Two Important Visitors

 In eastern Poland, Kotek received two important visitors:

They were Reksek and Puńcia:

Below, the dogs seem to be looking upwards towards something very important:

Manchester Apollo Picture

 Came across this old picture of Manchester Apollo Theatre a few weeks ago:

I went to many concerts at Manchester Apollo, especially between the early and late 1980s. My very first gig was UFO at Manchester Apollo in January 1980, and in the same year, I also saw Rush; Van Halen; Triumph; and The Scorpions (with Blackfoot opening) there.

The last gig I saw at Manchester Apollo was Clannad on their 'Lore' tour in the mid-1990s. Can't believe that it's now 40 years since I first visited and 25 years since I last visited Manchester Apollo.

Passing a Convent

Just tucked away round the corner of a main road in Warsaw, I passed a convent:

Despite the beauty of the building, I'd never really noticed it before:

A plaque on a small building near the entrance to the convent grounds was dedicated to the Polish priest and academic Janusz Tarnowski:

My Improving Curry

Glad to say that my curry continues to get better and better. The curry here contains carrots; potatoes; pumpkin; courgette; broccoli; and sweet potato.

After the simmering of the vegetables in water, I add about three tablespoons of curry paste, and thicken the whole thing up by crushing a beetroot burger and vegetable burger into it.

Sacred Heart Statue in Warsaw

Passed this wonderful Sacred Heart of Jesus statue in a suburb of Warsaw some time ago:

Warsaw: Archway Murals

While out on a long walk last Sunday, I came across the wonderful murals below inside an archway that led to a block of flats:

The murals on the pillars are amazing. At another archway, I found the following mural:

I also came across a couple of much bigger murals. The one below is on the side of a new business office complex in the Wolska district of Warsaw:

I pass the one below almost every Sunday:

And finally, I came across the mural below on a small wall next to a big, red Gothic church:

Young Goats Eating the Weeds

Sometimes, the next door neighbour's young goats are invited into our back garden in eastern Poland to help get rid of the weeds, of which they do a pretty good job:

Think that the one below can't be much more than a few days old:

We have a big back garden so we appreciate the help that the young goats kindly offer.

Cat Running in the Snow

Nice shot which my wife took of a cat running in the snow in eastern Poland:

Thankfully, the cat seems to have a decent winter coat.

Visiting the Zwierzyniec Brewery Again

Didn't get very far last summer for obvious reasons, but at least I made it to the Zwierzyniec brewery in eastern Poland in late September. My friend from Bury (Lancashire), Perry, did well to get over and really enjoyed the Zwierzyniec beer:

The image that always sticks in my head from the Zwierzyniec brewery is the crucifix on the main building wall:

In general, the Zwierzyniec brewery outside bar is a pleasant setting to have a few, nice refreshing beers:

When we were there, it was the last week of the summer season, and quite a few cyclists were stopping off at the brewery bar to quench their thirst.

Sledging in the Snow

 Really like this scene where parents are encouraging their children to go sledging in the snow:

Thankfully, the arrival of the snow has provided some relief from the monotony of living almost entirely indoors under the current Covid-19 restrictions.

Welcome Snow

 The welcoming snow in Warsaw, it just brightens the landscape up a bit.

Great Czech Beer

It was an honour to drink such good Czech beer last night.

The Holba was dark and smooth with a taste like a good English real ale:

What was also impressive was the way it kept its head right to the end of the drink, as did the Bernard lager below:

The Bernard beer was 4.9% and the Holba 4.7%, just about the right alcohol strength for me now.

Had previously drunk several kinds of Bernard on tap at a bar not far from the train station in Bratislava, Slovakia, and a few different kinds of Holba on tap at a bar attached to a hotel in Olomouc, the Czech Republic.

A Fluffy Cat

While visiting a neighbouring village in eastern Poland, my wife came across this wonderful, fluffy cat:

Cats seem to have a natural way of posing for pictures.

Puszek Eating Kotek's Food

In eastern Poland, Kotek was a little shocked to see that our next door neighbour's cat, Puszek, had entered the house to eat Kotek's lunch:

Finishing Pride and Prejudice

 Finally got round to finishing Pride and Prejudice:

Read Emma over 30 years ago while doing A Level English Literature at Bury College of FE evening classes, so it took me a long time to get round to reading a second Jane Austen novel, but it was worth it.

What did I get from Pride and Prejudice? Well, probably the central message that people should not broadcast or gloat about their own good actions and intentions, so that other people value and appreciate them more. The latter seems to be Lizzie's great discovery about the virtuous side of Mr. Darcy's character.

Also, after reading a lot of Thomas Hardy, with Jane Austin, it's nice to have a story with a happy ending. Still, Thomas Hardy is my favourite novelist ...

My Magi Christmas Card

 A wonderful Christmas card that I received from a friend from England this year:

Receiving this Christmas card of the Magi (Three Wise Men) visiting the Christ child helped me to remember to go to Mass on the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6th) this year.

Homemade Oat Biscuits

 A quick shot of my wife's homemade oat biscuits from over Christmas:

Kotek's Christmas

 Nice shot of Kotek enjoying Christmas in eastern Poland: