A couple of years ago, I made a new year’s resolution to try to draw something every day. I have fallen laughably short. I was inspired by someone (possibly Ruskin?) who said that even if you’re terrible at art you should try to draw what you see in galleries as that helps you to appreciate the painting. I do sketch a bit in galleries and I am terrible at it but it does help me to appreciate paintings more. I am surprised too to discover that I have a style of drawing that is all my own (like handwriting, I suppose). Should you be so inclined, I recommend this as a new year’s resolution for you.
Reading etc.
Sport, Commerce and the Arts
I played a tennis match this morning (won, thanks for asking), I went to the RDS to the craft fair this afternoon (enormous and a bit exhausting) and I went to “Fanny and Alexander” this evening. I’m not quite sure what possessed me to go to a 189 minute film by Ingmar Bergman initially released in 1982. But I’m really glad I went; it is quite beautiful. Though long and weird in parts.
Analogue is On Trend
My brother came to stay and gave out to me about our (tiny) CD collection. “It’s all on Spotify,” he said reprovingly, “You should throw out those CDs”. I wouldn’t say that he is the king of organisation himself so this was particularly annoying. Yesterday afternoon, I went through all the CDs and put them in alphabetical order (this is how I get my kicks) and I found ones I hadn’t thought of, let alone listened to, in years. Since then I’ve had them on rotation on the CD player which I am enjoying very much. Over the years Mr. Waffle’s tastes and mine have merged in many areas but I would have to say that his CD choices have stood the test of time (Ben Folds) better than mine (Emilia); still I am enjoying both the cool and the naff music choices. It’s somehow much more satisfying than waiting for the Spotify algorithm to throw out something.
Since Covid we have had the Irish Times delivered to the house daily; it’s pricey but I love it. And all my children are more or less on top of the vanishing art of how to turn the pages of a broadsheet newspaper. Middle child was reading the paper one day and said to me, I paused at that article and I thought, “Oh no, my algorithm will send me loads of related content on this but then I realised that I could safely pause anywhere.” Time permitting we all flick through the paper in the morning and pick up yesterday’s news (you are always 24 hours behind everyone else, if you get the news from the paper, I am afraid). Mr. Waffle does the cryptic crossword, I do the Sudoku; each to his own. The Irish Times has just announced a price increase and Mr. Waffle is inclined to jack it in but I am arguing for its retention. I’ll keep you posted on developments.
Anyway, I was pretty pleased to come across this podcast in praise of the analogue world (though the definition of analogue is broader than most people would allow and the title of the episode – Everyone Online is Going Analog – does raise some questions); maybe daily newspapers will outlive me after all. What’s that? Did I send the podcast to my brother? You betcha.
Cultural Exchange
We had a Swedish friend of one of the children to stay for a couple of weeks. She was waiting for her accommodation to be released from the grasping hands of Airbnb (hypocrite that I am, how many times have I stayed in Airbnb accommodation? Many). She was a lovely guest and had lots of interesting stories.
Her grandparents came from the far north of Sweden and some great uncle in the family tired of the north of Sweden and went to Russia to join the Communists in the 1920s. It didn’t work out as he had hoped and he was sent to the gulag where he met a woman and had a child with her (conditions in the gulag were not quite what I imagined); she died (but then again) and he took the baby and walked out of the gulag back to Sweden. Impressive. On the other side her grandfather sailed around the world and was married five times which is a lot of times. Twice to Korean women called Kim (he went to Korea with the first Kim which is where he met the second). Honestly that alone was worth the price of admission but she gave me Moomin tea and an adorable gold plated Stinky. What a win.
Our Swedish visitor’s account made our own ancestors seem a bit dull so instead of talking about family history Mr. Waffle and I decided to giver her a quick tutorial on great Irish advertisements. Let me share with you, yes, lucky you.
How about this one for ESB (then electricity monopoly – why ads?)? As a country of emigrants where people came home for Christmas it’s really evocative.
This one for another state monopoly (Bord na Móna – the turf board) is charming .
There were a whole series of water safety ads. Part one of this compilation seems to firmly point the finger of blame at mothers who speak on the phone. Then there is one with a farm safety focus (often a feature of Irish ads in the 70s and 80s – regular readers will recall that at a considerably earlier point my great-great grand aunt drowned in a barrel of cream aged 2, there’s an ancestral tale for you, no gulags though). Irish people of a certain age will often say “It’s possible to drown in only a few inches of water” or “Where’s grandad?” though perhaps not with the exact same intonation as here.
