Manama Apollo 13

More from the stamp state, a beautiful moon base. 

The rear cover sheet depicts moon modules and astronauts reminiscent of Ed Valigursky (see labels).

Strange Kingdoms

The Missus and me concluded our Stranger Things viewing last night with the final two hour extravaganza on Netflix, which I read had crashed their servers in its first airing. 

What to say? Well, it's been a long time coming and this final series is years after the first seasons when the kids were, well, kids. Personally I think the gaps been too long but hell, I'm 65 and I'm not the proper audience. My daughter, 25 years younger, is nearer the mark but I reckon young teens are the true fans. I understand that Netflix have their own cinemas in the US and the ST finale was shown there. Folks got dressed up at home and used ST plates and cups for party food to watch the ending together. To be sure it's a phenomenon and Netflix will be wondering what on earth or the Upside Down to do next!

In short, in spite of it being a big drawn-out mess, we enjoyed it. Questions were answered, the day was saved and hope sprang eternal. The best bits for me were glimpses, albeit acted, of American teens in the 80's, rather like they were in ET and those other Spielberg flicks, in this case playing Dungeons and Dragons as a group of friends in a big habitable basement, an American world unknown to me but very alluring and reminiscent of the passion I and no doubt we all felt as youths for the glorious crazes of our day. Mine was monsters and space in the late Sixties and Seventies. I was too old for D&D by the Eighties, but I get the excitement around it and the nostalgia for that simpler decade of board game geeking together in basements before the yet-to-arrive isolation of social media.

Will Netflix make Stranger Things II I wonder? 

Last thing last night I caught Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom. Being a big DC fan I'll always give their flicks a spin. Having said that Aquaman films are my least favourite simply because it's all underwater and for me, just not as exciting as on land. Lost Kingdom was no different and all the bubbling oceanic scrapping left me a bit cold and wet, besides which, I'm not too keen on the character Black Manta. It's the huge pill-shaped helmet; for me it looks a bit daft. I enjoyed meeting Aquaman's estranged brother, played by the guy who played the Owl in the brilliant Watchmen I think.

I hate to admit it tho, I turned Lost Kingdom off and it's unlikely I'll go back to it! 

Bring back the Justice League I say! 

Did you see either of these readers? 

It's Twelfth Night!

As Christmastide reduces its sparkle to a faint glow and the decs are stowed in the attic for another year I like to remember what the Monday after the Yuletide fortnight's holiday means.

School: To most kids in Western cultures, like my two Grandkids, it means a return to school after two weeks of rest, partying, rest and partying. Nowadays, in reality, it will have more likely been two weeks of sleep, Minecraft and TikTok, the arrival of long, screenless schooldays again being like a terrible cold turkey without their phones and playstations! The only cold turkey I had to deal with as a kid was on Boxing Day!

Decs: our annual twinkles are packed away again, usually by the 6th, each prized item wrapped and placed in a battered box with Xmas scrawled on the sides. Our baubles, mistletoe and lights recall the candles in the dark of our Christian medieval forbears, shivering through their superstitious nights and even much older pagan feasts of hoary evergreens and evil spirits warmed and warned by an all-powerful Sun. In some traditions the decs are left up till Candlemass, February 2nd, some 64 days since the beginning of Advent on November 30th. That's a long time with the decorations up! 

Twelfth Night/ Epiphany Eve/ Old Christmas Eve: made famous by Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, the final festive swish of the Twelve Days of Christmas, was once far more important than Christmas itself, when the Twelfth Cake or Kings Cake was the order of the day. The richer you were the richer the cake and around it was all manner of raucous revelry. It's worth remembering that it is the prelude to the ecclesiastical feast of the Epiphany, the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles and the Three Kings, otherwise known as The Three Wise Men or the Magi. From a date point of view the 5th is also Old Christmas Eve on the Julian calender, the 6th being Old Christmas Day, the 13th Old New Years Eve and the 14th Old New Year, echoes of the lost dozen days when time slipped into the Gregorian year in the 16th Century and in the English speaking world much later in 1752. 

And so, stashing the decs back in the loft, the tree laid bare and scoffing the very last of the mince pies, here's to the opening line of the Bard's Twelfth Night;

If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On!

What are you doing today readers? Eating your Twelfth Cake?

Manama Apollo 16

I love these old Manama stamps. This one of astronauts leaving a vehicle is great. Not sure where Manama is. More stamps to come.

A Handful of Flicks

I've caught a few movies over Christmas holidays in between the mince pies and fireworks. A few thoughts.

Black Christmas: an all-time fave from 1974 with the brilliant John Saxon, Olivia de Hussey, Margot Kidder and Keir Dullea. Fabulously festive and grim in equal parts, it's self-contained Seventies world is a perfect Yuletide horror.

Christmas Horror Story: a modern addition to my Yule ghouls, this anthology anchored by the superb William Shatner has everything: Krampus, sprites, possessions and a warrior Santa. An annual treat.

Murder by Decree: Sherlock gets to grips with Jack the Ripper and uncovers a conspiracy of Freemasons, royals and bloody murder. Chris Plummer makes a great Holmes, as does James Mason as Watson.

Rocketman: a musical biopic about Elton John. Really ace central performance of Elton, plagued with another useless Dad ( a la the recent Bruce Springsteen biopic too) at the stories troubled heart. The songs are just majestic.

Elvis: what can I say. Colonel Tom screwed the King. This flick made me angry. A very sad tale of unimaginable talent and an evil manager who kept Elvis chained up.

All I need now is Scrooged to complete my holidays.

Have you seen any of these films readers? 

New Year Gorilla

The Grandkids won me this ace ape in Withernsea arcade.

A rubber Kong, he's guarding our TV remote. 

What's he wanna watch readers? 

Cor! Roadranger!

I like the look of this Roadranger.  It's a new one on me. You? 

Do Pass Go!

Hot Wheels 2025 releases included another commemorative issue recently, ‘Pass N Go’ which records the 90th anniversary of the board game Monopoly. The classic game featured a small pewter racing car, not unlike a 1960’s Vanwall of Mercedes racer. Hot Wheels have produced a lovely little model of the car in the latest release.

At first sught, its very similar to the Schuco Micro Racer series, the larger clockwork cars available in the sixties. Pass N Go has limited detail and had a 90 tampa decal on the rear, which I glossed over on my version, to complete the effect.

The larger Schuco racer is a modern repro I think, the key isnt original, but does wind the motor, which has lost the starter lever. The extended exhaust pipe is usef to control the front wheel steering.