2013

Dambulla Caves, Sri Lanka

Only some photos tonight. It's ten years - a seventh of my life back in time - that I was last in Thailand. It was 2013 and I had returned to Bangkok for an unexpected second stint of teaching at St Stephen's International School. During the Buddhist equivalent of the school's Easter vacation, I met up with Shirley in Sri Lanka and when my short teaching contract was over, I spent a week in the far south of Thailand before flying home. I remember the first part of  that year with much fondness. Mostly, I felt tranquil and  healthy. All was good.

Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Temple decoration in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Shirley at Jungle Beach, Unawatuna, Sri Lanka

My feet by the pool in Ko Lanta, Thailand

"Robinson's" - an abandoned beach bar, Ko Lanta

"Same Same But Different" cafe bar, Ko Lanta

Suzie

Suzie Quatro    ©The Irish Times

In the early nineteen seventies, Great Britain imported a young Detroit woman called Suzi Quatro. She was destined for stardom in the fickle world of pop music. I would say that absolutely everybody in my generation here in The British Isles knew of Suzie Quatro even though we might not all have appreciated her style of music.

She often appeared on "Top of the Pops" and she was a rock chick, a songwriter, a competent guitarist and a band leader. She became as big in Germany as she was in these islands. Her career embraced acting but rock music was and remains to this day - her first love. It's funny that Suzie Quatro gained far more prestige and merit on this side of the Atlantic that she ever did in America. But take it from me - she was big.

As it happens, it was our Ian's birthday today. Born in 1984, he appeared long after Suzie Quatro's busiest years in the limelight. In fact, until yesterday morning he had never even  heard of her. 

Yesterday he had to travel to Wales's capital city - Cardiff to appear on a Saturday morning magazine programme called "Saturday Live" on BBC Radio 4. It was a great opportunity for him and his "BOSH!" partner Henry to talk about all matters vegan and to promote their latest vegan cookbook which is called simply, "MEAT".

Appearing on the show with them was none other than the legendary Suzie Quatro - now aged 73 and still mainly living in England. Perhaps she was wondering why there weren't some flashes of recognition and a little well-earned reverence for she had survived a tumultuous period in the history of pop music and had come out the other side. 

Fame can blossom like a field of tulips and just as easily it can wither and die. This is perhaps the greatest hit she ever had in Britain...

Sport

I have had a  hard  day of sport today. Fortunately, I was able to handle it as I have been in training to make sure I was ready for the travails ahead.

After a hearty breakfast of porridge and tea it was time for kick off. England Women were playing Colombia in one of the World Cup quarterfinals down under in Australia. Sitting there on our sofa, I had to be at my best to make sure that our women were fully supported.  I needed to will in goals by Lauren Hemp and Alissia Russo but finally England came out on top by two goals to one. The semi-final match against Australia should be a breeze.

After a session on the physio's table and some chicken flavoured noodles, I was back in position once again this afternoon but this time to watch the men's Rugby League Cup Final from Wembley Stadium in London. Hull Kingston Rovers were playing Leigh Leopards. The last time Hull KR were at Wembley was in 1980 and I was there too to witness the victory over local rivals Hull FC by 10-5 in front of 95,000 supporters.

Today the two teams were all square after eighty minutes (10-10) but the vital golden points were scored by Leigh in extra time from a drop kick. A hard pill to swallow for Rovers but it was a damned good game and fair play to Leigh. They had not won the trophy in fifty years.

Fatigued by the earlier sporting  vicissitudes, I staggered to our PC to see how Hull City were getting on in the derby football match against Sheffield Wednesday. In spite of going behind, we came out on top by four goals to two. We had given them a damned good beating and of course for me such victories are all the sweeter because I have lived in Sheffield for 45 years. In fact, I know there are three or four shy Wednesday supporters who read this blog so I would just like to say to them - Hard luck lads! (Hee-hee-hee!)

Health agencies frequently promote the importance of sport in maintaining good levels of fitness. With the amount of sport I have participated in today (i.e. watched), you can tell that I have heeded this useful advice. One further point I would make is that through watching sport from your sofa you are far less likely to cause yourself serious physical injury.

"Till"

That was Phoebe on our back doorstep this afternoon. Wellies on, Monty the Sloth by her side and a bag of "Pom-Bears" in her hand. On the bench a choice of milk or water. What could be better?

Tonight I was in the mood for a good film. On Amazon Prime, I was delighted to find "Till" - released just last year and telling the true story of Emmett Till - a fourteen year old Chicago boy who was murdered in Mississippi in  1955. It was a very famous case in the continuing struggle for racial equality in America.

To a large extent, the film isn't really about Emmett, it's more about his mother Mamie Till who reluctantly became a fierce champion for civil rights. Her part is played beautifully by Danielle Deadwyler.

She insisted that her son's body should be brought back to Chicago. It was swollen and corrupted and yet she insisted on time alone with his remains. It was a very moving and tender scene.

Later in the county court in Mound Bayou,Mississippi the defending lawyer raised doubts that the body that was found in the Talahatchie River even belonged to Emmett. However, in a moving testimony, Mamie  insisted that as his mother she knew every inch of his body. Naturally, the white killers were let off by the all-white jury, taking less than an hour to reach their verdict.