There was a whole series of Kerrygold ads based on Franco-Irish sexual tension Popular line from this one “There is something I can ‘elp?” Reply “You could put a bit of butter on the spuds André”
And its companion “Who’s taking the horse to France.
Guinness also had good ads always.
One of the most famous ads was for Harp lager. It’s a terrible ad but inexplicably popular. It’s about an emigrant again. He says “You could fry an egg on the stones, if you had an egg” but the crowning line was how he missed the local barmaid “Sally O’Brien and the way she might look at you”. The actress who played Sally O’Brien was actually English. A lot to unpack there.
Not a particularly old ad but the Irish Road Safety Association is known for its hard hitting ads and Mr. Waffle and I once saw one in the cinema when there were a bunch of Italians there and when it reached the brutal climax we heard a chorus of shocked “Mamma mias!”
I have so much more to give on this topic but I am concerned that like our Swedish visitor you may have already had enough.
Still No News
A quiet day at the ranch: tennis; driving across the city with the learner driver; art gallery and tea in Bewley’s with the middle child; and a chance to admire Dublin’s Christmas lights (it’s November, Christmas time!). For the season that appears to be in it – Santa and the Grinch driving up and down Grafton Street.
Weekend Round Up – Indoor Fun
Dear God, the weather has been appalling. The only comfort (she said piously) is that my siblings are on holidays (separately) in warm places and there is nothing better than being away and hearing that the weather is bad at home.
We have had biblical quantities of rain. I went to the National Gallery and contemplated this picture for a bit. I have become obsessed with rugs recently and the rug is a big feature here.
Also I enjoy that this picture which hangs nearby features on the wall in the other painting, if you see what I mean.
I drove Michael (he drove there for practice – still has to pass his test and still needs a qualified driver to accompany him anywhere, thanks for asking) to his rehearsals for a college play and called in on a friend of mine on the way home. I spent an hour or so with him drinking tea; admiring his art collection; and returning to him a piece that he and his partner had lent me for my office but which, sadly, I no longer have a home for now that I book into a different office every day I’m in (deep sigh). He has acquired a large Patrick Hennessy portrait recently and I am consumed with envy.
Mass this morning featured a sermon about Hell. Colour me surprised. This (new to me) priest, also led the congregation in singing. This led to some conflict with the (God love him) slightly odd American who spends his Sunday morning going to various churches around town and singing (solo from the pews, if there is no choir). The priest did all the hymns but when it came to Communion he was hamstrung by his other duties and our American saw his chance and gave a surprisingly uptempo Abide with Me. It was delivered at speed (possibly to frustrate the priest who might have joined in after Communion?) so it was difficult for other congregants to join in, even had they so wished. I will be watching this space for future developments.
Mr. Waffle and I went to an Argentinian brunch spot that I was keen to try out. Not bad but not everyone wants choripan and chips and 10.30 in the morning. Maybe more of a lunch spot.
I went to the Irish Museum of Modern Art (rain finally stopped but still overcast and chilly). When I arrived they asked whether I was there for the dance performance; I was not but I joined the crowd for a look. It was some kind of community outreach combined with the CoisCéim dance company (exclusive Irish lesson for you here, coiscéim is the Irish for footstep). I mean, ok, probably great if you were related to one of the non-professional dancers involved but didn’t love it. I’m probably just a philistine (as Mr. Waffle pointed out these ancient enemies of the Israelites, were unlikely to have predicted that this is how people would refer to them 3,000 years later).
I don’t absolutely love modern art but I did like this piece (those are toys) – A Portrait of Alice Liddell, after Lewis Carroll by Vik Muniz.
And this horse was good too.
I had a restorative cup of tea and I can tell you that the IMMA cafe (heaving) has really upped its game.
I passed the bridge near the station that used to boast a number of crowns (possibly built for a visit of George IV?). These were removed post-independence but the cushions on which they sat remain.
The writing of this update was interrupted to go and watch the end of the soccer. The life of the Irish soccer fan (not me generally I am, at absolute best, a fair weather fan) is filled with grief and heartache and it’s full of arcane calculations like if A draw with B and we beat C by X goals then maybe we can qualify but generally we don’t. However, we had to beat Hungary to get out of our group (is this the World Cup qualifier again? so soon? who can say?) and we were 2-1 down for ages, then we equalised, then in the last minute of the game we pulled ahead to win 3-2. Our team is coached by an Icelandic dentist, apparently, and middle child said with great satisfaction, once the jumping around the room ceased, “Hungary were flossed!” Indeed.
How was your own weekend?