On Five Things (Plus or Minus) On Friday

I think today is going to be a quiet day.

Today was my first visit to the gym in earnest since breaking for my holiday. It wasn't that I wasn't physically active whist on holiday. There were walks (strolls), some boating, lugging of luggage etc but I certainly wasn't deadlifting 100 kgs or doing shuttle runs. I slept badly last night and I have a touch of indigestion so I wasn't champing at the bit to get going but I perservered. My PT has moved her base to a new gym. It's smaller, a bit scruffier and very slightly less convenient than the previous location. I have to take a bus there in the morning and the bus to work now involves two or three changes rather than the direct service. My PT is still working out how the new set up works. As am I. There is outside space to exercise in which is nice in the heat. It will be fine. Of more importance is that the gym we're now in pays rent to the Captain's rugby club.

I have been rehearsing for Skirt. That's going well. We did a full run through on Wednesday - the first one off-book. A bit slow as people are still a bit hesitant about cues. We're running through again on Sunday - that will be better. We've sold about 100 tickets so far. This is out of a possible 480-500 tickets. So that's looking pretty good. The Director is away this week so the AD has been filling in - he's been superb.

The weekend looks busy. Catching up with Andy after work, then with Dad. Saturday I'm in London for the day. Sunday, MLW and the Captain return, I have a rehearsal, dinner with Dad.

We have an outbreak of black mould in the bathroom. Before our holiday MLW was scrubbing away at it with bleach. Since I've gotten back I've had a go at it too and used vinegar in addition to a chlorine based anti-mould spray. I may have ruined a set of towels with some negligent bleach spraying. I've also left the dehumidfier on overnight in the bathroom in an attempt to dry the place out a bit. Any tips and hints gratefully received.

My garden needs some flowering hardy perenials. Perhaps as many as two dozen. Or more. I spent a bit of time dead-heading the roses last night and noticed the lack of flowers. It should be structurally set up for an under storey of flowering perenials. In good garden news, one of the fuschias which I thought was dead might not be and the badly frost-bittin Mexican Orange Blossom continues to recover.

On Brexit in July

I think the Brexit process is continuing much as I expected it to.

The Prime Minister is trying to thread a line between the various factions of her party. It's difficult to tell if she is most concerned about the unity and sanctity of the Tory Party or about achieving some specific Brexit outcome. I sometimes think she might be deliberately edging towards a situation where not leaving the EU is the only alternative to crashing out and will therefore present us staying in as the only option. But then, trying to fudge the internal negotiations to keep the Tory Party together would look identical to that from the outside and perhaps also from the inside of May's head.

The Labour Party are still mostly ineffective caught as they are on a triple bind of Corbyn, Kate Hoey and the Will of the People.

The polls continue to drift very slowly in the direction of Remain. The Poles continue to drift in the direction of Poland.

The economy potters along, still under performing long-term trends let alone a post Depression recovery. Some indicators are up, some down, some behave strangely. Some are charmed.

It is unclear where we are going but it becomes clearer everyday that we are nearly there. At some point soon the EU is going tell us to stop messing about. I think that point is October.

And thoughts turn to panic buying and shortages in the supermarkets. Which probably won't happen *after* Brexit but before Brexit as people like me stockpile food and other necessaries. I recall David Cameron (Britain's, indeed England's, worst every Prime Minister) causing panic buying during a fuel shortage by suggesting that people should panic buy petrol. Twat! That might be the moment when public opinion shifts. I wonder if it will be in time. I am drawing up my list of storable food and necessary household supplies.

On Quentin Tarantino - My Part in His Movies

Over the last little while I have been watching Quentin Tarantino films.

Pulp Fiction. Jackie Brown, Inglorious Bastards. Django Unchained. The Hateful Eight.

The fact that they are distributed by the Weinstein Corporation really jars. It's difficult to look at any of the actresses in the films and not wonder if they've been importuned or worse by Harvey Weinstein.

But other than that Mrs Lincoln, how did you enjoy the films?

Somewhat.

When I was a student Pulp Fiction was very, very trendy. Pretty much everyone had the film poster on their bedroom wall. Well, I didn't, I had posters of Sophie B Hawkings and Tara Fitzgerald. I like Pulp Fiction. It has some cracking performances, some snappy dialogue and a story that is just interesting enough to become more interesting when dealt with in a chronologically jumbled narrative. I don't know that it says much about the human condition but it says it well.

I've struggled with the increasing levels of violence in the films. Pulp Fiction has quite a bit of violence in it. Inglorious Basterds is violent to the point where, when I tried to watch it for the second time I couldn't. The Hateful Eight has quite a lot of very deliberately graphic and exagerated violence. I'm not sure why? I feel that Tarantino is making some point about something but I'm damned if I can work out what it is.

On Friday Fives for Summer

1. What plans did you have for this summer?

I planned to go on holiday (a tour of my English relatives) and to be in a play written by my friend and to make a wooden Tak set.

2. Have you accomplished them or is it still a work in progress?

I have been on holiday. The play is in the latter stages of rehearsal. The wooden Tak set is mostly finished but I need to learn some new skills in order to finish the board.

3. What would make this summer much better for you?

More cold drinks. It's been very, very hot.

4. When did you go back to school from summer break when you were a kid?

That depends very much on which school I was at, in which state, in which hemisphere. In Australia I returned from my summer holiday in January.

5. Is anyone else as shocked as I am that July and most of the summer is nearly over?

I expect they are but who they are, where they are and what the Sam Hill they are going to do about it, I don't know, I just don't know.