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Wenn außerhalb Paris?

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If you know nothing of chocolate, this is not for you.

Amboise

Wenn man in Frankreich aber außerhalb Paris sei….

Die Menschen, wer mein anderen Artikel „Reisen“ gelesen haben, kennen des Haus Angelina, die in die Straße von Rivoli ist. Aber, wenn man in Frankreich sei, sondern außerhalb Paris, wo kann man fahren um güte Schokolade zu finden? Fahren Sie nach Amboise!

Als wir in Amboise waren, besuchten wir die echte Platz.

Wir waren im königlichen Palast Amboise, wo ich ein Traum hatte. In meinem Traum sah ich die Königin Maria-Antoinette. Sie war an den Mauern dieses Schloß, und als sie herum ging, sie zufällig Bigot zu sehen war.

Darunter den hundertmeternhoch Mauern war die Gestalt des kleines Häuslein des Bigot, wer im Jahr 1913 ⃰ gegründet war.

Maria-Antoinette freute sich es zu bemerken. Und sie sprache in seiner Wonne: „O dass ich eine Kerlin wäre; ich wolle nicht hier bleiben müssen. Ich könne im Haus Bigot gehen.“ Und als sein Entzücken so gross wachset, in seinem Herz die Gedachten hemmungslos wild werden: „O dass ich Flügel hätte wie die Taube; ich würde von diesem Mauern fliegen, bis ich Schokolade fände! Und hin, hin aus diesen Palast, wolle ich mein Erfüllung in Bigot machen werden.“

Der Abschluß ist klar. Wenn man in Amboise sei, gehen Sie auf den Palast um das sehr geehrten, echten Haus an die Ecke zu finden. Bigot nennet sich ein Salon de Thé. Bigot ist nicht nur ein Haus, sondern ein Palast des königlichen Schokolade.

⃰ Marie-Antoinette war während des Französisch Revolution im Jahr 1793 hingerichtet.

Crucified?

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Two men met God. One walked away.

Luke 23:39ff¹ & elsewhere

I want to take you to look at two more men who met with Jesus. We have already looked at two religious men, Job and Paul².

Job was a consciencious religious man, full of good works and prosperous. The archetypal nice man for whom no-one would ever have a bad word.

Paul was a religious man, but a fanatic. From what we know of him he would have not been out of place in the streets of the middle east today.

Both of them needed to change their way of thinking and it took an encounter with God to do that.

The men we look at now are very different kinds of men. The only people who would have mourned over the loss of two men we consider tonight would have been their two mothers. They were criminals and robbers. They were crucified with Jesus.

Can you imagine what it is like to be crucified? Can you imagine the screams of these men as they were hung and nailed onto their crosses next to Jesus? I cannot imagine that they were careful about the language that they used. Jesus was put up first however, and they would have heard, or rather perhaps not heard him, for he was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before he shearers he opened not his mouth. What a contrast there would have been between the Lord’s behaviour and that of these two men in the face of their executioners.

But as they hung there and as they listened, they heard what other people were saying about Jesus. Someone in the crowd cried out: He saved others let him save himself. Come down from the cross! So they shouted out to him as well: You! Christ! Save us! Their language was blasphemous in every way. The world was glad to be rid of them.

But as they hung there one of them noticed something different. He saw that Jesus did not deserve to die and his attitude changed. Not only his attitude, but his language changed as well. He spoke to the other man – listen to his words: Don’t you fear God, as you are under the same sentence? It is right for us to be punished; we are getting what we deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong!

We don’t know what else the thief knew of Jesus but while he hung on his own cross he changed his attitude towards him. He saw who Jesus is, and now submits to him. He turned to Jesus and asked for nothing more than to be remembered: Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

What a change! The man had done nothing good. He deserved what he was getting and he knew it. Little did he expect what the Lord would say to him then: Yes, today you will be with me in paradise.

He was a changed man, but there was no time for him to make amends and change his way of life. He was about to die. The cross would soon get him. Later in the day the soldiers would break his legs to hasten his death – if he had survived that long. But he committed himself to Jesus and Jesus tells him: Today you will be with me in paradise. It is not the good that we do that will take us to heaven. He could do none. It is the death of Jesus Christ for our sins that gets us there.

The other thief was not changed. He cursed and blasphemed to the last.

Two men met Jesus. Both were rubbish as far as society was concerned, but one of them was changed – and he committed himself to Jesus and Jesus took him into his kingdom.

We are in the same boat as those two. We have done wrong. We have blasphemed and cursed God. We deserve to die and must die, and there is nothing we can do about it to change it or make amends.

We all need to be changed – and it is in being changed – being born again – that we commit ourselves to Jesus and because he died, not because he deserved it, but for our sins, he takes us to heaven.

Where do we stand? With the thief who gave himself to Jesus? Or still outside?

