I’ve titled this post after an old saying that grown-ups often use when they see something a little foolish going on with a group of children: “It’ll end in tears”. I’m writing this on Wednesday 7th July and I’ll try and finish it with an update on Friday. All the photos were taken in the last week or so and the update from Thursday’s trip. This blog is a way of documenting my life, it makes sense to at least have a point of view on some current affairs which dominate all our lives at the moment. Onwards then…
Where shall I begin? What news to tell? Well, that shot, a little bit of Georgian Street Photography, was taken on my way to a lunch that my wife had arranged for my birthday. I can hardly believe I’m writing this and perhaps it’ll be therapeutic…I was 60 years old. Nope, that didn’t help! That bit of news will confound the medical profession, no one is more surprised than me that I reached it in one piece. Of course I’m still essentially like a Greek God, physically a perfect specimen, but the Greek in me has to be philosophical, I can’t remain the Peter Pan of photography forever! Now, just in case anyone thinks I actually believe that crap, it’s written purely for my own amusement because I know the truth. Plus I don’t have any Greek in me, at least I don’t think so, I’ll ask my mum. That my prove to be pointless, both of my parents are in their nineties. In the words of my sister; One doesn’t care what day of the week it is and the other doesn’t know which day of the week it is!
Anyway, Sam and I strolled up to the Royal Crescent Hotel and surprise, surprise, they’re filming, again. My god, there’s always something being filmed in Bath. A few weeks ago it was a remake of the “Invisible Man” where I pointed out to them that I could see him, apparently it’ll be sorted in post production! My annoyance comes from movie security guards stopping me from where I want to go and I’m not entirely sure they have any power to do so. Firstly I thought they’re back to filming “Bridgerton”, but this day it was the turn of yet another Jane Austen film. She hated living in Bath by the way as I never tire of telling the film crews. So, we were running slightly late for lunch where we are to meet my sister and brother-in-law and as we turn into the Royal Crescent there he is, the dreaded “Security” guard. The Director is yelling to the cast and crew “We’re filming…and…we are filming”. I told the security guard that were were indeed coming through, he said “no you’re not mate” to which the Director said “It’s okay, let them though..”We’re not filming…and…we are not filming”. Now, I suspected that it was a small scene, which was all I could see, but as we walked around the corner there were horses and carriages, cast members and it took a long, long time for us to walk through. High heels and cobble stones don’t make for high speed travel, I’d like to point out that Sam was wearing them, not me. It was almost embarrassing, but I felt that I’d made a point or perhaps a 'heel’ of myself, the jury is always out on that one.
The next piece of news. Our ‘glorious leader’, one Boris Johnson announced that on July 19th all Covid restrictions were to end. That’s everything, no more masks, no more isolating, no more lockdowns. Nightclubs will open as will sports stadia (we’ll come on to that in a moment). We’re going to have to learn to live with Coronavirus which is something I said a long time ago in my blog. That’s reasonably good news apart from a few minor points…
The U.K. is currently reporting over 30,000 infections per day, the vaccination programme is working, but not absolutely. There’s an expectation that this may rise to 100,000+ per day once all restrictions are lifted. True, there’s a lot less hospitalisations and even fewer deaths, but it’s still very much with us. The scientific experts say it will be for the rest of our lives and at some stage we’ll all catch it , possibly on numerous occasions. We'll, that’s okay with me if we don’t have restrictions, at least until you find that you were at a party and someone later reported a positive Covid test. You see, when it comes close to home it’s slightly more worrying. That party was outside and as it turns out no one else managed a positive test, everyone was negative. Perhaps the person caught it after the party, maybe the vaccinations are working, although that person had received both jabs to my knowledge hasn’t been unwell particularly. We can live with it, essentially as long as the example of the party is replicated throughout the country. I know that in a bad winter 20,000 will die from flu, I don’t like catching that either if I’m being honest. Spare a thought then for all the shop workers, bus drivers and those in the hospitality industry. They need to work and yet from July 19th they’ll have everyone crowded together infecting them left, right and center leaving them extremely vulnerable. The owners of the businesses, bus companies, pubs, restaurants, supermarkets are still able to say that masks must be worn, they won’t be able to enforce it though by law. So they have an option of saying no entry without a mask and risk no customers coming through the doors or have a policy of do whatever you like and put their employees at risk. In the meantime the rules are a bit of joke anyway, our own Secretary of State for Health had to resign because he was caught on camera kissing one of his aides. As the newspapers reported “an interesting way to take a swab test”! As usual those in power or with money feel as though somehow rules don’t apply to them, Dominic Cummings the Prime Ministers chief advisor fell foul of the rules he was advocating as did one of the governments senior scientific advisers. The latter, who told the government that there’d be half a million deaths if we didn’t completely lockdown back in March 2020, spent lockdown travelling across London to jump into bed with his lover before returning each evening to his wife and family. I’m sure they regret it, or at least getting caught, it did end in tears…. ah, with hindsight…
Oh, yes. I did document a little bit of the party held by our neighbours in their garden. It would be remiss of me not to include the photos, this is what this blog is supposed to be about. I’ll just place them in one gallery grid, no need to look if you’re not inclined. I didn’t know many of the other guests, obviously with exception of the woman in sunglasses and black dress who managed to throw some shapes on the dance floor. A really terrific time and group of people.
