Category Archives: Special Occasions

Deadly flood in Tbilisi

by

37

A terrific storm hit Tbilisi last night. Heavy rain started at about 10pm local time and lasted for about three hours. The state agency for weather monitoring and forecast reported 93 millimeters of rainfall within that period.

The Mtkvari river was initially reported to have burst its banks but officials later confirmed that the heavy rainful had washed mud, trees and debris into water collectors, blocking them and causing a muddy torrent to flood several neighborhoods.

The worst affected area was Ortachala district. The deadly torrent trapped people in their homes and claimed the lives of a mother and her two children, an elderly woman and an elderly man. One of the children was six months old; the other was five.

Buildings were flooded or heavily damaged, trees were uprooted and cars overturned. According to eyewitnesses, the water rose to 3 meters (10 feet) in some areas.

President Saakashvili visited the most affected areas today and met with the local residents in Ortachala. He expressed condolence over the death of five people and pledged to provide shelter to all those left without homes as a result of the flood.

It has been a very sad day for Tbilisi.

Victory Day

by

12

Today is Victory Day, a national holiday in the Republic of Georgia and many former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries. It commemorates the formal surrender of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in Berlin in May 1945 and marks the end of the Great Patriotic War for the USSR, which lost around 25 million citizens in the four years of fighting.

A traditional ceremony of laying wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is held at Vake Park in Tbilisi. Similar events will be held throughout Georgia at the memorials to those killed in World War II.

Veterans and their families will gather to honor those killed in the war years and mark this day, which is one of the most important in their life.

Around 300,000 Georgians lost their lives in World War II.

There are around 1,300 Georgian war veterans still alive today.

One of the most iconic pictures signifying the end of the Great Patriotic War was taken by a Red Army photographer, Yevgeny Anan’evich Khaldei.

On 2 May 1945 Yevgeny Anan’evich Khaldei scaled the Reichstag building in Berlin to take the photograph of soldiers raising the hammer-and-sickle flag. Celebrated as the image is, it was a reconstruction of a moment that had happened several days before but had been missed by the cameras.

The official story was that two soldiers, Georgian Meliton Varlamovich Kantaria and the Russian Mikhail Yegorov, had raised the flag on April 30 but it was not until 2 May that all of the Germans that remained in the Reichstag finally surrendered and Khaldei was able to recreate the moment and take his photograph.

The photo represents a historic moment, the defeat of Nazi Germany in a war that cost tens of millions of lives, including the lives of around 300,000 Georgians.

Ice cream etiquette

by

35

Yesterday, the tall person shared his ice cream with Barnaby and me. It was the first time that Barnaby had eaten ice cream.

I explained to him that we have rules concerning ice cream.

Rule 1: Wait patiently and do not panic. The tall person always shares but if you pester him there is always the possibility that he won’t.

Rule 2: Try not to watch the tall person eating his ice cream. It is best to look away or you will start drooling.

Here I am demonstrating the correct observance of Rules 1 and 2. Note that Barnaby is flouting Rule 2.

Rule 3: When the tall person indicates that it is time to share approach the ice cream carefully. Ice cream is notoriously slippery and can easily fall on the ground. A gritty ice cream is not much fun.

Rule 4: Do not rush. Savour the cool, creamy texture.

Rule 5: Try to avoid an ice-cream headache, also known as brain freeze, cold-stimulus headache, or its given scientific name sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia (meaning “nerve pain of the sphenopalatine ganglion”). This is a form of brief cranial pain or headache commonly associated with consumption (particularly quick consumption) of cold beverages or foods such as ice cream.

Unfortunately, as you can see from this picture I ignored my own advice and suffered sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. Ouch!

Rule 6: Ice cream can be very messy to eat. Always maintain your dignity and avoid looking silly.

Oops! Have I got ice cream on my nose?

From the look on his face I think Barnaby enjoyed his first ice cream.

Follow these simple rules and you too will maximise your ice cream eating experience.

The Bassa bag

by

19

I had an amazing surprise today. A package arrived from America from my best friends, Lovely Lynlee and Lovely Lynn.

It was a bag with my picture on it but it is no ordinary picture – it is a hairy picture!

It looks and feels just like me! She is even poking her tongue out – just like me!

We were all so excited and amazed by this wonderful gift!

Thank you Lovely Lynlee and Lovely Lynn. We love it!

I was wondering what I could carry in the bag when Barnaby jumped in. He likes the Bassa Bag too!

The day of national unity

by

13

Yesterday was the Day of National Unity (ეროვნული ერთიანობის დღე) in the Republic of Georgia. It commemorates a massacre that took place in Tbilisi on April 9 1989 when an anti-Soviet demonstration was dispersed by the Soviet Army, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

Tens of thousands of people had gathered before the House of Government on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi in peaceful demonstration, demanding the restoration of Georgian independence.

In the evening of April 8 Soviet forces were mobilized. The Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II addressed the demonstrators, warning of the danger posed by the Soviet troops and asking asking them to disperse to the safety of churches. Despite this plea the demonstrators remained

On April 9, at 3:45 a.m., Soviet troops advanced on the demonstrators.  As the troops came close, the demonstrators kept singing and dancing to show the nonviolent nature of the gathering.

Suddenly the troops began attacking the demonstrators with batons and spades.  One of the victims was a 16-year-old girl who tried to get away from the soldiers, but was chased down and beaten to death near the steps of the government building.

Gas was also used against the demonstrators.

The attack resulted in the death of 20 people, among them 17 women.

The event marked a transformation in Georgians’ mentality, which unified the nation.

A blind woman at the demonstration sang a Georgian patriotic song as the Soviet troops advanced. Her voice can be heard on a video taken at the time.

On a walk recently we saw a blind musician singing the same song and we stopped and listened and remembered the terrible tragedy that took place on April 9 1989.

Bassa goes west!

by

7

I had a wonderful surprise this afternoon. You may not know that the tall person and me are big Western fans. We love stories about cowboys and we follow the blog of a very talented writer of stories about the Old West.

In a fictional short story form, Campfireshadows blog vividly recreates the adventures of men and women of the 1800’s American frontier.

Today, Campfireshadows posted a new short story called Meet up in Lambey and guess what? I’m in the story as a Sheriff’s dog! Of course,  being in the Old West I had to act the part. You will see that I am heavily disguised and ‘in character’.

It was a wonderful surprise and a great honor to be included in this great story. Thank you Campfireshadows!

You can read about me and Sheriff Jeffery Osborn of Lambey Arizona and the three infamous Bartell brothers here. It’s a great read!

http://campfireshadows.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/meet-up-in-lambey/#comment-123