The Irish Rover's Blog

Lest We Forget

irishroverpei — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:12:55 +0000

I picked this photo off the Facebook site. It struck me as a very touching sentiment, natures own War Memorial. Unlikely to be true, the bike looks like it belonged to a child not a young man ready to enlist. Nevertheless, it screams the sadness, of so many young boys who went off to war never to return. They left behind a part of who they were in toys,photos,football boots and keepsakes. A lonely and empty bedroom full of memories or a bike in a tree. Whether genuine and just wishing to be, they represent the same sadness and hurt.
If I came across this tree I would stop and salute and remember. “Lest We Forget”
Cheers and keep reading.

Submarines get Thumbs up from Chief of Defence

irishroverpei — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:40:42 +0000

Gen Walt Natynczyk, Chief of Defence sailed in the submarine Victoria for a brief five hour tour. He gave the thumbs up that our submarines are good and will very soon be fully operational. It is worth noting, the military is not a democracy and regardless of rank, one dare not condemn something the government has approved. The General’s career would be over in an instant if he dared to criticize the submarine fleet or government policy. What else could he say, but for the defence of our nation we need these stealth vessels.
I think he was quite courageous to actually go to sea and dive in the Victoria. Nevertheless, it was as low risk as was possible, diving only to 17 meters, that’s about (67 ft) periscope depth. The trip took five hours, I’d estimate that would be approx two hours to diving position, one hour to dived and surface and two hours back to harbour.
He could have had a similar experience diving in the West Edmonton Mall submarine, it takes families with young children as deep as that.
Open main vents-dive dive dive, ugh help help!!!
Cheers and keep reading.

Our Sad Loss

irishroverpei — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:33:33 +0000

Last night at approx 10pm our old cat Bella died. She had been unwell for a while, wasn’t eating much just drinking water. She had lost a lot of weight and her once beautiful coat looked dull and was matted. A few weeks ago we started buying cans of tuna for her. She liked the tuna and even gained a little weight back. Unfortunately it was short lived and the last few days have been difficult. Last week we talked with the vet about putting her to sleep, but hesitated to take that final step. Bella didn’t appear to be in pain or was suffering so we made her as comfortable as we could. Last night she was in her favourite Styrofoam box in the back hall, Linda moved her in front of the stove where she would be warmer. That was where she was when she died. Bella was born in May 1995 she was almost 17 years old. We got her about six years ago through an old shipmate. His friends in Halifax had owned Bella for years, but having a new baby in the house decided they’d put Bella down. My buddy Darryl saved her and took her to his apartment. However pets weren’t allowed in the apartment building and so called me. That’s how we ended up with Bella, she gained a new lease on life living for another six years. We will cremate her today, can’t bury her as the ground is frozen. Rest in Peace Bella, we shall miss you.
Cheers and keep reading.

Edward VIII Abdication 10th Dec 1936

irishroverpei — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:10:47 +0000

I don’t suppose this photo hangs on the wall in Buckingham Palace!!! Edward caused serious concerns in 1936 when he stated he would marry Mrs Simpson. Already once divorced and awaiting a second divorce to be finalized before she could marry the King of England. Prime Minister Baldwin would have none of it, an American divorcee as the Queen consort, that would never happen!. In all this turmoil rumours swirled around the land suggesting she was a NAZI agent and or sympathizer. It was suspected she was having an affair with Joachim von Ribbentrop, Germany Nazi Ambassador to the United Kingdom at the time. In the photo we can clearly see why the British Government was concerned and why Edward was sent off to the Bahamas during the war years. Certainly a tumultuous event in the history of the British Monarchy. Wonder if Charles & Camilla have any thoughts on the subject???
Cheers and keep reading.

Looking back to 17th Feb 2011

irishroverpei — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:33:45 +0000

I thought I would re-post the photo of me snow shoeing on the day before my heart attack. A good reminder to those of us as stupid as me!!!who firmly believed the pain and shortness of breath was just a matter of fitness?A main blood vessel to my heart was over 90% blocked, the slightest increased blockage and I could have dropped dead on the spot. Heart surgery and four bypasses later and I’m on the road to recovery. I think I have learned a good lesson here, if something is amiss in the future I’ll check with my doctor and leave the snow shoes on the wall. Lots of blog issues to deal with, Herr Harper is at it again plus much more, but it will be a while before I’m able to do daily blogs, the mind is a bit muddled due to the many med’s I’m taking. What was that I heard you say? seems normal to me!!!
—————————————————————–

The above was my blog posted one year ago on the 17th February 2011, I was just a couple of days out of hospital and still feeling quite weak and sore. Certainly in no condition to snowshoe. A year later I’m out every day walking or snowshoeing for 45 to 50 minutes and covering approx 4 klms per walk. I feel great and enjoy going back through the snow covered fields with Linda and our two dogs. I’m a very lucky person and not a day goes by that I don’t give thanks to my doctor and God.
Cheers and keep reading.

Arsenal so Sad!!!!

irishroverpei — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:58:02 +0000

Arsenal are playing so poorly I might have to revert back to an old Belfast team, Linfield, better known as the the blues. This was my father’s team throughout his life. Look closely at the posted photo, you are looking at history. My father cut this black and white photo from local newspaper in 1929. The newspaper was a weekly and called the ‘The Peoples friend’. He had a workmate colour the shirts blue and then he framed and hung it on the wall. I remember it always on display wherever we lived. I have had it for years, and it has slowly deteriorated, but I would never tried to alter it in any way. Instead I have a computer enhanced copy, and continue to hang both pictures in my home.

