Wordle 1,046 3/6*

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Nine seconds, lucky second word.

I booked today off work on Friday, after seeing a favourable weather forecast. In fact the forecast changed over the weekend with a likelihood of showers in the afternoon, but I intended to go south where I'd most likely avoid them.

The idea was to do either a fondo or a 100 miler, depending on the time I got up. And I got up at about 0715, so 100 miles it was! I thought I'd go down to Northampton and back. I set off at about 0805.

I had a change of plan after 36 miles and took a left to Naseby. I've been to Northampton a couple of times in recent months so I thought I'd give it a miss and do something different.



I'd been to Naseby before but this time I kept going, through places called Haselbech and Maidwell. About half a mile after Maidwell I found myself at the top of a long steep descent that I didn't fancy coming back up, so I turned back. I'd only done 43 miles so I'd have to improvise a bit on the way back. I did. I took a turn to a place called Cold Ashby and just followed my nose. Really, really nice cycling territory over the next ten miles or so through places called Stanford on Avon and Swinford. I rejoined the usual route at North Kilworth (after a bit of reassurance from Google Maps), but still needed to make up some distance. I went exploring again, through Ashby Parva and Frolesworth - basically a detour around Broughton Astley.

I was still a couple of miles short though (having distance landmarks memorised is handy for gauging this) so after Kirkby Mallory, I kept on to Cadeby, then Bosworth then back the usual way from there, or one of them. Made up the last bit of distance by coming back a long way through the village.

Terrific day out on the bike. Had two very pleasant stops at the village shop at Gilmorton. Nice weather, no showers. Very mild. And I listened to another few hours of the Reacher novel.

Back on 100.42 miles and that's a pleasing 479 done this month. Would have got the total over 400 even if I hadn't taken the day off, which is nice to know.

1850 done this year and 45,011 since January 2015.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11292403905

Wordle 1,045 3/6*

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15 seconds.

3:4

Another three weeks have passed somehow. Must get into the habit of doing these at least once a week.

Anyway another absolutely brilliant one, just inspired from start to finish. Hilarious. One of the best 30 minutes of telly ever. The sketches thematically segue into each other cleverly. There's a nice running joke. There's an extended animation which is gobsmackingly inventive and utterly hilarious. I laughed out loud several times. There just isn't a weak moment.

I remembered the scene with Cleese as a merchant banker and Jones as a charity worker, but didn't remember that it morphs into a genius sketch involving pantomime horses in the same office.

Richard Baker, the newsreader whom older readers may remember has a cameo in one sketch (as himself) and keeps a completely straight face. Legend.

 

Heard this on Huey Morgan's R6 show, downloaded the album from Bandcamp. Right up my street. The album is a concept album (albeit instrumental) about legal difficulties.

Wordle 1,044 3/6*

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About seven minutes .. spent a long time on the third word.

Finally got round to watching Living on Amazon Prime. Set in 1953, it's a touching tale of an elderly bureaucrat at County Hall who learns that he doesn't have long to live and sets out to make the most of his remaining time.

It's a heartwarming, touching story but the 1950s mood, enhanced by a beautiful orchestral soundtrack and some stunning photography, is immaculate. It's like time travel. The sets, the decor, the hairstyles and clothes, and importantly the language and manner of the characters. Nighy's performance is note-perfect; gently understated and fragile.

I especially loved the County Hall scenes - the portrayal of the stultefying bureaucracy of the time (surely exaggerated) gently leans into the surreal; it reminded me of Terry Gilliam's Brazil.

Must admit I'm a sucker for period pieces set in the recent past. I can't abide Wuthering Heights, Far from the Madding Crowd, Pride and Prejudice and all that nonsense but give me something set in the '40s or '50s and I'm in.

I heard a BBC commentator say that the Chelsea women's team were "down to ten men" against Barcelona earlier. There'll be a stern internal email about that on Monday, I imagine.

3. The Who Sell Out [December 1967]

This is a wonderful record. Actually I have a certain sentimental attachment to this album, because its cover art was one of the more memorable images printed in the NME Encyclopaedia of Rock, a book I spent many happy hours immersed in as a teenager. But I'd never actually listened to it before today. What a shame I waited 45 years.



This is an early concept album. Some of the songs are spoof commercials. Some start or end with a mock radio jingle. The whole thing has a wonderful sense of motion. To me this is everything that A Quick One wasn't - very cohesive and focused, a proper whole album statement. It's a big step forward in songwriting, performance and production. It leans in to accessible, melodic rock music and away from their R&B beginnings.

I have to suppose that Sergeant Pepper was an influence on this record. It's certainly not out-and-out Beatles-style cinematic psychedelia though there are hints of that but the way it flows, the recurring themes and the sense of a journey are similar.

Entwistle writes and sings three songs here, all really good. Silas Stingy especially is remarkably harmonically sophisticated. Townshend writes most of the album of course and I suppose I'd have to say that I Can See for Miles, the only tune on the record I was familiar with, is the highlight. Pete plays some beautiful acoustic guitar on Sunrise, he sings very nicely on it too.

Curiously, the album opens (after a brief radio jingle) with a song written by Speedy Keen called Armenia, City in the Sky. Speedy also wrote Thunderclap Newman's Something in the Air (actually Thunderclap Newman was a band put together by Townshend, who plays bass on that song). I first became aware of Speedy Keen as producer of the first Motorhead album, personally. He did a terrible job. But I digress.

Anyway - everyone should have a copy of this.

And the rain just keeps on keepin' on, right into May.

Wordle 1,043 4/6*

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Three minute one.

The forecast was for showers but I really want to get to 400 miles this month if I can, so I decided to put up with it and do 30-odd miles after work. The wind was coming from the east so I headed over that way. Thought I'd probably do Rempstone or Wymeswold and back. After Zouch though I had the idea of taking a left off the main route, to try to loop back round to Sutton Bonington.

I did this a few weeks ago but this time I took the left a bit later (through East Leake rather than West Leake). Followed a sign to Gotham, after a while I didn't have a good feel for where I was so I cheated and had a look at Google Maps. This suggested a nice easy way to Sutton Bonington through New Kingston and Kingston on Soar. So I did that.

Good to explore new roads. Quite liked the stretch between Gotham and Kingston. I'll make a note to go that way again.

Came back the longer way through Peggs Green and Coleorton. Listened to another couple of hours of the Reacher novel. Best one for quite a while. Familiar plot ideas, but nicely put together. I didn't get rained on at all.

Back on 34.85 miles and that's 379 this month, coincidentally the precise target for April. But I'd still like to end up with more than 400. At the moment Monday looks like a nice day and I've booked the day off work.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11269907774

Wordle 1,042 3/6*

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Took me about 20 minutes!

I handed my notice in. I'm not convinced I'm retiring. It's not necessarily permanent. Maybe it is. But it is indefinite.

Ideally I would have liked to work for another six months or so but the job is getting more annoying by the day and as Miles Davis once said - when you're at a party, you've gotta know when to leave.

I'm contracted to provide 8 weeks' notice, but I've given them 9. Partly to make the transition easier for them, partly to squeeze another week of cash while I'm in the less stressful situation of knowing I'm leaving.

Wordle 1,041 3/6*

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About five minutes after midnight, then five this morning.