June 14, 2010
I was fairly certain we would escape The Match which was inescapable yesterday on the streets of London when we landed at the maison of my 80 yr old Aunt. I had bemoaned earlier that day to Keith (who was most certainly watching the match ) and Jasper (more committed to going out clubbing) that i was already sick of the World Cup and it hadn’t barely started.
“So we’ll be watching the match at 7.30” says she, me Aunt.
“You like the World Cup?”
“Well we’ve got to, it’s our boys, we’ve got to see them thrash the Yanks.”
The Small Male who was absolutely on for The Match crashed out for the entirety of it and was unwakeable. The poor boy had repeated his tradition of always throwing up as soon as he gets on British Rail.
My Aunt’s commentary on the match, complete with Northern chastisement, was rather fun, especially since it didn’t relate to football. John Terry, The England manager didn’t have a “lotta bottle”. Today a man on a train assured me the manager is called Fabio something or other.
Best of all she lost all interest in the match and snapped it off when she declared they weren’t going to win and instead she regaled me with tales of my grandfather’s lean towards communism and tales of the working class community she grew up in followed by heated debate on outrageous sexism therein. I had to look up the score on the BBC this morning since I was so confused by the actual match, distracted by the legs and high theatrical gesticulating.
Today in Dublin, blah and supine from jetlag and boat train boat I took in chunks of the German/Australian match and found myself rising to the occasion. The occasion being incapacitation.
The train buzz is now a bump over a buzz. Bit like the promising idea of cuddling, say, a hedgehog.
June 11, 2010
On a train buzz perhaps because of soon being in the company of my favourite viaduct or p’haps because my son does not share my enthusiasm to visit the London Transport Museum. I acquired, in an unplanned venture, a slim history of CN Rail in or around Prince Rupert I think. It’s self published, inscribed by the author, including a sellotaped xmas card she sent to the reader.
Scooped a copy of Thomas Mann’s novel The Magic Mountain, which for some reason I associate with trains, the opening at least.
Anyway I am drifting off into warm Jimmy Knapp moments. Also, soon, I’ll be on the boat train, a route I spent half my life riding. Am glad to share it with my son. I’m actually relieved to be avoiding a plane/airport by taking it, despite the 800 percent longer journey time. We have conversation and books and tea to fill the time.
June 10, 2010
Six months hard labour
Ce soir I nailed it.
It began with the cheese…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOmA7R9q7Xg&hl=fr_FR&fs=1&rel=0]
And ended “en haut”
25 years later, 6 months hard labour, several injuries and here she is the backflip! I got her back! The first one in this sequence is the first time I managed to nail it. It may look like nowt, but bloody hell it’s hard. (Don’t usually have onsite videographer, but need footage for this fall’s performance art collaboration)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UMmdFx5DLE&hl=fr_FR&fs=1&rel=0]
June 9, 2010
What are cars made of in recent times — cereal boxes, apple peelings?
The spot where I crashed into the red static dumpster now has a hole.
I am back looking enviously at 1980’s cars such as the yellow Datsun or the Toyota LE van or the late 50’s Chevrolet.
San Fran was full of old Chevy trucks.
June 9, 2010
Continuing on, or branching off from the theme of don’t be a Dennis Stoner (Tee shirts to be printed surely), how about this blog post for some refreshing sentiment. Civility! What about it? Yes!
I am not entirely sure whose blog is no portrait of me is, but this post by Elizabeth Zvonar delighted me, so maybe it is her blog. (It turns out it’s Anu Sahota’s blog, which makes perfect sense, since she’s a fine ear and eye on the world)
There are also very interesting audio recordings from the park. I am v happy to have found it.
June 9, 2010
Oh God now I am pondering a musical Monsieur Maigret. Spent a lovely bit of time with the glorious wallpaper and divine puffy hair of Ms Deneuve in Umbrellas of Cherbourg ce soir. The Small Male demanded Green Day recesses to recover, but it was clear he loved it. Nothing in the difference Billy Joe’s is heavy on the eyeliner in his own punk way.
We topped it off with a flan-size section of Cleo 5-7. Umbrellas of course fait par Jaques Demy (et Agnes bien sur). Lovely, lovely, lovely Agnes. Who doesn’t get sprightly thinking about Agnes? There should be a nice injection called Agnes.
June 9, 2010
Been happily ensconced with Catherine et ses Umbrellas of Cherbourg. A return to 80’s kohl coming on. A hungry feeling came o’er me stealing all along the curve of me top eyelid.
I think Cracker would make an ace musical. It’s the restless quality in it. Musicals needn’t only be jolly. A bit of sombre … gritty…
June 9, 2010
Marie beside me in the garden reported today that she had taken 100 slugs from her plot. She executes a slug patrol and repatriation policy.
My drench ’em and drown ’em approach only result in the saddening sight of a lovely curly earthworm death by imbibing.
They’ve had the second cucumber for dinner last night and there’s no sign of the blighters.
My garden still has this forlorn we need coaxing out of this soil minute plant theme to it.
June 8, 2010
Nor sure if it was an Ernie, or Herbie moment. Second encounter with a driverless car in my Vancouver lifespan. Today’s managed to escape from a car park, drive itself out and cross the road over two lanes of traffic mount the kerb and then reverse before refusing to dismount the kerb. It sat. People approached. It had managed such an extraordinary circuit I thought maybe there was someone in it we couldn’t see who’d had a heart attack.
The people tried the doors locked. Looked inside no one. And pointed to where it had emerged from in disbelief.
The last car that did this was an old yellow beetle which sailed past my knees as I was stood at the bus stop. Today’s was a fairly dull black volkswagon hatchback car.
The curious thing was it emerged from right beside the alley where you drop off your unfortunates in a brown bag if you’ve had food poisoning to the health board for testing. Not to be getting all George Bataille … but…emerging with force is a bit of theme in that locale.
June 8, 2010
Was in a garden last night which had sky high bamboo timber growing in it, the shoots (roots?) had raised the paving stones, couldn’t get over the density of the body of that plant, like growing furniture! Then at the top it thins right out and if you only ever looked up it would never disappoint. There’s was also another plant that had this massive leaves beginning with P. There was a few year old spicy arugala that I took a nibble off, hot as chili, due to its age, the friend said. I am renewed in my vigour to defeat the slugs after seeing this place. I only have a box, but a box is a whole box and with a more determined breed of plant, perhaps rubble and companions can be overcome.