Saturday, March 01, 2008

Never 'budged' all day- Aunty Polly

Lovely quiet day again - just stopped at home and didn't 'budge'. Don't know whether that's just Erewash Valley for 'not going out' but that's what we did. Papers, books, radio, afternoon nap - the whole 'experience' in fact.

I cooked from my new Delia for main meal. Her 'Memories of Goulash' recipe - photo and ingredients to follow tomorrow. She suggested dessertspoons of 2 different paprikas 1. hot and 2. La Chinata or El Avion sweet smoked paprika. I hadn't got either but I will look in the supermarket. So I just used 2 dessertspoons of ordinary paprika.

The result was fine. Not good quality shin beef but cheap/undefined from Lidl, hence not quite melt-in-the-mouth but topmarks for flavour. Jill would have needed mopping-up bread and Debra would have used her desert spoon (to Bungus's horror). Followed by Xmas pudding and custard. Unfortunately we've now finished the xmas puds - till next year I suppose.

For lunch we had very fresh free-range eggs with soldiers. Again, Lidl eggs. and deserving high marks. Although described as 'medium' the yolks are in fact large and of a rich colour. They really try for authenticity by sticking feathers onto some of the shells.

Now to the Pictures. No.1. is one of two watercolours I have grown up with. They are more likely gouache but I have always been scared to unfasten the frames and mounts for closer examination.

The family tradition identifies 'Aunty Polly' and the background furniture fits. The portrait used to hang at the bottom of the stairs in the hall. Picture No.2 is around the same period.

Courtesy of my ArtDaily online newspaper, a Julia Margaret Cameron albumen print 1867 of “Julia Jacksonand hung in an exciting sounding exhibition which includes works by Peter Henry Emerson, Francis Frith, and Bill Brandt.

Unfortunately we can't nip in during the week, it's at Stanford University (just outside San Francisco). Highly rated in the Art History world. But to see those photographers all together would be great. As with Art I find 'retrospectives' of single artists abit overwhelming. I once paid extra to see a Mark Rothko exhibition at the Tate but by the time I was halfway round I was Rothko-ed out. Half-a-dozen would have been better.

We watched The Culture Show on BBC 2 and I felt it was first-rate and had a fun 'mash-up' interview with Marcel Duchamp by Andrew Graham-Dixon who is usually good. Y was less interested because she is less into conceptual art than me. Whatever - few people have had more effect on current art than Duchamp. So. Blame him - praise him ! You pays your money and takes your choice.

Quotation slot....... While we are in thought-provoking mode, how does this grab you?

"A photograph is always invisible, it is not it that we see"

Roland Barthes


Comments.... Bungus....Thanks for the 'puzzle' and thanks for the clues. I suppose we should have named Delia earlier. And your 'prize' sggestions for Mannanan sound about right. I might send him the latest Jackie Lawson 'chudliegh' e-card which looks fun.

Your bread & butter pudding made with panatone always sounds good. Not sure about one with dark rum as an ingredient though. I fear it would overpower the subtlety.

David..... Proud of you son! My sentiments exactly but I didn't feel up to an argument.

I've got lots of things to tell you all but Y says my 'blog posts' are too long and people will be bored. So best pace myself I suppose.

Thought the kids might like this animated line....... Sleep tight....Catch you tomorrow....






.



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Folk don’t budge in Mansfield neither (pronounced neether) and are apt to slip into double negatives.

We are saving our Xmas puds until next year when, of course, we shall have them with rum sauce. Custard simply does not appeal; I would look for something else on the menu.

One of our hens is laying again, the other may be. We seem to be getting about an egg a day, which is plenty for our needs (even with 2 extra mouths). Needless to say, they are fresh (ie, less than a fortnight old, unlike those in the shops). Not that there is generally anything wrong with shop eggs; Sandra bought some free range eggs at a house in Ollerton which were certainly older than the Netto ones we had in!

The first pic does look rather ‘solid’ for watercolour. Gouache or poster paint (depending who did it) looks more likely.
What period are the pictures. I have a 2’6” x ‘1’6” studio photo of my great-great-grandfather Strutt, taken in 1890 when he was 90. Your Julia Jackson photo beats that by a few years. Was she a relative? (of yours).

I too enjoyed The Culture Show (such a pity that the little Welsh cinema in a raiway carriage is falling to bits). I to am a bit of a fan of Duchanp – always have very much liked his Nude Descending a Staircase (or is that by another Duchamp?). And I thought the singer pianist at the end could be another Elton John.

I don’t think your blogs are too long. There are parts which I skip but I can put up with that because I am not the only one to consider. If you go on too much I’ll find a subtle way of letting you know.

Granddaughter Alex (18) is aiming to do the Run for Life (in aid of cancer research). She is no athlete but is of athletic build (from her dad, Simon) and has started going to the gym.
Entrants are asked to nominate someone they are doing it for. No surprise, I suppose, but I am touched that she is doing it for me.
Sandra was alarmed when told
“I’ll have GrandBob on my back,” but was soon reassured that ‘GrandBob’ would be printed on her tee shirt.

League Division Two. Two vital must-win relegation games, both drawn.
‘Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.’ it seems.

Anonymous said...

Gentile amici. We have returned from Calabria, Italy having decided to purchase an apartment there. It will be ready in two years time which should give us enough time to learn a bit more of the language. However, we have no problem with ordering food in restaurants and drinks in bars. "Due vino bianco, por favore" always gets what we want.

When the apartment is ready we intend to winter there. Last week the tempertaures were around 15-16 degrees C even with cloud. One day we had a beautiful. cloudless blue sky, bright sun and 19 degrees. We were in T-shirts and the locals still had overcoats on.

I've now caught up with the blog, more or less, and can add that there are 9 teams in the Elite Ice Hockey League. Coventry are skating away with the league title. You can check out all the teams at www.eliteleague.co.uk - Panthers were soundly beaten 1-5 by Coventry last night.

We didn't take many pictures on the Italy trip but spent a lot of time in checking out the area and deciding if we wanted to buy there. The Market Rasen earthquake made the Italian national TV news.

Paul the Plasterer has now finished and he's done a first rate job. Next task is for the plumber to put the radiators back on the walls, then the new flooring can be laid. We've been advised not to decorate the new plaster for 6 months so that will be left until the autumn.

I must check out how long the terracotta warriors are staying for; I'd love to see them. My guess, though nobody would ever admit this, is that the powers-that-be don't want you to photograph them because then you wouldn't buy any postcards.

Whilst in Calabria we visited a 10th Century Byzantine church but were not allowed to photograph inside as the flash would contribute to the deterioration of the frescoes. I'm not sure there's any proof that would happen but, anyway, I would not have used flash as the natural light was adequate and better. I didn't bother to argue but when we are there for longer I might try and persuade them to let me take some shots.

My 'lovely' employers have refused my request for early retirement as I am too valuable to let go. They also told me when I return from my secondment I will be paid almost £7,500 a year less than now. Oh how I laughed.

Ciao!

Rob

Anonymous said...

How lovely, Bungus, to have grand-daughter rnning for you in the Race for Life.

We had a very little Sunday lunch today - chicken - as we ate far too much when we went to new local restaurant on Saturday. It really IS local, lss than 100 yds. away! It looks posh, when you look in, scarlet chandeliers, basket-type chairs with satin cushions, orchids and candles everywhere but actually it is an up-market eat-in chippie....Only half dozen dishes on menu, one is meat, one vegetarian, the others are all
fish. We ordered haddock and one portion of chips between us (having looked at what others were eating) the pieces of fish were huge, overhung those large oval platters, and we couldn't finish all the chipe. The fish was the best I've hd in a long time, light crispy batter. But we would both have really rather had smaller portions, then we could have had one of the delicious-looking puddings. They are going to do take-away soon.....

Anonymous said...

Appreciate this kind of beneficial submit! Please always keep it coming. Cheers.

Anonymous said...

Beneficial write-up! Always makes total perfect sense. And appeared to be obvious to see too.