New Blog
The Sabbatical blog is now complete. Now that I'm back in the United States, regular blogging will resume at http://rbhardy3rd.blogspot. com
Friday, August 17, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
English Instructions for Installing New Toilet Seat Hardware
1. Offer up seat and lid centrally to holes in toilet. Mark edges of seat and lid to show the centres of both holes.
2. Fit the lid first. Line the right hand fitting centre upright C with the right hand mark you have made on the lid. Place the right hand arm A as illustrated against the lid.
3. Ensuring the marks are lined up as in 3, fit screws provided through the two holes in each fitting into the lid as illustrated.
4. The left hand fitting is a mirror image design to the right hand fitting so the arm A will now be on the left. Repeat 2 and 3.
5. Position seat centrally under lid and ensure marks line up with the centre upright C of each fitting, and offer the seat so that it butts up to the back of arm B of both left and right hand fittings. Fit screws provided as in (3) (screws not shown).
6. Screw the straight threaded bolts into one of the holes in the underside of the fitting (whichever is more suitable). Take care not to damage the thread.
7. Slide the washers onto the threaded bolts and offer the complete unit to the holes in the toilet so that the bolt protrudes below the holes.
8. Screw the nylon nuts to the protruding bolts and finger tighten only.
Note: I discovered that if you don't attempt to make sense of the instructions, the entire operation of replacing the toilet seat hardware takes about 15 minutes.
1. Offer up seat and lid centrally to holes in toilet. Mark edges of seat and lid to show the centres of both holes.
2. Fit the lid first. Line the right hand fitting centre upright C with the right hand mark you have made on the lid. Place the right hand arm A as illustrated against the lid.
3. Ensuring the marks are lined up as in 3, fit screws provided through the two holes in each fitting into the lid as illustrated.
4. The left hand fitting is a mirror image design to the right hand fitting so the arm A will now be on the left. Repeat 2 and 3.
5. Position seat centrally under lid and ensure marks line up with the centre upright C of each fitting, and offer the seat so that it butts up to the back of arm B of both left and right hand fittings. Fit screws provided as in (3) (screws not shown).
6. Screw the straight threaded bolts into one of the holes in the underside of the fitting (whichever is more suitable). Take care not to damage the thread.
7. Slide the washers onto the threaded bolts and offer the complete unit to the holes in the toilet so that the bolt protrudes below the holes.
8. Screw the nylon nuts to the protruding bolts and finger tighten only.
Note: I discovered that if you don't attempt to make sense of the instructions, the entire operation of replacing the toilet seat hardware takes about 15 minutes.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Curtain Call
Last night, we went down to Stratford again for our last play of the season at the Royal Shakespeare Company: Henry IV, Part II. The performance was a little unusual this time. David Warner (Falstaff) was sick, and the understudy (Julius D'Silva) hadn't thoroughly learned the part yet. It's perfectly understandable: the same 34 actors have been performing 264 different roles in the RSC's complete cycle of the History Plays. Henry IV, Part II is the penultimate play to join the repertoire, and has only been running for two or three weeks, and this was the first time that understudies were needed. In any case, poor Julius D'Silva had to come out as Falstaff holding the script in his hand for the entire play. The remarkable thing was that, in many ways, he was better than David Warner—he has a clearer, louder voice, and a greater sense of vitality. He was given a well-deserved solo bow at the end for his remarkable high-wire act.
The last play of the History Plays cycle to join the repertoire will be Henry V, at the end of October. It would be tempting to fly back to England in March, when all eight plays in the cycle will be performed, in historical order, over three days. We've seen six of the eight plays, and one of the highlights of the year for me was seeing the three parts of Henry VI in a single 24-hour period.
Here are all of the plays we've seen at the Royal Shakespeare Company since the beginning of September 2006: The Tempest (with Patrick Stewart), Much Ado About Nothing, Coriolanus, Merry Wives: The Musical (with Judi Dench), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry VI, Parts I, II and III, The Seagull (with Ian McKellen), King Lear (with Ian McKellen), Richard II, Henry IV, Parts I and II.
Last night, we went down to Stratford again for our last play of the season at the Royal Shakespeare Company: Henry IV, Part II. The performance was a little unusual this time. David Warner (Falstaff) was sick, and the understudy (Julius D'Silva) hadn't thoroughly learned the part yet. It's perfectly understandable: the same 34 actors have been performing 264 different roles in the RSC's complete cycle of the History Plays. Henry IV, Part II is the penultimate play to join the repertoire, and has only been running for two or three weeks, and this was the first time that understudies were needed. In any case, poor Julius D'Silva had to come out as Falstaff holding the script in his hand for the entire play. The remarkable thing was that, in many ways, he was better than David Warner—he has a clearer, louder voice, and a greater sense of vitality. He was given a well-deserved solo bow at the end for his remarkable high-wire act.The last play of the History Plays cycle to join the repertoire will be Henry V, at the end of October. It would be tempting to fly back to England in March, when all eight plays in the cycle will be performed, in historical order, over three days. We've seen six of the eight plays, and one of the highlights of the year for me was seeing the three parts of Henry VI in a single 24-hour period.
