tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71598296525825808692024-03-14T08:00:15.149+11:00Wendy off the rock... ...the adventures and musings of an Aussie in LondonWendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.comBlogger156125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-85124672725955297142020-04-09T16:01:00.000+10:002020-04-10T10:42:01.535+10:00Honour at the drive-in<br />
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Honor Blackman — the forebear of all stunning and svelte onscreen butt-kicking females — died this week. She was 94.</div>
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For me, there's a strangely satisfying incongruity in the fact that the name Honor will forever be synonymous with Pussy Galore. </div>
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Was it?</div>
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An honour.</div>
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Or was it a fortuitous annoyance to her?</div>
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I mean, when asked to name a Bond girl, I immediately think of her or Honey Ryder — played by the equally ironically named Ursula Andress —famous for emerging from the sea in a state of un-dress.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Zephyr was like this one, only cream.</td></tr>
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I remember the first time I saw <i>Goldfinger, </i>even though, at age 7, I probably wasn't supposed to see it at all. I was supposed to have fallen asleep in the back of our Ford Zephyr, curled up with my pillow on the back seat, under the red tartan travel rug. It was always a bit too prickly to be really snug, that blanket, but I did love making short stubby plaits of its fringed ends.</div>
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It was a Bond double feature at the Oakleigh Drive-in. We arrived just before dark. Mum and I stayed in the car watching changing advertisements on the giant screen while Dad took my brother through the labyrinth of bumps, cars and speaker cords to the brightly lit take-away store. It looked like something off <i>My Three Sons</i> or <i>The Donna Reed Show</i>. </div>
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They came back with milkshakes and chips — hot salty chips in a bucket, not wrapped in paper like <br />
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from the fish 'n chip shop.<br />
Mum said I had to be careful not to spill anything. </div>
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The movie had no story or songs – not like <i>Mary Poppins</i>, anyway. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just a lot of men in screeching cars and loud gunshots...<br />
Plus a skinny blonde lady who fought with men. </div>
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Dad told my brother to stop asking questions and just watch the movie. </div>
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So I kept quiet.</div>
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And I watched that beautiful skinny lady fight the bad guys.</div>
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I remember. <br />
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So, yeah, I wonder if Honor felt honoured and proud to be Pussy Galore.<br />
I reckon she should have.<br />
She was a bad-ass pioneer.<br />
Not like Mary Poppins at all.</div>
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If my recollection has stirred any reminiscences for you, I'd love to hear them.</div>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-61740785181031680312020-04-06T13:28:00.001+10:002020-04-06T13:31:46.026+10:00Five shot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just read a news story about a guy in Russia who shot five people in the flat opposite his over an argument about undue noise. Extreme. Sure. But I have to confess I kind of know how he feels. In fact, I'm willing to stick my neck out and suggest that the vast majority of us who live in close proximity to strangers, and are now locked up in close proximity to said strangers, can find just the teensiest bit of sympathy for him tucked away in a secret corner of our beings. Can't we? Or is it just me?<o:p></o:p></div>
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To set the scene, the kids and I moved into a city townhouse just a few weeks before the world started shutting down. It's a comfortable little 4-level south-facing abode with a geisha-sized footprint. For over a century, the street was home to Croxton Park Tannery, but now it's home to hundreds of us in 130 townhouses and 53 apartments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original tannery building built in 1900.</td></tr>
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Well, of course, I wasn't supposed to be moving in. Mine was intended only to be a short-term residency as amateur interior designer and untrained transition-support person on loan from London.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But Covid–19.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anyhow, in the townhouse to our right are lovers of late-night doof-doof music and daytime sleeping. To our left can be found two excitable Samoyeds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Two excitable but largely untrained Samoyeds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Two excitable, largely untrained, loud Samoyeds whose nemesis is apparently the equally loud and untrained canine occupant of the townhouse opposite.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The only joy I get from their matutinal call-and-answer hysteria across the concrete canyon is that it must really piss-off the nocturnal doof-doofers next door.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One sunny day early last week — was it only last week? maybe it was last month or last millennium: time has no substance anymore — one sunny day recently, through our open living room door wafted the rather polished voice of an elderly female neighbour who likes to make her calls on her balcony. Maximum network coverage that way: all 181 other residences can be privy to her conversations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cactii are fake.</td></tr>
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She was on the phone to her friend in Hong Kong confirming that she intended to go ahead with her planned visit. After all, it had cost her a fortune, she exclaimed, and she might as well be in an apartment with her friend there as here. An overseas holiday. To Hong Kong. Ummm. Really?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I didn't want to shoot her, but I did want to yell at her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mind you, we haven't heard from her in a while. Maybe she's enjoying her 14-day hotel stay courtesy of the state government.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I thought it would be a good idea to join the 185K (and growing) others around the globe who are posting views from their windows. Have you been looking at those?</span><br />
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Positive, mood-lifting images to connect me to other human beings, I thought. <o:p></o:p></div>
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How lovely.</div>
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Well, just a few time-wasting visits had me feeling even more trapped and isolated than before. I'm not a Gram-er, so I've never seen so many glorious wide-open spaces, Monet-worthy sunsets and perfectly curated private gardens in one place before. It was downright depressing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Do you think that one day social media will, like Pop, eat itself? So much self-congratulation and shameless self-promotion. So little compassion. So much photoshopping of life. Too little honesty.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our garden</td></tr>
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Still, I've moved on to the <i>Bridging the Distance</i> Facebook group set up by National Museum Australia with the purpose of collecting stories and images of daily life that document what they call '<span style="background: white;">a Defining Moment in both Australia's and the world's history'. And this morning there was a post that simply said: <span style="color: #444444;">"</span></span><i><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444;">Today I'm sad. I keep trying to focus on positives, but I'm confused and sad. I'm ok, but sad. I guess we all feel this way"</span></span></i><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444;">.</span><br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="background: white;">Yep.</span><span style="background: white;">For sure.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bedroom window is frosted.</td></tr>
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So, in the spirit of attempting to keep things real in this surreal time, I've included pics from our windows, and I'd love you to post yours in the comments section accompanying this.</div>
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ps.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hey, did you realise that <i>camped in</i> is an anagram of <i>pandemic</i>?<o:p></o:p></div>
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You're right.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I've been watching way too many episodes of <i>8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-37099180599232375712020-04-02T18:15:00.002+11:002020-04-02T18:15:56.177+11:00Stirring up ghosts
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSwyhLVNojzc0A3x-GOF0Dv5JhHe9bUcbKHJEmo175K83-iiJFfLUaIU2B_yGMtFh8l8Go0pRvdrmE_fLYBQHQprqRABJB8ZYUR-Jan2bmZoMKvV48UgZNB-MbpNNKq_YKUlrGd83JK4/s1600/1D790139-B0B4-4138-ADAC-C4B992281595_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="1024" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSwyhLVNojzc0A3x-GOF0Dv5JhHe9bUcbKHJEmo175K83-iiJFfLUaIU2B_yGMtFh8l8Go0pRvdrmE_fLYBQHQprqRABJB8ZYUR-Jan2bmZoMKvV48UgZNB-MbpNNKq_YKUlrGd83JK4/s400/1D790139-B0B4-4138-ADAC-C4B992281595_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121416; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Chris Hemsworth as ‘Thor’<span> </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121416; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">|<span> </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #121416; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">© Disney/Marvel</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjL6WlzpAiO3_XKWA8cvhZ4fjUySII0Axfxt3Wy2F5KZGC3SpAVo_0s9zb-mxXXiNt42Tk8bXUF-JXt3ZkI-grEsAS8ZzWaTELAmYZ5GjLF_6zIUguq_cbTw1O-B1ah6Hdskovzm_A-4o/s1600/0995F3D1-7451-4D28-837D-3BDA6D2B92F4_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1276" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjL6WlzpAiO3_XKWA8cvhZ4fjUySII0Axfxt3Wy2F5KZGC3SpAVo_0s9zb-mxXXiNt42Tk8bXUF-JXt3ZkI-grEsAS8ZzWaTELAmYZ5GjLF_6zIUguq_cbTw1O-B1ah6Hdskovzm_A-4o/s320/0995F3D1-7451-4D28-837D-3BDA6D2B92F4_1_201_a.jpeg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grass trodden by Thor!</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;">I<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> promised myself never to take the sight of
Christopher Wren's</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> distinctive Old Royal Naval College<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"> for granted, no matter how often I see</span> it in my time at Greenwich.
It's an easy promise to keep. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time
it comes into view, from river bus, footpath or big red bus, I marvel anew at
its symmetry of design, its grandeur and the centuries of cultural change it
communicates. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And I'm repeatedly awestruck that these elegant buildings were
completed and opened <span id="goog_1074191268"></span><span id="goog_1074191269"></span>some 76 years before Lieutenant Cook landed at Botany Bay.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We white Australians have such a short
story.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dNuwg1djyeEeICyDJPHD4lt38BcJiCRwcJZLNjXAkcaZ0LKGoGdHoFsWlD0ky0kNQi_Qr9PhxbcGKnAgF7aCW-flSA6QqQG7T-lPviEeQyyV90X2QgM3w2-ev04R-5oVmc9KohKBzto/s1600/IMG_5443.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dNuwg1djyeEeICyDJPHD4lt38BcJiCRwcJZLNjXAkcaZ0LKGoGdHoFsWlD0ky0kNQi_Qr9PhxbcGKnAgF7aCW-flSA6QqQG7T-lPviEeQyyV90X2QgM3w2-ev04R-5oVmc9KohKBzto/s320/IMG_5443.jpeg" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inside the Painted Hall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Some of the internal spaces are equally stunning. Thornhill’s
Painted Hall is an exquisite storybook of characters from history and myth, and
the chapel never fails to make me think of fine Wedgewood china.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But, let's face it, it's also pretty gosh-darn impossible not to
be gobsmacked that, almost daily, I'm standing where the mighty Thor battled
Malekith, evil leader of the Dark Elves —— right there between the domes in beautiful
downtown Greenwich. Truly. Awesome.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcetoqFQzjauM4wDIOAi6sLaHIAmjK1TgXxnGGIVHT6mswtp_rH9l0iwMlzFgGhB2Q33iM6TZ5UJwMYydmnGcpLXlEXxkYgA8e7LNRU4ytph25QoUML6RGYc8EIxd0VoXkuofp413btF4/s1600/1F638795-FAA9-49BA-BED3-FE27EB3F4E48_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1232" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcetoqFQzjauM4wDIOAi6sLaHIAmjK1TgXxnGGIVHT6mswtp_rH9l0iwMlzFgGhB2Q33iM6TZ5UJwMYydmnGcpLXlEXxkYgA8e7LNRU4ytph25QoUML6RGYc8EIxd0VoXkuofp413btF4/s320/1F638795-FAA9-49BA-BED3-FE27EB3F4E48_1_201_a.jpeg" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the chapel</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But these impressive buildings were created not just to inspire
awe and celebrate the glories of Britain. </span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As the </span><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Royal Hospital for Seamen,</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> they
housed thousands of pensioned </span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">seafarers,
plus the widows and children of such men. Some of the inhabitants were highly </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">distinguished,
some were scoundrels. Many were quite unremarkable. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But life is a narrative. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Everyone, no matter how seemingly ordinary, has a story.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Pensioners </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And so it was that a small
group of enthusiastic amateur-historian volunteers became the <i>Lives of Pensioners
Research Project</i>. <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our objective:
to transcribe some 250 wills of people who lived at the Hospital </span>in the
18th and 19th centuries <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and,
using them as a starting point, to flesh out their narratives — to put the people
back in the buildings.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJuzErR4IJ3kYHbTPqobCPtsTxSuU95wynjDG88WwSufoaKvcLStwsQQdXQll7yfz-H1AcBi0wn3VQdRkb0g49bq0WbOOP81Okw-mlNYH6om72nkkK6EuydtN9R1AF0vV7nIwJxSfr8c/s1600/Image+22-03-2020+at+13.25.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1106" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJuzErR4IJ3kYHbTPqobCPtsTxSuU95wynjDG88WwSufoaKvcLStwsQQdXQll7yfz-H1AcBi0wn3VQdRkb0g49bq0WbOOP81Okw-mlNYH6om72nkkK6EuydtN9R1AF0vV7nIwJxSfr8c/s400/Image+22-03-2020+at+13.25.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just
reading the handwriting, dealing with variant spellings and navigating the lack
of punctuation in historical wills posed problems to we novices. So, a core
group of seven met over Tuesday morning coffee to compare notes, check each
other’s transcriptions and compile lists of names, places, words and dates that
needed further investigation. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I lack
the formidable knowledge of British history and naval traditions in general, and
of Greenwich in particular, that the others have. I didn't know the typical
names of the era and common place names were a mystery to me. I couldn't even
have told you what county Greenwich was in. Boatswain, testatrix, the Chalk Groins
— all strangers to me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bumpkin
from the Antipodes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pop kulcha
loving hick from the New World.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Definitely
odd-one-out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That
is me.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIgqf7cdN5_beZjhTQrHCIaH6dSTczkcxvVZliNJxk3sxt5Jct6JxX68O8UapMYs6BXHHtwihUUYx4OSjbawGBvqQJubtHg4Omw6lVNXQhMdVUBvwODA8bALgx-8vMbOKE0hRSmlGxK0/s1600/9F209800-9C2C-4D84-9C3A-AEDF90E113AC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIgqf7cdN5_beZjhTQrHCIaH6dSTczkcxvVZliNJxk3sxt5Jct6JxX68O8UapMYs6BXHHtwihUUYx4OSjbawGBvqQJubtHg4Omw6lVNXQhMdVUBvwODA8bALgx-8vMbOKE0hRSmlGxK0/s320/9F209800-9C2C-4D84-9C3A-AEDF90E113AC.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our summer picnic in the grounds with archive staff.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But this
group of intelligent, witty women has become my lifeline. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Intelligent
AND witty AND willing to tolerate me.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Go
figure. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Proves
how great they are — right? </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They
are the only people I've met in my three years in London who have included me
in anything.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I owe
them more than they can possibly imagine.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But I
digress.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Back
to the wills</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgkhzjWgoo5j40vKLxh0-srQ_H2i9JFB7000_kYQ8GG28lXcEIjqVaj6u0gj2eqkpMnUczvQ8siAOeHAhQo6yg1IC4nvDnlBSaA63a7FouVnjWv-HmmBTX-7cu5JiIFBaZZb7Xu5A5MQ/s1600/7CDB6DF1-543F-4860-80AA-58410C58FDE8_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1312" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgkhzjWgoo5j40vKLxh0-srQ_H2i9JFB7000_kYQ8GG28lXcEIjqVaj6u0gj2eqkpMnUczvQ8siAOeHAhQo6yg1IC4nvDnlBSaA63a7FouVnjWv-HmmBTX-7cu5JiIFBaZZb7Xu5A5MQ/s320/7CDB6DF1-543F-4860-80AA-58410C58FDE8_1_201_a.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and on this excursion day, we froze!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We Pensioner
Researchers set out on a fun journey through genealogical data, naval records,
court and parish documents, rate books, letters, diaries, newspapers and
journals. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
explored the treasures of the National Archives at Kew, Caird Library of the
National Maritime Museum, Wellcome Library, and Greenwich Heritage Centre. We
even visited cemeteries and Chatham Historic Dockyard. It's definitely been
what Pooh would call a grand adventure.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Many of
the wills offer little to work with, but others give rise to fascinating questions
or have quirky details to inform our investigations:</span></span>
<br />
<div class="Default" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">pensioner Edmund Grenan stipulates that he be
buried at the very specific cost of £1 11s 6d. How much DID the average funeral
cost?</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">porter
John Woolley</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">bequeaths
each person who supports his pall a hatband and gloves. Gloves seem reasonable,
but why a hatband?</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span>Elizabeth Latham, a nurse 1707–1727, bequeaths
valuable fabric and silverware to her granddaughter, but leaves just one
shilling to her son, John. What did John do to piss her off?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have been stirring up ghosts and helping them tell their
stories. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's fun.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm pretty sure Stan Lee would approve.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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ul
{margin-bottom:0cm;}</style>Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-71112416961979648432019-03-23T07:32:00.000+11:002019-03-23T07:46:44.405+11:00Show and Tell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When we left The Rock, I claimed I would write about all the amazing things I do and see over here, that I'd review theatre and music experiences, describe museum adventures... that I'd blog often.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I haven't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coz really, that's a journal isn't it? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Who cares what I think and do?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My posts that get the best responses are the funny ones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Or the heartfelt ones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJEOg0uROJ0m-Yf3fDzaLdwxoUPLVyMRdHwjMSR0PHLrOw4OmeMecgBLUUpvedSxWTegeDc_9LshA0mYlzoV0pzbHLlOsfSaD_sJjmQTdPYrRSSK_YIGalwBQsH2SYLV1wqJ_1lAx2BU/s1600/IMG_5624.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And if I did write about all those things, wouldn't I run the risk of boring the pants off the precious few people who <i>do</i> visit my blog? And alienate others with tales of my over-privileged-brat existence? I mean, honestly, w</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hy would anyone give a fat rat's rear end about my London life?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well, this week I had an experience that I so desperately need to share, that my brain is <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVts4yuUBYvYzacer2zioS9tWifTJ9PquPqtRe2NZY-9l_xhlhMOFNPSwnFswKNV68i1uA7sByv2s38BUrLqVHxxXRtZwDNvVcab2IhQHjGbfJT-Sl3jz-0k09XUxRTtZtFc_oXFhFEU/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1719.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1271" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVts4yuUBYvYzacer2zioS9tWifTJ9PquPqtRe2NZY-9l_xhlhMOFNPSwnFswKNV68i1uA7sByv2s38BUrLqVHxxXRtZwDNvVcab2IhQHjGbfJT-Sl3jz-0k09XUxRTtZtFc_oXFhFEU/s320/fullsizeoutput_1719.jpeg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clock storage V&A</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