Cheers and keep reading.

Woe is Me!!!

irishroverpei — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:28:17 +0000

I might have difficulty using the key board to write this post, my tears keep falling on the letters. What an awful week for Arsenal. We lost our first game 4-0 to Milan in mid week, its unlikely we can score more than 4 goals against them in the second match. Looks like we are out of the UEFA Championship. Today we lost 2-0 to Sunderland in the FA Cup, we are out of it too. No silverware for Arsenal again this year, the future is beginning to look uncertain for Arsene Wenger as team manager. The team have not won silverware for a few years now. The best we can hope for now, is to finish in the top four of the league, and that is not going to be easy either. Not a good year for Arsenal, they need some big improvements and they need them soon. Gotta go! need a tissue or three –sob!!
Cheers and keep reading.

The Beetle!!!!

irishroverpei — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:52:22 +0000

On this day in 1972, the 15,007,034th Volkswagen Beetle comes off the assembly line, breaking a world car production record held for more than four decades by the Ford Motor Company’s iconic Model T, which was in production from 1908 and 1927.

The history of the VW Beetle dates back to 1930s Germany. In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany and announced he wanted to build new roads and affordable cars for the German people. At that time, Austrian-born engineer Ferdinand Porsche (1875-1951) was already working on creating a small car for the masses. Hitler and Porsche later met and the engineer was charged with designing the inexpensive, mass-produced Volkswagen, or “people’s car.” Hitler’s plan was that people could buy the cars by making regular payments into a savings stamp program. In 1938, work began on the Volkswagen factory, located in present-day Wolfsburg, Germany; however, full-scale vehicle production didn’t begin until after World War II.

In the 1950s, the Volkswagen arrived in the U.S., where the initial reception was tepid, due in part to the car’s historic Nazi connection as well as its small size and unusual rounded shape (which later led to it being dubbed the “Beetle”). In 1959, the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach launched a groundbreaking campaign that promoted the car’s diminutive size as a distinct advantage to consumers, and over the next several years, VW became the top-selling auto import in the U.S. In 1998, Volkswagen began selling the highly touted “New Beetle” while still continuing production of its predecessor. After more than 60 years and over 21 million vehicles produced, the last original Beetle rolled off the line in Puebla, Mexico, on July 30, 2003.

I can’t claim to have owned a Beetle, I have own three or four VW buses and campers. They were basically the same mechanically, easy to maintain and run. How many of my readers have own a Bug??? Did you or would you buy a car from this man???He offers guarantees
Cheers and keep reading

Flag Day in Canada

irishroverpei — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:50:19 +0000

Sorry I missed it! didn’t realize yesterday was Flag Day in Canada. What worries me is, if I missed it how many other Canadians did too?? Do we take this great land too much for granted, do we not appreciate what we have? All good questions. It makes me think back to 1966 when I visited Canada House in Belfast N.Ireland to inquire about immigrating. I was told by the gentleman interviewing me, he said son ,if you are going to be successful in Canada I had better be prepared to work hard, there are no hand outs. I arrived on 18th January 1967 at Pier 21 in Halifax NS, I had a job waiting as I had wrote ahead to secure one. I guess the man at Canada
House had left an impression on me,(no hand outs eh!)
On the 20th January I was hard at work. Looking back some 45 years later I have no regrets and I’m proud to call my self a Canadian. Sadly much has changed in those 45 years. We have hand outs, we have corruption. I now see a great country with massive debts governed by greedy politicians both federally and provincially. Paying themselves huge salaries, and lucrative expense accounts for travel meals etc. Gold plated pensions and patronage plus a senate that costs millions to do what ,we are not sure. Sad indeed, I wonder what happened to the man that interviewed me all those years ago. Nevertheless, I love Canada and do my part where I see a need. I fly the Flag at my home with pride. You should too.
Cheers and keep reading.

Today’s Dreadnoughts

irishroverpei — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:39:55 +0000

At the beginning of the first world war the Royal Navy considered her Dreadnought class battleships to be a great deterrent to war. In fact the dreadnoughts caused the first arms race as other Navies raced to build comparable ships. Today the nuclear submarine would be the modern dreadnought and a major deterrent to another war. So where do we stand in Canada’s Royal Canadian Navy,do we have a deterrent force????
Well, we do have four reasonably modern diesel electric
submarines. Unfortunately three are not at present sea worthy nor likely to be for quite some time. We do have one at sea on the West Coast, but it has a dent in the pressure hull so is restricted to shallow water dives. All four have yet to successfully fire a torpedo. We were told they were a bargain when the government decided to buy them. Hmm, some bargain, seems to me as a deterrent they would only be effective if they collided with an enemy vessel. In such an event I wonder which would come off worse??? Four submarines,now we have three etc etc. Its time the RCN demanded safe modern submarines, and probably they should be nuclear powered. It would surely be better to have two nuclear boats on patrol than four diesel boats in dry docks. Just my thoughts, but glad I’m retired from the Naval submarine service. If I had to sail in one of our Victoria class boats I’d drop nought from dreadnought and just feel the dread when we opened main vents???
Cheers and keep reading.