[name change] le comte de huguenots

Le Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy was a wave of Catholic mob violence against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants), traditionally believed to have been instigated by Catherine de' Medici, the mother of Charles IX.

Starting on August 24, 1572, with the murder of a prominent Huguenot, Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, the massacres spread throughout Paris, and later to other cities and the countryside, lasting for several months.

[confusion] and the curse of ennui

Some of you have been wondering and have maybe even been a tadge annoyed about all this Lord Straf-This-and-That, the Marquis de Something and contessas. Matt was especially worried about the latter. The tired Ruthie was wondering about Guernica.

I was just bored with my humdrum 12 to 21 life, the endless array of women, the storms, the new clients every few days, the ennui of running my own show without the welcome constraints of a 9 to 5 job and a secure homebase - freedom can be so tiring.

The profile changing had been on the go the whole time [and will continue - I always feel a profile should be unexpected, don't you?] but the name changes were more recent. The thing is, they're like a narcotic - once you start, you can't stop. I'm sure, like storms, they'll blow themselves out eventually.

My addictions are Russian ice cream and chocolate, certain types of ladies, smoked salmon, strudel, good single malts and sailing, to name a few but not in that order. I can't stop.

Oh - and blogging.

[michael fish] that storm again

There are a number of legends deep in the souls of the British people, including:

# Leaves on the track;

# The wrong kind of snow;

# Michael Fish storm.

If you follow the last one, it becomes apparent that not only is it a legend, it is a myth. The story everyone believes is actually based on misinformation, like those who assume their Maker doesn't exist. Follow the link above and have a look at the Fish story and you'll see what I mean.

He was referring to another place - the Carribean, no woman phoned in and his words have been taken out of context. Poor man.

[jesus] how could he do it

And another thing, while we're still on the topic. If I knew, in the back of my mind, that I was going to suffer the gruesome fate related here in graphic anatomical detail [don't follow this link unless you have a strong stomach], then I don't think I could roam about Palestine healing people, eating and drinking sparingly and maintaining my magnanimity.

I think I'd be a deeply depressed person.

He wasn't.

[aftermath] that storm and its havoc

Last evenng I wrote of the approaching storm. I phoned my friend and asked if he had everythig battened down and he laughed. Not exactly miffed this blogger sure was puzzled. There was anger in his voice, sardonic laughter:

"I'll buy you a meal on Thursday if there's a storm. You'll buy me one if there's not."

"But the forecast on radio and television all day has been for gale force winds and rain like we've not seen before." I could hear the laughter of his daughter in the background. "Well, is that not so or is my Russian language so getting worse?"

"No, you're not mistaken. The whole town's been panicking all day."

"Well?"

"Let me explain something about Russia to you. The other evening when the storm did hit, there was no warning until twenty minutes before it. NONE. Result, six unprepared people killed when trees and masonry suddenly snapped and fell on them., devastation everywhere, as you well know and so on. Today everyone's panicking about a storm double the wind strength. It's not going to happen. Call me tomorrow morning and tell me how you got on."

I've just been on the balcony. There was no storm and we've just had a phone conversation. I've just learned a new fact about Russia.

UPDATE: Wrong yet again. A chap who just left said that in fact the storm did come through and the epicentre hit a town 60km away. Only the edge hit us with some rain. That accords pretty well with how it looked last night. The clouds were quite angry in the distance.

[storm coming] this time we've been warned

Ladies and gentlemen, we've been warned all day that a storm is coming through.

I haven't time to convert to imperial but they say that last time was 26 metres per second and this time they say it will be a bit short of 50. Don't know how strong that wind is but I can say one thing - bl--dy strong. All mobile telephone companies have advised that they will be shutting down this evening.

About lunchtime today we had the first inkling. It went quiet and the rain started falling while the wind picked up but not too badly at that point. The temperature and pressure dropped.

I have the windows on the balcony lashed with cords to the main wall and everything closed. All power plugs will come out of the sockets just as it starts so no computer later. I expect to be spending an hour or so holding the windows in on the balcony.

I'll report after it goes through, if the computer's still operable. As for the last one, the electricity, gas and water is just about back on around the city.

OK people, see you after it. Blogging will be light this evening.