going to explode if I don't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So if you don't give a fat rat's rear end, I fully understand. But I'm going to gush anyway. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Feel free to bail out when you feel your pants slipping off and your brain going numb...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you know me at all, you understand that I became emotionally entangled with the National Vietnam Veterans Museum on The Rock. And I decided that while I was living in this history-soaked city, I would absorb/learn/cram into my leaky brain as much as possible that might benefit NVVM when I come home. So, I'm currently four weeks into twelve mind-expanding Wednesdays of a museum skills course at the magnificent Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpQiX8Z9r0X3sSdjRbtHZihIHhSy7UoLV5xulvQ774kuvedyauShNJt-YuRAc1DO3GxGj_ihVaVx4cCrdSuSG5wQXQu8RhdTxVdDeR21TljbTHPg6ZaNbxOgQqEd5BwTAh5OXhrILVXU/s1600/fullsizeoutput_170a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpQiX8Z9r0X3sSdjRbtHZihIHhSy7UoLV5xulvQ774kuvedyauShNJt-YuRAc1DO3GxGj_ihVaVx4cCrdSuSG5wQXQu8RhdTxVdDeR21TljbTHPg6ZaNbxOgQqEd5BwTAh5OXhrILVXU/s320/fullsizeoutput_170a.jpeg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzZm3JGonnC3EOjksobDAyp6dgx7Ay0YE5rlgGNcwZGEFblKYJWMmvgV6qw6osjMricXPK9ZDKUGA8B2_rDXMdlD7C1HWU8yLQQQAy_YcE3qYkDEqgvtiWIcdl1MRdwy-6L55mYtX5Gs/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1706.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="797" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzZm3JGonnC3EOjksobDAyp6dgx7Ay0YE5rlgGNcwZGEFblKYJWMmvgV6qw6osjMricXPK9ZDKUGA8B2_rDXMdlD7C1HWU8yLQQQAy_YcE3qYkDEqgvtiWIcdl1MRdwy-6L55mYtX5Gs/s400/fullsizeoutput_1706.jpeg" width="197" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This week's topic was <i>Research and Resources</i>. Sounds dry and dull, I hear you say. Fear not! It was anything but...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It all began when the Head Librarian of the National Art Library brought a collection of Charles Dickens' hand-written manuscripts and type-set page proofs into our classroom. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was allowed to handle them, to get up close and personal with how Dickens edited his own writing and to see what a headache he must have given the typesetters who had to make all the adjustments he demanded.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Truly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Right there in my hands.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Dickens.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Breathing was difficult.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Next came a visit to the Prints and Drawing Study Room. Apparently anyone can request to see anything stored there. The collection belongs to the people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A selection of archive boxes had been set out for us to explore. We were encouraged to handle the contents and consider how well they reflect the information stored in the catalogue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In some of those boxes were:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvN4ERnZ8x8p7KubPTgvfmtRTpRyiAY5twySHl66sBy3lmWqOOQFcH6HqdVIgvaaxlcYXDKfSifACJ7KHTcvcHsqBclCOcMysE8sIsewMoeX-NmCIS48V5MECiCKMuxkeuHbAa9HnXtw0/s1600/fullsizeoutput_170e.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="1600" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvN4ERnZ8x8p7KubPTgvfmtRTpRyiAY5twySHl66sBy3lmWqOOQFcH6HqdVIgvaaxlcYXDKfSifACJ7KHTcvcHsqBclCOcMysE8sIsewMoeX-NmCIS48V5MECiCKMuxkeuHbAa9HnXtw0/s320/fullsizeoutput_170e.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E.H Shephard sketches for <i>Now We Are Six</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNy0EDU-TLzlAZQ8se_Zty7V0OZSzzk0FiFrCQ0CDPavitZTmAbW_PeCzaezB4llbKO2vnoXoD7KJ7ekalYU2SEBL4xvt07wYh2D0Nhg9I5-SPpkrE4wgFq9s9mVrISDwfU_1icar9fqA/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1711.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNy0EDU-TLzlAZQ8se_Zty7V0OZSzzk0FiFrCQ0CDPavitZTmAbW_PeCzaezB4llbKO2vnoXoD7KJ7ekalYU2SEBL4xvt07wYh2D0Nhg9I5-SPpkrE4wgFq9s9mVrISDwfU_1icar9fqA/s320/fullsizeoutput_1711.jpeg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medieval illuminated manuscripts</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEgSmhRKjKzvnTYRRditAOs-kUK7z8-9hle21lHkCzMBoIWYy8XLaYkprzI71vMzWvpWOR3v1tQ5SGC4GeqQhEOzz6VQcRyqVhvYAd_ANGx6cVDbcwEauSOjoVA11g1n1cG_VGVuH5a4/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1712.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1209" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEgSmhRKjKzvnTYRRditAOs-kUK7z8-9hle21lHkCzMBoIWYy8XLaYkprzI71vMzWvpWOR3v1tQ5SGC4GeqQhEOzz6VQcRyqVhvYAd_ANGx6cVDbcwEauSOjoVA11g1n1cG_VGVuH5a4/s320/fullsizeoutput_1712.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horst photographs for <i>Vogue</i> in the 1930s</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzF-2GV15-NrQu07U6AemkqoOZp6exFh08Z4AtXDOW8nVUvfkYjfaVXW0aBHGs_IGbJNtQLJ6OtAcE1t03jAxS0LPeuDwAxQQ9ptogLVFNYyCK4drA-EFpcoixJEGq9riFUlOhHncruE/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1705.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1459" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzF-2GV15-NrQu07U6AemkqoOZp6exFh08Z4AtXDOW8nVUvfkYjfaVXW0aBHGs_IGbJNtQLJ6OtAcE1t03jAxS0LPeuDwAxQQ9ptogLVFNYyCK4drA-EFpcoixJEGq9riFUlOhHncruE/s320/fullsizeoutput_1705.jpeg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rembrandt etchings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2AkMZo6T8-fMhO4XfiYICg8sz-_qi8bEUTItDK4Ko0lQuOgGkBvoI6BeZKAJqhmcpBufTeI0HIhy1P4pJryGxWwamSl0m0afuzoMnzHTSZnhCr7Vp9yUOyH7yYs2sC_tQaH6OT0PmaBs/s1600/fullsizeoutput_171e.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2AkMZo6T8-fMhO4XfiYICg8sz-_qi8bEUTItDK4Ko0lQuOgGkBvoI6BeZKAJqhmcpBufTeI0HIhy1P4pJryGxWwamSl0m0afuzoMnzHTSZnhCr7Vp9yUOyH7yYs2sC_tQaH6OT0PmaBs/s320/fullsizeoutput_171e.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blythe House</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By then I needed a good strong cup of tea and a little lie down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But it was only lunchtime.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The V&A has on display only two percent of its collection. Most of it is stored at Blythe House in Olympia, a facility shared with the Science Museum and that also houses the Clothworkers' Centre for the Study and Conservation of Textiles and Fashion.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The building is every bit as immense and imposing as you might imagine it to be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6Nyal8yYHdoXKcUbS_nUITW-QQUpcKDv_4CeVo7f6mPxoM4brKCZ28fen3niq6JEUXfC73ccpGBbkSEyzWYdo-gijI6j6qcYYY2uuCD0NYQ1AzFP7h_V3zAcm94Bx6F0g7E7xGileNI/s1600/fullsizeoutput_171c.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6Nyal8yYHdoXKcUbS_nUITW-QQUpcKDv_4CeVo7f6mPxoM4brKCZ28fen3niq6JEUXfC73ccpGBbkSEyzWYdo-gijI6j6qcYYY2uuCD0NYQ1AzFP7h_V3zAcm94Bx6F0g7E7xGileNI/s320/fullsizeoutput_171c.jpeg" width="292" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the Clothworkers' Centre, mannequins and variously shaped garment bags accommodate gowns and jackets and breeches and suits and dresses and shirts from the greatest of designers and eras —on bespoke hangers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I walked amongst them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Metal drawers protect items too heavy or fragile to hang.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like these:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZNLjmlw_vj3BlUQZlDIye5kJ3NCuL4JfaGeuxbOigXUqETjnG065JSdnm6rSQgVzZuuWmQpfo4NOK2VkCM2HwP1nnk9q7ZAPzg5H4mDLBVt0R4Bo3Rp4vS3BhQK-bGU_JNSPEyUJ3W8/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1715.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZNLjmlw_vj3BlUQZlDIye5kJ3NCuL4JfaGeuxbOigXUqETjnG065JSdnm6rSQgVzZuuWmQpfo4NOK2VkCM2HwP1nnk9q7ZAPzg5H4mDLBVt0R4Bo3Rp4vS3BhQK-bGU_JNSPEyUJ3W8/s400/fullsizeoutput_1715.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norman Hartnell's <i>Flowers of the Fields of France </i>worn by HM Queen Elizabeth II in Paris, 1957.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8qQRY49HAKLBV4DcdlCqVzrGNorJD5_gNk-cCrTJTO6ZJUAVtk6fiA3F9LQXitO6z6TUnDs76LgdS5A-mI3_PE1Bd6ug66a9iN7EPLYgFndxEwHtMRGVVehSGUnGS3Uas4d772OX8PQ/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1716.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8qQRY49HAKLBV4DcdlCqVzrGNorJD5_gNk-cCrTJTO6ZJUAVtk6fiA3F9LQXitO6z6TUnDs76LgdS5A-mI3_PE1Bd6ug66a9iN7EPLYgFndxEwHtMRGVVehSGUnGS3Uas4d772OX8PQ/s320/fullsizeoutput_1716.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's a Norman Hartnell icon, an early example of a formal gown decorated with plastic beads instead of glass, to make it lighter for the small-framed Queen to wear. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Amidst the native flowers and grasses of France, bees — the symbol of Napoleon —hover.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The hem is soiled where it has brushed the floor, and the wine stain on the bodice has yet to be removed by a specialist conservator.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLKW0zWJu1P5pFxeZ3yiqRR9H94yAFDBVYY0WI-6tfioIoeOx50eD4GpOs_ftckdTYd2oKefYEKBaAbwWl8TLW4gTPDz21aTkiuA8mMwkmuC4QbWBcf7K-3G01leCUCVNOgJTyZQVwPk/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1703.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLKW0zWJu1P5pFxeZ3yiqRR9H94yAFDBVYY0WI-6tfioIoeOx50eD4GpOs_ftckdTYd2oKefYEKBaAbwWl8TLW4gTPDz21aTkiuA8mMwkmuC4QbWBcf7K-3G01leCUCVNOgJTyZQVwPk/s320/fullsizeoutput_1703.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapestry from wall hanging c.1570</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">About 15 cm x 7 cm in size, this is one of several pieces of tapestry featuring animals that had been removed from their safe dark bedroom and left on a table for us to scrutinise with a monocle-like magnifying device.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A PhD student investigating art created by women during their incarceration had requested a viewing of these pieces — stitched by Mary Queen of Scots when, having been forced by rampaging Protestants to abdicate, she was imprisoned in Carlisle Castle by Queen Elizabeth 1... 450 years ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6p44NgJpCpWznf-IunxaWdCOTBMhqZ711yILdadoVWf_h4b54yANDz10vspy8f4kP4kVyW029Ljv1Lz9tWNdcGcDzkAzxqMunFSFTqYPREWEdVa1fMiOPJ7znW3XdfCEjxARpjKG9_w/s1600/fullsizeoutput_171a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6p44NgJpCpWznf-IunxaWdCOTBMhqZ711yILdadoVWf_h4b54yANDz10vspy8f4kP4kVyW029Ljv1Lz9tWNdcGcDzkAzxqMunFSFTqYPREWEdVa1fMiOPJ7znW3XdfCEjxARpjKG9_w/s320/fullsizeoutput_171a.jpeg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Seemingly endless hallways of rolling storage vaults house furniture and artwork.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Roomsful of moisture-proof boxes protect manuscripts and theatre programs by the tens of thousand. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wanted to </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hide in there and make it my home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDXFeuuhzgaJEecox1UsoljuwopiX8Cec9Jx_xcFlNTmBfK2kx-S2817NGoqSZwdkkO_srq2eJMTLqG9yteGyelP5ALB5CiZ5AQ5mPXYqv9LUDOZkRhjYKCKrjyPC2AayBkTYXjguJXE/s1600/fullsizeoutput_171b.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDXFeuuhzgaJEecox1UsoljuwopiX8Cec9Jx_xcFlNTmBfK2kx-S2817NGoqSZwdkkO_srq2eJMTLqG9yteGyelP5ALB5CiZ5AQ5mPXYqv9LUDOZkRhjYKCKrjyPC2AayBkTYXjguJXE/s320/fullsizeoutput_171b.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The NVVM collections volunteer in me was just a little amazed to discover that London's Science Museum favours open-shelf storage — no boxes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The accreditation managers at Museums Victoria would fail them for that!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9Ag1jkI4rthqFuMJu8EyqGI-gtd3IdMw4dOjEaskUYjArbcnRCHuNVPUG83c5HMFBJRFwfiaDdwKilZAaOadk944Wt-VaJmh85y5IFF-YKMcTII2l_zFG8GiL17BCTiVb3H0AUKSTzo/s1600/IMG_5640.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9Ag1jkI4rthqFuMJu8EyqGI-gtd3IdMw4dOjEaskUYjArbcnRCHuNVPUG83c5HMFBJRFwfiaDdwKilZAaOadk944Wt-VaJmh85y5IFF-YKMcTII2l_zFG8GiL17BCTiVb3H0AUKSTzo/s320/IMG_5640.jpeg" width="320" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Science Museum treasures in open storage</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wonder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Disbelief.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Overwhelm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> That's what I felt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Overwhelm and a deep sense of privilege — all swirled together with an ever-present awareness that Australia is a such a young country.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's humbling for me to be amidst objects of such rich cultural significance and profound historical interest. I'm pretty sure I've never done anything to deserve such plenty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But I am learning heaps about museums best-practice. I really am. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoR_fqjhk5j84YwBc7moflzTVvGU1Jz76-K9g2wh0J6ZTHlyW62VY7e81WNhOD_TUkWBTDaD63XGa6wZGHZC0_fCiaYST1llFay3jBVe8EnsAoXZ8zSXM3fxumZdsnweINCMSwB6kKacM/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1718.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoR_fqjhk5j84YwBc7moflzTVvGU1Jz76-K9g2wh0J6ZTHlyW62VY7e81WNhOD_TUkWBTDaD63XGa6wZGHZC0_fCiaYST1llFay3jBVe8EnsAoXZ8zSXM3fxumZdsnweINCMSwB6kKacM/s320/fullsizeoutput_1718.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So if you've made it all the way to here, thank you for indulging me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And I sincerely hope you still have your pants on. </span><br />
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Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-20637440699665486832019-03-20T10:14:00.000+11:002019-04-23T23:59:00.619+10:00Of daffodils <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFaJnP9th2nU51EmCD3kA3VDTQzMP3d9HnCLPtm_HsLi5Ayg9vFxSr-tTFUpUS3K7Hpn4AYsVTeOwAe_HyQHz963boYZNjfRVMjM-K5QkW1h1o3nkRV61KEHO0Nttto_9FEJKtrSBBng/s1600/fullsizeoutput_16ec.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFaJnP9th2nU51EmCD3kA3VDTQzMP3d9HnCLPtm_HsLi5Ayg9vFxSr-tTFUpUS3K7Hpn4AYsVTeOwAe_HyQHz963boYZNjfRVMjM-K5QkW1h1o3nkRV61KEHO0Nttto_9FEJKtrSBBng/s320/fullsizeoutput_16ec.jpeg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's Wordsworth time of year — daffodil season. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'Hosts' of the 'jocund' things are 'fluttering and dancing' in parks and public spaces all over London. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bucketsful of rigid buds, not-yet-golden, bundled into £1 and £2 bunches wait patiently in Tescos, Sainsbury's and M&S, promising to fill 'my heart with pleasure' and brighten dull corners of our mostly-grey apartment.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6e_YLoW1KsM-2Bf12KRvnr0MbAiVq_s70b6j_kRoWpyOULvuHyXKxaGdGd8ju1Qf7WI_qIHk8YL32Ox9P-7f4m9l_IVWf-BLSUiVyyTd5kmkCZ3KoUKCH7p2f0DP7nNFz0aCw0uiiJg/s1600/zYRd8%25256BRrSN5gVRKewB2g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6e_YLoW1KsM-2Bf12KRvnr0MbAiVq_s70b6j_kRoWpyOULvuHyXKxaGdGd8ju1Qf7WI_qIHk8YL32Ox9P-7f4m9l_IVWf-BLSUiVyyTd5kmkCZ3KoUKCH7p2f0DP7nNFz0aCw0uiiJg/s200/zYRd8%25256BRrSN5gVRKewB2g.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The other morning as I set out across the park that borders our block, I was, as usual, running a little late and feeling anxious about whether the damn bus would be, as usual, running a little early. So I wasn't paying much attention to anything. But I did notice that a young woman pushing a stroller was coming the other way, towards me from the roadway. She was looking at her phone. And dragging on a cigarette. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I moved to other side of the path.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;">As I did, the little person burst out of the push-chair. Squealing in excitement, the toddler rushed into the rows of daffodils, running her hands along their heads as she went, her laughter floating up through the naked Birch branches. The flowers bobbed and nodded.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I laughed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Get back 'ere. Stop! Why've you gotta be so bloody naughty?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My smile melted. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Zxr15iShp0hJMMMFAmzVvJ_dQes4Vm-ymGNKLy5h-yzNF0ZOzeAD3Y4bHGtAbzjlocFjeQ7hchvw_M3Lb82mBgdyHvOmdmNL4YzLDyL6gWBWWQnb3uBwASZzBVxOSNsAAqVAUw9AN24/s1600/fullsizeoutput_16f2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Zxr15iShp0hJMMMFAmzVvJ_dQes4Vm-ymGNKLy5h-yzNF0ZOzeAD3Y4bHGtAbzjlocFjeQ7hchvw_M3Lb82mBgdyHvOmdmNL4YzLDyL6gWBWWQnb3uBwASZzBVxOSNsAAqVAUw9AN24/s320/fullsizeoutput_16f2.jpeg" width="262" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My feet moved me on a little faster.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That afternoon at the Old Royal Naval College, Karen and I were leaving at the same time. John is knowledgeable, genial, helpful ... one of very few who have bothered to engage me in conversation. And I know he loves to garden. So as we passed a bank of daffodils, I mentioned how at this time last year they had struggled to keep their heads above the snow, and of the many varieties I had noticed this season — from compact minis to knee-high trumpeters, from orange centred brights to near-translucent flat-faced beauties. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And of how they make me happy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiwi3HCrEDHdjoVdLL6kO5HuWJzGZHVB-YClB0o_JYhp9F4WmO_BkErOqSmatuLAiR4Ms4w80fSOTI2YcJoKyEfayCwCmQsDIrzeqNkmWe0JgvgsJ-1YmFQUFJsLySSsfyS6UAeY3Ofk/s1600/fullsizeoutput_16ef.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiwi3HCrEDHdjoVdLL6kO5HuWJzGZHVB-YClB0o_JYhp9F4WmO_BkErOqSmatuLAiR4Ms4w80fSOTI2YcJoKyEfayCwCmQsDIrzeqNkmWe0JgvgsJ-1YmFQUFJsLySSsfyS6UAeY3Ofk/s320/fullsizeoutput_16ef.jpeg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Not those wretched doubles," he all but spat. "I can't abide those show-off doubles. Can't stand double roses either. Awful frilly things."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had no response.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Two scoops of ice-cream in a waffle cone, two shots of gin in a long glass of cold tonic, the top deck of a big red bus — I <i>like</i> doubles. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Extra rows of petals are just fine by me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Maybe that's my problem. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Too much is never enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And if I was a toddler, I'm pretty sure I'd run through the daffodils too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVdzq4pIu0T2sBu5PMHuaO5CVqIdcB_hGRVZuOoaSnLUuuZbOC8u2msxxeXb4W88NdXIrkX-c3hD4Q58Hr1asNrpZkIXQEPirh2DAnrNgNf4fUXovUKmtGjgqSVLpYZakWTXUiFezevE/s1600/IMG_5596.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVdzq4pIu0T2sBu5PMHuaO5CVqIdcB_hGRVZuOoaSnLUuuZbOC8u2msxxeXb4W88NdXIrkX-c3hD4Q58Hr1asNrpZkIXQEPirh2DAnrNgNf4fUXovUKmtGjgqSVLpYZakWTXUiFezevE/s320/IMG_5596.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How can people be grumpy around daffodils?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Carnations maybe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But not daffodils.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Am I right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-16391836873249638132019-03-06T01:57:00.000+11:002019-03-06T13:05:37.717+11:00Dental dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O-ZHoeClJ-uckoJjprPMstGbjJbg3k3TNlVXGxDYIRKJTsK7G3BOBGhmVWAQOZf1MQGUlKw0ZSVNQKVfbrvgdh9Ya3-ERly8omprTikrBOMTx0ycpNzMZIwJG0NrzndnTgytCO6jEiw/s1600/58.1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="1600" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O-ZHoeClJ-uckoJjprPMstGbjJbg3k3TNlVXGxDYIRKJTsK7G3BOBGhmVWAQOZf1MQGUlKw0ZSVNQKVfbrvgdh9Ya3-ERly8omprTikrBOMTx0ycpNzMZIwJG0NrzndnTgytCO6jEiw/s400/58.1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grey skies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A piece has broken off a molar. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's not a devastating break. My brain didn't even realise it had happened. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My tongue found it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I registered a kind of minor ache in my left lower jaw. Nothing dramatic. Not even enough to move the needle on the discomfort metre really, but my damn tongue just wouldn't leave it alone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not like Nabakov's happy seal, though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ix83l3hsUrHBPoWIRmDzdtMxhIClMuxkWOcROusIRzv_40wqMBXDygGa5Y2fvOdClwfXkXXryEOYZa72tgT0b5ek4qqtHHsDUwtsz0GhB-ARAtNiixDPRz50ucYOBxqlMUJj1Xivnz4/s1600/IMG_4776.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="964" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ix83l3hsUrHBPoWIRmDzdtMxhIClMuxkWOcROusIRzv_40wqMBXDygGa5Y2fvOdClwfXkXXryEOYZa72tgT0b5ek4qqtHHsDUwtsz0GhB-ARAtNiixDPRz50ucYOBxqlMUJj1Xivnz4/s320/IMG_4776.jpeg" width="192" /></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">His tongue, a fat sleek seal, used to flop and slide so happily among the familiar rocks, </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">checking the contours of a battered but still secure kingdom, plunging from cave to cove, climbing this jag, nuzzling that notch, finding a shred of sweet seaweed in the same old cleft... (</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pnin</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, 1957)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mine hasn't been frolicking playfully.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mine's been prodding and rasping in a frightfully accusatory manner. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Repeatedly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Annoyingly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Incessantly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ignore this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I dare you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm not scared of the dentist, though Lord knows I probably should be. I really don't know why I kept going back to Dr </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Skinner for so many years — decades — especially after those several times he braced one foot against the base of the hydraulic chair for extra leverage to extract a tooth that remained staunchly unwilling to give up its permanent status.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Better than ... <i>errrgh </i>.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.. having to...<i>nmnph...</i> wear braces," he assured me as I ... <i>ahem</i>... </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">braced</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> against the g-force. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No, it's not the fear of the dentist that's brought on the grey skies; it's the having to find a new dentist in this foreign place. I've only regularly attended three different dental practices in my 60 years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finding a new dentist to trust — one who doesn't overcharge, over-service or over-emote — is almost as difficult as finding a new hairdresser.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Harley Street waiting room £££</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last year I was recommended a wonderful one in Marylebone. Not just frightfully posh Marylebone. Super-frightfully posh Harley Street, Marylebone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Harley Street is so posh that the footpaths are even. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you've ever walked the streets of London, you'll know that's a very big deal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, yes, she was lovely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And yes, she was thorough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But yes, a</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s my dear dad would've said, s</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">he charged like a wounded bull.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I won't be going back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have to find a dentist on a precariously overcrowded street — one with bins in the front yards, and cracks in the footpath.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wish me luck.</span><br />