I guess it depends on what you seek in films but I thoroughly enjoyed "Till" and am very happy to recommend it. A small part was played by Whoopi Goldberg as Emmett's grandmother. Finally, I might ask - why did it take so long for Emmett's story to reach the silverscreen?

Emmett Till and his mother Mamie

Fuming

I have lived in Sheffield since 1978 and through the past forty five years, Arundel Gate in the city centre has been one of the main thoroughfares.

Unbeknownst to me, in the name of reducing city centre pollution, Arundel Gate is currently part of a traffic management project. Essentially, the entire road  has been closed to private vehicles and is now only open to buses and taxis.

For the first two months of the experiment, offenders were simply sent warning notices but now fines are being doled out for the unwary. And it goes like this  - I don't know if it is the same in other countries - you are automatically fined £70 ($89 US)  but if you pay up within twenty eight days you only pay £35. It is a kind of unsavoury arm twisting to make drivers cough up some cash.

As I say, I knew nothing of the closure and never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect that a major thoroughfare would ever be closed off in this manner but today I received a penalty notice including CCTV photos of Clint and your friendly blogging correspondent behind the wheel.

The offence occurred on the evening of Saturday July 22nd. I had offered to drive Ian and his pregnant girlfriend Sarah to The Crucible Theatre. They had tickets to see "Miss Saigon". As I recall, it was raining  and visibility was poor. Besides, I never imagined such a drastic change to historical traffic arrangements. It was a route I have taken many times in the past.

Why would anybody knowingly drive along a heavily restricted road if they knew they would receive a hefty fine as a direct result of that decision? It just does not make sense.

The fine notice concerns my journey back into the city centre to pick Ian and Sarah up. It bothers me that I have not yet received a penalty notice connected with earlier that evening when I set them down outside The Crucible. Perhaps that one will arrive tomorrow to turn my fuming into a seething inferno of rage.

And if you are thinking of saying, "Get over it!" please don't.

Pole

Walking up to Stanage Pole once again, I noticed butterflies flitting around by the side of the moorland path and managed to catch this good example of  a peacock butterfly. To me those markings on the lower wings always look .like eyes. I have no idea if this is what Nature intended as this common butterfly evolved but some say it was all about scaring off would-be predators.

A pole has stood by The Long Causeway at Stanage for several centuries. About ten years ago, a new pole was installed on the rocks with the newly made iron holder pictured below. Is shows that the pole does not only mark the modern boundary between Yorkshire and Derbyshire but it once marked the boundary between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria

Mercia and Northumbria were just two of the old kingdoms that preceded the formation of a land that we now call England. Below, Stanage Pole as it is today rising up from the iron base. It is considerably shorter than it was when I first saw it in 1979...

Regular visitors to this blog may recall being taken up to Stanage Pole in previous blogposts but certainly not for a while. Looking to the north west from the pole you see Stanedge Lodge - the loneliest and highest residential building in Sheffield. It has been up for sale for a while now...

And looking in a more westerly direction, a neglected drystone wall rolls across the moor to Stanage Edge...

In spite and because of my sore back, I took this afternoon's walk just to see how I would do and to loosen up. I am happy to report that all went well and as always it was of course good to get out in the fresh air - three miles from our doorstep.

Frustration

The month of July just gone was the worst one I have ever known here in the north of England. The weather was very unsettled and though we are told that in the world as a whole it was the hottest July on record, here in Yorkshire that was certainly not the case. Almost every day was miserable and even when sunshine was threatening, rain and drizzle bearing clouds  would come scudding along to sadden our hearts. It has been the second wettest July on record in Sheffield since records began back in 1882.

One of the upshots of this grey pattern was that I couldn't get things done, There was grass to cut and our fifty yard hedges to trim, a vegetable plot to be tended and a sentry box shed to erect. Above all was my desire to address the  second level of our wooden  decking. There was never a dry period allowing me to crack on.

It was impossible to unscrew the old screws from the existing decking. They had been in place for twenty years. I could not get any purchase on them so I started to lever the boards off the undercarriage with a crowbar. I have always been as strong as a rugby-playing ox and have never before suffered any kind of back complaint. "Where there's a will there's a way" has always been one of my mottoes.

However, this time round, as I applied the brute force at an awkward angle I am sure I did something to my back and so I have been taking it easy the past few days. Getting up from a seated position has caused me pain and the same with getting into bed and climbing out.

Don't you just love it when other people moan about their ailments?

I am hoping that what I am suffering from is muscle strain and not something more sinister. I must admit that today the pain has eased off considerably and fingers crossed, I seem to be on the mend. There's a lot more work to be done to the decking but at least I have treated myself to a new, electric reciprocal saw and a new electric screwdriver. I will just have to be rather more careful.

A physiotherapy website I  scanned reassured me that nearly all back pain is short-lived and connected with muscle strains. Taking care but keeping moving seems to be the best way out for most people. Only a small percentage of sufferers have long-lasting chronic back pain which plagues them for years.  That must be awful and it is not a club I wish to join.