Tuesday, October 18, 2005
hero worship
i had to screech to a halt today after glimpsing one of mad jack fuller's follies
i'd been introduced to him by the late great edith sitwell in her lovely book "english eccentrics" which celebrates the energy and passion and humanity of those who are extremely disinhibited for one reason or another
she probably wrote it for money, and in a hurry, but it is well worth persevering with her
she probably wrote it for money, and in a hurry, but it is well worth persevering with her
Monday, October 17, 2005
more half-baked guesswork in industrial archaeology ...
cycling every day from putney bridge towards nine elms, i pass a couple of tall "chimneys" springing from the pavement
might they have provided ventilation for bazalgette's famous sewer ?
the pattern around the rim at the top is certainly in the right kind of style for the project
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bazalgette_joseph.shtml
what do you think ?
might they have provided ventilation for bazalgette's famous sewer ?
the pattern around the rim at the top is certainly in the right kind of style for the project
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bazalgette_joseph.shtml
what do you think ?
Thursday, October 13, 2005
YOUR STARTER FOR TEN POINTS …
FORK LIFT THESE PALLETS ON TO A TRUCK AND THEN MOVE THEM TWO MILES THROUGH FIFTEEN SETS OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND HALF A DOZEN SPEED HUMPS …
BEGINNERS’ NOTES AND HINTS:
AT THE POINT OF DELIVERY NOTHING IS SECURING THE FRAGILE LOAD TO THE BASE PALLET
IT TAKES TWO MEN ONE HOUR TO DISENTANGLE & THEN
RE-STACK THE LOAD FROM TWO SPILLED EURO-PALLETS ON TO THREE STANDARD PALLETS …
… & APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AT MY WORKPLACE !
POINTS WILL BE AWARDED FOR COMMON-SENSE SOLUTIONS
FORK LIFT THESE PALLETS ON TO A TRUCK AND THEN MOVE THEM TWO MILES THROUGH FIFTEEN SETS OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND HALF A DOZEN SPEED HUMPS …
BEGINNERS’ NOTES AND HINTS:
AT THE POINT OF DELIVERY NOTHING IS SECURING THE FRAGILE LOAD TO THE BASE PALLET
IT TAKES TWO MEN ONE HOUR TO DISENTANGLE & THEN
RE-STACK THE LOAD FROM TWO SPILLED EURO-PALLETS ON TO THREE STANDARD PALLETS …
… & APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AT MY WORKPLACE !
POINTS WILL BE AWARDED FOR COMMON-SENSE SOLUTIONS
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Saturday, October 08, 2005
excuses, excuses !
in the early hours between sleeping and waking, when the body runs on automatic pilot and the mind scampers freely over the moonlit dreamscape ...
i found myself idly but affectionately tweaking the loved one's volume and tone controls, or
"just helping you breathe !" ...
and then, having disturbed her voluptuous reverie, an excuse presented itself, expediently:
... "i'm just trying to bring some sensation back to my worn out fingertips, darling!"
to which came the lightning, ( or is that thunderbolt ?) reply,
"it may become necessary to bring some sensation to the back of my hand in a minute, darling !"
i found myself idly but affectionately tweaking the loved one's volume and tone controls, or
"just helping you breathe !" ...
and then, having disturbed her voluptuous reverie, an excuse presented itself, expediently:
... "i'm just trying to bring some sensation back to my worn out fingertips, darling!"
to which came the lightning, ( or is that thunderbolt ?) reply,
"it may become necessary to bring some sensation to the back of my hand in a minute, darling !"
Thursday, October 06, 2005
when i'm feeling "musical" ...
i do so like to sing, but i never know the complete words and lyrics
this has led me to the important discovery that almost any tune can fit around the magic words, "rum-tee-tum!", and if they don't, you can always divert to "la-dee-dah!", "fol-de-rol!", "fiddle-de-dee!", or in the final resort, "tiddly-om-pom!"
thus equipped, i'm surprised frank sinatra ever bothered with lyrics
this has led me to the important discovery that almost any tune can fit around the magic words, "rum-tee-tum!", and if they don't, you can always divert to "la-dee-dah!", "fol-de-rol!", "fiddle-de-dee!", or in the final resort, "tiddly-om-pom!"
