Continue reading “after michaelmas”
Category: dates & time
still reigning
Today* has been the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. I’ve never really understood why she gets two birthdays, but assume she chose a date in June in the hopes that it might be better weather for Trooping the Colour than her actual birthday, which falls in late April.
Continue reading “still reigning”
spring lamb with floral trimmings
It’s Bank Holiday weekend. Not May Day weekend, as it should be; nor yet “Spring bank holiday”, as I thought it might be. It’s simply “Early May bank holiday”, an anodyne phrase with no dangerous political connotations to offend or inspire.
It poured with rain half the night and is still damp and unappealing outdoors and uninspiring indoors, so I thought I’d brighten things up with some recent photos.
poems, pictures, books, beasts & castles
It’s April 23rd and there are a number of things to celebrate, so, I’ve gathered together some bits and pieces from the blog archive. First of all, it’s World Book and Copyright Day.
Underground literature
A spotless Stephen King
sits opposite Dostoyevsky
on the metro. The Russian
looks a little down-at-heel:
his jacket, once expensive leather,
is now worn and shabby. Sadly,
he is only a translation. Beside him,
a paternal-looking businessman
holds tight to Harry Potter, while,
further down the car, a little girl
in a blue frock, frets and scuffs
her round-toed sandals. Defiantly,
her bare arms clutch Lewis Carroll
to her undeveloped chest.
a floral motif
Today, according to English tradition, is Primrose Day, which marks the anniversary of the death of the Conservative politician, Benjamin Disraeli. 
don't confuse the narrator 