¹ And an inscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: This is the king of the Jews. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:37-43
² See Job, Paul and two thieves

Don’t eat chocolate!

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!The Hub
It was curiously overheard the other day:
Don’t eat chocolate!
Chocolate.jpg
Get the lowdown on what our people think about chocolate
Join the Discussion · 5 comments
Why eat chocolate when there are so many alternatives
A few interesting and more healthy alternatives to chocolate

By Coco · France
Vegetables, especially green vegetables provide excellent nourishment, vitamins and micronutrients
220px-Veggies.jpg

By Xocolatl  · Mexico
Whilst potatoes have a very pretty flower, they contain significant amounts of starch so should be avoided unless a high calorie intake is required.
Potato_flowers.jpg

By Schokolade  · Deutschland
Fruits are considered to be an excellent food source containing many vitamins and importantly necessary sugars.
Culinary_fruits_front_view.jpg

By θεοβραμα  · ΄Ελλας
We must however remember that, as with the potato, whilst the lemon tree very pretty and lemon flower is sweet the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat despite the obvious benefits that, as a fruit, it brings to the body.
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首被   平原的管家 · 中华人民共和国
不要忘了榴莲 – 花色淡黄，果实大小如足球，果皮坚实，密生三角形刺，果肉是由假种皮的肉包组成，肉色淡黄，粘性多汁，酥软味甜，吃起来有冰淇淋的口感。 有一等臭果，若臭牛肉之臭，内有粟子大酥白肉十四五块，甚甜美好吃，中有子可炒吃，其味如栗。 
[Don’t forget the durian – colour yellow, as big as a football, thick prickly peel, rich flesh-coloured yellow, sticky, juicy, sweet like eating warm melted ice cream. It is a first-class smelly fruit, like the foul smell of beef. There are big white pieces of meaty flesh in each pod – five to fourteen – which is said very sweet and delicious, even the child may have it  fried. Its flavour is such as Li (untranslatable).]
220px-Durian.jpg

Truffles as the currency of the new economy
By Chocolat · Français
It is well known that truffles provide absolutely have no nutritional value, nevertheless they command such a high premium both for the ability to absorb flavours in some varieties and in others provide sweet and pungent aromas and tastes of their own in a wide range of culinary dishes. Indeed the esteem which they command has led to the consideration that in the new economy gripping southern Europe, the varieties grown in Greece being especially favoured, they could become the currency of choice to replace the euro.
220px-Truffe_noire_du_Périgord.jpg

Chocoholicism and the Federation
By Choco · USoA
Enough! Everyone knows that addiction to chocolate is no bar to enjoying good food and life. Why I spend an inordinate amount of time, though probably far less than they do in actual preparation, thinking about the wonderful array of victuals one could produce using the items mentioned by, should I say by my colleagues, above but then I reconsider. Should I spend time doing that, or simply enjoy what helps you work, rest and play? The conclusion is obvious.
120px-Cadbury-Buttons.jpg120px-Mars_bar_bitten.jpg120px-Lindt_bunnies_2.jpg120px-Cadbury_eggs.jpg120px-Cadbury-Bournville.jpg 

Truffles
By PureChocolate · NR
Truffles may be being cited as the new global currency, but if there is one reason why one should not eat chocolate, and there is only one, it is that truffles are available. Of course these are not that variety of fungus found by pigs in the roots of trees, but those that have been carefully and lovingly prepared from the roasted, cured and fermented beans of the cacao plant. These beans are the very θεοβραμα as my Greek friend should know, which are full of the most nutritious (Cocoa solids contain alkaloids such as theobromine, phenethylamine and caffeine. These have physiological effects on the body and are linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Some research found that chocolate, eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure and eaten in therapeutic doses will reduce stress and enhance pleasure) content that ever the world knew.

So, go on. Don’t eat chocolate – eat truffles.800px-Bowl_of_truffles.jpg    
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Norway’s secret

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The northern passage

It is well known that an important ingredient in Norwegian culinary preparations is chocolate, but what are the origins of this practice?

We have to delve deeply into the oral traditions of the Lapp and Inuit peoples for the answer.

A typical traditional recipe (Finnbiff – Reinsdyrgryte – Reindeer Stew) prepared for the Norwegian palette may be as follows:

20oz reinsskav
5oz bacon sliced
3oz goat’s cheese
1 carrot, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 or 3 cacao beans roasted, cured and finely ground
sufficent red wine		1 gill milk
2 gill rømme
7oz mushrooms, sliced
5 juniper berries, lightly crushed
5 cowberries
1 bay leaf
1oz fine meal for thickening

It is often thought that chocolate was introduced into the diet of Europeans only after the discovery of the New World by Columbus in 1492. But if this is the case, how is it that we do not find the same culinary use of chocolate in the kitchens of southern Europeans, by whom we include anyone who lives south of the coastline of the nordic countries, excluding Denmark? In the deep south of Europe garlic takes the place of chocolate and as we move further north onions slowly replace garlic as a favoured flavouring in many recipes. Is it merely then a matter of geography, and what grows well in the different climes? Well, it is fairly obvious that it is not the case. The cacao plant from whose bean chocolate is derived is no more suitable for growing in the Nordic regions than it was in the Aztec empire, which also had to import it from their neighbours.

