Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.
Well then Saturday was Royal Wedding Day and I was working. And a good thing too. Even if I hadn't worked I'd have avoided it. Essentially the reasons boil down to two.
Firstly I'm a Republican. A nation should not be obsessed by a fairytale idea of a King, Queen and the rest of what is a privileged elite. Why in events such as these the television stations for example will be broadcasting through the medium of curtsy is beyond me.
Take for example the reporting of Meghan Markle's father. Yet those of us old enough to remember the issues surrounding the divorce Of Charles and Diana know that he didn't cover himself with glory. And yet apparently all is now forgotten.
For a lot of people the Royal family is a fairy story that hides the true state of Britain where the tale is Grimm
Secondly I have no interest in watching a wedding on television and I suspect that most men (other than those who will dress in union jack clothing for the day - when at any other moment they'd be considered weird) feel the same whatever their views on the monarchy otherwise. As I think I've mentioned before the process of getting married in a church, as opposed to getting married is a distinctly female event. Men, I would guess, would rather watch the sport on another channel.
Wife and daughter went to an event organised by a (female) friend where they and more female fans watched the event...yes I know. And you know what? She's also recorded it!
As it happens I also missed the FA Cup Final today as well. But to be honest I don't care about that either (though I'd admit I'd would've watched it if I wasn't working). Mainly because the final does not this year hold out any interest for the neutral.
So where did I start avoiding this wedding whilst I'm wasn't working? Well a classical music radio station, so the wedding would probably only be mentioned in the news headlines (and as it happens the wedding was the second item on their news at 12:30). Not Classical King FM as Ms Markle is American so the choice was (taken as a whole) my favourite classical radio station RTE Lyric FM of the Irish Republic.
I was listening to an aimiable programme called The Hamilton Scores. Where George Hamilton leads through a range of easy listening classical scores perfect for a Saturday morning. The title? Well I'm assuming that refers to his work as a football commentator. I mean? A football commentator on a classical music station? Where else but RTE Lyric FM would be comfortable with that? It is, as I've said before the most unpretentious classical music station I know.
Heavy rock? Well this was the latest library book I read.
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| Ian Vince - The Lie Of The Land |
Now Mr Vince can write, when he was chatting about his travels you were interested (indeed as an aside he mentioned another book he wrote about travelling around Britain in a milk float - I do want to read that). But....when the book chatted about the specifics geology then it got ...well...rocky (apologies but I couldn't resist).
It was dull.
In essence if your interest in rocks doesn't go beyond the views it produces or avoiding them in the case of an avalanche then it really isn't the book for you.
Continued then reading Max Hastings book All Hell Let Loose about the Second World War mainly through the eyes of ordinary people caught up in it. I haven't finished it yet, but I suspect it will be the best non-fiction book I've read so far this year. Mr Hastings handles the large remit with ease and aplomb. Also, a key test of any history book is that it tells something you didn't already know. It worked on that basis as well. I thought I knew enough on the Second World War. Mr Hastings proved me wrong.
So a Conservative historian helped me avoid a most conservative of events. I should thank him.
Thank you Mr Hastings.
Until the next time.
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