I saw this plaque today and, as usual, realised how much I don’t I know. The picture isn’t mine: it’s on the Ranger’s house but he was at home and I didn’t like to intrude.
There will be plenty of time to applaud the custodians of my savings who have successfully adopted defensive strategies. I love the insouciance of Barclays; “you don’t need to do anything – the changes will happen automatically … “ A Business Premium Account seems singularly inappropriately named.
Today I expected to be on James Miller’s church sculpture treasure hunt in Northants. It is a perfect day to linger in cool church interiors and picnic on salmon rolls washed down with gin and wine. But I will not be cheated entirely and will conduct my own sculpture tour.
No sign of swifts over London but the Red Arrows did fly past this morning and I glimpsed a woodpecker on Wimbledon Common. When I was a child thrushes were common but I’ve only just realised they are rarer these days.
When I was at uni, as the young say, I looked forward to seeing Jeeves in London. It was launched in 1975 and with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music, Plum’s wit and a helping hand from Alan Ayckbourn was a sure bet to run longer than The Mousetrap.
The explorer, Robin Hanbury-Tenison, was on the front page of The Times yesterday. He caught Covid-19 on a skiing holiday and nearly lost his life. Thanks be to God, he is at home with his wife in Devon and will celebrate his 84th birthday tomorrow.
As a tourist you may have had brekker at the Café de Flore. The service was abominable, l’addition astronomic but on holiday it’s worth it to sit in the sun, read a newspaper and watch people. Inevitably, then you will walk down the Rue du Bac towards the Seine.