec comes along figure that out and comes up with a rational explanation follow by a possible resolution.
However, recent studies show that this creature has given up its deadly chemical weapon sometimes between 100million and 50million years ago for something that is less nasty and deadly, a pair of boob-like airbags which attached to her chest. (subsequently the patent for the generation of the deadly venom has been sold to Poseidon (sea god) which he then deploy on some of his cheeky sea creatures such as Cone Snail, Box Jellyfish and Blue ring octopus to kill innocent cold blooded prey items under the sea and is met with huge success as a result of its extreme toxicity which could deliver instant death to their victims. They would become the world's most venomous animals. There are plans to expand its venom producing plants to China taking advantage of its cheap labour and free WIFI.
The reason for that is largely due to the extreme seasonal/environmental change which has impacted the behavior of her aggressive fast moving prey items. The greenhouse effect has caused her prey items to become more sluggish, stupid, lazy, groggy, grumpy, inconsiderate, abusive, unreasonable and most importantly loses their ability to run fast which eventually lead to their demise. (this is exactly
what 's happening to us currently)
As such, advance predator such as this female cuckoo, which is designed to be predatory at that moment in the evolutionary history also changes her predatory instinct. She can then focus her energy into more mating cycles instead of wasting her resources to generate venom of such complexity to bite and kill fast running sexy preys which has became obsolete since. Instead of biting her victim to death she seduce them to die for her. This method only works on male prey items for obvious reasons. Concurrently, she also give up the idea of large prey predation and devote to eat something more manageable in size such as tiny worms and occasionally a Big Mac or 2.
The male cuckoo however, is non-predatory from the very beginning of time and only eats fresh buttercake and drink lukewarm pure pussy juice.
highlight :
The absence of the usual tail feathers has revealed an extraordinary appealing organ which is usually well hidden from sight known as a butt and it grab me by the throat. This piece of juicy, extremely elastic, hand woven, shiny, safe-to-use, easy to wash, irresistible, often unusable, machine washable, microwave safe, warm & smooth, carefully calibrated, 100% sterilized, tasty, sometimes slightly salty, highly aromatic, at times problematic, robust, extremely stable, low in fats, high in proteins, low in cholesterol, sugar free, mostly playable, top quality, reliable, highly maneuverable, a little bit tricky, insect-resistant, a little bit slippery, weather resistant, water proof, solid and at the same time soft to touch organ (wish my bolster has all these qualities) allow her to sit comfortably on the eggs during incubation period and simultaneously preventing her from falling out of the nest when she farts in her sleep. Usually Cuckoo would build their nest more than 3 meters up on the tree and as such, this job is considered to be working at height. Risk assessment must be carried out and PPE (personal protective equipment) such as safety harness, hard hat, safety goggles, ear protection, safety pussy shoes, super glue, luggage bags, tooth pick, sun block, ladder, fishnet stocking, perfume, tampon, reader digest, fire extinguisher, speargun, shopping bag, manicure, moisturizer, hamburger, 7-up and parachute is required by law. However, in view of her super ass which is also a shock absorber and a pair of boob-like tissue which double as a parachute, she is well exempted from all safety equipment including toilet roll. It also has a build-in AI temperature and pressure control system which intelligently adjust to the optimal settings in the course of the incubation period for best comfort, stability, safety, gas exchange and heat transfer. Another amazing feature is that it can be programmed to switch off when the butt is not in use for incubation during which it can be used for other more functional purposes such as attracting a mate, for hire or just showing off.
Hence, this multifunctional multicoloured butt is indeed a staggering marvel of engineering bearing the hallmark of a product from nature manufactured to the highest quality and safety level which surpass all standards set by horny mankind
If you wish to have one installed, please contact Dr Hairy Cock mobile 88813888
Just in case you can't reach him. Just drop by at his workshop located at no. 13 Manymorecocks Street. He is sure in, 24/7. There in his ISO certified, digitally hygienic, explosion proof, terrorist-free, tax free, high-security, air-tight, earthquake-proof, anti-tsunami, mold-free, worry-free, cyber secured laboratory, you can find him busy at his work dismantling, assembling, designing and constructing a wide range of butts for an endless range of applications. His latest project which I'm not supposed to tell is a space butt mounted on a cuckoo just like the one display above and send the entire package to Mars. This highly classified scientific experiment is to test out the theory of cuckoo colonization in another planet outside of our own. In addition, the program is also design to seek out the origins of the Martians. Where do all these idiots would possibly come from? Have they evolved from kind of strange ancient microbial life or imported from another screw-up planet by some screw-up aliens on holiday and how they manage to evolve so unsuccessfully to become the present day Martians living in such a hostile place with no air, no water, no shops, no food court, no casino, no WIFI, no YouTube, no convenient stalls, no porn, no where to go except hiding under thick layers of red sand waiting for a sexy earth cuckoo to drop by once every few million years.
Unlike mother earth where we are all too familiar with, Mars has yet to install an atmospheric curtain around the red planet due to budget constraints of the stingy Martians. Without which, the cuckoo from earth would not survive for long no matter how good is her mating and incubating skills. No air means dead cuckoo. In order to overcome that, the future Mars cuckoo would need to evolve to develop a self- sustaining internal oxygen compartment which allows the generation and storage of oxygen gas. The solution, to convert her 2 existing boob-like organs into gas chambers each capable of storing 50 tons of O2 gas with provisions to generate and store an additional 50mg of Nitrogen/hydrogen sulfide mixture, 2.5mg of horny gas and a little laughing gas as well. With the well-thought system in place, we never need to depend on the cunning Martians for air. They overcharge every time. One major engineering problem pin down but still thousands more to go.
Another major issue is the lovely solar winds from the sun.
Without a magnetic curtain (generated by the earth's core) to repel them just like mother earth does, the deadly UV rays, cosmic rays, X rays, grandma rays, grandpa rays, stink rays, funny rays and a whole range of high energy nasty charged particles will soon strip the cuckoo external plumage exposing her naked body. That would prove fatal not for the cuckoo but for the Martians. The Martians for the longest time have never seen a naked cuckoo before and that would certainly blow their minds turning them into headless Mars bars. They must find a solution to this sticky problem fast otherwise the 2 remaining martians would be annihilated staring at the naked cuckoo all day long with the solar wind gently blowing.
However, this cuckoo has one super trick up her sleeve. Not only does her 2 boob-like organs able to generate and store gases they also double as electromagnetic flux generators. The resultant sexy magnetic field forms a cocoon-like shield wrapping all around her, protecting her fragile body from the deadly solar winds radiate from the sun's surface especially during a sunspot when the radiation is at its peak.
Apart from the protective function, the magnetic flux also create a spectacle of colorful aurora called Assrora in the region around her ass. This is a result of the intense magnetic forces interacting with the highly active stream of chemically complex mixture of gases exiting her bottom especially after a heavy meal of garlic and anions. At times, bright streaks of lightning can also be seen resulting from the excessive build-up of cheeky-charged particles discharging to the ground below follow by a series of ass splitting banshee screams.
Final conclusion :
Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace both came up with the Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection independently. Hat off to you guys.
Both are immensely successful in the development of their "The Origin Of Species" thesis thru keen observations of the natural world.
(but that did not shed light on why my boss crucified me for an incompetency that i never agree during the course of work despite after working diligently for half a million years. I am completely devastated. It's like a bullet thru' my brain. They forced me to take over a super hot potato and swallow it without a single drop of water, that really hunts. But life have to go on. I pray that one day justice will prevail and cleanse my name )
Sadly, both somehow missed this cuckoo. Has Alfred Wallace discovered this cuckoo during his field trip here in 1854 things will never be the same.
This cuckoo would provide all the materials he needs to formulate his theory and the answers to all the intriguing questions that he is dying to know about the origins of species and will undoubtedly be way ahead of Charles in that regards.
He would be able to see this cuckoo evolving right before his teary eyes in real time which otherwise would take millions of years, too slowly to be observed, study and recorded by any living human being.
Observing this cuckoo in real time doing the real things is like travel back in time doing the fake things. The technological innovations that nature has put into this bird is simply mind blogging. Such example is the transformation of the black bill into a CBlips, the boob-like objects in disguise, the extraordinary butt, from rock to rocket, from wings to no wings to chicken wings, from feather to fair skin, from bird-eyes to human-like eyes, from bird smell to sexy smell, from scaly legs to sexy legs, from dinosaur to sexysaur last and not least the state-of-the-art Fart propulsion system. In order to fully digest all her natural wonders of evolution, he probably have to dissect this human-like cuckoo to have a detailed look of her from the inside, outside and backside. I’m sure he is able to unlock more secrets and unravel more mysteries about this cuckoo and for that matter evolution itself. I’m sure he would exclaim after a detailed analysis of this cuckoo …damn it, this thing is a super delight...and damn hot !
This will also shed light on how other species evolve, half evolve, strangely evolve, little bit evolve, anyhow evolve or successfully fail to evolve. Evolution as we know today will never be the same again. All the books on evolution that we know about will have to be re-written for the sake of one bird, the Long-legged bare-backed tailless Cuckoo....sweat !
(have a good look at the specimen shown above. However, for safety reasons male reader is advised not to pay too much attention at one particular highly evolved piece of hardware known as the butt. It was reported that a curious male reader has suffered a phenomenon called pulsating eye-ball syndrome after having stared at the arousing object for 13mins straight without blinking leading to a massive short-circuiting of the brain cells which in turn causes the affected eye-balls to expand and contract at an alarming rate. If the condition is not treated promptly, the eye-ball would invariably turn into fish-balls)
In the image, there is a red color pillar with a grey color onion shaped object situated at the left side of the cuckoo. This strange looking structure is actually a mini nuclear missile which runs on radioactive plutonium13.13. Its function, however is not to deliver a massive destructive force to its enemy but to serve as a quick getaway transportation for the cuckoo in distress.
In the event of an emergency such as uncontrollable large scale fire or a horrible horny riot that ever to break out in the vicinity , this wingless cuckoo would then be able to jump onto the device right away, hold it tight like a bolster and launch herself away from any imminent dangers by licking the onion vigorously. A perfect escape strategy.
The last time a cuckoo ever try this out is yesterday 4pm when a stray exploding firecracker drop 4ft away trigger a responsive reaction. The cuckoo immediately swing into action and ride on the damn thing. The missile take off successfully saving the cuckoo's life. However, at 10,000ft in the air, the combustion chamber, a major component of the device suddenly blow up due to excessive temperature build up and blow the poor cuckoo's ass into 13 pieces. The cause of the incident was traced to a pair of faulty 'o' ring which served to isolate the cuckoo's fart gases from coming into contact with the rocket fuel source of highly compressed laughing gas.
The mixing of these gases created an phenomenon known as Shaky-ass where the highly excited male air molecules build up inside the cuckoo's butt starts to vibrate so violently that it leads to the catastrophic breakup of her ass. She survived the incident after having her badly damaged ass sew up in the Smithsonian Institution's gift shop. The repair job takes over a month to complete during which the out-of-action cuckoo is confined to doing blowjob. To blow away the curious Big-eye flies which gather around her injured butt just to watch.
To prevent such tragedy from happening again, it is mandatory for all female wingless cuckoo species to install titanium heat shield to protect their butt. As from yesterday, under the bizSAFE WSH regulation those cuckoo which deem vulnerable to the potentially fatal Shaky-ass condition and do not have sufficient protection for their asset will have their butt confiscated by the long and horny arms of the law. The better quality butts would then be used to installed in sex toys for the cuckoo sex industries to boost the declining birth rate. The resulting buttless cuckoo which have lost their sexual appeal to their male counterparts will have to be scraped or convert to sex slaves for a group of very horny male hyena in the singapore zoo and to be consumed as snack then after.
I'm not too sure if this particular cuckoo conform to the specific requirement unless an intimate butt inspection is being carry out to determine if the protective shield is of the right material and dimension to offer full protection to the entire butt and not half a butt or quaterbutt
For new installation, please contact Mr Hairy Maniac at 999111
For repairs/overhaul/replacement or unconditional sniffing contact Mr Spill Gates at $$$$123
For spare parts, you seriously run out of luck
One final and most important note (I promise) :
Cuckoo species are infamous for their brood parasitic behavior. Most cuckoo parents would leave their parental duties from incubating the eggs to feeding their own young
entirely to another species If this young cuckoo chick needs help, I won't mind to feed this hot freak until she is mature enough, tame enough, wild enough, hot enough, cheeky enough to fend for herself and at the same time providing her with the best TLC I could afford to give this poor chick a head start in life.
But please don't tell my wife about it....otherwise the consequence is unimaginable. I'll be put into an exceptional evolutionary transition transforming from a human being into a single cell organism in a brink of an eye. Literally nothing left.
The story of CB leaf :
According to historical records which date back to the early days of the SAF (sg army). Soldiers were strongly discouraged from using a particular type of plant for camouflage purpose in the course of field craft training. It was green and it was big and best of all it looked like a pussy. It was extremely hard for your enemies NOT to spot you from miles away because you looked just like a gigantic green moving pussy.
