Davie has always been the main David Attenborough fan in our house, avidly watching his many nature series. However he has been usurped by Floof, who last night stared fixedly at the television for a whole hour as she watched the “Lion” episode of his latest series, “Dynasties.” I have never seen Floof concentrating on anything for so long, and it wasn’t just the movement and noises of lions and their prey running across the screen that held her attention; she was just as interested in the close up shots of the lions’ faces so she must recognise their feline features. It was hilarious to see her so fascinated - but I have a feeling that if she ever met her big cousins from the Serengeti that she so admires, they would slaughter and eat her as a small snack straight away.
James, Ally and I indulged in a bit of hero worship ourselves this evening; we went to see “Bohemian Rhapsody” at the cinema; the biopic of Freddie Mercury. I wasn’t sure how this would work, because who could possibly adequately portray the amazing Freddie? But Rami Malek was fantastic and so were the other actors. After the first five minutes I forgot that it wasn’t the real band, and the music was great. Having been approved by the surviving members of Queen, who are understandably keen to portray Freddie fondly, the film was perhaps a little sanitised, but we didn’t mind and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Sunday, 25 November 2018
Five March
Glasgow March 5 1971 is poem by Edwin Morgan that I studied at school. Although not one of my favourite poems, the image of the young couple as they fall into the plate glass window is certainly striking - a snapshot of a moment in time. When I started at Glasgow University in 1979, Edwin Morgan was still a professor there, but unfortunately due to my youth and ignorance I never sought out the opportunity to meet this remarkable Glaswegian poet.
I didn’t make any connection with the poem when James chose a recently opened restaurant called Five March for our meal on Saturday evening, recommended to us by one of his foodie colleagues. We went there with Heather and Ewan and had a tasty meal of small plates made with unusual combinations of delicious and fresh ingredients. We asked the waiter (who I suspect may also have been one of the owners) about the origin of its name and when he told us that it was named after an Edwin Morgan poem I immediately realised which one and was delighted by the literary reference!
Later we met up with Ally to see Jools Holland and his band at the Armadillo. As usual it was a tremendously good show with some of his favourite guests; Marc Almond, Eddi Reader and of course the marvellous Ruby Turner were all in excellent voice. When we were strolling towards the entrance we noticed that huge quantities of very young teenagers were flocking to the adjacent Hydro*. They were very lively, and in high spirits, shouting and screaming and throwing drinks bottles about. Not that we Jools Holland fans weren’t in high spirits, in fact we were soon all jigging about as much as our aged limbs would allow, but we were definitely much better behaved!
* They were going to see a band called the Courteeners, of whom I have to admit I have never heard.
I didn’t make any connection with the poem when James chose a recently opened restaurant called Five March for our meal on Saturday evening, recommended to us by one of his foodie colleagues. We went there with Heather and Ewan and had a tasty meal of small plates made with unusual combinations of delicious and fresh ingredients. We asked the waiter (who I suspect may also have been one of the owners) about the origin of its name and when he told us that it was named after an Edwin Morgan poem I immediately realised which one and was delighted by the literary reference!
Later we met up with Ally to see Jools Holland and his band at the Armadillo. As usual it was a tremendously good show with some of his favourite guests; Marc Almond, Eddi Reader and of course the marvellous Ruby Turner were all in excellent voice. When we were strolling towards the entrance we noticed that huge quantities of very young teenagers were flocking to the adjacent Hydro*. They were very lively, and in high spirits, shouting and screaming and throwing drinks bottles about. Not that we Jools Holland fans weren’t in high spirits, in fact we were soon all jigging about as much as our aged limbs would allow, but we were definitely much better behaved!
* They were going to see a band called the Courteeners, of whom I have to admit I have never heard.
Only remembered for what we have done
On Friday I went over to Carmunnock to watch their Drama Club’s winter show, which this year was a moving tribute to the villagers from 100 years ago; the soldiers who fought in the First World War and the villagers at home who worked to support the war effort. The actors all played real people and you could tell that it was very personal to the community. At the end the entire cast sang a hymn “Only Remembered” about being remembered for your deeds which had many of us in tears, myself included. It was really respectful and a lovely way for the village to remember and honour their forebears.
