Called in at the North Cave car boot sale yesterday, and bought a pool cue, ‘signed’ by Jimmy White, for £6. Of course, Jimmy White famously appeared in six World Championship finals, and lost them all… which may not bode well for my own chances of winning the occasional game of pool.
Licenced today: the corridor in a purpose-built self-storage unit...
My ‘cricketing crush’ is Smriti Mandhana, who I first saw playing for India about six years ago. I watched her again today, opening the batting for India in the semi-final match against England. She makes batting look effortless and elegant, even when hitting sixes. Having won the match, India will play Australia tomorrow to see who gets the gold medal.
Licenced yesterday: Northbay, on the Hebridean Isle of Barra...
Being more preoccupied with the political craziness on the other side of the Atlantic, I haven’t paid much attention to the Tory leadership race. But I couldn’t help but notice today that, in a leaked video, Rishi Sunak boasted to Conservative Party members in Tunbridge Wells that he was prepared to take public money out of “deprived urban areas” to help wealthy towns. I’m not sure whether this will help - or hinder - his chances of becoming Tory leader, since the outcome will be decided by about 200,000 fee-paying party members: 97% white, half aged over 60, mostly male residents of southern England. So much for "levelling up".
Licenced today: a bus negotiating the narrow road through the village of Corfe Castle, in Dorset…
Comedian, broadcaster and lesbian, Sandi Toksvig, has taken Justin Welby to task, over his latest “being gay is still a sin” nonsense. On Saturday, she says, she will visit her local church, for a concert to raise money for Ukrainian refugees. But after that she vows to “never set foot inside an Anglican building again”.
A pic from last week: Easby Abbey, near Richmond...
Oh, God, they’re still at it. Fully 3,500 years after the Levitical laws declared that a man lying with another man was “an abomination”, Justin Welby is managing the neat trick of pissing off both the conservative and liberal wings of the Anglican church. Though he has sought to mollify conservative bishops by “affirming the validity” of a 1998 declaration that gay sex is a sin, he has no plans to punish churches - including those in Scotland, Wales and the US - which allow same-sex marriage. This is the worst kind of fence-sitting: gutless, abject, contemptible. And anyone who feels marginalised by the Church of England’s cowardice and vaccillation might be wondering if this is a club they really want to join.
Pic licenced today...
Back in 1966, when England (men) beat West Germany (men) in the World Cup, women in both countries were banned from playing football. Not merely discouraged, or belittled, or mocked… but actually banned! In 1921 the FA had voted to ban women from playing on Football League grounds, because “the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged”. After nearly half a century, in 1969, the Women's FA was formed; two years later the FA lifted its ban. Sunday’s final was watched by 87,192 people at Wembley (a record) and the TV audience peaked at 17.4 million (another record)…
Licenced today: Lake Windermere and Low Wray Campsite...
Licenced today: phone box and thatched cottages at Lower Batson, near Salcombe, Devon…
