Friday 20 March 2020

Mrs. Arbuthnot Had Ears Sharpened By Malice

I don't have anything profound to add about the pandemic except to say let's wash our hands. Let's self-isolate. Let's not panic buy. Let's respect our health workers. Whatever we pay our nurses - it's not enough.


I recently read "Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont" by the other Elizabeth Taylor.


Funny, bittersweet, melancholic. Gently heartbreaking. Peppered with subtle zingers throughout.
...Mrs Arbuthnot had ears sharpened by malice...
...'It is three thousand days ago today that my wife died', Mr. Osmond said, to no one in particular...
...'Ah, yes', Mrs de Salis said dismissingly. 'I suppose you just had a local anaesthetic.'
'No, we were living in Norfolk at the time, and my husband insisted on my coming to London.'...
...She gave a smile which meant nothing, and took a cautious sip of her whisky...
...Mrs. Post considered the dish, and then carefully picked out one nut, as if it were different from the others...
...In spite of his question, she decided to enchant again...
...'We were talking about Brighton', Mrs Palfrey said, skipping the varicose veins...
...'Denise is the name of our hostess,' Mr. Osmond said across Mrs. Palfrey, who drew back her bust a little as he did so...
...'Ciggie?' she asked Colonel Mildway, holding out her case, and blowing thin streams of smoke down from her nostrils...
Starting another book right away feels like a disservice.

Keep your eyes peeled for this album...


...and not just because I wrote a song for it called "Punk Rock Boy".

I liked The Two Popes on Netflix.


And I dug Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool on BBC.

I'll finish up with Unbuttoned by the one and only David Sedaris.

And this from Dr. Benjamin Janaway.

Let's stay safe.

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