Here are all of the plays we've seen at the Royal Shakespeare Company since the beginning of September 2006: The Tempest (with Patrick Stewart), Much Ado About Nothing, Coriolanus, Merry Wives: The Musical (with Judi Dench), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry VI, Parts I, II and III, The Seagull (with Ian McKellen), King Lear (with Ian McKellen), Richard II, Henry IV, Parts I and II.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Warwick Castle
Mary, Michael, Peter and Clara on top of Guy's Tower at Warwick Castle, with St. Mary's church in the background. Peter is holding ice on his head, since he didn't heed the sign warning him of a low stone doorway.
Last night, Clara and I joined Mary and Steve for Henry IV, Part I at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Another brilliant production (with David Warner as Falstaff). Unfortunately, during the first act I started to feel a sore throat and congestion coming on, and I am now in the midst of my record-breaking fifth cold of the year. These aggressive British cold germs really like me.
The exterior of Warwick Castle.
Today, despite a slight fever, I joined Clara, Mary, Michael and Peter for a morning at Warwick Castle—our last tourist experience of the year. Warwick Castle, billed as "Britain's Greatest Medieval Experience," is astonishingly expensive, but we paid for our admission entirely with "Nectar points" earned each time we've shopped at Sainsbury's this year. The castle was begun in 1068 under orders from William the Conqueror, and became for centuries the home of the Earls of Warwick, including Richard Neville, "The Kingmaker," who played a crucial role in the Wars of the Roses.
The castle was heaving with people on a fine July Saturday morning (perhaps, according to the forecast, our last sunny day in England this time around). Highlights of the visit were the firing of the world's largest trebuchet, and a medieval tournament—complete with jousting. Below are some pictures: Guy's Tower with the tower of St. Mary's church in the background; the trebuchet; two pictures from the tournament; and the crowds leaving the tournament grounds.
Tonight, we go back to Stratford for Henry IV, Part II—our last play at the Royal Shakespeare Company for the year. Meanwhile, here's a new thing for me to worry about: the Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for the West Midlands for Wednesday, when we are due to fly out of Birmingham. Gale force winds are expected for parts of the UK.
Mary, Michael, Peter and Clara on top of Guy's Tower at Warwick Castle, with St. Mary's church in the background. Peter is holding ice on his head, since he didn't heed the sign warning him of a low stone doorway.Last night, Clara and I joined Mary and Steve for Henry IV, Part I at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Another brilliant production (with David Warner as Falstaff). Unfortunately, during the first act I started to feel a sore throat and congestion coming on, and I am now in the midst of my record-breaking fifth cold of the year. These aggressive British cold germs really like me.
The exterior of Warwick Castle.Today, despite a slight fever, I joined Clara, Mary, Michael and Peter for a morning at Warwick Castle—our last tourist experience of the year. Warwick Castle, billed as "Britain's Greatest Medieval Experience," is astonishingly expensive, but we paid for our admission entirely with "Nectar points" earned each time we've shopped at Sainsbury's this year. The castle was begun in 1068 under orders from William the Conqueror, and became for centuries the home of the Earls of Warwick, including Richard Neville, "The Kingmaker," who played a crucial role in the Wars of the Roses.
The castle was heaving with people on a fine July Saturday morning (perhaps, according to the forecast, our last sunny day in England this time around). Highlights of the visit were the firing of the world's largest trebuchet, and a medieval tournament—complete with jousting. Below are some pictures: Guy's Tower with the tower of St. Mary's church in the background; the trebuchet; two pictures from the tournament; and the crowds leaving the tournament grounds.
Tonight, we go back to Stratford for Henry IV, Part II—our last play at the Royal Shakespeare Company for the year. Meanwhile, here's a new thing for me to worry about: the Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for the West Midlands for Wednesday, when we are due to fly out of Birmingham. Gale force winds are expected for parts of the UK.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
A Kensington Gardens Picnic and a West End Matinée
Twelve of us took the train down to London this morning for a picnic lunch in Kensington Gardens, followed by a matinée of The Sound of Music, Andrew Lloyd Webber's new production at the London Palladium. We had been hoping to see Connie Fisher as Maria—the role she won as the result of the BBC One programme How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? in the fall. Instead, we saw her excellent understudy, Aoife Mulholland, who was also a contestant and semifinalist on the programme. Today's show was actually quite wonderful. Now, however, I am exhausted, so let's move on to the photographs: the once-controversial 1822 nude statue of Achilles in Hyde Park, honoring the Duke of Wellington; the Serpentine in Hyde Park, looking back toward the Houses of Parliament; our picnic in Kensington Gardens; Phoebe and Helen at the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens; a sign whose advice we all followed.
