Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantell
The Tudors are in fashion at the moment, and there are several popular books around about them. Wolf Hall actually won last year´s Booker prize.

It´s about a key actor in the time of Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell. I´ve put in a painting of him because I like it very much; Hans Holbein is a minor character in this book and he´s one of my favourite painters.
Anyway, Cromwell rose from unknown humble beginnings in Putney to the highest non-royal position in the land, finally to be executed (that´s not in this book-she´s on the sequel now)
I enjoyed the book, especially the household scenes of Cromwell´s extended family, and his relationships with Wolsey and later King Henry.

Tomatoes again!

I can buy tomatoes all year round. But only in the summer is it possible to find tomatoes like the ones I bought yesterday; big, fat, irregular-shaped and delicious. They are sweet and juicy and there's nothing else like them. At the same time I bought the first Moscatel grapes, which are really the best there are.

Home!

By Saturday many of the students had gone home, and our office was mostly cleared into boxes. The remaining student groups had gone on a day trip to Oxford. So I was free. I got a ticket to Portsmouth, and spent a nice peaceful day walking around shops. There's a complex down by the old shipyard called Gunwharf Keys, which is a retail outlet and there are lots of restaurants too. When I was hungry I sat on a terrace in the sun in a place (chain) called The Slug and Lettuce. The above is what I ate. I don't know what it was; I was expecting a bit of bread with goat's cheese and peppers. Very nice!
Really, it was good just to mooch about in Portsmouth.
Well, on Sunday I made the long journey home; Bognor to London on the train, nearly two hours, Victoria Coach Station to Stansted, 70 minutes; I like that journey, then the fuss of baggage handover, check-in is done online now. Being first August the airport was really crowded. Waiting, boarding, flying and home!  

Pub music

Friday night Felpham, we went for a drink in a pub in the village next to Bognor and found it was live music night. I didn't see the band; there was such a crush, but I'm sure they were grey-haired, like most of the people dancing. Sort of Mick Jagger age, and enjoying themselves enormously! From the Beatles to Robbie Williams, and all you could see were wiggling bottoms and waving arms.
Then on Sunday Mum took me for lunch in Isfield, to a pub called, for some reason the Laughing Fish. Lovely ploughman's lunches, and a folk society meeting. One of the rooms of the pub, people were taking turns to sing or play. Folk songs, sea shanties. Mostly middle-aged or elderly, ordinary-looking men and women stood up and sang many-versed songs, then sat down and another had a turn. The landlord told us they came there about once a year, and did other pubs in the meantime.

Bognor regis

It's a bit of a dump! However, yesterday I walked back to the campus, first along the beach, paddling in the shallow water. With a cool breeze blowing, the temperature of the shallow water was lovely.

 Here, you can't see the beach, but the jet skier was having a great time. Today is the World Cup final, Spain against Holland. The group of Spanish teachers doing a course here have dressed up in red and yellow and painted their faces. I think they must have found a pub where they can watch it. Of course, I 'll be happy for them if Spain wins!

Idyllic July

Bognor Regis, Sussex
The Bognor Regis campus of Chichester University is small compared with Royal Holloway where I stayed last week, but when you're going from one classroom to another it seems quite big. Its got lots of trees, grassy spaces and rabbits and squirrels are everywhere outside. On the other side of a terribly busy main road there's the famous holiday camp, Butlins, which is 2-3 times the size. Someone said it's like Dirty Dancing. Or Hi de Hi, which is longer ago. People were certainly having a raucus time there at the weekend. We've been lucky so far with the weather, which is like it should be in Camelot  (fine).  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCtselIX4yg
This is a link to youtube Camelot, Richard Harris singing.

World Cup

I'm away from home for the month. At the moment at the lovely campus of Royal Holloway University, Egham, doing preparation to direct a summer language course in Bognor. We've finished the sessions and have to wait a few hours for a coach to take us to Lewisham on the other side of London. England is playing Germany in the semi-quarter finals of the World Cup (football) and there are about 50 of us in a big bar with big TV screens. At the moment, 5 minutes after half-time, Germany is still winning 2-1. Every movement towards the goal the crowd goes wild. I don't care about football, but this is fun. I can hear the wild screams behind me from inside! In fromt of me at this pub table is the incredible sleeping beauty quadrangle Founder's Building. Great World Cup weather, hot sunshine. The latest report is 4-1. I'll cheer for Spain....