Some call it an equestrian sport with ancient roots in the writings of Xenophon, others call it horsey prancing. Either way dressage – from a French term which vaguely means ‘training’ – certainly proves a novelty when it comes around every four years during the Olympics. The aim of dressage is to enhance the natural athleticism of a horse, by…
Filling her compact & delicious body with chicken páprika, she glanced at me twice. Fainting with interest, I hungered back and only the fact of her husband & four other people kept me from springing on her or falling at her little feet and crying ‘You are the hottest one for years of night Henry’s dazed eyes have enjoyed, Brilliance.’ I…
What is the meaning of the colour green? It is the colour of springtime, of fresh grasses and unripe fruits. Did you know that in nature, green pigments indicate chlorophyll, the chemical of photosynthesis, by which plants turn sunlight into fuel? Fittingly green is the colour of environmental activists worldwide. It stands for ‘go’ when you’re stuck at traffic lights or other…
For a party which flourished on socialist principles, and was meant to democratically represent the working class, the imposition of an exorbitant £25 fee for the right to vote in the upcoming leadership election might have seemed dangerously like Labour’s last gasp. But now that the ban on the voting rights of recent members has been overturned by the High Court, the…
After Michael Gove’s heavy hands disturbed the Queen’s sense of decorum during the EU referendum campaign, as the now-former justice secretary informed one tabloid of her veiled preference for Brexit, The Shimmering Ostrich can explosively reveal that the Queen summoned Gove to Windsor Castle, where in the midst of great anger he was dealt with very roughly indeed. The lure was a…
In the Friends episode ‘The One Where Ross Got High’, as Monica hosts Thanksgiving Rachel is tasked with making dessert. With an English recipe book to hand, sticky pages confound her into combining a traditional English trifle with a shepherd’s pie. That means ascending layers of ladyfingers, jam, custard which she made from scratch, raspberry sauce, ladyfingers, beef sauteed with peas…
After hours of intense and occasionally preposterous speculation, in the end it was neither Pelé nor Bebeto, Gustavo Kuerten, Marta, or hoops star Hortência who got to light the Olympic cauldron. The latter three all took part in the Rio 2016 opening ceremony, but the final task instead fell to Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima. As the average Brazilian struggles in the face…
Brazil has enjoyed success both on and in the water at past Olympics. With six gold, three silver, and eight bronze, sailing has been their most successful Olympic event, while with one gold, four silver, and eight bronze, swimming is not far behind in terms of the haul of medals. But Rio 2016 is a home Olympics, and quite naturally Brazil…
(There is a fairly common expression: to kill time. Here it is time who speaks.) There’s scarce a point wherein mankind agree, So well as in their boast of killing me: I boast of nothing, but when I’ve a mind, I think I can be even with mankind. Circa 1751.
When Brazilian football legend Pelé declined to light the Olympic cauldron at Friday’s opening ceremony in Rio, citing ill health after muscle pains and hip surgery earlier in the year, Brazilian officials found themselves in a tight spot. The lighting of the cauldron is a defining moment for any Olympics, with the task previously falling to such icons as Cathy…