This is the infamous CB leaf. scientific name : Chee Bye leaf, common name : simpoh air plant
uncommon name : plant more leaves
Christian name : Chai tow kway (fried carrotcake) leaf
Hokkien name : CB leaf also
Cantonese name : also CB leaf
Malay name : CB leaf sama sama
Alternative name of the plant around the globe :
Indian name : roti prata curry leaf
Japanese name : Love that pussy leaf
Chinese name : make more pussy leaf
European name : eat the pussy leaf
American name : play that funky pussy leaf (til you die .......♫♫ ♪)
North Korean name : Rocket pussy leaf
Martian name : space pussy leaf
Mexican name : hot pussy leaf
Russian name : freeze pussy leaf
African name : Serengeti pussy leaf
Australian name : Kangaroo pussy leaf / Down under got pussy leaf
Thai name : Tom Yum pussy
Singapore name : Chilli pussy crab
Terrorist name : bomb that pussy
English name : pussywillow
Hungary name : Budapussy
Italian name : Pastapussy
Mongolia name : Magnolia icepussy
James Bond name : Octopussy leaf
Musical name : Pussy note in F major (with accidental)
Airplane name : Fly Pussy Fly
IT name : Fire Pussy Wall
Vacation name : Annual pussy leave
Technological name : acute erotic Pussification misalignment
Medical name : unkeratinized stratified squamous - epithelium......nevermind
Family name : Miss Pussy Leaf
WI-FI name : pussy 5G
Nickname : Lan Jiao (Lan bird)
Hieroglyphic name : dunno how to read
Fakename : Pussy Sham Leaf
Brandname : Brand essence of Pussy
Atomic name : Uranium Pussy 235 Leaf
Roadname : Missy Pussy street
Story name : 3 little pussy pigs
Ancient name : Rivers Of Babylon(there we sat down)
Alcoholic name : Johnnie Woker black pussy label.
Song name : Stairway To Heaven (Dazed and confused)
Band name : ZZ TOP (just got back from pussy's)
Astronomy name : Milky pussy way
Botanical name : Bellis perennis pussykickapoo
Biblical name : Caiaphas&pilate_Q_gsus
Technical name : Electromagnetic pussy excitation
Guitar name : Fender stratocaster vs Gibson les pussy
Biology name : multicellular pussycitation
Cosmology name : Supermassive black hole (there is one in every galaxy including ours. There is one found in our company known as the BOSS or more appropriately SMAH (SuperMassive AssHole)
Mystery name : Shroud of Turin. relics of Crucifixion & resurrection of the Lord.
Electrical name : High tension busbar juice
Arabic name : ساق طويلة كس زهرة
Electronic name : VLSI (Very Large Sexy Integration)
Archaeological name : Archaic pussy
Baby name : Cinderella, little glass pussy
Hebrew name : נֶחְמָד מודיע אלמוני flou(-ə)r
Thai name : ดอกไม้ หี
Surname : Ah Lian (aka pussy lian)
SG Lockdown name : Circuit Breaker, stay home stay safe, stay D (steady).
Controversy name : Documentary Hypothesis
Lost gospel name : Q source oral tradition
...
extra info :
This is a female featherless bird species (male species has got absolutely no interesting features and therefore nut thing worthy to talk about)
Only 4 species known to have existed in this world.
I got 3 of them and the forth one is still at large.
Believe to be hiding in a place far far away. A place so remote that even MRT+LRT+SBS bus can't reach.
I'm determined to track her down one day, shoot her and post her in flickr backside....i mean ...website.
What actually happened :
This group of people/photographer together with their supposedly hired model came by while I was busy shooting the Stork-billed Kingfisher hunting beside a small pond.
Out of nowhere a lady came over accusing me for trying to shoot their model and thus scaring her demanding me to move off from the area. I was rather taken aback and pissed off at her rude remarks. I then reminded her that this was a public place. I shoot my bird while you guys shoot your model. In fact I think the appearance of this huge group of people really impacted my photography.
It was at this moment that I decided to do exactly what they were accusing me.....shoot their fucking model !
A subject that was last on my list. I turn my lens away from the king and started framing this girl which I soon found her to be more appealing than my kingfisher. (Damn it I should have devoted my time shooting girls instead!)
Later, while I was reviewing the pics that I decided to do a write-up on this rather unexpected encounter. Inject a little humor, married it with a little avian flavor, spice it up with a little archaeological excitement, mix it with some astronomical reasoning, stir it with a bit of engineering logic, fix it with a dose of interplanetary space exploration, sprinkle with lots of nonsensical bullshit and turn it into something amusing.
100KV 07092018 1550
200KV 20122018 0808
300KV 24022019 2200
400kv 29052019 0100
500kv 01092019 0100
600kv 27022020 0100
700kv 12032021 0100
800kv 08042022 0100
1006022 25062024 0849
Dear friend, here are 5 things you should know:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
Sincerely,
Someone who cares about you
~ Arne Garborg, in the opening chapter of the book Fred (“Peace”) in 1892 ~
For twelve years I’ve lived in the beautiful Norwegian region called Jæren – known for its flat lowland area and the long and beautiful sandy beaches (and some pebble beaches) along the coastline. But in only two weeks I’ll move back to the island I’m from, 2,5 hours by car from here. My feelings about this are really ambivalent.. Both places are so beautiful and I have so many good friends both places.
This summer the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation is sailing along the long coastline of Norway, making TV shows from the villages and towns where they stop. At daytime we can watch their ship’s journey on TV.
Today they sailed along the coast of Jæren, and I really felt in my stomach how I’ll miss this beautiful scenery where I love to spend time outside.
-------------------
MORE OF THIS TEXT BY ARNE GARBORG, in both English and Norwegian, describing this beautiful part of Norway (it’s a long but beautiful text):
“Outside in the west the sea breaks upon a low, sandy beach of more than forty miles. It is the sea itself, the North Sea broad and free, unbroken and unbent, endless. Black-green and briny it comes rolling in mighty waves from the Northern Ice and the English Channel, driving its white-maned horses of breakers forth from the ocean fog till they froth with rage, while it roars its deep, eternal organ note from the utmost abysses. Then it throws itself against the shore and is shattered into a white foam, with bumps and thumps and long, thundering crashes, dying at last in a dull boom.
Up from the low, sandy beach there stretches a poor, greyish land, with heather-brown hills and pale moors, strewn with mighty boulders, treeless and bare, barred towards the east by a long row of low ridges. Endless the naked heath seems to be. But here and there it is enlivened by the blue of a solitary tarn growing over with weeds, or by a great, still lake. Here the wind is soughing by day and by night. And the grey mist hangs low over the moor, where the hare flees from boulder to boulder, and all sorts of brown and speckled wild fowl lie in their hidden nests, winking and dozing.
Over everything the sky spans wide and gray, from the mountain farm to the ocean and that one barely sees - the only bright thing over the existence – one can see it wherever one goes. Full of clouds and storms it almost always hangs. Sometimes it drifts to the ground and sweeps the country in rain and mist like a tablecloth. And it rains and rains until the land floods.
Here and there on the hills and the slopes low houses huddle together, as if seeking shelter. In the misty air they half disappear as if by a spell, or wrap themselves in peat smoke and sea fog as in a dream; closed and still they lie along the waste like elfish abodes. Around the houses you may discern pale green patches of meadow and cornfield like islets in the vast heat; every bit and corner is enclosed and girdled with long dykes of stone.
In such homes do the people live.
They are a strong, heavy people, working their way through life by pondering and labour, delving the earth and searching the Scriptures, tormenting the sand until it yields grain and their dreams until they yield hope, putting their faith in the penny and their trust in God.”
---------
"Utanfor, i vest, bryt havet på mot ei sju milir lang låg sandstrand. Det er sjølve havet, Nordhavet, breidt og fritt, ukløyvt og utøymt, endelaust, svartgrønt og salt kjem det i veldig rulling veltande inn or dei vestlege himlar, drivi av storstormane frå Nordisen og Kanalen, køyrande sine fakskvite brimhestar fram or havskodda, so skumskavlen stend, durande sin djupe æveheims orgeltone frå dei ytste avgrunnar. So støyper det seg mot strandi og krasar seg sund i kvit foss, med dunk og dyn og lange brak, døyande burt i døyvt dunder.
Upp frå den låge sandstrandi tøygjer seg eit armt, grått land med lyngbrune bakkar og bleike myrar, yvi-sått med kampestein, trelaust og berrt, avstengt mot aust med en lang, låg fjellgard. Endelaus synest den nakne hei. Men her og der blånar ei ensleg tjønn, som ligg og gror att, eller eit stort, stilt vatn. Her susar vinden dag og natt. Og gråveret ligg lågt yvi viddi, der haren rømer frå stein til stein og allslags brun og spettut og vill fugl ligg i løynde reir og blinkar og blundar.
Yvi det heile spanar himilen seg vid og grå, frå fjellgarden til havs og so vidt ein ser - det einaste ljose yvi tilværet - den hev ein for augo kvar ein gjeng. Full av skyir og storm heng han mest alltid. Stundom sig han åt jordi og sveiper landet i regn og skodd som i ein duk. Og det regner og regner til landet fløymer.
Her og der uppetter bakkar og res kryp låge hus ihop i småkrullar som søkjande livd. I den tette lufti hildrar dei seg halvt burt, sveiper seg i torvrøyk og havdis som i ein draum, stengde og stille ligg dei burtetter viddine som tusseheimar. Rundt husi skimtar det fram bleike grøne flekkir av åker og eng som øyar i lyngviddi, kvar bite og kvar lepp er avstengd og innlødd med steingjerde som lange røysir.
I desse heimane bur folket.
Det er eit sterkt, tungt folk, som grev seg gjennom livet med gruvling og slit, putlar med jordi og granskar skrifti, piner korn av aur`en og von av sine draumar, trur på skillingen og trøyster seg til Gud."
Gentleman with Bond Services of California T-shirt and his significant other relax at the end of the pier while Dr. Michael J. Reed’s 46-foot catamaran Rum Doxy passes by. According to Nathan Bailey’s 1736 “Dictionary of Cant and English Slang (a Collection of the Canting Words and Terms, both ancient and modern, used by Beggars, Gypsies, Cheats, House-Breakers, Shop-Lifters, Foot-Pads, Highway-Men, &c)”, Rum Doxy meant “a beautiful woman, or light lady”...
this is my first time posting some usage from my AB 800! (its yellow) yayyyy strobism. at 1/8 of power, bare. i even have a light meter to cheat >=) really fun and i can't wait to use it more often.
yesterday was a good barrier breaker for me. and i'm glad some things that were left unsaid, are now said.
hope you are all enjoying the holiday season still!
Dear friend, here are 5 things you should know:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
Sincerely,
Someone who cares about you
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
[Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
For two magical months, the pandemic closed the beach on the Long Beach Peninsula to vehicular traffic. Even then, some "freedom lovin'" Trumpers had to act out by liberating the sands, as shown above, but most of the time the beach was as pristine to the naked eye as it has been in many decades.
The beach was transformed almost overnight. Gone were the tire tracks that slashed the sand and defaced the beach. There wasn't a pickup truck in sight. The seagulls basked peacefully in the afternoon sun by the side of the stream.
The authorities re-opened the beach on May 19. Yesterday, which was Memorial Weekend Saturday, the beach was a zoo. The beach sands were a mess of tire tracks going every which way. Engine noise competed with the timeless sound of the breakers. Where the seagulls used to sun themselves there was just an expanse of bare beach.
I am looking forward to midweek when the beach might look more like it did when I took this photo on May 6.
Парк Сказок в посёлке Совхоз им. Ленина.
Theme park in "Lenin Soviet State Farm" near Moscow, Russia. The park's theme is russian tales. This figures and dioramas are based on Alexander Pushkin fairy tale "Ruslan and Ludmila".
An oak tree greening by the ocean;
A golden chain about it wound:
Whereon a learned cat, in motion
Both day and night, will walk around;
On walking right, he sings a ditty;
On walking left, he tells a lay.
A magic place: there winds his way
The wood sprite, there's a mermaid sitting
In branches, there on trails past knowing
Are tracks of beasts you never met;
On chicken feet a hut is set
With neither door nor window showing.
There wood and dale with wonders teem;
At dawn of day the breakers stream
Upon the bare and barren lea,
And thirty handsome armored heroes
File from the waters' shining mirrors,
With them the Usher from the Sea.
There glimpse a prince, and in his passing
He makes the dreaded tsar his slave;
Aloft, before the people massing,
Across the wood, across the wave,
A warlock bears a warrior brave;
A grieving princess in a cell,
And faithful wolf that serves her well;
See Baba Yaga's mortar glide
All of itself, with her astride.
There droops Kashchey, on treasure bent;
There's Russian spirit... Russia's scent!
And there I stayed, and drank of mead;
That oak tree greening by the shore
I sat beneath, and of his lore
The learned cat would chant and read.
(IMG_20151226_190154_ON1)
Диорама в Парке Сказок, посёлок Совхоз им. Ленина.
Theme park in "Lenin Soviet State Farm" near Moscow, Russia. The park's theme is russian tales. This figures and dioramas are based on Alexander Pushkin fairy tale "Ruslan and Ludmila".
An oak tree greening by the ocean;
A golden chain about it wound:
Whereon a learned cat, in motion
Both day and night, will walk around;
On walking right, he sings a ditty;
On walking left, he tells a lay.
A magic place: there winds his way
The wood sprite, there's a mermaid sitting
In branches, there on trails past knowing
Are tracks of beasts you never met;
On chicken feet a hut is set
With neither door nor window showing.
There wood and dale with wonders teem;
At dawn of day the breakers stream
Upon the bare and barren lea,
And thirty handsome armored heroes
File from the waters' shining mirrors,
With them the Usher from the Sea.
There glimpse a prince, and in his passing
He makes the dreaded tsar his slave;
Aloft, before the people massing,
Across the wood, across the wave,
A warlock bears a warrior brave;
A grieving princess in a cell,
And faithful wolf that serves her well;
See Baba Yaga's mortar glide
All of itself, with her astride.
