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Storm Claudia- which is currently sweeping across Europe- seems to be going round us- which is something storms often do. It's a dark day and damp- but that's it.

I had a childhood friend called Claudia. She had an older sister called Clarissa (Kissa for short) who was the one I was in love with. Claudia was mad about ponies- not a taste I share.

Their mother was an old mate of my mother's and they lived near us in Croydon. Last I heard of them Clarissa was in a relationshp with a ex-Anglican clergyman- which is what I am- and her parents disapproved. I may not have bothered to ask about Claudia- shame on me....

This latest information is decades old. The two mothers were still alive at the time and still in occasional contact. I remember their mother writing my mother a brave letter saying she had cancer and this was "over and out"

I came across a photo of Kissa and me- on a beach somewhere. We look like we were having fun. She was a little older than me. She was a slim dark-haired girl, maybe 7 years old. I was a little very blond boy, maybe 5.....

poliphilo

"My husband," Ailz admits to saying, "Does all the washing-up; he does it badly. He also used to do all the housework but he did that badly too- so we got a cleaner."

I have two comments.

1. I'm an Aquarian. Aquarians have their heads in the clouds.

2. Is a line from G.K. Chesterton (who, incidentally the Church is thinking of making a saint) "If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing badly."

poliphilo

Terry (the old rascal) our friend with a little "F" and a capital "F" (meaning he's a Quaker) has taken himself off to Thailand- where the care home staff are young and comely- which matters a lot to him. Teresa- who has been sort of caring for him (I don't know if he's been paying her) is left dealing with the stuff- material and immaterial- that he has left behind. We said we'd take a couple of bags full of clothes and stash them in our attic along with the ones we took in the last time he went abroad. When I show up to collect them they have transmuted into four. Teresa and I commiserate with one another. She has been given power of attorney. "How's that going to work between here and Thailand?"I ask. She turns her mouth down and shrugs.

Terry says he'll be back in the Spring. He's a sick man and very forgetful so I doubt it. In her final phone conversation with him before he flew Ailz says- more in hope than expectation- "Have a great time and don't die..."

poliphilo

We are discussing our plans for the day and I can't help myself and say, "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!"

Ailz looks blank

"It's one of those things," I explain

"A mnemonic?" she suggests.

"No, one of those things where you write 'em backwards and they're exactly the same."

"A palindrome."

"Yes, I like 'em. Just a pity I can't remember what they're called...."

The challenge with a palindrome is to for it to be as long as possible and still conform to the rules of grammar and make some kind of sense. "A man, a plan" is just about the most convincing I know. It's longish- and one can imagine someone actually exclaiming it in admiration of de Lesseps, the engineer who built the Panama Canal.

The longest I know which isn't complete nonesense is this following astonishing performance by W.H. Auden:

"T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad. I'd assign it a name: Gnat dirt upset on drab pot toilet."

poliphilo

The Hayes is in Swanwick. Next to Swanwick- less than a mile away- is the even smaller village of Pentrich. I walked there Saturday morning. There's a mediaeval church in Pentrich but we'll save that for another day.

In 1817 Pentrich staged its very own revolution.

It was a poor excuse for a revolution, but one shouldn't mock because people suffered and died.....

A government spy, working for Lord Sidmouth, stirred up the local radicals with lies about a revolution pending in London- and encouraged them to do their bit.

Accordingly, on the night of 9-10 of June a bunch of them armed themselves lightly and set off round the district, shouting for "Reform" and trying to persuade and bully people into joining them Refused entry at one of the bigger houses they broke a window and their leader, Jeremiah Brandreth- an out of work stocking-maker- fired a shot through it, killing a servant. This horrified many of his followers but Brandreth threatened to shoot them too if they deserted- so the increasinly bedraggled and disheartened band carried on their progress through the surrounding villages until they ran into a body of 20 Light Dragoons. The men scattered, 40 were arrested, Brandreth and other leaders initially escaped but were hunted down and made an example of.

The leaders were found guilty of High Treason- the penalty for which was to be hung drawn and quartered. The authorities waived the drawing and quartering (too grisly for the 19th century) but kept the hanging and beheading. This was the last time beheading was carried out at an execution in England. The public were disgusted by the government's over-reaction and by it's ever-so-unEnglish use of an agent provocateur- and literary liberals- notably Percy Shelley and Charles Lamb said uncomplimentary things. Three man went to the scaffold and others were transported to Australia. As a group they became known as the Pentrich martyrs.

The spy- who went by various names, but was known to the revolutionaries as William Oliver- found England too hot to hold him and was hastily shipped out to Cape Colony in South Africa where he avoided lynching, worked as a builder, designed a church and died at 50......

There exists a popular print of Brandreth's head in the hands of the executioner, but this is a family blog so here instead is a pity-inducing portrait of him at his trial

poliphilo

This is where we've been over the past couple of days.

The Hayes Christian Conference Centre, near Alfreton, Derbyshire.

Looks like a Victorian asylum....

But actually it's a Victorian country house- built by and for the man responsibe for London's St Pancras Station. Inside whatever character it may once have had has been exorcised by the application of gallons and gallons of magnolia paint. The Christians bought it in 1910 and visitors down the years have included T.S. Eliot, John Betjeman, C.S. Lewis and numerous German POWs. One of the POWs was Franz von Werra, the great escaper- the only Axis prisoner to get away from his captors and make it back to Germany. Von Werra was persistent in his escape attempts- the one from the Hayes involving him tunneling out below the wire, impersonating a Dutch bomber pilot, getting himself taken to a airfield by his dupes and very nearly managing to steal a Hurricane. When he finally got away it was friom Canada where he'd been dispatched to make escape so very much more difficult. There's a movie about him starring Hardy Kruger called The One That Got Away.

Our room wasn't in the main house but in the labyrinth of characterless mid 20th century buildings round the back. The place can house some 400 people- and we Quakers were doing our thing alongside a community choir from Birmingham, a gathering of Albinos and a noisy bunch of Catholic menfolk. The food was good, the staff were friendly, the service was efficient, but we agreed that the venue wasn't really our style. Still Ailz and jacky thought their course was excellent and I got to wander about, visit an historic village, complete a couple more screens of the game I play on my phone and read most of a chapter of Alan Watts' The Way of Zen.....

puppetmaker

Last night with Caroline and Thinn, we went to see the magician, Rob Lake. The hook for wanting to go was the Muppets were also making their Broadway review. Might be a trial balloon for Muppets on Broadway.

Mr. Lake is a fine illusionist both with big effects and tabletop magic. He kept everyone’s attention. He starts with sawing a lady in half and it ends with a large vanishing act.

He is a believer in audience participation. I got picked for one trick because I caught a ball. It’s a mindreading trick. I stared at him as he asks and he says “The stare is scaring me.” I didn’t hear it as I was focused on him. Caroline told me what he said afterwards. I didn’t know scaring a magician was on my bucket list but apparently it was.

Rumors were flying that the Muppets were a cameo at the end. Would I have like more Muppets? Sure, but I am a Muppet fan. However, they did a good job of sprinkling the Muppets throughout. Gonzo got to perform some of his art. Kermit helped with a card trick. Fozzie told jokes and tried to get more time to tell jokes. They show up close to the top of the show and end it as well. Rowlf and Animal were under used but they were there. Miss Piggy stole the show of course.

I loved the Muppet bios in the front of the program.

A lot of people went into the making of this show go smoothly and it did work for me. I walked out entertained. I laughed very hard. I got to see the Muppets and a really good magician.

Just FYI, there is no intermission. It starts at seven pm and you are out about nine-thirty or so.

I was happy to see names of puppeteers I know in the program. Peter Linz was the puppet captain. I have known Peter for a very long time. He was friends with my brother Sean.

I am grateful I saw “Rob Lake Magic with special guests the Muppets.”

merridia

TGIF. My plans tonight include getting high as fuck, watching wrestling, mani/pedi, worrying about nix, maybe a bath, either noodles or perogies (possibly both?) finishing Dracula, and let's try for a movie? Or maybe I'll just play video games until I pass out. Everything at work is a mess, and I'm looking forward to abandoning it all for the weekend.

