Friday, January 22, 2010

Galop, red cake and Haile Selassie.

Here is the podcast. Hope you enjoy it.

Also, if you happen to be in Tunbridge Wells on Monday between noon and 2pm, please drop into the library and say hi -- I'm helping them to mark Blue Monday, and it would be great to meet some more of you!

1. I listen to the Galop Infernal from Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld (better known as the can-can) and it puts a smile on my face. I must have once heard seen it actually performed by can-can dancers, because my memory always dubs in their yips and whoops.

2. Grated beetroot has turned my cake batter a pleasing royal purple.

3. We watch a documentary about the history of Ethiopia, and all the talk of Haile Selassie remind me of the trip Rosey and I took to Africa. "Selassie" was one of Francis the Cook's catchphrases. You can see him saying it in this picture he drew just before he said goodbye to us at the South African border. I don't know why he's smoking a pipe, but the red cap never left his head -- except when he lost it in a motorcycle accident, and we didn't recognise him when we saw him without it. "Hihooo" is his rendering of the donkey noise that was another truck catchphrase.




You can see the other pictures (with my commentary) here at Scenes from Truck Life.

Book treasure, worn and speaker.

1. Finding treasure in the Oxfam bookshop. I only popped in to look for a card. 2. Bettany doesn't wear makeup out and about, but noneth...