A Friend's memories of Thor in Vegas

Finally... a new post from me!

My apologies to any and all who may have (doubtful) missed my occasional postings.... but I've been a little low... and frankly not been too inspired to post about anything!

Today though... I was minding my own business checking out my Facebook when an old friend fired up the chat and said hello! She told me that she just had to tell me what happened to her yesterday... when she picked her little boy up from school.

Many years ago... I happened to tell her this joke about the Norse God Thor. Well... it just so happened that yesterday after school, her little boy reminded her of it. On the way home from school her little boy was telling Mum about his school day and that he had really enjoyed learning about the vikings and their God Thor! He couldn't understand why she was in hysterics all the way home... thinking about the joke he had recalled in her mind!

My friend brought a warm feeling to me today... telling me about this funny incident and I thought I would share the old joke with you here!

So Thor gets bored with the Valkyries and Sif up in Valhalla and decides to come down to earth in disguise to get a little action.

He turns up in Vegas and shacks up with a real paragon of beauty - her only slight fault being a strong lisp but... with the body of an angel!

So... she and Thor spend a whole week in their hotel room. Eating, sleeping and making love alternately.... sex, sleep, sex, eat, sleep... lather, rinse, repeatedly. For a whole week!!

By the end of the week, Thor knows he's found a wonderful girl and decides to let her know the majesty of his true identity. He stands before her at the foot of the bed, summons the lovely but lispy lady to his hand, and proudly says, "You know... I have to tell you... I'm Thor!"

She looks at him sleepily and replies; "YOU'RE Thor??! I'm sow thor... I can't even pith!!!!"

Still makes me laugh!! I hope you enjoyed it too!

Kaiane Aldorino crowned Miss Gibraltar 2009

All glitz and glamour of a beauty pageant was in evidence last night as Kaiane Aldorino was crowned Miss Gibraltar 2009 at the Alameda Open Air Theatre.



A veritable bevy of beauties paraded their undoubted talents in this ever popular annual Gibraltar event.


Other prizes went to:

Maxine De La Rosa – 1st Princess

Jordana Lavagna – 2nd Princess

Jair Azzopardi – Miss Catwalk

Tyrene Navarro – Best Interview & Miss Photogenic

Elke Hanglin – Miss Friendship

Acknowledgement

I am indebted to David Parody who very kindly sent me these images. More of David's great pics of Miss Gibraltar can be seen on his Flickr channel

Photo © DM Parody (http://dotcom.gi/photos).

In my Inbox today... An ode to politics

An ode to politics

I want a floating duck house,
I want to clear my moat,
I need to mend my tennis court,
That’s why I need your vote.

I have to build a portico,
My swimming pool needs mending,
My lovely plants need horse manure,
And the Aga needs much tending.

A chandelier is vital,
Mock Tudor boards are great,
My hanging baskets won awards,
And I’ve earned a tax rebate.

I need a glitter toilet seat,
My piano so needs tuning,
Maltesers help me stay awake,
And my orchard must need pruning.

I could have said the rules were wrong,
And often thought I should,
But somehow it was easier,
To profit all I could.

The public really have to see,
That the rules are there to test
And by defrauding taxpayers,
We were just doing our best.

The Speaker of the House has gone,
Our sacrificial beast,
But the public are still praying,
For our corpses at the feast.

What do the public want from us,
Those vote-wielding ingrates?
They really should be grateful
to be financing our estates.

The message is so very clear,
(we’re merely learning late)
That the British way of living well
Is to screw the bloody state.

Celebrating Gibraltar's dishes... Summer beauties and various delectations

As Gibraltar moves inexorably into its Summer season, I note with sad regret that I missed the Calentita Evening at Casemates last week... which I gather went down a treat... as it would do!

The Calentita is generally regarded as Gibraltar's national dish.

The Gibraltar Heritage page about the Calentita talks of the diverse origins of the population of Gibraltar and quite rightly states that this is "illustrated in the local traditional dishes".

When many of our visitors first arrive in Gibraltar they assume that the traditional Gibraltarian meals are much the same as anything that can be found along the south coast of Spain – after all we are only a short distance away. However, a closer look at our traditional recipes soon illustrates that this is just not so.

Often said to be Gibraltar’s National Dish, the Calentita's popularity is not only the exclusive domain in homes across Gibraltar, it is often also on offer at many official Government receptions for visitors.

This dish originates in Genoa and Liguria in Italy, areas from where many Gibraltar family origins can be traced. It is a kind of thick pancake, easily made from chickpea flour, mixed with oil and water and baked in a hot oven. In Italy (and other parts of the world including South America) it is called Faina or Farinata and there is a French equivalent in Nice.

The name Calentita derives from the Spanish word for warm, as it is normally served straight out of the oven. In the past it was sold in the streets - the last Calentita vendor, Paloma, is still remembered locally (including yours truly) - although it was most commonly prepared at home by those who owned their own ovens.

Since I missed the one in Gibraltar last week, I'm planning our own Calentita evening for family and friends! You might like to try it out for yourself... here's the Calentita recipe... it really is delicious!

Botanic Gardens prepares for Miss Gibraltar Pageant

In an email press release I received from the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, more commonly known as the Alameda Gardens, they're looking ahead to the next item on the Gibraltar Special Events Calendar... and the organising of the Miss Gibraltar Pageant which takes place at the Botanic Gardens' Alameda Open Air Theatre next Saturday.

At a time when Gibraltarian beauty is celebrated, they are reminding us of the natural beauty of the venue in the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, which they report has been "transformed into an enchanted forest" by the set designed by Urban Dance's Illumina, written and choreographed for the Theatre, so "the natural beauty of summer flowers must be highlighted".

The Theatre pond itself boasts the best display of water lilies for many years.

Also flowering at the moment in the Alameda is the stunning Australian Flame Tree, which is in bloom for only the second time in its life, as it only burst into flaming colour every five years.

In flower too are white and pink Oleander, turquoise-blue Jacaranda, sparkling pink bottle brushes and Albizzia and pale blue Cape Chestnut.

Most of these flowering trees adorn the Upper Walk of the Gardens and the little secluded area known as The Dell. They stand out beautifully against the greens of the evergreen trees, contrasting with the dryness of the summer on the ground.

While Gibraltar enjoys the Miss Gibraltar Pageant next week, the Botanic Gardens ask us not to forget the natural colours and beauty than can be found, all year round, in Gibraltar's beautiful Botanic Gardens.

More photographs of most of these trees and other flowers can be found on the Gibraltar Botanic Garden website.

Update - Sunday 28th June 2009

You can see the result of the Miss Gibraltar pageant, including more images and links here