16. What’s Your Favorite Candy?

Whatever is in my mouth at the given moment. There's been a lot of it this week.

poliphilo

We're off to Derbyshire today. Ailz and Jacky (who will be travelling with us) are signed up for a course on clerking a Quaker Meeting- and I'm tagging along as Ailz's carer. I think my role will mainly involve eating meals and looking out the window but one never knows.

We're staying at Swanwick- a Christian Conference centre near Alfreton. That word "Christian" makes me uneasy.....

merridia

Just a quickie update today, since Marvel Move has folded and I refuse to let any part of my emotional support fitness app become lost media so all my free time at work for the next couple of weeks (or until I finish) has to go to painstakingly pulling mp3s from the source code of the website.

Inception on the big screen again was so fucking sick. Truly a movie that emphasizes the ultimate power of the rule of cool over all else.

I have last night's Dynamite ready to go on Plex when I get home, hype! Another belt, though, Tony??? Really???? THIS IS JUST THE INTERNATIONAL TITLE ALL OVER AGAIN, WHY NOT UN-UNIFY THAT ONE INSTEAD????? Whatever, at least the casino gauntlet match for it should rule.

( Album #497/1001: Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die )

merridia

Finished Poker Face last night. Good shit. Also did some yoga in a long-overdue attempt to stop being as goddamn sedentary as I have been since taking this new position. Also ate some pizza. It was tasty. Currently craving a tuna melt, though. And shopping online. And doing some actual work on the side, I guess. Heading to the movies after work, unless mom bails, since it's at 6pm and I would be unable to take the bus in time to go by myself. Unless I leave work early. Maybe I'll leave work early in that case. The concept of being salaried is still very strange to me.

( Album #496/1001: Kelela - Take Me Apart )

NYC went ahead and elected the certified sicko mayor, which is pretty rad. Have a random wrestling video to celebrate, because it is SO IMPORTANT to me that after years of scrubs on the internet saying that Kris had to drop the alien gimmick to make it to the next level, she dropped the alien gimmick, won the world fucking title (right in front of me and my salad), and then IMMEDIATELY went back to being an alien, tripling down on the gimmick instead, with her insane Australian girlfriend recording a '70s sci-fi intro for her very first title defense followed by an entrance with sexy Dune boys???? God, this was everything to me (starts about 15 seconds in, though obviously Toni's entrance rules, too).

Watch on YouTube

It looks like our usual seats at the theatre have been purchased! Inception is presumably a go! Okay, that means it's back to work time, and refilling the popcorn tanks will be my reward~

ETA: Actually, fuck work, I'm still thinking about that WrestleDream match again, because for all that it's still frustrating to see the 'two steps forward, one step back' steady progress of the AEW women's division, that progress should still be celebrated and it's just so fucking cool that two women were allowed to work such a subtle, deliberately-paced match as that one was without being given like, eight minutes to get it over with? All three (!) women's matches on the card were a solid 15/16 minutes long and all had wildly different feels to them, and that's just great. It's great! And that bit at 2:50 where Kris counters the Storm Zero by bracing herself with her arms at the last second is some amazing, blink-and-you-miss it wrestling, OKAY BACK TO WORK FOR REAL NOW.

renfys posting in

addme

What I go by: Ren (they/them)

Bit About Me: Nonbinary, bisexual, old (okay, over 40), parent, writer, admin worker and disabled, living in Wales.

Where else I can be found online: so many places lol

What I post about: Art, writing, fanfic, mostly my life in general - my kids, my health, my hobbies

Hobbies & Interests: I like to write, to draw, archery, colouring, gaming (I have a swtich and a PS5), fanfiction. This is one of the few places, as well as pillowfort, where my fandom side and my actual life intersect.

Fandoms/characters/ships if fannish: I like Stargate, Star Trek, Rizzoli & Isles, Dr Who, Castle, NCIS, Bones, MCU, Dragon Age. I dabble a lot and hope around a lot - I mostly write in whatever I'm watching at the time. I prefer femslash, I dislike m/m.

Other things I want you to know about me: I have two kids, both girls, one is a cancer survivor and had a liver transplant. I've been married for 13 years to my American wife.

What I'm looking for in friends/blogs to follow: Anyone who still loves Stargate as much as me, but anyone who's into the same stuff as me, or happens to be a geeky parent.

poliphilo

Odd how words come through in dreams that you have no reason to use in waking life. "Milice" for instance. I had to look it up to check whether it meant what I thought it did.

