“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – Bruce Lee
“If you wait to do everything until you’re sure it’s right, you’ll probably never do much of anything.” – Win Borden—————————————————————————————
I’m just getting over the excitement of Spain’s penalty shoot-out win over Portugal. It was end to end football played by two exceptionally good teams. It was disappointing to have no goals until the penalties but there were plenty of chances during the game. Alonso went from hero to villain in the space of one penalty kick. I’m afraid I think it will be a German victory in the final.
Yesterday we spent a day really exploring Biarritz. It was a great favourite of the Brits in the nineteenth century and I can understand why this was so. It’s a really superb combination of old and new. We’re staying in Anglet and it’s possible to walk down to Biarritz along the coast as an alternative to taking the bus routes and arterial roads. The coast is full of many great surfing beaches and each seems to be well supported by its own car parks and shops and restaurants.
I have added a few pictures of the area to, hopefully, give an idea of why we like it so much………………..It has to be said, also, I certainly have not seen the signs of recession highly visible on the Costa Blanca. We will be looking next at St. Jean de Luz which is one of the last towns in France before we get into Spain.
SIX AFFAIRS
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The 1st Affair
A married man was having an affair
with his secretary.
One day they went to her place
and made love all afternoon.
Exhausted, they fell asleep
and woke up at 8 PM.
The man hurriedly dressed
and told his lover to take his shoes
outside and rub them in the grass and dirt.
He put on his shoes and drove home.
‘Where have you been?’ his wife demanded.
‘I can’t lie to you,’ he replied,
‘I’m having an affair with my secretary.
We had sex all afternoon.’
She looked down at his shoes and said:
‘You lying bastard!
You’ve been playing golf!’
The 2nd Affair
A middle-aged couple had two beautiful daughters
but always talked about having a son.
They decided to try one last time
for the son they always wanted.
The wife got pregnant
and delivered a healthy baby boy.
The joyful father rushed to the nursery
to see his new son.
He was horrified at the ugliest child
he had ever seen.
He told his wife: ‘There’s no way I can
be the father of this baby.
Look at the two beautiful daughters I fathered!
Have you been fooling around behind my back?’
The wife smiled sweetly and replied:
‘No, not this time!’
The 3rd Affair
A mortician was working late one night.
He examined the body of Mr. Schwartz,
about to be cremated,
and made a startling discovery.
Schwartz had the largest private part
he had ever seen!
‘I’m sorry Mr. Schwartz,’ the mortician
commented, ‘I can’t allow you to be cremated
with such an impressive private part.
It must be saved for posterity.’
So, he removed it,
stuffed it into his briefcase,
and took it home.
‘I have something to show
you won’t believe,’ he said to his wife,
opening his briefcase.
‘My God!’ the wife exclaimed,
‘Schwartz is dead!’
The 4th Affair
A woman was in bed with her lover
when she heard her husband
opening the front door.
‘Hurry,’ she said, ‘stand in the corner.’
She rubbed baby oil all over him,
then dusted him with talcum powder.
‘Don’t move until I tell you,’
she said. ‘Pretend you’re a statue.’
‘What’s this?’ the husband inquired
as he entered the room.
‘Oh it’s a statue,’ she replied.
‘The Smiths bought one and I liked it
so I got one for us, too.’
No more was said,
not even when they went to bed.
Around 2 AM the husband got up,
went to the kitchen and returned
with a sandwich and a beer.
‘Here,’ he said to the statue, ‘have this.
I stood like that for two days at the Smiths
and nobody offered me a damned thing.’
(I think this one was the best one)
The 5th Affair
A man walked into a cafe,
went to the bar and ordered a beer.
‘Certainly, Sir, that’ll be one cent.’
‘One Cent?’ the man exclaimed.
He glanced at the menu and asked:
‘How much for a nice juicy steak
and a bottle of wine?’
‘A nickel,’ the barman replied.
‘A nickel?’ exclaimed the man.
‘Where’s the guy who owns this place?’
The bartender replied:
‘Upstairs, with my wife.’
The man asked: ‘What’s he doing upstairs
with your wife?’
The bartender replied:
‘The same thing I’m doing
to his business down here.’
The 6th & Best Affair
Jake was dying. His wife sat at the bedside.
He looked up and said weakly:
‘I have something I must confess.’
‘There’s no need to, ‘his wife replied.
‘No,’ he insisted,
‘I want to die in peace.
I slept with your sister, your best friend,
her best friend, and your mother!’
‘I know,’ she replied.
‘Now just rest and let the poison work.’
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Grandma is eighty-eight years old and still drives her own car. She writes:
Dear Grand-daughter,
The other day I went up to our local Christian book store and saw a ‘Honk if you love Jesus’ bumper sticker.
I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting. So, I bought the sticker and put it on my rear bumper.
Boy, am I glad I did; what an uplifting experience that followed!
I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about the Lord and how good He is, and I didn’t notice that the light had changed.
It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus because if he hadn’t honked, I’d never have noticed.
I found that lots of people love Jesus!
While I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed, ‘For the love of God!’ ‘Go! Go! Go! Jesus Christ, GO!’
What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!
Everyone started honking!
I just leaned out my window and started waving and smiling at all those loving people.
I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!
There must have been a man from Brisbane back there because I heard him yelling something about a sunny beach.
I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. I asked my young teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant.
He said it was a Hawaiian good luck sign. Well, I have never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign right back.
My grandson burst out laughing. Why, even he was enjoying this religious experience!
A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me.
I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed.
So, grinning, I waved at all my brothers and sisters, and drove on through the intersection.
I noticed that I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared.
So I slowed the car down, leaned out the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away. Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!