In other news…
Let’s turn to something that will definitely end in tears, the Football. England have managed to get themselves into the semi final of the Euro’s. They’ll be playing this evening at Wembley with a slightly less than capacity crowd of 60,000. I thought it was July 19th for the end of restrictions? Oh well, this is football and as is often quoted and attributed to Bill Shankly (Manager of Liverpool F.C. 1960’s & 70’s): “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.” Perhaps being at Wembley is only a matter of life and a slight illness if you’re vaccinated. Anyway, they play Denmark tonight for a place in the final where they would then be up against Italy. There’s a song that’s been around since the 1996 Euro’s, “Three Lions. It’s Coming Home” and adopted by all England football fans. Often misinterpreted as arrogance by other countries, it’s very much tongue in cheek. Really it’s a song about the disappointment of being an England fan, chronically let down, but with the hope that football is coming home one day should we ever win. Just as a point of interest, the Three Lions on their shirts are the crest of the Plantagenet dynasty, one time Kings & Queens of England, of course they were in fact French. I can tell you that is has always been disappointment ever since 1966 when we won the World Cup. Now there’s a chance. They say that at every tournament and people get whipped up in a misplaced kind of hysteria only to collapse in a heap with the realisation that whatever the current English team at the time proved to be utter crap. The press asked one of the Danish players what they thought of “It’s coming home”. The reply from Schmeichel, Denmarks goalkeeper: “Has it ever been home?”. “Have you ever won it?”. He makes a point and I did laugh along with him, but now it’s too late, I’ve been whipped up with all the other fools and believe we’ll win, especially put a few past our friend Schmeichel tonight. Denmark have of course won it before and they’re a good team. My memories of England performances are of a team so frightened to lose that they don’t loosen up enough to win. When I continue writing this blog post on Friday we’ll see: Did it end in tears?
The last pieces of news are that Leica have requested to do a feature on my Black & White photography and I was asked this week if I’d travel to Exeter to give a talk to a Photography Club. I’m fine with the Leica thing, though recently I have been thinking of producing more colour work. As for the Photography Club offer, even though a fee was offered I did decline stating in my email that “Most people would pay not to hear me speak”! I’ll finish todays section of news there, if you got this far well done. I admire your perseverance.
Friday 9th July - Update
There’s a shot from Bath yesterday. Many countries around the world will be watching to see how our Covid experiment plays out, and a few more might be watching the football on Sunday…
Holy Hand of God! That’s a reference to Maradona’s cheating handball goal from the 1986 World Cup. We actually one. Not the prettiest of wins, though our friend Schmeichel (Denmarks goalkeeper) let in an own goal, admittedly we would have scored any way if the defender wasn’t there a tenth of a second before Stirling. Then he saved a penalty from Harry Kane only for England’s Captain to finish it off on the rebound. 2-1 England…who new? Sunday we have Italy in the final, the press and public are football crazy. I have to say it’s about the best team i”ve seen in England jerseys, apart form the 1966 squad that is. One thing in our favour as in 1966, we’re playing at home with 60,000 fans roaring them on. Covid has presented a plus for once, Italy’s fans can’t travel. Anyway, it‘s great news for the country, I sincerely hope it doesn’t end in tears…Come on England or as William Shakespeare put it in ‘Henry V’: “Cry God for Harry, England and St George”. See what I did there with the ‘tears’ and ‘cry’ and ‘Harry’ Kane and ‘England’? No, not that good, here’s the beginning of that speech instead which essentially covers all the news in this blog post: “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more”.
I’ll finish with the rest of yesterdays efforts in Bath and below that a YouTube link to a slideshow of my Street Photography during June:
As always my sincere thanks go to anyone taking the time to read this blog.
All images can be opened by clicking on the thumbnails and are taken using a Leica M with Summicron 28mm Lens fitted.
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