Roman Orange

Roman Orange                   by Paul Howlett

When I was driving down in the south of France, I decided to have a look at the Roman amphitheatre in Orange.  I turned my car left, at the outer suburbs of Marseilles and headed on up the road - north.

I was very interested in the fact that the Roman theatre is still in use to this day.

I was a little disappointed to see a modern ticket office stuck rather incongruently in the middle of the Roman temple area.

I did see, after entering the Roman Amphitheatre that it was being used for a scheduled rock concert that night by the English band The Cure!  There were people on the stage conduction sound checks with all modern equipment that looked strangely out of place to me, in a 2000 year old building.

Here, I see a statue on the back wall of the stage, which is probably 1800 – 2000 years old and on the right is a modern bank of stage lights and equipment.   I am sure the local French young people in Orange would not think this was strange, but to an Australian this just looks weird.  (GRIN).

Australians are just not used to seeing buildings that would normally be in a museum still being used for their original purpose!

On reflection, I think it is great that the Romans built a stage and building that is still in use for its original purpose!

The Free Air Station

The Free Air Station by Paul Howlett

I was driving my little red Citroen along the French motorway when I saw a “free air” station and decided it was time that I checked the tyre pressures in my car.

I was a little surprised that I had not encounter such an air station before so I took a photo, just for the record.

I commenced to inflate or check my tyres on one side of the car, and when I proceeded to try and get the air hose across to the other side, I found that the hose was too short.  So I started pulling on the hose but it refused to give me any more length. I thought that the hose was stuck.

Then the car behind me, waiting to use the air station honked his horn, and a Frenchman started yelling at me!  Then I realised that I had not looked on the other side of my car. The air hoses are designed to use on each side of the car.  So I stopped yanking on the hose, walked across to the other side of the car and used the hose on that side of the car.  I was embarrassed and I guess the two Frenchmen in the car behind me thought I was another dumb tourist. 

All French rent-a-cars have special number plates (coloured deep red), that tell everybody that you are a tourist driving the car.  This is actually a good thing as I found that French drivers would give you some more space on the roads.  

The way the French drove in 1991 you needed all the space on the road that you could get!!

Travels in Brittany May 1991

Travels in Brittany, France May 1991  by Paul Howlett

I was very interest in looking at the “standing stones” in Brittany.

So after I drove up to the parking area in my little red Citroen, I commenced to walk around these strange rows of upright large stones and rocks.

I had a good walk up and down some of the rows and just wondered what the folk were doing some 2000 years or so ago!

The megalithes are the upstanding stones and the stones with a “roof” on top are called Morbihans.

Somewhere in the middle of Brittany I came across a Menhir, a different kind of standing stone.

I think these stones have a different shape and are big and solitary.

Finally to took a picture of some farmers (again somewhere in the middle of Brittany, mowing grass for the winter cattle feed).

I know farmers mow grass in Australia, but I guess I do not see them mow in such lush “green grass” circumstances.

Time Tangle - (a satire on Daylight Saving Time)

Time Tangle     by Paul Howlett  

The cow farmers in Queensland said that Daylight Saving Time will make the curtains fade, and they did not want the State to adopt such a radical measure.

Down in the deep south of New South Wales, the State adopted Daylight Saving Time with glee.  In fact they have extended Daylight Saving Time for an extra month.   

All the curtains in New South Wales are now in deadly peril, or so some Queenslanders think.

Victoria and Tasmania are in the same predicament, as their curtains are too subject to the deadly Daylight Saving Virus.

Queensland will come to the rescue, as Queensland will petition the Queen of England to issue an edict that all States in Australia abandon the awful practice of Daylight Saving Time and conform to the correct time, as set by GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) and never to deviate from it.  

People of Queensland rejoice

 

Loud praises to our pommie* Queen      

We will sing   -  we will sing

We have saved the curtains

All the curtains of the land

No more fading no more pains

Colourful curtains are on hand!

 

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*(pommie = English person)