A Friendly Dragonfly


On this day, 16th October, 2019, this dragonfly decided to say hello.

Happy St George’s Day


Follow the link below to see my previous thoughts on  how little we think of the English patron saint compared to the patron saints of the other countries that make up the United Kingdom.

https://siskinbob.com/2011/03/23/once-more-for-emsworth-and-st-george-what-about-the-rest-of-the-country/

This year, my online calendar doesn’t even mention St. George’s day. And yet, staring me in the face are entries for St. Patrick and St. David both celebrated in the same month.

The people of this country do my head in. They get bent out of shape because Nike introduce a multi colour version for the England football strip, but seemingly ignore St. George, for whom the flag is a symbol.

And let’s not forget that the cross of St. George forms an integral part, if not the basis, of the Union Flag symbol of Great Britain, the United Kingdom.

I did a quick trawl of the interweb to find out what was happening in my area to celebrate St. George’s Day. Well, apparently,  not much.

I found several instances referring to parades and services associated with Chichester Cathedral. Sadly, they were all for years gone by.

Also sad, if there is any truth in it, is this text

We do recognise St George’s day In England, although as a more multicultural society it is not observed by all. There is also an air or Political correctness that abounds in England today that the St George’s flag (white with Red Cross) is viewed by some as racist.

https://www.quora.com/

Racist !!! Where the hell did that come from ? The national flag of multicultural  England is racist. More woke/BLM bullshit.

Similarly, another snippet

Observed on the 23rd of April each year, you’ll find parades and a range of celebratory activities popping up around England. Expect to see the symbol of St George (a flag with a red and white cross) everywhere, as well as people flooding the streets and local pubs, as well as church services.

https://www.rabbies.com/en/blog/how-celebrate-st-georges-day-2024#:~:text=Observed%20on%20the%2023rd%20of,as%20well%20as%20Church%20services.

At the grand old age of seventy-two, I can safely say that I have never seen a parade for St. George, nor people flooding the streets.

Most churches will hold services for St. George and some pubs will certainly put up some bunting and promote St. George, in the hope of drawing in a few more punters.

But, St. George is not embedded in our psyche. If we had a national holiday, then more people might sit up and take notice.

But that isn’t any more likely now than it was in 2011 when I lasted posted on this subject.

Glow @ Marwell Zoological Park


Had a lovely evening out with family yesterday at Marwell Zoological Park.

Here are just a few snaps ….

The beginning ……

Big Ship !!!


HMS Queen Elizabeth – Seen exiting Portsmouth Harbour

Earlier this month I became aware that HMS Queen Elizabeth was due to sail from Portsmouth Harbour after a short provisioning visit.

The Queen Elizabeth class is a class of two aircraft carriers in the  Royal Navy. The first, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was commissioned on 7 December 2017. The second, HMS Prince of Wales was commissioned on 10 December 2019.

My wife and I took a wander along Southsea sea front to take a look. As we had been in Australia for the previous seven months and had only just recently returned, this was our first opportunity to view this huge vessel.

We found a seat right by Southsea Castle, providing us with the ideal viewpoint to watch HMS Queen Elizabeth and her escorts head out into the Solent.

Here are just a few of the photos that I took on a lovely, sunny afternoon.