17/2/25 – 23/2/25 – Swamp Creatures, English Football & A Thousand Years

Welcome to Monday’s News on the March – The week that was in my digital world.

Swamp Creatures
Short Story by Bruce Goodman at Weave a Web

Fellow blogger Bruce Goodman and I go way back and I consider him a dear friend. His short stories at Weave a Web have appeared here a bunch at Monday’s ‘News on the March‘. He is my favourite ‘cuentista‘ (short-story writer) hands-down. So I present to you Bruce if you haven’t already had the pleasure:

Today’s featurette is his recent short story called ‘Swamp Creatures‘. Before I indulge you, I have left y’all a video below Bruce’s story when my son and I got up close to a huge 4 metre Caiman alligator (nearly half a tonne) on our recent holidays. Thanks to wondrous timing and the generosity of a Zoologist, we were accompanied inside the ‘off limits’ part of the enclosure. I hope you all enjoy:

Swamp Creatures

They said the swamp was harmless. There would be a few harmless water snakes, but it was mainly the variety of water birds that Darren was there to see. There were all sorts of waders that he’d never seen in the real. Nor had he seen many species of fish-hunting birds. He was told “You will see it all”. By all means look at the water snakes, but try not to disturb them. This is a natural wildlife reserve. Humans are mere visitors.

So Darren began to wander the natural track around the lake, armed with a notebook and a camera. He had gone no further than quarter of an hour when he spied a flock of the most beautiful white herons preening themselves in a tree on the edge of the lake. He manoeuvred himself nearer the water to get a better picture. It was there that he spied an alligator.

He knew that the best way to avoid conflict was to stay well clear of alligators! He had no choice. He hadn’t been told there were alligators in this swamp. The fierce creature was only a few yards away. It was hissing and tail slapping and moving towards him. He knew from his reading that he had to back away slowly and not make any sudden movements or gestures.

Back he went. Back further. The pursuing alligator seemed more settled. It stopped moving towards him. Darren still backed slowly. There still wasn’t distance enough. He stepped back a little further. A little further. That was when he tripped backwards over another alligator.

Is this the worst stadium in English football?
Video presentations at StuntPegg

I am an unashamed English Football fan and watch matches galore on my Saturday and Sunday mornings, many times with my son who is also raving football nut. It was a refreshing change of pace from my daily BBC Sports read to find StuntPegg’s videos appear in my YT feed. Nieve Pegg, also known as StuntPegg on YouTube, is a British soccer enthusiast who gained success with her soccer-themed videos. She writes, hosts, and edits content for her channel, which has more than 420,000 subscribers.

The reason Nieve is so popular apart from being pretty, witty and humble is because she presents crafty and often ‘off the beaten track’ topics which amuse and titillate the English football enthusiast such as ‘yours truly’. You feel as a viewer that you are getting into the heart of where English football is at, but in a way that someone from across the ocean can feel privy to and enlightened by learning. I like what one astute viewer wrote about this featured presentation – Is this the worst stadium in English football?:

‘The 4th stand should just be a giant bouncy castle‘.

christina perri – a thousand years children’s book!!
Video presentation at Christina Perri

Recently Christina Perri my favourite female singer-songwriter after some hiatus in the family wilderness released a new video of her receiving a Children’s book ‘A Thousand Years‘ which she wrote about her daughters Pixie Rose and Camela Stanley. The last post where she appeared here was in my Top 10 Christmas countdown (2024) of Christmas Dream / Marshmallow World.

The music of Christina Perri has featured here more than twice as much as any other female music artist. I’ve always found her voice and music like a warm blanket. I never grow tired of listening to her and I listen ALOTT! If I go one day without a Perri song, a bit like how it is with Dylan, I feel in arrears and stagnant. Below I wrote in response to her beautiful video:

‘Christina looks as beautiful and radiant as I have ever seen her and I’m so thankful she shared this on her channel. By golly, I hope her next album isn’t too far away since ‘Lighter Shade of Blue‘ is easily the greatest ensemble of love ballads I have had the privilege to hear.

That is all. Thank you for reading.