Bon anniversaire Granniog

             Bon anniversaire Granniog !

Not Now , Bernard

I was having a miserable day. I was not able to fall asleep, last night. My bebito is sick.
Than I saw this, and I was happy again. This is a story I remember from my childhood. A little boy, Bernard, is terrorised and finally eaten by a monster!  You see him, chewing his sneaker, but will his parents notice?

``But I'm a Monster''

Telegram from Malchera

Deputising today...stop... Mi Coya is unwell...stop  I hope she gets better soon.. stop
I have terrible heartburn... stop...I watched the Paraolympics opening... stop

Tyrant by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

I bought this a few years ago. I started to read it, and I left it on my shelf. I was upset by the description of a rape and murder of the female lead. I decided to come back to it. I guess I have become a little bit harder
The book is a historical novel. Detailing the rise and fall of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysius_I_of_Syracuse
Its set in that period, after the defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian war, and before the rise of Alexander.  It describes the rise of Dionysus, to absolute power.
It is a period of history I would like to know more about. Carthage is challenging the Greeks for control of the Med. Rome has not yet risen. The Gaul’s sack the eternal city off scene. The book contains, a Gallic mercenary as the champion and finally door keeper to the eponymous Tyrant. I was not sure if Askal is a Keltic name, however I digress.
Tiremes are beginning to be replaced by quadremes.Ballista's begin to make their appearance on the battlefields, and armies of Balearic slingers and Keltic mercenaries begin to challenge the hoplites. The writer is not a military historian there, is not pages and pages about how siege weapons work.There are vivid, scenes of the affect of war on the non combatants. There are children being displaced. The Heroine, describes a man, walking with his son, and father from there burning home, as Aeneas. People try and re coccupy a burned city. An old man, chooses to die when his city is lost, rather then flee to the hills
The Italian writer gave affairs an Italian flavour. There is a Mafia analogue. Which the lead character has dealings with. We see something of Scilly, an Island large enough for several cities. The Greeks clustered around the coast. The strange fertile inlands.
The war between the Greeks and Carthaginians over Scilly, spans most of the book.Its twists and turns, become wearisome. More often the not, the Tyrant is foiled by the actions of his superiors, or his underlings. This does give you a sense of the length and duration of the war. It does feel, though that the war has dragged on. Reading about a battle you expect a twist, A betrayal or a sudden storm blowing a fleet of course. Perhaps this is an accurate description of events. Two superpowers Cathage, and the Ancient Greek city of Syracuse are fighting. Neither is able to bring there full strength to bear. Most wars like this, where two giants clash, are often long and inconclusive,

We get a sense that the past is different.  The lead character actually marries two women. An Italian scillian, and a Greek Scillican. As part of his scheme to unite Italy. There is a sub plot of the Tyrant having a relationship with a woman who is supposed to impersonate a nymph for religious reasons, and be seduced by passers by. The Scillian mysteries are explored, in a incursion to a mountain village.

Its a decent skimming of the events of the rise of a Tyrant. As usual power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely .The author has started backwards, he believes that too much power is unhealthy. He does not challenge the point that his lead character always makes, is that democracy is not going to be strong enough to control an empire.
I preferred the Greek trader books, by Harry Turtledove, however it is always nice to visit somewhere else.

Donegal all Ireland finalists

Well done Donegal all Ireland finalists 2012. 

All Ireland Champions 1992

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong,

August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012

The first man, to walk on the moon.
Father, who lost a daughter
Graduate of Purdue University
Veteran

Passed away, today 25-August-2012

Round up 24-August-2012

I have started to watch Dexter season 5. I am quite pleased with it, at the moment. The farewell to Rita, was well done, and Julia Stiles has impressed me, with her role

General Michael Collins, has been dead for 90 years, this week

A friend  is in the Kill Devil Hills. . I wish People could say, Malchera has not been seen, for years, he is up there somewhere in the Kill Devil Hills.