There droops Kashchey, on treasure bent;
There's Russian spirit... Russia's scent!
And there I stayed, and drank of mead;
That oak tree greening by the shore
I sat beneath, and of his lore
The learned cat would chant and read.
(IMG_20151226_185421_ON1)
A wrecking yard (Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian English), scrapyard (Irish and British English) or junkyard (American English) is the location of a business in dismantling where wrecked or decommissioned vehicles are brought, their usable parts are sold for use in operating vehicles, while the unusable metal parts, known as scrap metal parts, are sold to metal-recycling companies.
Other terms include wreck yard, wrecker's yard, salvage yard, breakers yard, dismantler and scrapheap. In the United Kingdom, car salvage yards are known as car breakers, while motorcycle salvage yards are known as bike breakers. In Australia, they are often referred to as 'Wreckers'.
The most common type of wreck yards are automobile wreck yards, but junkyards for motorcycles, bicycles, small airplanes and boats exist too.
Many salvage yards operate on a local level—when an automobile is severely damaged, has malfunctioned beyond repair, or not worth the repair, the owner may sell it to a junkyard; in some cases—as when the car has become disabled in a place where derelict cars are not allowed to be left—the car owner will pay the wrecker to haul the car away.
Salvage yards also buy most of the wrecked, derelict and abandoned vehicles that are sold at auction from police impound storage lots,and often buy vehicles from insurance tow yards as well.
The salvage yard will usually tow the vehicle from the location of its purchase to the yard, but occasionally vehicles are driven in. At the salvage yard the automobiles are typically arranged in rows, often stacked on top of one another.
Some yards keep inventories in their offices, as to the usable parts in each car, as well as the car's location in the yard. Many yards have computerized inventory systems. About 75% of any given vehicle can be recycled and used for other goods.
In recent years it is becoming increasingly common to use satellite part finder services to contact multiple salvage yards from a single source.
In the 20th century these were call centres that charged a premium rate for calls and compiled a facsimile that was sent to various salvage yards so they could respond directly if the part was in stock. Many of these are now Web-based with requests for parts being e-mailed instantly.
A wrecking yard (Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian English), scrapyard (Irish and British English) or junkyard (American English) is the location of a business in dismantling where wrecked or decommissioned vehicles are brought, their usable parts are sold for use in operating vehicles, while the unusable metal parts, known as scrap metal parts, are sold to metal-recycling companies.
Other terms include wreck yard, wrecker's yard, salvage yard, breakers yard, dismantler and scrapheap. In the United Kingdom, car salvage yards are known as car breakers, while motorcycle salvage yards are known as bike breakers. In Australia, they are often referred to as 'Wreckers'.
The most common type of wreck yards are automobile wreck yards, but junkyards for motorcycles, bicycles, small airplanes and boats exist too.
Many salvage yards operate on a local level—when an automobile is severely damaged, has malfunctioned beyond repair, or not worth the repair, the owner may sell it to a junkyard; in some cases—as when the car has become disabled in a place where derelict cars are not allowed to be left—the car owner will pay the wrecker to haul the car away.
Salvage yards also buy most of the wrecked, derelict and abandoned vehicles that are sold at auction from police impound storage lots,and often buy vehicles from insurance tow yards as well.
The salvage yard will usually tow the vehicle from the location of its purchase to the yard, but occasionally vehicles are driven in. At the salvage yard the automobiles are typically arranged in rows, often stacked on top of one another.
Some yards keep inventories in their offices, as to the usable parts in each car, as well as the car's location in the yard. Many yards have computerized inventory systems. About 75% of any given vehicle can be recycled and used for other goods.
In recent years it is becoming increasingly common to use satellite part finder services to contact multiple salvage yards from a single source.
In the 20th century these were call centres that charged a premium rate for calls and compiled a facsimile that was sent to various salvage yards so they could respond directly if the part was in stock. Many of these are now Web-based with requests for parts being e-mailed instantly.
Jasmine my ethereal girl. Jasmine is very much enjoying having us home 24/7 since 3/5. I am starting to learn how to groom my dogs. I used to 35 yrs. ago. Never was good at it, but. . . Then early arthritis in my hands and back led me to seek out professional grooming. Now I am too high risk to take the chance of going out. So, I have an Oster with a 10 blade and started out by doing my dogs' faces. That I always have been able to do sort of ok. But the rest. . . . I have ordered a 4F blade for the rest of their body. I am ordering a dremel for their nails. Got a tool to remove ear hair, etc. Lots to learn. A lilttle every day. So far so good.
I had the foresight to get both dogs trimmed way down on 3/4, except for their tails, ears and top of head. Normally,, I keep them fairly long. I think I can manage this. We shall see. Jasmine and Jake are such good company. We are all happy together, and are fortunate to live in the Florida Keys with good weather, and a lovely view. Our small house feels cozy and open.
Jasmine is learning to walk on her hind legs more upon command.
Our community was a poster child for what not to do when a coronavirus tsunami is about to descend. Go ahead and welcome spring breakers and tourists, throw big parties and have crowded festivals, and modify nothing. Keep all the hotels and restaurans open until 3/21. Grrr. We are high risk so we are not happy with all the tourists and spring breakers that crowded into our small village. This was the worst and most crowded spring break ever. I think many other places were already closed, so people came here. Our County and State and country had the science, data and knowledge and did not keep us safe. We shall see what happens. I can't change the past. At least there are now some protections in place, but our state is STILL not in lockdown. I am concerned for our future here.
I have been way too busy writing letters and advocating for folowing the science and protections. We have had success, but weeks too late. I fear the window of opportunity was missed. I hope not. Maybe we can still squeak by. Such minimal testing that our numbers are meaningless, accept for the growing hospitalizations in a small county with maybe 17 ICU beds, and very few beds period. No apparent plans to deal with this. Grrr.
Finally our county did put up checkpoints on the only two roads into the Florida Keys. It may sound unfair to others But our "survival infrastructure" (hospitals, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc.) are very limited. We do not have enough resources even for our own local population. Our grocery store shelves have been totally bare until the last few days when finally many others were prevented from coming here. People from Miami were coming to shop in our stores and cleaned us out. Perhpas they were coming for other things too, although everything else was closed. 1700 cars have been turned away. Why were these people trying to come, when there was a big sign saying residents and property owners only and those with jobs in essential businesses still open? It's scary to think about.
We have all sorts of strange new people now living in our community. No idea who they are. I am sure people thought this was a great place to ride out the virus, and found rentals somehow (which were supposed to be shut down.) Can't blame them. But tons of extra people put too much stress on our grocery stores and our medical system.
What a new journey we are all on.
Taken and uploaded 3/31/20, 2020 03 31 22 ar72 Dnai D JakeJasmine-3010149 (1 of 1)
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Парк Сказок в посёлке Совхоз им. Ленина.
Theme park in "Lenin Soviet State Farm" near Moscow, Russia. The park's theme is russian tales. This figures and dioramas are based on Alexander Pushkin fairy tale "Ruslan and Ludmila".
An oak tree greening by the ocean;
A golden chain about it wound:
Whereon a learned cat, in motion
Both day and night, will walk around;
On walking right, he sings a ditty;
On walking left, he tells a lay.
A magic place: there winds his way
The wood sprite, there's a mermaid sitting
In branches, there on trails past knowing
Are tracks of beasts you never met;
On chicken feet a hut is set
With neither door nor window showing.
There wood and dale with wonders teem;
At dawn of day the breakers stream
Upon the bare and barren lea,
And thirty handsome armored heroes
File from the waters' shining mirrors,
With them the Usher from the Sea.
There glimpse a prince, and in his passing
He makes the dreaded tsar his slave;
Aloft, before the people massing,
Across the wood, across the wave,
A warlock bears a warrior brave;
A grieving princess in a cell,
And faithful wolf that serves her well;
See Baba Yaga's mortar glide
All of itself, with her astride.
There droops Kashchey, on treasure bent;
There's Russian spirit... Russia's scent!
And there I stayed, and drank of mead;
That oak tree greening by the shore
I sat beneath, and of his lore
The learned cat would chant and read.
(IMG_20151226_190059_ON1)
I realize that the focus is not on my face..
I love that. The way that it is just intrigues me.
Besides, who says you have to follow 'rules' anyway?
Sixth day. 359 to go.
A wrecking yard (Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian English), scrapyard (Irish and British English) or junkyard (American English) is the location of a business in dismantling where wrecked or decommissioned vehicles are brought, their usable parts are sold for use in operating vehicles, while the unusable metal parts, known as scrap metal parts, are sold to metal-recycling companies.
Other terms include wreck yard, wrecker's yard, salvage yard, breakers yard, dismantler and scrapheap. In the United Kingdom, car salvage yards are known as car breakers, while motorcycle salvage yards are known as bike breakers. In Australia, they are often referred to as 'Wreckers'.
The most common type of wreck yards are automobile wreck yards, but junkyards for motorcycles, bicycles, small airplanes and boats exist too.
Many salvage yards operate on a local level—when an automobile is severely damaged, has malfunctioned beyond repair, or not worth the repair, the owner may sell it to a junkyard; in some cases—as when the car has become disabled in a place where derelict cars are not allowed to be left—the car owner will pay the wrecker to haul the car away.
Salvage yards also buy most of the wrecked, derelict and abandoned vehicles that are sold at auction from police impound storage lots,and often buy vehicles from insurance tow yards as well.
The salvage yard will usually tow the vehicle from the location of its purchase to the yard, but occasionally vehicles are driven in. At the salvage yard the automobiles are typically arranged in rows, often stacked on top of one another.
Some yards keep inventories in their offices, as to the usable parts in each car, as well as the car's location in the yard. Many yards have computerized inventory systems. About 75% of any given vehicle can be recycled and used for other goods.
In recent years it is becoming increasingly common to use satellite part finder services to contact multiple salvage yards from a single source.
In the 20th century these were call centres that charged a premium rate for calls and compiled a facsimile that was sent to various salvage yards so they could respond directly if the part was in stock. Many of these are now Web-based with requests for parts being e-mailed instantly.
The two water cups she's holding cover her bare breasts, at a refueling station alongside the Bay to Breakers course.
Parked trailer full of crushed cars ready for their final journey to the recycling plant.
A wrecking yard (Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian English), scrapyard (Irish and British English) or junkyard (American English) is the location of a business in dismantling where wrecked or decommissioned vehicles are brought, their usable parts are sold for use in operating vehicles, while the unusable metal parts, known as scrap metal parts, are sold to metal-recycling companies.
Other terms include wreck yard, wrecker's yard, salvage yard, breakers yard, dismantler and scrapheap. In the United Kingdom, car salvage yards are known as car breakers, while motorcycle salvage yards are known as bike breakers. In Australia, they are often referred to as 'Wreckers'.
The most common type of wreck yards are automobile wreck yards, but junkyards for motorcycles, bicycles, small airplanes and boats exist too.
Many salvage yards operate on a local level—when an automobile is severely damaged, has malfunctioned beyond repair, or not worth the repair, the owner may sell it to a junkyard; in some cases—as when the car has become disabled in a place where derelict cars are not allowed to be left—the car owner will pay the wrecker to haul the car away.
Salvage yards also buy most of the wrecked, derelict and abandoned vehicles that are sold at auction from police impound storage lots,and often buy vehicles from insurance tow yards as well.
The salvage yard will usually tow the vehicle from the location of its purchase to the yard, but occasionally vehicles are driven in. At the salvage yard the automobiles are typically arranged in rows, often stacked on top of one another.
Some yards keep inventories in their offices, as to the usable parts in each car, as well as the car's location in the yard. Many yards have computerized inventory systems. About 75% of any given vehicle can be recycled and used for other goods.
In recent years it is becoming increasingly common to use satellite part finder services to contact multiple salvage yards from a single source.
In the 20th century these were call centres that charged a premium rate for calls and compiled a facsimile that was sent to various salvage yards so they could respond directly if the part was in stock. Many of these are now Web-based with requests for parts being e-mailed instantly.
The Citroën 2CV (French: "deux chevaux" i.e. "deux chevaux-vapeur" (lit. "two steam horses", "two tax horsepower") is an air-cooled front-engine, front-wheel-drive economy car introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile and manufactured by Citroën for model years 1948–1990.
Conceived by Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger to help motorise the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in 1930s France, the 2CV has a combination of innovative engineering and utilitarian, straightforward metal bodywork — initially corrugated for added strength without added weight. The 2CV featured low cost; simplicity of overall maintenance; an easily serviced air-cooled engine (originally offering 9 hp); low fuel consumption; and an extremely long-travel suspension offering a soft ride and light off-road capability. Often called "an umbrella on wheels", the fixed-profile convertible bodywork featured a full-width, canvas, roll-back sunroof, which accommodated oversized loads and until 1955 reached almost to the car's rear bumper.
Manufactured in France between 1948 and 1989 (and in Portugal from 1989 to 1990), over 3.8 million 2CVs were produced, along with over 1.2 million small 2CV-based delivery vans known as Fourgonnettes. Citroën ultimately offered several mechanically identical variants including the Ami (over 1.8 million); the Dyane (over 1.4 million); the Acadiane (over 250,000); and the Mehari (over 140,000). In total, Citroën manufactured almost 7 million 2CV variants.
A 1953 technical review in Autocar described "the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford". In 2011, The Globe and Mail called it a "car like no other". The motoring writer L. J. K. Setright described the 2CV as "the most intelligent application of minimalism ever to succeed as a car", and a car of "remorseless rationality".]
