White Anting the Welsh
Plan A: defeat the English to such a degree that they sack their captain and coach, and get them watching the quarter finals on television instead of playing in them.
Then, in order to lull the Welsh into a false sense of self satisfaction (enjoy that alliteration?) by accepting their invitation to a cocktail party at the Alexander Downer Room, Australia House, the Strand on Thursday 8th October.
So that is the state of play.
Perchance Australia did defeat England with a solid thrashing last Saturday. Your correspondent had his first match at Twickenhan for this rollover. The hallmark for the night was the singing by the Poms of their favourite ditty 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'. Used as an attempt to make the Australians feel not at all at home, as the scoreline started to get higher and higher, the Chariot singing became more and more perverse. After the match the jokes and cartoons about the wheels falling off the chariot, and being carried home otherwise than in a working chariot, were ubiquitous.
The scene at Twickenham before the game was very gregarious, with generosity of spirit on both sides. Local pubs included the Cabbage Patch, and Barmy Arms (recommended) by the water, opposite the rowing club. Very comfortable and easy to get a guinness.
This week we went to Stewart Lee -comic, at the Leicester Square Theatre, enjoying an afternoon in London and dinner at a Greek Restaurant.
Today, Tuesday, we have booked into the Oxford Theatre for a show of Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'. Very much looking forward to that. And on that subject, I'll attach a link now to the letter Huxley wrote to 1984 author George Orwell, after Orwell published his iconic novel, which indicates Huxley's view that he felt it more likely that totalitarians would seek to take control of societies more in a manner depicted in his story, than in Orwells. Well, either 'you be the judge', or (as the Pope says) 'who am I to judge?'.
So. That is the afternoon's program. But what of the gig at Australia House? I'm now told that the clobber arrangement is 'business attire'. You won't be surprised to know that I am 'sans' business attire, entirely. Plan: go to the St Vincent de Paul centre in town and select a tasteful pre-loved set of tweeds. More report with photo shortly.
Then, in order to lull the Welsh into a false sense of self satisfaction (enjoy that alliteration?) by accepting their invitation to a cocktail party at the Alexander Downer Room, Australia House, the Strand on Thursday 8th October.
So that is the state of play.
Perchance Australia did defeat England with a solid thrashing last Saturday. Your correspondent had his first match at Twickenhan for this rollover. The hallmark for the night was the singing by the Poms of their favourite ditty 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'. Used as an attempt to make the Australians feel not at all at home, as the scoreline started to get higher and higher, the Chariot singing became more and more perverse. After the match the jokes and cartoons about the wheels falling off the chariot, and being carried home otherwise than in a working chariot, were ubiquitous.
The scene at Twickenham before the game was very gregarious, with generosity of spirit on both sides. Local pubs included the Cabbage Patch, and Barmy Arms (recommended) by the water, opposite the rowing club. Very comfortable and easy to get a guinness.
This week we went to Stewart Lee -comic, at the Leicester Square Theatre, enjoying an afternoon in London and dinner at a Greek Restaurant.
Today, Tuesday, we have booked into the Oxford Theatre for a show of Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'. Very much looking forward to that. And on that subject, I'll attach a link now to the letter Huxley wrote to 1984 author George Orwell, after Orwell published his iconic novel, which indicates Huxley's view that he felt it more likely that totalitarians would seek to take control of societies more in a manner depicted in his story, than in Orwells. Well, either 'you be the judge', or (as the Pope says) 'who am I to judge?'.
See:
http://www.lettersofnote.com/search?q=+huxley
So. That is the afternoon's program. But what of the gig at Australia House? I'm now told that the clobber arrangement is 'business attire'. You won't be surprised to know that I am 'sans' business attire, entirely. Plan: go to the St Vincent de Paul centre in town and select a tasteful pre-loved set of tweeds. More report with photo shortly.
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