My rosy, is working hard, to give her little boy a wonderful birthday party. This is while, she is helping a friend. Its not an easy time, for her at the moment, so I send her mucho mucho besos. Te amo, my rosita

Despite being turned down at interview. They have asked me to deputise on Wednesday Evening

It has been at least 15 years since, I did a Keg stand/

A relic

I took this picture the other day. Its of a co workers shopping.  A former co-worker, in fact.
The co worker, joined my department oh about a year and a half ago. My employer shut down one of its locations and transferred the staff over here.
The tranferees had been living the life of riley compared to my department. They had flex-time, where they were able to gain as much time off, as they wanted by working extra hours during the day. This is a department which did 80 percent less work than us, to start with
A lot of people made the transfer. Some were close to retirement and one or two took redundancy when it was offered.
One co worker remained from the other department
I will call him, S

This is his shopping. You see its left out. Its collected before work.
So S, can talk about his shopping.

S, drove everyone crazy. He was not trusted with important duties by management. Though strictly speaking he had 30 years service. S, had been raised to the level of supervisor by my employer before I was born. He complained endlessly, he would not do replacing,
S would talk non stop. He picked a fight with the cafeteria staff. The new franchise holders had in fairness reduced the portions to a much smaller size. Of late he  got into a fight in the rest area. This eventually lead to S’s downfall. The straw that broke the camels back
That is not the whole story here S was funny. I remember a one liner of his, as a co-worker was messing around with a young ladies  desk. Stop rummaging through her draws S had a fantastic knowledge of football. The man would recite every kick, and pass of saturday’s matches. I was of late looking for the price of an octoberfest holiday for him
S had two beautiful daughters. He showed the pictures to us once, sadly he compared them to Kelly Brook.
People kept telling him, be quiet. Keep your head down S.
S had money troubles. I bought a copy of secretary from him, on DVD.
S used to annoy me, he used to annoy everyone. Now, he no longer works with us. I wonder what will happen to him. Nothing good, I would imagine. I will no longer walk past his shopping. No longer have to chase him down for replacing. No longer listen, and no longer avoid.

Will Marsh Joke

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19316443

I was raised as an only child, which really annoyed my sister.

Will Marsh

H/T to Granniog, who sent this joke to me, 

Mon soeur elle sont une bebe Juane

The Wedding Video

The success of the Hangover, means we have to a British answer to the Hangover, because that is what the world wants! That is what audiences are calling for from Anchorage, to Santiago. The youth of Indonesia, and the coastal cities of China, will not rest until we have seen full frontal nudity and drunkenness and prostitutes and a British accent. The trailers, which preceded this film featured two films, of the same premise.( British answers to the Hangover/Bridemaids) As if Bridemaids, and Hot Tub time machine were not enough.

Rufus Hall, last seen in Argumental, and Robert Webb, two stalwarts of Dave ( Dave is a British comedy tv channel)  Are cast as two brothers. Webb, is basically copying his partner David Mitchell role from Peep Show, the repressed, reliable, decent one. While Rufus is the wacky one. At one point he describes himself, as the ``Human Las Vegas.''

To be honest, Hall's character is a >>>>

The conceit is that Hall, will make a wedding video as a gift to his Brother and Sister in law.
His Sister in law, Mother as married into money. Saskia Dutton, the former wild-child, of Raif, the protagonists,( Rufus Hall) high school years.
We get to see bit about Cheshire society. This is Hollyoaks country! The place where the monied classes of Liverpool and Manchester settle. The Mother of the Bride, having found her fortune, is currently trying to outclass her local friends and rivals. Where the rival wedding had doves, Webb/Hall/Saskia, will have butterflies.  A local mansion, is booked for the happy couple, a wedding planner, is hired. The Wedding planner is Michelle Gomez from( The Book Group,  Green Wing)  The film, has a couple of British sitcom regulars. Matt Berry, stars as Rufus friend. ( The I.T Crowd, Garth Marengi's Dark Place) Kevin Eldon stars as a wine merchant ( Hyperdrive, Fist of Fun, Brasseye)

The film does a decent job of putting emotion into the proceedings. Hall and Webb, parents died on a trip to South America. The trip which they had planned for their whole lives.  Saskia and her mother, are perhaps a bit uneasy with there wealth, despite there breeding. There is a nice scene when Saskia talks to her mother about them sneaking into a classical concert held in the grounds of a castle, before they had money. Miram Margoyles does a star turn, as the Grandmother of the Bride. A British Battleaxe. We see Rufus Hall, sitting in his room, and listening to a couple argue. We see Rufus, mulling about,