HISTORY
DEVELOPMENT
In 1934, family-owned Michelin, being the largest creditor, took over the bankrupt Citroën company. The new management ordered a new market survey, conducted by Jacques Duclos. France at that time had a large rural population which could not yet afford cars; Citroën used the survey results to prepare a design brief for a low-priced, rugged "umbrella on four wheels" that would enable four people to transport 50 kg of farm goods to market at 50 km/h, if necessary across muddy, unpaved roads. In fuel economy, the car would use no more than 3 l/100 km (95 mpg-imp). One design requirement was that the customer be able to drive eggs across a freshly ploughed field without breaking them.
In 1936, Pierre-Jules Boulanger, vice-president of Citroën and chief of engineering and design, sent the brief to his design team at the engineering department. The TPV (Toute Petite Voiture — "Very Small Car") was to be developed in secrecy at Michelin facilities at Clermont-Ferrand and at Citroën in Paris, by the design team who had created the Traction Avant.
Boulanger was closely involved with all decisions relating to the TPV, and was determined to reduce the weight to targets that his engineers thought impossible. He set up a department to weigh every component and then redesign it, to make it lighter while still doing its job.
Boulanger placed engineer André Lefèbvre in charge of the TPV project. Lefèbvre had designed and raced Grand Prix cars; his speciality was chassis design and he was particularly interested in maintaining contact between tyres and the road surface.
The first prototypes were bare chassis with rudimentary controls, seating and roof; test drivers wore leather flying suits, of the type used in contemporary open biplanes. By the end of 1937 20 TPV experimental prototypes had been built and tested. The prototypes had only one headlight, all that was required by French law at the time. At the end of 1937 Pierre Michelin was killed in a car crash; Boulanger became president of Citroën.
By 1939 the TPV was deemed ready, after 47 technically different and incrementally improved experimental prototypes had been built and tested. These prototypes used aluminium and magnesium parts and had water-cooled flat twin engines with front-wheel drive. The seats were hammocks hung from the roof by wires. The suspension system, designed by Alphonse Forceau, used front leading arms and rear trailing arms, connected to eight torsion bars beneath the rear seat: a bar for the front axle, one for the rear axle, an intermediate bar for each side, and an overload bar for each side. The front axle was connected to its torsion bars by cable. The overload bar came into play when the car had three people on board, two in the front and one in the rear, to support the extra load of a fourth passenger and fifty kilograms of luggage.
In mid-1939 a pilot run of 250 cars was produced and on 28 August 1939 the car received approval for the French market. Brochures were printed and preparations made to present the car, renamed the Citroën 2CV, at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show in October 1939.
WORLD WAR II
On 3 September 1939, France declared war on Germany following that country's invasion of Poland. An atmosphere of impending disaster led to the cancellation of the 1939 motor show less than a month before it was scheduled to open. The launch of the 2CV was abandoned.
During the German occupation of France in World War II Boulanger personally refused to collaborate with German authorities to the point where the Gestapo listed him as an "enemy of the Reich", under constant threat of arrest and deportation to Germany.
Michelin (Citroën's main shareholder) and Citroën managers decided to hide the TPV project from the Nazis, fearing some military application as in the case of the future Volkswagen Beetle, manufactured during the war as the military Kübelwagen. Several TPVs were buried at secret locations; one was disguised as a pickup, the others were destroyed, and Boulanger spent the next six years thinking about further improvements. Until 1994, when three TPVs were discovered in a barn, it was believed that only two prototypes had survived. As of 2003 there were five known TPVs.
By 1941, after an increase in aluminium prices of forty percent, an internal report at Citroën showed that producing the TPV post-war would not be economically viable, given the projected further increasing cost of aluminium. Boulanger decided to redesign the car to use mostly steel with flat panels, instead of aluminium. The Nazis had attempted to loot Citroën's press tools; this was frustrated after Boulanger got the French Resistance to re-label the rail cars containing them in the Paris marshalling yard. They ended up all over Europe, and Citroën was by no means sure they would all be returned after the war. In early 1944 Boulanger made the decision to abandon the water-cooled two-cylinder engine developed for the car and installed in the 1939 versions. Walter Becchia was now briefed to design an air-cooled unit, still of two cylinders, and still of 375 cc. Becchia was also supposed to design a three-speed gearbox, but managed to design a four-speed for the same space at little extra cost. At this time small French cars like the Renault Juvaquatre and Peugeot 202 usually featured three-speed transmissions, as did Citroën's own mid-size Traction Avant - but the 1936 Italian Fiat 500 "Topolino" "people's car" did have a four-speed gearbox. Becchia persuaded Boulanger that the fourth gear was an overdrive. The increased number of gear ratios also helped to pull the extra weight of changing from light alloys to steel for the body and chassis. Other changes included seats with tubular steel frames with rubber band springing and a restyling of the body by the Italian Flaminio Bertoni. Also, in 1944 the first studies of the Citroën hydro-pneumatic suspension were conducted using the TPV/2CV.
The development and production of what was to become the 2CV was also delayed by the incoming 1944 Socialist French government, after the liberation by the Allies from the Germans. The five-year "Plan Pons" to rationalise car production and husband scarce resources, named after economist and former French motor industry executive Paul-Marie Pons, only allowed Citroën the upper middle range of the car market, with the Traction Avant. The French government allocated the economy car market, US Marshall Plan aid, US production equipment and supplies of steel, to newly nationalised Renault to produce their Renault 4CV. The "Plan Pons" came to an end in 1949. Postwar French roads were very different from pre-war ones. Horse-drawn vehicles had re-appeared in large numbers. The few internal combustion-engined vehicles present often ran on town gas stored in gasbags on roofs or wood/charcoal gas from gasifiers on trailers. Only one hundred thousand of the two million pre-war cars were still on the road. The time was known as "Les années grises" or "the grey years" in France.
PRODUCTION
Citroën unveiled the car at the Paris Salon on 7 October 1948. The car on display was nearly identical to the 2CV type A that would be sold the next year, but it lacked an electric starter, the addition of which was decided the day before the opening of the Salon, replacing the pull cord starter. The canvas roof could be rolled completely open. The Type A had one stop light, and was only available in grey. The fuel level was checked with a dip stick/measuring rod, and the speedometer was attached to the windscreen pillar. The only other instrument was an ammeter.In 1949 the first delivered 2CV type A was 375 cc, 9 hp, with a 65 km/h top speed, only one tail light and windscreen wiper with speed shaft drive; the wiper speed was dependent on the driving speed. The car was heavily criticised by the motoring press and became the butt of French comedians for a short while. One American motoring journalist quipped, "Does it come with a can opener?" The British Autocar correspondent wrote that the 2CV "is the work of a designer who has kissed the lash of austerity with almost masochistic fervour".
Despite critics, Citroën was flooded with customer orders at the show. The car had a great impact on the lives of the low-income segment of the population in France. The 2CV was a commercial success: within months of it going on sale, there was a three-year waiting list, which soon increased to five years. At the time a second-hand 2CV was more expensive than a new one because the buyer did not have to wait. Production was increased from 876 units in 1949 to 6,196 units in 1950.
Grudging respect began to emanate from the international press: towards the end of 1951 the opinion appeared in Germany's recently launched Auto, Motor und Sport magazine that, despite its "ugliness and primitiveness" ("Häßlichkeit und Primitivität"), the 2CV was a "highly interesting" ("hochinteressantes") car.
In 1950, Pierre-Jules Boulanger was killed in a car crash on the main road from Clermont-Ferrand (the home of Michelin) to Paris.
In 1951 the 2CV received an ignition lock and a lockable driver's door. Production reached 100 cars a week. By the end of 1951 production totalled 16,288. Citroën introduced the 2CV Fourgonnette van. The "Weekend" version of the van had collapsible, removable rear seating and rear side windows, enabling a tradesman to use it as a family vehicle on the weekend as well as for business in the week.
By 1952, production had reached more than 21,000 with export markets earning foreign currency taking precedence. Boulanger's policy, which continued after his death, was: "Priority is given to those who have to travel by car because of their work, and for whom ordinary cars are too expensive to buy." Cars were sold preferentially to country vets, doctors, midwives, priests and small farmers. In 1954 the speedometer got a light for night driving. In 1955 the 2CV side repeaters were added above and behind the rear doors. It was now also available with 425 cc (AZ), 12.5 hp and a top speed of 80 km/h. In 1957 a heating and ventilation system was installed. The colour of the steering wheel changed from black to grey. The mirrors and the rear window were enlarged. The bonnet was decorated with a longitudinal strip of aluminium (AZL). In September 1957, the model AZLP (P for porte de malle, "boot lid"), appeared with a boot lid panel; previously the soft top had to be opened at the bottom to get to the boot. In 1958 a Belgian Citroën plant produced a higher quality version of the car (AZL3). It had a third side window, not available in the normal version, and improved details.
In 1960 the production of the 375 cc engine ended. The corrugated metal bonnet was replaced by a 5-rib glossy cover.
The 2 CV 4 × 4 2CV Sahara appeared in December 1960. This had an additional engine-transmission unit in the rear, mounted the other way around and driving the rear wheels. For the second engine there was a separate push-button starter and choke. With a gear stick between the front seats, both transmissions were operated simultaneously. For the two engines, there were separate petrol tanks under the front seats. The filler neck sat in the front doors. Both engines (and hence axles) could be operated independently. The spare wheel was mounted on the bonnet. 693 were produced until 1968 and one more in 1971. Many were used by the Swiss Post as a delivery vehicle. Today they are highly collectable.
From the mid-1950s economy car competition had increased — internationally in the form of the 1957 Fiat 500 and 1955 Fiat 600, and 1959 Austin Mini. By 1952, Germany produced a price-competitive car - the Messerschmitt KR175, followed in 1955 by the Isetta - these were microcars, not complete four-door cars like the 2CV. On the French home market, from 1961, the small Simca 1000 using licensed Fiat technology, and the larger Renault 4 hatchback had become available. The R4 was the biggest threat to the 2CV, eventually outselling it.
1960s
In 1960 the corrugated Citroën H Van style "ripple bonnet" of convex swages was replaced (except for the Sahara), with one using six larger concave swages and looked similar until the end of production. The 2CV had suicide doors in front from 1948 to 1964, replaced with front hinged doors from 1965 to 1990.
In 1961 Citroën launched a new model based on the 2CV chassis, with a 4-door sedan body, and a reverse rake rear window: the Citroën Ami. In 1962 the engine power was increased to 14 hp and top speed to 85 km/h. A sun roof was installed. In 1963 the engine power was increased to 16 hp. An electric wiper motor replaced the drive on the speedo. The ammeter was replaced by a charging indicator light. The speedometer was moved from the window frame into the dash. Instead of a dip stick/measuring rod, a fuel gauge was introduced.
Director of publicity Claude Puech came up with humorous and inventive marketing campaigns. Robert Delpire of the Delpire Agency was responsible for the brochures. Ad copy came from Jacques Wolgensinger Director of PR at Citroën. Wolgensinger was responsible for the youth orientated "Raids", 2CV Cross, rallies, the use of "Tin-Tin", and the slogan "More than just a car — a way of life". A range of colours was introduced, starting with Glacier Blue in 1959, then yellow in 1960. In the 1960s 2CV production caught up with demand. In 1966 the 2CV got a third side window. From September 1966 a Belgian-produced variant was sold in Germany with the 602 cc engine and 21 hp Ami6, the 3 CV (AZAM6). This version was only sold until 1968 in some export markets.
In 1967 Citroën launched a new model based on the 2CV chassis, with an updated but still utilitarian body, with a hatchback (a hatchback kit was available from Citroën dealers for the 2CV, and aftermarket kits are available) that boosted practicality: the Citroën Dyane. The exterior is more modern and distinguished by the recessed lights in the fenders and bodywork. Between 1967 and 1983 about 1.4 million were built. This was in response to competition by the Renault 4. The Dyane was originally planned as an upmarket version of the 2CV and was supposed to supersede it, but ultimately the 2CV outlived the Dyane by seven years. Citroën also developed the Méhari off-roader.
From 1961, the car was offered, at extra cost, with the flat-2 engine size increased to 602 cc, although for many years the smaller 425 cc engine continued to be available in France and export markets where engine size determined car tax levels. This was replaced by an updated 435 cc engine in 1968.
1970s
In 1970 the car gained rear light units from the Citroën Ami 6, and also standardised a third side window in the rear pillar on 2CV6 (602 cc) models. From 1970, only two series were produced: the 2CV 4 (AZKB) with 435 cc and the 2CV 6 (Azka) with 602 cc displacement. All 2CVs from this date can run on unleaded fuel. 1970s cars featured rectangular headlights, except the Spécial model. In 1971 the front bench seat was replaced with two individual seats. In 1972 2CVs were fitted with standard three-point seat belts. In 1973 new seat covers, a padded single-spoke steering wheel and ashtrays were introduced.
The highest annual production was in 1974. Sales of the 2CV were reinvigorated by the 1974 oil crisis. The 2CV after this time became as much a youth lifestyle statement as a basic functional form of transport. This renewed popularity was encouraged by the Citroën "Raid" intercontinental endurance rallies of the 1970s where customers could participate by buying a new 2CV, fitted with a "P.O." kit (Pays d'Outre-mer — overseas countries), to cope with thousands of miles of very poor or off-road routes.
1970: Paris–Kabul: 1,300 young people, 500 2CVs, 16,500 km to Afghanistan and back.