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Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-18716324199282048492018-10-19T00:25:00.000+11:002018-10-19T23:18:40.006+11:00When is a ticket not a ticket?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfWVKa6NdUAtvuz58B7eV5eKhC3Dr_eerkm1BX5V2v0vz1H48DkM362KLUFhV1PJ-4856mHOku8lT9Rj8nGmfVaje2__U-k2IBKfnSdsHP5hCoWp6zF0Xb6zCSLrXZXYWjoplQDAv3vA/s1600/IMG_4306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfWVKa6NdUAtvuz58B7eV5eKhC3Dr_eerkm1BX5V2v0vz1H48DkM362KLUFhV1PJ-4856mHOku8lT9Rj8nGmfVaje2__U-k2IBKfnSdsHP5hCoWp6zF0Xb6zCSLrXZXYWjoplQDAv3vA/s320/IMG_4306.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">was a latecomer to the party that celebrates how a bastard orphan son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by Providence, grew up to be the hero and scholar known as Alexander Hamilton.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Possibly longer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes, I love theatre. And I’ve always had an unhealthily dependent relationship with modern music — music in general. So the combination of the two, theatre and music, usually brings me a huge amount of joy. But I was unsure that a hip-hop/rap show about one of America's Founding Fathers would appeal to me. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting at Checkoint-Hamilton</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes, it won a squillion awards. But it all seemed to me to be a bit too cool and now-ish. Trying too hard. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And, yes, I enjoyed studying American History. But that was way back in 1974, when Mr Livitsanis made lessons fun. Besides, I was far more engaged by reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee</i> and watching <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Little Big Man</i> than learning about a bunch of dead-white-guy political revolutionaries. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Consequently, with no trips to Broadway on the horizon and little likelihood of the Big H ever coming to Melbourne, I didn’t bother to listen to the soundtrack of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Silly me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hamilton </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">hit the West End just after I did in 2017. It opened </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to enormous fanfare</span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> at the not-quite-finished-being-renovated Victoria Palace — spitting distance from Victoria Station. Meghan and Harry even gave it the royal stamp of approval. And, as I had set myself the challenge of having a glass of bubbly at a show in every theatre in London during our sojourn here, I decided it was time I joined the Hamil-narrative. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacY4ely6CQj0DV3qyLwXPzVRQjxXuiYMPTqBAl21y0ufvygIyfYpgVMu1rbcEs38JcRBLtIZX-DgGsq49ae0SJRB0Gsszmc1JJtaaQwTFAChky2K2A1_Sgr6e9uKiEKn2KuhKO5-clns/s1600/IMG_4314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacY4ely6CQj0DV3qyLwXPzVRQjxXuiYMPTqBAl21y0ufvygIyfYpgVMu1rbcEs38JcRBLtIZX-DgGsq49ae0SJRB0Gsszmc1JJtaaQwTFAChky2K2A1_Sgr6e9uKiEKn2KuhKO5-clns/s320/IMG_4314.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But one doesn’t just buy a ticket and turn up at the theatre with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hamilton</i>. Nothing so simple. There’s a production before the production. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You see, seats went on sale at about the same time that Robbie Williams was revealed to be something less than squeaky clean. His management team was busted putting tickets to his shows directly on resale sites at hugely inflated prices. Bastards.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinG98g_M_UjhFMBOL3mKRMHQ9asdfRXIpT-0mlz4wPgsBpAmirAKLa_BGyB56xRq4-bUjRW4XQNElmeNveFg1xypQLsfl0H4XZx0GT8WwbUvXXdPPXJCPsjhLA19LNVYEQBG9P8DvjIbE/s1600/fullsizeoutput_13be.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinG98g_M_UjhFMBOL3mKRMHQ9asdfRXIpT-0mlz4wPgsBpAmirAKLa_BGyB56xRq4-bUjRW4XQNElmeNveFg1xypQLsfl0H4XZx0GT8WwbUvXXdPPXJCPsjhLA19LNVYEQBG9P8DvjIbE/s320/fullsizeoutput_13be.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Anyway, knowing that they were about to release the hottest tickets in town, the collective mind controlling the West End Hamilton Juggernaut decided to foil any potential on-sellers, and to keep the prices down — cough…splutter…ahem… top of the range seats are £250, and to make it impossible for scalpers to gouge theatre-loving tourists who rock up on the one day they’re in London hoping to get in. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hamilton has fraud thwarting paperless ticketing. Here’s how it works.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 You purchase your non-transferable seats on-line and receive a receipt by email. A warning advises that the:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">credit card used should be valid until after the date of the booking </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">person whose name appears on the credit card MUST be in attendance, WITH said credit card, in order to gain entry to the theatre.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. You wait anything up to a year for the date of the show you managed to get seats for.</span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3 </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A week prior to the performance, another email arrives, reminding you that you are going to the show. It advises you to plan to arrive at the theatre AN HOUR before the performance in order to get through the entry procedure in time for you to take your seat before the overture starts. And it reminds you to bring:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">your receipt</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the credit card used for the booking</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">official photographic proof that you are the person who made the booking!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I shit you not: licence, passport or equivalent.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Too bad if you’ve lost your card.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And what if the person who made the booking is unable to attend I hear you ask? Well, then NOBODY in the booking can enter the theatre and you will have to apply for refund with acceptable explanation/evidence of the situation.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGE65aqDD1nHDXpQAmSpyG4_-u8FeagzMYNOACu9JHXSH59h6dWILMivK-Nm3khxudQGgzox3jzrfQQFknZWYdn5iq9M3SWqPtoIkWoDTro3pWUbPgLKxocipAgb_jZ1UnfNDvgZViWtc/s1600/IMG_4495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1476" data-original-width="1600" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGE65aqDD1nHDXpQAmSpyG4_-u8FeagzMYNOACu9JHXSH59h6dWILMivK-Nm3khxudQGgzox3jzrfQQFknZWYdn5iq9M3SWqPtoIkWoDTro3pWUbPgLKxocipAgb_jZ1UnfNDvgZViWtc/s320/IMG_4495.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are our <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">not-ti</span>ckets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> You arrive at the theatre ridiculously early so that you can join an enormously long queue personned by friendly security guards, one or more of whom will check that you have all paperwork necessary to pass checkpoint-Hamilton.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Finally at the door, after a bag inspection and body pat-down by yet more security personnel, you offer up said paperwork for further scrutinising. If all identity, safety and receipt carrying checks are deemed to have been passed, the seat-purchasing credit card is swiped through a hand-held machine ... which then PRINTS OUT A BLOODY TICKET. Only it’s NOT a ticket. It’s called a Seat Location Slip. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Really.</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivb7zBVbMyYHgwwvnCGIgAd_u4XPzb0f_qtADgv5bX6k9iRoN5DEfV21HeAFc-VQse5_7grMFpJZQ0MSdJ0z309xXUvZOb8lANjTkrfPPV6ed4OJM0YAngZnnJS9n-Sbxawjj0cwyy9vo/s1600/IMG_4325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivb7zBVbMyYHgwwvnCGIgAd_u4XPzb0f_qtADgv5bX6k9iRoN5DEfV21HeAFc-VQse5_7grMFpJZQ0MSdJ0z309xXUvZOb8lANjTkrfPPV6ed4OJM0YAngZnnJS9n-Sbxawjj0cwyy9vo/s320/IMG_4325.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Anyway, as I sipped my well-dearned pre-show bubbly, the</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> decor in the bar</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> of the theatre </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">was pleasantly diverting. Almost as enjoyable as the conversation going on beside me between a woman in her late twenties and a man who was older than me, which makes him pretty old. Resplendent in a navy-blue suit, white shirt and spotty grey bow tie, he'd been browsing the glossy programme while she bought the drinks. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As he took his glass of red from her, he asked in gloriously educated British tones, ‘So remind me again why I should care about this piece of pop-culture meets American history?’</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘Oh Dad, it’s ground-breaking. The staging is brilliant and the singing is fabulous. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. And it has the most wonderfully culturally diverse cast.’</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘Hmmmm.’ He appeared unconvinced. ‘And how many of the chaps it’s about were “culturally diverse”?’</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘Well, none Dad. They were all white males. But that’s the point…’</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2LKEuLOuTp55dO-192kf1YN1PPU_7dWoKQvMed7GVsSBJ_-P8XDp7k1CCBgA53dmwJTNoAwFIo9i7Kv9_rhZ-WTyipYR1jJd-tu6YBS0uGkldYZGoOAWkmcWedj0KczrOmjPC6YzQvY/s1600/fullsizeoutput_13c0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2LKEuLOuTp55dO-192kf1YN1PPU_7dWoKQvMed7GVsSBJ_-P8XDp7k1CCBgA53dmwJTNoAwFIo9i7Kv9_rhZ-WTyipYR1jJd-tu6YBS0uGkldYZGoOAWkmcWedj0KczrOmjPC6YzQvY/s320/fullsizeoutput_13c0.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… crickets…</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wine sipping.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">'Hmmmn...' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">… more crickets…</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Feeling quite smug, my hesitations having been so convincingly eclipsed by his prejudging, and hoping the poor girl hadn’t wasted her money as she had just wasted her breath, I headed off clutching our not-tickets to locate PSTALL E 19 and PSTALL E 20.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And in case you’re wondering, by the time I jumped to my feet crying and applauding in equal measure at the end of the show, I had a new entry for my Top 5 fave musicals. Romance, humour, passion, rivalry, hubris, loyalty… <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hamilton</i> has all the features of a classic musical, plus so much more.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So I’m finally on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hamilton</i> bandwagon or chuckwagon or whatever the hell kind of wagon it is, but I’m definitely along for the ride. Indeed, I will be re-subjecting myself to the overkill paperless ticketless process as I intend to go back and see it again. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's worth selling that one functioning kidney. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So were you an early starter? or a doubter ilke me? What's your role in the Hamil-narrative?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I'm sure you have a ticketing nightmare of your own to tell me about. Share the pain.</span></span></div>
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</style>Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-37010919563477847532018-09-28T20:42:00.002+10:002018-09-28T21:02:14.174+10:00Mum and me...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmaiwmqA0WBm8MxaryyNXSTTI6feAghbanf1KDH3_ONWYM9iRWo-KxtLc_vCjxF5q7bxy8tFQmZvFJA8i_PHhsPJO98rV3_dRP1weupCQKOv3ShhaAo13h8vGNvb29zYvrmhD-WDmUvg/s1600/IMG_1912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmaiwmqA0WBm8MxaryyNXSTTI6feAghbanf1KDH3_ONWYM9iRWo-KxtLc_vCjxF5q7bxy8tFQmZvFJA8i_PHhsPJO98rV3_dRP1weupCQKOv3ShhaAo13h8vGNvb29zYvrmhD-WDmUvg/s320/IMG_1912.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My blog was quiet for a very long time. I wanted to write about Mum's death, but I got stuck. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I couldn't get it right. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So I didn't write anything.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But there's no right way, is there?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I had waited until she was hooked up to the drip bag for her
123</span><sup>rd </sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">dose of antibiotics.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Forty-nine still to come. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Love you, Mum. See
you on the iPad.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s what I said as I leant in to brush her cheek with my
lips —our family is like that, lingering hugs and heartfelt endearments rare. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My words were breathy, snagging on the ropy ache of
farewell. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I left her seated in that now-familiar curtained corner
of a shared ward, both of us having lost the battle to remain dry-eyed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4LULveOkpiL4sbtyPJQNUgBoQrBD-bpjR6hXX1-WMWycYrjuHr9EVofBshZAJ2bn4Z6XEfDmAngmWa1ymnEw0LiVMKSVay00-mKi3nJGzkbDDJRj0qHU5wcNQT9-NpTg6vzgKJzv-Mo/s1600/IMG_2660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4LULveOkpiL4sbtyPJQNUgBoQrBD-bpjR6hXX1-WMWycYrjuHr9EVofBshZAJ2bn4Z6XEfDmAngmWa1ymnEw0LiVMKSVay00-mKi3nJGzkbDDJRj0qHU5wcNQT9-NpTg6vzgKJzv-Mo/s320/IMG_2660.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I gave Mum an iPad for her 80th birthday and it rapidly became her constant companion. So I sent photos with my message from the Dubai transit lounge,
even though her Messenger account had been inactive for 17 hours.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When she still hadn’t logged on by the time we cleared passport
control at Heathrow, I was concerned.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew something was wrong when her account was still
inactive after my devices reconnected to our home Wi-Fi. If, as planned, she was ensconced
in her freshly made bed, finally surrounded by her own things after a month of hospitalisation, she would have told me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Something had happened. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Something had gone astray and our trans-global
life-line was lifeless.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>* * * * *-<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mine was not a cuddle-filled childhood, but I never
doubted that I am loved. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I worshipped my dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realise now that I probably shouldn’t have, but ours was the
stereotypical family of the 1960s. He was the
breadwinner. Mum treated him as the lord of the manor; he treated me as his
special girl. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All I did, I did to please Dad. To gain his approval. One of
his catch cries was ‘There’s no second prizes’. He’d worked hard for all his
success and expected the same from us. And yes, I think his attitude has messed
with my head in multiple ways throughout my lifetime. But I adored him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mum fulfilled the conventional roles of supportive corporate
wife and mother of two with style. I don’t recall ever seeing her flustered. Or
truly angry. At least certainly not in the way that my children have witnessed my meltdowns and moments of near-spontaneous combustion. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t
worship or adore Mum. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I just loved her. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">And took all that she did and was for granted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s how things just seem to go with mothers... isn't it?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She was Mum. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She was always there, calmly making my life
more secure and successful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggh1C_gClbih73Qv_wGoakangiMfZ3H_A6Ko01YqxaGTnpTFTCVrwpvGT0McTtIh0gJdYHhvdlvXdZwHXcZHDB-3isOIbZc5MpICg-s8R7W1ABPVnMkyGN9k6A9PI_mvWjn5PzpjQZkVI/s1600/IMG_2619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggh1C_gClbih73Qv_wGoakangiMfZ3H_A6Ko01YqxaGTnpTFTCVrwpvGT0McTtIh0gJdYHhvdlvXdZwHXcZHDB-3isOIbZc5MpICg-s8R7W1ABPVnMkyGN9k6A9PI_mvWjn5PzpjQZkVI/s320/IMG_2619.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wore Mum's little hat to the Cup Eve dinner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everything about me was OK by her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nothing special.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s just how mothers make you feel... right?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>*
* * * *<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For a month I lived in her unit at the retirement village,
taking her place at social functions, answering concerned questions and accepting
heartfelt wishes for her recovery. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While there, I scrubbed walls and floors, renewed furnishings, filled the
freezer with meals, updated the technology and refreshed the pot-plants. I added
non-slip bathroom and kitchen mats, a shower-seat, a frame around the loo and
organised home-nurse visits and deliveries from the chemist. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And spent countless hours by Mum's side.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All the while, Mum battled infection and illness. At times
almost unrecognisable —frail, childlike, she barely made an imprint in the
impossibly high bed and could not remember what had happened. On occasions, her resilience and pragmatism greeted me as I arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And s</span>ometimes, she was cranky,
dissatisfied and uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaa4RrVmdJrutZfSQ_7Jc4YHEA6cpgfNvg8xb2gj4EFYiGNELJ-UPi6qF8pQHg1NifZDfgvKMy8X6gqUTEXz1Rh6ywl8aQH2Umc_R64h77cW_xoPtiCOr6uH5RbgF131gOU2kCdj-w6c/s1600/IMG_2620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaa4RrVmdJrutZfSQ_7Jc4YHEA6cpgfNvg8xb2gj4EFYiGNELJ-UPi6qF8pQHg1NifZDfgvKMy8X6gqUTEXz1Rh6ywl8aQH2Umc_R64h77cW_xoPtiCOr6uH5RbgF131gOU2kCdj-w6c/s320/IMG_2620.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mum's gorgeous besties at the Cup Eve dinner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our roles were reversed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was mothering her —administering sympathy and care,
bolstering her confidence, bringing her treats, growling at her to eat her meals and do the
exercises that she hated. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">And on cranky days, reminding her that the nurses were busy and she
was not the centre of their universe.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But she was the centre of mine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>few weeks in, I told her I was proud of how she had battled
her way from that frightening intensive care bed to the casual rehab ward. But I had to remind her that her fight was not over. She would
have to continue her efforts even at home as she would still be connected to that omni-present anti-biotic drip for two more weeks. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She assured me she had decided to do whatever it took. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">And she made me promise to return to London at the end of the month as planned, on
the same flight that my son had been booked on some six months earlier.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the day she was due to be released, no cobwebs dared
haunt the corners of her unit — her sparkling flowery nest. But, as had
happened so often before, the date slipped without explanation. She was now going
home on the morning after our midnight flight. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reluctantly, I organised for
my sister-in-law to collect Mum and taxi her home. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even more reluctantly, I said my goodbye.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 144.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
* * * * *<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVDMC6cmFm-dlo-ZAbkVr-OUEg1EEQODxCvesIaPW8cHhy1pDOft-y_ulJy9CT2VKcibIHkvZ_f6rE8FRGujTCvStYtsdiBoapt05dOv-By29hOja1EM0K02RYK-4D0q4fg3L_-ic45Y/s1600/IMG_2694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVDMC6cmFm-dlo-ZAbkVr-OUEg1EEQODxCvesIaPW8cHhy1pDOft-y_ulJy9CT2VKcibIHkvZ_f6rE8FRGujTCvStYtsdiBoapt05dOv-By29hOja1EM0K02RYK-4D0q4fg3L_-ic45Y/s320/IMG_2694.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon over Canary Wharf the morning Mum died</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the time we reached Greenwich, Mum was in an induced
coma. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She fell getting into the car. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her head cracked against the curb.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She never left the hospital grounds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A doctor was awaiting my approval to disconnect her from
the machinery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mother was gone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was 26 when my dad died. I was devastated. Of course. But
I don’t think I mourned him for very long.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I missed him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still do. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I ached to talk to him
again. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still do. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But at 26 I was self-absorbed: I had a new job, an exciting social life and
the world was full of promise. I was making my way alone, headstrong and
independent. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mourning Mum is different.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVdBI0nnrmwZ2kCpGf2lg_7JYqoJ-auIAz0qEZ-1BWDWN1guFRGj0MsXqEfkhr3sT-fJb_ai3YupIpsg1IKXdcoXXN_NscThxPTWXf_HMSNbmrt-tHGMTq_M2ND5M-4e6DuVOn52ix58/s1600/IMG_1803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVdBI0nnrmwZ2kCpGf2lg_7JYqoJ-auIAz0qEZ-1BWDWN1guFRGj0MsXqEfkhr3sT-fJb_ai3YupIpsg1IKXdcoXXN_NscThxPTWXf_HMSNbmrt-tHGMTq_M2ND5M-4e6DuVOn52ix58/s320/IMG_1803.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
More painful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More prolonged.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Not just because we shared 23 more years — 23 of my adult years. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Not just because she loved and was loved by my husband and children — who Dad never met.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Nor even because I wasn't there with her at the end.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It's all that plus more.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Much more.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">She was my Mum.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">She was always there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">She loved me unconditionally.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even when I didn't deserve it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Coz that's what mums do, isnt it?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-54774187064325023442018-09-27T01:26:00.001+10:002018-09-27T22:45:07.256+10:00"I'm not racist, but..."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HY_e-phwm0J5tbWXm-ua2w63_C2RhdU-N_QZNteIkv4-EeT8ifdxDidX6BHwjT7s27UZr_lThPzyq-BBOMU9vYSbpRZPYX6Hq2gNr38E2eNk8JnbCXQRVPdSvEjOaFh1QNDIXynWjGQ/s1600/IMG_3145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HY_e-phwm0J5tbWXm-ua2w63_C2RhdU-N_QZNteIkv4-EeT8ifdxDidX6BHwjT7s27UZr_lThPzyq-BBOMU9vYSbpRZPYX6Hq2gNr38E2eNk8JnbCXQRVPdSvEjOaFh1QNDIXynWjGQ/s320/IMG_3145.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I don’t remember what prompted me to comment about
Australia. I don’t even remember what I said. But I </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">do</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> regret that I said it… whatever it was…</span></b></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
We were in the staffroom at The Old Royal Naval College — some
twelve of us, mostly volunteers — awaiting the morning briefing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Non-volunteers
go by the exalted title of Ambassadors. Basically, they do the same things as
we non-exalted volunteers, except that they get to Ambass around with a two-way
radio. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> they get paid
an hourly rate for Ambassing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That morning was my first session with the Education team, none
of whom I’d met before. All of whom know each other. I’d never been to a morning
briefing either and am always always anxious and uncomfortable with
unfamiliar places and people. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A feeling that was not relieved when everyone turned to look
at me as I came in through the door, but only one person greeted me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwFgTQJpEoe4TryVhi71K4fmdA8ToxCnpPiddQ1R-e0G_5gT0nKRyfqea3XuFhT5MUSYu-_2Zy3iFIClwclpGHb14E_pO_sJSX0FiW6eHyo7V5-jqTc870fIRYlEzZL8O5RHZ28x0VAw/s1600/IMG_4400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwFgTQJpEoe4TryVhi71K4fmdA8ToxCnpPiddQ1R-e0G_5gT0nKRyfqea3XuFhT5MUSYu-_2Zy3iFIClwclpGHb14E_pO_sJSX0FiW6eHyo7V5-jqTc870fIRYlEzZL8O5RHZ28x0VAw/s320/IMG_4400.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist's impression of Chris the Ambassador</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, anyway, I made my totally forgettable comment about having recently returned from a trip home to Australia —an inept attempt to
join in the conversation, which was probably about the unseasonably warm morning. And one of the Ambassadors (let’s call him Chris,
because I think that’s actually his name) commented,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Oh, we’ve had a lot of Australians in the Painted Hall this
week.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That’s nice</i>, I
thought, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he’s noticed</i>.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> I spoke to a few Aussie couples in there this week too.</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But before I could respond with an anecdote or even
acknowledge that he’d spoken to me,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘That’s why our takings are down this week, you know,’ Chris snorted.
