Current affairs

A different perspective?

Have a look at the second photo in this news story. The caption suggests that the protestors are on a ledge at a height of 50 feet. Now, using the policeman and the railings to give some idea of the actual height, and judging by the fact that it is only on the first floor of the admittedly high-ceilinged Foreign Office, I reckon that ledge is only 35 feet or thereabouts. Pedant, moi?

People

What is it with people at the moment? Our neighbours aren’t speaking to us, or so it seems, because we have done something (about which I can not speak here) with the best intentions, and it seems that only the local outcast agrees with us. At this rate, we’ll be outcasts too. Meanwhile, one of my clients called me up this afternoon and we had an absolutely extraordinary half-hour telephone conversation in which we seemed to spend a lot of time going nowhere. He seems incapable of realising that I might be a little annoyed that he has not returned some paperwork for seven months in spite of several reminders and seems to try to put the blame on me. This in spite of the fact that the paperwork is sitting on his desk! And when I pointed out that I would be easily satisfied by means of him putting his signature to the papers and sending them back to me, he proceeded to throw all of his toys out of the pram and have a little tantrum. Most revealing was the point when I said that we appeared to be going around in circles with our conversation and he said "yes, but I am going around them the other way". I think that spoke volumes. But then he is Dutch, so I suppose we should forgive him something (not sure what, and no offence to any of our Dutch reader).

Sports coverage

I’ve long believed that the Telegraph has the best sports coverage of the daily newspapers in this country, but I think that the Indy is fast improving. I particularly enjoy the Inside Football columns, as they invariably deal with issues at the sharp end of competitive football, and not the glamour of the Premiership. See today’s article on Brentford.
Also worth reading: Adrian Chiles’s column, even if there is a West Brom bias.
There is also a good article by Will Self on Ellen MacArthur, but it is part of the Indy’s paid-for content. Go find it if you’ve already paid up (I haven’t).

Photo extravaganza

Hels on the walls of the Chateau d'Angers
Hels on the walls of the Chateau d’Angers.

Honfleur harbour
Honfleur harbour.

seagulls on Honfleur harbour wall
For Lord Percy – a bunch of seagulls on the harbour wall at Honfleur, all facing the same way save for one that is facing the other way and appears to have no head. Raawwk!