1971: Paris–Persepolis: 500 2CVs 13,500 km to Iran and back.
1973: Raid Afrique, 60 2CVs 8000 km from Abidjan to Tunis, the Atlantic capital of Ivory Coast through the Sahara, (the Ténéré desert section was unmapped and had previously been barred to cars), to the Mediterranean capital of Tunisia.
The Paris to Persepolis rally was the most famous. The Citroën "2CV Cross" circuit/off-road races were very popular in Europe.
Because of new emission standards, in 1975 power was reduced from 28 hp to 25 hp. The round headlights were replaced by square ones, adjustable in height. A new plastic grille was fitted.
In July 1975, a base model called the 2CV Spécial was introduced with the 435 cc engine. Between 1975 and 1990 under the name of AZKB "2CV Spécial" a drastically reduced trim basic version was sold, at first only in yellow. The small, square speedometer (which dates back to the Traction Avant), and the narrow rear bumper was installed. Citroën removed the third side window, the ashtray, and virtually all trim from the car. It also had the earlier round headlights. From the 1978 Paris Motor Show the Spécial regained third side windows, and was available in red and white; beginning in mid-1979 the 602 cc engine was installed. In June 1981 the Spécial E arrived; this model had a standard centrifugal clutch and particularly low urban fuel consumption.
1980s
In 1981 a yellow 2CV6 was driven by James Bond (Roger Moore) in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. The car in the film was fitted with the flat-4 engine from a Citroën GS which more than doubled the power. In one scene the ultra light 2CV tips over and is quickly righted by hand. Citroën launched a special edition 2CV "007" to coincide with the film; it was fitted with the standard engine and painted yellow with "007" on the front doors and fake bullet hole stickers.
In 1982 all 2CV models got inboard front disc brakes.
In 1988, production ended in France after 40 years but continued at the Mangualde plant in Portugal. This lasted until 1990, when production of the 2CV ended. The 2CV outlasted the Visa, another of the cars which might have been expected to replace it, and was produced for four years after the start of Citroën AX production.
Portuguese-built cars, especially those from when production was winding down, have a reputation in the UK for being much less well made and more prone to corrosion than those made in France. According to Citroën, the Portuguese plant was more up-to-date than the one in Levallois near Paris, and Portuguese 2CV manufacturing was to higher quality standards.
As of October 2016, 3,025 remained in service in the UK.
SPECIAL EDITION SALOON MODELS
The special edition models began with the 1976 SPOT model and continued in the with the 1980 Charleston, inspired by Art-Deco two colour styles 1920s Citroën model colour schemes. In 1981 the 007 arrived. In 1983 the 2CV Beachcomber arrived in the United Kingdom; it was known as "France 3" in France or "Transat" in other continental European markets — Citroën sponsored the French America's Cup yacht entry of that year. In 1985 the two-coloured Dolly appeared, using the "Spécial" model's basic trim rather than the slightly better-appointed "Club" as was the case with the other special editions. In 1986 there was the Cocorico. This means "cock-a-doodle-doo" and tied in with France's entry in the 1986 World Cup. "Le Coq Gaulois" or Gallic rooster is an unofficial national symbol of France. In 1987 came the Bamboo, followed by the 1988 Perrier in association with the mineral water company.
The Charleston, having been presented in October 1980 as a one-season "special edition" was incorporated into the regular range in July 1981 in response to its "extraordinary success". By changing the carburetor to achieve 29 hp a top speed of 115 km/h was achieved. Other changes were a new rear-view mirror and inboard disc brakes at the front wheels. In the 1980s there was a range of four full models:
Spécial
Dolly (an improved version of the Spécial)
Club (discontinued in the early 1980s)
Charleston (an improved version of the Club)
In Germany and Switzerland a special edition called, "I Fly Bleifrei" — "I Fly Lead Free" was launched in 1986, that could use unleaded, instead of then normal leaded petrol and super unleaded. It was introduced mainly because of stricter emissions standards. In 1987 it was replaced by the "Sausss-duck" special edition.
EXPORT MARKETS
The 2CV was originally sold in France and some European markets, and went on to enjoy strong sales in Asia, South America, and Africa. During the post-war years Citroën was very focused on the home market, which had some unusual quirks, like puissance fiscale. The management of Michelin was supportive of Citroën up to a point, and with a suspension designed to use Michelin's new radial tyres the Citroën cars clearly demonstrated their superiority over their competitors' tyres. But they were not prepared to initiate the investment needed for the 2CV (or the Citroën DS for that matter) to truly compete on the global stage. Citroën was always under-capitalised until the 1970s Peugeot takeover. The 2CV sold 8,830,679 vehicles; the Volkswagen Beetle, which was available worldwide, sold 21 million units.
CONSTRUCTION
The level of technology in the 1948 2CV was remarkable for the era. While colours and detail specifications were modified in the ensuing 42 years, the biggest mechanical change was the addition of front disc brakes (by then already fitted for several years in the mechanically similar Citroën Dyane 6), in October 1981 (for the 1982 model year). The reliability of the car was enhanced by the minimalist simplification of the designers, being air-cooled (with an oil cooler), it had no coolant, radiator, water pump or thermostat. It had no distributor either, just a contact breaker system. Except for the brakes, there were no hydraulic parts on original models; damping was by tuned mass dampers and friction dampers.
The 1948 car featured radial tyres, which had just been commercialised; front-wheel drive; rack and pinion steering mounted inside the front suspension cross-tube, away from a frontal impact; rear fender skirts (the suspension design allowed wheel changes without removing the skirts); bolt-on detachable front and rear wings; detachable doors, bonnet (and boot lid after 1960), by "slide out" P-profile sheet metal hinges; flap-up windows, as roll up windows were considered too heavy and expensive.; and detachable full length fabric sunroof and boot lid, for almost pickup-like load-carrying versatility. Ventilation in addition to the sunroof and front flap windows was provided by an opening flap under the windscreen. The car had load adjustable headlights and a heater (heaters were standardised on British economy cars in the 1960s).
BODY
The body was constructed of a dual H-frame platform chassis and aircraft-style tube framework, and a very thin steel shell that was bolted to the chassis. Because the original design brief called for a low speed car, little or no attention was paid to aerodynamics; the body had a drag coefficient of Cd=0.51, high by today's standards but typical for the era.
The 2CV used the fixed-profile convertible, where the doors and upper side elements of its bodywork remain fixed, while its fabric soft top can be opened. This reduces weight and lowers the centre of gravity, and allows the carrying of long or irregularly shaped items, but the key reason was that fabric was cheaper than steel which was in short supply and expensive after the war. The fixed-profile concept was quite popular in this period.
SUSPENSION
The suspension of the 2CV was very soft; a person could easily rock the car side to side dramatically. The swinging arm, fore-aft linked suspension system with inboard front brakes had a much smaller unsprung mass than existing coil spring or leaf spring designs. The design was modified by Marcel Chinon.
The system comprises two suspension cylinders mounted horizontally on each side of the platform chassis. Inside the cylinders are two springs, one for each wheel, mounted at each end of the cylinder. The springs are connected to the front leading swinging arm and rear trailing swinging arm, that act like bellcranks by pull rods (tie rods). These are connected to spring seating cups in the middle of the cylinder, each spring being compressed independently, against the ends of the cylinder. Each cylinder is mounted using an additional set of springs, originally made from steel, called "volute" springs, on later models made from rubber. These allow the front and rear suspension to interconnect. When the front wheel is deflected up over a bump, the front pull rod compresses the front spring inside the cylinder, against the front of the cylinder. This also compresses the front "volute" spring pulling the whole cylinder forwards. That action pulls the rear wheel down on the same side via the rear spring assembly and pull rod. When the rear wheel meets that bump a moment later, it does the same in reverse, keeping the car level front to rear. When both springs are compressed on one side when travelling around a bend, or front and rear wheels hit bumps simultaneously, the equal and opposite forces applied to the front and rear spring assemblies reduce the interconnection. It reduces pitching, which is a particular problem of soft car suspension.
The swinging arms are mounted with large bearings to "cross tubes" that run side to side across the chassis; combined with the effects of all-independent soft springing and excellent damping, keeps the road wheels in contact with the road surface and parallel to each other across the axles at high angles of body roll. A larger than conventional steering castor angle, ensures that the front wheels are closer to vertical than the rears, when cornering hard with a lot of body roll. The soft springing, long suspension travel and the use of leading and trailing arms means that as the body rolls during cornering the wheelbase on the inside of the corner increases while the wheelbase on the outside of the corner decreases. As the corning forces put more of the car's weight on the inside pair of wheels the wheelbase extends in proportion, keeping the car's weight balance and centre of grip constant. promoting excellent road holding. The other key factor in the quality of its road holding is the very low and forward centre of gravity, provided by the position of the engine and transmission.
The suspension also automatically accommodates differing payloads in the car- with four people and cargo on board the wheelbase increases by around 4 cm as the suspension deflects, and the castor angle of the front wheels increases by as much as 8 degrees thus ensuring that ride quality, handling and road holding are almost unaffected by the additional weight. On early cars friction dampers (like a dry version of a multi-plate clutch design) were fitted at the mountings of the front and rear swinging arms to the cross-tubes. Because the rear brakes were outboard, they had extra tuned mass dampers to damp wheel bounce from the extra unsprung mass. Later models had tuned mass dampers ("batteurs") at the front (because the leading arm had more inertia and "bump/thump" than the trailing arm), with hydraulic telescopic dampers / shock absorbers front and rear. The uprated hydraulic damping obviated the need for the rear inertia dampers. It was designed to be a comfortable ride by matching the frequencies encountered in human bipedal motion.
This suspension design ensured the road wheels followed ground contours underneath them closely, while insulating the vehicle from shocks, enabling the 2CV to be driven over a ploughed field without breaking any eggs, as its design brief required. More importantly it could comfortably and safely drive at reasonable speed, along the ill-maintained and war-damaged post-war French Routes Nationales. It was commonly driven "Pied au Plancher" — "foot to the floor" by their peasant owners.
FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE AND GEARBOX
Citroën had developed expertise with front-wheel drive due to the pioneering Traction Avant, which was the first mass-produced steel monocoque front-wheel-drive car in the world. The 2CV was originally equipped with a sliding splined joint, and twin Hookes type universal joints on its driveshafts; later models used constant velocity joints and a sliding splined joint.
The gearbox was a four-speed manual transmission, an advanced feature on an inexpensive car at the time. The gear stick came horizontally out of the dashboard with the handle curved upwards. It had a strange shift pattern: the first was back on the left, the second and third were inline, and the fourth (or the S) could be engaged only by turning the lever to the right from the third. Reverse was opposite first. The idea was to put the most used gears opposite each other — for parking, first and reverse; for normal driving, second and third. This layout was adopted from the H-van's three-speed gearbox.
OTHER
The windscreen wipers were powered by a purely mechanical system: a cable connected to the transmission; to reduce cost, this cable also powered the speedometer. The wipers' speed was therefore dependent on car speed. When the car was waiting at a crossroad, the wipers were not powered; thus, a handle under the speedometer allowed them to be operated by hand. From 1962, the wipers were powered by a single-speed electric motor. The car came with only a speedometer and an ammeter.
The 2CV design predates the invention of disc brake, so 1948–1981 cars have drum brakes on all four wheels. In October 1981, front disc brakes were fitted. Disc brake cars use green LHM fluid – a mineral oil – which is not compatible with standard glycol brake fluid.
ENGINES
The engine was designed by Walter Becchia and Lucien Gerard, with a nod to the classic BMW boxer motorcycle engine. It was an air-cooled, flat-twin, four-stroke, 375 cc engine with pushrod operated overhead valves and a hemispherical combustion chamber. The earliest model developed 9 PS (6.6 kW) DIN (6.5 kW). A 425 cc engine was introduced in 1955, followed in 1968 by a 602 cc one giving 28 bhp (21 kW) at 7000 rpm. With the 602 cc engine, the tax classification of the car changed so that it became a 3CV, but the name remained unchanged. A 435 cc engine was introduced at the same time to replace the 425 cc; the 435 cc engine car was named 2CV 4 while the 602 cc took the name 2CV 6 (a variant in Argentina took the name 3CV). The 602 cc engine evolved to the M28 33 bhp (25 kW) in 1970; this was the most powerful engine fitted to the 2CV. A new 602 cc giving 29 bhp (22 kW) at a slower 5,750 rpm was introduced in 1979. This engine was less powerful, and more efficient, allowing lower fuel consumption and better top speed, but decreased acceleration. All 2CVs with the M28 engine can run on unleaded petrol.
The 2CV used the wasted spark ignition system for simplicity and reliability and had only speed-controlled ignition timing, no vacuum advance taking account of engine load.
Unlike other air-cooled cars (such as the Volkswagen Beetle and the Fiat 500) the 2CV's engine had no thermostat valve in its oil system. The engine needed more time for oil to reach normal operating temperature in cold weather. All the oil passed through an oil cooler behind the fan and received the full cooling effect regardless of the ambient temperature. This removes the risk of overheating from a jammed thermostat that can afflict water- and air-cooled engines and the engine can withstand many hours of running under heavy load at high engine speeds even in hot weather. To prevent the engine running cool in cold weather (and to improve the output of the cabin heater) all 2CVs were supplied with a grille blind (canvas on early cars and a clip-on plastic item called a "muff" in the owner's handbook, on later ones) which blocked around half the aperture to reduce the flow of air to the engine.
The engine's design concentrated on the reduction of moving parts. The cooling fan and dynamo were built integrally with the one-piece crankshaft, removing the need for drive belts. The use of gaskets, seen as another potential weak point for failure and leaks, was also kept to a minimum. The cylinder heads are mated to the cylinder barrels by lapped joints with extremely fine tolerances, as are the two halves of the crankcase and other surface-to-surface joints.
As well as the close tolerances between parts, the engine's lack of gaskets was made possible by a unique crankcase ventilation system. On any 2-cylinder boxer engine such as the 2CV's, the volume of the crankcase reduces by the cubic capacity of the engine when the pistons move together. This, combined with the inevitable small amount of "leakage" of combustion gases past the pistons leads to a positive pressure in the crankcase which must be removed in the interests of engine efficiency and to prevent oil and gas leaks. The 2CV's engine has a combined engine "breather" and oil filler assembly which contains a series of rubber reed valves. These allow positive pressure to escape the crankcase (to the engine air intake to be recirculated) but close when the pressure in the crankcase drops as the pistons move apart. Because gases are expelled but not admitted this creates a slight vacuum in the crankcase so that any weak joint or failed seal causes air to be sucked in rather than allowing oil to leak out.
These design features made the 2CV engine highly reliable; test engines were run at full speed for 1000 hours at a time, equivalent to driving 80,000 km at full throttle. They also meant that the engine was "sealed for life" — for example, replacing the big-end bearings required specialised equipment to dismantle and reassemble the built-up crankshaft, and as this was often not available the entire crankshaft had to be replaced. The engine is very under-stressed and long-lived, so this is not a major issue.
If the starter motor or battery failed, the 2CV had the option of hand-cranking, the jack handle serving as starting handle through dogs on the front of the crankshaft at the centre of the fan. This feature, once universal on cars and still common in 1948 when the 2CV was introduced, was kept until the end of production in 1990.
PERFORMANCE
In relation to the 2CV's performance and acceleration, it was joked that it went "from 0–60 km/h in one day". The original 1948 model that produced 9 hp had a 0–40 time of 42.4 seconds and a top speed of 64 km/h, far below the speeds necessary for North American highways or the German Autobahns of the day. The top speed increased with engine size to 80 km/h in 1955, 84 km/h in 1962, 100 km/h in 1970, and 115 km/h in 1981.
The last evolution of the 2CV engine was the Citroën Visa flat-2, a 652 cc featuring electronic ignition. Citroën never sold this engine in the 2CV, but some enthusiasts have converted their 2CVs to 652 engines, or even transplanted Citroën GS or GSA flat-four engines and gearboxes.
In the mid-1980s Car magazine editor Steve Cropley ran and reported on a turbocharged 602 cc 2CV that was developed by engineer Richard Wilsher.
END OF PRODUCTION
The 2CV was produced for 42 years, the model finally succumbing to customer demands for speed, in which this ancient design had fallen significantly behind modern cars, and safety. Although the front of the chassis was designed to fold up, to form a crumple zone according to a 1984 Citroën brochure, in common with other small cars of its era its crashworhiness was very poor by modern standards. (The drive for improved safety in Europe happened from the 1990s onwards, and accelerated with the 1997 advent of Euro NCAP.) Its advanced underlying engineering was ignored or misunderstood by the public, being clothed in an anachronistic body. It was the butt of many a joke, especially by Jasper Carrott in the UK.
Citroën had attempted to replace the ultra-utilitarian 2CV several times (with the Dyane, Visa, and the AX). Its comically antiquated appearance became an advantage to the car, and it became a niche product which sold because it was different from anything else on sale. Because of its down-to-earth economy car style, it became popular with people who wanted to distance themselves from mainstream consumerism — "hippies" — and also with environmentalists.
Although not a replacement for the 2CV, the AX supermini, a conventional urban runabout, unremarkable apart from its exceptional lightness, seemed to address the car makers' requirements at the entry level in the early 1990s. Officially, the last 2CV, a Charleston, which was reserved for Mangualde's plant manager, rolled off the Portuguese production line on 27 July 1990, although five additional 2CV Spécials were produced afterwards.[citation needed]
In all a total of 3,867,932 2CVs were produced. Including the commercial versions of the 2CV, Dyane, Méhari, FAF, and Ami variants, the 2CV's underpinnings spawned 8,830,679 vehicles.
The 2CV was outlived by contemporaries such as the Mini (out of production in 2000), Volkswagen Beetle (2003), Renault 4 (1992), Volkswagen Type 2 (2013) and Hindustan Ambassador (originally a 1950s Morris Oxford), (2014).
CONTINUED POPULARITY
The Chrysler CCV or Composite Concept Vehicle developed in the mid-1990s is a concept car designed to illustrate new manufacturing methods suitable for developing countries. The car is a tall, roomy four-door sedan of small dimensions. The designers at Chrysler said they were inspired to create a modernised 2CV.
The company Sorevie of Lodève was building 2CVs until 2002. The cars were built from scratch using mostly new parts. But as the 2CV no longer complied with safety regulations, the cars were sold as second-hand cars using chassis and engine numbers from old 2CVs.
The long-running 2CV circuit racing series organized by The Classic 2CV Racing Club continues to be popular in the UK.
English nicknames include "Flying Dustbin", "Tin Snail", "Dolly", "Tortoise"
WIKIPEDIA
A wrecking yard (Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian English), scrapyard (Irish and British English) or junkyard (American English) is the location of a business in dismantling where wrecked or decommissioned vehicles are brought, their usable parts are sold for use in operating vehicles, while the unusable metal parts, known as scrap metal parts, are sold to metal-recycling companies.
Other terms include wreck yard, wrecker's yard, salvage yard, breakers yard, dismantler and scrapheap. In the United Kingdom, car salvage yards are known as car breakers, while motorcycle salvage yards are known as bike breakers. In Australia, they are often referred to as 'Wreckers'.
The most common type of wreck yards are automobile wreck yards, but junkyards for motorcycles, bicycles, small airplanes and boats exist too.
Many salvage yards operate on a local level—when an automobile is severely damaged, has malfunctioned beyond repair, or not worth the repair, the owner may sell it to a junkyard; in some cases—as when the car has become disabled in a place where derelict cars are not allowed to be left—the car owner will pay the wrecker to haul the car away.
Salvage yards also buy most of the wrecked, derelict and abandoned vehicles that are sold at auction from police impound storage lots,and often buy vehicles from insurance tow yards as well.
The salvage yard will usually tow the vehicle from the location of its purchase to the yard, but occasionally vehicles are driven in. At the salvage yard the automobiles are typically arranged in rows, often stacked on top of one another.
Some yards keep inventories in their offices, as to the usable parts in each car, as well as the car's location in the yard. Many yards have computerized inventory systems. About 75% of any given vehicle can be recycled and used for other goods.
In recent years it is becoming increasingly common to use satellite part finder services to contact multiple salvage yards from a single source.
In the 20th century these were call centres that charged a premium rate for calls and compiled a facsimile that was sent to various salvage yards so they could respond directly if the part was in stock. Many of these are now Web-based with requests for parts being e-mailed instantly.
The Citroën 2CV (French: "deux chevaux" i.e. "deux chevaux-vapeur" (lit. "two steam horses", "two tax horsepower") is an air-cooled front-engine, front-wheel-drive economy car introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile and manufactured by Citroën for model years 1948–1990.
Conceived by Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger to help motorise the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in 1930s France, the 2CV has a combination of innovative engineering and utilitarian, straightforward metal bodywork — initially corrugated for added strength without added weight. The 2CV featured low cost; simplicity of overall maintenance; an easily serviced air-cooled engine (originally offering 9 hp); low fuel consumption; and an extremely long-travel suspension offering a soft ride and light off-road capability. Often called "an umbrella on wheels", the fixed-profile convertible bodywork featured a full-width, canvas, roll-back sunroof, which accommodated oversized loads and until 1955 reached almost to the car's rear bumper.
Manufactured in France between 1948 and 1989 (and in Portugal from 1989 to 1990), over 3.8 million 2CVs were produced, along with over 1.2 million small 2CV-based delivery vans known as Fourgonnettes. Citroën ultimately offered several mechanically identical variants including the Ami (over 1.8 million); the Dyane (over 1.4 million); the Acadiane (over 250,000); and the Mehari (over 140,000). In total, Citroën manufactured almost 7 million 2CV variants.
A 1953 technical review in Autocar described "the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford". In 2011, The Globe and Mail called it a "car like no other". The motoring writer L. J. K. Setright described the 2CV as "the most intelligent application of minimalism ever to succeed as a car", and a car of "remorseless rationality".]
HISTORY
DEVELOPMENT
In 1934, family-owned Michelin, being the largest creditor, took over the bankrupt Citroën company. The new management ordered a new market survey, conducted by Jacques Duclos. France at that time had a large rural population which could not yet afford cars; Citroën used the survey results to prepare a design brief for a low-priced, rugged "umbrella on four wheels" that would enable four people to transport 50 kg of farm goods to market at 50 km/h, if necessary across muddy, unpaved roads. In fuel economy, the car would use no more than 3 l/100 km (95 mpg-imp). One design requirement was that the customer be able to drive eggs across a freshly ploughed field without breaking them.
In 1936, Pierre-Jules Boulanger, vice-president of Citroën and chief of engineering and design, sent the brief to his design team at the engineering department. The TPV (Toute Petite Voiture — "Very Small Car") was to be developed in secrecy at Michelin facilities at Clermont-Ferrand and at Citroën in Paris, by the design team who had created the Traction Avant.
Boulanger was closely involved with all decisions relating to the TPV, and was determined to reduce the weight to targets that his engineers thought impossible. He set up a department to weigh every component and then redesign it, to make it lighter while still doing its job.
Boulanger placed engineer André Lefèbvre in charge of the TPV project. Lefèbvre had designed and raced Grand Prix cars; his speciality was chassis design and he was particularly interested in maintaining contact between tyres and the road surface.
The first prototypes were bare chassis with rudimentary controls, seating and roof; test drivers wore leather flying suits, of the type used in contemporary open biplanes. By the end of 1937 20 TPV experimental prototypes had been built and tested. The prototypes had only one headlight, all that was required by French law at the time. At the end of 1937 Pierre Michelin was killed in a car crash; Boulanger became president of Citroën.
By 1939 the TPV was deemed ready, after 47 technically different and incrementally improved experimental prototypes had been built and tested. These prototypes used aluminium and magnesium parts and had water-cooled flat twin engines with front-wheel drive. The seats were hammocks hung from the roof by wires. The suspension system, designed by Alphonse Forceau, used front leading arms and rear trailing arms, connected to eight torsion bars beneath the rear seat: a bar for the front axle, one for the rear axle, an intermediate bar for each side, and an overload bar for each side. The front axle was connected to its torsion bars by cable. The overload bar came into play when the car had three people on board, two in the front and one in the rear, to support the extra load of a fourth passenger and fifty kilograms of luggage.
In mid-1939 a pilot run of 250 cars was produced and on 28 August 1939 the car received approval for the French market. Brochures were printed and preparations made to present the car, renamed the Citroën 2CV, at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show in October 1939.
WORLD WAR II
On 3 September 1939, France declared war on Germany following that country's invasion of Poland. An atmosphere of impending disaster led to the cancellation of the 1939 motor show less than a month before it was scheduled to open. The launch of the 2CV was abandoned.
During the German occupation of France in World War II Boulanger personally refused to collaborate with German authorities to the point where the Gestapo listed him as an "enemy of the Reich", under constant threat of arrest and deportation to Germany.
Michelin (Citroën's main shareholder) and Citroën managers decided to hide the TPV project from the Nazis, fearing some military application as in the case of the future Volkswagen Beetle, manufactured during the war as the military Kübelwagen. Several TPVs were buried at secret locations; one was disguised as a pickup, the others were destroyed, and Boulanger spent the next six years thinking about further improvements. Until 1994, when three TPVs were discovered in a barn, it was believed that only two prototypes had survived. As of 2003 there were five known TPVs.
By 1941, after an increase in aluminium prices of forty percent, an internal report at Citroën showed that producing the TPV post-war would not be economically viable, given the projected further increasing cost of aluminium. Boulanger decided to redesign the car to use mostly steel with flat panels, instead of aluminium. The Nazis had attempted to loot Citroën's press tools; this was frustrated after Boulanger got the French Resistance to re-label the rail cars containing them in the Paris marshalling yard. They ended up all over Europe, and Citroën was by no means sure they would all be returned after the war. In early 1944 Boulanger made the decision to abandon the water-cooled two-cylinder engine developed for the car and installed in the 1939 versions. Walter Becchia was now briefed to design an air-cooled unit, still of two cylinders, and still of 375 cc. Becchia was also supposed to design a three-speed gearbox, but managed to design a four-speed for the same space at little extra cost. At this time small French cars like the Renault Juvaquatre and Peugeot 202 usually featured three-speed transmissions, as did Citroën's own mid-size Traction Avant - but the 1936 Italian Fiat 500 "Topolino" "people's car" did have a four-speed gearbox. Becchia persuaded Boulanger that the fourth gear was an overdrive. The increased number of gear ratios also helped to pull the extra weight of changing from light alloys to steel for the body and chassis. Other changes included seats with tubular steel frames with rubber band springing and a restyling of the body by the Italian Flaminio Bertoni. Also, in 1944 the first studies of the Citroën hydro-pneumatic suspension were conducted using the TPV/2CV.
