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brixtonbroodScintillating week full of culture and human contact
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example22 dragged me 5 minutes down the road to my local pub to see Steven Sondheim's Follies which was great, although the economics of doing a show with a cast of twenty in a tiny pub theatre baffle me. The grinding predictability and schematicness (there's a real word for that I'm sure) of the plot was more or less offset by the songs (except the ones which Sondheim cut after previews which they chose to restore - I suspect they cater for a rather hard-core musicals fanbase at the Landor).
Met up withbugshaw for lunch at Leadenhall Market which was nice despite the combined attempts of the weather, the London Underground system (and her knowledge of it), Lloyd's brand new visitor admissions policy and Jeans for Genes day.
5 year-old's birthday party on Saturday at which my friend Xena* confided that she was watching Jane Eyre on TV with her husband Zac* when he had come up with the gobsmacking remark "Ooh, there's a face at the attic window! Who's that then?". I'm torn between bafflement at how a competently educated middle class middle aged Brit (even a man, even an engineer) could have failed to learn the plot of Jane Eyre, and terrible envy, because he's going to have such a great time finding out. I had a similar feeling watching Psycho for the first time with my brother and realising that he didn't know who dunnit. I feel a poll coming on - which of the great plot devices of film and literature did you find out by actually reading/watching them and which did you learn by osmosis in advance? And do I have a duty to make Small read them at the minimum possible age so that she can enjoy them unspoilt? (answer, no, that would be crazy) Actually another example comes up in The Foundling, the Georgette Heyer I'm reading at the moment, when our hero is given a copy of Frankenstein, knowing nothing about it at all. Now I loathe Frankenstein, but the idea of actually sitting down to read it with no preconceptions whatsoever is definitely enticing.
And todaypercyprune, Motoko and Kei came over for lunch and to take Small's old carseat off our hands, which was very pleasant as we got to meet M and K for real life after admiring umpteen photos (he has a sweeter smile in the flesh, probably because you have to be quick to catch it) and also had an excuse to cook a real Sunday lunch with crumble, which is what October requires.
Burst of energy will continue with house and work stuff but Strictly Come Dancing will absorb most of my emotional energy from now until Christmas.
*names changed to protect the ignorant
ETA: comments include spoilers for Jane Eyre and the Sixth Sense (though if you don't know the latter just watch it already, or admit defeat and read the plot summary on Wikipedia)
example22 dragged me 5 minutes down the road to my local pub to see Steven Sondheim's Follies which was great, although the economics of doing a show with a cast of twenty in a tiny pub theatre baffle me. The grinding predictability and schematicness (there's a real word for that I'm sure) of the plot was more or less offset by the songs (except the ones which Sondheim cut after previews which they chose to restore - I suspect they cater for a rather hard-core musicals fanbase at the Landor).Met up with
bugshaw for lunch at Leadenhall Market which was nice despite the combined attempts of the weather, the London Underground system (and her knowledge of it), Lloyd's brand new visitor admissions policy and Jeans for Genes day.5 year-old's birthday party on Saturday at which my friend Xena* confided that she was watching Jane Eyre on TV with her husband Zac* when he had come up with the gobsmacking remark "Ooh, there's a face at the attic window! Who's that then?". I'm torn between bafflement at how a competently educated middle class middle aged Brit (even a man, even an engineer) could have failed to learn the plot of Jane Eyre, and terrible envy, because he's going to have such a great time finding out. I had a similar feeling watching Psycho for the first time with my brother and realising that he didn't know who dunnit. I feel a poll coming on - which of the great plot devices of film and literature did you find out by actually reading/watching them and which did you learn by osmosis in advance? And do I have a duty to make Small read them at the minimum possible age so that she can enjoy them unspoilt? (answer, no, that would be crazy) Actually another example comes up in The Foundling, the Georgette Heyer I'm reading at the moment, when our hero is given a copy of Frankenstein, knowing nothing about it at all. Now I loathe Frankenstein, but the idea of actually sitting down to read it with no preconceptions whatsoever is definitely enticing.
And today
percyprune, Motoko and Kei came over for lunch and to take Small's old carseat off our hands, which was very pleasant as we got to meet M and K for real life after admiring umpteen photos (he has a sweeter smile in the flesh, probably because you have to be quick to catch it) and also had an excuse to cook a real Sunday lunch with crumble, which is what October requires.Burst of energy will continue with house and work stuff but Strictly Come Dancing will absorb most of my emotional energy from now until Christmas.
*names changed to protect the ignorant
ETA: comments include spoilers for Jane Eyre and the Sixth Sense (though if you don't know the latter just watch it already, or admit defeat and read the plot summary on Wikipedia)