The Befouled Weakly News

15 June 2008


Firstly, a happy, happy birthday to Pam this morning and all our sincere best wishes for a great day and continuing wishes for improving health. Also, our heartiest hearty congratulations to Carol and Zach on the announcement of their impending nuptials.

We’ve had some absolutely fantastic weather for much of the week. Indeed, this is about as good as it is possible to get in Britain – temperatures in the mid 70s, a gentle breeze and cloudless blue skies. Heaven.

Peacocks on the roofIt wasn’t just the good weather but it helped contribute to a convenient excuse for Ms Playchute to organise a barbeque on Sunday evening. (It was originally planned for Saturday but one of the attending couples could not, in fact, attend so it was held on Sunday instead). During the organisation, there had been much concern on the part of one of the attendees that, Monday, being a “work day”, she would have to leave early and that we weren’t to take any offense. Pen explained that she and I are generally in bed by about 9.00 and that, apparently, re-assured her. When it came to the event, however, the “party” went on until 10.50 – I guess we must have been enjoying ourselves! And, at this time of year it stays light so late that it can be difficult to gauge the time. You could tell we were being too boisterous when the peacocks from the smallholding up the road arrived and perched on our roof; clearly we were keeping them awake!

There have also been several other opportunities to dine alfresco this week and we have taken every advantage; we have to – we don’t get this kind of weather too often. I must say, my barbequing experience has been greatly enhanced by finally working out a way to fit the clever barbequing light Sandy very kindly sent me a year or so ago. This operates on a tilt switch so, when one opens the lid to the Weber, the light comes on and illuminates whatever one is currently burning. The reason it took so long to fit is that the handle on my Weber is clearly distinctly different from those in the States for which the lamp was designed. Still, a bit of wire now secures it in place and I can continue to incinerate food well into the darkest hours.

As well as providing superb barbequing opportunities, our dog walking chores have been decidedly enjoyable this week. Subsequently, I had to take some photographs of one of our favourite walks, across the fields from Chipping Warden to Edgecote House and back again. The winter wheat is growing well and the skies were as clear and blue as can be.


Edgecote
Edgecote

Let’s hope we haven’t exhausted our year’s supply of decent weather already!

We’ve also enjoyed this year’s first brood of swallows in the garage who are ready to fledge any day now. There are six babies in this batch and, not surprisingly, mum and dad have been working their socks off keeping them fed.


Mum and Dad
Hungry!

Robbie Robin
Rough-legged buzzard

Robbie Robin is a regular frequenter of the garden, especially when Ms Playchute is turning the soil in some manner; he/she sits on the wall or the pergola waiting for some juicy morsel to be uncovered. The other is of a rough-legged buzzard (I am assured) which we saw gliding in the sky at Edgecote the other day.

And finally....

Baby jumping in Spain.
Spanish village holds baby jump
 
Baby JumpingGrown men have been leaping over rows of babies in the north Spanish village of Castrillo de Murcia in an annual rite meant to ward off the Devil.

Jumpers dressed as the Colacho, a character representing the Devil, bounded over clusters of bemused infants laid out on mattresses.

Nobody appeared to get hurt in this year's festive event.

Castrillo, near Burgos, has been holding the event since 1620 to mark the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi.

The feast is widely celebrated in Spain, often with processions and mystery plays. Pageants can feature dancers depicting demons and angels or other characters.

With love to you all wearing my usual Colacho costume,

Greg


An atheist was taking a walk through the woods, admiring all that evolution had created.

"What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!", he said to himself. As he was walking along the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. When he turned to see what the cause was, he saw a 7-foot grizzly charging right towards him. He ran as fast as he could. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing, He ran even faster, crying in fear. He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was even closer. His heart was pounding and he tried to run even faster. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up, but saw the bear right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.

At that moment, the Atheist cried out "Oh my God!...." Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. Even the river stopped moving.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky, "You deny my existence for all of these years; teach others I don't exist; and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?"

The atheist looked directly into the light "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask You to treat me as Christian now, but perhaps could you make the bear a Christian?" "Very well," said the voice.

The light went out. The river ran again. And the sounds of the forest resumed.

And then the bear dropped his right paw ..... brought both paws together...bowed his head and spoke: "Lord, for this food which I am about to receive, I am truly thankful."


I think we’ve had this before but it’s still cute....

This chain letter was started in hopes of  bringing relief to other tired and discouraged  men. Unlike most chain letters, this one does  not cost anything. Just send a copy of this  letter to five of your friends who are equally  tired and discontented. Then bundle up your  wife or girlfriend, send her to the man whose  name appears at the top of the list, and add  your name to the bottom of the list.

When your turn comes, you will receive 15,625  women. One of them is bound to be better than  the one you already have.

At the writing of this letter, a friend of mine  had already received 184 women, of whom 4 were  worth keeping.

REMEMBER this chain brings luck. One man's pit  bull died, and the next day he received a Playboy model.

An unmarried man living with his widowed mother  was able to choose between a Hooters waitress  and a Hollywood supermodel.

You can be lucky too, but DO NOT BREAK THE  CHAIN! One man broke the chain, and got his own wife back again.


A little old lady from North Carolina had worked in and around her family dairy farms since she was old enough to walk with hours of hard work and little compensation. When canned Carnation Milk became available in grocery stores, she read an advertisement offering $5,000 for the best slogan/rhyme beginning with "Carnation Milk is best of all..."

She said, "I know all about milk and dairy farms... I can do this!"

She sent in her entry and about a week later a black limo drove up in front of her house. A man got out and said, "Carnation LOVED your entry so much, we are here to award you $1000, even though we will not be able to use it." Here is her entry:

Carnation milk, best milk in the land
Comes to you in a little red can.
Carnation milk is best of all
No tits to pull, no hay to haul.
No buckets to wash, no shit to pitch,
Just poke a hole in the son-of-a-bitch!

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