Looking into oral traditions we find however that long before the southern Europeans ever dreamed about opening up the northwest passage, there was a northern trade route much like the Silk road across Asia. The trade route was not always accessible, but when it was it provided a valuable resource in the northern regions and the route along which the beans of the cacao plant were able to travel.

The ancient Lapp peoples, just as other ancient nations, conducted trade for resources which they could not otherwise obtain, across sometimes difficult and dangerous terrains, though terrain is not an entirely accurate representation of the northern passage. One of their near neighbours are the Inuit people of what is now Canada. As soon as the northern passage became available they would be able to cross the ice and exchange valuable commodities for what they saw as a far more valuable commodity, the fruit of the cacao plant. In many ways this trade was similar to the spice trade, in particular of cloves, conducted between Europe and the East Indies.

The northern passage was formidable in its difficulty and the dangers it presented. The traders who used it could have been forgiven for giving up at any point to return back to their homes, but they were driven on by the lingering memories of the delicate and pungeant aromas of roasting and curing beans which filled the air during the dark winter months.

Arriving among the Inuit people trade would begin. The Inuit had prepared for this day by obtaining sacks of beans from their southern neighbours the Cree, who in turn had obtained the supplies from the Hopituh Shinumu (Hopi) and their neighbours just north of Mexico. The Lapps never met the Cree, except perhaps for the odd individual who had taken up residence among the Inuit, but that was a rare occurance. Such were the hardships of life among the Inuit, the Cree, who for the most part were nomadic, preferred to move south in the winter to follow the flocks and herds on which they depended, and few there were who would remain in the north for when the Lapp traders would arrive.

The Cree did not understand why anyone would be so keen to obtain the beans, which they considered to be quite disgusting. They had themselves sought to use the beans as food, but the methods of preparation used gave them the impression that they were not eating food but the ground in which the food grew! If ever, in their minds, a fruit deserved the name ground nut, then the fruit of the cacao plant did. If the beans were not good for food, of what use were they?

The Hopi had tried to explain to them that there was a people to the south, the Aztecs, who, so it was rumoured made a drink out of the bean, which was considered to be most desirable and indeed the chief drink among the rulers of that people. The Cree listened politely and bought the beans anyway. In the minds of the Cree, the story about the Aztecs, was probably nothing more than a marketing ploy to talk up the value of the beans. But the Inuit were prepared to pay well for good quality supplies of beans, so as spring came the Cree would travel north with their precious cargo of beans to exchange them for pelts, oils, and most prized of all the dried fish which provided an essential supplement to their diet.

The Inuit in turn would carefully store the beans over the summer whilst they awaited the arrival of the Lapps later that year when the northern passage once again became passable.

Histerical noteOver the years 1519 to 1525 the price of the cacao beans to the Hopi fell. News had begun to reach the Hopi of the arrival of ‘popoloca’ among the Carib people a few years earlier and there was much speculation as to whom these people were. They then heard that the popoloca had been the cause of some serious disruption in the Aztec empire which had reduced the demand for beans from those who had previously paid tribute to the Aztec rulers. The greater availabilty of beans therefore reduced the price. They sought to retain the old trading levels with the Cree, but the news could not be held back indefinitely and eventually the price fell. This was good news for the Lapps, but meant that profits from the trade fell for the American merchants, even though the quantity of beans traded increased. In 1585 the situation appeared to reverse. There was suddenly a shortage of suitable beans. The following year few beans could be obtained. The Lapps obtained their last major shipments from the crop which had originally been harvested in 1585 in the winter of 1586 and which they subsequently delivered home in the spring of 1587. Thereafter only very small quantities, and at a very high price, were available. Some years later news filtered across the European continent to the Lapps through the Norwegians that in Spain, and a few other parts of southern Europe, the nobility, princes and rulers were drinking a liquor called chocolatl, which was made from the ground, roasted and fermented beans of the cocoa plant found in the newly discovered meso-america. It was considered to be a most desirable drink and endowed with considerable medicinal properties. Extraordinary, they thought.

When ruled by a banker

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I posit an island, in which three people live: a farmer, a merchant and a banker.

I had been introduced to Take five some time ago.

On that former occassion the gentleman concerned wished to know the sum of two digits of two. During his enquiries he called upon a banker but was left somewhat perplexed by the banker’s response.

Take six shows us the consequences of what the banker tried to explain.

