Whew! What a week! It feels like we’ve been busier than the proverbial one-armed wallpaper hanger. We’ve had some guests for the week, we’ve visited a number of local attractions and it feels like I’ve made forty-seven trips to a couple of our “local” airports. Hmm, I think I need another vacation.
A couple of weeks ago my elder sister Sallie posted some photos on Facebook of her visit to Prague and an excursion down the Danube. I jokingly commented that I must have missed the email telling us when they were coming to visit while we were in France. Sallie replied to say that they could fix a flying visit and so it came to be that she and her husband Rod flew into Birmingham on Monday to visit for the week. And are we glad they did – it’s always a treat when they come and doubly so this time as it had been such an unexpected bonus.
Naturally, their visit meant we had to dust off all the pamphlets of local attractions, trying to find places we’ve not taken them before. So, on Tuesday we set off to Bletchley Park, the museum honouring the codebreakers and the cracking of the Enigma machine during the second World War.
I’d been once before several years ago but had no hesitation in wanting to go again – it is an outstanding museum, absolutely fascinating and, at the same time, utterly mind-boggling. How on earth did these people even begin the task of trying to decipher tens of thousands of enemy communications? Fortunately, there were some very, very clever people working there during the war.
On Tuesday evening we set off to Stratford – dinner at the Encore and then a production of Falkland Sound at the Swan Theatre. Some neighbours had been to see it a few weeks ago and had said it was terrific. And it was. A really interesting production telling the story of the conflict through the eyes of the Falklanders whose peaceful existence was shattered by the arrival of the Argentinians and subsequently the British forces. We were very fortunate to get tickets at such short notice – we got the only available block of four seats on the night. Really well done and we really enjoyed it.
Thursday morning we took ourselves off to Compton Verney for a couple of exhibitions. Birds of America, an exhibition of Audubon bird prints, and another exhibition of Quentin Blake illustrations, Birds, Beasts and Explorers.
Birds of America examines the artistry and legacy of one of the world’s rarest, most coveted and – at almost 1-metre in height – largest books. Published as a series between 1827 and 1838, Birds of America was a landmark work, which achieved international renown due to the epic scale of the project and the book’s spectacular, large-scale ornithological illustrations. The culmination of Audubon’s ambition to paint every bird species in North America, it took almost 12 years to complete, and is justly still celebrated for its extraordinarily animated, dramatic and detailed illustrations.
The display also explores how the book came to influence natural sciences, what we can learn from its controversial legacy, and critically examines the impact of human beings on the natural world examining what the future holds for our bird population against the backdrop of our park, which is an established haven for birdlife.
Birds of America is a touring exhibition from National Museums Scotland and showcases 46 prints from the book. Rarely displayed unbound, our show represents a unique opportunity to see so much of Audubon’s work in one place. The story is complemented by letters, books, manuscripts, films and audio, which explore the book’s historical context and consider why Audubon’s artistic style was so ground-breaking.
Sir Quentin Blake (b.1932) is one of the most celebrated illustrators and writers of children’s books working today. Over the course of a career spanning several decades, Blake has illustrated more than 500 books, bringing to life treasured literary characters in his unmistakeable style and inspiring generations.
Showcasing over 70 original illustrations, this exhibition takes inspiration from recurring themes in Blake’s work – birds, fantastical flying creatures and the joy of exploring in nature – as well as the flying creatures that call Compton Verney’s grounds home.
After a quick bite of lunch, we scuttled off home to prepare for the Ladies who Croque, the local gaggle of women who play croquet on the occasional Thursday afternoon. The competition this time was to be held on our back lawn. Sallie was allowed to join the ladies for the afternoon and, when they broke temporarily for tea and cake, the other competitors all complimented her on her natural skill! Who knew my sister would be such an adept croquet player?
After croquet, it was time to sprint down the road to the Cromwell Cottage for another splendid meal. Having visited the Encore on Tuesday and the Cromwell Cottage on Thursday, we were struck by the similarity of menu. Who knew they were both part of the same chain?
Friday morning it was time, sadly, to take Sallie and Rod back to Birmingham Airport for the return flight to Switzerland – I think they are there for another couple of weeks before returning to the States. As always, it was a great treat to have them here and we’ll try to return the favour one day soon!
Having dropped them at the airport about lunchtime on Friday, there was just time to come home, have a brief sit down and then it was off to Leamington to collect Annabelle for an overnighter. Always a delight for us and Annabelle is very good at pretending that she likes to visit her grandparents from time to time. Nick and Lucy were off to a concert in the park and Annabelle’s plans, which had involved her spending the night with a friend, unfortunately fell through. So, she had to put up with us instead. Poor girl!
She’s always a good sport and it’s always a real treat to have her. There was much to tell about her first week at her new school. In short, she loves it! For our evening’s entertainment we watched Bend it Like Beckham which, although showing its age, was good fun with a positive message, especially for girls and young women – don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do whatever you want!
As if all that wasn’t enough excitement, we rounded out the week with another trip to the airport, this time to Heathrow to collect Ava on her return from China on Saturday night. Her flight had a late arrival time and we thought it would be easier for us to collect her while Adam held down the fort (and the girls) at home! As you will remember, she flew to China with her parents to accompany them on the journey home. She had about a week to visit friends and family and then made the long (really long – 30 hours in transit including a 12 hour stop-over in Cairo enroute) flight home. She was exhausted, poor thing, but happy to be back.
So, you can see why I need a break!
Finally, the Ig Nobel prizes were awarded this week – reanimated spiders and smart toilets! Not surprisingly, my favourite was the Smart Toilet:
This year’s Ig Nobel prize for public health was awarded to researchers for the development of a smart toilet that uses various technologies to monitor human waste for signs of disease and an anal-print sensor as part of its system to identify the user.
And finally, finally, I ran across the following Love Poem in the New Yorker.
Although I don’t tend to watch videos of people bodysurfing on pudding, I am occasionally guilty of not “hearing” the sighs or simply “seeing” the things that need doing, sometimes because I have my earphones in and at other times simply because I am an ignorant slob. Thankfully, the kind and beautiful Penelope still puts up with me.
Meanwhile, keep happy, keep smiling, be careful, wear a f**king facemask in crowded places and keep your distance. And keep safe. And be gentle to wasps and bees.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg