The Anonymous Widower

The Light In Majorca

I have a friend, who’s an artist. As someone, who takes in knowledge like a sponge, I have learned a lot about light from her. So like a couple of other photographers, I took pictures as I walked down from the cathedral.

But they do show how bright the light was for December!

December 20, 2012 Posted by | World | | 2 Comments

Around And Inside Palma Cathedral

Tuesday was a sunny day and I walked down through Palma to the cathedral and explored it.

Although C and I went to Majorca about ten times, we probably never visited the cathedral on such a quiet, sunny day.

December 20, 2012 Posted by | World | , | Leave a comment

The Caballito de Mar Restaurant, Palma Majorca

Five years ago for my sixtieth birthday, C took me to Majorca.  We stayed in an excellent hotel outside of Palma and she asked them to recommend a good restaurant that could do gluten-free food. They recommended the Caballito de Mar Restaurant on the avenue along the sea-front, underneath the town. It was excellent, so on my brief trip, I went back.

In fact, I went back again, as the sea bass was so good the first time.

The restaurant made up for the sub-standard hotel.

December 20, 2012 Posted by | Food, World | , | 1 Comment

Two Gold Post Boxes In Leeds

I took this picture in Leeds on Saturday.

Two Gold Post Boxes In Leeds

Two Gold Post Boxes In Leeds

Someone must have won a gold medal at the Olympics. But then Yorkshire did better than Australia!

December 19, 2012 Posted by | Sport, World | , , | Leave a comment

Sunday Bloody Times

I’ve read The Sunday Times for years and got a copy at Stansted.

Why oh why, haven’t they changed to a tabloid size, as it is not the paper to try reading on a plane?  Especially, as the newsprint they use today, seems to be incapable of folding and sticks together all the time.

 

December 17, 2012 Posted by | World | | Leave a comment

Christmas Shopping By Yourself

On Friday, I tried to do a bit of Christmas shopping.

I wasn’t very successful, but then as I don’t have much to buy, was it really surprising?

To me, one of the joys of shopping, was going with C to the shops to buy presents for our children and their families.

I also used to go alone to buy presents for her.  And that was what I really enjoyed.

But then I’m a man who enjoys shopping!

What also didn’t help was the bad weather and the fact that Oxford Street was so crowded.

December 16, 2012 Posted by | World | | Leave a comment

A Problem With Not Recognising Gay Marriage

When some countries recognise gay marriage and others don’t you are going to get a few problems.

This story from the United States, illustrates one small but sometimes expensive problem well.

Edith Windsor was legally married to her gay partner in Canada, five years ago. Her partner has since died and because she now lives in New York, she will have to pay $600,000 in what in the UK would be death duties. If her partner had been a man, she wouldn’t have to pay the tax.

So now the case has ended up at the United States Supreme Court.

I’m not a lawyer and I’ve no idea what would happen in the UK.

But surely in this age, we should clear everything up to make it all clear to everybody.

December 16, 2012 Posted by | News, World | , , | Leave a comment

How To Announce Yourself

As I went through Peterborough on the train yesterday to Leeds, I noticed a couple of law firms in offices by the station. I’m reminded of a little event.

C’s chambers had a satellite office in the city and one day at this time of year, they were having a Christmas party after work.  Our son, a trainee solicitor at the time, was also doing some business in the area on the same day, had a legal problem and thought he might find some help and expertise at the party. So he walked in and said.

Does anybody know how to write a writ for habeus corpus?

And that is how one of the oldest tenets in English law; habeus corpus and our son, made their presence felt at a Christmas party in the twenty-first century.

December 16, 2012 Posted by | World | , , | Leave a comment

Businesses Get Bees On The Roof

I first saw this in The Times concerning law firm, Olswang.

But there is also an old video story about it on the BBC’s web site.

It obviously seems to be a good idea, as it seems to be catching on.

December 16, 2012 Posted by | Business, Food, World | , | Leave a comment

My New Cinema

I say mine, although, of course, I have had nothing to do in any way with its creation. Except perhaps some of my taxes have helped to build it.

Opposite, where we used to live in Cromwell Tower in the Barbican, was a space that was originally to be used for an exhibition centre. The Barbican Centre was still being built in those days and I hardly ever remember us going to the cinema at the time.

The Barbican Centre has had a cinema for some time, but now part of the exhibition centre has been converted into a delightful two screen cinema. I say delightful, as I’ve never been to a cinema with such a well-designed foyer/bar/restaurant, where I had a bottle of Aspall cyder before going into a cinema with such a great feeling. Sight lines were superb, seats were extremely comfortable and small things like lighting and the low-angled stairs, made it so very easy to get to your seat.

The film I saw was I, Anna, which as part of it was shot in the Barbican, was a very appropriate film for an introduction to the new cinema.

The film has it faults with dialogue and some of the continuity, but overall I’d give it four out of five.

It was however rather strange to see the end of the film in part of the Barbican, that C, myself and our children would have known extremely well. But the film brought back memories of very happy times for the years around 1970.

As to the cinema, I’d give a massive ten out of ten.

I also of course got two Suffolk beauties in an enjoyable evening; the sultrily beautiful Charlotte Rampling and the delicious cyder.

The evening was only spoilt by coming home to hear the terrible news from Connecticut.

December 15, 2012 Posted by | Food, World | , , , , | Leave a comment