Thus would we pass from this earth and its toiling,
Only remembered for what we have done.
Only remembered, only remembered,
Only remembered for what we have done.
Thus would we pass from this earth and its toiling,
Only remembered for what we have done.
Only the truth that in life we have spoken,
Only the seed that in life we have sown.
These shall pass onwards when we are forgotten,
Only remembered for what we have done.
Who’ll sing the anthem and who’ll tell the story?
Will the line hold, will it scatter and run?
Shall we at last be united in glory?
Only remembered for what we have done.
by Horatius Bonar
The next day we met Heather and Ewan at the Art Galleries to attend a talk with slides and film clips about the identification and reburial of 250 Australian and British soldiers who were killed at the battle of Fromelles on 19th and 20th July 1916. Heather’s Mum and Dad had told her about it and they very kindly invited us along. It was absolutely fascinating. The battle was a disaster for the Allies with 5500 Australian soldiers and 2000 British soldiers killed or wounded. The Germans buried the dead but eight communal burial areas were overlooked in the 1920s when most of the war dead were reinterred by the War Graves Commission. In 2008 the exercise began to exhume, identify, and bury the men, this time in their own graves with headstones. Not all could be identified, but a remarkable number were, using clothing, badges, dental and DNA testing. The film clips showing the gratitude of the families of the soldiers were especially moving. One mother had written to the authorities in the early 1920s desperately hoping for confirmation of where her son was buried. Sadly she was long dead by the exhumation but now her son has been identified and reburied, and we saw a photograph of his gravestone. For the second time in two days I was moved to tears.
Fading away like the stars in the morning,
Losing their light in the glorious sun.Thus would we pass from this earth and its toiling,
Only remembered for what we have done.
Only remembered, only remembered,
Only remembered for what we have done.
Thus would we pass from this earth and its toiling,
Only remembered for what we have done.
Only the truth that in life we have spoken,
Only the seed that in life we have sown.
These shall pass onwards when we are forgotten,
Only remembered for what we have done.
Who’ll sing the anthem and who’ll tell the story?
Will the line hold, will it scatter and run?
Shall we at last be united in glory?
Only remembered for what we have done.
by Horatius Bonar
The next day we met Heather and Ewan at the Art Galleries to attend a talk with slides and film clips about the identification and reburial of 250 Australian and British soldiers who were killed at the battle of Fromelles on 19th and 20th July 1916. Heather’s Mum and Dad had told her about it and they very kindly invited us along. It was absolutely fascinating. The battle was a disaster for the Allies with 5500 Australian soldiers and 2000 British soldiers killed or wounded. The Germans buried the dead but eight communal burial areas were overlooked in the 1920s when most of the war dead were reinterred by the War Graves Commission. In 2008 the exercise began to exhume, identify, and bury the men, this time in their own graves with headstones. Not all could be identified, but a remarkable number were, using clothing, badges, dental and DNA testing. The film clips showing the gratitude of the families of the soldiers were especially moving. One mother had written to the authorities in the early 1920s desperately hoping for confirmation of where her son was buried. Sadly she was long dead by the exhumation but now her son has been identified and reburied, and we saw a photograph of his gravestone. For the second time in two days I was moved to tears.
Thursday, 22 November 2018
Government Response
Alasdair gave me a challenge after he and Cat attended the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in London on 11th November. He wanted me to find out what piece of music is played while the Prime Minister and the other politicians lay their wreaths. I did a bit of googling but, although you can easily find a list of the music that is played each year, I wasn’t sure which piece was played when. So what to do? I contacted the government of course! In fact I sent an email to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, because they organise the Remembrance Day service.
And I was impressed when only a couple of days later I received this response:
Dear Ms Anderson,
Thank you for your correspondence of 15 November about the music that was played on Remembrance Sunday when the Prime Minister and others lay their wreaths. I am replying as a member of the Ministerial Support Team.
The department can confirm that the music played was Beethoven's Funeral March No. 1 - Johann Heinrich Walch.
I hope that this information is helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Dempster Marples
Ministerial Support Team
What a helpful response - and as Ally pointed out, what a great name!
