French And Russian Revolutions

Yes, I Say, Hastings Ismay!
I know, I know, normally we here at BOOJUM! avoid politics, so relax and don't worry about a hectoring screed on Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, Danton, Robspierre, Stalin and the Terror.  We'll get to this in a bit, I just want to gloast a bit about how clever I am.

Art!  You coal-chewing dullard!

     Okay, I would now like to try a volte-face of 450 degrees and change the subject to a television programme of the late Eighties and early Nineties, "Rapido".  It was shown on BBC 2 in the evenings, presented by Antoine De Caunes, who, as the name hints, was French.  Probably still is, for that matter.  Art?

Temporary stay of execution granted

    It was somewhat eclectic in approach, and the production company went on to do "Eurotrash", which tells you everything you need to know in the title alone.
     Okay, are we up to speed with that?  Time to change subjects again*.

The Party Last Night
There was quite an assemblage at Karen's party yesterday.  Karen, Guy, Rachel, young Ronnie, Ian, Older Ronnie, Doreen, Degsy, Wonder Wifey and Conrad the Artful Scribe.  You won't be seeing photos of these people as I didn't ask permission as it can be hard to explain what a personal blog is to the older generation.

Yet -

     On the other hand, here is a snap of us playing "Rapidough", which was hectic fun that your humble scribe has never encountered before.  At first I wondered if it was an offshoot of the television programme mentioned above, as they are both pronounced in the same way, which would have been <ahem> interesting given it's subject matter.
     But no!  In this game you drew cards that name an object, which you have to model in salt dough, whilst your team-mates try to guess what it is, whilst the opposition attempt to do the same.

Easy, right?  "Mushroom"

     The winner then gets to deduct a wodge of dough from their opponent's dough, meaning they have less to model with.
     Good luck if you have to model "bagpipes".
     Then we had the Treasure Hunt; paired-off, we had to find a list of items Karen had secreted about the house and I confess Conrad and Doreen did not win.

DARPA Prototype laser-cannon.

Tea Out Of Turn
You would need to be careful saying that title aloud across the other side of the Pennines, over in Yorkshire, where they talk funny.  They would assume you said "Tea out of t'urn", meaning that you were drinking the noble liquor directly from the spout, which is something gross enough to be prosecuted at the ICC.
   Anyway, here is a photo from yesteryon:

     This, I am afraid, is Conrad brewing up a pot of English Breakfast Tea.
     "So what?" I hear your puzzled riposte.  "A pot of tea's hardly a criminal offence."
     Maybe not, yet it can still offend the laws of time and grammar, though, as this photo was taken after 12:00 - SO IT WAS NO LONGER BREAKFAST!
     I realise this kind of behaviour might be overlooked in other parts of the world, but this is the Allotment of Eden.  I need to think up a suitable penance.

Oh - Hastings Ismay.  Military adviser to Churchill in the Second Unpleasantness and acquaintance of Adrian Carton De Wiart.

Now, About Those Revolutions -
Ah yes.  The revolutions in question are actually the revolutions per minute of the Klimov VK-107 engine, 3,200 r.p.m. needed to get the Yak-3 fighter it powered off the ground.  You can tell this is a Sinister plane, especially when the full name is revealed: The Yakovlev-3.
     "Yes, aged scribe, we can see the point about this being a Ruffian plane of the Sinister era.  Where do the French come in?"

France.  Just so we're clear

     Leaving aside your shockingly disrespectful cracks about my age, I shall explain further.
     The French sent a squadron of pilots, with ground staff, to fight on the Russian Front in 1943, later expanding this force to three squadrons, who wrought considerable execution amongst the opposing Luftwaffe.  So much so, in fact, that French pilots taken prisoner could expect to be put against the nearest wall and shot.  Stalin loved them and allowed them the battle honour "Niemen" to be added to the Squadron name.  Four of the pilots were given the accolade "Hero of the Soviet Union".

This Yak - will give you the hump**!

     "Does all this history have a point?" I hear you quibble.
     Well yes, you see Conrad has been fretting about how realistic the comic strip "Johnny Red" is, and here you have perhaps a grain of truth.  Mind you, it's a long way from a grain to an oak tree.

Johnny Red - made from trees

* I do this all the time.  It's why people hate me.
**  Sorry.