‘Australians are cheap. They’re all keen to do the tour until they find out
they have to pay. Then they just complain it’s too expensive and walk away.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-Lyc5lrcrN94lEYOZoQDun-vtcVVd3hCQAZXVzoh6GSTASy8p5hs7js_T4e_CjnvMY6oqOVxXOsEuFdTA3AC60tOP9l3n96fOzCva58cmfwotnXEKRLURkxz6wvj9PcmZe48psj6wLI/s1600/IMG_2918E81B7047-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-Lyc5lrcrN94lEYOZoQDun-vtcVVd3hCQAZXVzoh6GSTASy8p5hs7js_T4e_CjnvMY6oqOVxXOsEuFdTA3AC60tOP9l3n96fOzCva58cmfwotnXEKRLURkxz6wvj9PcmZe48psj6wLI/s320/IMG_2918E81B7047-1.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dramatic recreation of gobsmacked volunteer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was gobsmacked. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Affronted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stunned.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How to respond to that? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It struck me as a pretty unorthodox way for an Ambassador
to make a volunteer feel like part of the team.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve met plenty of other stereotypes about we Aussies: we’re
crude, we’re uncultured, we’re drunks. We’re naïves who drift around on an island
at the bottom of the planet unaware of the way the rest of the world functions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fact, I recently happened upon this in an article about
Agatha Christie:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">Christie relies on certain stock traits for her characters of
different nationalities. The French are hotheaded, Scots are thrifty, and
Australians are simple</span></i><i><span style="background: white; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">. </span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180907-agatha-christie-shaped-how-the-world-sees-britain">http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180907-agatha-christie-shaped-how-the-world-sees-britain</a><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ignorant. Maybe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But cheap?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Really?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I find that hard to swallow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05YnAamxltgsnIvVQ75UhD0CCRg7m7pX_kPXNq4EU29qKByhI4nt0Nv0rG8uG-1bBUM_Mv2fnVOjZKYXTYiuR0glekCt6nSVJgB-0GvBqbyvRSg1yhW0jecjBLFt6L1IsMJJQhfmHTqM/s1600/IMG_2979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1521" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05YnAamxltgsnIvVQ75UhD0CCRg7m7pX_kPXNq4EU29qKByhI4nt0Nv0rG8uG-1bBUM_Mv2fnVOjZKYXTYiuR0glekCt6nSVJgB-0GvBqbyvRSg1yhW0jecjBLFt6L1IsMJJQhfmHTqM/s320/IMG_2979.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A British boar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Let's face it, those simple skinflints from Downunder have paid not insignificant airfares to travel from the other side of the globe for a holiday, and then come to see Christopher Wren-designed buildings of British cultural significance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I’ve met plenty of native Londoners who’ve never in their London-lived lives made the 10-kilometre
journey to Greenwich to see those self-same buildings.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It's also kind of weird because the people I talk to are <i>in</i> the Painted Hall on the tour they're too tight to fork out £10 to do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But I didn't say that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I didn’t cripple Chris with a witty retort or slay him with a
sarcastic comeback. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I merely responded with something disappointingly limp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And polite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then I slunk off to the briefing feeling both conspicuous and
uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Wishing I hadn’t spoken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">But the question remains: are Aussies cheap?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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</style>Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-60560471377218014802018-09-21T02:02:00.001+10:002018-09-21T02:02:55.723+10:00Suspending disbelief and Sondheim
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckIGDedlCRQ1q79a-dKBlZrmbdIRnpXCh8WphlGZ_fgf_MqjYQf-tayMe2GTd-Rl5hHf7bRmKAwjYL6ChaKSXS6iR5GK4zj9TwkRvJt4oiyDutXjUVi5pzhyNs6mq6rtpiAHO_9oapv8/s1600/IMG_0205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckIGDedlCRQ1q79a-dKBlZrmbdIRnpXCh8WphlGZ_fgf_MqjYQf-tayMe2GTd-Rl5hHf7bRmKAwjYL6ChaKSXS6iR5GK4zj9TwkRvJt4oiyDutXjUVi5pzhyNs6mq6rtpiAHO_9oapv8/s320/IMG_0205.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Playhouse Theatre, Covent Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I once worked with an editor who hated live theatre. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She had an Arts degree in Literature —she loved reading
fiction, running an imagined narrative through her mind. But she loathed theatre.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She was fine with watching a ten-metre-face in a cinema, or
a flat-screen human being — she adored movies. But she couldn’t abide plays.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She said it was just not in her to suspend disbelief that
much. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A person pretending to be someone else on stage was
ridiculous to her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I never understood.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve always found the theatre magical and romantic and
totally absorbing. Being in a state of suspended disbelief is one of my
favourite ways of being — nothing else exists, nothing else matters. It’s like
a protective bubble where emotion and human connectedness is everything and
everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even when shock or outrage or horror exist inside the
bubble, they are deep feelings in a safe space. I clearly remember, as a
pre-teen audience member, being conflicted by Nancy’s heartbreak in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oliver!</i> and distressed by the rape of
Aldonza in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Man of La Mancha</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQxXb0mNJXNHpPvfX6mZtg4IteY8VyWlum6kEPgdCWWCF_-vAMiuOnIG-Jpd6bcLqjZSe_zXPrgR8jDs67G3QMa1eGK8AjGITNjXA4PAk-lPb_ZydvUR-t5S45EbioHkE3GiM0sIyxsg/s1600/IMG_2126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQxXb0mNJXNHpPvfX6mZtg4IteY8VyWlum6kEPgdCWWCF_-vAMiuOnIG-Jpd6bcLqjZSe_zXPrgR8jDs67G3QMa1eGK8AjGITNjXA4PAk-lPb_ZydvUR-t5S45EbioHkE3GiM0sIyxsg/s320/IMG_2126.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> T<i>he Ferryman </i>is my fave play so far.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And bewildered might best describe my response to the first
penis I ever saw. Although, to be fair, that may not have been suspended
disbelief. That might just have been plain old unadulterated unadorned complete
and utter disbelief. It was 1969. I was 11 and we’d driven from Melbourne to
Sydney to see <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hair</i>. My parents believed
it was a ground-breaking show that I needed to experience. Very freethinking
1960s of them don’t you think?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, lately, I’ve noticed something very disturbing about
my theatre-going self that has sent me on a long walk in the hall of mirrors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s a production of Sondheim’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Company</i> opening soon and I’ve never seen it done professionally. So,
usually, my virtual self would have been lined up at that cyber-booking-counter,
Paypal in pocket, at the earliest possible opportunity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Only this time I wasn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hesitated.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this production, Bobby (the role made famous by Larry
Kent and Neil Patrick Harris) becomes Bobbi —female, and Amy becomes Jamie— not
female. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, all of Robert’s songs will be in a female voice, and Amy’s
manic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Not) Getting Married Today</i> will
be Jamie panicking about his impending gay wedding.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why was I disappointed to read that?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidks38hwYS3to7arAZIMn6SH9346cgStpG_Ug9TNS-vRGDx1bbHiM1JSRJkkOpjEN4fnZQiAJgwC1kK0iaEPT73wDSt-3StarNvLsld2cGgebsYV7pWcNGfi1a69d4ZA2WIj7Cmh_9Auc/s1600/IMG_1778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidks38hwYS3to7arAZIMn6SH9346cgStpG_Ug9TNS-vRGDx1bbHiM1JSRJkkOpjEN4fnZQiAJgwC1kK0iaEPT73wDSt-3StarNvLsld2cGgebsYV7pWcNGfi1a69d4ZA2WIj7Cmh_9Auc/s320/IMG_1778.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Globe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I understand that Western literature and theatre is
dominated by dead white males. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I totally
get that gender-blind casting gives women a chance to play some of the greatest
roles. Indeed, it was as far back as 1899 when Sarah Bernhardt first played
Hamlet. But I felt let down when it was announced that the recent production of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hamlet</i> at The Globe — I’d bought tickets
well before the season opened — would have a female in the lead, and that Ophelia
was to be played by an extremely handsome bearded and be-gowned young man. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FHS_0Zex9Hz9KluO1rJGy4Ne3d_LjlPAEK_4j_cUQWl0Q0W8KoJrJbyzyP2u1apcGjbxsEWYH1-YcLfi_LiFrnaQhUJQNDmzoAT5INMoIjZSKZjC1YB8hg03uMhWrJsxHRI7IzU6Qso/s1600/IMG_2189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FHS_0Zex9Hz9KluO1rJGy4Ne3d_LjlPAEK_4j_cUQWl0Q0W8KoJrJbyzyP2u1apcGjbxsEWYH1-YcLfi_LiFrnaQhUJQNDmzoAT5INMoIjZSKZjC1YB8hg03uMhWrJsxHRI7IzU6Qso/s320/IMG_2189.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oscar Wilde, National Portrait Gallery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wasn’t deterred at all by the colour-blind casting of the recent
production of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Importance of Being
Earnest</i>. The personality and nature of a character isn’t determined by the skin
they’re in. But I didn’t understand why the director needed to begin the show
with Algy kissing a handsome young man goodbye, and I was disappointed when this
was followed-up by the oh-so unsubtle suggestion that he also enjoyed a sexual relationship
with his butler, Lane. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I was positively confused as to why it was necessary for
a huge homoerotic painting to be hanging in the sitting room where Algy
entertained Lady Bracknell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m pretty sure everyone in the audience understood how
Oscar Wilde was persecuted. Camping up one of his masterpieces and stripping
out its satirical subtleties doesn’t help balance the ledger.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Does it?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m far from prudish.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I’m in no way homophobic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But am I sexist?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It really is taking me some time to adjust to gender-switching
in shows I know and love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xRzy6CfKpFjJ24NdFhZzRku7T44AtJsRZZsqhcWqHUjUXeMqCKSZP1CSdRzdLyjoEgrRUQbuAexGcDMrM-6w0YWww7OFw2YlFjuSlvzr0951Yl8D8auhtYzQdiZ_KKF3NMGBIYI8xu8/s1600/US1CP9cQRLSQQwffXcnilg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xRzy6CfKpFjJ24NdFhZzRku7T44AtJsRZZsqhcWqHUjUXeMqCKSZP1CSdRzdLyjoEgrRUQbuAexGcDMrM-6w0YWww7OFw2YlFjuSlvzr0951Yl8D8auhtYzQdiZ_KKF3NMGBIYI8xu8/s320/US1CP9cQRLSQQwffXcnilg.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London Coliseum, St Martins Lane</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My hesitations about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hamlet</i>
were unfounded. I thoroughly enjoyed the gender-equal production. But it didn’t
prompt me to any new understanding of the poetry. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I couldn’t help but worry about all those young audience
members, studying the play in their A-levels, who were completely bamboozled.<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I have bought tickets for </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Company.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I confess I was not swayed by belief in the value of —
or even a healthy curiosity about—the gender-switching. It was my faith in the
director, Marianne Elliott ( <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">War Horse</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Curious Incident of the Dog in
the Night-time)</i>. Well, that and the fact that Broadway legend Patti LuPone
will be reprising her role as the caustic Joanne. Delicious.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I’m still pacing the hall of mirrors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And wondering.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At heart, am I sexist?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do I actually suck at suspending disbelief?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or am I just a bit of an old-fart who’s resistant to change?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’d love to know what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i>
think about gender-blind casting. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But not about me. Please don’t tell me what you really think of
me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm already feeling a tad exposed and uncomfortable here, staring at myself in all these mirrors!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-59405866735437619382018-09-13T20:27:00.002+10:002018-09-13T22:19:06.096+10:00Musings on Mary, Meghan and Marriage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFPWoBxhAkZzoF3vVhCPSpKz1OB5tvARPU716nJwYbt7V1Puln7p9o_-VOLKglgDoCX64OKdgALbequ8tdpFYUc6mdQITxrx_oVNWvlZTdKxc6YsjImwC6m65iMT_eupyfRMDJ0IRJ0o/s1600/IMG_3203.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFPWoBxhAkZzoF3vVhCPSpKz1OB5tvARPU716nJwYbt7V1Puln7p9o_-VOLKglgDoCX64OKdgALbequ8tdpFYUc6mdQITxrx_oVNWvlZTdKxc6YsjImwC6m65iMT_eupyfRMDJ0IRJ0o/s320/IMG_3203.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Like countless others, I was swept up by the romance and
history-making of the royal wedding of Prince Harry and his lady-love Meghan
Markle. Their globally televised nuptials (and some pretty cute souvenirs I
picked up at the Old Royal Naval College) led me to ponder just how
different things were for Mary, the monarch at the very heart of the Painted
Hall, where I volunteer. I got to wondering if their stories — </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mary and Meghan, some 341 years apart — had
anything in common.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They don’t really. Well, not much anyway. But I had a lot of
fun down the research rabbit hole, so I thought I’d share some tidbits I discovered.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">Girlpower!</span></span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Born at St James Palace on 30 April 1662, Lady Mary of York was
the oldest daughter of King James II. Her mother, Anne Hyde — no relation to
the park — had eight children during the eleven years of her marriage, but only
Mary and her sister Anne survived beyond childhood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3ILPWHk6MtOJmfSCvHlefhVRapZyp8QTdjO5nIBqS95GhyphenhyphenuspPGwDd3WTKKEnJ06n_YmiiaKCUVJdWNDW_fNdjieJZuvl1eeXCsNfRG55aaFEnjOgoZnikMy4LgUQaxTAF58qzkWQzg/s1600/IMG_6217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3ILPWHk6MtOJmfSCvHlefhVRapZyp8QTdjO5nIBqS95GhyphenhyphenuspPGwDd3WTKKEnJ06n_YmiiaKCUVJdWNDW_fNdjieJZuvl1eeXCsNfRG55aaFEnjOgoZnikMy4LgUQaxTAF58qzkWQzg/s400/IMG_6217.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West Wall of The Painted Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So, Mary was a Taurus; Meghan’s a Leo. I might be drawing a
long bow here, but both the bull and the lion are symbols of strength.
Definitely nothing girly about a bull and a lion — right? And history records
both our M’s as being willing to stand by their beliefs, and to use their
status and strength to help others. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mary was joint ruler with William. She made all the tough
decisions while he was off battling the Catholic foe. More than that, Mary’s compassion for pensioned seamen was
the driving force behind the creation of the glorious riverside buildings we
know as the Old Royal Naval College.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Likewise, even before she became a Mountbatten-Windsor, Ms
Markle was a Global Ambassador for World Vision and a United Nations women’s
advocate for political participation and leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Strong women, both. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Almighty
Power</span></b></h4>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyokgbsY8KyeuqYITtpBFdDiK3vdgjQSbXj4z_QPfyK5uNUh2OMvAv2avL-8qwdMGTldMSZeSvng0NZVyKsaoN3Z2AiHyHMT7KRJLbacctUYjfhrcIynBaiMLBZuRdsGZMTnGzG7j7tw/s1600/IMG_4071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyokgbsY8KyeuqYITtpBFdDiK3vdgjQSbXj4z_QPfyK5uNUh2OMvAv2avL-8qwdMGTldMSZeSvng0NZVyKsaoN3Z2AiHyHMT7KRJLbacctUYjfhrcIynBaiMLBZuRdsGZMTnGzG7j7tw/s320/IMG_4071.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Mary at Royal Albert Museum<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When the Lady Mary was just nine, her mother died of what is
believed to have been breast cancer. The sisters were sent to live with their
Uncle Charles (AKA King Charles II) at Richmond Palace and their grandfather,
Lord Clarendon, at then-idyllically-rural pre-rugby Twickenham. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In a controversial and unpopular move, James II had
converted to Catholicism, while his brother had remained a staunch Protestant.
The English Parliament, therefore, charged Uncle Charles with responsibility for
educating Mary and Anne — the heirs to the British throne —<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>alongside his own progeny. And he took that
responsibility <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i> seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mary was well-schooled in the refined and necessary
disciplines of a future queen: religion, drawing, music, dance and French —
although, as it turns out, Dutch might have been handier. To ensure that her
education in Protestantism was top notch, her personal tutors included two
bishops and an archdeacon. I told you Uncle Charles was hard-core.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1RPhJM4n8HN2AURqzt-3U5EBAz_mbyxamnF_ee07QliwV5Y3pAIZdm60oXEdX-ztFA1PGYtsa-accYs1rgTkvWPBxg3C_nj0wdE_uVlS_cX67rbkGnazzAEuU0TMbiIMugfTn0FrOXY/s1600/charter_st_james_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1RPhJM4n8HN2AURqzt-3U5EBAz_mbyxamnF_ee07QliwV5Y3pAIZdm60oXEdX-ztFA1PGYtsa-accYs1rgTkvWPBxg3C_nj0wdE_uVlS_cX67rbkGnazzAEuU0TMbiIMugfTn0FrOXY/s320/charter_st_james_lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St James Palace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meghan’s parents
divorced when she was six, and she was raised by her mother as an only child in
distinctly-not-rural Los Angeles. She, too, was raised as a Protestant but Meghan
went to a Catholic high school. Before she became the Duchess of Sussex, she
was baptised and confirmed into the Church of England by the Archbishop of
Canterbury — that’s top-shelf right there. Plus, the service took place in St
James Palace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Say no more.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZYgpcff0SK43SNmeAi-JGFUnX0os394poTLkNn3dekAy8tAZ_mZ9MeKRR1op-Y-80nHZyAOZFj1vaNQAyWqOOK19Z_1MCALFBoCAYgtMYO-UVYZZEgnq8UAEObWiNegG2sxZQq2RV2U/s1600/Prince_Harry_and_Meghan_Markle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZYgpcff0SK43SNmeAi-JGFUnX0os394poTLkNn3dekAy8tAZ_mZ9MeKRR1op-Y-80nHZyAOZFj1vaNQAyWqOOK19Z_1MCALFBoCAYgtMYO-UVYZZEgnq8UAEObWiNegG2sxZQq2RV2U/s320/Prince_Harry_and_Meghan_Markle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown is not her colour!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Stage and
Screen</span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Meghan Markle majored in Theatre and International Studies.