The development and production of what was to become the 2CV was also delayed by the incoming 1944 Socialist French government, after the liberation by the Allies from the Germans. The five-year "Plan Pons" to rationalise car production and husband scarce resources, named after economist and former French motor industry executive Paul-Marie Pons, only allowed Citroën the upper middle range of the car market, with the Traction Avant. The French government allocated the economy car market, US Marshall Plan aid, US production equipment and supplies of steel, to newly nationalised Renault to produce their Renault 4CV. The "Plan Pons" came to an end in 1949. Postwar French roads were very different from pre-war ones. Horse-drawn vehicles had re-appeared in large numbers. The few internal combustion-engined vehicles present often ran on town gas stored in gasbags on roofs or wood/charcoal gas from gasifiers on trailers. Only one hundred thousand of the two million pre-war cars were still on the road. The time was known as "Les années grises" or "the grey years" in France.
PRODUCTION
Citroën unveiled the car at the Paris Salon on 7 October 1948. The car on display was nearly identical to the 2CV type A that would be sold the next year, but it lacked an electric starter, the addition of which was decided the day before the opening of the Salon, replacing the pull cord starter. The canvas roof could be rolled completely open. The Type A had one stop light, and was only available in grey. The fuel level was checked with a dip stick/measuring rod, and the speedometer was attached to the windscreen pillar. The only other instrument was an ammeter.In 1949 the first delivered 2CV type A was 375 cc, 9 hp, with a 65 km/h top speed, only one tail light and windscreen wiper with speed shaft drive; the wiper speed was dependent on the driving speed. The car was heavily criticised by the motoring press and became the butt of French comedians for a short while. One American motoring journalist quipped, "Does it come with a can opener?" The British Autocar correspondent wrote that the 2CV "is the work of a designer who has kissed the lash of austerity with almost masochistic fervour".
Despite critics, Citroën was flooded with customer orders at the show. The car had a great impact on the lives of the low-income segment of the population in France. The 2CV was a commercial success: within months of it going on sale, there was a three-year waiting list, which soon increased to five years. At the time a second-hand 2CV was more expensive than a new one because the buyer did not have to wait. Production was increased from 876 units in 1949 to 6,196 units in 1950.
Grudging respect began to emanate from the international press: towards the end of 1951 the opinion appeared in Germany's recently launched Auto, Motor und Sport magazine that, despite its "ugliness and primitiveness" ("Häßlichkeit und Primitivität"), the 2CV was a "highly interesting" ("hochinteressantes") car.
In 1950, Pierre-Jules Boulanger was killed in a car crash on the main road from Clermont-Ferrand (the home of Michelin) to Paris.
In 1951 the 2CV received an ignition lock and a lockable driver's door. Production reached 100 cars a week. By the end of 1951 production totalled 16,288. Citroën introduced the 2CV Fourgonnette van. The "Weekend" version of the van had collapsible, removable rear seating and rear side windows, enabling a tradesman to use it as a family vehicle on the weekend as well as for business in the week.
By 1952, production had reached more than 21,000 with export markets earning foreign currency taking precedence. Boulanger's policy, which continued after his death, was: "Priority is given to those who have to travel by car because of their work, and for whom ordinary cars are too expensive to buy." Cars were sold preferentially to country vets, doctors, midwives, priests and small farmers. In 1954 the speedometer got a light for night driving. In 1955 the 2CV side repeaters were added above and behind the rear doors. It was now also available with 425 cc (AZ), 12.5 hp and a top speed of 80 km/h. In 1957 a heating and ventilation system was installed. The colour of the steering wheel changed from black to grey. The mirrors and the rear window were enlarged. The bonnet was decorated with a longitudinal strip of aluminium (AZL). In September 1957, the model AZLP (P for porte de malle, "boot lid"), appeared with a boot lid panel; previously the soft top had to be opened at the bottom to get to the boot. In 1958 a Belgian Citroën plant produced a higher quality version of the car (AZL3). It had a third side window, not available in the normal version, and improved details.
In 1960 the production of the 375 cc engine ended. The corrugated metal bonnet was replaced by a 5-rib glossy cover.
The 2 CV 4 × 4 2CV Sahara appeared in December 1960. This had an additional engine-transmission unit in the rear, mounted the other way around and driving the rear wheels. For the second engine there was a separate push-button starter and choke. With a gear stick between the front seats, both transmissions were operated simultaneously. For the two engines, there were separate petrol tanks under the front seats. The filler neck sat in the front doors. Both engines (and hence axles) could be operated independently. The spare wheel was mounted on the bonnet. 693 were produced until 1968 and one more in 1971. Many were used by the Swiss Post as a delivery vehicle. Today they are highly collectable.
From the mid-1950s economy car competition had increased — internationally in the form of the 1957 Fiat 500 and 1955 Fiat 600, and 1959 Austin Mini. By 1952, Germany produced a price-competitive car - the Messerschmitt KR175, followed in 1955 by the Isetta - these were microcars, not complete four-door cars like the 2CV. On the French home market, from 1961, the small Simca 1000 using licensed Fiat technology, and the larger Renault 4 hatchback had become available. The R4 was the biggest threat to the 2CV, eventually outselling it.
1960s
In 1960 the corrugated Citroën H Van style "ripple bonnet" of convex swages was replaced (except for the Sahara), with one using six larger concave swages and looked similar until the end of production. The 2CV had suicide doors in front from 1948 to 1964, replaced with front hinged doors from 1965 to 1990.
In 1961 Citroën launched a new model based on the 2CV chassis, with a 4-door sedan body, and a reverse rake rear window: the Citroën Ami. In 1962 the engine power was increased to 14 hp and top speed to 85 km/h. A sun roof was installed. In 1963 the engine power was increased to 16 hp. An electric wiper motor replaced the drive on the speedo. The ammeter was replaced by a charging indicator light. The speedometer was moved from the window frame into the dash. Instead of a dip stick/measuring rod, a fuel gauge was introduced.
Director of publicity Claude Puech came up with humorous and inventive marketing campaigns. Robert Delpire of the Delpire Agency was responsible for the brochures. Ad copy came from Jacques Wolgensinger Director of PR at Citroën. Wolgensinger was responsible for the youth orientated "Raids", 2CV Cross, rallies, the use of "Tin-Tin", and the slogan "More than just a car — a way of life". A range of colours was introduced, starting with Glacier Blue in 1959, then yellow in 1960. In the 1960s 2CV production caught up with demand. In 1966 the 2CV got a third side window. From September 1966 a Belgian-produced variant was sold in Germany with the 602 cc engine and 21 hp Ami6, the 3 CV (AZAM6). This version was only sold until 1968 in some export markets.
In 1967 Citroën launched a new model based on the 2CV chassis, with an updated but still utilitarian body, with a hatchback (a hatchback kit was available from Citroën dealers for the 2CV, and aftermarket kits are available) that boosted practicality: the Citroën Dyane. The exterior is more modern and distinguished by the recessed lights in the fenders and bodywork. Between 1967 and 1983 about 1.4 million were built. This was in response to competition by the Renault 4. The Dyane was originally planned as an upmarket version of the 2CV and was supposed to supersede it, but ultimately the 2CV outlived the Dyane by seven years. Citroën also developed the Méhari off-roader.
From 1961, the car was offered, at extra cost, with the flat-2 engine size increased to 602 cc, although for many years the smaller 425 cc engine continued to be available in France and export markets where engine size determined car tax levels. This was replaced by an updated 435 cc engine in 1968.
1970s
In 1970 the car gained rear light units from the Citroën Ami 6, and also standardised a third side window in the rear pillar on 2CV6 (602 cc) models. From 1970, only two series were produced: the 2CV 4 (AZKB) with 435 cc and the 2CV 6 (Azka) with 602 cc displacement. All 2CVs from this date can run on unleaded fuel. 1970s cars featured rectangular headlights, except the Spécial model. In 1971 the front bench seat was replaced with two individual seats. In 1972 2CVs were fitted with standard three-point seat belts. In 1973 new seat covers, a padded single-spoke steering wheel and ashtrays were introduced.
The highest annual production was in 1974. Sales of the 2CV were reinvigorated by the 1974 oil crisis. The 2CV after this time became as much a youth lifestyle statement as a basic functional form of transport. This renewed popularity was encouraged by the Citroën "Raid" intercontinental endurance rallies of the 1970s where customers could participate by buying a new 2CV, fitted with a "P.O." kit (Pays d'Outre-mer — overseas countries), to cope with thousands of miles of very poor or off-road routes.
1970: Paris–Kabul: 1,300 young people, 500 2CVs, 16,500 km to Afghanistan and back.
1971: Paris–Persepolis: 500 2CVs 13,500 km to Iran and back.
1973: Raid Afrique, 60 2CVs 8000 km from Abidjan to Tunis, the Atlantic capital of Ivory Coast through the Sahara, (the Ténéré desert section was unmapped and had previously been barred to cars), to the Mediterranean capital of Tunisia.
The Paris to Persepolis rally was the most famous. The Citroën "2CV Cross" circuit/off-road races were very popular in Europe.
Because of new emission standards, in 1975 power was reduced from 28 hp to 25 hp. The round headlights were replaced by square ones, adjustable in height. A new plastic grille was fitted.
In July 1975, a base model called the 2CV Spécial was introduced with the 435 cc engine. Between 1975 and 1990 under the name of AZKB "2CV Spécial" a drastically reduced trim basic version was sold, at first only in yellow. The small, square speedometer (which dates back to the Traction Avant), and the narrow rear bumper was installed. Citroën removed the third side window, the ashtray, and virtually all trim from the car. It also had the earlier round headlights. From the 1978 Paris Motor Show the Spécial regained third side windows, and was available in red and white; beginning in mid-1979 the 602 cc engine was installed. In June 1981 the Spécial E arrived; this model had a standard centrifugal clutch and particularly low urban fuel consumption.
1980s
In 1981 a yellow 2CV6 was driven by James Bond (Roger Moore) in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. The car in the film was fitted with the flat-4 engine from a Citroën GS which more than doubled the power. In one scene the ultra light 2CV tips over and is quickly righted by hand. Citroën launched a special edition 2CV "007" to coincide with the film; it was fitted with the standard engine and painted yellow with "007" on the front doors and fake bullet hole stickers.
In 1982 all 2CV models got inboard front disc brakes.
In 1988, production ended in France after 40 years but continued at the Mangualde plant in Portugal. This lasted until 1990, when production of the 2CV ended. The 2CV outlasted the Visa, another of the cars which might have been expected to replace it, and was produced for four years after the start of Citroën AX production.
Portuguese-built cars, especially those from when production was winding down, have a reputation in the UK for being much less well made and more prone to corrosion than those made in France. According to Citroën, the Portuguese plant was more up-to-date than the one in Levallois near Paris, and Portuguese 2CV manufacturing was to higher quality standards.
As of October 2016, 3,025 remained in service in the UK.
SPECIAL EDITION SALOON MODELS
The special edition models began with the 1976 SPOT model and continued in the with the 1980 Charleston, inspired by Art-Deco two colour styles 1920s Citroën model colour schemes. In 1981 the 007 arrived. In 1983 the 2CV Beachcomber arrived in the United Kingdom; it was known as "France 3" in France or "Transat" in other continental European markets — Citroën sponsored the French America's Cup yacht entry of that year. In 1985 the two-coloured Dolly appeared, using the "Spécial" model's basic trim rather than the slightly better-appointed "Club" as was the case with the other special editions. In 1986 there was the Cocorico. This means "cock-a-doodle-doo" and tied in with France's entry in the 1986 World Cup. "Le Coq Gaulois" or Gallic rooster is an unofficial national symbol of France. In 1987 came the Bamboo, followed by the 1988 Perrier in association with the mineral water company.
The Charleston, having been presented in October 1980 as a one-season "special edition" was incorporated into the regular range in July 1981 in response to its "extraordinary success". By changing the carburetor to achieve 29 hp a top speed of 115 km/h was achieved. Other changes were a new rear-view mirror and inboard disc brakes at the front wheels. In the 1980s there was a range of four full models:
Spécial
Dolly (an improved version of the Spécial)
Club (discontinued in the early 1980s)
Charleston (an improved version of the Club)
In Germany and Switzerland a special edition called, "I Fly Bleifrei" — "I Fly Lead Free" was launched in 1986, that could use unleaded, instead of then normal leaded petrol and super unleaded. It was introduced mainly because of stricter emissions standards. In 1987 it was replaced by the "Sausss-duck" special edition.
EXPORT MARKETS
The 2CV was originally sold in France and some European markets, and went on to enjoy strong sales in Asia, South America, and Africa. During the post-war years Citroën was very focused on the home market, which had some unusual quirks, like puissance fiscale. The management of Michelin was supportive of Citroën up to a point, and with a suspension designed to use Michelin's new radial tyres the Citroën cars clearly demonstrated their superiority over their competitors' tyres. But they were not prepared to initiate the investment needed for the 2CV (or the Citroën DS for that matter) to truly compete on the global stage. Citroën was always under-capitalised until the 1970s Peugeot takeover. The 2CV sold 8,830,679 vehicles; the Volkswagen Beetle, which was available worldwide, sold 21 million units.
CONSTRUCTION
The level of technology in the 1948 2CV was remarkable for the era. While colours and detail specifications were modified in the ensuing 42 years, the biggest mechanical change was the addition of front disc brakes (by then already fitted for several years in the mechanically similar Citroën Dyane 6), in October 1981 (for the 1982 model year). The reliability of the car was enhanced by the minimalist simplification of the designers, being air-cooled (with an oil cooler), it had no coolant, radiator, water pump or thermostat. It had no distributor either, just a contact breaker system. Except for the brakes, there were no hydraulic parts on original models; damping was by tuned mass dampers and friction dampers.
