An Underwater Dog. A Flying Dog.

Soundtrack - HOME IS IN YOUR HEAD - his name is alive

My Mother apparently worked on something to do with the Pipeline Under the Ocean (PLUTO) towards the end of WWII. I have been trying to find a detailed description of this but there are only short paragraphs. It worked perfectly so it seems to have not been noticed.

The most innovative military pipeline, aptly dubbed Operation Pluto (Pipeline Under the Ocean), delivered petroleum to Allied forces in France after the Normandy invasion. Specialists welded 20-foot lengths of 3-inch pipe into 4,000-foot rolls (1,220 meters), then wound them on huge hollow bobbins, each of which fully loaded tipped scales at 1,600 tons, a weight then equivalent to that of an average destroyer. Three tugboats towed those monsters while they payed out four pipes on the sea bottom between the Isle of Wight and Cherbourg. Army engineers then laid pipe hundreds of miles inland as fast as they could to reduce strains on already overcommitted truck drivers and overcrowded roads.

Collins, The Military Geography of the Normandy Campaign, 130-132

There is a film about it as well. I wonder if I can find out what my Mother actually did for the project. She worked in London along with my Aunt who was working at a nursery amidst all the bombs and rockets. They were there on VE Day and there is a picture of my Aunt sitting on the front of a lorry in a huge crowd of people.

Arthur Clifford Hartley who invented PLUTO also invented FIDO (Fog Investigation Dispersal Operation) so there you have your two dogs (Diamond or otherwise).

What now? The compass needle is spinning wildly and does not seem to want to stop. Oh Yes! It was so clear this morning as I left the house. All the stars seemed to be clearer than I had ever seen them before. I like the dark. I also like just before dark when the curtains are still open. If I am outside, the views of well lit domestic scenes seem to suggest a connection with everybody. All rooms look happy from a distance. Oh the gold fields and the warm rooms. Winter is so defined. not like the fuzzy edges of summer. Summer is nice in its own way but is hasn't got teeth and it doesn't know where it is going. Having said that, I am usually speechless when looking down on the Severn Valley from the top of the Malvern Hills when the leaves have all just finished appearing. Breathtaking. Elgar knew what he was about didn't he? And what are we trying to do to this wonderful countryside? Wreck it. I seem to remember reading about a Government plan to allow advertising billboards in rural areas. It will end up like the US where companies compete to see who can catch the most eyes with the highest and biggest billboards. All very well 'on the strip' but horrible by the side of a remote rural road. Anyway - it is officially denied (See BBC article here) but if you read it it still means that the rules are being relaxed. Here everybody! I would like you to meet Mr Wedge. Yes! he is a bit thin at the moment but he will get fatter over time. I sound like one of the Countryside Alliance. I can assure you I am not. Life is not that Black and White. I do not agree with Fox Hunting and if I could snap my fingers and ban it, I would but there are plenty of more important things to legislate about. It is what our managers would call a 'Quick Win' for the Government. So many people are against it that banning it gives all those people a warm feeling. Too many vested interests. Its like the fact that all voters remember at a general Election is the penny off Income Tax in the Previous budget. I won't give you a list of all the things which I think are more deserving of legislation because you would not agree with me. No-one ever totally agrees with anyone (except Tony Blair and Dubya of course).

New Soundtrack - She Hangs Brightly - Mazzy Star

Oh! I had forgotten how wonderful 'She Hangs Brightly' is. It's like the Doors on half speed. ((33/1/3)/2 I suppose.).

Cool words list for Friday.

Diamond Dogs (which should be a film but isn't)
Legong Dance.
Dance in general though not all of it.
Blank Verse
Kafkaesque (despite its embarrassing memories)
Dada

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