And it did.

Milice is the French word for militia- and more specifically for the paramilitary group set up in Vichy France to fight the Resistance. They did bad things and- after the Liberation- had bad things done to them. In Louis Malle's film Lacombe Lucien a not very nice, really rather stupid young man joins the Milice because the Resistance won't have him. All he wants is to belong to a gang- and once he does he enjoys the power it gives him. I don't suppose he is untypical....

I take heart from the observation that in my dream the Milice HQ is a ruin....

merridia

November and still no snow lingering on the ground. We've had a few hardcore blizzards, but it keeps warming up enough right afterward for everything to melt. Madness. Beautiful, climate-change-induced madness.

Work's alright. Still getting the hang of juggling three techs on three different schedules, but we're getting a lot of work done.

Weight is way up. I am extremely sedentary of late and desperately need to do something about it, because it feels BAD. God, I miss my weeks off. Maybe shopping some more will help! (I may have randomly signed up for a fourth credit card)

Movies I saw in the theatre since my last update before yesterday: Corpse Bride (still neat), The Nightmare Before Christmas (still the best), Shelby Oaks (mid as fuck, but enjoyably spooky nevertheless), Black Phone 2 (rad as hell), ParaNorman (SO GOOD, why do I always forget how good it is), Christy (solid), Frankenstein (it's a goddamn travesty this is a Netflix movie, but at least it actually came here), Back to the Future (hell yeah). Inception tomorrow!

( Album #495/1001: Frank Black - Teenager of the Year )

Also I have finally started using my long-ignored StoryGraph account, we'll see if I stick with it! I want the cute monthly charts everybody flaunts everywhere! Add me if you want to keep an eye on whatever public domain nonsense (with the occasional wrestling autobiography and House of Leaves reread) I'm currently picking my way through!

poliphilo

I dreamed I was in a bus that was going through Oldham. "Hey," I said to my companion, "I've never been in this part of town before." We were travelling up a hill and to the right was a ruined temple complex with very tall Roman pillars. "Ah," they said, "That's the headquarters of the Milice- the military police....."

merridia

Oops, I disappeared again! Keeping on keeping on. Going to the movies a lot. Mad we didn't get Bugonia, though. There's lots that I should be doing, but also, I don't wanna? Maybe I'll just take a Monday night bath.

( Album #494/1001: Circle Jerks - Group Sex )

Wrestling remains very good. May I interest anybody in some shameless Hangman Adam Page propaganda?

Watch on YouTube

poliphilo

Picture Diary 107

1. Flow, flow, my tears

2. Manifestation

3. She is taking her leave

4. A walk in the woods

5. The veil is thin

bWTAKkA7mvz3U1D3XsxJ--0--siisf_1.5x-clty-upscale-nuvn7.jpeg

6. Music, maestro, please

poliphilo

Teenage romance: we've all been through it but no-one has ever described what it feels like as lovingly and minutely as Marcel Proust. By the same token he does go on a bit.

There are two masters of this sort of thing. The other is Henry James. Together they represent the end of the line. No-one since has wanted to take things any further.

Nothing happens in Proust. Nothing by way of action. He's like Jane Austen only more so, beavering away with a camel hair brush at his little square of ivory. Except that "little" is hardly the right word. One begins to wish for a touch of melodrama. Towards the end of the sequence the Great War- unplanned for when Proust began- imposes itself upon the cushioned life of his characters and I'm rather looking forward to it.

poliphilo

Not so very much is required of a modern royal. You don't have to be virtuous, you just have to be seen to be virtuous. On the whole, unless word has gone out from on high that you are to be monstered ( as has happened with the Sussexes) the media will play along- and not make a fuss about your misdoings.

Edward VIII got away with being a traitor.

Louis Mountbatten got away with being a paedophile- until the IRA blew him up.

Philip Duke of Ediburgh got away with numerous affairs.

Charles III (careful now!) got away with being friendly with Jimmy Savile and various other undesireables.

And Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor got away with all sorts of awfulness until the optics became too, too shaming.

