The City of Veszprem and Suszi - Hope made of stone

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Photo - Suszi by Nigel A. JAMES

The City of Veszprem and Suszi

If you go down to Veszprem in Hungary, you will find a city of pasts. An historic past with a castle – and a socialist past with its social housing developments. Veszprem is ancient and modern and cultural and fun. Veszprem is well worth a visit.

And, whilst visiting Veszprem last summer, I discovered a statue just off the main square. A statue of a woman. And, this woman could have been anyone. But, this is a statue of Suszi. Suszi in stone. And, Suszi was, and still is, someone quite special. She's loved by the people of Veszprem. And, funnily enough, Suszi comes from a time that was not loved at all. The socialist era.

The clearing up was fast at the end of the socialist time. The hammers and sickles and the Lenins and Stalins soon disappeared. Hungary was Hungary again. But, Suszi was not cleared away. This small part of the past had to stay. Suszi was very important.

Suszi was not only a woman, she was more. All through the communist days, the people of Veszprem saw Suszi as a symbol of hope. And, sure enough, the dark days of oppression did come to an end. And there Suszi stood. True to the hearts of the people who loved her.

But, some people had believed that Suszi should leave Veszprem as well. She, after-all, was a socialist figure. And so, the council decided that Suszi should be broken up, too, Just like the Lenins and Stalins. But, the people said no in a very loud way. Suszi should stay. They would not let her go. And, so, the council gave way. And, that's why Suszi's still there. In the hearts of the people in the heart of the city of Veszprem.

The city of Veszprem has many different pasts. But, Suszi's eternal. Suszi is hope.

Veszprem. A small town in Hungary that's well worth a visit.

                                                         Suszi - by Nigel A. JAMES

B - Lucky Numbers - Some thoughts by Nigel A. JAMES

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Picture - Good Luck or Bad Luck by Nigel A. JAMES

Nearly everyone has one, and the chances are high you have one as well. A number that's special. Your own lucky number! And, lucky numbers are not only special they're important as well.

They're important for betting on horses, they're important for playing in teams, and, most importantly, lucky numbers are essential for winning great fortunes in lottery draws. So, what is the truth behind lucky numbers?

Lucky numbers are all to do with fingers and toes! Most lucky numbers are a number between one and ten. Meaning – one has to be able to count to chose a number that's loaded with luck. Simple people stop when they run out of fingers, whilst those more advanced make use of their toes.

But, the reality is, complicated lucky numbers – numbers consisting of more than 2 digits – are really quite simple as well. Let's take three hundred and seventy-five as an example. Three-hundred and seventy-five is a number that is made up of a 3, a 7, and a 5 – meaning - if your lucky number happens to be Three-hundred and seventy-five you would need 3 lucky numbers not 1. A lucky 3 – a lucky 7 – and a lucky 5. No one has 375 fingers to count with and no football teams has 375 players and that's why most football players chose 7 for their lucky number. 2 hands are all that are needed.

So, if 7 is THE lucky number for all sporting events, then, why not give everyone a 7 on their shirt? 7 can be used more than once. It would be easy. One can start with a just a plain 7 – then move onto 71 – then 72 and so on until one reaches 80 which would have to be turned into a 777. Treble good luck – a good number for goalies.

But, of course, there is just one little snag. Some people might think that 3 sevens together really mean seven-hundred and seventy-seven and might be surprised when only 22 players appear on the pitch and not the expected two-thousand-nine-hundred and two. Confusion all round – maybe 1 to 11 is really much simpler.

Of course, lucky numbers don't always apply. Marriage is a very good example. John's lucky number 7 doesn't automatically mean that John's seventh marriage will automatically be the best marriage he's had. And, what about Jane – John's lucky wife? Maybe her lucky number is 2. So, bad luck all-round! Unless, maybe, its Jane's second marriage and John's seventh marriage.

But, of course, 7 and 2 both add up to make 9. But, how many people are on their 9^th marriage? Not many. 9 is no lucky number. In fact 9 is a number to be skipped. And 9 year old kids become nice once again when they're 10. Meaning 10, too is a very lucky number.

But, in reality, lucky numbers show themselves after the fact. If something good happened on the 5^th then number 5 will then be your lucky number. And the same thing applies to all matters in life. But, why seven is everyone's favourite is a mystery indeed.

What is number 7? number 7 is anything you want. It can be 6 + l, or equally 97 minus 7. 7 can be the result of anything one wants, 7 therefore is special and everyone likes it. But, if all the sevens were to come in in first, then 7 would be no longer special. Prizes divided by many are nothing at all. So, lucky numbers are best left to chance. Ignore them and leave them alone. Luck does not come in numbers! 

