When I went to bed last night, Norway had just scored a goal against England in the World Cup. There goes the chance of an extra bank holiday, I thought! But there was still an hour to play. I did not stay up to watch. In the wee small hours I heard cheering and reflected that maybe a lot had happened in that hour. England had indeed defeated Norway! There you go!
Fires are raging in the south of Spain and we have fires on the peat moors at our local beauty spot Dovestone. Apparently it was fireworks that started it. What kind of idiots go and set fireworks off in a place where everything is tinder dry? The same kind who leave portable barbecues in places where they can cause fires, or who leave them on beaches under a light covering of sand (intended to extinguish them!!) which unsuspecting people tread on with their bare feet!
Years ago we discovered the Italian system of private beaches. It was hard to believe that you could privatise beaches. Charging for sun loungers and sun umbrellas and pedalos is one thing but preventing people from quietly strolling along the tideline without having to go out of town to do so is something else altogether.
Well, here’s a new twist to that tale: forbidding people, who have already paid to go on the beach and to hire a sun umbrella, etc, from taking a pranzo al sacco (packed lunch) to eat on the beach. Here’s a link to an article about someone who was caught by the panino police.
“While there is no national rule prohibiting customers at private clubs from bringing in food and drink, concession holders sometimes set their own policies, as was the case in Vieste.
Luca Pernice, a journalist with Corriere della Sera, who happened to be at the same beach, explained that the woman, named Rosaria, had concealed the sandwiches at the bottom of her bag.
When lunchtime arrived, she advised her hungry son to eat his close to the sea, away from the prying eyes of the resort’s staff. But alas, he got caught and Rosaria was reminded that the resort forbids packed lunches.
“It’s a common occurrence on the beaches here,” said Pernice. “People don’t want to be forced to spend at the restaurant every day, they can’t afford it, and so this is what they do, they strategise.””
Here’s an interesting headline I saw this morning: Man dies after falling from Eleventh Night bonfire in east Belfast. What, I asked myself, was “Eleventh Night”? So I took a look on the internet. It’s the night before the 12th of July, the day Northern Ireland protestants celebrate the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, when the Protestant King William of Orange defeated the Catholic King James. So it’s to celebrate the victory of Protestantism over Catholicism in Northern Ireland. It’s come to be referred to as “bonfire night” and the lighting of such a community bonfire, made up of wooden pallets, is usually accompanied by a street party and marching bands.
Then I recalled Orangemen’s Day from my childhood when Liverpool Orangemen had a parade through the centre of Southport with military style marching bands and troops of girls in short skirts danced along waving orange shakers in time to the music. That must have been on or close to July 12th. My father would not let us go into town on that day: too many drunken celebrators. Does it still happen? i wondered. Well, it seems that last year it rook place on the 6th of July with record numbers of spectators.
This is information relating to last year:
“The main 12th July parade
Saturday 12th July 2025 will see the Traditional Orange Lodge Parades taking place in Liverpool and Southport. This will be to commemorate the 335th Anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne that took place in 1690.
The Provincial Grand Master Steve Kingston says that he “anticipates the largest attendance for a number of years, as this year’s parade falls on a Saturday, which enables more of our members and supporters to attend and take part”. “
It’s going to be repeated this year; 336 years since the Battle of the Boyne it’s still being celebrated. Memories are long!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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