Its not an awful film, but I am getting the same, response, I gave to the Hangover mark 2. Either your an adult or your not. An adult should not need to get drunk to stand up to someone. An adult should not end a relationship because they are unhappy. .The film cops out of it.  Webb's charcter is criticised for surrendering to his  would be Mother in Law demands, but it is her, whom I presume is paying for the wedding. Webb character has married into money, as much as the Dutton girls. Its a fairly muted performace by Webb. Which is correct ,  We get a happy ending but really should we not have worked harder towards it?  The film dodges the point is that its easy for Rufus Hall, to sweep Saskia off her feet, as he is the brother of the groom. Her defences are down, because she is with her brother in law, her little brother in law. But how, is kissing Saskia, worse than Kissing a stripper, and besides why didn't Saskia speak up sooner?

Not a bad film, not a great one either

The Dark Knight rises

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This is the first, and last of the Christopher Nolan, Batman movies I did not see with my sister. I was quite pleased with the film. I had heard mixed reviews. I think to an extent the film, was a victim of the Franchise’s success. I quite enjoyed it, than again I am perhaps too easy to please. I had to go out of my way, to get to the cinema.
I was unable to use my voucher, and I spilled my coke. Which I had paid to supersize. I did however leave the cinema, in a good mood. I did not need to go to the bathroom, 3 times during the film. Really do they add something to the coke
My sister thought that Michael Caine ( I spoke with her afterwards) dialled his role in. There was less of him, and Lucius Fox, in this movie.
The film acknowledges the passing of time. Bruce Wayne has withdrawn from the world. A near cripple, he is given a run down of his injuries by a doctor. The city celebrates Harvey Dent day, Commissioner Gordon’s masters wish to get rid of him, as a war hero is often inconvenient in peace time. The streets are quiet. Heath Ledgers Joker, is not mentioned at all.
I thought that Gordon Levitt, was doing an impression of McNulty from the Wire. Levitt is clearly a favourite of Gordon Nolan.  You may remember him from Inception. The same film, we last saw Tom Hardy another Nolan favourite. Hardy is unrecognisable as Bane. Another Man, who wears a mask. Actually, to get back to Levitt,  Mc Nulty is not a bad choice to use as your template. That is if  you can imagine McNulty before the whores and booze. I suppose a cop, is the only role, you can be a rookie in your thirties. Anyway Levitt does a good job.
There are nice touches of continuity. Which must have cost a fair bit.  We see Cillian Murphy as the judge, in Banes’ peoples court. Cillian played the Scarecrow in the first movie.  ( Bane has set up a peoples republic of Gotham, the Eastern European/Russian accent would be wasted otherwise. )  We see Liam Neeson reprising his role as the oriental villain in the film film Batman Begins.
I am reminded of the quip about Batman, a billionaire crime fighter, who fights street crime, and is thus a conservative dream. Here Batman is facing a red rising. There is some modern politics bubbling under the Dark Knight.. Catwoman/ Anne Hathaway is very becoming in her leather, and this could be a breakthrough roll for her  Hathawa  transforms from meek maid, to criminal genius, in a single step. However our feline heroine could be said, to be giving a manifesto for the 99%. She asks Wayne, how he can justify taking so much, and leaving so little for everyone else. In another scene, when Wayne loses his business but keeps his mansion. The film has someone observe that there are different rules for the rich. Returning to Catwoman her dream is fetch a piece of software that would, allow her to erase her past. Another worry of our age, is the lost of privacy, as the wayward heroine says. Any 12 year old with a cell phone can find out everything about us. Its hinted that Catwoman, had a less than proper past.
Richard the man who never aged from Lost., was cast as the Mayor of Gotham. The man who played the Senator, from New Jersey, who wanted to be President in the first series of Boardwalk empire is demoted to a congressman, in this movie.
I am reminded again of how cold, Chicago is. The Batman films, are clearly set in Chi town. The overheads and the skyline is clear.  I remember the snow storms in March. Bane’s courts sentence people to death, by sending them across the Ice, of the river.
 A city cut off from the world, as Gotham is, would freeze to death. There are supplies of Kerosene brought in, but who is supplying the power? What about the sewage ?
I am surprised none of the cops, trapped underground got dysentery or some such. Also, there are no veterans or National Guard in Gotham? No knives and forks?
Mathew Modene is alive and well, and working for Gotham city police department

