Not the spindly, vertiginous, Meccano-on-steroids contraptions that tower over building sites from Dundee to Dubai and which were seen swaying perilously over Manhattan this week as SuperStorm Sandy did its worst.
Not the spindly, vertiginous, Meccano-on-steroids contraptions that tower over building sites from Dundee to Dubai and which were seen swaying perilously over Manhattan this week as SuperStorm Sandy did its worst.
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by barry didcock
No, we mean the wetland-loving migratory birds whose long necks and legs have given those machines their name.
In particular, that flock of Siberian cranes which fell into formation alongside a motorised hang-glider drilling its way through the pure blue skies over Vladivostock one day in September. The hang-glider was piloted by a hard-faced, blue-eyed 60-year-old wearing a spotless white boiler suit – let's call him Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, because that's his name – who was none too pleased about the unwelcome attention as it was distracting from his latest He-Man media stunt. President Putin, you may recall, is very fond of being photographed (usually bare-chested) doing foolhardy things such as riding horses, swimming in freezing rivers, petting polar bears and accompanying himself on the piano while singing Blueberry Hill.
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In praise of - cranes.
Not the spindly, vertiginous, Meccano-on-steroids contraptions that tower over building sites from Dundee to Dubai and which were seen swaying perilously over Manhattan this week as SuperStorm Sandy did its worst.
No, we mean the wetland-loving migratory birds whose long necks and legs have given those machines their name.
In particular, that flock of Siberian cranes which fell into formation alongside a motorised hang-glider drilling its way through the pure blue skies over Vladivostock one day in September. The hang-glider was piloted by a hard-faced, blue-eyed 60-year-old wearing a spotless white boiler suit – let's call him Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, because that's his name – who was none too pleased about the unwelcome attention as it was distracting from his latest He-Man media stunt. President Putin, you may recall, is very fond of being photographed (usually bare-chested) doing foolhardy things such as riding horses, swimming in freezing rivers, petting polar bears and accompanying himself on the piano while singing Blueberry Hill.
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Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.
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