Flanagan's Running Club – Issue 29 Introduction The first rule of Flanagan's Running Club is everyone should be telling everyone they know about Flanagan's Running Club! After all, sharing is caring. Feel free to forward on to anyone you want, tell people about it the works, and just get them to sign up. It’s quick and easy at the website homepage of http://www.onetruekev.co.uk/ enter the e-mail address and select whether you want Flanagan’s Running Club or blog post updates or both and then hit submit. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all of you. Can I ask you all a favour, please can you review my book on Inkitt, and the link is below. Even if you don’t take time to read it properly, please flick through a few chapters, give it ratings and a review and vote for it please. It may help me get it published. https://www.inkitt.com/stories/thriller/201530 On This Day – 20th December 1808 - The original Covent Garden Theatre in London is destroyed by a fire, along with most of the scenery, costumes and scripts. 1924 – Adolf Hitler is released from Landsberg Prison. It’s Bo Aung Kyaw Day in Myanmar, and International Human Solidarity Day 365 Reasons To Be Proud To Be A Londoner - Magical Moments in London's History Frosty First You might think it's nippy in winter, but in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries it often got so cold that the Thames froze over. People went skating, set up markets, had horse and coach races, roasted oxen and even led an elephant over the ice in events known as Frost Fairs. A two-moth freeze started today in 1683, and a man named Croom set up a printing press to produce souvenir postcards for sixpence featuring the customer's name, the date and the fact that the card was printed on the Thames. They were wildly popular, with King Charles II even buying one. Croom thereby pioneered the modern postcard, celebrity endorsement, and the marketing of tourist tat in one fell swoop. Chuck D Presents This Day In Rap And Hip-Hop History 2011 - Young Jeezy releases his fourth album "TM: 103 Hustlerz Ambition" on Def Jam. The third and final instalment in the Thug Motivation series, after being delayed for close to two years, was finally released to an eagerly awaiting fan base. The gold-selling set debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200. Among the hit singles released on the album were "Leave You Alone" featuring Ne-Yo, "F.A.M.E." featuring T.I., and "I Do", featuring Jay Z and Andre 3000. The deluxe edition of the album featured the hit songs "Ballin'" featuring Lil Wayne and the Grammy-nominated "Lose My Mind" featuring Plies. Other guests on "Hustlerz Ambition" included Trick Daddy, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Snoop Dogg, Mitchelle'l, Devin The Dude, Future, Jill Scott, and 2 Chainz. The album featured an array of producers, including Drumma Boy, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Warren G, Midnight Black, and others. Births 1952 – Jenny Agutter 1957 – Billy Bragg Deaths 1968 – John Steinbeck 1973 – Bobby Darin Number 1’s Number 1 single in 2009 - Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name Number 1 album in 1971 - T. Rex - Electric Warrior Number 1 compilation album in 1991 - Various - Now 20 Drabble A drabble is a complete story that is exactly one hundred words long. Secret Santa “DIY Made Easy” was the title of the book. Someone who obviously didn’t know him well had given it to him in secret Santa. DIM would be more appropriate – destroy it myself – was the outcome of any home improvements. Clumsy was an understatement. The bookcase had a missing shelf, where he’d stood on it whilst unpacking it from the flat pack. The chair was missing an arm from resting laminate flooring on it to cut to size. Cut through the arm perfectly, but the floor panel was wonky. Perhaps the sender did know him, and was actually plotting to kill him! Joke An Irishman named O'Malley went to his doctor after a long illness. The doctor after a lengthy examination, sighed and looked O'Malley in the eye and said, "I've some bad news for you. You have cancer, and it can't be cured. You'd best put your affairs in order. O'Malley was shocked and saddened. But, being a solid character, he managed to compose himself and walk from the doctor's office into the waiting room, where his son had been waiting. "Well son, we Irish celebrate when things are good, and we celebrate when things don't go well. In this case, things aren't so well. I have cancer. Let's head to the pub and have a few pints." After 3 or 4 pints, or more, the two were feeling a little less sombre. There were some laughs and some more beers. They were eventually approached by some of O'Malley's old friends, who were curious as to what the two were celebrating. O'Malley told them that the Irish celebrate the good as well as the bad. He went on to tell his friends that they were drinking to his impending end. He told his friends, "I have been diagnosed with AIDS." The friends gave O'Malley their condolences, and they had a couple more beers. After the friends left, O'Malley's son leaned over and whispered his confusion. "Dad, I thought you told me that you were dying of cancer, and you just told your friends that you were dying of AIDS!" O'Malley said, "I don't want any of them sleeping with your Mother after I am gone." Random Items Facts The image of Father Christmas in Red and white was created by Coca-Cola in 1931 for an advertising campaign. Prior to this it was traditional for Father Christmas to be dressed in green. The name Santa Claus is derived from St. Nicholas who lived from 270-310AD, and was the bishop of Myra (modern day Finike) in Turkey. His Saints day is actually December 6th. Christmas crackers were invented around 1876 by Tom Smith, a baker of wedding cakes from Clerkenwell in London. It was invented from the French habit of wrapping sugared almonds in twists of paper as gifts. Thoughts Why is Christmas cake called fruitcake for the rest of the year? Is the day after Christmas called Boxing Day because you always have those relatives you hate round? Why are small children more interested in playing with the wrapping paper and not the present that came in it? Forgotten English Blottesque Of painting characterized by blotted touches heavily laid on; a rough executed picture. Words You Should Know Clandestine Secret, usually for an immoral or illicit purpose. Clandestine meetings are unlikely to involve your spouse; if they are work-related there won't be anyone taking minutes, because there's something slightly subversive going on. Popular Expressions – What They Mean And Where We Got Them Gordon Bennett A mild oath, similar to 'Oh God'. In fact, 'Gawd' and St Bennett (or Benet) have been put forward as the pair behind this expletive; St Benet is short for St Benedict. (Shakespeare has in Twelfth Night, 'the bells of St Bennett', possibly from the church, St Bennet Hithe, Paul's Wharf, opposite the Globe Theatre.) However it seems more likely that the said Gordon Bennett was in fact James Gordon Bennett (1841-1918), the editor in chief of the New York Herald, who, among other things, was responsible for sending Henry Morton Stanley (1841- 1904) to find Dr David Livingstone (1813-73) in Africa. Extravagant and extrovert, he gave his name to a motor race held in France in the 1900s, where he resided after a scandal in America. Such was his profile in society that there is a street in Paris named Avenue Gordon-Bennett. In English, the similarity between Gordon and Gawd must have struck a chord. At the turn of the nineteenth century, people shied away from blasphemy in the name of God and so this curse, which is still used today, was born. Similarly, 'Gorblimey' (later 'Cor Blimey') evolved instead of 'God blind me'. Flash Fiction Something between the 100 word shortness of a Drabble, and the short story, these are works of fiction somewhere between five hundred and seven hundred words. A Letter To Melissa Hello Melissa, There is no really appropriate way to open a letter like this and just saying hello and then your name seems so insignificant in the circumstances. What I am going to tell you will be impossible for you to believe, I am sure that you will think that it is just a story to try and appease you, from a heartless cad who has grown bored, I know if the roles were reversed that is probably how I would feel. However, nothing could be further from the truth, and I wish that I could tell you in person, so that I could explain fully and so you could see the truth in my eyes, and feel the sincerity of the words I could say to you. However events have overtaken me and I don’t have time to be there in person, in fact I barely have time to write and send this letter, as I am writing it as I am being whisked away to my flight home. I wasn’t expecting to go home, but my ancient overlords have found me out, and have given me no choice in the matter, I have had to leave with them.