The island was located in the warmer temperate regions of the ocean and favoured by typically warm summers and mild winters. The farmer owned fields in the western end of the island which looking towards the favourable prevailing winds brought vibrant and diverse life to that arable and arboreal part of the island. Year on year he diligently sowed his fields, which produced an abundant harvest, which the merchant would take across the mountains to the eastern side of the island which lying as it was in the lee of the winds was much drier than the western side. The banker lived on the western side of the island in a house on a hillside overlooking the sea.

The economy of the island was dominated by this annual cycle, which easily supported the modest lifestyles enjoyed by the island’s community. Both the farmer and the merchant used the facilities offered by the banker.

These three men showed their appreciation to all around by holding annual festivities. The farmer held a festival in the autumn after the first fruits of the harvest had been brought home. The merchant held a ball in the spring to celebrate the end of a trading year, and the start of a new. The banker held a midwinter festival, as he was the only one who could afford both to light and heat a hall sufficiently large at that time of the year.

Over the years the islanders noticed changes in the community. Firstly, the banker moved house, then had his new home rebuilt. Now he was living in a large house with extensive private grounds, including in the western part of the island fenced off areas, which were being converted into a golf course.

None of this was really surprising, the economy was well run; harvests and the profits derived from the trade of the farmer’s produce generated surplus funds with which the farmer and the merchant sought to deal with prudently. Noone however discussed how they did business nor how they managed their own businesses.

The disparity that arose between the banker, the farmer and the merchant however did lead to some serious examination of the mechanisms by which this had come about. Academic reports, and enquiries suggested that far from using money he actually had to support the building of a larger home and the other works being undertaken, the banker had in fact mortgaged his own future earnings thus releasing sufficient funds to pay for all of these things. There was no suggestion that the banker had ever acted without the utmost propriety in this matter however. He had not taken any one else’s money for this and for everything the farmer and the merchant had ever deposited with him he could account in full and all was still available to them.

The farmer and the merchant were not then unhappy with the situation, but as a consequence of the production of the academic papers, and the translation (for that is what really was required) of them into the language of everyday people, they began to wonder whether they really needed to keep such deposits as they had with the banker. If the banker reckoned, and he surely of all people would know whether this was a safe thing to do, that to mortgage his future earnings was good in order to enhance his present lifestyle, then as the saying has it, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

The merchant was the first to move in this matter and managed to obtain from the banker a significant loan, which enabled him to expand his commercial interests, building a marina on the south coast of the island which would provide easy access to the area near to where the banker was building his golf course, and also to move out of town to what was perhaps inauspiciously described as a lodge near the national park.

The farmer was rather more cautious. He looked at the economics of his situation and concluded that what was safe for him to do would be to no longer finance the annual seeding himself but to seek a loan from the banker to cover that. He used the proceeds to convert several acres of land near to the marina into a golf course. It had become apparent that the banker’s would remain a private affair rather than available to tourists.

All appeared to be well. The world did not end after all of this activity, and indeed everyone appeared to be better off. The construction work had given others skills that they would not otherwise have acquired and provided much needed diversification in the economy. The island acquired the appearance of wellbeing, and the people of the island became quite comfortable with the situation.

Very occasionally the prevailing winds failed to bring the rains on which the farmer depended. Sometimes the dominant winds came from the east. The farmer was aware of this and it was the prospect of this that had held him back from joining the others. But he reasoned that he had survived such years in the past, and having done his sums considered he would be able to do so again.

One such year came upon the island shortly after the completion of the marina. The farmer’s harvest fell short of what was expected. He was only able to repay the banker his loan for planting, by selling all of his seed to the merchant. He knew that this would mean that in the spring he would not only have to borrow to pay for the planting but also to purchase seed to plant. He reasoned with himself that he could afford to do that.

The following spring he approached the banker as usual for the necessary loan. The banker was as ever accomodating, but required a mortgage over the golf course as security for the additional amount. The farmer agreed to the conditions imposed and proceeded with the planned planting programme.

It was a good year, but not quite as good as could have been hoped. The winds had been mixed, and as a consequence of the mixed winds the rainfall in the west was inadequate, but flooding caused much damage in the east. The farmer sold his harvest to the merchant, and repaid most of his loan to the banker. The banker did not require full repayment as he still had security over the golf course, which in any event had a value in excess of the amount of the loan. At this the farmer reflected upon the fact that had he not taken the golf course out of use, his harvest would have been that much greater and he would have been able to repay the debt in full. But he had done so, that was the way it was. The flood damage in the east caused quite some distress, and even the merchant had had to approach the banker for further loans to put repairs into effect. For others it put pressure on goods, some of which fell into short supply and prices started to rise. The price of the farmer’s produce also rose as it too was not as abundant as it had been for many years before. The rising prices however encouraged the banker who only saw increased security therein for the loans he had advanced.

By the time spring had come the price of seed had risen from 130 conche/bushel to 250 conche, such was the shortage of seed. There was also other competition for the seed. It was thought by many that the price would continue to rise for some time to come and seed was seen to be an investment.