Ironic, yes? Mary, of course, was the wrong gender for a career as an actor in
her lifetime (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shakespeare in Love</i>
hadn’t been made yet). But, fun fact, she loved to dance. So, at age 12, Mary
was introduced to the court by starring in a ballet called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Calista</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Chaste Nymph</i>
written especially for her and her sister. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The epilogue was written by John Dryden — a rockstar of the
day, being England’s first Poet Laureate. He kind of puts the kybosh on my
unlikely theories of burgeoning feminist ideals when he addresses King Charles
II thusly, and foreshadows Mary’s future as a political pawn with this
reference to the young sisters:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Two glorious nymphs of your own
godlike line,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whose morning rays like noontide
strike and shine,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whom you to suppliant monarchs
shall dispose,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To bind your friends and to
disarm your foes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Disposable daughters?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Uncool.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><b>Prince
Not-So-Charming</b></span></h4>
<div style="display: inline !important;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At the time of her marriage, neither James nor Charles had
any male heirs. If the choice had been left to Mary’s father, she would have
been married off to France’s Catholic Sun King, Louis XIV — mortal enemy of the
man chosen for her by Protestant Uncle Charles and the English Parliament.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkLnTqNqmnZTFJTptj-RusO_Ya7oY6XcqqoK6qBrSyN6ljEvP4jUAwM22A06fapd1mJyyPhoEl-olrdXbEP5XN_fHUmJknS5mJMqj4kNvzXa8dozpMkZxNoBuLExW0816S3JonBrNSUY/s1600/IMG_4072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkLnTqNqmnZTFJTptj-RusO_Ya7oY6XcqqoK6qBrSyN6ljEvP4jUAwM22A06fapd1mJyyPhoEl-olrdXbEP5XN_fHUmJknS5mJMqj4kNvzXa8dozpMkZxNoBuLExW0816S3JonBrNSUY/s320/IMG_4072.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Charles, Royal Albert Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The man they chose was known as William of Orange. And
confusingly, although William, was ‘of Orange’ (which was in old Provence in
southern France), he was Prince of Holland. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Go figure. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Both he and Mary were
grandchildren of Charles I (ousted and executed as a traitor during the English
Civil War). His mother (also called Mary) was our good Lady Mary’s paternal
aunt, so that meant William was also the fourth in line to the English throne (1:James,
2:Mary, 3:Anne, 4:William).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Do you think the fact that they were first cousins might
have contributed to the fact that Mary and William were unable to have
children? Mind you, it also needs to be noted that Mary contracted malaria while
in Holland, and that her spouse was frequently absent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At the time of her betrothal, Mary was a good-natured,
intelligent, out-going attractive 15-year old. She was also extremely tall — 5
ft 11in /180 cm. William, the Prince Charming chosen for her, is said to have
been a dour asthmatic with rotten teeth, a hooky nose and a hunch-back. He
stood a miserable 5ft 6in / 168cm, was twelve years older than her and
preferred the battlefield to the ballroom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Every young girl’s dream.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsThim80AphnHAtL0CAkUAkLFUJ_34joImLgP0AuWs3a1zZaJY4QxcKTWM6PQz450DsCDTycF2kIUJ-pfwOfcMysQQ2OYlsEerM-8b5k7VlQsWQ2tkqwMpiIszZVmWhHjqnGKGBxLWCw/s1600/IMG_4073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsThim80AphnHAtL0CAkUAkLFUJ_34joImLgP0AuWs3a1zZaJY4QxcKTWM6PQz450DsCDTycF2kIUJ-pfwOfcMysQQ2OYlsEerM-8b5k7VlQsWQ2tkqwMpiIszZVmWhHjqnGKGBxLWCw/s320/IMG_4073.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So apparently the sculptor noticed the height disparity!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In fact, her little sister oh-so unhelpfully referred to the
groom as Caliban — the monstrous ogre of Greek mythology (and Marvel comics).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Wedding Woes</span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Poor Mary reportedly cried for days before the wedding. And
sobbed during the ceremony. As did her stepmother, which I thought sounded a
little weird, until I discovered that her step-mother was a dear friend of hers, a mere four years older
than Mary and heavily pregnant at the time (with James’ elusive male heir). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Neither Mary’s sister nor her beloved governess was able to attend the blessed event
—<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>they both had smallpox.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Forget the overflowing chapel and streets lined with waving
well-wishers of midday 19 May 2018. The ceremony on 4 November 1677 took place
at 9:00 pm in Mary’s bedchamber. It was not Mary’s father who gave her away to
her betrothed, it was Royal Uncle Charles. Notably, Royal Father-in-law Charles
played just such a critical role in getting Meghan to the altar after what the
media delighted in calling ‘the Markle debacle’.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Royal Rocks</span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was going to leave the comparison there, with Queen Mary
II looking very much the unluckier of the two, until I stubbed my toe on one
more curious rocky fact. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPg61-jsm4oL89HnL4kTu2a-RfOFcM9GvUzUOTBh5F5xEFVHj-yLRZuC2ou4rud8_6xzDTGYRdxamKyqi3QlSgpKAfbH-jo9RAypM-7is4rFVBgw9z-A8LIhwtoL6OTwt6bFXBOmDgJgc/s1600/Stuart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPg61-jsm4oL89HnL4kTu2a-RfOFcM9GvUzUOTBh5F5xEFVHj-yLRZuC2ou4rud8_6xzDTGYRdxamKyqi3QlSgpKAfbH-jo9RAypM-7is4rFVBgw9z-A8LIhwtoL6OTwt6bFXBOmDgJgc/s400/Stuart.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Stuart Diamond</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Prince Harry honoured his new wife by giving her a large
aquamarine ring that had belonged to his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Soon
after their return to his home in Holland, Prince William of Orange purchased
an enormous diamond in the rough for his bride. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This unusual pale blue-green rock was SO big, that the
jeweller advised the couple it would best be cut into two. Mary would have none
of that. She wanted one giant gem. Thus, the Holland Diamond, AKA the Stuart
Diamond, came to be. Pear-shaped and rose cut, it is an impressive 36+ carats.
(That’s even bigger than the one James Packer gave Mariah Carey.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Win! Go Mary!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A Sort of
Happy Ending<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfQqTaSSZVzQqI4OyIlpp3QStka-Z60YPzGLI9RciE-YdoFqJQbULJudCbUUBDsaYtsWYyATR8EJQYG7jzfUHRnHdvSzW8A4XAT9l90Aj1I7WyUT624FV6KGMqII0E23IAX3NPm6JAAQ/s1600/IMG_3077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1202" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfQqTaSSZVzQqI4OyIlpp3QStka-Z60YPzGLI9RciE-YdoFqJQbULJudCbUUBDsaYtsWYyATR8EJQYG7jzfUHRnHdvSzW8A4XAT9l90Aj1I7WyUT624FV6KGMqII0E23IAX3NPm6JAAQ/s320/IMG_3077.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the ceiling of The Painted Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I really cannot leave off without saying that despite their
not-so happy beginning, Mary grew to be utterly devoted to her weird-looking husband.
Maybe that ginormous diamond helped. Nonetheless, they certainly led a
remarkable life together, achieving much for which we still thank them, even
though their union was designed “To bind … friends and to disarm … foes”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</style>Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-37660461417596772452018-03-10T04:00:00.002+11:002018-03-10T23:20:31.931+11:00Old cat / new tricks : Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm pretty sure I'll never get used to not having a dog about the place. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Recently, the aching absence has been amplified to 11 while the Cruft's Dog Show happens. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Girlchild and I are emitting more than our usual ridiculously excessive cooing and ahhing and nawwwing sounds at the clever cute cuddly canines on the telly each night. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLkoDsdXN-TIwa2wSj_Fr-h_h8YlPmGZfdUPqNZb32UWUEGjdr0OOzNyBwhCCE8E970zDzMIPKs01DJffJ0wNZIPYvspIBZ8EfbZnos_dqgzjsZM0Hfjxzz8-temX4znLtdaCI55J7zM/s1600/IMG_3152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLkoDsdXN-TIwa2wSj_Fr-h_h8YlPmGZfdUPqNZb32UWUEGjdr0OOzNyBwhCCE8E970zDzMIPKs01DJffJ0wNZIPYvspIBZ8EfbZnos_dqgzjsZM0Hfjxzz8-temX4znLtdaCI55J7zM/s320/IMG_3152.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whilst Her Imperial-But-Geriatric-Fluffiness remains unimpressed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Perhaps that's why she has stepped up her campaign to drive us all insane.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or perhaps she's just losing, at speed, every last one of the few remaining marbles she brought with her from home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, she has moved beyond mere random night yowling. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now her daily schedule includes random day-time yowling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Plus some very specifically-timed blood-curdling screeching and mewling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You see, apparently, at unspecified hours and minutes, an invisible but truly hideous disgusting filthy beastie spontaneously materialises in our apartment and exudates in HER litter tray. So, after her initial attempts to intimidate it by flinging granules of cat litter in as many directions and as far as her regal restrictions allow flinging at all, she is compelled to gallop throughout her domain, bewailing her consternation at the horror that has befallen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And the caterwauling continues until a two-legged minion rids the queendom of the invading stench monster and restores smoothness and order to the now-crunchy floor of the royal restroom.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89RuZxvEnBQSoqqIqBobQFPorIzEIrZf0VZtIpKkNlPuX2_de6Gnh50zwUzhz_IiwiFF1osRB1pLDge5grBtjSKCAY9XM9aZANJUrRckztzSe8pQpWLOT4S2XaRQNV00iGdEv8X_gM78/s1600/IMG_1801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89RuZxvEnBQSoqqIqBobQFPorIzEIrZf0VZtIpKkNlPuX2_de6Gnh50zwUzhz_IiwiFF1osRB1pLDge5grBtjSKCAY9XM9aZANJUrRckztzSe8pQpWLOT4S2XaRQNV00iGdEv8X_gM78/s320/IMG_1801.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She even seems to have taken up the once decidedly doggy duty of attempting to murder us with toxic gases. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Of course, she'll never admit to it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or forgive me for telling you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But we have recently been subject to ruthlessly unforgiving bottom purrs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Audible ones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Room-clearing quality.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Indeed, I have begun to feel quite guilty for all those years of dog-blaming-and-shaming. A great many attacks may well have been stealthy feline subterfuge. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sorry, puppies.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One further addition to the patrician daily calendar is the making of insistent, persistent, and particularly clamorous demands of whichever kitchen hand is first to rise. Clear and repeated commands are made that the door to the great beyond be opened to facilitate a morning promenade. However brief that promenade may be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Indeed, on mornings when nobody has roused by daybreak, she makes the long trek to the servants' quarters, sounding <i>reveille </i>all the while, leaving no room for doubt about her needs and desires.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With summer approaching, I've began fashioning a small silken eye-mask — acceptably elegant but impenetrable to light.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But, last week, the chief-cook-and-bottle-washer had small revenge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This happened.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOITYigmwn8N0IsjgyYjZIUuphKUka2WimrQ5aQ5zifo8ZhuW9iKV4sb9DyGMyIJTOaGAMijKk9DcmdLw-nmURG8vB3IXO3DFWi1Hv-XqB5zo225y3-243UHTKiQYgj-WieESHsZMVcU/s1600/IMG_3236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOITYigmwn8N0IsjgyYjZIUuphKUka2WimrQ5aQ5zifo8ZhuW9iKV4sb9DyGMyIJTOaGAMijKk9DcmdLw-nmURG8vB3IXO3DFWi1Hv-XqB5zo225y3-243UHTKiQYgj-WieESHsZMVcU/s320/IMG_3236.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It doesn't snow at home on The Rock.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Never, in her eighteen years, had she witnessed anything so distasteful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof1uvni2UQrCV4VYlXWzB7i26LhR9VtpSC4B4lFOaTpJ-UpMBxS4l9vNYvmk9AIkxiKK-pCx-yHpz9rTTXLrzr0f6xYe_oFlnKP_y5AS4UeRpTfmqeNp7IXJxmyoZqxlH1uqPr2AL18c/s1600/IMG_3233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof1uvni2UQrCV4VYlXWzB7i26LhR9VtpSC4B4lFOaTpJ-UpMBxS4l9vNYvmk9AIkxiKK-pCx-yHpz9rTTXLrzr0f6xYe_oFlnKP_y5AS4UeRpTfmqeNp7IXJxmyoZqxlH1uqPr2AL18c/s320/IMG_3233.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really shouldn't have laughed as much as I did at the indignant foot shaking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And with her hasty U-turn, the kind thing to do would have been been to let her back in the door she'd just egressed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVr4TLSZzI0LZCP5bbpTKw-__fDAPHzD3CTEtVyoTdhYGN7sI8yphwhRe7201GGdYdRs7ws_rnmWsKcOlMe7jEen5o3xtHNarvpA4WF_nxDLebGMx5cUtne69_Sayuqmu_fDQ0Lz0w5Vw/s1600/IMG_3237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVr4TLSZzI0LZCP5bbpTKw-__fDAPHzD3CTEtVyoTdhYGN7sI8yphwhRe7201GGdYdRs7ws_rnmWsKcOlMe7jEen5o3xtHNarvpA4WF_nxDLebGMx5cUtne69_Sayuqmu_fDQ0Lz0w5Vw/s320/IMG_3237.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But counterattack is a dish best served cold! </span><br />
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<br />Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-65040942383348472132018-02-25T04:23:00.000+11:002018-02-25T04:23:33.980+11:00525,600 minutes<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So <span style="font-family: serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">there</span> </span>I was listening to my new favourite radio station here in London, </span><br />
<h3 style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 19.200000762939453px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 23.040000915527344px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #d42532; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong></span></h3>
<h3 style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 19.200000762939453px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 23.040000915527344px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #d42532; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Encore Radio plays songs from your favourite musicals,</strong></span></h3>
<h3 style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 19.200000762939453px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 23.040000915527344px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #d42532; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">all day, every day</strong></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> blithely singing along to this song from <i>Rent </i>when it dawned on me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hj7LRuusFqo?rel=0&controls=0" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've been here for more than a year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More than 525,600 minutes. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've been here long enough to have survived all the 'firsts' away from home, those dates that are so replete with tradition and family history that they tug and pull and ache ... birthdays, anniversary days, Christmas, New Year.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Long enough that time passes more quickly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Long enough for me to have stopped counting how long we've been here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've even been here long enough to have grown so familiar with life in our compact attic flat in Fitzrovia that it had become tiresome. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No, that's not the right word. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not tiresome. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Too many awe-inspiring, mind-expanding, life-affirming things surrounded us for it to be tiresome. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I should have said is that we had lived there long enough to have grown fed-up with ceaseless traffic and choked footpaths; exhausted by the parade of grey, airless days; jaded by brick and concrete.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Down the Thames we moved. No longer in the heart of the city, now in an airy modern North Greenwich apartment we can see the river, watch the sunset, enjoy growing plants on the expansive balcony. It's mind-opening in a whole different way. An additional way. The way that means so much to so many Australians. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here there is head space.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Expanse of sky.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Light.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, I began at the point when I was musing about how I would measure that first year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I thought, how about in shows?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we decided to move here, I promised myself that I would take me to every play, concert, musical or exhibition that took my fancy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did not let myself down.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In our first year in London, I took myself to 14 musicals, 17 plays, 5 concerts, 2 stand-up comedy performances, the Chelsea Flower Show, the Longines </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Global Champions showjumping,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 12 m</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">useums, the taping of 3 television shows and the truly spectacular Lucha Libre masked wrestling.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here are some of the amazing actors who have </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">shared some of their 525,600 minutes</span> with me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So how do <i>you</i> measure a year?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<br />Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-89951035614787487852017-05-23T21:36:00.000+10:002017-05-23T22:04:56.581+10:00Teach an old cat new tricks : Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Seventeen in cat years is like ninety-something in human terms. And of course I was concerned about </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Her Imperial-but-Geriatric Fluffiness being locked in a cage in a dark cargo hold for 30 hours. But I couldn't leave her behind. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She's been in the family longer than my daughter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And I'd already had to give my dog away. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(Still can't even type that without crying).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Clearly because I wasn't already angst-riddled enough, one of my caring and supportive friends heaped a few more heebies on my jeebies by casually querying, "Aren't you sort of worried that there'll be a dead cat in the carrier when you get to London?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well, I am now!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So all the way from Tullamarine to Heathrow I fretted. E</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">very time we hit turbulence, I</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> dissolved into champagne-enhanced tears in</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> my fabulously comfortable company-paid-for-it business class seat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But she made it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We both did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's only recently that we've begun to have a near-terminal-velocity bumpy ride.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-4vralFfKv_IUCKDe5RvJHRLSuYiieBS2pbz45krbqhb9r0gsbDSQC1Xp-k-2dUMB-6GRda18qiJTiTfSh-k3TXKmNjR9m3Nyey4cg2wJwcDR4Ad4SpGdcU3FbhuMyJa2H98qc26mmM/s1600/FullSizeRender+82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-4vralFfKv_IUCKDe5RvJHRLSuYiieBS2pbz45krbqhb9r0gsbDSQC1Xp-k-2dUMB-6GRda18qiJTiTfSh-k3TXKmNjR9m3Nyey4cg2wJwcDR4Ad4SpGdcU3FbhuMyJa2H98qc26mmM/s400/FullSizeRender+82.jpg" width="260" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She's killing me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Slowly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Night yowling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Apparently it's a thing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She's not sick.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She's not hungry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She's not cold.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She had a hysterectomy 17 years ago, so it's not about calling the boys. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She's not even lonely.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She's just losing her marbles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Loudly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At regular intervals between midnight and 5:00am the bitch-cat-from-hell</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">finds her way into our midst and begins summoning her demon buddies for the ritual slaughtering of all humans in residence. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's spine chilling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I tried talking nicely to her.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I tried shouting at her.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I tried throwing everything from my bedside table at the wall.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So I switched to a more pro-active approach and left the radio on upstairs where she sleeps. BBC 2. Surely that would either bore her to sleep or engage her with its interesting interviews in soothing voices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And it worked for one night. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maybe two.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Next I amped up the love, and left a night light on for her as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So far so good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some time between 2:00 and 3:00am, she does start to wind up the howlelujah, but then like a baby crying itself to sleep, she self-soothes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Eventually.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think she'd probably prefer that I left the TV on, but I fear the inevitable next step would be the expectation for me to stay up all night to explain the bits she missed while she was asleep.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's a slippery slope.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-44645292872231160092017-05-08T19:28:00.002+10:002017-05-08T21:24:10.288+10:00A to Z ..End of challenge reflection <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwYgyQb-pqDPTnZc_b6q6ihEivp4FlHlOKEeW6Tzg2swY3rwiE9WKi5z-bD6fnebwhmJvHnmH4kX2P1AhpvjxEOklPdNSzwS9cSfCSEhlThYtXkBv2Q_CCeXJZFc94SM6cDnzaeObETM/s1600/IMG_1057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwYgyQb-pqDPTnZc_b6q6ihEivp4FlHlOKEeW6Tzg2swY3rwiE9WKi5z-bD6fnebwhmJvHnmH4kX2P1AhpvjxEOklPdNSzwS9cSfCSEhlThYtXkBv2Q_CCeXJZFc94SM6cDnzaeObETM/s400/IMG_1057.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was my friend Sheryl's fault that I did the A to Z challenge this year. Obviously, the theme was all my doing, but I don't think it would have even occurred to me to participate if not for Sheryl's random comment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So thanks and blame both go to Sheryl.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A great many of the bloggers who participate in the challenge are hardcore professional-type bloggers. They use the challenge as an opportunity to build their business profile, to sell something. Others use it as a way to develop or advertise their self-publishing projects. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">None of that interests me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It probably should, but it doesn't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I write, I am better able to deal with my depression. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And when I write regularly, I write better. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My theme focussed on things weird, bizarre and off-centre, but participating in the challenge helped me feel more connected, less adrift in a sea of strange. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some of the people I care most about don't bother to read my blog. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some look at it occasionally and tell me they only like the funny ones. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This month, I heard from a couple that they weren't interested in my posts because my theme was too gruesome and (despite my research) the posts were a bit boring.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fair enough.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2njjON3jBTFl_IxESejFpwsrvu2Z2kyDqif78vFxSPGptkhGGudamBaQ44PdTOCg1DxHbcBLD0_wIjASI5iBBQPbEQKpeB06Clb6KinMT4WcJXQ4n8ZQEpBRzzECBYe2wKiHC5qCiL9s/s1600/survivor-atoz+%255B2017%255D+v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2njjON3jBTFl_IxESejFpwsrvu2Z2kyDqif78vFxSPGptkhGGudamBaQ44PdTOCg1DxHbcBLD0_wIjASI5iBBQPbEQKpeB06Clb6KinMT4WcJXQ4n8ZQEpBRzzECBYe2wKiHC5qCiL9s/s320/survivor-atoz+%255B2017%255D+v1.jpg" width="192" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But some complete strangers stumbled upon <i>Wendy Off The Rock</i> and responded in kind to my humour and my sense of the absurd. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They made me laugh. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I looked forward to their witty and thoughtful responses. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thank you:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">JZ <a href="http://areluctantbitch.blogspot.com/">http://areluctantbitch.blogspot.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Carmel <a href="http://earlieryears.blogspot.com/">http://earlieryears.blogspot.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">D A <a href="http://dacairns.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> http://dacairns.blogspot.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Deborah </span><a href="http://deborah-weber.com/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">http://deborah-weber.com</a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Arti <a href="https://artismoments.blogspot.com/">https://artismoments.blogspot.com</a></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Leanne <a href="http://www.crestingthehill.com.au/">www.crestingthehill.com.au</a></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mind you, a few of the comments others left made it pretty clear they hadn't read my post at all (too many words?). They just looked at the pictures and left a note with a link to their blog for me to reciprocate the visit. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Which I did. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I visited 5-10 other blogs most days during the challenge. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I learned some new things. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And was prompted to introspection by a great many self-help suggestions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But not much made me laugh. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I also found that the way we posted this year (without a Linky List) meant that the different global time-zones of participants were way more obvious, and it was more difficult to pop back to other blogs for a second visit. I don't necessarily want to sign up to receive regular posts from ALL the other blogs I visited.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm a picky bitch.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, I achieved my aims for the April Challenge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wrote regularly, which stimulated my creative bits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You rewarded me by stopping by and listening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You kept me connected.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And grounded.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I sometimes felt a bit hamstrung by my choice of theme.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But I got over myself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">And I giggled a lot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thank you.</span>Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-37937764794112563622017-05-05T20:10:00.001+10:002017-05-08T17:04:14.861+10:00Tea and snozzcumber sandwiches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Take a sneaky peek at the bookshelves, or the dusty stack by their bed, or the dog-eared novels lying on the coffee table and you can tell a great deal about someone, can't you? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It says even more if there are no bookcases to scope out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And it's sort of stating the bleeding obvious about what makes me tick to reveal that the cafe in the spectacular British Library (pictured here) is one of my favourite places to have a cuppa and a play with words on my computer. Towering walls of leather-bound books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Me dwarfed by the world in words.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Heavenly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The only down-side is that they're behind glass. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm an unashamed book-sniffer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And I'm tipping a few of you are guilty of the same.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But anyway, for the past few months, a row of gorgeous pen and ink illustrations has been hanging, relatively unheralded, along one back wall on the second floor of the library. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm not sure how many people visit them every day, but in my immaterial opinion, not enough, so I thought I'd bring a couple to you.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Commissioned to celebrate what would have been Roald Dahl's 100th birthday are ten new visions of some of his most famous characters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<div style="background-color: #fbfbfb; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a4a4a; letter-spacing: 0.01em; line-height: 1.5em;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sir Quentin Blake ( aged 84) said of the exhibition:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“The Roald Dahl Centenary Portraits ask you to imagine that a number of Dahl’s characters have been invited to come and sit for their portrait; they are depicted, not quite as they appear in the illustrations, but more formally... I hope visitors to the British Library will be happy to see this group of well-known characters treated as though they were real people – which, of course, to many of us they are.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are three that took me back to many nights of reading aloud at bedtime:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2tdULbw_ypC1oQPGbhcZmTxcMVirHnjdLYzJDymXhiU02D5nTfijZ_S5VF604ip0aKiDr56RY2Au1MAwe0Pzk70gzjGD-KpBVF6EKurzlT6k_Ujt_IIGA93coJRRibJGSS1SaDPVkro/s1600/IMG_0835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2tdULbw_ypC1oQPGbhcZmTxcMVirHnjdLYzJDymXhiU02D5nTfijZ_S5VF604ip0aKiDr56RY2Au1MAwe0Pzk70gzjGD-KpBVF6EKurzlT6k_Ujt_IIGA93coJRRibJGSS1SaDPVkro/s400/IMG_0835.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHAXJXk7mhRsjFswh9IX9t4aDTTwoRPYhLzlsRYBLlHBWEg5Tllf9964kO_f_yTeJoWy0Jl_DDnvoUJFcp4U5aZNp29CB3cIjt2tGDLczRqBtqtCfIdQ8vb8y3ggLvOCM1Ka8T_dbcAM/s1600/IMG_0840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHAXJXk7mhRsjFswh9IX9t4aDTTwoRPYhLzlsRYBLlHBWEg5Tllf9964kO_f_yTeJoWy0Jl_DDnvoUJFcp4U5aZNp29CB3cIjt2tGDLczRqBtqtCfIdQ8vb8y3ggLvOCM1Ka8T_dbcAM/s400/IMG_0840.jpg" width="342" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwVhjwIKDcl7aKvl5_Nkc0iNqnQFEVzHT_Auy9p_NLb0UOzwN2K1IlJDaV4HLnkU7_A8KNFNfJKJkz6r-NFCxx8cakNThXB52ULswS9Aov6-iG9r7KcptsltYt0Tqt85sw2mAah1fjPI/s1600/IMG_0841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwVhjwIKDcl7aKvl5_Nkc0iNqnQFEVzHT_Auy9p_NLb0UOzwN2K1IlJDaV4HLnkU7_A8KNFNfJKJkz6r-NFCxx8cakNThXB52ULswS9Aov6-iG9r7KcptsltYt0Tqt85sw2mAah1fjPI/s400/IMG_0841.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was even inspired to finally watch the latest movie of <i>The BFG, </i>which<i> </i>I'd been ignoring for two reasons: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(1) critics gave it a total shit-canning, (2) I so adore Tim Minchin's <i>Matilda </i>that I doubted another recent re-imagining of Dahl could scratch up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But I enjoyed it. I really did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Granted, much of it would most certainly have given my daughter nightmares back in the day, but the final scene had us guffawing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A wind-driven comic scene to rival <i>Blazing Saddles</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was the wizzpopping corgis that did me in.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRGYCUvqXgn-WcFRSmkKxDU-QFCodOYE0srTgou1LyEbFUTgwebkdza8-xdU4Iv0cnswSJrviaEl5tNDDjiPyRIVuswKErzu-_dHhWBXcdyEhoC8wilONg5MPx6QmoHzrnIjq3VgA3_Y/s1600/IMG_0844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRGYCUvqXgn-WcFRSmkKxDU-QFCodOYE0srTgou1LyEbFUTgwebkdza8-xdU4Iv0cnswSJrviaEl5tNDDjiPyRIVuswKErzu-_dHhWBXcdyEhoC8wilONg5MPx6QmoHzrnIjq3VgA3_Y/s320/IMG_0844.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As an almost completely irrelevant sidebar, here's something to further distract you when next you're watching TV.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Remember how amazed you were when you first heard that 99% of phone numbers mentioned by American screen characters begin with 555? Well, prepare to be equally amazed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it's your turn to suggest the Friday-night drinking game but </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">you're not in the mood, or you're having one of those non-alcohol nights that doctors recommend, suggest playing 'Spot the bookcase' in American-made TV shows and movies. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Unless the room is an office, or the lead character is a professor-cum-educated- type like Frasier, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a sober Friday night is a safe bet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wanted to finish with my favourite quote about books and reading, but I couldn't settle for just one, so you're getting two:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>It's what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it. </i></span>Oscar Wilde</h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.</i> </span>Groucho Marx</h4>
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Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-58348478440339454002017-04-30T03:05:00.001+10:002017-04-30T07:56:22.945+10:00Z = Zonked at the zenith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuHxtf5A-TzpZy66487EaMJuR13q_zi2LQYOTp-s2MiFAijUP3UZ4wt3wWaJmqC3i32Oos5hwEeYNpka2AFBINpH124TK2CCvie5hUWTUdPr_Za1trxnICuRZ8K2s2-uKCC3aGHb3o-Q/s1600/IMG_1047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuHxtf5A-TzpZy66487EaMJuR13q_zi2LQYOTp-s2MiFAijUP3UZ4wt3wWaJmqC3i32Oos5hwEeYNpka2AFBINpH124TK2CCvie5hUWTUdPr_Za1trxnICuRZ8K2s2-uKCC3aGHb3o-Q/s400/IMG_1047.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So here we are. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">April 30th.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The letter Z.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The conclusion of 25 mind-expanding visits to the Wellcome Collection and the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">full-stop of 25 frightening peeks into the mind of Wendy of the Rock, who has been sucked up the wormhole that leads from Oz to Wonderland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To salute having reached the zenith of the mountain, I thought I'd make this a sing-along post, and bring you a chirpy song of celebration. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do join in as you read.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OHVmzobonQ0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There were so many other wonderful things I photographed but couldn't wangle into any of my pieces. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like these:</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWVPTfYflqGacz8qnpoo6XR1fs8mEV0OMYEwjr7sdqKGD9H0R8hjc99oWwNryn-CSEQ_eBbGIVYI_8FMbRl62M12PGoekBRcko3OtPQpirmjni8DbJ923tH_Ia00RGUbezkhvNmv3iws/s1600/FullSizeRender+73.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWVPTfYflqGacz8qnpoo6XR1fs8mEV0OMYEwjr7sdqKGD9H0R8hjc99oWwNryn-CSEQ_eBbGIVYI_8FMbRl62M12PGoekBRcko3OtPQpirmjni8DbJ923tH_Ia00RGUbezkhvNmv3iws/s320/FullSizeRender+73.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inuit snow goggles</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JI_0dvh4EoBYdzZbCSnbF0WDKXLmSNKEAW4z4XhTtsORPuuzqdLx4Tnj_kDg7JKhdItx5QghHHILn9yhqfh8ewbsUVIk_sb6Q779DiEagxSehpEBExkxIgwUWdVS89VwXM8BJRrtx_o/s1600/IMG_0929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JI_0dvh4EoBYdzZbCSnbF0WDKXLmSNKEAW4z4XhTtsORPuuzqdLx4Tnj_kDg7JKhdItx5QghHHILn9yhqfh8ewbsUVIk_sb6Q779DiEagxSehpEBExkxIgwUWdVS89VwXM8BJRrtx_o/s320/IMG_0929.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scold's bridle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCZcUz3-PAZiDj0HADcaciFxlmi3DxzTOGC-c4zsKno1EGgg4dEQX6lByWQIIM-T_lPutS5TSTcQ7PyNnknMsLdVUTAzw7nILzo27uY7_lSdYoj85k1cPR7yxWXCjQ8asoXZDWDYN_co/s1600/FullSizeRender+81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCZcUz3-PAZiDj0HADcaciFxlmi3DxzTOGC-c4zsKno1EGgg4dEQX6lByWQIIM-T_lPutS5TSTcQ7PyNnknMsLdVUTAzw7nILzo27uY7_lSdYoj85k1cPR7yxWXCjQ8asoXZDWDYN_co/s320/FullSizeRender+81.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Acupuncture model</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My mate Sir Henry collected other such disparate and bizarre things as Napoleon's toothbrush and Florence Nightingale's moccasins. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Seriously.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No matter how tenuous the link between the object and the world of medicine, or science, or to art that intersects and overlaps with those worlds, Sir Henry had both the desire and the wealth to add it to his collection. And today, the good people his amassed fortune continues to employ at the museum that bears his name keep his habits and dreams very much alive.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjeAp6HDr_iLzWJYiatnAmiSpmT995gWGWwrMeQxrgP3kYwi1Dm3J2gybO0Zjegt0DEONtkJozBmlsO7FxkfwCyROXv0Zy0-9UbXboeaS7NWVjji0n91sEVyEFLpO3tSUTufO-_z4IKY/s1600/fullsizeoutput_438.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjeAp6HDr_iLzWJYiatnAmiSpmT995gWGWwrMeQxrgP3kYwi1Dm3J2gybO0Zjegt0DEONtkJozBmlsO7FxkfwCyROXv0Zy0-9UbXboeaS7NWVjji0n91sEVyEFLpO3tSUTufO-_z4IKY/s400/fullsizeoutput_438.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywXI0sRo2TS0148nlfaXSVJMUjhjkigfEdmhfL8ATbOnaOZ1ANnubeYm0vGMWO52i0Fjs0n3Xk9XDfL6SIu8H_tXAQ7TZXuBJIe_SYdTn9cqB55KMuClwqctUyrvagaCaI7UWgvYNg4c/s1600/fullsizeoutput_437.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywXI0sRo2TS0148nlfaXSVJMUjhjkigfEdmhfL8ATbOnaOZ1ANnubeYm0vGMWO52i0Fjs0n3Xk9XDfL6SIu8H_tXAQ7TZXuBJIe_SYdTn9cqB55KMuClwqctUyrvagaCaI7UWgvYNg4c/s400/fullsizeoutput_437.jpeg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can't leave without sharing these last fabulous objects displayed in the Reading Room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There's a whole case full of these little rockstars, </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">each about the height of a matchstick.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Shota Katsube, of the Souzou: Japanese Outsider Art school of thought, creates these way cool anime soldiers from twist-ties. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">You know, those things you use to stop your garbage from spilling out of the bag.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Yep, with the aid of a tiny pair of scissors and nail clippers, he whips up a new member for his army in around five minutes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Each one unique.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">None copied from cartoons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I have no idea how they connect to medicine, but I'm totally sure Sir Henry would have approved of them being on display at his place. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">He loved weird shit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So whether you've been with me for the whole oxygen-depleting scramble to the summit or merely called in at base camp to say hi, I thank you for your company. I would never have made it on my own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because, to use Dorothy Parker's immortal words: </span><br />
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OjdBDnjGsFacfOS6c7OG93BdOtiDCTa6Gn6fBe6ACybmwdwHM3K8-XFskfplONtwd4Sx_oGSmgbpY-7XkTpKUDv9DPs0ilV6l74FBc-eP3U7SO5kAJdhgm_hwXOJXIiRYXEvKvmwaV0/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OjdBDnjGsFacfOS6c7OG93BdOtiDCTa6Gn6fBe6ACybmwdwHM3K8-XFskfplONtwd4Sx_oGSmgbpY-7XkTpKUDv9DPs0ilV6l74FBc-eP3U7SO5kAJdhgm_hwXOJXIiRYXEvKvmwaV0/s640/IMG_0628.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me on the stairs at Wellcome. (Thanks for the pic, Jo)<br />I took the photo at the start of this post from the top of this staircase, and edited it in Snapseed.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGQxhEYNy7b_DsdhrIgnKulbZIJgfm3p4eUBIwIPzbijxn4AEeRbUMIJtbNJG9TM7BOM3CVzhfNzHGhAIQFM6zGkpgFxPBh6CrkSPeb1aTjVGy2Y55uWjZlf2kXn51vea98pYGOjA9PE/s1600/Z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGQxhEYNy7b_DsdhrIgnKulbZIJgfm3p4eUBIwIPzbijxn4AEeRbUMIJtbNJG9TM7BOM3CVzhfNzHGhAIQFM6zGkpgFxPBh6CrkSPeb1aTjVGy2Y55uWjZlf2kXn51vea98pYGOjA9PE/s200/Z.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">During the month of April, I am participating in the </span><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank">Blogging from A–Z Challenge</a><span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">My posts will all feature images of and by</span><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank"> t</a><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank">he Wellcome Collection, Euston, London: the free destination for the incurably curious.</a></div>
Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-80387889825222720812017-04-30T00:32:00.000+10:002017-04-30T00:32:02.014+10:00Y = Yank<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRs8SJ5lMiVyqiUqQdQ_PHqfIbSdPja3BZnDNx_FhXuXnG7UZVCvmI8YiKa40OB-01-ZsJNYofUxmOCnTxYKX_4uIC416QAQaEa8F06xJhKHL3XlgxBOkHYSzJF3TPbEyL-7iYpNkAAc/s1600/fullsizeoutput_43a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRs8SJ5lMiVyqiUqQdQ_PHqfIbSdPja3BZnDNx_FhXuXnG7UZVCvmI8YiKa40OB-01-ZsJNYofUxmOCnTxYKX_4uIC416QAQaEa8F06xJhKHL3XlgxBOkHYSzJF3TPbEyL-7iYpNkAAc/s400/fullsizeoutput_43a.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wish this image was a bit clearer, but despite being an enthusiastic user of the camera, I still fall short of being a gifted amateur. But anyway, it looks like a beaded curtain, doesn't it? One of those clickety 60s-Asian-inspired jobs that send legions of Pinterest users into paroxysms of delight. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well, allow me to turn those ripples of glee to shudders of horror.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those are not beads. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They're teeth. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Human teeth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's a Chinese sign that apparently advertises a <i>Doctor for treating miscellaneous diseases</i>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHyL-4M_NbutY6KskMRnd1Bn6VfZloVuHr4R7aXEpvAv2eWog-9EIG0wx_nijvAg3yGWGs9B0Czu1Skryg1LCPQ39b8ozQH6MuGpR3zbFAi1G_2VV9d_Kms_SDAIz-djHB1ooAqVEBmmQ/s1600/DSCN6526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHyL-4M_NbutY6KskMRnd1Bn6VfZloVuHr4R7aXEpvAv2eWog-9EIG0wx_nijvAg3yGWGs9B0Czu1Skryg1LCPQ39b8ozQH6MuGpR3zbFAi1G_2VV9d_Kms_SDAIz-djHB1ooAqVEBmmQ/s400/DSCN6526.jpg" width="195" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What is it about dentists that makes so many of us avoid them? Not socially, just professionally. I know two mouth experts who are delightful young women. I'm fond of them both. Mind you, when I'm in their company, my tongue does spend much of the time guiltily poking about my pegs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And although I don't exactly fear a visit to the tooth doctor, I do recall the day that resulted in my reticence. I'm guessing I was about ten the day Dr Skinner yanked out that molar. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have large teeth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With long roots.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">His face still looms clearly in my memory. Leaning close through the smell of disinfectant and his smoker's breath, he was grimacing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">His eyes squinched to almost closed with the effort.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'It's a tough one,' he muttered in the direction of Mum, sitting supportively in the corner. ' Going to need a bit extra oomph.'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He braced his foot against the pedestal of the hydraulic chair for extra leverage. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And yanked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My right ear filled with an echoing grind and crack as my mouth filled with warm sweet blood.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dN-hh3JOCALvDZgcXpkFn9PdVLv8OYqjLoPVSPQxBOL_euhI2hM6DH866OJAxzAlRu1da0zsYFMFH9GSEm7AyqlNdOYhCgOd-eR6-kN1NRM8WegDeILqFQNb7j1L4tehSOdbHE_KK2g/s1600/ce4bb3234268232ee474d6bf2102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dN-hh3JOCALvDZgcXpkFn9PdVLv8OYqjLoPVSPQxBOL_euhI2hM6DH866OJAxzAlRu1da0zsYFMFH9GSEm7AyqlNdOYhCgOd-eR6-kN1NRM8WegDeILqFQNb7j1L4tehSOdbHE_KK2g/s320/ce4bb3234268232ee474d6bf2102.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here for your viewing discomfort is a selection of images that help keep that memory alive for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And I'm sadistically hoping they just might trigger something for you, too.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-sgIw0hJIbHJ89SqvqWoASw7KKQWk3JKwl9vtJR8Cy1SgkSOc8I9bJ4dxgio4OxibgzB0bIcyLZvVwG_8OZlULTJMZAbg5NnTNCOHTRMCeFX-sEJLhgVpVGTQLKgAmPl9xil67VQUMA/s1600/f0bf41f4619b8585d59ab58c4971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-sgIw0hJIbHJ89SqvqWoASw7KKQWk3JKwl9vtJR8Cy1SgkSOc8I9bJ4dxgio4OxibgzB0bIcyLZvVwG_8OZlULTJMZAbg5NnTNCOHTRMCeFX-sEJLhgVpVGTQLKgAmPl9xil67VQUMA/s320/f0bf41f4619b8585d59ab58c4971.jpg" width="228" /></a><br />
