tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113895412024-03-13T08:34:33.341+01:00your_ears_should_hearravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.comBlogger1919125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-21078165817010833282024-02-20T15:59:00.003+01:002024-02-20T15:59:26.506+01:00Auf Wiedersehen, AndiThe German World Cup winner, footballer Andreas Brehme, has died. I feel compelled to mention the time that I met him. It was July 1994, and I was spending the summer interning in the (then) UAHC Education Department at 838 5th Avenue, NY. At that time I was still a naughty smoker, and would pop out at lunchtime for a quick ciggie in the park. I was on my way back to the office, when I ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-14071936657033529912023-11-26T13:43:00.000+01:002023-11-26T13:43:12.254+01:00Rest in Peace El Tel News today that the footballer/manager/author Terry Venables has died. He was the captain and star of the first QPR team I ever followed, then the manager of my beloved team before he was poached by Spanish giants Barcelona. Known for his wit as well as his sporting intelligence, he led the R's to heights they'd not previously reached (an FA Cup Final!). Thank you for all the great ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-17788925698141947602023-07-08T22:15:00.002+02:002023-07-08T22:15:56.104+02:00Rabbi Albert H Friedlander z"l Albert doing his best Victor Mature impersonation at Stonehenge in the days when people were allowed to climb all over the stones and touch everything. People often remember his wisdom and his kindness. Also his sense of humour. It had a goofy side, however that maybe was less obvious outside his family life. Today, on the 19th anniversary of his death, I am missing that.Meanwhile, a ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-43932585545885619662023-06-22T09:11:00.000+02:002023-06-22T09:11:03.074+02:00Buon Compleanno Mamma!Today Evelyn would have celebrated her 83rd birthday. It's hard to believe that it's already almost 4 years since she left us. I took this photo on her 70th birthday, when we went to a spa in North Wales for a few days. It reminds me that whilst the difficulties of our relationship remain in the past and fade, the work we did together to move forward remains foremost in my memory. I look at this ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-90927789335403982902023-06-18T11:01:00.004+02:002023-06-18T11:01:47.322+02:00Happy Memories on Father's DayThanks to N, I have a new collection of slides and photos from our family life together. Although for us, as N likes to say, it is Dead Dads Day, I am enjoying looking through them and seeing pics of interactions I don't really remember. Glad for these happy memories!ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-25827285589988014432023-06-12T15:00:00.005+02:002023-06-12T15:00:59.162+02:00From One Auntie to AnotherYesterday my beloved Auntie Dorrit z"l would have been 98 years old. She is still part of our lives through the friends we continue to share, the objects in our home that once were hers, and the example she gave of how to be an aunt. This is particularly poignant as I was recently given my first opportunity to be an aunt myself. I hope I will do her proud! ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-55804464116938302812023-05-10T10:56:00.002+02:002023-05-10T10:56:42.217+02:00It's Albert HaGadol's Birthday Today!My darling father was born 96 years ago today, as was his beloved brother Charles (also in the pic is their big sister Dorrit and the Friedl hair). My mother used to call him Albertus Magnus, although all he knew of the whereabouts of the Philosopher's Stone was what was written in the Harry Potter books. Since his newborn grandson now shares the name Albert, I thought it fitting to ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-86094822894334134652023-04-15T16:57:00.002+02:002023-04-15T16:57:24.716+02:00Ron Phillips RIPWas more than saddened to hear the news today that Ron Phillips died recently. As Club Secretary of Queens Park Rangers FC, he had the habit of giving photo passes to aspiring young photographers, and printing their pics if they were decent. As one who benefited from this scheme, Ron had a massive influence on the trajectory of my career, and I will always be grateful for his kindness. Theseravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-76177274318490601842023-02-23T11:15:00.008+01:002023-02-23T11:15:47.576+01:00Cheers, Mr Motson!News just coming through from London that the commentator John Motson has died at the age of 77. That is pretty young these days. I am really sad to hear this - he was such a lovely man. Above I have shared a letter that he wrote to me many years ago. You can see how kind he was. It so happened that we met at the Wimbledon pre-season photoshoot. Mr Motson asked if I would take a pic of him ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-43475083749096814262023-01-06T15:03:00.005+01:002023-01-06T15:05:06.185+01:00Vale Vialli Another dead footballer you may say, nu? Gianluca Vialli was certainly a great success in Italy, helping Sampdoria to win its first ever Scudetto, and after a then record transfer fee to move to Juventus, being part of their Serie A winning team as well. Despite his strong link to The Team That Must Not Be Named, he was a speedy and acrobatic player who scored some fantastic goals. So he isravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-35107590451611911322022-12-30T01:39:00.001+01:002022-12-30T01:39:46.356+01:00Adios Edson Arantes do Nascimento Farewell to Pele, who died yesterday. All arguments regarding GOATs (Messi is better than Ronaldo is better than Zlatan or Lewandowski) are irrelevant here as there can be only one, and it is Pele. Here is an obituary in the Guardian.I took this photo in August 1987 at Wembley before the Football League XI game vs the Rest of the World (when Maradona came out of the tunnel waving his "Hand ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-58618608215032741252022-11-19T17:15:00.001+01:002022-11-19T17:17:27.164+01:00I Do Love A Nice Dill PickleIt had sounded interesting when it was released but, since it never made it to Modena, I soon forgot about this film. Then L & I were looking for something to watch together one Shabbat afternoon, and up it popped!L had loved "The Frisco Kid", so I thought we should try "An American Pickle"! (no spoilers!) An Orthodox Jew who emigrates to New York in the early 20th century accidentally falls ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-60759932793008494752022-11-01T20:24:00.000+01:002022-11-01T20:24:30.603+01:00Proud of You, VCM!I am a couple of weeks behind in my Only Connect viewing, so I only saw this ep this evening. The connection between these clues is that they are all part of the Passover Seder. The contestants guessed the clues were things that were all considered responsible for causing aggressive behaviour. ?????Anyway, am proud of Ms Coren Mitchell. Not because this clue was on her show (and as a script ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-32796732827400432732022-09-17T22:52:00.001+02:002022-09-17T22:52:32.821+02:00Acetaia PigletPiglet recently made their first visit to an acetaia in Modena, and learned all about the process. Here you see them guarding the oldest barrel.Here Piglet looks proudly at the final product. With thanks to Acetaia Gambigliani Zoccoli!ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-15079354031417485322022-09-13T13:22:00.002+02:002022-09-13T13:22:25.240+02:00Resisting the Yetser Ra We are in the Hebrew month of Elul, and looking back at our actions over the past year in order to identify what needs teshuvah (restitution, if possible, and apologies) and healing. We want to repair our world and take better care of it, and ourselves.L & I decided last week that we need to stop buying chocolate at the supermarket. The supermarket decided last week to import probably ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-26407218045778000802022-08-11T02:58:00.000+02:002022-08-11T02:58:55.688+02:00Spotlight on Teatre Grec PigletLooking through some old pics I found this one of Piglet in Barcelona in 2015 when we visited the Teatre Grec amphitheatre. In fact, it's not very old. It was built in 1929 for the Barcelona International Exposition. It fell out of use for a while but these days it is the focal point of the summer GREC Festival. The place was completely empty on the crisp December day we visited. Pigletravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-77071817292786127012022-08-10T12:54:00.001+02:002022-08-10T12:56:36.569+02:00Vale Raymond BriggsThe books of Raymond Briggs, who died yesterday at the age of 88, have always taken pride of place on the bookshelves of my home. Although most obituaries will probably identify him first and foremost as the author of "The Snowman", my heart was captured by "Fungus the Bogeyman". Thus it was that I dragged my 6-year-old sibling to the Puffin Exhibition, to stand in a queue to say hello to Mr ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-85642348644586147302022-08-09T12:59:00.000+02:002022-08-09T12:59:00.069+02:00Summer JoyJust found this happy happy photo taken on holiday in Cornwall with friends a few years ago and wanted to share the joy. Hoping you may find something to smile about today!ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-2512282179783343192022-08-09T00:04:00.001+02:002022-08-09T12:54:07.281+02:00Hopelessly Devoted to Dame Olivia This news makes me really sad. As always, this is not a person I've ever met, but her music has been a part of my life for nearly 50 years. Dame Olivia Newton-John has died of cancer at the age of 73. Her voice and songs will continue to soothe my soul, but those who knew and loved her have lost their dear one. I am sad for them. I am sad she died relatively young. I am sad she won't ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-33835900193548881262022-07-29T11:41:00.003+02:002022-07-29T11:41:39.343+02:00San Siro PigletAlthough we weren't able to attend an actual football match, there is still something to be said for visiting an iconic stadium. The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza is the biggest stadium in Italy, and home to both Milan teams. I don't really have a preference, although in the era of the great Dutch footballers that played for A.C. Milan (Gullit, Rijkaard & Van Basten) I was definitely more red than ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-2780319675480827552022-07-09T16:19:00.001+02:002022-07-09T16:19:14.025+02:00The Summer of '61From May to the beginning of July there are quite a few anniversaries in my family. Here is the last before the summer break - 61 years ago this couple posed on Upper Berkeley Street after their chuppah at West London Synagogue. They look a bit tentative here, but I can promise that they will have over 40 years together to figure things out. Remembering with love the wedding anniversary of Evelynravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-33037552067953234522022-07-07T23:47:00.001+02:002022-07-07T23:50:24.080+02:0018 Years to the DayEighteen years seems like a long time, almost a generation. That's how long ago and far away my lovely father died. And yet he is often present in my life. His essence may be evoked in myriad ways, e.g., memories, Piglet, old friends, particular places, QPR, certain movies, music, and photographs.Here's the thing, and it's happened a couple of times now. Sometimes he pops up in photos ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-4811561162525850482022-06-19T22:13:00.002+02:002022-06-19T22:14:49.623+02:0018 Years Ago ...Eighteen years ago was the final Father's Day with my father still alive. Of course we didn't know that then. Although he may have.Eighteen years is quite a long time, but it still pinches each time the algorithms try to sell me on this day.Meanwhile, the pic above shows AHF in the city he said he loved the most. And the pic below shares an unsung achievement of his, becoming a Knight of Mark ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-87582930861055144482022-06-11T10:40:00.000+02:002022-06-11T10:40:07.301+02:00Happy Birthday Auntie Dorrit!Sometimes I get Auntie Dorrit's age wrong. As a woman of a certain age, she didn't like people to know exactly what that was, even going as far as editing her brother's draft of his autobiography to change her date of birth. However old she would have been today, I'm thinking of her, and continue to miss her. In honour of her anniversary, and to stand alongside the other pics of graduation I'm ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11389541.post-78400808274394668352022-06-10T00:15:00.003+02:002022-06-10T00:35:35.599+02:00Addio Bruce KentDear Bruce is gone. A good friend of my father's, both gentle of nature but fierce in their desire to heal our world. In this pic he had kindly offered to pose for my first portfolio. The little white dot on the edge of his cardi is a CND badge. We are poorer without him. My condolences to his beloved Valerie.Guardian obit ravajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341489124504088158noreply@blogger.com0