The Mad Tea Party

I visited a library branch that I have not visited before, to check out a used book sale.  It was spacious and inviting place, and I must remember to return there.

In front of the library was this delightful sculpture, capturing the Wonderland balance of humor and menace.

Alice's upholstered Victorian chair was a marvel of careful metalwork.

A Vestige of Swedish Culture

It is the measure of the calmness of my life that my highest priority this afternoon was to visit IKEA and buy a new potato peeler.

This device is the most elegant item that I have seen at IKEA.  Its design is graceful and it fits the hand nicely.  It would be a bargain at twice the cost.

 

This peeler deserves to be placed in a time capsule to memorialize the high point of the presently declining Swedish culture.

Advice for Theresa May

These days the English elites seem to have lost their way.  How different they are from the early English, as described in Peter Ackroyd's English history book Foundation!  Ackroyd describes the rich in seventh-century English at the time of King Redwald as a wild and fiery bunch:

"The rich engaged in a life of hunting and of warfare.  They ate voluminous quantities of pork and venison.  They drank to excess and were celebrated for doing so.  Their faces were often painted or tattooed.  Men as well as women dyed their hair; blue, green and orange were the colours favoured by the male.  Both sexes were heavily adorned with gold bracelets."

Perhaps Theresa May would have an easier time politically if she changed her bland look to something more in keeping with her ancient English roots.

On the Eve of My Younger Son's Departure

My younger son will be leaving in the morning to seek his future in Georgia.

It will be an adventure for him.  No prearranged job awaits him; he will need to hustle and find work when he gets there. 

This element of uncertainty is exciting for a young man.  At my age, I tend to hunker down securely in my rut and avoid risk of upsets or surprises.  Perhaps I could do with a (limited) boost of excitement myself.