The farmer approached the banker for the necessary loan to buy seed from the merchant and to finance the planting. Meanwhile the merchant was was also in discussions with the banker. The merchant and the banker eventually agreed to a mortgage over seed. The merchant would retain sufficient seed to cover twice the amount of his debt to the banker at the prevailing price. If the price rose he would be free to sell off the surplus, providing he also applied some of the proceeds in reducing the debt. If the price fell, he would only need to take action if the cover afforded fell to one and a half times the amount of debt. This did not seem to be an unreasonable solution to the merchant.

It would be a hard year. Food prices continued to rise. The rains were poor in the west, but the farmer had modified his agricultural practice in order to mitigate the effects of lower rainfall and as a consequence obtained a good harvest. The loan on the golf course had to be rolled over again. There was no autumn festival and the winter festival was not as grand as in former years. The people longed for the coming of spring.

The farmer enquired of the banker what he could borrow. The amount available would enable him to buy sufficient seed only if the price were less than 300c/b. The market price was over 350c/b. He approached the merchant, who in a different age may have been willing to help, but the banker’s mortgage over the seed meant that he could not sell for less than the market price, and to have left the difference in price outstanding would have broken his borrowing convenants leading to the immediate recall of all his loans.

In the meantime the banker’s chief steward having noticed the continual steep rise in the price of seed, which he needed in order to feed the household discussed with his master the possibility of entering into forward contracts for the purchase of seed in order to mitigate the adverse risk of fluctuating and increasng prices. He was authorised to enter into contracts up to a maximum price of 450c/b. He put these contracts before the merchant for delivery over the summer.

What now was the merchant to do? He knew that if he gave the farmer what he needed the price would rise over the summer far in excess of 450c/b and he would not in any event have sufficient seed to satisfy the bankers’ order, so he would not be able to accept it. On the other hand, if he accepted the banker’s order the price would likely not rise above 450c/b and he would only have sufficient seed to meet it if he did not accept the farmer’s order. He could sell to the farmer at 300c/b and face ruin, or sell to the banker at 450c/b.

That summer the winds had been just right. No-one could remember a better year than that. The west was properly warm and watered. The east recovered from the previous two wet summers.

The following spring the banker was puzzled. The farmer did not come to him for a new loan. Then it came to him: though the previous year the farmer had approached him for a loan, he had not drawn any of it down. There had been no planting. There had been no harvest. The farmer had instead taken a job stacking shelves in an supranational store, which had been attracted to the island by its recent prosperity.

The merchant had also sold out to the store. The price of seed had risen to peak at nearly 1000c/b, but the wharehouse was now empty.

When the shelves in the store are empty, what then?

Will the deposits in the bank fill the belly?

ZoomQI © 2011In 1894 the importance of conserving natural resources was recognized and expressed in a report by the State Fish and Game Commissioner of North Dakota. The report cautioned that short-term thinking and narrow monetary motivations might lead to the destruction of the last tree and the last fish. The following passage shows thematic similarities to the quotation under investigation: Present needs and present gains was the rule of action – which seems to be a sort of transmitted quality which we in our now enlightened time have not wholly outgrown, for even now a few men can be found who seem willing to destroy the last tree, the last fish and the last game bird and animal, and leave nothing for posterity, if thereby some money can be made.

Wales – the curious incident

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The curious incident of which you have probably never heard

Ils disent que vous savez quand vous êtes arrivé dans la civilisation pour l’eau, puis on vous donne avec votre café. A Vienne, ils servent un verre d’eau avec votre café.

That of course is nothing to do with the following narrative, but it makes an interesting, if not arresting opening. The incident described in the the following notes arose on a bright sunny day in the early summer of 1982°. It is not an original invention.

It seemed as if it was going to be a quiet day. PCs Dai Bach Selwyn Jones and Llewellyn Robert Evans had been allocated traffic duties outside Newport on the approach to the tunnel going towards Cardiff. The traffic moved slowly for some hours, occasioned by a significant event at Pontcanna Fields just shy of Cardiff Arms Park. It was anticipated that the fields would be full by 15h when the event was to start.

As the fields were about 20 minutes down the road from Dai and Llew, they anticipated that the road would start to clear by 1430. They were off duty at 1500 in any event, just in time to catch the France Wales kick off. Little did they know that their lives were about to be changed by events taking place in England.

In England transport arrangements to Cardiff had had to be rearranged. Due to an upgrade of the Western line from Paddington and associated overnight engineering works running late, there were no trains running to Cardiff that morning. The Pope had been expected to travel to Cardiff by train that day, but now a private chauffeur had to be arranged. The same chauffeur thought that he had allowed plenty of time, but had not taken into account the event in Cardiff.

