Cant Buy A Thrill

Of Course, That Depends -
 - on what you find thrilling.  Attending a ballfoot game amounts to an adrenaline supper to some folks (or so I am told); contrariwise, assembling a page of Ecuadorean firsts in a stamp album causes some folks palms to go sweaty.  Me?  With me it's pens - all the pens all the time.  I shall have to stop typing about them or my fingers start to slip ont he ksyey
     But for some, what gets them buzzing is flying, through the air, suspended in a metal box with engines and wings, especially if they get to go faster or further or both, than anyone else.
     Enter the Cant Z 506, colloquially known as the "Airone" which is Italian for "Heron".  Art?

Presto!  All at sea -

     This was an absolutely outstanding seaplane, although we can't praise it too much as it was in service with the bad guys for most of the Second Unpleasantness.  Prior to the war it broke 20 world records - there goes the thrill bit - before serving with the Regia Aeronautica and Regia Marina.  It had, in common with the Mosquito, an all-wood construction, and, equally like the Mosquito, it could soak up an awful lot of punishment, which helped in it's air-sea rescue role.

 - and in the air

     It was so well-made that it continued in service with the Italian Co-Belligerent Forces after the invasion of Italy, as well as with the Luftwaffe - though that really doesn't count, as the Teutons were greedy little goblins who'd use anything they laid their talons upon.  Not only that, the air-sea rescue version continued working up until 1959.
     Sorry, what's that?  You were expecting a long, detailed analysis of Steely Dan's debut album "Can't Buy A Thrill"?  Well aren't you left looking foolish!  Please note the absence of an apostrophe in BOOJUM!s title today.  However, because I do have a soft spot for the band, who are nothing if not clever, I will allow a picture.  Art?

The band were not fans of this cover.  You can see why.

     Okay, now that's the Intro out of the way, let us put a chum-covered shark-suit on the motley and dangle it over the side!

More Of Good-looking Italian Stuff
One of my work colleagues is the splendidly effervescent Laura, who hails from Italy, and who goes around armed with an evocative Italian accent.  Hopefully she has adapted to the weather here present in the Pond of Eden, as it is surely not the same as in sunnier Mediterranean climes.
     Allow me to introduce her cake made for Friday - Art?

Sbriciolata

     Extra large so you can get all the definition, which - er - rather distorts the size of the piece in question, as it was very small, really.  It was yum, thanks for asking, and -

     - it went pretty quickly.

Back To Banging
More of those redoubtable British Americans.  As you ought to know by now, Conrad doesn't like to leave things unexplained, as he is, above all things, a hair-splitting pedant of the best/worst* kind.  So, having mentioned "SOS fire" in connection with the "History of the Emma Gees" (i.e. History of the Canadian Machine Guns, that's pre-NATO phonetics for you) I think it needs to be detailed a bit.

British America.  STAND UP FOR THE QUEEN!

     Okay.  Where the infantry had mounted a successful attack, as at Vimy Ridge, or if they were anticipating the Tuetons opposite being disagreeably aggressive, their supporting machine-gunners would have carefully worked out where such a counter-attack might come from, and would know what elevation to have their guns set to.  They would usually also knock a couple of posts into the ground alongside the guns, so they had a limited traverse that would restrict fire to the relevant zone.  They did this so that the correct area would be hit, even at night, as the infantry SOS could come in at any time.

No posts put up - yet

     There you go, more didactism from your humble hack. Now you know.

Despondent Doggeh -
Conrad is currently awaiting a delivery of prescription medication - which is more formal and raises less issues than saying "I'm waiting for drugs!" - and so cannot leave the house, not even for 5 minutes.  This creates issue for some family members in The Mansion -

     - well, when I say 'some' I mean Edna, who is playing the "I'm so wretchedly bored"card with grim intent.  Sorry, Edna, nothing doing until that delivery.  Once it's here, we can go waltzing between the raindrops and snowflakes, just not until then.  Okay?
    
Finally -
Conrad has an idea bubbling under in the fervid soup that is called his "mind", which I won't divulge just yet.  All you need to know is that it concerns Darling Daughter, sharks and making the world a better place.

"O happy day!" said Smiley Shark.

*  Delete where applicable