And I was impressed when only a couple of days later I received this response:
Dear Ms Anderson,
Thank you for your correspondence of 15 November about the music that was played on Remembrance Sunday when the Prime Minister and others lay their wreaths. I am replying as a member of the Ministerial Support Team.
The department can confirm that the music played was Beethoven's Funeral March No. 1 - Johann Heinrich Walch.
I hope that this information is helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Dempster Marples
Ministerial Support Team
What a helpful response - and as Ally pointed out, what a great name!
Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Heavy eye sockets
Last night I went to see The Madness of George III being performed in the theatre in Nottingham Playhouse - except that I watched it with Jackie at the Grosvenor Cinema in Glasgow! It’s the first time that I have gone to see a live performance being filmed and transmitted into cinemas, unless you count the live Q & A sessions after the Michael Caine and Peter Jackson films recently. But this was the whole performance, and it felt strange that although we were seeing it on the screen it was being performed live. I have seen various similarly broadcast productions advertised and it seems to be an increasingly popular (and cost effective) way of seeing live theatre performed by top luvvies.
I was slightly concerned that it would lose out by being both less polished and edited than a film, and less immediate and personal than the theatre, but I needn’t have worried. It was brilliant and funny and the acting was amazing especially by Mark Gatiss, and there was a nice wee introduction before it started. This was useful for me because I have never seen the film, so it gave me a bit of background. Jackie on the other hand has seen the film more than once and it is one of her favourites, so we were both extremely happy as we sat in the comfy Grosvenor cinemas seats and enjoyed the fine performance and chatted at the interval. I would definitely do this again, which is just as well because I’m already booked to go with my Cambuslang book club to see NT Live’s Antony and Cleopatra in December.
Today I have not felt 100%. I went swimming, and did some housework and had a really nice meet-up with Jennifer G, but by tea-time I was really flagging and took to my bed. When James asked rather tetchily what was the matter with me, I explained that my eye sockets felt heavy, which he found rather amusing.
I was slightly concerned that it would lose out by being both less polished and edited than a film, and less immediate and personal than the theatre, but I needn’t have worried. It was brilliant and funny and the acting was amazing especially by Mark Gatiss, and there was a nice wee introduction before it started. This was useful for me because I have never seen the film, so it gave me a bit of background. Jackie on the other hand has seen the film more than once and it is one of her favourites, so we were both extremely happy as we sat in the comfy Grosvenor cinemas seats and enjoyed the fine performance and chatted at the interval. I would definitely do this again, which is just as well because I’m already booked to go with my Cambuslang book club to see NT Live’s Antony and Cleopatra in December.
Today I have not felt 100%. I went swimming, and did some housework and had a really nice meet-up with Jennifer G, but by tea-time I was really flagging and took to my bed. When James asked rather tetchily what was the matter with me, I explained that my eye sockets felt heavy, which he found rather amusing.
Monday, 19 November 2018
Lunch at the River Café
We each chose a destination for our last day in London. James chose the Bank of England Museum. It’s only open mid week so our extended weekend was a good chance to visit. For me the museum was mildly interesting and I enjoyed its human interest stories, for example Kenneth Grahame (who wrote “Wind in the Willows) worked there and retired early due to workplace bullying. Or how an honest (luckily) sewer worker demonstrated to the bank officials that the bank was not secure by appearing out of a drain in the basement! James on the other hand was fascinated by the history of the place; why there was a need for a central bank and the early promissory notes. We both tried holding a gold bar (safely stored behind bars so that we couldn’t nick it) which was very heavy.
Then it was time for my choice; The River Café. Wow. Just wow. It’s at Hammersmith right beside the river and involved a journey by tube followed by a fifteen minute walk. I have wanted to go there for ages and the last time I booked it I got a phone call to ask me to postpone because they were having a private party that day. So I was very impressed when the waitress brought us complimentary champagne to say thanks, they must have made a note on my email address. Not that I could drink the champagne, but James certainly enjoyed both glasses! The decor of the restaurant is modern and bright, and the food was Italian and excellent. But as a shameless celebrity spotter I was blown away to notice that top luvvies Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson AND Tim Rice were sitting at the VERY NEXT TABLE! Oh my goodness! I was beyond excited. I went to the toilet twice during the meal so that I could casually and subtly get a better look at them on my way past. It was so exciting! James has informed me that it would be unfair to blog about what they were eating so I will refrain. We had a lovely walk along the river after lunch. I said to James “I bet that you have a much more exciting time in London when I’m with you,” to which he replied “Well, I certainly have a more expensive time when you’re with me!”
