Today was supposed to be a strike day for railroad workers in the UK, but apparently their strike -- originally scheduled for Saturday, today and Wednesday -- has been called off. We're still having a tube strike on Thursday, which means London underground services will be running minimally if at all. In addition, the postal service is due to go on strike for a couple of days at the end of the month and even nurses are talking about industrial action.
May you live in interesting times, as someone in China once apocryphally said.
Fortunately, since I walk to work, the transit strike shouldn't affect me much. And mail, I can take it or leave it -- I never get anything important on paper anyway, except my New Yorker subscription, and frankly I wouldn't mind if that stopped coming for a while. The nursing strike is a bit more worrisome.
I took Olga to the cemetery in the afternoon and even though it was wet and drizzly she walked with enthusiasm. (I forgot to bring her tennis ball, though, which earned me reproachful looks.) We're supposed to go back to the vet this evening for a checkup to see how her dental abscess (or whatever it is/was) is doing.
The image on the coin is the Madara Horseman, which I'd never heard of. It's a large rock relief carved on a cliff in Bulgaria in the 8th Century.
You learn something new every day, right?
Good reflective shot!
ReplyDeleteWe certainly do learn something new everyday. When I read the headline I wondered if stotinki was edible. It seems not and the name does not sound appetising anyway. Maybe I should have another crack at Great Expectations.
ReplyDeleteThis led me to reading about The Bulgars - warring horsemen who were once powerful in that region. Shame on you for forgetting the tennis ball!
ReplyDeleteI hope that Olga gets a good report!
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting what countries put on their money. It's a pretty cool concept, actually.
Seems like an impossible thing to do - carve that on a high cliff! I wonder how the carver got up there and how long it took! Amazing.
ReplyDeleteInteresting coin to find in the street though I guess it's more likely to be there than here. Transit seems to go on strike quite often there.
ReplyDeleteCoins are like little history books. You see what was considered important enough for the currency.
ReplyDeleteI have learned at least a half dozen new things today from reading other people's blogs! Write on!
ReplyDeleteWe had lots of rain here too, but I didn't get out to take any interesting photos. It's raining today, maybe I'll be inspired.
ReplyDeleteHope all goes well with Olga's visit with the vet.
The face value of having so many strikes all the time puzzles me. It seems like it would cease to become an effective way to negotiate if they happen all the time and become just an annoyance to deal with.
ReplyDeleteI remember my childhood fondly when I could easily read all day long and not be fazed. These days however, unless it is a really gripping book which isn't all that common in the non-fiction world, my limit is a tiny fraction of what it used to be.
With that much labor unrest, things could get interesting.
ReplyDelete"Stotinki From Heaven" just doesn't have the same musical feel to it.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't facing a nursing strike over here but we are facing an election that might prove to have worse implications. Sorry, the recent polls reported here are beating up on my positive thoughts. I think almost everyone I know is feeling the same; tense and apprehensive.
Your first photo is a masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteThat first shot with the reflection is outstanding! I hope Olga gets a good report this evening. Sweet girl.
ReplyDeleteI have been absent from the blogosphere as of late and am just catching up on my reading. I hope Dave is feeling better from whatever he had.
ReplyDeleteAs An Avid Coin Collector, Feel Free To Mail That Sucker My Way - Stoked That You Were Able To Walk Olga Girl In The Cemetery And Thankful She Has Pep In Her Step - Stay Warm And Travel Like A Rock Star Brother Man
ReplyDeleteCheers
That first shot was a good detail. I love pictures that make me stop to figure out what I'm looking at. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to Olga.
I learn something (or several things) new every day I read your blog, Steve. For which I thank you. Stotinki and the Madara Horseman - who knew?
ReplyDeleteGreat that Olga had such pep on a rainy day. Hope her vet visit went well.
Chris from Boise
Olga seems to feel energetic and good so that's a positive indicator. A nursing strike, especially this time of year, would be scary.
ReplyDeleteThe coin was a nice find and very interesting. Thinking good thoughts for Olga's vet visit. When I finally get to England, I hope they're not on strike!
ReplyDeleteI love that first shot, well done!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found out what coin that was so I'm not tempted to look into it. You totally sent me down the rabbit hole with your pottery shard the other day, I started searching and actually still am, I can't stand not knowing!
ReplyDeleteAn interesting coin. Perhaps some kid rummaging through mummy's purse tossed it from a plane window, ha ha. More likely it fell from a pocket of a European refugee fleeing Putin's war.
ReplyDeleteYou do learn something new every day. I read the title as So Stinky From Heaven. Beautiful photo.
ReplyDeleteGZ: It caught my eye!
ReplyDeleteAndrew: "Stotinki" sounds funny to western ears but apparently it comes from the Bulgarian word for "hundred" -- as in, 100 stotinki to a lev.
YP: I've always been intrigued by Bulgaria but haven't been there yet. It looks interesting but I'm not sure about the food. :/
Ms Moon: It's a great way to educate the world about your cultural heritage. Kind of like postage stamps, I guess.
Ellen D: Yeah, way back then, you've gotta wonder. I'm guessing they built a scaffold, but who knows how they did the actual carving.
Ellen: It's happening a lot lately because the unions and management are trying to come to agreements for a new contract.
Boud: And not just coins -- stamps and bills too!
Debby: Well that's good! It's a sign you're reading the right blogs, I guess. LOL
Robin: Rain photos can be interesting, and I had a photography teacher who used to say we should be open to shooting in any kind of weather. But protect your camera!
Ed: I think it HAS ceased to be effective. We all just shrug and say, "Oh, it's another strike." Interesting that you're finding reading harder as you age. Maybe that's just something that happens to all our brains?
Red: It's actually pretty monotonous, it's been happening so much lately.
Sharon: I have to admit I laughed out loud at "Stotinki From Heaven." It's not often my own headlines make me laugh!
Wilma: Thank you! Sometimes light and reflections combine in just the right way!
Kelly: She got a good report and, equally important, she got TREATS!
Michael: He felt better within a few days! Glad you're catching up!
Padre: I will mail it to you! Leave me your address!
Debby: Glad you liked it! The sun was hitting those buildings just right to make them stand out in the reflection.
Chris: Well, I'm glad that as I learn about things like stotinki and the Madara Horseman I can pass on the knowledge!
Margaret: Yeah, that nursing strike sounds like it could be a real problem. Maybe it won't happen.
Jeanie: I feel like SOMEONE's on strike almost constantly. England likes to think it's not European but in that sense, it's VERY European!
Pixie: Thank you!
James and Brigitta: That pottery shard is driving me crazy, too. I really do need to see if I can look up that mark in a published guide.
River: I think we still have a fair number of Eastern Europeans working here (though the numbers have diminished since Brexit). I assume it's from some Bulgarian living or working locally.
Mitchell: "So Stinky" doesn't sound very heavenly, but hey, to each his own!