Cornish

 

Hello All. I hope you are ok. I am made up of approximately 86% football at the moment. HOH is being very patient with my continual watching of The Euros. I'm only getting away with it because (a) I'm playing on how difficult work is and how much I appreciate being able to decompress and (b) direct quote - "There's bugger all else on." (sorry). Actually, we did find something else on the Telly - if you include Paramount TV as the telly. I only found out we even had Paramount when FOW pointed it out. Apparently, she has been watching it for years (while we paid for it naturally). We have been watching A Gentleman in Moscow - adapted from the novel by Amor Towle. It is one of my favourite books so I was a bit jumpy about the adaptation; especially as it stars Ewan Macgregor who I have on a personal list of actors who really, really love themselves. (I have no idea if he does. I have never met him. That kind of thing never stops me from having a very valid opinion though. Also, it's quite a long list.) HOWEVER, the adaptation is excellent so far and I would recommend it if you get the chance. 

HOH and I went to St Ives this weekend. We were ready for the break. I don't know if you have ever been to St Ives. It is an extraordinarily beautiful bay with Mediterranean azure sea and white sands. There is, let's be honest, a stretch on the front which is a bit like Blackpool when it fancies itself. Plenty of beer - and accompanying bellies, fish, chips and very sassy seagulls. Then there's a small street running behind which attracts the middle classes who are more than happy to pay £17.80 for a handmade soap bar in a macrame hanger. St Ives always makes me feel a little bit sad when we go. There are lots of tiny winding streets full of lovely cottages. But, on closer inspection, I would say that around 90% are Airbnbs. I understand that a lot of women called Thea, wearing White Company shift dresses will buy buckets of seaweed, and wax melts and therefore bring much-needed money into the local economy. But, especially in the current climate, when you hear tale after tale of young people who cannot possibly even aspire to live in the small fishing village that their family has always lived in - it is a bit sad. We always try to stay in a Guest House when we go now but we didn't when there were four of us - too expensive - so my hands are certainly not clean. 

We spent a happy morning in Tate Modern looking at the Mark Rothko Seagram Murals. There's a lot of nonsense talked about Modern Art - usually by me - but it genuinely did feel a privilege to be in the room with these massive, immersive paintings. Apart from the extraordinary experience of just sitting in the room with them, the lady doing the talk (I always like a talk) told us that Rothko painted the murals for the very posh Four Seasons Restaurant in New York. People were quite surprised as he was not what you would call a capitalist and he didn't need the money. The story goes that he and his wife ate in the restaurant and, picking up on the general ambience, he decided that he didn't want his art to be on show in a place where food cost more than a month's salary for most people and withdrew from the commission. I like him.

Back to work tomorrow. Without going into detail, a couple of big meetings coming up about the way forward but we are nice and busy again so that is good. I appreciate your prayers. On an only slightly different note, we have the Election in the UK next week. Like most people I am going to say, please make sure you vote - although I wouldn't have thought that anyone reading this for any amount of time would need telling. But, I am going to go a bit further, which you can take or leave obviously. Please vote but also, please take into account justice for the poor, the old, the disenfranchised - both in this country and abroad. Probably like you, I have watched things get progressively worse for those who cannot always help themselves. I don't ever want to think that food banks, baby banks and old and disabled people sitting on their own in their houses because they can't afford to leave is a normal situation. Please don't think that consistent, long-term lying by our leaders is acceptable or even worse quirky and funny. There are lots of different parties to vote for that are shot through with decency and compassionate belief. We should vote for them and then hold them to account. Have a good week.