Life Moves Pretty Fast...

At the time of writing, the UK political scene is... well let's think of some appropriate phrases. Interesting? Nah, too tame. Compelling? Possibly. Yeah, I guess compelling is one way to describe it. Or how about utterly bat-shit? We seem to be homaging a Greek tragedy full of Machiavellian undertones, duplicitous Shakespearian characters, power-crazed monarchs, with all the drama of - best soap opera ever - Eldorado. Yep, that's it. That exactly what the vibe's like. Last week the Prime Minster might have resigned, but it was hard to tell. This week, a leadership contest has kicked off, with culture war issues being tossed into the 'debate' like grenades. It sure got ugly real quick. A couple of things to note. At several points during the implosion of the government, I had flashbacks to an old boss of mine who struggled to leave cleanly. So that was fun. And then the phrase from Ferris Bueller, 'Life moves pretty fast' was never far away. Mainly when the new Education Secretary joined the wave of resignations despite having been put in post thirty-six hours before because of the wave of resignations. Anyway, good luck, everybody! Here's to the UK having a normal one at some point.

Writing News

Word count so far: 31742. 

This means I've reached the point where it's too late to scrap everything and start again, but it's still so far from the end it feels impossible. Excellent stuff.

Culture

Let's leave several days of rolling news aside. It's a culture of sorts, but hardly escapism. No matter, because in the midst of it all, I managed to rewatch the first season of Only Murders in the Building. (Disney +) It's brilliant. The second series has also started, but in the worst way ever. One episode per week, and not dropped together. What is this? The nineties? Moving on, I heartily recommend a three part series on BBC1, called AIDS: The Unheard Tapes, all on iPlayer. As Lucy Mangan wrote, 'What sounds on paper like a terrible gimmick, works beautifully...'  and it really does. The 'gimmick' is that taped audio recordings of gay men from the 80s are lip-synced by actors today. The recordings were made at the start of the AIDS crisis in order to keep a record of the experiences of those affected. Knowing what we know today - that AIDS ravaged a generation of young men, many of whom had family that struggled to keep their memory alive - mean the recordings are brimming with poignancy and emotion. They must be heard. And with the help of this documentary, they can be.

 

Food and Drink

The Women's Euros have started. Woohoo! My general rule for football meals is you can only go big on the England matches. If I ate footy food for every game, I'd be in trouble. And what is footy food, I hear you ask. Well, it's usually crisps and dips. Sometimes vegetable sticks and dips. Or - in the case of the England v Norway game tonight - breadcrumbed and baked aubergine slices with labneh and salad. It's crisps and dips of sorts.

Out and About

I tried a new restaurant on Saturday. I say new; it's been there for years and I vaguely remember going in 2019. But this time, I went with purpose. Pesto, you were boss. Small plates are always a winner, and that's what is was. Woohoo. Other than that, I've been avoiding the heat and watching history unfold via Sky News. Yeah, I really need to get out more. 

Have a lovely week, folks.