From left to right: Phoebe, Clara, Peter, Will, Margaret (Maggie), Chris, Steph, Mary, Michael (not pictured: Helen, who is behind the tree, reading the first of three books she finished in the course of the day; me, taking the picture; Steve, who joined us later at the Palladium for the show)
Twelve of us took the train down to London this morning for a picnic lunch in Kensington Gardens, followed by a matinée of The Sound of Music, Andrew Lloyd Webber's new production at the London Palladium. We had been hoping to see Connie Fisher as Maria—the role she won as the result of the BBC One programme How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? in the fall. Instead, we saw her excellent understudy, Aoife Mulholland, who was also a contestant and semifinalist on the programme. Today's show was actually quite wonderful. Now, however, I am exhausted, so let's move on to the photographs: the once-controversial 1822 nude statue of Achilles in Hyde Park, honoring the Duke of Wellington; the Serpentine in Hyde Park, looking back toward the Houses of Parliament; our picnic in Kensington Gardens; Phoebe and Helen at the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens; a sign whose advice we all followed.
From left to right: Phoebe, Clara, Peter, Will, Margaret (Maggie), Chris, Steph, Mary, Michael (not pictured: Helen, who is behind the tree, reading the first of three books she finished in the course of the day; me, taking the picture; Steve, who joined us later at the Palladium for the show)
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Oxford Revisited
The Bodleian Library, Oxford University
This morning, Clara had an appointment to do some research at the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (APGRD), so I decided to join her for another day in Oxford. While Clara settled down at the Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies on St. Giles, I walked over to the Bodleian Library to look at an exhibit of 15th-century manuscripts and early printed editions of Boccaccio, Petrarch and Dante. For me, the biggest thrill was seeing Petrarch's own copy of Suetonius's Lives of the Caesars, with Petrarch's own marginal annotations. There, in Petrarch's own handwriting, was the name "Cicero." Let me explain my geekish glee. Petrarch was such a fan of Cicero that he even wrote a letter to the long-dead Roman author—perhaps one of the first examples of "fan fiction" in the history of literature.
From the Bodleian, I walked over to the university church of St. Mary the Virgin and climbed the tower, which gave me good views over Oxford. Below are the tower of St. Mary's behind the Radcliffe Camera (the famous Palladian style annex of the Bodleian); the best view of the Radcliffe Camera, from the tower; and a view of the quadrangle of All Souls College from the tower.
From St. Mary's, I forced myself to resist the pull of Blackwell's Bookshop and met Clara for lunch at the café in the Ashmolean (carrot and leek soup, bread, elderflower pressé, and pear and vanilla cake). After lunch, we looked at Greek vases, then Clara returned to the APGRD while I wandered through the Ashmolean (stopping again to see the charming portrait of Camille Pissarro's little daughter, Jeanne), then walked over to the Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum. The natural history museum is where Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) used to take little Alice Liddell to show her the taxidermy, including the famous Oxford dodo, and tell her fantastic stories. Below are: Clara looking at Greek vases in the Ashmolean Museum; violins (the one in the center is a Stradivarius) in the Ashmolean; and the view the greets the visitor upon entering the Museum of Natural History.
The Pitt-Rivers Museum, in the rear of the Museum of Natural History, is quite cluttered and dimly lit, so it was not conducive to photography. Here's the best I could do, showing the enormous totem pole that dominates the museum. The museum contains an enormous Victorian anthropological collection, with everything from musical instruments to shrunken human heads (tsantsas) from South America.
The Bodleian Library, Oxford UniversityThis morning, Clara had an appointment to do some research at the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (APGRD), so I decided to join her for another day in Oxford. While Clara settled down at the Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies on St. Giles, I walked over to the Bodleian Library to look at an exhibit of 15th-century manuscripts and early printed editions of Boccaccio, Petrarch and Dante. For me, the biggest thrill was seeing Petrarch's own copy of Suetonius's Lives of the Caesars, with Petrarch's own marginal annotations. There, in Petrarch's own handwriting, was the name "Cicero." Let me explain my geekish glee. Petrarch was such a fan of Cicero that he even wrote a letter to the long-dead Roman author—perhaps one of the first examples of "fan fiction" in the history of literature.
From the Bodleian, I walked over to the university church of St. Mary the Virgin and climbed the tower, which gave me good views over Oxford. Below are the tower of St. Mary's behind the Radcliffe Camera (the famous Palladian style annex of the Bodleian); the best view of the Radcliffe Camera, from the tower; and a view of the quadrangle of All Souls College from the tower.
From St. Mary's, I forced myself to resist the pull of Blackwell's Bookshop and met Clara for lunch at the café in the Ashmolean (carrot and leek soup, bread, elderflower pressé, and pear and vanilla cake). After lunch, we looked at Greek vases, then Clara returned to the APGRD while I wandered through the Ashmolean (stopping again to see the charming portrait of Camille Pissarro's little daughter, Jeanne), then walked over to the Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum. The natural history museum is where Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) used to take little Alice Liddell to show her the taxidermy, including the famous Oxford dodo, and tell her fantastic stories. Below are: Clara looking at Greek vases in the Ashmolean Museum; violins (the one in the center is a Stradivarius) in the Ashmolean; and the view the greets the visitor upon entering the Museum of Natural History.
The Pitt-Rivers Museum, in the rear of the Museum of Natural History, is quite cluttered and dimly lit, so it was not conducive to photography. Here's the best I could do, showing the enormous totem pole that dominates the museum. The museum contains an enormous Victorian anthropological collection, with everything from musical instruments to shrunken human heads (tsantsas) from South America.
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