When we got to London City Airport for our flight home, guess who was on the same flight? Was it perchance another celebrity? It was our Ewan, that’s who, on his way home from a business meeting in London. This was even better than seeing a celebrity because we could chat with him rather than glancing surreptitiously at him! And now we are home, reunited with the cats and Alasdair.
Then it was time for my choice; The River Café. Wow. Just wow. It’s at Hammersmith right beside the river and involved a journey by tube followed by a fifteen minute walk. I have wanted to go there for ages and the last time I booked it I got a phone call to ask me to postpone because they were having a private party that day. So I was very impressed when the waitress brought us complimentary champagne to say thanks, they must have made a note on my email address. Not that I could drink the champagne, but James certainly enjoyed both glasses! The decor of the restaurant is modern and bright, and the food was Italian and excellent. But as a shameless celebrity spotter I was blown away to notice that top luvvies Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson AND Tim Rice were sitting at the VERY NEXT TABLE! Oh my goodness! I was beyond excited. I went to the toilet twice during the meal so that I could casually and subtly get a better look at them on my way past. It was so exciting! James has informed me that it would be unfair to blog about what they were eating so I will refrain. We had a lovely walk along the river after lunch. I said to James “I bet that you have a much more exciting time in London when I’m with you,” to which he replied “Well, I certainly have a more expensive time when you’re with me!”
When we got to London City Airport for our flight home, guess who was on the same flight? Was it perchance another celebrity? It was our Ewan, that’s who, on his way home from a business meeting in London. This was even better than seeing a celebrity because we could chat with him rather than glancing surreptitiously at him! And now we are home, reunited with the cats and Alasdair.
Sunday, 18 November 2018
Sunday evening in Soho
Today we set off on the Northern Line to Colindale to visit the RAF Museum. It was my idea because I thought that James would like it, and it was an absolute triumph. James was just so happy and we wandered around all the hangars for three and a half hours. There are six large hangars filled with MANY aircraft. James looked at every single plane and kept up a very informative running commentary e.g. how to tell the difference between a Hurricane and a Spitfire (wing-shape and height of cockpit). As we left, James mentioned that it had been a very good “initial visit” and that he would like to return to spend more time there! MORE time? I was flabbergasted, but if that makes him happy then we shall return.
Later we went to Soho, where we found that the Christmas decorations are up and lit. At the entrance to Carnaby Street there was a sign which said “Welcome to Sohoho Ho Ho Ho” which I found rather amusing. We went to Cahoots, a tiny forties style pub in an old underground station, with 1940s decor and live music; it was like a step back in time and had huge variety of cocktails which were served in quirky drinking vessels. It had a great atmosphere. We went to nearby Dehesa for really gorgeous tapas, before strolling along Regent Street which was decorated with huge and spectacular angels. We were surprised to see several shapely young folk, both male and female, cavorting about in Piccadilly Circus wearing only pants and body paint! They looked a bit chilly actually, and were chanting something along the lines of “We love chaos!”
Oh I do love London.
Later we went to Soho, where we found that the Christmas decorations are up and lit. At the entrance to Carnaby Street there was a sign which said “Welcome to Sohoho Ho Ho Ho” which I found rather amusing. We went to Cahoots, a tiny forties style pub in an old underground station, with 1940s decor and live music; it was like a step back in time and had huge variety of cocktails which were served in quirky drinking vessels. It had a great atmosphere. We went to nearby Dehesa for really gorgeous tapas, before strolling along Regent Street which was decorated with huge and spectacular angels. We were surprised to see several shapely young folk, both male and female, cavorting about in Piccadilly Circus wearing only pants and body paint! They looked a bit chilly actually, and were chanting something along the lines of “We love chaos!”
Oh I do love London.
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