Triomphe

 

Cherry blossom does not last very long. Lengthening days and sunshine tempt it out of hiding and then it bursts triumphantly upon the urban scene like a bright firework fountain illuminating a coal-black November sky. All too soon it is gone - especially if there's a stiff wind or an April storm.

These first two pictures are of the cherry tree in our garden. It has put on quite a show this year - the best I can remember. But if we are rewarded with a bumper summer cherry crop then I expect that the birds will get to the fruit first. That's usually the case - with wood pigeons being the main greedy culprits. Pigeon pie anyone?

Last night I attended another pub quiz at "The Robin Hood" with the two Michaels who have been my quiz buddies for a quarter of a century. We have won many quizzes but never before had we achieved a perfect score of 25/25. Many 24s and 23s but never before a 25 until last night. Everything came together nicely. Mick knew that Tom Jones sang the theme song for the 007 film "Thunderball". Mike worked out the anagram - "HYACINTH BUCKET" and for some odd reason I knew that Taylor Swift's current single honours the English film actress - Elizabeth Taylor.

They call it team work and the three of us  floated home on cloud nine.

Also - yesterday afternoon...Who is that mean-looking dude who has just completed the Paris Marathon with  58,852 other runners? There he is on the Champs Elysees with his medal and The Arc de Triomphe behind him.

Why - I do declare - it is our lovely son Ian. Riding aboard the Eurostar train, he was back in his west London flat by 6.30 pm - already planning another foreign marathon in Seville, Spain next February. By the way, he has run much longer distances that a mere 26.2 miles. As I said to him over the telephone, I would feel I had really achieved something simply by walking a marathon distance  in one day with a midday stop for a sandwich and homegrown cherries.

We are very proud of him and he proves that there are tough  vegans around.  A plant-based diet does not have to be a handicap when it comes sport - or in his case running. Is that a sport or a pastime?

I expect that most American visitors to this blog will already know that the massive new triumphal arch planned for Washington D.C. has largely been inspired by Paris's Arc de Triomphe. Of course, The Orange Tyrant insists that America's arch will be bigger and better than all the rest - just like The Golden Ballroom  which is rising from the unfortunate ruins of The East Wing of The White House like a phoenix... or maybe a dodo... or a big fat wood pigeon that has been feasting on stolen cherries.  One name mooted for the crass new addition to the Washington cityscape is The Epstein Files Distraction Arch.