I did wonder about one thing, if Gotham is too corrupt to be saved, and everyone is guilty, why is it only the cops fighting the forces of Bane, why not a peoples rising? The people of Metropolis, rose up to defend Superman, in Superman 2. I also caught the trailer for the new Man of steel movie, that looks good.

I  can nitpicked all day. I enjoyed the Dark Knight rise. . It was farfetched, and the plot was in places flimsy but most of all, it was fun. The ends were tied up nicely. If you expected your life to change, you went to see the wrong movie. Its Batman, not Shakespeare, and there is nothing wrong with that

Congratulations Meike

Congratulations  to my friend Meike on your marriage. I wish you and your Husband many years of happiness Herzlichen Glückwunsch!

The Dandy

uks-oldest-comic-the-dandy-faces-closure-after-decline-in-circulation/

It is was sadness I learn, that the Dandy is to close. I remember it well from my childhood years. My cousins, used to subscribe to both the beano and the Dandy, and my trips to there home, in the summer were punctated and illumated by reading both comics. My father indeed was caned for reading the Beano, in class.

Looking back, now. Desperate Dan, is a figure from the past. He is a cowboy, in a world which has moved on from Westerns somewhat. The Cowboy does not hold the commanding heights of youth and popular culture it did, decades ago. It did for our parents, or grandparents even great grandparents of the readers of today.

The Caledonian origins of the Dandy were clear. The Jocks and the Geordies fought each other. As did the Border clans once before

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jocks_and_the_Geordies

 Brassneck, a strip which run in the 1980s, featured an episode in which Highlanders fought with redcoats. The School swot, of course was the leader of the red coats.

Perhaps all things must pass away, its still sad. A little peace of my childhood fades away.

``All our yesterdays '' to quote another a Scot

Broadwalk Empire season 1

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This is the Great Grandparent of the Soprano's. If we imagine Mad Men, to be the distant  father, then there is a line of descent from Nochy, to Tony Soprano. The series finale ends same montages we remember from the early series of the  Sopranos indeed we saw them in the Wire too. A Cousin, from the HBO family. .
As with the Sopranos we know we are never far from  the sea, or the woods. Where Enoch differs from Tony is that Enoch is a politician who became a criminal. Tony was a criminal. Enoch takes oppotunties, but regrets it, and tries to take amends. Tony uses people . Enoch has a kindness in him. As with Don Draper we walk in a more elegant age....

The series, looks great. Everyone is dressed immaculately, the champagne flows, Mr Thompson drives about in a rolls. Our Hero  lives in the Ritz. The opening episode was directed by Scorcese. The only thing, I would criticise is the theme tune. It just seems wrong. It seems out of place. Its too contemporary. A pity as I like the title sequence. Steve Buscemi as Enoch Thompson, walking by the Atlantic city broad walk. So we enter a world of rum runners, Hoodlums and the Charleston.. The opening sequence features a minstrel band, burying John Barleycorn.  Hell the show even recycles old jokes

I am not sure that Enoch Thompson was supposed to be Irish. Enoch and Eli are odd names for an Irish family. Indeed he was based on someone else.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_L._Johnson

  Our protagonist is a Republican party ``Boss''. The county treasurer of Atlantic city county. Enoch is trying to take advantage of the fortunes to be made, as the US enters enters  Prohibition We are standing on the line between History and fiction. Real people appear on our screens. Meyer Lansky and Charles ``Lucky'' Lucianco. In the later series, Eamon Devalera will loom large off-screen. The Mistress of President Warren Harding, is taken under Enoch's wing, to keep her out of trouble.

f there is one weakness. I wonder if its the racial politics. The relationship between Chalky and Enoch, is perhaps too modern. That is possibly because Enoch having the attitudes of his day, would be too dislikeable The writers of Life on Mars, noted the problem with Gene Hunt. Yet one of the best scenes in the series, was Chalky.( The Wire's Omar) talking about his fathers lynching in postbellum Texas, his father a skilled carpenter had been commissioned to make a set of book shelves, he had done the job too well. Watching Michael 's accent become more ``Suthern'' and thick as he describes his fathers death is one of the series better scenes.