They left on a pleasantly empty M4, with the usual disruption around Heathrow. Slough was remarkably quiet and they were making good time. Our chauffeur and the Pope chatted, and as they did so the chauffeur slowly began putting two and two together. He became a little troubled, and remaining quiet for a time waited for the Pope to nod off, which he hastened by putting the car into smooth mode and increasing the inside temperature slightly.

He called his office and listening to the reply his worst fears were confirmed. He was taking the Pope to Pontcanna Fields where a capacity crowd was expected. He had heard of the Fields, and was aware that events there cause significant disruption in the Cardiff area, not to mention on the approach roads.

As they proceeded traffic became heavier. Passing Reading, only a little of the traffic moved aside. At Swindon they came to a standstill. The Pope was awakened with a start. The chauffeur quickly restored the climate control in the passenger compartment.

Quid agimus?¹ the Pope asked, quite forgetting himself for a moment.

The chauffeur, not lacking a classical training, could still remember enough Latin to reply, though in English: ‘We have a small hold up just now, but there is still plently of time.’

The traffic cleared, and they moved on at a reasonable rate.

It was at 14h that the Pope asked how far they had to go. ’60 miles that is all. We have enough time.’ the chauffeur replied.

That was true, as the Fields were only a few of minutes off the motorway and the Pope did not have to appear at 15h. The driver had however not mentioned the M5 junction, nor that there was a toll to pay at the bridge. Then the problems arose. They were in a queue, travelling at 30 mph.

‘How far?’ ’40 miles’, the best estimate of the time required was 46 minutes, but there were only 30 minutes left.

As soon as the road cleared the Pope shouted out: ‘Put your foot down, driver.’ But no, it was more than our chauffeur’s job’s worth to do that.

The discussion continued, but the driver would not give way. 70 was the most he could do, it was after all had been said the speed limit.

Eventually, the Pope told the driver to pull over. ‘Get in the back!’ he barked ‘I shall drive.’

He figured that at an average speed of 130 they would be there on time, but that required a top speed of 150, which should be quite comfortable in their car.

They moved off. The Pope slowly built up speed, discovering how easy a Mercedes S class was to handle. The chauffeur in the back protested, but to no avail. The new driver was not going to listen. ‘The law will be after us if you don’t slow down.’ the chauffeur cried out.

They had reached the bridge. The chauffeur knew that they now had to stop to pay the toll. He however had not reckoned with the Pope. There was an automatic gate through which it was possible to drive straight through, if you had made appropriate arrangements before hand. The Pope headed straight for that gate, he had no intention of slowing down despite the now 40mph restriction. The chauffeur closed his eyes fearing the worst.

His aim was good, the Mercedes flew through the open gate at 135.

Dai and Llew had seen the road clearing and were themselves thinking about the end of their very uneventful shift, when news came through of a car which had passed through the toll without paying. Would they be ready to intercept it, if it continued on the motorway. The report failed to mention the speeding offence that had also been committed.

They expected to wait eight to ten minutes, but some five minutes later they saw the Mercedes approaching. ‘Forget the missed toll’, Dai said to Llew, ‘let’s get that one and take him back to the station with us.’

They raced off, on what was then an almost empty road. It takes a while to catch up with the Mercedes, but after a harrowing four minutes they turned on the blue lights and sirens and flashed the car down.

The Pope thought he was making good time, only six miles to go in as many minutes. Then they heard the sirens. ‘What did I tell you’, the chauffeur cried out ‘Now you will not even get to the Pontcanna Fields.’

‘Be quiet, my friend, and leave this to me. I understand that I must now pull over for your policemen.’

Dai got out of the car. He was going to enjoy this, he could ensure that the driver was kept at the station for at least an hour. Whoever was driving the car would after all have to wait for someone to take over after he and Llew walked off their shift.

He walked over to the Mercedes. Meanwhile Llew looked on. Everything appeared to be normal. Llew made his notes, as he usually did on such occasions and hoped that they would still get away in time for the rugby.

Dai came back, and fell back into his seat. Llew looked up. Dai was deathly pale; his face was ashen white, as white as a sheet.

‘Dai!’ he exclaimed.

‘Mae hyn i gyd i fyny gyda ni’², Dai replied in Welsh. Although normally their official business would be conducted in English, the horror of what just taken place meant he could only use his mother tongue, so we shall tell the rest of the conversation in translation.

‘That car’, he stuttered.
‘Who was it, Dai?’
‘You’ll never guess, Llew.’
‘It was Diana.’
‘No, Llew.’
‘Not the Prince of Wales either then.’
‘No, Llew’, said Dai his voice becoming weaker by the moment.
Llew was himself becoming a little disturbed by now. ‘The Duke of Ednburgh?’ he asked.
Dai shook his head.
‘Her Majesty?’
‘No, Llew, higher than that.’

Llew felt a little relieved, Dai was pulling his leg, but how he had managed to pull off that pale complexion he did not know. He would ask him later. In the meantime he thought he would play along with the joke: ‘Now then, Dai, don’t kid me like that’, he joked, ‘It was the Pope, wasn’t it?’

