As in the song written and sung by Paul Simon with Art Garfunkel. I thought it was an old folk song but apparently not.
I bet you thought I’d miss this month’s Post. Don’t ask me what I’ve been up to but July really did fly by. For the record, referring back to Post 150, I did NOT respray my car to avoid prosecution. You lot seem to think I’m a Blofeld arch criminal. Just because I have a cat who likes being cuddled.
We saw the film Oppenheimer, set mostly in Los Alamos in New Mexico (not to be confused with In Old Mexico, as sung by Tom Lehrer). I was able to dissuade JD from ‘doing the double’ as I really didn’t fancy seeing Barbie in the same session (or at all, to be honest). Luckily the Curzon, the cinema we went to, hadn’t worked out the timings so we didn’t have that option, even though they were showing only those two films. It’s a lovely old (1930’s) cinema so seeing Oppenheimer there felt very apt. It (the cinema) is at risk of being closed, which would be very sad. I tried to sign the petition but had to jump through so many hoops I ran out of patience. All my fault if it’s a TK Maxx next time I go past.
https://www.curzon.com/venues/mayfair/
If you don’t know the story (of the film), it’s about the Manhattan Project in the USA, which was set up during the Second World War to build an atomic bomb before the Nazis. I remember watching the TV series in 1980 starring Sam Waterston as J Robert Oppenheimer. It would be interesting to compare the two as I enjoyed both. I’m pretty sure both gave reasonably accurate depictions of the events but feel the need to read the book (which could also be biased by the emphasis of the time, of course) to get a good understanding.
I had mentioned Glastonbury last time, these are some of the artists I listened to: Maisie Peters (a 23-year-old singer songwriter from West Sussex). Sparks (two brothers in their 70’s from the USA, whose big hit was This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us in 1974). This time they had Cate Blanchett dancing (moving anyway) to their song This Girl is Crying In Her Latte. The Pretenders with Chrissie Hynde (aged 71). Rina Sawayama (a 32-year-old Japanese singer living in the UK). Cat Burns (another 23-year-old singer songwriter, from London). Blondie (Debbie Harry is 77!). Arctic Monkeys from Sheffield: I always thought mardy was Lincolnshire slang, I remember using it as a kid (I still do at times), but one of their most recognised songs is Mardy so maybe it’s just Northern speak for moody or sulky. I came across an interesting website while looking this up (well, interesting to me).
Lizzo, an American rapper who moves around the stage like someone much fitter than she appears. And, of course, Elton. Instead of giving you lots of separate links, here’s the Glastonbury 2023 youtube channel so you can watch (or not) any you fancy.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=glastonbury+2023
I also came across a music genre I’d not heard of, shoegaze, extreme noise with distorted guitars where you can’t distinguish the individual instruments. I can’t tell you which bands it applies to, as I didn’t recognise any names, but I’m sure we’d know it if we heard it. I’m guessing the name is because they look at their shoes and not the audience while playing?
Away from music, I read ‘A is for Arsenic’ by Kathryn Harkup, a chemist by training. If you enjoy Agatha Christie or other murder mysteries involving poisons then this is a book for you. In the same vein as my cocktail ingredients (which I think are not as deadly), she goes through the alphabet and has a chapter each on 14 poisons, from arsenic to Veronal. As a tribute, I started my morning by burning the toast (charcoal is an antidote to arsenic poisoning). Or, possibly, I had the toaster turned too high. At least I didn’t set the fire alarm off, as has been known (mentioning no names). You need a broom handle to reach the button to turn it off, but when the thing is screeching away it’s difficult to think. Apparently the book on which the play The Mousetrap is based has never been published in the U.K., as it would give away the plot if you read it. Aha, I thought, bet I can find it on my Kindle! Type in Agatha Christie and you get 9,769 titles. That’s going to take some scrolling through. Type in The Mousetrap (by AC) and you find a 70th edition of the script. I couldn’t allow myself to download it. I never know if I’ll get the urge to be a tourist and go to see it at the theatre. I’m not sure knowing the murderer stops you enjoying it a second time though? I can watch or read things more than once and still enjoy them. Having a bad memory for plots possibly helps.
Which brings me to another new activity. Both JD and I had texts from our GP inviting us to sign up to a clinical trial called PROTECT recently. I suspect we both had the same thought: will this get us an appointment faster next time we need one? We both signed up, independently, but you are ‘invited’ to nominate an ‘informant’. This person also answers questions about you, it all feels a bit Stasi (the old East German Ministry for State Security). Anyway, it’s not a clinical trial as I know it but an observational study. We had 14 (yes, FOURTEEN!) background questionnaires to fill in, three of which (social style and personality, memory and reasoning, and everyday emotions) you also did as an informant on your victim. They are obviously designed to find out if you have dementia and don’t know it. There are then three tests to carry out, three times over a week, once a year for 25 years. If in that time your performance deteriorates they’ll let your GP know (and, with luck, they will do something about it?). Assuming we’re still alive in 25 years’ time. There are nine ‘brain training’ exercises to do but I’m not sure they are helping train my brain as I find them quite irritating. Maybe a sign of things to come? Please let me know if I start rambling in these Posts. On second thoughts, no need.
Yesterday we went to explore the new Battersea Power Station. Things are still being opened: I think I need to go back once the Searcy’s champagne bar opens. It being a Sunday and holiday season, the place was packed and as there were seven of us we had to trek around a bit to find a restaurant that could take us. Even so we ended up across two tables. We went up in Lift 109 (so called as it’s 109 meters up) to see the view along the river. I’m sure it’s very impressive when the rain isn’t bucketing down.
Going back to ‘mardy’, I am reading the J R Ellis Yorkshire mysteries. There’s some Yorkshire dialect (not enough to put you off if you like reading cosy mysteries) and discovered Yorkshire Dialect Poems, by F.W. Moorman (I’ve already forgotten which poem was in which book, oh dear. Please don’t tell my informant).
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2888/2888-h/2888-h.htm
I am finding that when I read books these days, even fiction, I need my phone or laptop to hand for research. I thus came across the Göbekli Tepe, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre in one of my time travel science fiction (fantasy?) books. Somewhere to add to my must-see list once I’m confident that travel is safe (based on politics, temperature and fitness. And maybe time).
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1572/gallery/
Closer to home, I found some fascinating facts relating to the Tyne Tunnel when we were staying in Sunderland and visiting Newcastle on the history of the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels. We didn’t walk or cycle through but John’s brother did.
https://www.tynepedestrianandcyclisttunnels.co.uk/history/
I’m guessing you noticed me holding a cocktail while pretending to be an evil genius above. I created it to start emptying bottles and maybe having a tidy bar in 2024. Or 2025. I called it Peach Melba and it contains Bols Yogurt Liqueur, which I somehow don’t seem to have mentioned previously, even though we’ve now finished the bottle. I added some peach liqueur (Archers), fraise as I didn’t have any framboise (maybe I need to buy some? No, I’m tidying up) and vodka to give it a bit of a kick. If I tell you we’re glad the Bols ran out before I made a refill, you might get an indication of whether or not we liked it.
https://bols.com/products/bols-natural-yoghurt-liqueur
I’ve not given you many photos this time, I’ll try to do better in August. This is us at the Power Station.
George and John's boating trip no longer 