Love, Grandma
The Day’s Events 28th June1675 – Frederick William of Brandenburg crushed the Swedes. Then he peeled the potatoes and scrambled the eggs
1709 – The Russians defeated the Swedes and Cossacks at the Battle of Poltava. The leader was Swede Caroline
1778 – Mary “Molly Pitcher” Hays McCauley, wife of an American artilleryman, carried water to the soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth and, supposedly, took her husband’s place at his gun after he was overcome with heat. What a wonderful lady
1902 – The U.S. Congress passed the Spooner bill, it authorized a canal to be built across the isthmus of Panama. That would save a lot of time
1914 – Archduke Francis Ferdinand and the Mrs. Archduke were assassinated by Serb nationalist in (what is now known as) Sarajevo, Bosnia. This led to World War One
1919 – The Treaty of Versailles was signed ending World War I exactly five years after it began. The treaty also established the League of Nations. I love the Palace of Versailles
1921 – A coal strike in Great Britain was settled after three months. This would eventually leasd to the General Strike
1939 – Pan American Airways began the first transatlantic passenger service. Wonderful
1945 – U.S. General Douglas MacArthur announced the end of Japanese resistance in the Philippines. Good
1949 – The last U.S. combat troops were called home from Korea, leaving only 500 advisers. Good
1950 – North Korean forces captured Seoul, South Korea.
1954 – French troops began to pull out of Vietnam’s Tonkin Province. Good
1960 – In Cuba, Fidel Castro confiscated American-owned oil refineries without compensation. He would be a problem
1964 – Malcolm X founded the Organization for Afro American Unity to seek independence for blacks in the Western Hemisphere. Fair enough
1965 – The first commercial satellite began communications service. It was Early Bird (Intelsat II). Phenomenal
1967 – Fourteen people were shot in race riots in Buffalo, New York. Bad
1967 – Israel formally declared Jerusalem reunified under its sovereignty following its capture of the Arab sector in the June 1967 war. Good idea
1971 – The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the draft evasion conviction of Muhammad Ali. Good
1972 – U.S. President Nixon announced that no new draftees would be sent to Vietnam. I bet they’d be pleased
1976 – The first women entered the U.S. Air Force Academy. Fair enough
1978 – The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the medical school at the University of California at Davis to admit Allan Bakke. Bakke, a white man, argued he had been a victim of reverse racial discrimination. Weird
1996 – The Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school. Fair enough
1997 – Mike Tyson was disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear after three rounds of their WBA heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas, NV. He said he was hungry
1998 – Poland, due to shortage of funds, is allowed to lease, U.S. aircraft to bring military force up to NATO standards. Finance is a funny old game
2000 – Six-year-old Elián González returned to Cuba from the U.S. with his father. The child had been the center of an international custody dispute. I remember seeing this on TV
2001 – Slobodan Milosevic was taken into custody and was handed over to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. The indictment charged Milosevic and four other senior officials, with crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war in Kosovo. Horrible people
2004 – The U.S. turned over official sovereignty to Iraq’s interim leadership. The event took place two days earlier than previously announced to thwart insurgents’ attempts at undermining the transfer. It’s still not settled
2004 – The U.S. resumed diplomatic ties with Libya after a 24-year break. Look at today’s events
2007 – The American bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list. Good
The Day’s Music Events 28thJune1975, The Eagles started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘One Of These Nights’. Fabulous song 1975, Wings went to No.1 on the UK chart with the album ‘Venus And Mars’, featuring the US No.1 single ‘Listen What The Man Said’.Great album1977, Elton John achieved a life long ambition when he became the Chairman of Watford Football Club.To be fair they were a decent club in those days1980, Roxy Music scored their second UK No.1 album with ‘Flesh And Blood’. I don’t know this album1980, Paul McCartney’s ‘Coming Up’ became one of the few ‘live’ recordings to reach the top of Billboard’s Hot 100. American disc jockeys preferred it to the studio version on the flip side of the record.I agree. Studio versions are not always best1983, David Bowie appeared at The Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, on his Serious Moonlight tour. Ok
1985, Sister Sledge were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Frankie’, the sisters only UK No.1. Nile Rodgers from Chic produced the hit for the soul trio from Philadelphia.I loved this track
1986, Wham! were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their fourth and final UK No.1 ‘The Edge Of Heaven’. Also on this day Wham! played their farewell concert in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, London. I don’t remember this song
1993, The Manic Street Preachers played a sold out gig at the Marquee Club, London. I like a lot of their music
1996, Burt Bacharach appeared at The Royal Albert Hall, London. Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher joined him on-stage for a version of ‘This Guy’s In Love With You.’ I liked this
1997, The classic Pink Floyd album ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ spent its 1056th week on the US album chart. It was rumoured at the time that if the album was played while watching The Wizard of Oz movie, and started exactly when the MGM lion roared the third time during the movie’s intro, very interesting connections could be made between the two.Amazing success
2007, Benno Goldewijk, from Holland, and Spaniard Alfredo Pecina Matias were killed and two other men were injured during an accident dismantling the stage after a Rolling Stones concert in Madrid. Three of the workers fell 10m (33ft) from a metal structure and landed on a fourth. The Stones were currently on the European leg of their A Bigger Bang world tour. I remember this dreadful accident
2007, The Spice Girls confirmed they would reform for a world tour to take place in December 2007 and January 2008 with the original line-up who had not performed on stage since Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell quit in May 1998… The tour was being put together by Simon Fuller, whose 19 company masterminded the group’s global success more than a decade ago. I don’t think it will work again
2009, Three days after his death Michael Jackson was at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Number Ones’. The Essential Michael Jackson went to No.1 the following week for seven weeks. I loved his music
1977, Mark Stoermer, bass guitarist, The Killers, (2005 UK No.1 with their debut album ‘Hot Fuss’)..