Dai summoned up his remaining strength before he would collapse back in his seat. ‘Llew’, he said, ‘the Pope.. the Pope was his driver….’

°2 June 1982
¹How are we doing?
²It’s up with us

Bitte, vergessen Sie nicht: Es ist gesagt, dass Sie, wenn Sie in der Zivilisation für die Sie erhalten dann Wasser zum Kaffee angekommen. In Wien, dienen sie ein Glas Wasser mit Ihrem Kaffee.

Courtesy of PLC, this version PC 2013

Orange

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Not chocolate orange

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Moonlit night: Zhang Ruoxu

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春江花月夜，张若虚
首被平原的管家(Google-Coco)

In separation the moon understands our longing –

So it was said, but in the days of separation what goes through one’s head?

A Chinese author, 张若虚, expressed it in this way:

漢語 English
春江潮水连海平，
海上明月共潮生。
滟滟随波千万里，
何处春江无月明！

江流宛转绕芳甸，
月照花林皆似霰；
空里流霜不觉飞，
汀上白沙看不见。

江天一色无纤尘，
皎皎空中孤月轮。
江畔何人初见月？
江月何年初照人？

人生代代无穷已，
江月年年只相似。
不知江月待何人，
但见长江送流水。

白云一片去悠悠，
青枫浦上不胜愁。
谁家今夜扁舟子？
何处相思明月楼？

可怜楼上月徘徊，
应照离人妆镜台。
玉户帘中卷不去，
捣衣砧上指还来。

此时相望不相闻，
愿逐月华流照君。
鸿雁长飞光不度，
鱼龙潜跃水成文。

昨夜闲潭梦落花，
可怜春半不还家。
江水流春去欲尽，
江潭落月复西斜。

斜月沉沉藏海雾，
碣石潇湘无限路。
不知乘月几人归，
落月摇情满江树。		In spring the river rises high
to lift the moon which waxes bright.
League upon league of waves roll by
Embraced in her soft, her gentle light.

The river curls around the isle,
where moonlit flowers seem like snow.
Her beams like hoarfrost all the while
fall unseen to the beach below.

Sky and water mingle freely,
her lonely disk shines on the land.
Did the river the moon first see
Or she the man upon her strand?

All kith and kin do pass away
the moons of old the same remain.
For whom tonight sheds she her ray,
as the waters roll down to the main?

A white cloud sails across the sky
while maples pine upon the isle.
A man sets sail, as if to fly,
but pines away beneath her smile.

The moon lingers o’er the tower
to bathe her room with fragrant light.
The curtains rise, her beams stream lower
she bathes but naught relieves her plight.

She sees the moon, not her lover,
which shines she knows upon his head.
The wild geese cannot take her over
nor dragon fish speak in her stead.

She dreamed; the fading flowers fell
and spring passed by, yet still he’s gone.
The rolling waters sound a knell.
The waning moon yields to the sun.

The moon sinks down into the mist
which parts the rivers from the seas.
How few by moonlight find their tryst
but pine alone by stranded trees.

If you cannot read the words above, listen to Google read the words:

Transfigured night: Richard Dehmel

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Together they watched the moon –

And in the days of confession what must the response be?

A German author, Dehmel, expressed it in this way:

Zwei Menschen gehn durch kahlen, kalten Hain;
der Mond läuft mit, sie schaun hinein.
Der Mond läuft über hohe Eichen;
kein Wölkchen trübt das Himmelslicht,
in das die schwarzen Zacken reichen.
Die Stimme eines Weibes spricht:

„Ich trag ein Kind, und nit von Dir,
ich geh in Sünde neben Dir.
Ich hab mich schwer an mir vergangen.
Ich glaubte nicht mehr an ein Glück
und hatte doch ein schwer Verlangen
nach Lebensinhalt, nach Mutterglück

und Pflicht; da hab ich mich erfrecht,
da ließ ich schaudernd mein Geschlecht
von einem fremden Mann umfangen,
und hab mich noch dafür gesegnet.
Nun hat das Leben sich gerächt:
nun bin ich Dir, o Dir, begegnet.‟

Sie geht mit ungelenkem Schritt.
Sie schaut empor; der Mond läuft mit.
Ihr dunkler Blick ertrinkt in Licht.
Die Stimme eines Mannes spricht:

„Das Kind, das Du empfangen hast,
sei Deiner Seele keine Last,
o sieh, wie klar das Weltall schimmert!
Es ist ein Glanz um alles her;
Du treibst mit mir auf kaltem Meer,
doch eine eigne Wärme flimmert
von Dir in mich, von mir in Dich.

