Category: Entertainment

Across the Tamar …

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… lies the beauty of Cornwall. Once again because I have read so much about it, I felt like I knew it, despite never having been there. Our accommodation was beside the harbour in Falmouth where hundreds of boats are moored and you can watch the ferries coming and going. One drizzly morning we took a ferry up the Falmouth and Truro rivers as far as the tiny hamlet of Malpas. It was magical in that light – the dense foliage that grows down to water level was reflected in the green of the river. There were glimpses of stone cottages, some of which housed smugglers back in the 18th century, and grand houses, the grandest belonging to Lord Falmouth, who still owns all the land you can see on both sides of the river. In one bay there is a pub that dates back to the 13th century and we had delicious fish pie there one evening.

We visited St Ives on a glorious day when the sun glinted off the turquoise sea and holidaymakers thronged the beaches, cafes and ice cream shops. We enjoyed exploring the narrow, winding lanes of Down-along and went into some of the numerous art galleries that are dotted around the town. The jewel in St Ives’s crown is the Tate – a spectacular building housing interesting art.

We also drove to Penzance and onto the charming town of Mousehole, with its quaint walled harbour and meandering lanes. Further along the coast is the Minack Theatre perched on the cliffs overlooking Porthcurnow beach. We enjoyed a performance there as the sun sank behind us, not sure whether we were more captivated by the actors on stage or the vista beyond it – darkening sea, rising moon and even a white-sailed boat moving gracefully through the scene.

Most of the tourists we encountered were from other parts of the country, with a smattering of Dutch and German visitors. Every English family it seems travels with their dog/s. There are dogs in hotels, in restaurants, on beaches, everywhere. On one train trip an imperious young woman with a large dog commanded us to move from our seats in order to give her dog more room – we did not comply!

This is London

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From the glory of the Victorian age and empire, to the teeming streets, train and tube stations, to the art, architecture, theatres and museums, to the river, the stately homes and the picturesque pubs, London is endlessly interesting. We’ve visited Ham House, crossed the Thames in a little ferry and caught a much larger ferry down the river to Greenwich, marvelled at the V & A collections, ridden the tube multiple times, taking the opportunity to observe Londoners in their natural habitat, and taken in a riveting theatre production (Giant at the Harold Pinter Theatre starring the wonderful John Lithgow).

London is also literary. There are blue plaques commemorating when and where a writer lived, bookshops everywhere and the newspapers and magazines available in news agents are numerous – from the frivolous (Hello! OK!) to the serious (London Review of Books, The Economist). It’s a good place to be a bibliophile and I have enjoyed reading hard copies of publications I usually read online. Though most commuters on the tubes seem mesmerised by their phones, there are plenty who read actual books. I sat beside one who carefully placed her bookmark, then wrapped the book in a fabric envelope, which she stowed in her briefcase before alighting.

A poignant sculpture in the forecourt of the Liverpool Street Station commemorates the Kindertransport. It immediately made me think of the marvellous Judith Kerr, who came to England via the Kinderstransport, and went on to write When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, The Tiger Who Came to Tea and the Mog series. How much the poorer we would have been if she had not survived the Holocaust.

Apple of my eye

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What is there to say about New York City that hasn’t already been said? Probably nothing. So I’ll just say that I’ve always wanted to visit. Now I have and I was not disappointed.

The landmarks

The green spaces – Central Park, Bryant Park, the High Line, the trees and planters that line the streets

The Met – in all its wondrous abundance and beauty

The arts – Broadway, Birdland, NY Public Library, Strand Books

There is also the atmosphere of the city as one walks the streets and avenues, which make Manhattan so easy to navigate. The teeming crowds on the sidewalks who follow no discernable rules, try as you might to keep to the right. The snippets of conversation one hears while walking – New York accents and people speaking in languages from all around the world. The myriad street vendors and panhandlers, who will sell you a hotdog, an NYC cap or a bus tour. The outfits, which run the whole gamut from tourists in ‘I heart NYC’ T-shirts to the sartorially exquisite in designer dresses and high heels or suits, ties and hats. It is endlessly fascinating, though one is relieved to get back into one’s air-conditioned hotel room at the end of the afternoon, before going out again in the balmy evening to go to a show, walk along the East River or watch an Amazon zero-hours contractor make a night-time delivery from an e-cycle vehicle. Another striking feature of this magical city is its clear air and clean streets. I loved it!

We needed cheering up

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flowers-003

Feeling sick after watching Trump accepting his win yesterday, I went out and bought flowers. I arranged them in my lovely gold Burslem vase, put them on the coffee table, poured myself a glass of Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc and watched Sense and Sensibility on DVD. Did it make me feel better? Not really in the face of what feels like an unmitigated disaster for the US and the world.  To quote Garrison Keillor I’m going to spend the next four years “raising heirloom tomatoes, meditating, reading Jane Austen, traveling around the country, tasting artisan beers” or a version of that.

La Traviata

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Last Thursday the five of us got into our glad rags and caught the bus to Circular Quay. We walked in the direction of the opera house and got to the end just as the sun was going down. We had a drink and a bite to eat while watching the lights from the harbour bridge appear through the twilight. Then we went into the opera house for a performance of Verdi’s La Traviata. It was a first for all of us and we enjoyed everything about it – the spectacular building with its views of the harbour, the orchestra playing the overture, the sumptuous sets, the singing and the familiar music. We got tears in our eyes when Violetta parts from Alfredo and were stunned when she dies! None of us will quickly forget the wonderful experience.

Watching a TV series in Malaysia

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the good wife

I have never acquired a taste for reality TV and have not watched a single episode of American Idol or Master Chef. However, I did follow The Good Wife while living in New Zealand and when I saw that it was to be shown here, I decided to record it using our Astro box. The package we pay for provides hundreds of channels and a recording device. I find it all a little bewildering because there is no printed TV guide and their website only lists that day’s programmes. I saw the ad for The Good Wife by chance while Jim was watching some sport. The ad claimed the show was appearing on Malaysian TVs “the day after it was screened in the US”! Much more bewildering though was the order in which they screened the episodes here: episode 1 was not The Good Wife at all but some other show, all good with episode 2, then we skipped to episode 4 with episode 3 screening the following week, and so it went on. I never got to see episode 21 at all and it was with relief that I finally watched episode 22. If that is how the series was broadcast in the US I will eat my proverbial hat!