30th May
My daughter, who is an avid swimmer, has three verrucas.
Spelled incorrectly.
Too much Roald Dahl, that’s my trouble.
You can see the finished piece, here.
Category Archives: 551
May 2014 15
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7th May
I was sitting on a bus today and two girls behind me were talking about make-up.
I’d never really thought about those words (or would I say word?) before. It’s like making something up, pretending, messing with the truth.
May 2014 14
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13th May
I found out today that Bob Searchfield had died.
He was a South Londoner and a great campaigner for social justice. Even though very ill, he was at the 2013 demonstration to save Lewisham Hospital’s A&E department. Both of my children were born in Lewisham Hospital, and have tested out the excellent A&E facilities.
He met his wife, Sheila, at a church disco in Bromley in 1957. Since reading this, every time I pass a local church I wonder if it’s the one. As well as working full-time and having their own children, they shared their home with young people leaving council care. They also sheltered Chilean refugees.
Bob was the real thing. He walked the walk.
This is from the Bromley News Shopper, a free newspaper which comes through my door each week:
ROBERT (BOB) SEARCHFIELD Sadly died on April 4th after a long illness. Funeral on Wednesday April 30th 12.15pm at Hither Green Crematorium. No flowers please. Donations to Macmillan Cancer Support c/o Co-operative Funeral Care, Downham Way, BR1 5HR.
May 2014 13
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18th May
My husband, parents, and children went to the Olympic Park today.
I was at work.
They loved it. My dad was raving about the wild flowers.
May 2014 12
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15th May
I was reading the obituary of Eli Woods today. He died on 1st May.
He was born near my home town and was the son of a steelworker.
He was a music hall comedian, and often played the stooge for his uncle, Jimmy James. They didn’t do traditional jokes, but were more surreal. An early Monty Python.
Their best known sketch In The Box (he is the tall one in the deerstalker) was almost as famous in its day as Python’s Dead Parrot.
Turns out, adding a link from YouTube is just like adding any other link. Who knew?
The picture of John Cleese was taken from The 1995 Monty Python Datebook. It was published by The Ink Group. It does not say who took the photograph.
May 2014 11
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27th May
Today I saw a man wearing a ‘Jesus Loves You’ T-shirt.
He was standing at the bottom of the slope at Waterloo East Station.
I had spotted him before my train had stopped, and I guess I was still looking at the slogan when I got off the train. He saw me staring, and shouted, “Yes, he loves you, Jesus picked you.” I smiled at him, but he scowled and headed off up the slope.
The back of his top read ‘But He Doesn’t Love Me’. It was hand-written in marker pen.
The picture of Jesus was taken from Pancakes and Painted Eggs by Jean Chapman. It is illustrated by Kilmeny Niland. I bought it in the ‘Worn-Out’ book section at Bromley Library.
May 2014 10
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23rd May
Heard this Margaret Rutherford quote today. It just stayed with me.
“You never have a comedian who hasn’t got a very deep strain of sadness within him or her. Every great clown has been very near to tragedy”
The photograph was taken from ‘Paper Play’ by Michael Grater. It was published in 1972 Mills and Boon. It does not say who took the photograph.
May 2014 9
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20th May
I was reading an article in The Guardian by Rosie Dawson, about religion in Brazilian football.
It was about the Neo-Pentecostalists, a religion brought to Brazil from America in the early 20th century. It’s spunky Christianity, with faith healings and exorcisms and stuff.
The movement has been on the rise for some time.
In the early days its followers denounced football, calling it ‘The Devil’s Egg’, but now they like it.
May 2014 8
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14th May
220 schoolgirls were abducted by Islamic militants last month.
Boko Haram fighters abducted the girls during a raid on their boarding school in Chibok.
They have still not returned home.
22nd May
Alan Davies, Wembley headteacher not comedian, has been stripped of the knighthood he received in 2000 for services to education.
He resigned from the £160,000 job in 2009.
He was found guilty of false accounting last year.
Davies paid himself, three staff members and two governors a total of £2.7m over several years through bonuses and salaries.
May 2014 7
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19th May
I was watching a programme about Stanley Spencer and the Clyde shipyards.
There was some old video footage of the shipbuilders, and one of them recalled how Spencer drew on ‘lavvy paper’ when there was a lack of proper paper during the war.
29th May
The word ‘puppets’ was used in an interview I was reading today.
It was in relation to the terrible Pit Disaster in Soma, Turkey. Almost 800 miners were working in the mine at the time of the explosion. The death toll has risen to 232.
Oktay Berrin, a local miner, said, “There is no security in this mine. The unions are just puppets and our management only cares about money.”
25th May
Again, an interview with a Soma miner. He said he had ‘nothing’ to say.
Alison Sye 