I have approximately 1,000,009 part recorded songs across computers, tape recorders and, very possibly, wax cylinders.
Having decided that it was time to “finish” some of them and share them with the world the problem then became which one to finish first. Logically (!) I decided to finish one I hadn’t ever even started to record. Since it was one of the first I wrote some 2/3 of my life ago it makes some sort of sense. Take yourself back to 1979……
Inspired by Witchy’s reporting of the Tour coming past the Coven and by the entirely chance intersection of the Tour de France coming to the very bit of East London that I happened to be working in that day Planarchy is alive again for one day. East London was so excited even the DLR got redecorated…..
This particular bit of London didn’t get much attention from the Caravanne…indeed were the often present Police speed trap in place yesterday they’d have had a field day as the pre-Cycling vehicles whizzed through, late for Queenie presumably. Thus the first thing we got a decent view of was the official Tour road-sweeping truck….
The first riders to come through were somewhat slower than most but much smilier!
Then finally the race leaders…..er, racing along.
Then just as the rain eased a little, the Peloton came into view….
..and just as quickly departed….
Followed by a lorra, lorra bikes without riders…. and to think I’ve been wondering how to safely mount two bikes on our car!
Just as we think it’s all over we spy some stragglers….
All over too soon but a memorable experience nonetheless, possibly even better than when we stumbled across it half by accident in Paris (who’d have thought it would go there too?) many years ago.
Larger versions of pix and a couple more too, here….
Finally we got around to watching a DVD that’s been sitting around since Xmas, at least…..and it was every bit as as clever and witty as everyone was telling me. Apart from the excellent writing particular mentions must go to Nic Cage for his wonderful Adam West impersonation whilst Big Daddy and to the young Chloe Moretz as his delightfully dysfunctional daughter. Such an excellent performance in such a violent role for a young girl brings to mind Natalie Portman and her performance in “Leon”. I can only hope Chloe’s future career is more promising since Nat hasn’t, IMHO, made a decent film since (although I think she has made a lot of money and won an Oscar or two).
Recommended.
I like to have a series of something on the Humax for those nights when I wake at three and know I won’t get back to sleep again. Lately it’s been Colditz, a favourite* from my youth. I thought I remembered the series quite well but it wasn’t until last night when I was watching the one where one of the officers fakes madness to escape that we got to one that I remembered almost perfectly. Nevertheless, once again I’m struck by the fact that my first watching of it is longer ago in time than the true events were when I first watched the TV version (yet at the time I’m sure I considered all of WW2 distant history).
* So inspired were my friends and I by Colditz and earlier “The Great Escape” that we had a succession of tunnels dug under the fence at the bottom of our garden through to the railway cutting beyond. When my parents sold the house there was nowhere near enough soil to refill them so many remained partially boarded up hollows. I’d love to know if successive owners of the house have ever come across the tunnels and tried to work out what they were (burrowing space aliens?).
Well fancy that!
I never knew that my favourite cartoon strip is almost exactly ten years younger than me. Then again it doesn’t sound quite so exciting now it’s written down.
I don’t know exactly when I started reading it, presumably it was sometime in the seventies, certainly before I went of to University in ’79 and I’ve been a pretty consistent reader ever since, much easier now that I can read it daily on-line. Bizarrely, on the days that I also have a paper copy of the Grauniad I’ll read that version too (just in case it’s different). The politics is sometimes a bit too American to fully understand but the endearing characters keep me coming back.
Happy 40th Doonesbury, long may you continue.
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