Day: 11 August 2024

Weeknotes #81: songs, carnival and a hat parade

A week of carnival culture, sport, and mindful Tai Chi practice.

Week commencing Monday, 5 August 2024

A collection of photos feature people dinging, in the carnival parade and wearing eccentric hats
Songs, carnival and a hat parade

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 5/7 and Move 5/7. (81%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Plant diversity: 40. Total steps: 52,988

Life

  • After stabbings sparked riots, the situation escalated. The courts intervened, and communities united.
  • Related, we are becoming a nicer nation: For every five crimes in England and Wales in 1995, there is just one offence committed today.
  • Monday, Lucy May Barker performed a live and intimate show at The Crazy Coqs: lots of beautifully performed songs and enthusiastic showbiz chat.
  • I don’t think I’ve watched so much sport since 2012. The Olympics really is the tapas of sport. This week: sport climbing, kayak cross, and breaking.
  • There was more sanding and varnishing of doors. Unfortunately, some of the wood had rotted and required wood filler. It’ll take several coats to get the colours to match.
  • It was a warm Wednesday evening for Tai Chi, although we practised inside. The group was a bit smaller, probably due to the holidays, so we focused on ‘harmony’ as a single group—it was quite an interesting exercise and really focused my mind. When I go, I find it very relaxing.
  • To Ryde. Really nice to see the transport interchange work is complete. Not so great to read that the bus shelters are already due for replacement due to seating issues, and the bus station road has had to be resurfaced due to damage.
  • A nice discovery while we were there: the Tapas place is excellent.
  • Saturday night was Shanklin carnival: A fire engine led the parade into town, and then all sorts of groups contributed floats. There was a marching band and, towards the end, a fantastic group of drummers. A Chitty Chitty Bang Bang float seems to be Shanklin’s official 2024 carnival float. There was everything from an Olde Tea Shop to a smoke-breathing dragon, in front of which a group were dancing to a mix of music including songs from Steps followed by The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
  • Sunday, the Hat Parade was back in Sandown.

Media

7 Million Londoners, 1 London

If you have been wandering around London in the last few weeks you will have seen the 7 million Londoners, 1 London campaign at bus shelters and poster sites around the Capital.

7 Million Londoners 1 LondonIf you have been wandering around London in the last few weeks you will have seen the 7 million Londoners, 1 London campaign at bus shelters and poster sites around the Capital. The media space appears to have been provided for free. There have are posters and badges available if you want to order them. I really like the positive statements that it’s making. I really hope that it catches on but I haven’t seen many people or businesses displaying the posters/stickers yet. Go and order yours now.

State Of The Town

Jonathan Fenby wrote an excellent piece in today’s Observer (which thankfully I have found online and can link to) about the state of the British capital? I admit that I hoped Ken would help sort some of the mess this city is in. An integrated public transport system, clean and safer streets etc. I bought into the whole idea of new vision for London. But, as Fenby writes, “The snag is the man who should be providing it shows himself better at getting elected mayor than giving his city a new start.” Perhaps it is too much to hope that one man could change the attitudes of the society in this city. Many people just accept the way it is and perhaps, if most people are OK with the state of London, then this is the way it should be.

I know that I am talking very generally. What should I add to The Observer piece? London transport is over-crowded, dirty and smelly. When it runs it’s acceptable but when it doesn’t run then the whole system falls apart. Last week’s rain brought large chunks of the system to a halt. Rain, for goodness sake, it’s the one thing we know we are going to get here. Yesterday, I was stood on the Northern Line and there “there is no service” announcements must have gone on for ten minutes.

Ah, and I survived the party quite well – although I did feel a little rough this morning. It didn’t finish until gone two in the morning and ended with us watching old episodes of The Tube. Perhaps I should have left earlier.