Traffic - now & then!

The longest delay we've had due to traffic since I got here 5 years ago! 5mph behind this for about 3 miles on the way to visit friends Saturday.

But still highly preferable to this M25 mess, a frequent experience in my old life!

Skywatch Friday 3rd Birthday!

"Tornadic Storm Cloud Heads East"

This week it's Skywatch's 3rd birthday and it's a great reason to celebrate the most successful weekly meme on the web. They have asked all participants to put up their best ever Skywatch entry to celebrate and this is without doubt my best, despite the fact I took it in pink furry cowboy boot slippers in a public cemetery!

So please make a special effort to visit Skywatch this week and be prepared to be amazed at the best skies ever from all around the world.

Happy Birthday Skywatch!

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Skywatch Friday

An amazing formation of Mammatus clouds 2 nights ago!

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To see other fabulous skies or join the best weekly meme on the web, go to the Skywatch site.

Things I didn't used to have to worry about...

This was the 5ft long Bull Snake my dear friend Nancy (in the next smalltown) almost stepped on in her yard. And despite being an Okieland native, Nancy is as deathly terrified of them as I am! 

She is the authentic pioneer woman, who bravely used her Honda people carrier to repeatedly run over a large Bull Snake on her drive a couple of years back. For approximately 15 minutes, back & forth she went. Screaming to herself with every bump as she passed over it. Needless to say I love Nancy dearly, she is one of my most favourite Okieland people.

That's her brave Hubster who decapitated said snake and bravely demonstrated it's full length (insert whole body shiver at this point!).

Now granted they live even more rural than I do, but they're still in easy sight of the main highway and Main Street. And I had a 3ft one of those (insert full body shiver here too!) in a cupboard in a room in the back of our garage just two months ago.

As I said, not something I used to worry about!

Skywatch Friday

'Golden Contrasts'

Taken earlier this week from the back garden. The Hubster has been 'en vacance' so I also took time off from blogging, but normal service is about to resume!

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To see other fabulous skies or join the best weekly meme on the web, go to the Skywatch site.

Hachi

If you've ever loved a pet, or just love animals, this is a must see movie. Hachi - A Dog's Tale, tells the true and famous story of Hachiko a Japanese Akita dog and his legendary loyalty.

We had seen trailers for this Richard Gere movie (with support from Joan Allen and Jason Alexander) and were charmed even by the short clips shown. So despite my fear it would be a big old weepy we went ahead and watched it. Well I wasn't wrong, Kleenex are essential to get through this movie, but it's sad and uplifting, not just sad and upsetting!

Hachi was taken in as a puppy by the Professor (Gere) and they immediately formed a strong and unbreakable bond. Although Hachi being a noble Akita would not 'fetch', he followed the Professor everywhere and their bond was known to the whole community. Hachi would walk with him to the station, return home and then return to the station in time to meet his train every evening. He would sit opposite the doors on a raised area waiting for his master to come home.

But after just over a year together, when the Professor fails to come home one night, Hachi waits for hours in vain. Time moves on and despite a new home and much love Hachi can't settle and still waits for the train everyday. He sleeps under a train and just waits, surviving on the affection and caring of the many commuters and locals who know of him and feel his pain. He even becomes famous after a newspaper article and people send money to look after him.

Hachi waits at the station daily for nine years, an unbelievable testament to loyalty, love and patience.

Hachiko is the most famous dog in Japan. He lived from 1923-1935 and his story is treasured by the Japanese and told to their children as a lesson in loyalty. He is remembered with a bronze statue out side the station and a celebration on April 8 annually. You can read his true story here. Although the movie moves the story from Japan to the USA and puts it in present day, none of this detracts from the story.

I can guarantee this movie will make you weep. But it's charm, wonderful acting and uplifting true story, make it so worthwhile a few tears.

Invictus - a great movie

A couple of nights ago we watched Invictus on DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It tells the story of Nelson Mandela becoming President after his long imprisonment and the battles he fought to bring his apartheid torn nation together. It especially focuses on the 1995 Rugby World Cup and President Mandela's plan to use the popular 'white' sport to unite the racially challenged nation behind their poorly performing team.

The lead roles are played by Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, both of whom resemble the real life characters they play, and then work very hard to portray them accurately. They do an excellent job, especially Morgan as President Mandela.

This movie gives you a real feel for the traumatic changes South Africa went through in the nineties, but it also demonstrates the powerful role sport can play in such times. This was a great movie, with drama, humour and accuracy, so you soon find yourself rooting for the Springboks to take the cup.

I remember this World Cup really well and the filmakers really capture the actual raw excitement and yearning desire for South Africa to do well on their home soil. Like most people my age or older, I also clearly remember the day Nelson Mandela was released and watching his climb to power and success with great interest and hope. So I ultimately found this film emotionally connected with me, which always makes a movie mean more to a viewer.

It really brought home to me how much the USA misses out on not competing against the rest of the world in soccer/football and rugby. There's nothing quite like a whole nation coming to a standstill whilst the citizens get behind them and then celebrate their team. The street scenes at the end of this movie really took me back to similar times in England when we have enjoyed success. If like the USA you never experience it (because the Olympics just aren't the same) then you don't know what you're missing out on, and it's one helluva of a world party!

Invictus is an uplifting movie based in fact, that we highly recommend.

I can still scream like a teen!

And on Friday August 6th, one of my bestfriends and I will be doing just that when we get to see 'Glambert' aka. Adam Lambert in concert in OKC!

We were both huge fans from the moment he stepped on the AI stage and have been praying for a date in OKC on his national tour. Well our prayers were answered and we are going to seriously 'rock out' judging by his latest video.......
 

Unsurprisingly our respective Hubsters are not interested in watching us scream and dance like teens for a couple of hours. We may not be Glambert's type, but that hasn't stopped us both developing a bit of a crush!

To say we are slightly excited would be an understatement!