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Yank...</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hello?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Are you there?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwP4F5uBfnJG41nLoAequ4bg3RbKNlkfyNepBQKEPF_ueLZ8GUUMTSj_ejgMOVLbCh6wol9VkMMrGaDyWfXgYA0g9v3UPoAZjOpvfiRlNj5RtcsLmSjkdU2vQJgqsmHgkH5bdVr4eTXIc/s1600/L0021970-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwP4F5uBfnJG41nLoAequ4bg3RbKNlkfyNepBQKEPF_ueLZ8GUUMTSj_ejgMOVLbCh6wol9VkMMrGaDyWfXgYA0g9v3UPoAZjOpvfiRlNj5RtcsLmSjkdU2vQJgqsmHgkH5bdVr4eTXIc/s400/L0021970-1.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yank...</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How about now?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Still with me?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjN6KYunFldBh287i-Q0IHn5HDa3QCztAVOm-A31gvX6JGpzVmW8rB3M_-QgX7pXkyPrUpIXWMovttogR-vKVN2LDJWSEd1cFNppn5yZx3YOxkk1kMY8gbaXjieE_-YsmosTZUEaRU23k/s1600/4e89ac751de44212f02b5dae11c5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjN6KYunFldBh287i-Q0IHn5HDa3QCztAVOm-A31gvX6JGpzVmW8rB3M_-QgX7pXkyPrUpIXWMovttogR-vKVN2LDJWSEd1cFNppn5yZx3YOxkk1kMY8gbaXjieE_-YsmosTZUEaRU23k/s400/4e89ac751de44212f02b5dae11c5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yank...</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Has your stomach done a Fosbury flop?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Can you feel that squishy wound where your tooth used to be?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Does the ghost of an ache haunt your jaw? </span><br />
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Yank...</h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do tell....</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC8JFQlHKIynxrq6hbG8MNpLyrSDA-HdLlQUjVs0omD9xJA1C40XTBsuK6SNZJWzr7cWHUP_RmHaP4uEI_-xC4vgmDYkyAcdGn9p9tbkCOFcJ59cfM1RKW3Vd7YhOtDy4l4rHxi5vpy8/s1600/Y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC8JFQlHKIynxrq6hbG8MNpLyrSDA-HdLlQUjVs0omD9xJA1C40XTBsuK6SNZJWzr7cWHUP_RmHaP4uEI_-xC4vgmDYkyAcdGn9p9tbkCOFcJ59cfM1RKW3Vd7YhOtDy4l4rHxi5vpy8/s200/Y.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During the month of April, I am participating in the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Blogging from A–Z Challenge</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My posts all feature images of and by<a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> t</a><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">he Wellcome Collection, Euston, London: the free destination for the incurably curious.</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjN6KYunFldBh287i-Q0IHn5HDa3QCztAVOm-A31gvX6JGpzVmW8rB3M_-QgX7pXkyPrUpIXWMovttogR-vKVN2LDJWSEd1cFNppn5yZx3YOxkk1kMY8gbaXjieE_-YsmosTZUEaRU23k/s1600/4e89ac751de44212f02b5dae11c5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-59205557363825214312017-04-28T22:37:00.000+10:002017-04-28T22:49:32.337+10:00X = Xerosis to the X-treme<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmUF7aMUcyhxHmd0X5QKVdF4mTea6BXGUQeeoZOzrog2mOPJSx4Sf01JabDHGkmgZ-KdXDyI9j_aoiWqnQ9Dg_NKVD_Lzt8ylPU6ol5o-9QeBIi6scHM8EdclzWMo7QMSAFxeui1jzQQ/s1600/3f7cd5b0d89b7b44f60bf60ee993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmUF7aMUcyhxHmd0X5QKVdF4mTea6BXGUQeeoZOzrog2mOPJSx4Sf01JabDHGkmgZ-KdXDyI9j_aoiWqnQ9Dg_NKVD_Lzt8ylPU6ol5o-9QeBIi6scHM8EdclzWMo7QMSAFxeui1jzQQ/s320/3f7cd5b0d89b7b44f60bf60ee993.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You're going to have to allow me a bit of latitude with these last few letters of the alphabet. Shortage of material is not the problem, it's shortage of material starting with X,Y and Z that's giving me a right royal pain in the rear end. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, I'm hoping that if you've stuck with me this far, you'll cut me a bit of slack. And if you've only just stumbled into this carnival of words...well...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ummm...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sorry.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Xerosis:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(1) Pathological dryness of a body part or tissue, especially the skin, eyes and mucous membranes </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(2) The normal hardening of the tissue that occurs with aging </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From the Greek<i> xero, </i>meaning dry</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In my opinion, definition (2) is just plain rude. OK, yes, it might be true, but I see no need to call the loss of a little bit of elasticity by the same ugly name as anything pathological. And while I admit to having developed a near-chronic case of lizard legs in my rapidly approaching dotage, it's nothing that a vat of industrial strength moisturiser can't fix.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOrVD-vtRl000cz2U3b4JiRF9qdDjzdHqBS0x1wRWS-vZbgtFqzb_wb_wx1kaFBCkWJ971U_piUMPTIN_8DuLU1ReHaEKjFy2tC8ZtwkNr1eQGntZ94_VbzSbO-5-AAKC9y2Nv2-NYHY/s1600/IMG_1022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOrVD-vtRl000cz2U3b4JiRF9qdDjzdHqBS0x1wRWS-vZbgtFqzb_wb_wx1kaFBCkWJ971U_piUMPTIN_8DuLU1ReHaEKjFy2tC8ZtwkNr1eQGntZ94_VbzSbO-5-AAKC9y2Nv2-NYHY/s400/IMG_1022.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As far as dried up old body parts go, they don't come much drier than a mummy — who was possibly a daddy. Some 700 years ago, this desiccated bundle was a bloke living on the north coast of Peru. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And even though his community obviously hoped for him to have life eternal, I suspect they didn't envisage it being on display in a museum in London.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Uc0EUVCBobQQQt8SCN87lGdUXNpi6F8b-IQONkV668Tuo-TC1GS42xE3cd48_YwzPw4RGgnctZuhyphenhyphenhn7kgL6z-Xb5Qp4Zs2DXoFAeCrMbA0JwiqU2phYYB_sywmj5easzrybGvodPKQ/s1600/IMG_1025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Uc0EUVCBobQQQt8SCN87lGdUXNpi6F8b-IQONkV668Tuo-TC1GS42xE3cd48_YwzPw4RGgnctZuhyphenhyphenhn7kgL6z-Xb5Qp4Zs2DXoFAeCrMbA0JwiqU2phYYB_sywmj5easzrybGvodPKQ/s400/IMG_1025.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was totally mistaken when I chose </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a Tsantsa (which is the formal way to address a shrunken head) for inclusion under the heading of <i>Xerosis</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I did my homework, I discovered that a shrunken head is not made by drying out a full-sized head at all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Apparently, you shrink a head the same way you'd shrink a woollen jumper. In really hot water. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Should you ever hanker to possess the soul of another human being, just follow these ten easy steps to create your very own Tsantsa:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1: Chop head from enemy making sure head and neck remain connected</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2: Slit flesh at back of neck and pull in upwards motion to remove skin and hair from skull</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3: Discard skull (feed to dog?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4: Sew eyelids shut and secure lips with wooden skewers (or strong toothpicks)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5: Drop into large pot of boiling water (a pasta or soup pot would be perfect)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6: Simmer for up to 2 hours (remove before hair falls out and skin goes mushy)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7: Turn inside-out and scrape off any remaining fleshy bits clinging to the skin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">8: Carefully fill skin-bag with hot sand and stones ( don't scald your fingers)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">9: Rub outside with warm charcoal and hang over fire to dry, being careful not to singe the hair (because that smells awful and adding extensions to a Tsantsa is really fiddly)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">10: Remove skewers from lips, sew shut.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once complete, you can decorate as desired, but remember this is your enemy. Don't be too generous.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, as you can see, although it's not technically Xerosis, there is a bit of drying out involved. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude taken.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvz9wsVQ-p1o4jna-isgna8XcId7uOtDGhAoPoVppthNNWPMhIhtYYSbpBaQF6ARIa7mUH8RLokkzTpHhnkmZSwqBaDPaK0-QaB-T7o7o-lxYyiRpqJ9mVU7PNfiAIdV-HmKNDcQqyW04/s1600/X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvz9wsVQ-p1o4jna-isgna8XcId7uOtDGhAoPoVppthNNWPMhIhtYYSbpBaQF6ARIa7mUH8RLokkzTpHhnkmZSwqBaDPaK0-QaB-T7o7o-lxYyiRpqJ9mVU7PNfiAIdV-HmKNDcQqyW04/s200/X.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">During the month of April, I am participating in the </span><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: 'im fell french canon'; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank">Blogging from A–Z Challenge</a><span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">My posts will all feature images of and by</span><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: 'im fell french canon'; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank"> t</a><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: 'im fell french canon'; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank">he Wellcome Collection, Euston, London: the free destination for the incurably curious.</a></div>
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Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-10840673869394564942017-04-27T21:11:00.000+10:002017-04-27T21:11:40.364+10:00W = Walking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlExWCXDKBHlXbglhEEg-4dnITz4QCPqcPPpufrgiGZKQ9GPGjlf8ZoSta9Q6yAlxcR-9C9NsC-pRFVaa6Kp60H-PYCjA7g5bw_CtuSKdlN7qQ6thoWTCjzul6gy6FSEaKNVTUYFhi1n4/s1600/bbb1a2a0caca1bca504eb66f7c76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlExWCXDKBHlXbglhEEg-4dnITz4QCPqcPPpufrgiGZKQ9GPGjlf8ZoSta9Q6yAlxcR-9C9NsC-pRFVaa6Kp60H-PYCjA7g5bw_CtuSKdlN7qQ6thoWTCjzul6gy6FSEaKNVTUYFhi1n4/s320/bbb1a2a0caca1bca504eb66f7c76.jpg" width="239" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After a veritable lifetime of practice, I thought I had this walking thing under control. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Four months of living in London has put paid to that little bit of hubris. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To be fair, it's not all my fault. I'm more than willing to lay a large part of the blame squarely at the feet of the City of Westminster. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And the generations of brown-brogue-wearing British engineers before them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With no car, walking is now my main mode of transport. So, with near-GPS precision, I am locating every wobbly bit of paving, each uniquely uneven cobblestone and any crumbling piece of street gutter in greater London.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And stepping on it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Almost certainly with my left foot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am perfecting the art of what I call the half-faint-stumble. You know, that ever so elegant move where your foot (in my case the left but some of you may lead with your right) your foot spontaneously flips from horizontal to vertical, and you find that your ankle is now located where your heel should be. Indeed, where your heel <i>was </i>just a millisecond ago. With your centre of gravity momentarily in shock, you lurch gracefully into albatross-about-to-take-flight position in a bid to avoid the complete faint-fall-stumble face-plant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At least, <i>I do.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Every. Damned. Day. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbgV5_Yhyphenhypheny5JsIh8t50b3TvVSdNo_28AGUKu7FinPA560b0-AsAZu1gmb4fdplmG9tO_irMkRZZ_2ipP4PFrHDuT2v3zfVxrAC4l3HZ2ACOyQe9P6bxptYJ3DsfGl5HRbUQM7UkfB2e8/s1600/IMG_1029+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbgV5_Yhyphenhypheny5JsIh8t50b3TvVSdNo_28AGUKu7FinPA560b0-AsAZu1gmb4fdplmG9tO_irMkRZZ_2ipP4PFrHDuT2v3zfVxrAC4l3HZ2ACOyQe9P6bxptYJ3DsfGl5HRbUQM7UkfB2e8/s400/IMG_1029+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of Charles Darwin's walking sticks.<br />
Medicine Man Gallery, Wellcome Collection</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Perhaps I should take my lead from the eminently sensible Charles Darwin, renowned scientist and exponent of the walking stick.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Apparently, Mr Darwin did his best thinking on foot. Such a strong believer in the power of the walking stick was he that a distinctive tappy-tappy was, reputedly, how others knew he was in the vicinity. But I'm afraid that, today, the approach of the great Grand Pooh-Bah of natural history would also be accompanied by a great deal of tut-tut and tsk-tsking. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">His favoured aids-de-walking are made of whale bone, ivory and animal horn.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tut-tsk.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SnYWgSv8umyIBvPKk2Ag4l5GFlFrn7E_oqSk7J_oE8827Weae20xs22mTiL8aKe39NGCsMu6dM5Nv_wkP6d-rQds-SrhyI_9R6CGWlxgacTyOEl3zbO06t2gBY_ZWFfI0dBcxEbaLVE/s1600/996686684b9dd36ba1143461b6aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SnYWgSv8umyIBvPKk2Ag4l5GFlFrn7E_oqSk7J_oE8827Weae20xs22mTiL8aKe39NGCsMu6dM5Nv_wkP6d-rQds-SrhyI_9R6CGWlxgacTyOEl3zbO06t2gBY_ZWFfI0dBcxEbaLVE/s320/996686684b9dd36ba1143461b6aa.jpg" width="203" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have nothing but admiration for all those gorgeous young things teetering about the streets of London on their spike heels, playing peak-hour footpath chicken in stiff-soled wedges and dashing down to the Tube in their prodigious platforms. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My days in high heels are long gone. On those rare occasions when I break them out, I invariably find my night's sleep pierced by my own screams as cramp to rival the Hulk trying not to let Betty Ross slip through his grasp grips my calves.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxCx_1SXmCzQULKusYH3i1MJ5UfsqAgXNj6Ij73nQdvPcmLwM3jNx73excXIzLNCTl4gk_Et1FqnKWjET7ekR-rdNBtuXHvWoPFkqL3YZqKyRBhqZpfm3nqdyq6vzjuvI5yN5JXvx1T4/s1600/FullSizeRender+78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxCx_1SXmCzQULKusYH3i1MJ5UfsqAgXNj6Ij73nQdvPcmLwM3jNx73excXIzLNCTl4gk_Et1FqnKWjET7ekR-rdNBtuXHvWoPFkqL3YZqKyRBhqZpfm3nqdyq6vzjuvI5yN5JXvx1T4/s320/FullSizeRender+78.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian fakir sandals, Wellcome Collection<br />
iPhone pic edited in Snapseed</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But do you think maybe I could cultivate better balance by giving the world's least flexible sandals a go?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">During the month of April, I am participating in the </span><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: 'im fell french canon'; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank">Blogging from A–Z Challenge</a><span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">My posts will all feature images of and by</span><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: 'im fell french canon'; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank"> t</a><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: 'im fell french canon'; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank">he Wellcome Collection, Euston, London: the free destination for the incurably curious.</a></div>
Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-85428113885506752712017-04-26T23:52:00.003+10:002017-04-27T01:03:44.146+10:00V = Votives... not the glowing kind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrouDtUOO6lEII3FY-J8E1n-ffMqmXMGCQDWfDFjHMBQcVs2aLDdvhzNDHmlGjYsJ0m1-wID90A6oiGlCPauehZOaJfYBGube6kUEpHuozHBdkMgv9VclwwAxYE0SouOBjglnL3JDVc4/s1600/IMG_0937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrouDtUOO6lEII3FY-J8E1n-ffMqmXMGCQDWfDFjHMBQcVs2aLDdvhzNDHmlGjYsJ0m1-wID90A6oiGlCPauehZOaJfYBGube6kUEpHuozHBdkMgv9VclwwAxYE0SouOBjglnL3JDVc4/s400/IMG_0937.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Admittedly, I wasn't raised in a religious household, but I had no idea that a votive isn't just a little candle in a schmancy holder of som</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e type. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I did not know that the word </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">votive</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> is derived from </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">vow, </i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and so is used to describe </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">an object or an act offered up to honour or thank a god. Now I think about it, that makes perfect sense — all those candles on altars are lit as vows, votives. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Back 2500 years ago, the Etruscans were more hardcore about their conversations with the gods. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not prepared to risk their vows being snuffed out or lost in the afterglow, they made thousands of votives from long-lasting terracotta and apparently left so many of them lying and hanging about temples and holy places that pits </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">full of them have been uncovered. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And the most common of those votives are body parts. The academic jury is out about how these clay bits and pieces worked. Or didn't.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESm98b1fb1X0YknfAynX3jGfdmHNqDGaPdmp0eWM_cfROacoGrkVlkeSDXjKkIuADk41KUXR0b-CLEt1qTNR1JXbjeq6ij1zlxr-QNWEevMXmr3296ASlpqhzYi_PDhWgRqgCBx0yZVg/s1600/ee160a359b4484902f46c3fd0a19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESm98b1fb1X0YknfAynX3jGfdmHNqDGaPdmp0eWM_cfROacoGrkVlkeSDXjKkIuADk41KUXR0b-CLEt1qTNR1JXbjeq6ij1zlxr-QNWEevMXmr3296ASlpqhzYi_PDhWgRqgCBx0yZVg/s320/ee160a359b4484902f46c3fd0a19.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Perhaps they were a <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">request for help, with a statue of </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the bit needing the most attention in case the deity got confused and answered the wrong prayer: "Please help me overcome </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">these splitting headaches. And here's a replica of my head to help you find your way to me through the white-noise of the clamouring throng. Please, don't worry about my cleft chin. I can live with that."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or, votives may have been a way of saying something less seriously medical in nature: 'Thanks for my awesome dandruff-free curly hair. I gave it a run at the Full Moon Feast last night and was the envy of every flaky-skulled centurion in Rome".</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLuRsCLbf4DHmfj1mUgGEH0sgl4_KaFXsLMZiVweyhBs5WoYcSoEO1BCPOZGhr55FvW5nXD05FuTZQpO6nssgBuwpRFG7INDNKlgLUIkid2wLC5qi8Jo8YCyIdFJBk-2_fzJMUqcmnFY/s1600/950dadcac25876546ee45af4304d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLuRsCLbf4DHmfj1mUgGEH0sgl4_KaFXsLMZiVweyhBs5WoYcSoEO1BCPOZGhr55FvW5nXD05FuTZQpO6nssgBuwpRFG7INDNKlgLUIkid2wLC5qi8Jo8YCyIdFJBk-2_fzJMUqcmnFY/s200/950dadcac25876546ee45af4304d.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or, they may even have been a sort of pre-emptory </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">strike, a symbol associated with a completely non-health related request: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">" Oh great gods, it has been decreed that I must sit beside Dullius Volumnius at the Forum next month. Please help me to ignore the boring droning old fart, and give me the strength to speak up against his daffy old-fangled notions."</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tray of Etruscan penis votives.<br />
