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Hello, Elle!
Yes, it is Father's Day tomorrow.
I am going out with a granddaughter then.
We are going to visit some of the family.
The golf should be on soon (watching Ireland at the football just now). They are still playing catch up at the golf.
Rain and lightning stopped play previously.
There was a book reviewed in The Times today which interests me. "Somme" by Hugh Sebag Montefiore.
The reviewer praises it. I shall have a look on Amazon.
I do not know the author.
The phrase is "Condemned to the Pribilofs"!
Does not sound very nice!
I learned about it in a great book I had about the history of Alaska.
Now, I am not sure of this, but at the back of my mind something is telling me that Peter the Great spent time at shipyards (possibly in England) studying shipbuilding.
He was a remarkable man...to those who did not have beards!

Hi rusty
Yes, I think Peter (the Great) worked in the shipyards at Greenwich (before he was great, presumably?) - though there's no mention on Wikipedia.

Hello, Chris,
I am sure that was mentioned in my book on Alaska.
I could not remember which shipyard(s), though.
I no longer have the book.
There was quite a bit about Peter and ships.
A very interesting character!

Hi Chris and Rusty,

Peter (the Great) first worked in shipyards in Holland before coming to the UK; if you type 'Peter the Great's work in shipyards', you might find more info;

By the way, my husband was born in Alaska where his father worked at the time and he remained there until he was 6 years old - He did return there on his own when a teenager.

On reflection, I think it might have been Depford rathe than Greenwich (next door!)

Apparently the well-known story about the cause of death of Catherine the Great isn't true - pity!

Hi, Rusty!
I have been absorbed in the tennis!
Andy Murray won in a 2 sets to 1 match against Marin Cilic.
A good game.
At present, Raonic has taken the first set from Tomic.
As I recall, there is quite a lot about Peter the Great in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.
He went first to Zaandam in Holland to learn the shipbuilding trade as an "ordinary" seaman, but was eventually dissatisfied with the Dutch prowess, so decided to go to England.
King William sent ships to escort him and he then studied ship building at the large docks at the mouth of the Thames.
I shall review all this with renewed interest on our next visit to the museums at Greenwich with BB and refresh my memory!
That is good that you have plans for Fathers' Day tomorrow! You deserve to have a great day.
We are going to have lunch with our daughter - the two "fathers" can be feted together!
(I need a circumflex over the first "e"!)
Are you watching your golf now?

Chris, I think you are right in saying that Peter the Great studied at Deptford Docks!
I was deliberately vague because I couldn't remember

Hello, Elle!
I was watching the golf, but my man, Bubba Watson, made a pig's ear of one hole, so I left it for a while.
A lot of useful info about Peter the Great!
I think, at the start of his reign, Russia had no ships, but when his reign was over, they had a powerful navy.
Spain had a king called Pedro the Cruel!
Wonder what he got up to?
It is a lovely evening here.

Hello, Pigale,
Thank you for your info!
One of Russia's top men in Alaska was Alexander Baranov.
Think there may be bits and pieces still named after him.
He was known as Lord of Alaska.

Hi, Rusty!
Dull but fine, here.
At least the rain stayed away in West Kensington so the tennis remains on schedule.
No, I didn't really enjoy the Athletics!
The prowess of the athletes was excellent - I enjoyed that part....but the way the programme was produced was awful!
Fifty minutes was all that could be spared to show the entire Diamond League event in Stockholm! Just fifty minutes!!
This has to be the shortest showing yet! sometimes we do get at least one hour!
And considering that everywhere I turn, I am inundated with ( hours of) football, I consider this most unfair.
No sooner are we given the names of the contestants , than the race is over and the results are showing.
One event is rushed into another.....diabolical! It's hard to keep pace......
Laura did well - but she did get boxed in; I see what she means about needing to use her elbows!
David Rudesha seems off his form?
I hope the golf is less blood -pressure raising ? I am feeling quite stressed!

Hi, Doglet!
Are you about? I am sure that you will support me here. Have you watched the Stockholm Diamond League on the BBC today?
I thought the programme even worse then usual today with its meagre, very rushed offering.
I wonder what we can do to make the BBC up their game?
Any good ideas?