Die wird das fremde Kind verklären,
Du wirst es mir, von mir gebären;
Du hast den Glanz in mich gebracht,
Du hast mich selbst zum Kind gemacht.‟
Er faßt sie um die starken Hüften.
Ihr Atem küßt sich in den Lüften.
Zwei Menschen gehn durch hohe, helle Nacht.		Two people walk through a dark, dank grove
together they gaze at the moon above.
High over the oaks stands the moon,
No cloud disturbs its heavenly light,
Unto which the black tree tops strain.
A woman’s voice sounds out at night:

I have a child and not by you,
I walk in sin but near to you.
With myself I have dealt badly
I thought too little in my yearning
And yet I had the strongest plea
for life’s fulfilment, mothers’ longing

And her duty; so I to myself have evil done
and let my body be embraced and overcome,
as to a stranger I yielded entrance.
And for this impost myself I blessed.
Now has life risen with a vengeance
I now have you; our paths have crossed!

She walks with uneasy, painful gait
She looks up, the moon runs at a rate.
Her dark gaze is clothed in light.
A he-man’s voice sounds out at night:

The child that you now do carry
Shall to your soul no burden be.
Behold, how brightly shines the world above.
It is the best of all that’s here;
You strive with me on its cold sea
to shift a peculiar warmth of love
from you to me, from me to you.

Your strange child shall transfigured be.
You will give her to me, give birth for me;
You have the best in me revealed,
You have made me into a child.
He fastened himself about her strong hips.
Their breath in the air curled and kissed.
Two people walk through transfigured night.
For Hurren’s more literal translation click here to revert to Coco’s here
Moonlit Night

Joseph was faced with a similar message:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. | And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: | “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” which is translated, God with us.

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, | and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn son. And he called his name Jesus.





Matthew 1:18-25
NKJV		Die Geburt Christi war aber also getan. Als Maria, seine Mutter, dem Joseph vertraut war, fand sich’s ehe er sie heimholte, daß sie schwanger war von dem heiligen Geist.

Joseph aber, ihr Mann, war fromm und wollte sie nicht in Schande bringen, gedachte aber, sie heimlich zu verlassen.

Indem er aber also gedachte, siehe, da erschien ihm ein Engel des HERRN im Traum und sprach: „Joseph, du Sohn Davids, fürchte dich nicht, Maria, dein Gemahl, zu dir zu nehmen; denn das in ihr geboren ist, das ist von dem heiligen Geist. | Und sie wird einen Sohn gebären, des Namen sollst du Jesus heißen; denn er wird sein Volk selig machen von ihren Sünden.‟
Das ist aber alles geschehen, auf daß erfüllt würde, was der HERR durch den Propheten gesagt hat, der da spricht: | „Siehe, eine Jungfrau wird schwanger sein und einen Sohn gebären, und sie werden seinen Namen Immanuel heißen‟, das ist verdolmetscht: Gott mit uns.

Da nun Joseph vom Schlaf erwachte, tat er, wie ihm des HERRN Engel befohlen hatte, und nahm sein Gemahl zu sich. | Und er erkannte sie nicht, bis sie ihren ersten Sohn gebar; und hieß seinen Namen Jesus.






Matthaeus 1:18-25
Luther Bibel 1545		του δε ιησου χριστου η γεννησις ουτως ην μνηστευθεισης γαρ της μητρος αυτου μαριας τω ιωσηφ πριν η συνελθειν αυτους ευρεθη εν γαστρι εχουσα εκ πνευματος αγιου

ιωσηφ δε ο ανηρ αυτης δικαιος ων και μη θελων αυτην παραδειγματισαι εβουληθη λαθρα απολυσαι αυτην

ταυτα δε αυτου ενθυμηθεντος ιδου αγγελος κυριου κατ οναρ εφανη αυτω λεγων ιωσηφ υιος δαβιδ μη φοβηθης παραλαβειν μαριαμ την γυναικα σου το γαρ εν αυτη γεννηθεν εκ πνευματος εστιν αγιου | τεξεται δε υιον και
καλεσεις το ονομα αυτου ιησουν αυτος γαρ σωσει τον λαον αυτου απο των αμαρτιων αυτων

τουτο δε ολον γεγονεν ινα πληρωθη το ρηθεν υπο του κυριου δια του προφητου λεγοντος | ιδου η παρθενος εν γαστρι εξει και τεξεται υιον και καλεσουσιν το ονομα αυτου εμμανουηλ ο εστιν μεθερμηνευομενον μεθ ημων ο θεος

διεγερθεις δε ο ιωσηφ απο του υπνου εποιησεν ως προσεταξεν αυτω ο αγγελος κυριου και παρελαβεν την γυναικα αυτου | και ουκ εγινωσκεν αυτην εως ου ετεκεν τον υιον αυτης τον πρωτοτοκον και εκαλεσεν το ονομα αυτου ιησουν

ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 1:18-25
1550 Stephanus
Listen to the music of Schönberg:

Milky Way

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Picture captures a milliard stars

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