The 1948 car featured radial tyres, which had just been commercialised; front-wheel drive; rack and pinion steering mounted inside the front suspension cross-tube, away from a frontal impact; rear fender skirts (the suspension design allowed wheel changes without removing the skirts); bolt-on detachable front and rear wings; detachable doors, bonnet (and boot lid after 1960), by "slide out" P-profile sheet metal hinges; flap-up windows, as roll up windows were considered too heavy and expensive.; and detachable full length fabric sunroof and boot lid, for almost pickup-like load-carrying versatility. Ventilation in addition to the sunroof and front flap windows was provided by an opening flap under the windscreen. The car had load adjustable headlights and a heater (heaters were standardised on British economy cars in the 1960s).
BODY
The body was constructed of a dual H-frame platform chassis and aircraft-style tube framework, and a very thin steel shell that was bolted to the chassis. Because the original design brief called for a low speed car, little or no attention was paid to aerodynamics; the body had a drag coefficient of Cd=0.51, high by today's standards but typical for the era.
The 2CV used the fixed-profile convertible, where the doors and upper side elements of its bodywork remain fixed, while its fabric soft top can be opened. This reduces weight and lowers the centre of gravity, and allows the carrying of long or irregularly shaped items, but the key reason was that fabric was cheaper than steel which was in short supply and expensive after the war. The fixed-profile concept was quite popular in this period.
SUSPENSION
The suspension of the 2CV was very soft; a person could easily rock the car side to side dramatically. The swinging arm, fore-aft linked suspension system with inboard front brakes had a much smaller unsprung mass than existing coil spring or leaf spring designs. The design was modified by Marcel Chinon.
The system comprises two suspension cylinders mounted horizontally on each side of the platform chassis. Inside the cylinders are two springs, one for each wheel, mounted at each end of the cylinder. The springs are connected to the front leading swinging arm and rear trailing swinging arm, that act like bellcranks by pull rods (tie rods). These are connected to spring seating cups in the middle of the cylinder, each spring being compressed independently, against the ends of the cylinder. Each cylinder is mounted using an additional set of springs, originally made from steel, called "volute" springs, on later models made from rubber. These allow the front and rear suspension to interconnect. When the front wheel is deflected up over a bump, the front pull rod compresses the front spring inside the cylinder, against the front of the cylinder. This also compresses the front "volute" spring pulling the whole cylinder forwards. That action pulls the rear wheel down on the same side via the rear spring assembly and pull rod. When the rear wheel meets that bump a moment later, it does the same in reverse, keeping the car level front to rear. When both springs are compressed on one side when travelling around a bend, or front and rear wheels hit bumps simultaneously, the equal and opposite forces applied to the front and rear spring assemblies reduce the interconnection. It reduces pitching, which is a particular problem of soft car suspension.
The swinging arms are mounted with large bearings to "cross tubes" that run side to side across the chassis; combined with the effects of all-independent soft springing and excellent damping, keeps the road wheels in contact with the road surface and parallel to each other across the axles at high angles of body roll. A larger than conventional steering castor angle, ensures that the front wheels are closer to vertical than the rears, when cornering hard with a lot of body roll. The soft springing, long suspension travel and the use of leading and trailing arms means that as the body rolls during cornering the wheelbase on the inside of the corner increases while the wheelbase on the outside of the corner decreases. As the corning forces put more of the car's weight on the inside pair of wheels the wheelbase extends in proportion, keeping the car's weight balance and centre of grip constant. promoting excellent road holding. The other key factor in the quality of its road holding is the very low and forward centre of gravity, provided by the position of the engine and transmission.
The suspension also automatically accommodates differing payloads in the car- with four people and cargo on board the wheelbase increases by around 4 cm as the suspension deflects, and the castor angle of the front wheels increases by as much as 8 degrees thus ensuring that ride quality, handling and road holding are almost unaffected by the additional weight. On early cars friction dampers (like a dry version of a multi-plate clutch design) were fitted at the mountings of the front and rear swinging arms to the cross-tubes. Because the rear brakes were outboard, they had extra tuned mass dampers to damp wheel bounce from the extra unsprung mass. Later models had tuned mass dampers ("batteurs") at the front (because the leading arm had more inertia and "bump/thump" than the trailing arm), with hydraulic telescopic dampers / shock absorbers front and rear. The uprated hydraulic damping obviated the need for the rear inertia dampers. It was designed to be a comfortable ride by matching the frequencies encountered in human bipedal motion.
This suspension design ensured the road wheels followed ground contours underneath them closely, while insulating the vehicle from shocks, enabling the 2CV to be driven over a ploughed field without breaking any eggs, as its design brief required. More importantly it could comfortably and safely drive at reasonable speed, along the ill-maintained and war-damaged post-war French Routes Nationales. It was commonly driven "Pied au Plancher" — "foot to the floor" by their peasant owners.
FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE AND GEARBOX
Citroën had developed expertise with front-wheel drive due to the pioneering Traction Avant, which was the first mass-produced steel monocoque front-wheel-drive car in the world. The 2CV was originally equipped with a sliding splined joint, and twin Hookes type universal joints on its driveshafts; later models used constant velocity joints and a sliding splined joint.
The gearbox was a four-speed manual transmission, an advanced feature on an inexpensive car at the time. The gear stick came horizontally out of the dashboard with the handle curved upwards. It had a strange shift pattern: the first was back on the left, the second and third were inline, and the fourth (or the S) could be engaged only by turning the lever to the right from the third. Reverse was opposite first. The idea was to put the most used gears opposite each other — for parking, first and reverse; for normal driving, second and third. This layout was adopted from the H-van's three-speed gearbox.
OTHER
The windscreen wipers were powered by a purely mechanical system: a cable connected to the transmission; to reduce cost, this cable also powered the speedometer. The wipers' speed was therefore dependent on car speed. When the car was waiting at a crossroad, the wipers were not powered; thus, a handle under the speedometer allowed them to be operated by hand. From 1962, the wipers were powered by a single-speed electric motor. The car came with only a speedometer and an ammeter.
The 2CV design predates the invention of disc brake, so 1948–1981 cars have drum brakes on all four wheels. In October 1981, front disc brakes were fitted. Disc brake cars use green LHM fluid – a mineral oil – which is not compatible with standard glycol brake fluid.
ENGINES
The engine was designed by Walter Becchia and Lucien Gerard, with a nod to the classic BMW boxer motorcycle engine. It was an air-cooled, flat-twin, four-stroke, 375 cc engine with pushrod operated overhead valves and a hemispherical combustion chamber. The earliest model developed 9 PS (6.6 kW) DIN (6.5 kW). A 425 cc engine was introduced in 1955, followed in 1968 by a 602 cc one giving 28 bhp (21 kW) at 7000 rpm. With the 602 cc engine, the tax classification of the car changed so that it became a 3CV, but the name remained unchanged. A 435 cc engine was introduced at the same time to replace the 425 cc; the 435 cc engine car was named 2CV 4 while the 602 cc took the name 2CV 6 (a variant in Argentina took the name 3CV). The 602 cc engine evolved to the M28 33 bhp (25 kW) in 1970; this was the most powerful engine fitted to the 2CV. A new 602 cc giving 29 bhp (22 kW) at a slower 5,750 rpm was introduced in 1979. This engine was less powerful, and more efficient, allowing lower fuel consumption and better top speed, but decreased acceleration. All 2CVs with the M28 engine can run on unleaded petrol.
The 2CV used the wasted spark ignition system for simplicity and reliability and had only speed-controlled ignition timing, no vacuum advance taking account of engine load.
Unlike other air-cooled cars (such as the Volkswagen Beetle and the Fiat 500) the 2CV's engine had no thermostat valve in its oil system. The engine needed more time for oil to reach normal operating temperature in cold weather. All the oil passed through an oil cooler behind the fan and received the full cooling effect regardless of the ambient temperature. This removes the risk of overheating from a jammed thermostat that can afflict water- and air-cooled engines and the engine can withstand many hours of running under heavy load at high engine speeds even in hot weather. To prevent the engine running cool in cold weather (and to improve the output of the cabin heater) all 2CVs were supplied with a grille blind (canvas on early cars and a clip-on plastic item called a "muff" in the owner's handbook, on later ones) which blocked around half the aperture to reduce the flow of air to the engine.
The engine's design concentrated on the reduction of moving parts. The cooling fan and dynamo were built integrally with the one-piece crankshaft, removing the need for drive belts. The use of gaskets, seen as another potential weak point for failure and leaks, was also kept to a minimum. The cylinder heads are mated to the cylinder barrels by lapped joints with extremely fine tolerances, as are the two halves of the crankcase and other surface-to-surface joints.
As well as the close tolerances between parts, the engine's lack of gaskets was made possible by a unique crankcase ventilation system. On any 2-cylinder boxer engine such as the 2CV's, the volume of the crankcase reduces by the cubic capacity of the engine when the pistons move together. This, combined with the inevitable small amount of "leakage" of combustion gases past the pistons leads to a positive pressure in the crankcase which must be removed in the interests of engine efficiency and to prevent oil and gas leaks. The 2CV's engine has a combined engine "breather" and oil filler assembly which contains a series of rubber reed valves. These allow positive pressure to escape the crankcase (to the engine air intake to be recirculated) but close when the pressure in the crankcase drops as the pistons move apart. Because gases are expelled but not admitted this creates a slight vacuum in the crankcase so that any weak joint or failed seal causes air to be sucked in rather than allowing oil to leak out.
These design features made the 2CV engine highly reliable; test engines were run at full speed for 1000 hours at a time, equivalent to driving 80,000 km at full throttle. They also meant that the engine was "sealed for life" — for example, replacing the big-end bearings required specialised equipment to dismantle and reassemble the built-up crankshaft, and as this was often not available the entire crankshaft had to be replaced. The engine is very under-stressed and long-lived, so this is not a major issue.
If the starter motor or battery failed, the 2CV had the option of hand-cranking, the jack handle serving as starting handle through dogs on the front of the crankshaft at the centre of the fan. This feature, once universal on cars and still common in 1948 when the 2CV was introduced, was kept until the end of production in 1990.
PERFORMANCE
In relation to the 2CV's performance and acceleration, it was joked that it went "from 0–60 km/h in one day". The original 1948 model that produced 9 hp had a 0–40 time of 42.4 seconds and a top speed of 64 km/h, far below the speeds necessary for North American highways or the German Autobahns of the day. The top speed increased with engine size to 80 km/h in 1955, 84 km/h in 1962, 100 km/h in 1970, and 115 km/h in 1981.
The last evolution of the 2CV engine was the Citroën Visa flat-2, a 652 cc featuring electronic ignition. Citroën never sold this engine in the 2CV, but some enthusiasts have converted their 2CVs to 652 engines, or even transplanted Citroën GS or GSA flat-four engines and gearboxes.
In the mid-1980s Car magazine editor Steve Cropley ran and reported on a turbocharged 602 cc 2CV that was developed by engineer Richard Wilsher.
END OF PRODUCTION
The 2CV was produced for 42 years, the model finally succumbing to customer demands for speed, in which this ancient design had fallen significantly behind modern cars, and safety. Although the front of the chassis was designed to fold up, to form a crumple zone according to a 1984 Citroën brochure, in common with other small cars of its era its crashworhiness was very poor by modern standards. (The drive for improved safety in Europe happened from the 1990s onwards, and accelerated with the 1997 advent of Euro NCAP.) Its advanced underlying engineering was ignored or misunderstood by the public, being clothed in an anachronistic body. It was the butt of many a joke, especially by Jasper Carrott in the UK.
Citroën had attempted to replace the ultra-utilitarian 2CV several times (with the Dyane, Visa, and the AX). Its comically antiquated appearance became an advantage to the car, and it became a niche product which sold because it was different from anything else on sale. Because of its down-to-earth economy car style, it became popular with people who wanted to distance themselves from mainstream consumerism — "hippies" — and also with environmentalists.
Although not a replacement for the 2CV, the AX supermini, a conventional urban runabout, unremarkable apart from its exceptional lightness, seemed to address the car makers' requirements at the entry level in the early 1990s. Officially, the last 2CV, a Charleston, which was reserved for Mangualde's plant manager, rolled off the Portuguese production line on 27 July 1990, although five additional 2CV Spécials were produced afterwards.[citation needed]
In all a total of 3,867,932 2CVs were produced. Including the commercial versions of the 2CV, Dyane, Méhari, FAF, and Ami variants, the 2CV's underpinnings spawned 8,830,679 vehicles.
The 2CV was outlived by contemporaries such as the Mini (out of production in 2000), Volkswagen Beetle (2003), Renault 4 (1992), Volkswagen Type 2 (2013) and Hindustan Ambassador (originally a 1950s Morris Oxford), (2014).
CONTINUED POPULARITY
The Chrysler CCV or Composite Concept Vehicle developed in the mid-1990s is a concept car designed to illustrate new manufacturing methods suitable for developing countries. The car is a tall, roomy four-door sedan of small dimensions. The designers at Chrysler said they were inspired to create a modernised 2CV.
The company Sorevie of Lodève was building 2CVs until 2002. The cars were built from scratch using mostly new parts. But as the 2CV no longer complied with safety regulations, the cars were sold as second-hand cars using chassis and engine numbers from old 2CVs.
The long-running 2CV circuit racing series organized by The Classic 2CV Racing Club continues to be popular in the UK.
English nicknames include "Flying Dustbin", "Tin Snail", "Dolly", "Tortoise"
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