thus equipped, i'm surprised frank sinatra ever bothered with lyrics
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
reading practise & games of skill
you have to do a bit of reading, if only to remember how to spell
i'd been avoiding susan sontag for years, thinking she'd be too clever, maybe too heavy for me
turns out she's full of warmth & enthusiasm and her texts slide down as easily as good wine
the hopscotch was freshly drawn, the artist's broken chalks lay on the path not far away
in england, children throw the pebble or whatever into the squares
i've seen spanish children place a pebble on the starting line, then stand on one leg with their toe just touching the pebble, then attempt to flick the stone with that same toe towards their chosen square
i've tried it, & it seemed impossible !
and have you seen a spanish egg& spoon race ?
they don't carry the spoon, they grip the spoon handle between their teeth !
ouch !
i'd been avoiding susan sontag for years, thinking she'd be too clever, maybe too heavy for me
turns out she's full of warmth & enthusiasm and her texts slide down as easily as good wine
the hopscotch was freshly drawn, the artist's broken chalks lay on the path not far away
in england, children throw the pebble or whatever into the squares
i've seen spanish children place a pebble on the starting line, then stand on one leg with their toe just touching the pebble, then attempt to flick the stone with that same toe towards their chosen square
i've tried it, & it seemed impossible !
and have you seen a spanish egg& spoon race ?
they don't carry the spoon, they grip the spoon handle between their teeth !
ouch !
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Monday, October 03, 2005
marvels of nature and engineering
from bexhill to brighton, diverting via beachy head because the sky was so very bright
astonished to find the cliff edge between beachy head and houns-tout was teeming with hundreds of migrating house martins
even more astonished to see, for the first time and probably the only time, an all-white one; absolutely white as far as i could tell in the brief two or three seconds of focussed perception
hoping to catch him or her on camera, i just held it at arms length and scanned the cliff edge for a second glimpse, with my eyes wide open
i was lucky, but the image you see is just a much enlarged detail in the wider scene
i had a third glimpse but the wings were folded back and the image too non-descript
later, making good of some spare time, i took an unscheduled diversion to see the marvellous brick railway viaduct at borde hill near balcombe, on the london to brighton line
astonished to find the cliff edge between beachy head and houns-tout was teeming with hundreds of migrating house martins
even more astonished to see, for the first time and probably the only time, an all-white one; absolutely white as far as i could tell in the brief two or three seconds of focussed perception
hoping to catch him or her on camera, i just held it at arms length and scanned the cliff edge for a second glimpse, with my eyes wide open
i was lucky, but the image you see is just a much enlarged detail in the wider scene
i had a third glimpse but the wings were folded back and the image too non-descript
later, making good of some spare time, i took an unscheduled diversion to see the marvellous brick railway viaduct at borde hill near balcombe, on the london to brighton line
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Saturday, October 01, 2005
greater love hath no woman ...
we stayed in this afternoon and watched jacques tati as monsieur hulot, on holiday
i'd seen & enjoyed it nearly forty years ago in the little theatre in bath but suddenly it makes me squeal out loud with astonishment, with huge jokes sandwiched between moments of surreal beauty, and a marvellously inclusive tenderness for the world and for people
then she gave me a chocolate, my sixth from a box of ten ...
i'd seen & enjoyed it nearly forty years ago in the little theatre in bath but suddenly it makes me squeal out loud with astonishment, with huge jokes sandwiched between moments of surreal beauty, and a marvellously inclusive tenderness for the world and for people
then she gave me a chocolate, my sixth from a box of ten ...
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
prejudiced ? moi ?
i had a brief conversation with an even older cheese driver, shaun, about the merits of high-speed film noir dialogue, having just seen a dvd of otto preminger's fallen angel, made very cheaply in black & white in 1945 & currently available from the nft
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037691/
we didn't have much time to talk after too long a day, so shaun ended a condensed diatribe on modern film by saying, "i'm an intellectual snob, really !"
"no, shaun !", sez i, "you read the daily telegraph and that makes you a reactionary snob; whereas i read the guardian and that makes me an intellectual snob !"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037691/
we didn't have much time to talk after too long a day, so shaun ended a condensed diatribe on modern film by saying, "i'm an intellectual snob, really !"
"no, shaun !", sez i, "you read the daily telegraph and that makes you a reactionary snob; whereas i read the guardian and that makes me an intellectual snob !"
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