My Brugge: Catching My Eye.

Sunday, 28 March 2021

Catching My Eye.

The incomparable Yo Yo Ma and his cello.

Two or three news items have recently caught my eye plus, a local bakery’s innovation deserves mention.

The first one a week or two ago, featured world-famous cellist, Yo Yo Ma who took along his cherished cello when he attended the Berkshire Community College for his second Covid19 vaccination. He had, no doubt, cased the joint as they say, on his first visit so, after his jab, he sat in the entrance hall for maximum listening availability and played for fifteen minutes, calming down the background chatter and clatter, and delighting the listeners who had, by chance, happened upon a mini spontaneous concert of rare beauty. He subsequently said that he wanted to give something back. I thought how lovely his gesture had been but what totally cracked me up was the comment of Lesley Drage, lead clinical manager of the vaccination site. She thoughtfully ruminated, “So weird how peaceful the whole building became, just having a little bit of music in the background!” Would guess, Yo Yo, that the lucky audience really appreciated your little bit of background music and would like to join me in thanking you for your wonderful and generous idea..

And now, today, the news that the Thornton’s
sweet and chocolate shops are all to close, the latest victim of the change in shopping habits and customer taste. At its heyday in the 60s and 70s, Thornton’s had 450 shops and had tried repeatedly over the last decade, as it gradually closed some shops, to diversify with cafes and ice cream but to no avail. The remaining 61 shops will close with the loss of 600 jobs. Immediately I saw the name, I vividly remembered my mother always buying my children for their Christmas stockings, a flat metal tin of Thornton’s toffee complete with little metal hammer for the subsequent, satisfying smashing of the almost impenetrable adamantine goo. Anything from Thornton’s was a Treat with its ‘handmade’ Continental chocolates and delicious toffee but I suppose, looking back, it never essentially up-dated its product or experimented with its produce. It was light years away from the chic, elegant, unexpected offerings of, for example, Hotel Chocolat. I suppose that the British palate has also moved much more to dark chocolate than the overwhelming milk chocolate so popular in the 60s and 70s. And, unnoticed, the British palette has become more sophisticated, not a phrase I ever expected to write!!

Jeanine Pirro fulminating against anything said
by Immigration Attorney, David Leopold

Today, during what I always consider ‘a well-earned’ coffee break, I idly looked at my phone. Chanced across an extract from the David Packham Show featuring a clip from the dreaded Fox News,

Fox News H.Q. New York.
Unlikely to the choice of thinking people.

Justice With Judge Jeanine.. The interviewer who seemed permanently intoxicated with rage, was opining that Biden was sending all these immigrants infected with Covid across the Southern borders. Her guest was an Immigration Attorney, David Leopold, whose quiet answers seemed in danger of being swamped by the interviewer, Jeanine Pirro. He simply answered questions factually, when allowed, about the current refugee and Covid situations but truly and finally set his hostess alight when he veered into opinion and said calmly that it was Biden who was doing so much and making America great again. Complete immolation of hostess Jeanine who promptly cut him off, after thanking him “for nothing”, saying [hilariously] “I don’t tolerate lies on my show!” Beyond parody! Apparently the millions of Trump [or “Former Guy 45” as Tony Dortie now refers to him] supporters watch Fox. Apart from initially wondering why, I do understand that it is because opinion, often inflamed opinion, is presented as Fact and the audience chiefly knows no better, that the deeply-flawed Fox News is felt to be authentic and satisfying. It can safely be relied upon to support, encourage and inflame feelings of White extremism, racism, uncompromising, Godly Right Wingery and distrust/dislike/fear of Government. America, perhaps much of the world, has a huge problem if millions do not understand the difference between opinion and fact, AND moreover, do not wish to know the difference.

And finally …………… a tribute to my local bakery, Sint Paulus, who, as well as selling a fab range of breads, also has cakes/tarts, milk, yoghurt, eggs, jams and cheeses for sale, introduced a small range of Gin during Lockdown. Not sure if this was out of concern for the all-round mental health of its customers, or simply a worthy attempt to distract from the restrictions of Lockdown. Whatever! Seems inspired. Sint Paulus is one of the many reasons why I so love living here!