Image credit: Wellcome Library</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here's a museum tray of what, at first glance, appears to be fossilised lumps of doggy-doo. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But of course it's not. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In fact, this carefully labelled storage drawer leads me to speculate that, perchance, many votives may have been little more than bad Etruscan selfies. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well, not selfies so much as pecker pics. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fashioning an effigy of a boy's bit out of clay is not a quick process, I'll grant you that, but... like...well... you know... graffitiing on the side of a chariot with ... you know ...like mosaics takes... like literally a lifetime. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An Etruscan lad's gotta do something for a giggle.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-FG6OWSXJqrKp13_NHvrzAYeRKhye2VtjT4aOZHQC1hPvHIrG2eTvqBe_srDTPl9YCHkcUbfxM3N4lTPzoMHdGH3_b2KOFx6QvgGJMn7OzsyFIJVK1l80tZ7dxTPjDFd_NSVFIHKAHc/s1600/V.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-FG6OWSXJqrKp13_NHvrzAYeRKhye2VtjT4aOZHQC1hPvHIrG2eTvqBe_srDTPl9YCHkcUbfxM3N4lTPzoMHdGH3_b2KOFx6QvgGJMn7OzsyFIJVK1l80tZ7dxTPjDFd_NSVFIHKAHc/s200/V.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During the month of April, I am participating in the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Blogging from A–Z Challenge</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My posts all feature images of and by<a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> t</a><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">he Wellcome Collection, Euston, London: the free destination for the incurably curious.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-63624189768169857702017-04-25T17:20:00.000+10:002017-04-25T17:20:01.401+10:00U = Uncomfortable underwear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjXTYTB87Z-kRzgbU4xwDLoqkqmj3_lEYroNOm_Tse2YG7_p2-2httccCGDObivhMeY1tuA4yl0x9_9XHl4aeAvqX7JuXdGeEnki5dkd73kJ2r1Vt4idvYYaPvx6HL6hlXCLAmgCYRxM/s1600/d4d1bbb27d7f513b7103a021164a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjXTYTB87Z-kRzgbU4xwDLoqkqmj3_lEYroNOm_Tse2YG7_p2-2httccCGDObivhMeY1tuA4yl0x9_9XHl4aeAvqX7JuXdGeEnki5dkd73kJ2r1Vt4idvYYaPvx6HL6hlXCLAmgCYRxM/s400/d4d1bbb27d7f513b7103a021164a.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Could you pass the water, please?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How would you feel if the person on the other side of the dinner table responded to your polite request by handing you this antique hand-decorated jug?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Look closely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yep. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's a picture of a guy giving another guy an enema with what looks to be one of those vintage pump-action fly-spray thingamyjigs, or perhaps only marginally less distressingly, one of those whatsits you use to blow up balloons.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Uncomfortable?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Almost as uncomfortable as the poor bloke on the receiving end of the implement, who appears to be attempting to hang onto the tiniest thread of dignity by not baring his butt cheeks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But it'd be hard to know where to put your fingers, wouldn't it? On the jug I mean. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And let's not think even think about drinking the contents.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCD5wfAPw245JIeBnfMU0L_KJXhMCHy9vSIkbruWjMEScouhLw2jAq71hokB4K_hyphenhyphenTWsJ7PI88H96fWdihG3CVrLOU_Q05VyoGj_L79ivOaVscoXh-Bz2GNSIb7aVtmZ6S0YfWK94EB8/s1600/IMG_0957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCD5wfAPw245JIeBnfMU0L_KJXhMCHy9vSIkbruWjMEScouhLw2jAq71hokB4K_hyphenhyphenTWsJ7PI88H96fWdihG3CVrLOU_Q05VyoGj_L79ivOaVscoXh-Bz2GNSIb7aVtmZ6S0YfWK94EB8/s320/IMG_0957.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While we're at the dinner table, l</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">adies, have you ever succumbed to the devil that is the wearing of Spanx to flatter and smooth your shape for that special function? You will no doubt have found yourself standing pretty much all night</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sagg2UnOY9MGV9S9i-xX5uIdqcGRoI4lxlBW8jFT2HMfSg36nwgpKO1rOyG4IqQ9k_BGYRM8ptyqBc8nKieDXAjFnzBDevedds-fbqZHgXVNDm6LkDVIclEZgZnnS1zhWps2Wa3ImH0/s1600/L0038404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sagg2UnOY9MGV9S9i-xX5uIdqcGRoI4lxlBW8jFT2HMfSg36nwgpKO1rOyG4IqQ9k_BGYRM8ptyqBc8nKieDXAjFnzBDevedds-fbqZHgXVNDm6LkDVIclEZgZnnS1zhWps2Wa3ImH0/s320/L0038404.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French illustration of the non-benefits of corset-wearing</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">because the moment you bend, the many squooshy bits being confined into a space that's way too small for them become unflatteringly unsmooth and either bulge out over the top or press uncomfortably on your wee-bag. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Am I right? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Plus, you have to pretend that you're not really hungry or have allergies that prevent you doing anything other than nibble on a single hors d'oeuvre because there just isn't enough space for anything else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well, spare a thought for oh-so-many of your sisters from yesteryear. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How comfortable do you reckon a brass corset would have been?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Talk about pinch-in the waist!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYp42D8SS_Sa0BzBffYf_bcQKT2wumEIFiq46swGQ1gJmprj-p41mMvQdbEiXY8T6xvJR6lEAhNhSZir8xo-eZoOJkrgkPtD_W-ecJ_PGRN4RBgBCugYpHmOkuZsQMqI0rGmiN9XnP8w/s1600/L0003903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYp42D8SS_Sa0BzBffYf_bcQKT2wumEIFiq46swGQ1gJmprj-p41mMvQdbEiXY8T6xvJR6lEAhNhSZir8xo-eZoOJkrgkPtD_W-ecJ_PGRN4RBgBCugYpHmOkuZsQMqI0rGmiN9XnP8w/s200/L0003903.jpg" width="172" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: Wellcome Library</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So now, what's this pinchy-looking thing, all neatly tied with a bow? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A napkin ring perhaps? Or a ponytail keeper?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Think again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This, my friend, is a 'Four-pointed urethral ring'.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Say what?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That's right, this device was designed to encircle a penis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A human penis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With the aim of discouraging the nasty undesirable habit of masturbation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Are you fully uncomfortable now?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJn6ouoxyCNiGY3XjdAhWdSHI-W6wrrsMc30VJ9cGTJbCicXTiAg-N6GbcY3K04mrrzkBPB8RFE8jWYXG1iGiXPuI1xSrm9yssZOjEKTtf_GMUgxC3tYnbCN3Su4Ih4gRiieKSgXFE5ls/s1600/IMG_0939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJn6ouoxyCNiGY3XjdAhWdSHI-W6wrrsMc30VJ9cGTJbCicXTiAg-N6GbcY3K04mrrzkBPB8RFE8jWYXG1iGiXPuI1xSrm9yssZOjEKTtf_GMUgxC3tYnbCN3Su4Ih4gRiieKSgXFE5ls/s320/IMG_0939.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And here is a close-up of just such a device on display. Clearly a technological advance on the one in the illustration, this beastie is a clip-on version, with an expanding ring in the middle, which seems to allow a slightly more realistic space for... shall we say...</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> swelling... before the organ makes contact with the spiky metal bits. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(I can't bring myself to call them teeth.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I imagine this model was readily adjustable, rather than one size fits all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's not as pretty as the one with the bow, though, is it?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypUT5Zpjhqe7TSSFTDnLAg6EVizRMKi3SbMIZ6zZPUiqj87MY1vAR6Oysh1maJRh4mNh-WQLXl32fYh1Hi-6jPvAUjL8D56Xy5ojd7U2Pm7ouZMgAvPUdWrISOw23PonshuZnJSz13lw/s1600/U.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypUT5Zpjhqe7TSSFTDnLAg6EVizRMKi3SbMIZ6zZPUiqj87MY1vAR6Oysh1maJRh4mNh-WQLXl32fYh1Hi-6jPvAUjL8D56Xy5ojd7U2Pm7ouZMgAvPUdWrISOw23PonshuZnJSz13lw/s200/U.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">During the month of April, I am participating in the </span><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank">Blogging from A–Z Challenge</a><span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #222222; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;">My posts will all feature images of and by</span><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank"> t</a><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="background-color: #eef4ff; color: #888888; font-family: "im fell french canon"; font-size: 15.4px;" target="_blank">he Wellcome Collection, Euston, London: the free destination for the incurably curious.</a>Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-18346301500436633492017-04-24T19:54:00.000+10:002017-04-24T19:54:54.361+10:00T = Tattoos<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxIggY6y0nn9g-OXuRvA-h8p56tELgHSGy3MOlwojeNMcRvMRY4WYf4pKZZtyFlro-kT-Tg5SDU07AtwkQM3Cz9iZKecuchhNgGip08Jv6280Rpd_1XGT6U2OgoFb-4Ie_m_66mg3LgI/s1600/Screenshot+2017-04-22+16.05.49.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxIggY6y0nn9g-OXuRvA-h8p56tELgHSGy3MOlwojeNMcRvMRY4WYf4pKZZtyFlro-kT-Tg5SDU07AtwkQM3Cz9iZKecuchhNgGip08Jv6280Rpd_1XGT6U2OgoFb-4Ie_m_66mg3LgI/s400/Screenshot+2017-04-22+16.05.49.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You may need a magnifying glass to read the print on this screenshot, <br />
or you could just take my word for it. But the Wellcome Image website <br />
home page actually has a link to take you directly to 'Tattoo designs". <br />
It's the one with the image on the right.<br />
Awesome, yes? Told you this was not your average museum.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I once read<a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tattoos-144038580/" target="_blank"> a really cool article about tattoos </a> prepared for Smithsonian.com by an archaeologist, so it totally has street cred. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It suggests that tattoos pretty much began as a female thing in ancient Egypt. Women had constellation-like tattoos on their stomachs as protection from evil. The pattern would expand with their bellies during pregnancy, encircling the unborn child, keeping it safe. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love that idea. That article created an image that has stayed with me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not so much that I would ever let anyone imprint a constellation on my person with a needle and ink though. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHG4tX7AgbbqF-2dMxncyMKzxfRizIGxoKLb68XZpGkssCPLRnwnXSyrz3muKjVDoxIEbOwem8KYHsf4W6JbFQS9Fi84EBDZGj1iMbjb6pwrE5O1s85vgFNW_1qB3nxN8YkMnfVtiYQg/s1600/L0064820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHG4tX7AgbbqF-2dMxncyMKzxfRizIGxoKLb68XZpGkssCPLRnwnXSyrz3muKjVDoxIEbOwem8KYHsf4W6JbFQS9Fi84EBDZGj1iMbjb6pwrE5O1s85vgFNW_1qB3nxN8YkMnfVtiYQg/s320/L0064820.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Historical tattoos can be seen in the Wellcome Collection. Yes, actual pieces of human skin that bear drawings. Not photos of the tattoos, <i>the</i> tattoos. Diembodied. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The museum entry about them explains: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The tattooed skin was purchased by one of Henry
Wellcome’s collecting agents, Captain Johnston-Saint, in June 1929 from Dr
Villette, a Parisian surgeon. Villette worked in military hospitals and
collected and preserved hundreds of samples from the autopsies of French
soldiers. In the late 1800s, tattoos were often seen as markers of criminal
tendencies, or ‘primitiveness’. Medical men tried to interpret common images
and symbols. Tattoos were also used as a tool for identification, a practice
that continues today.</span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBK_DmaNJrPlswKFJOxoD0Wy1Or1Md-nd71qXwvmyALWW383KXPytVRHHIRQ1uGCgw83Q8Kn7GQBCem0q5hM9i-HJsqHnqG0qGHRjBbNjJ6LlomJbkmHNAQfKv64x1jfoEeUo1ladn_Qs/s1600/L0036059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBK_DmaNJrPlswKFJOxoD0Wy1Or1Md-nd71qXwvmyALWW383KXPytVRHHIRQ1uGCgw83Q8Kn7GQBCem0q5hM9i-HJsqHnqG0qGHRjBbNjJ6LlomJbkmHNAQfKv64x1jfoEeUo1ladn_Qs/s320/L0036059.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What do you think we can surmise about a soldier who chose <br />
to have a sailor and a flower tattooed on his bicep?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That bothers me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What Dr Villette did bothers me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Surely, these soldiers chose tattoos that represented something of significance to them, something that formed part of their sense of self, something that became integral to their identity. Didn't they?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then, after they died, Dr Villette saw fit to cut those images from their bodies and send his patients off to the afterlife with patches of exposed flesh where their tattoos should have been. Stripped of identity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or am I being over-sensitive? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Are tattoos just permanent jewellery?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1u5s0PwH2aGLTUHAqV7xbC6h-ZOWYrNeIdRUiRG27EMywAcDR2GkKlzIogvvXBtrUBEHlWNzCZt4jaCmnn5GoGYLv1hTZnp2umYdKgQp1UUD4_fOR7sUQ5zjFXkOL3zGT59JsXgjjXY/s1600/IMG_1196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1u5s0PwH2aGLTUHAqV7xbC6h-ZOWYrNeIdRUiRG27EMywAcDR2GkKlzIogvvXBtrUBEHlWNzCZt4jaCmnn5GoGYLv1hTZnp2umYdKgQp1UUD4_fOR7sUQ5zjFXkOL3zGT59JsXgjjXY/s320/IMG_1196.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://wendyoftherock.blogspot.com/2017/04/s-slice.html" target="_blank">Back at letter S, I mentioned that Michael C Hall (the actor who plays Dexter) has a tattoo.</a> Long story short, I was sitting in the front row at a recent performance of <i>Lazarus (</i>in which he stars as the aged Man Who Fell To Earth) and Michael C had bare feet for much of the production. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The play is suitably mind-bendingly-David-Bowie-esque. With fab songs. But I found myself fixated on Michael C's foot. More specifically, on the tattoo on Michael C's instep. It's sort of like an Egyptian eye and a pyramid. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I even did a crappy drawing of it in the notebook I carry everywhere in case I run into a celebrity with a tattoo I need to draw.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What is that thing?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the time, unravelling the mystery of the symbolism of Michael C's Egyptian-looking sun and pyramid tattoo didn't detract from the enigmatic show, it seemed a sort of bonus conundrum. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But now it's bugging the shit out of me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What <i>IS</i> that thing?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And why would Michael C Hall have it tattooed on his foot?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gbejWppA0YV4jOIi3Fy6vyRbIWjs1NSXaKwKUWGtpujnatzT2YGIyR6fkVufAsIq6_qtWYVWa76wVB9XPi0B37Bb7s5mR0I9Sb6mvQvM7vEb7JsxZoGALHCrPJxBJU51XQlv6bZqXdQ/s1600/T.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gbejWppA0YV4jOIi3Fy6vyRbIWjs1NSXaKwKUWGtpujnatzT2YGIyR6fkVufAsIq6_qtWYVWa76wVB9XPi0B37Bb7s5mR0I9Sb6mvQvM7vEb7JsxZoGALHCrPJxBJU51XQlv6bZqXdQ/s200/T.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During the month of April, I am participating in the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Blogging from A–Z Challenge</a>.</span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 13.5pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My posts will all feature images of and by<a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> t</a><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">he Wellcome Collection, Euston, London: the free destination for the incurably curious.</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-9403436571951125552017-04-22T22:59:00.002+10:002017-04-23T00:59:18.538+10:00S = Slice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you've been with me this far on my A to Z April adventure, you probably have the impression that I'm a fangirl for body horror and slasher pics. I'm not. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mind you, I will readily admit that I have at times been possessed by the need to binge-watch <i>Dexter </i>with his<i> </i>strictly stoical attitude to dismembering humans and his boat with the snigger-worthy name "Slice of Life".</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I recently saw Michael C Hall play the lead in David Bowie's last work <i>Lazarus</i> and have to admit it was a weensy bit like watching Dexter in a musical. Disturbing on so many levels. More on that tomorrow. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Today is dedicated to the letter S.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most of the cases in the Medicine Man Gallery — the one where lots of Sir Henry's quirky bits are permanently visible — most of the cases are lined with red. In none is the colour more ghoulishly complimentary than the selection of shiny blades. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Surgical instruments. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A glinting collection of
cutlery specifically designed for slicing through human flesh ...or hacksawing
through bone... in the removal of limbs and digits, it makes my mouth go a
little bit dry. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
certain blood-drenched moments in time, surgeons of varying skill and degree of
sympathy for life, must have thought, </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">" Hmmm, what I need here is a more
efficient slicing device. This one is not pointy / long/ bendy/ thin/ sharp/
strong / scary enough for my purposes.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That bread knife in the scullery might do a better or job. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or perhaps a cross between that and the scythe that those chaps who harvest the corn use.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think I shall pop down to the
blacksmith and have him knock- up something more efficient, something
specifically suited to my purposes. I'll have my friend Leo whip up a few rough
sketches of what I have in mind to take with me." <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And I'm almost certain there must be bad puns out
there about orthopaedic surgeons not having a funny bone in their body. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can't begin to imagine what sort of supremely sharp circular saw was needed to create these wafer thin slices of plastinated human being. </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But they're oddly beautiful and fascinating.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They just may be the ultimate example of slice of life.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And Dexter would love them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During the month of April, I am participating in the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Blogging from A–Z Challenge</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My posts all feature images of and by<a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> t</a><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">he Wellcome Collection, Euston, London: the free destination for the incurably curious.</a></span><br />
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Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159829652582580869.post-55490929535306703102017-04-21T07:23:00.000+10:002017-04-21T07:23:11.201+10:00R = Reading room<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1sE0ONknCT5aPJbprRlBYdUW4c5K1otiyAGU4-tLvDLLLkIYz7WHysoFkqei6PAVSSE7Ev3Mw8ST_oQbJlWWBNgIjf38dAbp2N2J22D2q1y9wM9ns10VLIND4knhcnnAV72zxsLUVUY/s1600/IMG_0998+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1sE0ONknCT5aPJbprRlBYdUW4c5K1otiyAGU4-tLvDLLLkIYz7WHysoFkqei6PAVSSE7Ev3Mw8ST_oQbJlWWBNgIjf38dAbp2N2J22D2q1y9wM9ns10VLIND4knhcnnAV72zxsLUVUY/s320/IMG_0998+2.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first time I wandered into the Reading Room at Wellcome, I felt like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Part art gallery, part library, part museum, part lounge room, part classroom: it's a cornucopia for the eyes and mind, an </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">embodiment of the collection's catchphrase: </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the free destination for the incurably curious.</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> You can take part in a pop-up event to learn more about the world, touch stuff, play games, write or draw your response to Wellcome and pin it up, interact with things and ideas; way more than reading goes on in there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And if you DO want to read, you can go the conventional path and pull up a chair at a desk, or take up the invitation to plop on a huge cushion, lounge on a sofa, or even recline on a chaise. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVD7jv1LY6FhNa1F4kE3-9Jtugs8K9HxZBLJleIimMPqCIwzZsGr4g3mJL8akAwksBfXG5inzVYbQ-YhwZP8upoJwP_hKOFes10COUBNVv6zQpw_HoMwFhlY_jXgxeasveYvoyD0RQBlo/s1600/IMG_0603_sRGB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVD7jv1LY6FhNa1F4kE3-9Jtugs8K9HxZBLJleIimMPqCIwzZsGr4g3mJL8akAwksBfXG5inzVYbQ-YhwZP8upoJwP_hKOFes10COUBNVv6zQpw_HoMwFhlY_jXgxeasveYvoyD0RQBlo/s200/IMG_0603_sRGB.JPG" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading Room Companion<br />
Written and edited by Anna Faherty</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can easily lose an hour buried in the <i>Reading Room Companion, </i>232 pages of fun facts and bewildering background about the plethora of paintings, sculptures, artefacts and manuscripts housed in the space.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I swear, nobody is paying me to say all this. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cross my heart.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I could seriously move into this place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm going to enthuse about just one more thing before I leave you in peace: the mind-blowing bright red object in this photograph.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fashioned of fake fur, it's called <i>Closing Neural Tube Dress </i>and it's a replica of one from a set of 27 dresses created as a collaboration between artist Helen Storey and her sister Kate, a developmental biologist. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Each of the dresses represents a stage in the development of a life from the point of fertilisation to recognisably human form 1000 hours later. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Incredible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Science and art.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Art and life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Life and death.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's all in the Reading Room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During the month of April, I am participating in the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Blogging from A–Z Challenge</a>.</span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Times; font-size: 15.4px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My posts all feature images of and by<a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> t</a><a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/what-we-do" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">he Wellcome Collection, Euston, London: the free destination for the incurably curious.</a></span></div>
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<br />Wendy of the Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075191933681796096noreply@blogger.com18