The Commodore, one of the supporting characters, the father of Jimmy. ( Enoch's Thompson sometime protege)  brother died at Vicksburg. The Republicans are still buoyed by their success at the civil war. The Ohio political machine, is making Presidents. There may have been some rather heavy handed political satire intended in the original draft, I hope it is left behind with the pilot.

Kelly MacDonald, moves across the North Channel, to play Margeret Schroeder. A house wife, married to a violent never do well. She comes to Enoch, looking for work for her German husband. An abusive man. She catches the eye of our hero. Kelly MacDonald, is the wide eyed and meek innocent, who through Enoch grows. The two share a common loss. Perhaps the most horrible loss, one can imagine. Enoch, tries to save her.

I would put a weakness in the series antagonist. The Prohibition agent. Who seems, to have almost no redeeming qualities. We see him murder someone in the mist of a religious service. Agent Nelson  is on the surface a straight arrow. A patriot and  religious, and yet we see him, fornicate and drink. His letters to his wife end with details about letting the water run. The character seems to be inconsistent. He returns the money, he withheld from Jimmy's son. He refuses to help his childless wife, he murders a fellow agent, in front of a Black church, Hiding behind his Gun and badge.

I like how the series ties a lot of things together, which our protagonists would have seen as connected. Or would have been part of our heroes and heroines lives. If only as newspaper headlines, and small talk   Normally a film about prohibition, ignores the Irish revolution.  The effect of the  temperance movement  and the rise of womens suffrage  again are often ghettoised. Then there is world war 1. Jimmy is a world one veteran, he employs another veteran, a disfigured man Mr Harrow, to further his ends. Jimmy is murderously effective. As someone who went up against the storm of steel would be.  An American viewer, would have noted the Chicago sox scandal.The series clearly has learned . Everything is connected. The WW1 veterans use their skills in bootlegging.  Shooting and stabbing. A marksman uses his sniping skills to settle a score. The newly mobilised women voters, campaign for prohibition. An agent raids a dinner, in which people are arguing over Irish politics.

But the world we know is creeping up on our heroes. The Dance cannot go on forever. The series ends with our leads, listening to the results of the election of 1922, by wireless. Chalky is invited to the party. The women cast their votes. The opportunity will pass. The Government will not be kept down, in the basement of the Post office.

