I had worried that such a long time away from my laptop would provoke cold-turkey withdrawal symptoms; that I might awake in the night sweating with fear that I had deprived the world of my essential thoughts on gun crime, NHS closures and the latest shenanigans from the
But, no, I acclimatised pretty quickly - logged on a couple of times from foreign climes, and was happy to leave it at that.
I promise (with my fingers firmly crossed) not to bore you with any excruciating ‘what I did on my holidays’ back-to-school essays. So here’s a few snaps instead (in order, depending on in what order the Blogger template spews them out):
- rooftop view of the Koutoubia minaret in Marrakech, Morocco, at sunset;
- panoramic of Marrakech's, erm, vibrant Jemaa El Fna square;- Jemaa El Fna by night;
- posing as an Englishman abroad in the ruins of the El Badi palace;
- on top of the world in our riad;
- the Marrakech souks (we did a lot of haggling);
- the Ouzoud waterfalls, in the Grand Atlas village of Tanaghmeilt;
- and, finally, two beaches in the Pontevedra region of Galicia a province/principality in the north-east of Spain. (Or an independent country to many of its citizens, still understandably bitter at local boy General Franco's decades of brutal, centralist repression).
6 comments:
Now, the most important thing is, Stephen: Did you phone your parents before you posted this - we don't want you to be getting into hot water with Tall Senior again do we? If not, a quick bit of time changing and republishing could do the trick.
Do my ageing eyes deceive me, Paul, or am I really being confronted with a deliberate attempt to lure my son into the most odious of transgressions known to the human race -- to wit, being a little economical with the truth?
But no, of course not, for are you not both politicians? As such you will be aware that an admiring general public look up to you, along with politicians of all parties, for exemplary standards in ethical behaviour, and, to judge by media reports on the day-to-day doings of the aforesaid politicians of all parties, we do not look in vain.
But, lest you should otherwise suffer a sleepless night in needless worry on account of Mummy and Daddy Tall, I can vouch for the fact that our youngest did in fact make contact by phone on his return to this country.
Lest anyone should harbour any notion that we may be reluctant to let go his reins, let me clarify the matter. We, as parents, also let our offspring know that we have arrived safely if we have been away. Were one to be called on to give it an apt description, I think something like "mutual caring" might suffice. Isn't it common among all close-knit families?
Good night, Paul.
Father Tall
Thank you Father Tall. Yes, I think you have pounced on an appalling ethical transgression by yours truly, for which I will don a metaphorical hairshirt for two weeks, at least. Thank you for describing me as a "politician" - "retired part-time town councillor" would be more appropriate.
My parents are overjoyed when they get a call from me every month. All in all, they are more alarmed than anything else when one of their sons calls them - a frequent response which greets several of us being "who's died?"
But then we are a family of nine, mainly sons, and consider ourselves "close-knit" in that none of us siblings have attempted murder on any of the other during the least twenty years.
Ah, but Paul, don't rely too much on an abundance of siblings, whether nine or more, for your continuing safety during the next 20 years. You will, I am sure, be familiar with the bloodthirsty doings of that favourite Old Testament character, Abimelech. Indeed, as a good Anglican, his story is probably your daily reading and you will have worn thin the page on which Judges chapter 9 is printed in your copy of the Good Book. He, as you will know well, had not just short of two handfuls of siblings, but 70 of them. And look what happened to them. I'm sure your own siblings are good, upright, peaceable citizens, who would not hurt a fly, but just to be sure, take my well-intended advice and don't give them any ideas by letting them near Judges chapter 9.
Father Tall
What are the above on? I don't want any of it. BTW- Stephen, if you're going to wear shorts- do it properly. Hip high! Secondly, the piccies look like an advert for 'Spartacus' travel thingies!
Bardzo fajnie napisane. Pozdrawiam serdecznie.
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