Big hair

Ten days ago, to the Wigmore Hall to hear one Giorgi Gigashvili give us some Beethoven (Op.109) and some Prokofiev (Op.82). To be found at reference 1, where he offers a range of haircuts, including the big hair he sported on this occasion.

A cold and overcast day. Although I don't suppose that was what prompted memories of thick cardboard tickets and ticket collectors with a range of punches, making holes of different shapes. Presumably an elementary check on passenger behaviour. I could just about remember ticket collectors at barriers at railway stations, but not at tube stations. Maybe there have been machines at these last for rather longer.

What is it about the new lid to the gas works below that attracts the dead leaves? This on Clay Hill Green.

A small M&S trolley outside the station. Not scored.

We had intended to get a train to Victoria, but ended up getting one to Waterloo - which got us to Olle & Steen a little earlier than was necessary.

On the way to which we passed a flower delivery van parked across the road from the Botree Hotel, a van containing flowers which were nowhere the standard of those delivered to the Wigmore Hall - although looking at reference 2, one would not have thought it was good enough for them either. Perhaps they were for the economy rooms, the ones without windows.

From Olle & Steen, a different street scene from that on a Sunday. Much less cosmopolitan, much less nicotine. While inside, we had a large and scruffy Englishman sprawled in his seat, with a posh newspaper, managing to take up far more space than was decent in the space available. His place was downstairs where they had more room for sprawlers.

The concert was spot on, the first time we have heard a Beethoven piano sonata for a while. And I liked the Prokofiev rather more than I was expecting. The Schumann encore - the Op.18 Arabesque - was very familiar, which was odd, as I do not do Schumann on purpose. Maybe it is used as a stocking filler.

We had thought to eat in Waterloo - perhaps Fishcotheque - but in the end we went for Lina Stores, which could accommodate us on this occasion.

Started off with a 2023 traditional Chardonnay from the Alto Adige - a region which does not often let us down - and which is to be found at reference 4. Where we are told to use a glass for a young white wine, whatever that might be. But glass aside, it went down well enough.

I thought the ambience rather good, with a good mixture of customers and good service. There was, for example, a young lady wearing a very striking pink and black blouse, with a colour and pattern which reminded me very much of the fine curtains we used to have in our front room - until the sun rotted them that is. Plus ceiling furniture which was the height of fashion in such matters. Sadly, BH found the place a little noisy, although I suspect we would have done better had we been sitting by a window rather than in the middle of the dining room.

We were intrigued by the 30 egg yolk tagliolini. 30 egg yolks seems rather a lot for anyone, even for two sharing. Maybe what they mean is that 30 egg yolks go into a batch of tagliolini - whatever that might be.

Rather better mixed bread than one usually gets.

And a splendid sausage, rather like the ones I have bought from the Italian grocery by Borough tube station. With the first such occasion being noticed at reference 5.

BH took a ravioli, although she did sample my sausage.

Got into a bit of a muddle about the dessert, but it went down easily enough. Helped along by a spot of white grappa in a proper grappa glass.

Out to pick up a tube at Bond Street. Where, on the way down to the platform, I continued to puzzle about all the grot seeping between some of the steel segments which line the various tunnels.Where does it all come from?

A zoomed version from the top right hand corner.

A full Epsom train, complete with lots of people with fast food, some of them eating. Something I still find rather tiresome.

Somewhere along the way, I wondered how much the price of steel would have to rise before it would be worth raising the German High Seas Fleet from the bottom of Scapa Flow, where it has been since it was scuttled there at the end of the First World War. There should not be any bodies, so there should be no war grave flavoured issues. A wonder which is sorted out this evening at reference 6: most of it was recovered long ago - which I do not think I ever knew. And I may not have ever known that it was the Germans themselves who did the scuttling. Obvious really, now that I do know.

Back home, a late eight brick walk, the first one for months. I rather enjoyed the walk - but not so much that it has been repeated since. 

Snapping them in the dark, when I had finished, did not work at all and this snap had to wait until the morning. Maybe if I learned how to work the flash.

Later still, a strange bit of projection onto the fabric of this chair, with lots of faces appearing on the right hand side of its back. They were quite vivid for a while. Can't get it to work just presently, so it must have been some trick of the light and the alcohol taken. I will continue trying and report back in due course.

PS 1: Sunday morning: failed to raise any faces on the chair image on the laptop. At least, apart from one rather feeble one. Possibly focussing too much on looking for pairs of eyes, often the core of such projections. Probably trying too hard, need to relax somehow.

PS 2: Monday evening, 21:00: the chair came alive again. Seen from the right of the snap above, at a range of around 3 metres, rather than from where the telephone was. Perhaps not as strongly as on the first occasion, but alive nonetheless, with all kinds of grotesque heads. A combination of the dimmer artificial light of the evening, of the point of view and of my being fairly tired? But no alcohol on this occasion, so there was more to it than that.

References

Reference 1: https://giorgigigashvili.com/.

Reference 2: https://www.thebotree.com/.

Reference 3: https://www.linastores.co.uk/locations/marylebone-lane.

Reference 4: https://www.cantina-terlano.com/en/wines/chardonnay-17/.

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2021/11/facts-not-opinions.html.

Reference 6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuttling_of_the_German_fleet_at_Scapa_Flow.