In our Italian conversation class at some point earlier this year we looked at information about the city of Trieste. (Our teacher sends us this sort of thing from time to time, giving a focus to the lesson.) One of our number showed off his knowledge by talking about the time the writer James Joyce spent in Trieste. Coincidentally, my scanning of the newspapers online this morning threw up this article about James Joyce’s travel from Dublin to Trieste by train. Caoilinne Hughes, invited to be writer in residence at the James Joyce Summer School in that city, decided to try reconstruct his journey in the modern age. This being the 21st century she tells us that her “journey got off to an eventful start when the Eurostar announced delays due to cable theft near Lille. Around 600 metres of copper cable were stolen overnight from the high-speed line.” It seems the modern age has extra hazards for would-be travellers.
Here’s another thing I pulled from the morning’s look at the papers. Rafael Behr was writing about Nigel Farage - well, also about what Starmer should do to combat Farage - and wrote this:
‘By any measure of success except parliamentary representation and ministerial offices held, he is the most significant leader of his generation.’
I found myself wondering what other “measures of success” he was referring to. Surely “parliamentary representation” (a handful of MPs) and “ministerial offices held (none) should be considered rather important. It seems to me that the media are determined to make a success of that man, or at least make him “significant”!
Here’s a comment from letters to the Guardian newspaper on the flag-waving patriotism that Mr Farage seems to endorse:
“Great to see the Saint George’s cross flying everywhere. It was first adopted by Richard Lionheart, king of England. During his reign he lived in France, barely visited England and didn’t speak a word of English. Saint George himself was a Roman soldier, born in Turkey and martyred for his Christian beliefs. Such multiculturalism makes you proud to be British.
Andrew Gould
Bosham, West Sussex”
Maybe Mr Farage bases his (lack of) commitment to his constituency on Richard Lionheart’s commitment to his country!
Funnily enough I had had a conversation about Mr Farage in the coop store in Uppermill earlier in the morning. There was an elderly lady ahead of me in the queue, purchasing a newspaper with a headline about Mr Farage and his plans to arrange for mass-deportation of immigrants when he is prime minister! “There’s nothing but trouble everywhere,” she said, “and some people seem determined to stir it up!” So we had a little political chinwag as we waited to pay for our shopping.
I had cycled to Uppermill as the weather seemed favourable. Indeed it was fine and sunny, although rain is forecast for later in the day. After I had done some washing I thought it looked as though the promised rain was about to arrive. Indeed one of the neighbours was in the process of taking her washing in. She must have been more organised washing-wise and had hung it out earlier. But then, I had got up and cycled to the market! Anyway, in view of the threatening clouds in the sky I decided to hand the washing indoors, a habit I have grown out of in recent weeks.
Consequently, the cloud has thinned somewhat and the rain has still not arrived. The washing, however, will remain indoors, as a kind of charm to make it possible for us to go for a walk later without getting soaked.
My daughter, on yet another mini holiday, this time to the Lake District, reports that they had torrential rain last night, but then, that’s what you usually expect to happen in the Lake District.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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