Roger Binghams’s name is rarely used without the prefix “irrepressible”- there is a hint as to why in this photo of him. Roger was a guest today at our annual garden party and although there were weightier matters to hand, he was full of irrepressible excitement at his success in the Milnthorpe Horticultural Society, from which he had just come. He clutched a handful of certificates for prizes, in 3rd, 2nd and 1st places, in categories such as Lemon Curd and Raspberry Jam (if my memory serves me well). He was particularly proud of the fact that he has been winning prizes at this show since 1952, when he was 5 years old.
Roger’s exuberance reminded me of Antonio Carluccio’s rant against the English, when he said they couldn’t care less about food (see my posting for August 26th, headed ‘Antonio Carluccio talking nonsense’). What Mr Carluccio doesn’t understand and probably doesn’t know is that every town and village in England is holding similar events to the one attended by Roger, and they are all well attended by people passionate about food. As an example, the Evening Mail today has an article about the 68th annual Greenodd and District Horticultural Show, held in their Village Hall. The show attracted a record 759 entries, from people of all ages, including 190 from the village primary school and prizes were awarded in categories as diverse as “the best plate of coloured potatoes” and “the best exhibit of tomatoes”. I’m certain that in 50 years time some of those schoolchildren will be exitedly clutching prize certificates, much as Roger did today.
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Noel Harrison, who lived in the shadow of his father Rex, made a living by touring the bars of the French Riviera with his guitar. Nothing sums up the transience of summer better than his song “The Windmills of Your Mind” sung by Dusty Springfield. Here is an extract from the second verse:
Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head Why did summer go so quickly? Was it something that I said? Lovers walk along the shore and leave their footprints in the sand Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand? Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong? When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware That the autumn leaves were turning to the colour of her hair - The Windmills of Your Mind- Noel Harrison The Windmills of Your Mind accompanies my slideshow of Yewbarrow House garden in August, followed by “Sunny” by Bobby Hebb, to lighten the mood (the month ended with a few days of sunshine after unremitting gloom). Noel Harrison made some money from The Windmills of Your Mind, which won an Oscar for Best Song in 1968. He then pursued the Slow Life, building a house from scratch with no electricity, inspired by the bestselling book- “Living the Good Life”. |
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