Plovdiv!

It's A Town In Bulgaria
You now know one more fact than you did yesterday, gentle reader.  Why publicise Plovdiv?  Well, why not.  BOOJUM! - breaking down borders and boundaries - political, cartographic and logical, we're not fussy here!

The beating heart of rush-hour Plovdiv ...

UV Bouncy Castle Disco
I saw this sign yesterday and recalled it after posting the blog for the day, only to have a loyal fan ask questions about it.  As proof that it's real and Conrad did not make it all up to generate traffic*, gaze upon this:

For Lorraine.  Er - possibly not suitable for small toddlers

     Now, please observe those times - it doesn't start until 11 post meridian**, and continues until 3 in the morning?  How are these students going to be able to perform their studies next day!  Conrad is soooo concerned.

Flown The Nest
As you are surely aware by now, Darling Daughter has moved out to halls of residence in Manchester; close enough to get home with a hamper of dirty laundry yet far enough to put off casual visits by the elders of the tribe.
     This means her room has been - transmogrified.

Of course, all her stuff has to come back at some point ...

     You can tell she's moved out because it's TIDY! Because you can see the floor!  Because the bed is made!  Because there aren't toiletries on every horizontal surface!  And also because she's not there.

Beck's Bolero
I hadn't come across this track until last week.  Conrad is not big on guitar heroes, but he's always liked Jeff Beck because hot damn! the chap can strum like nothing on earth.  He's still alive, still making credible music and I suspect he dyes his hair.
     This track is from 1966, with Jeff on lead guitar and a few other chaps you may have heard of - Jimmy Page on 12-string guitar, John Paul Jones on bass, Keith Moon on drums and Nicky Hopkins on piano.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmO0OZC6Ifk

    Put your rock head on and do your ears a favour and go listen!

The Better For A Bit Of A Batter
No!  Not the kind of batter that makes a cake.  This kind of batter:

"Cream the butter and sugar until light and - whoops, sorry, wrong one -"

    Ferocious medieval blunt instruments, I bet you're thinking, especially since Conrad was banging on about Agincourt yesterday.
     Wrong!  Conrad has also been banging on about TWTIK and these are trench clubs that soldiers of all sides improvised, the better to - well, you get the idea.

No vulgar comments, please

     I know what you're thinking, judging these for scale against the spade - "Wow! what colossal trench clubs!  You must need to be mighty indeed to merely pick these up, let alone hit things with them!"
     If you were to hit anything with these, you'd wake up in front of Saint Peter***.  They are old 2" Newton Pippin mortar rounds, potentially stuffed full of dangerously degraded 100 year old explosive.

"Valetti" - Latin for "archer".  Just an aside.

Slow Day At Work
Not so for the staff at the skyscraper on Miller Street - fire alarm for them this morning.  Probably a false alarm, as Conrad witnessed them ambling outside into the carpark, walking slowly not running, and as they all went back into the building later, the odds are high that there wasn't really a fire.  The lack of fire engines being a major clue.
     Well, how can I compete with news like that?  Oh yes -

As good as it gets

     A new notepad!
     Don't sneer, an old man has to carpe diem^ and make the most of what opportunities he gets.  You never know, tomorrow it might be A NEW PEN!

Look! A whole pot of NEW PENS!  Excuse me whilst I sit down, knees weak palms sweaty

* As I'd ever ever do such a thing!
** Yes, Latin again.
*** BOOJUM! is taking it for granted you have lived a blameless life.
^  Yep, more Latin.