Improving and De-Proving

Doll at the Eisteddfod! Todays Enemy is Tomorrow's Friend! 'Facts' We Don't Believe Anymore! Quote of the Week! Happy Snaps!

Aug 23, 2025

‘Congratulations at the Eisteddfod’

(Aren’t you super glad we didn’t have to learn how to spell, or pronounce, Welsh words as little tackers?)

This week, Doll hit the stage at the Gladstone Entertainment Centre, first on Friday evening, then Saturday afternoon, to sing her heart out with the other competitors.

But, before we move on to how she went, allow me to give the organisers of this event a cheery ‘Hey Ho!’ a hearty clap on the back and a warm, sincere, round of applause.

I’m sure the care, time, and dedication it takes them to bring this event to life each year often goes unnoticed by the community at large. But, these selfless folk are behind every performer’s smile (even those who didn’t win a prize), every family’s pride, and every round of applause. They have, with great care and attention, created an event where talent of all ages can shine, confidence can grow, and our community can come together to celebrate the arts.

I, we, salute you. We are truly grateful for your efforts.

Now, the washup.

Doll came home with a swag of awards, a First, Second and Third. The final performance, well, she got out alive and that’s all we’re going to say about that.

But mostly what she got was the thrill of competing with other great singers and being adjudicated professionally.

In Doll’s words: “This was a bucket list thing, and I’m glad I did it. It’s definitely helped me with my vocal range, tone, breathwork and longevity.”

I can heartily confirm this.

For the past month, listening in from the other side of the house, while wearing earplugs in a closed room, her vocal range, volume and breath control have improved markedly.

Her final take, “Thanks to participating in the Eisteddfod, I’m no longer ‘phoning it in’ vocally.”

I wish I could ‘phone it in’ as good as she does…

Finally, from the stalls during the show, I was thinking three things (well, four if you want to count how staggered I was about the amount of effort it must take to put this whole shindig together):

How keen all the performers were (and the piano players!)
How astonishingly ‘flat’ the sound in the theatre was. The singers really had to work to project their voices, but they knocked it out of the park.
How difficult it would have been to judge the sections. I’d have hated to have been the adjudicator. Even she admitted it was a tough gig. In her summing up, “Be an adjudicator they said. It’ll be fun they said…” and, “On a different day, with a different adjudicator, I’m sure the results would be very different, but tonight, it’s up to me…” and this cracker, “I’ve got a first place by a mile, and only one point each separates four of you for second place.” Ye Gods! The pressure!

Anyway, the judges decisions were final and the show went on. But, the Eisteddfod winds up today for another year, and, for now, I no longer have to think about how to spell Eisteddfod each week, or listen to ‘the four songs from hell’ Every. Single. Day. and life should return to normal here at Bray Manor.

Yeah, normal…

And next weekend: Two to the Valley! (with friends)

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Today’s Enemy is Tomorrow’s Friend

And vice-versa…

I had a bit of a chuckle during the week watching the American President wobble down a red carpet (seriously, is he well?!), to bow, scrape and arse kiss the Russian President to discuss an ongoing war he personally promised he would end 24 hours into his presidency.

How’s that working out Donnie?

(Note: this was NOT a question anyone in the fawning media scrum, or the gushing toothies on morning TV, asked. So much for holding power to account gang!)

Now, Don and Vlad have a lot in common, so why wouldn’t they be besties?

The leader of the ‘All American Fascists’ is an authoritarian, convicted felon, rapist, serial liar, grifter and heavily implicated pedophile, while the leader of the ‘New Look Russian Communists’ is an authoritarian, war criminal, child kidnapper (30,000 Ukrainian kids still missing), murderer of opposition leaders, friends, anyone else he thinks isn’t loyal enough, serial liar and general all-round bad guy… but to be fair, he is quite kind to animals and even dotes on his dog.

*He uses the same method to house train the US Prez…*

BTW: has anyone checked on the whereabouts of this horse? Has it fallen from a mysteriously open, high-rise window yet?

