Apparently yesterday, August 13th, was Left-handed Day. Who knew? In a left-handed quiz, I scored 9/10 for right-handedness – but the quiz did not include writing, in which I am left-handed. I was fortunate enough to miss by a generation the superstitious prejudice against left-handedness, such as is displayed in ‘The King’s Speech’ and in Asian cultures where many people still use the left hand for ablutions and the right for eating. Sinister, as you will of course know, is Latin for ‘left’ and because of this prejudice came to have the meaning it holds today.
Take the quiz here:
http://www.lefthandersday.com/
I haven’t been properly closed yet. I didn’t get around to watching the Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday, so started to view on iplayer last night; but since I had to watch alone and with headphones I ground to a halt. Mark and Daniel were watching a DVD for which they required Absolute Silence (don’t ask me) and I experienced an irresistible urge to point out everything I saw: Timothy Spall reprising Churchill (King’s Speech again); newspaper taxis appearing on the shore, a reference to the poem ‘A Martian Sends a Postcard Home’,
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/craig_raine/poems/16281
which I love; but what finished me was the sight of Ray Davies singing ‘Waterloo Sunset’. He sounded fine but he looked so decrepit that I just couldn’t keep the experience to myself. So we will watch it together this evening.
I have started the blackberry wine; it’s just at the stewing stage where all the juices break out and mix with campden tablets and stuff: today will be adding the yeast and sugar and retiring immediately. LOL. I picked some more berries to eat yesterday – though glossy, black and pendulous they are very sour and need a ton of sugar.
I was going to write a post-mortem on the Olympics but I’ll save it until I’ve seen the closing ceremony.
And without more ceremony, I must close.
Kirk out
Sarada Gray 