Ted

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I used to live to watch Family guy. I remember when they first showed it on this side of the Atlantic. I recorded it on my families VCR and I remembered for a long while the Children of the Corn/Hansen jokes. Peter Griffin, dreaming of a heaven where Kirstie Alley is still hot. I used to run out to buy the dvds. I even downloaded series 4. I have never downloaded anything else really.
I have the series on multi formats. I bought a copy of the series in the USA. I was sent a stewie postcard, by an old gf. So yes I was a big Family Guy fan. I actually listened to the commentaries
Than I stopped watching. The same as I stopped watching Fraiser and the X files. I just fell out of the habit. I still follow Seth Macfarlane on Twitter. I still laugh at his jokes. Family Guy no longer is must see tv, or a DVD I must buy
If you liked family guy, you will like this film. Its basically a live action version of Seth MacFarlane's, works. Instead of Bryan the talking dog, or Stewie the evil genius baby, or Rodger the Alien.
we have Ted, a living talking Teddy Bear. We have the cutaways and homages, that Family Guy/Cleveland/American Dad does in animation,  done in live action. So the Saturday night fever dance spoof from Airplane is spoofed again for another generation. There is a homage to Flash Gordon, but being American there is no reference to Brayn Blessed. No ``Gordon’s Alive!’’
We also have Seth’s stand up/comedy delivered through a bear. There is a reflection on how people sang in the 1990s. Its just the vowels.  There is nostalgia. Teddy Ruxpin, Knight rider, and The Sam Jones.. Flash Gordon film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080745/
As its Boston Cheers is named checked. In fact, we see the leads watching the commentaries. To hear the cast members insult each other
Different strokes, and the Cabbage patch kids get referenced.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Ruxpin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diff'rent_Strokes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage_Patch_Kids
  We also see Alice Bornstein who plays Louis in  family guy as the Mom, she is really short. I always thought Seth was really tall. Patrick Stewart does the voice over introduction. That is not unusual in Seth Macfarlane’s work.
The film is savvy enough to note that a talking bear, would cause a stir across the world. Ted, was a reasonably famous child star. The film actually knocks Frankie Muniz-Malcom from Malcom in the middle. Remember him, and Justin Bieber. There is a dig at Christianity, a newscaster from Georgia, thanks Jesus for the Miracle that is Ted. The film, has a logic problem here. Ted is famous enough to be on Johnny Carson, and to have people want photos with him. Yet no one else is surprised by the talking walking bear.
Ted  seems to have been on the shelf for a while. There is a reference to the earthquake in Haiti, and Susan Boyle.
Its a Boston movie. Ted speaks with a pronounced Boston accent at the beginning of the film. When he talks about girls from Boston being less than pretty. Not something I think is true. We see Fenway park, and the Aquarium. There is a scene set on Boston Common.
There is a meta reference to Family Guy. Ted, at a party, says he does not sound like Peter Griffin. The trailers, featured an advertisement for  the 11 series of Family guy 
Again the pot good-Cocaine bad meme comes into play. The heroes animated and real, are a bit nervous about doing Cocaine with Sam Jones.  However we see Ted and his Pal, smoking pot. All the time
Mila is lovely her big brown eyes steal the show.  Its a story about growing up. Interestingly she seems to have a much better job than her spouse.
The Lawyer guy from community plays the Love rival
There is a sub plot with a family. A father and son, who want to adopt/steal Ted. Its strange to have a father and son, the son, is about 10 years old. As the villains. I did laugh at loud, when the fat kid, got punched though
At some point you need to settle down and leave your toys behind. This is story about that, the pot and star wars days have to end. Which is true. I wonder if it is as easy to do so, as the film makes out.
PS, I also had a teddy bear when I was a child. I tore its eye out. As I did not like it looking at me.

They don't like to be seperated

They are a strange couple, from two different parts of the world. One has smooth green scales, the other has a torn sweater. One enjoys the sunshine of the tropics one, is up all night howling at the moon

Postcard

A postcard I received from Brasil

London 2012 Women's marathon

The video I took, of the London 2012 Women's marathon race. From my vantage point along the Mall, next to Buckingham palace, soaking in the range, and dying of thirst

London 2012

I made my way to the women’s marathon. I was determined to see an event, and it was free, and upon a sunday

St James Park, and the Mall, was full of people. I saw the flags, of Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Peru, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, Ethiopia,  and many others

Its not quite the Olympic sprit, but I wonder what these to spectators where reminiscing about

It rained throughout the day. I had an umbrella and a hoodie, other times, I was quite hot. I was not tempted by the 1.80 bottles of soft drink, for sale at the vendors. I also in a display of magnificent hypocrisy raged at the umbrellas of others, as I could not see, the competitors

After the ladies run threw St James Park, we followed the crowds to the mall. Which was a lovely walk

I took position just outside the Victoria memorial next to a Polish family,


This is me, in the crowd. Yes, I look miserable, but remember why Apple and not blackberry dominate the smart phone market. I also had a mild eye infection today. But what the heck! Its once in a life time event

I waited a half hour before we saw signs of the competitors of the crowd. The noise of the commentary in the ticketed section drowned out by the crowd. It was surprisingly difficult to take pictures of the runners. Here is a Kenyan and a Korean

Here is another Olympian, the crowd cheered one and all. Those who were last, where not treated as least. They were urged on and applauded.

Even if they were Natives, terrible Natives!

New Glasses

I picked up my new eye glasses on tuesday. I have a painful weeping eye infection today, as it happens. I was ill on Monday. Some sort of stomach flu, and I think my body is recovering.

My mother who had broken her leg, is better. She is now in a plastic boot/cast and is much more mobile.

I have been following the Olympics. My father and Sister went to see Gabon V Korea,