Friday, March 23, 2012

Spring forward



Spring has sprung and the bird is on the wing !

My tree bloomed around 2 weeks ago in all its majesty and tonight the clocks will spring forward one hour







The TV mast at our national broadcasting station

I was reminded on the radio that today is the birthday of Robert Weiss
24th March 1874, he became the most famous magician ever as Harry Houdini.
He took the name from the French magician Robert Houdin.

When I was in Boston I was staying in an anexe of a hotel on Beacon St. Just before dawn I felt something scurry across my chest. I caught and crushed a fair sized cockroach.
Not being used to 8 legged bedfellows I got up and went for a walk towards MIT crossing the Charles river, on the way back I saw a plaque on the railings.
Harry Houdini made his amazing escape from a locked trunk on this very spot.
Harry tells the story about the trunk being dropped into the Charles river and crashing through the ice, with his lungs bursting for air he emerged from the trunk into the freezing waters. But he had drifted away from the hole in the ice, but just before he passed out he heard his mothers voice calling to him, he swam towards her and found a pocket of air, taking a big breath she called him again, he swam towards the voice and at last just before he expired he was pulled to safety.

Nice one Harry, take a look at the date not muxch ice in May!




Another good one was when he was visiting a new town and he was due to meet an associate in a tea shop. The guy came in late and said to Houdini that there had been an awful train crash down the road. Harry jumped up and ran off to see for himself.
The headline on the evening paper read.
"Houdini survives horrific train wreck"

I have 3 books on his fasinating life

Just thought I would share that with you.

Now go and put that clock forward.


The only thing I can say is that I hope they are carrying organ doner cards

1 comment:

  1. The Harry Houdini Museum is in my hometown of Scranton, which is the sister city of Ballina.

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