If the old unionists, socialists and smattering of anarchists I worked with in the 1980’s were alive today, they’d be astonished to see the Republican Party (Reagan’s Republican Party) no longer banging the Drum of Fear about ‘Reds Under the Bed!’, but actually IN BED WITH THE REDS in 2025.

And, not only in the bed, but on the bottom dutifully obliging their Kremlin Daddy’s every twisted whim.

They would be even more gobsmacked to see the numerous right-wing leaning Western media companies, TV and newspapers, completely on board with the situation.

The old comrades won. I think?

So, asking for a friend, is this guy is no longer ‘the baddie’?

It’s hard to keep up nowadays.

No doubt everything will change again so, in the words of Billy, pay attention!

Things We No Longer Believe

Well, things I no longer believe, but you know… just go along with it

So, talking of things flipping completely, here’s my list of, once undisputed, facts:

CPR rules
It used to be five breaths, 10 to 15 compressions, then two breaths etc. Then, two breaths, thirty compressions. Then, forget the breaths. Actually, maybe a breath or two. Or, just hum ‘Stayin’ Alive’ while you do compressions, and maybe some breaths. I guess next time I do my annual CPR training it will be, just do anything and hope for the best?
Butter fixes burns.
That’s right kiddies, slathering dairy products on open wounds was ‘a thing’. I even had done to me.
Smoking keeps you slim and stress-free.
This was an actual ad:

The thing is, smoking was fairly calming. And it does suppress your appetite so it would keep you slim. Um…

A tot of brandy for teething babies.
Yes, making them unconscious, or killing them, from alcohol toxicity will stop the screaming.
Leeches are a valid medical tool.
I was going to make fun of this one (along with ‘cupping’), but like vinyl records, the little suckers are actually back.
Homosexuality is a mental/medical disorder.
And lobotomies or chemical castration used to be the cure.

The government attracts only the best and brightest.
HA! HAHAHAHAHAAAA! HAHAHAHAAAA HAHAA!
Checks and balances keep idiots out of power.
See above - Hahahaha etc.
Left-handed kids must be fixed.
Not fixed like a dog, just lash their left arms behind their little backs. I think ours was the last generation to witness this school, state sanctioned, barbarity on ‘evil’ lefties.
Spare the rod, spoil the child.
Yep, it was the fashion of the day to belt nine colours of custard OUT of the kids, and hopefully some sense INTO them, so they grew up bitter and twisted enough to keep the tradition going.
White skinned folk are superior to other races.
Ah, yeah?

Eggs are deadly cholesterol bombs.
They were fine. Then they weren’t. Then they were. Look, I’ll get back to you next week.
Fat makes you fat.
Fat being dragged off by the Health Police: “But it was sugar! Sugar is the culprit! Unhand me! I’m innocent I tell you! Innocent!”
“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Actual quote from Thomas Watson, Sr., the chairman of IBM in 1943. Mind you, back then, a computer was the size of a house and took days to do simple maths’ calculations. Now our phones have turned into The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (only on Earth though… for now):

Nuclear power will give us free energy forever.
Sure it will. Oh yeah. And glowing fish! Beautiful glowing fish.
The internet is a fad.
Just like solar electricity, the 40-hour work week and women’s right to vote.
Ulcers are caused by stress & spicy food
Nopey, nopey, nope. It was the helicobacter pylori bacteria. Sugar dobbed it in!

Quote of the Week!

I’ve been over it, and under it, but I don’t think I’ve ever been ‘whelmed’.

Me, 2025

Actually, I have!

Apparently ‘Whelm is derived from the Old English ‘hwielfan’, originally meaning to ‘cover over,’ overthrow, or ‘submerge completely’ (like a ship).

This means that ‘whelm’ once meant the same thing as ‘overwhelm’ does now, and ‘over’ is simply a repetitive intensifier, i.e.: like, really, really, over the top of the top.