The Sandringham estate isn't Siberia, nor is it Abu Dhabi. I'm told Mountbatten-Windsor has seven dogs; well, they'll have plenty of space to run around in.

We're told a modern nation state requires a human figurehead. A monarch by preference, but failing that a President. I don't see why.

But then perhaps what I really object to is the modern nation state....

no_apologies posting in

addme

Name: Marianne is my real first name.

Age:

I mostly post about:

Sometimes I vent when I need to about whatever it is in my life that weighs me down or stresses me too much. Or if I have a strong opinion or thoughts on something that lingers.

Other times I write out songs that either help spread awareness to others about real-world issues that should be addressed, or just me expressing my thoughts about things I strongly think are so crazy-backwards and self-destructive things. (AKA, Liberty-Minded Tunes.)

I also have been writing a lot of songs centered around fictional characters. My main 4 are psychological horror/cosmic horror themed baddies. A few others are like comfort and supportive friends of mine--two OCs and my own silly and too cute interpretation of the Nintendo character, Kirby!

My hobbies are:

Other than music making and writing, I enjoy anime and manga. I like animated films and have a list of favorite movies, some I still have on DVD (woooo). And if in the mood, I do some gaming! I've mostly been playing either the digital version of the wonderful bird card game known as Wingspan, or play some rounds in a really interesting, quirky, and very diversely strategic PVP card game that is called Cards, the Universe, and Everything! ...Oh, and just recently, my mom and I have been going back to playing card and board games with our gaming group now that she has a car again!

My fandoms are:

Most currently... The original series of Avatar: The Last Airbender. (I still have all the episodes on DVD and don't have to replace it after all, YAAAAAY! Zuko, Iroh, Sokka, and Toph are among my most favorite characters.) One by one, I have been reading through The Promised Neverland manga. (I've been mostly drawn towards the character Norman.) And four of my music muses are AUs of characters from the old cult classic GameCube survival/psychological horror game known as Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. I am a diehard fan of that game, and I still sometimes miss playing it!

I'm looking to:

I would love to connect with kindred spirits! I yearn to write creatively with others, with the small group of characters of mine. (Story writing or RP writing, or just coming up with song lyrics together--that'd be fun!) I have been riding on this creative momentum that's been uplifting and exciting for me. Let's have a grand time. Let's brainstorm! Let's experiment! My own ideas tend to be very big and crazy at times, just FYI. ^^

My posting schedule tends to be: Kinda sporadic, depending on my creative drive is going! I have been using this blog of mine over something like Google Docs to store my lyrics and song style prompts--so I don't use up too much space on my Google Drive.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are:

Any form of toxicity, people coming to me asking for money or trying to scam me, people coming around and spreading negativity instead of constructive criticism if something of mine doesn't sound good to them.

Before adding me, you should know: DISCLAIMER: I am a really honest person. I can even be brutally honest. I don't usually sugarcoat things, and I have a critical thinking mind. And when it comes to the crazy backwards realm of politics, I'm neither pro-left or pro-right. I have been the observer outside that paradigm for years now. And some of my songs and/or entries may actually provoke you to want to pause, and think for yourself on the topic.

Profile

outereasy

July 2021

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Page Summary

poliphilo - Claudia (And Kissa)
poliphilo - My Response
poliphilo - Goodbye, Tezza
poliphilo - Palindromes
poliphilo - The Pentrich Uprising
poliphilo - The Hayes
puppetmaker - Rob Lake and the Muppets: a review
merridia - re: Candy
poliphilo - Off To Derbyshire
merridia - [497] they've hired men with the crab-tree sticks to cut him skin from bone
merridia - [496] could be winter but I burn inside
renfys in addme - hello!
poliphilo - Milice
merridia - [495] the world is a rock that's spinning so fast it'll give you jim-jams
poliphilo - An Unfamiliar Part Of Town
merridia - [494] best time to call is Friday and Saturday afternoons
poliphilo - Picture Diary 107
poliphilo - Part Way Through A L'Ombre Des Jeunes Filles En Fleur
poliphilo - Random Thoughts On Monarchy
no_apologies in addme - Looking for creative writing partners that I hope to inspire in return. <3

Style Credit

Style: Ivory Alcea for Mobility by branchandroot
Resources: Mitsuba Aoi

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