A Sheldon Moment

"The Reform Rabbi", R B Kitaj

Listening to the Robert Elms show this morning, there was a discussion of an upcoming exhibition at the Tate Britain:  All Too Human:  Bacon, Freud and a century of painting life. They mentioned R B Kitaj, and Robert spoke about Jewish painters and how he lives near Frank Auerbach. I felt compelled to shoot off an e-mail about Kitaj also being Jewish and how he painted my dad, and Robert read it (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05wjttl   starting at 52:18 - can be listened to until the end of March). 

It was kind of cool to hear Robert Elms say I am a friend of his, although I did immediately remember in TBBT when Sheldon meets Professor Proton (c. 1:15 in):

"a friend would've told me about the elevator!"

If At First You Don't Succeed ...

My old AWFC favourite Jordan Nobbs sends in a header near the end of the recent FA Cup game vs Millwall Lionesses. The first photo shows the looks of anticipation on the faces of the attacking team, and the looks of trepidation on the defenders' faces. The second photo shows Jordan's disappointment as the ball misses the goal, and the release of tension for the defence.

This past weekend my beloved QPR had a terrible time vs Nottingham Forest. I was all the more dismayed as it was the first match ever attended by my beloved LL. We lost 2-5 in possibly the worst performance of the season. After the game, as LL consoled me, I reminded myself that this was only one game, and there would be another, and thus another chance. It's one of the best things about a sporting competition - that there will be another encounter, another opportunity.

Sometimes it doesn't work out. That's no reason to quit. The old adage is, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Once Jordan is back from her current injury, there will be many more headers and shots on goal. QPR play again away to Aston Villa on Saturday. And I need to pull up my socks and tackle some tasks that currently feel impossible!

Rainbow Pilgrims Online Exhibition

It is LGBTQI+ History month & I've just returned from the launch of the Rainbow Pilgrims online exhibition at the Wiener Library. Am proud to have taken part in the Roundhouse Radio workshop and to have been photographed by the talented Susanne Hakuba for the project.

Please check out the links to learn more (the workshop link takes you to my bit :-)  ) and, if you are in London next week, come to the pop-up exhibition launch!

More details may be found here.

Carter Cool

It was a lovely afternoon - a crisp chill in the air, intermittent sunshine, and a charming attempt at some hail that melted as soon as it landed on our puffa jackets. It's been a while since I've had a chance to take some football photos, and Arsenal Women, once they'd overcome the initial resistance of Yeovil Town Ladies FC, attacked in numbers that gave me a gentle refresher course in timing and focus. Danielle Carter kindly scored the first goal at a great angle for my little camera (see above). However, although her team-mates were rather pleased about this, she made nary a gesture of celebration (see below).

I have previous photographic evidence that Dan Carter will at least point to the sky with one finger in the traditional celebratory pose, but today she did not. It was disappointing from a camera point of view. Nevertheless, I set off home at the end of a 4-0 victory for AWFC in excellent spirits and looking forward to seeing what I'd got in my camera.

On the way back, I was checking social media, and read the sad news that an inspirational colleague has entered hospice care. Some years ago, she had survived a terrible car crash, and defied all prognoses, fighting her way back to life and work. She is someone who has changed the world in which she lives, and we celebrate her leadership and achievements. It is hard to accept that this time she probably will not defy her doctors' predictions. Now when I look again at Dan Carter after scoring her goal, I'm not quite sure why, but I'm glad she's not jumping for joy.