Lord Howe Says We Should Metricate
Lord Howe is being quoted in an article on the BBC, that we should complete metrication of the UK before the Olympics.
He’s right of course!
I never use Imperial units and even have a steel tape, that has no Imperial on it.
The Queen Is Not Amused
She might be, as I have no special access. But who would wear this jumper.
A Ghastly Jumper
Not any woman I know!
Ian Fleming Would Have Been Amused
It is being reported in the Evening Standard tonight, that James Bond will be knighted by the Queen and then will help to launch the Olympic Games. No doubt, Danny Boyle’s short film that shows this, will of course be narrated by Henry Blofield, who is the son of Ian’s friend, Tom Blofield, who is often said to have lent his surname to Bond’s arch-enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
C used to appear in front of Henry Blofield’s brother, John, who used to be a judge in Norwich. He was one of her favourite judges.
We also bought a house from Daniel Craig’s stepfather, Maxwell Blond.
But all this is just a typical Fleming plot!
A Bin of Wet Tissues a Day
It seems that every day, I throw away a bin-full of wet tissues, as my nose is running so much.
I’ve never had hay fever like this before! It just goes on and on!
Are Young Girls More Difficult Than Young Boys?
This has never occurred to me before, as C and myself, just had the three boys. But on the bus back from the Angel a few minutes ago, there was a girl of about six really pushing the limits with her mother, who had another in a buggy. Thinking about ir, when I see bad behaviour on these buses, it possibly is more often that it’s girls being a bit raucous and naughty. I’ve also been on buses with a load of twelve year old boys and this can be a nightmare too.
So when they are young, are girls worse than boys? Or do they play advantage of what they are expected to be like?
In Search of the Camberwell Beauty
The Camberwell Beauty butterfly is so-called because it was first found in Coldharbour Lane in Camberwell in 1748.
As I have said many times here, my father was a printer and he used to print at times, using gummed paper from Samuel Jones and Company. Their trademark was Butterfly Brand and they used to give out lots of stick-on Camberwell Beauties to show their products at their best. I had thousands of these butterflies.
So today, I’m going to Camberwell to see what I can find of the history of a company, that occupies a part of my memory.
The Greek Economy and Breast Implants
One lady, who had the faulty PIP breast implants, has just said on Radio 5, that the surgeon who did the operation, can’t replace them with new ones, as he has gone to work in Greece.
Obviously, more than the obvious is going bust in that country.
Using An Ipswich Bobble Hat as a Passport
This post was brought about by Danny Baker asking on Radio 5, if anybody had any stories about getting into football matches.
The spring after C died, I took a holiday in Italy, mainly to see if I could holiday by myself.
Whilst staying in Florence, I found out that Fiorentina were playing a home game against Livorno.
It was a bit of a performance to get the ticket, as I had to go to the cafe, opposite the ground and buy it from the owner. To do this, I needed a credit card and my passport. The latter was duly copied before the ticket was issued.
Before the match, I decided that it would be best just to take a few euros and the ticket, as I wasn’t sure, if Italian football crowds had the odd pickpocket.
When I approached the gate to get into the ground, I was approached and frisked by a steward, who demanded my passport.
As I didn’t fancy the long walk back to the hotel, I protested and finally decided to point to the badge on the Ipswich bobble-hat I was wearing, saying Inglesi repeatedly and loud at the time.
He forgot about the passport and I was let through.
Sir Anthony Caro and Dave Pearson
After I’d seen the work of Dave Pearson, I went to Canary Wharf and took some more pictures of the sculpture by Anthony Caro. So I’d seen two extensive exhibitions for the princely sum of nothing. As I have a Freedom Pass, I didn’t even pay for the travel to get there. I did buy my lunch, but then I didn’t want to starve.
The cost is one of the great things about art and scupture in the UK and that it is nearly always free. I’m particularly keen on street sculpture, like the characters on Brixton station. That is unless it gets nicked like the good Doctor Salter.
Dave Pearson
Dave Pearson was not an artist I’d heard of, until his exhibition at the Bermondsey Project Space was previewed on BBC London News a few days ago. Someone on that preview, said he was better than Hockney. Judge for yourself.
I did ask before I took these pictures and afterwards feel it was the right decision. Especially for me, as he died just a few months after C, my late wife, did. He was still painting up until his death.
You’ll have to hurry if you want to catch this exhibition as it finishes on the 19th of May. You can find out more about Dave Pearson at the Dave Pearson Trust website.
The Anonymous Widower 