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Welcome to the world of the Vincent D'Onofrio obsessed - and a bit of real life thrown in.


Thursday, May 24, 2012

Murder Near the Cathedral

People of my generation are probably familiar with the story of Thomas Becket and his death in Canterbury Cathedral at the behest of King Henry II. The T. S. Eliot play Murder in the Cathedral was the basis for the film Becket, with Richard Burton as the martyred Archbishop who was to become a saint, and Peter O'Toole as the king.

There was nearly a murder close by today, when my Satnav directed me home via the town instead of the motorway. When I hit a huge tailback of traffic, and was forced to do a u-turn to try and find my way back on-track, I really felt like murdering that obnoxious little machine. It's true that, if there had been no traffic, I might have been quite pleased, especially when the top of the cathedral's central tower hove into sight over the rooftops. It's been a long time since I visited.


I was on my way back from a trip into the cool countryside away from the stifling heat of the city. This, of course, means a zoo trip! I went to Howletts.

This snow leopard could have fitted on the shelf, but chose to hang its head off one end, its tail off the other, and its belly off the middle:



I think this silverback gorilla was trying to tell us something:

The male Barbary lion has no mane - he's been neutered, as he and his mate have FIV, a highly contagious feline virus. But he really wanted to detach this meaty leg from the chain holding it to ther fence so he could eat it in private:

Anyone know how a clouded leopard sounds? I could hear this one in its private quarters, but I couldn't see it: The park is a perfect mixture of sunshine and shade. Add in the animals, and lots of nice people (though not too many...) and there cannot be a better way to spend a day.

8 comments:

Eliza said...

Lucky does what the snow leopard did, but she does it on the microwave...

I think the gorilla was expressing a feeling many of us get when other people get annoying :D

JoJo said...

Gorillas bum me out. Get it? BUM me out? lmao

Does your Satnav have an 'alternate route' option that you can use when you encounter a traffic jam?

val said...

JoJo, my Satnav's supposed to plot "back on track" when you go the wrong way (ie. when you disobey it because it's told you to do something stupid and illegal) but these days it chooses to blank out when I challenge it. It doesn't have any decent functions 'cos it's a bit old and I never updated it online. The traffic jam thing was an add-on that they'd run out of when I tried to get it. Now I think I'll just get a new Satnav.

vikeau said...

Is Satnav the same as GPS? Must admit I'm totally old school and can find from here to there on a map any day. As for gorilla bums, so much better than baboon bumsIMHO.

val said...

Vikeau, I think the two are nearly synonymous, but there is a difference. Maybe. Don't know what.

vikeau said...

Baboons are the ones with the bald and often red bums.

val said...

I came across one once with a bright blue bum. Tasty!

bobbybegood1 said...

I know exactly what the primate might have been trying to say - exactly what I said to a young, immature, snotnose brat I encountered yesterday - KISS OFF!! BITE ME!! Pick your choice. Glad you were able to enjoy some of your day. I sometimes rather spend time with cats, dogs and other animals then with people. Cheers Val!!

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