Big bridge
I feel a trip to Millau coming on.
Mixed messages
On the main church in Taormina, right at the top of the façade, there is a skull and crossbones. Catholic pirates?
Arundel Festival Fringe
Yesterday, we had a potter about the Gallery Trail that forms part of the Arundel Festival Fringe. enjoying the opportunity to see some good art (and some less-good art) as well as the chance to poke about inside other people’s homes. There will be pictures soon.
This was followed by a rather good meal in the Fox Goes Free at Charlton, a haunt from long ago that I haven’t visited in a fair while. Ham, egg ‘n’ chips – mmmmmm.
Today we’re going to saunter around West Dean.
Humorous title
David Fawcett should really be a blogger – I think he’d be very good at it. His pictures are simple, low key and possibly even not that artistically accomplished. But the genius is in the titles and the spirit that they catch. We saw his work at an exhibition in Tunbridge Wells on Saturday – he was there, being immensely jovial and good-natured (and as tall as he depicts himself in his paintings). You can see his work here. I particularly like "Quiet Fart" – I think we’ve all been there.
Worst interiors of 1974
Wallpaper* magazine would love some of these.
Enemy
Last night, we went to see a play – the first play that I’ve been to see in absolutely aeons. It was Arthur Miller’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of The People – certainly thought-provoking stuff given events that have been in the news in recent months. It was an amateur production by The Trinity Theatre Club, and was every bit as good as many professional productions that you might see – the actor playing Dr Stockman was particularly good. It’s on until tomorrow, so if you can get to see it, I commend it to you.
It’s a particularly timeless play. Although it was written many years ago, and Miller’s adaptation was intended to reflect on McCarthyism in the 1950s, it still has resonance today – (as the publicity material suggests) you might watch it and think of the Kelly affair. It also shows that heroes are rarely without taint and flaw.
In that respect, it reminded me of one of my favourite books, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – science fiction in its day that now seems to be only too true. So, a bit late for Book Day, which was yesterday, but there are a couple of recommendations for you.
Poster
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the breaking of the 900-day seige of Leningrad in the Second World War, the Russians have set up several displays and monuments including this poster:
Just so that you can get a sense of scale, that little dot at the bottom of the poster is a woman looking up at it.
Who needs Millennium Domes?
The Acme Futurematic Push-Button Home of Tomorrow
Futuro House – like something from the Jetsons. Link via Marcia.