 And, to end with, a saying by Nigel A. JAMES -

An elephant alone in Hong Kong is not as alone as an elephant alone in the dessert.

Picture - Good Luck or Bad Luck?  By Nigel A. JAMES

The Old Man and the Cellar - A true deep story from life

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Picture - On the Alte Donau in Vienna

The Old Man and the Cellar

Last month, I heard an interesting story. A slice of Viennese life. And, the story I heard was all about rats and potatoes.

Once upon a time, a long time ago, Gerald, a very good friend of mine, used to work in the city of Vienna. And, in those days, Gerald's job was a very hard job. A job full of stress. From seven in the morning until seven at night. A very full day. But, Gerald knew how and where to escape to. The right place to go for a break. Gerald went deep underground.

Gerald's office was in a very old building, and, this old building went down deep below ground. In fact, this very old building had 4 very deep cellars. And, it was down to the deepest cellar of all that Gerald would go every morning with his coffee and cake. And, no one knew where he was and no one could find him. And, early one morning, Gerald got a surprise. He was not on his own.

Sitting on a chair and peeling potatoes was the very old man who worked for the restaurant upstairs. And, one of his jobs was peeling potatoes. The others were the washing up of the pots and the pans, and general odd jobs. And, even more surprisingly, the very old man, too, was not on his own. He was surrounded by hundreds of rats.

And, the rats were very happy rats. They were having a very fine meal. Potatoe peelings. Whilst peeling the potatoes, the old man was passing the peelings onto the rats. And, after finishing his job, the old man got up from his chair and said goodbye to the rats. And, the rats disappeared happily into the darkness. And, the old man was happy as well. He had no potatoe peelings to carry upstairs. The rats had eaten them all. Man helps rats and rats help man.

And, even now, and many years later, Gerald often thinks of that very old man and the rats in that long ago cellar deep below ground. And, every time Gerald sees a rat in his garden he smiles. Gerald's fresh potatoes, too, taste very, very good.

When looking back on our lives, it's people we think of the most. But, animals, too, can play a big role. And, rats were important for Gerald. They crossed his path in a cellar deep underground.

The Old Man and the Cellar. A true story from life.

On the Alte Donau in Vienna

(B) - Saluting Giraffes - A true summer time story

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Picture - A Giraffe Hiding Behind a Tree - by Nigel A. JAMES

Summer in Vienna

Saluting Giraffes

This summer, whilst taking an evening tour of Vienna's zoo in Schönbrunn, I got to know something of interest. A story of three very old African ladies. 3 stunning giraffes. And, briefly, this is their story.

Down at the zoo in Schönbrunn in Vienna, the old giraffe house was falling to pieces. A new one was urgently needed. Something much bigger and better. Comfort and luxury for the tallest animals on earth. But, what about the giraffes that were there? A new temporary home was urgently needed.

The solution was easy. It was over the fence in the barracks next door. And all very close.

The army, having lots of spare space on their ground, very nicely offered to put up a new temporary home for the soon to be homeless giraffes. An enclosure. New quarters for three very tall ladies with very long legs. And, there the giraffes were very, very happy.

And, down in the zoo the building began. A new home for giraffes; the ladies wouldn't have to stay long in the barracks. But, the building took longer than planned. In fact, very much longer than expected. Good things take very much time and Rome, too, wasn't built in a day.

And, then, one day it was finished. The new giraffe house. Shining and bright and luxury pure. A comfortable home for giraffes.

But, there was one little problem. A challenge. The giraffes had grown old in the barracks. They were now three very old ladies and too frail to go back to the zoo. What was to be done? No problem. This is a story with a very happy ending.

Four young giraffes came up on the train from Trieste. And, these four young giraffes from Trieste soon settled wonderfully in in their new home in the zoo in Vienna at Schönbrunn. Austrian food is much better than Italian! And, not far away, just over the hill, our three dear old ladies still sleep very well in their permanent temporary military quarters. And, belonging to the army, these three very old giraffes have military ranks. The highest of all. All three are generals. Three General Giraffes. So, salutes at sun-up and salutes at sundown. And, of course, long leather boots and a little red beret to wear on parade.

Life is full of surprises. And, saluting giraffes is very unusual.

Saluting Giraffes – A true summer story written and read by Nigel A. JAMES

                         A Giraffe Hiding Behind a Tree - by Nigel A JAMES