Beijing Olympics Medal Count!

Dear England, As you can see from this chart we're not doing bad in the medal count so far!

The UK has 2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze, putting us in 10th place! You can see the breakdown for our Gold (Cycling and Swimming), Silver (Cycling and Canoeing) and Bronze (Horse riding x2 and Swimming) at this link.

Come on England!

Shouldn't that telephone box be red?

As telephone boxes are fast disappearing from the UK altogether, they're surviving on the campus of George Washington University - albeit in blue. Dear England, we miss our red telephone boxes!

China - don't ban our Vegemite!

Vegemite is a much loved food in Australia, worshipped with an equivalent love/hate that we Brits have for our Marmite.

Click the image to read the article - the small print says "C'mon China, don't ban our Vegemite!"

Morphiana - who knew?

As a by-product of writing a novel centrered on the life of legendary chess player - forgotten by history - Paul Morphy of New Orleans, I developed a minor interest in collecting all things Morphy. Apparently this is known in the strange world of antique trading as Morphiana. Who knew such a thing even existed?

So recently, I just purchased - off ebay of course, it is the 21st century, the proof of which is the Beijing Olympics happening right now with the Communist Party, George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin all looking on (while Russia and Georgia fight a territorial war on their borders!) - and I quietly buy some Morphy stamps.

Who knew Mr. Morphy was such a celeb? Surely you've only really made it when they put your face on a stamp?

Paul Morphy's face on a stamp from Myanmar (formerly Burma) - in their 'Kings of Chess' series!

The Chess Players - your move, Devil!

The painting is called The Chess Players and is by the German Painter Moritz Retzsch (1779-1857). The devil is playing a young man for his soul - and despite having the white pieces - the young man is lost! The devil looks impatient to claim him and the angel ready to weep.

The moral - never play chess against the devil!