October-November 2017 Update

Has it really been nearly two months since my last update? It seems incredible how quickly one season metamorphoses into the next. October was for us mostly a London experience – one that included the Saatchi pop-art vernissage for Philip Colbert, the Duchamp & Dali exhibit at the Royal Academy (& though I think of Duchamp always in connection with the urinal, he was surprisingly interesting and better than I had otherwise thought), Jez Butterworth’s terrific and excellently performed The Ferryman at the Gielgud Theatre, Chris Thorpe’s Victory Condition at the Royal Theatre (though we only realized there was a second act after we had come home – the cast’s curtain call after the first act and other ironies confusing us), a fascinating talk by Terrence Stamp at a St. James’ Alternatives evening, a Nova Stellar talk by cunning man Trefor Wickens, the Nonsuch Singers’ Russian Orthodox Church music concert (with Marion & Leslie), the Alma-Tadema “At Home in Antiquity” Leighton House exhibit (also with Marion & Leslie), and a Lord Laird session at the House of Lords addressing the “500th Anniversary of the Reformation”  (the discussion on bots and artificial intelligence [AI] was fascinating). For the rest, we hung Jimmy’s Rat Lady, Barbara’s painting of Mother in heaven and Peter’s watercolour in our corridor – all shippedall shipped by Hans and Jacqueline from Rhode Island and Maryland, I’ve done an EEG, we had our teeth cleaned, seen the lawyer on Richard’s naturalization, and I had my traffic school option for the speeding ticket I got on the way to Gloucester. The month has been one of adjusting to my egg-free, sugar & fruit-free, (largely) dairy-free and alcohol-free vegan diet. Is this enjoyable? No!

We have had Chloe, Matt, Lily and Woody over for dinner and have been ourselves to Darby & Stephen’s for dinner. Pennell & Ram stayed with us for two nights. And thanks to Woody’s space cakes, we enjoyed a splendid Fontinalia (13 October) mostly in Hyde Park in and around the Serpentine Gallery. As a result of this outing, part of my musings for Endymion’s Journal are as follows:

“And our long-in-developing perspectives make it now increasingly clear to us that our world’s prevailing let alone competing systems, corrupt or not, are (Trump word:) ‘so’ impossibly hemmed in by their own frameworks that healthy growth and expansion are already precluded - perhaps logical in terms of their own organic self-developments but insufficient when it comes to flowering a harmonious and universalistic cooperation.

“But the sadnesses are still ubiquitous, and in addition that lovely hope that Buddhist conviction has formerly represented vis-à-vis all the other religions of the world has now been irreparably ruptured by that Myamar/Burma/Rohingya debacle. I suppose it is little different finally from Sri Lanka/Ceylon. But in spite of all contrariness, I had the chance today to rest my hand against the venerable bark of an ancient tree – much, much older than I will ever be, and there was a quiet but mutually conscious recognition of the life-force we share in common. It is the very impulse for life that is your/our/my god!

“Even in our metropolitan centres, the pagan life-spirit is alive and still flourishing. Today has been one, for me, of surrendering to the pluralistic embrace to let the unplanned and unexpected caress and surprise you.”

We departed for our West Country and Scottish excursion on the 23rd of October after I got a 3-month hormone injection – Richard driving the whole way to Bath where we had two nights with Marion & Leslie while our car Maggie was being serviced. We enjoyed a perfectly splendid vegetarian dinner our first night at the Indian Temptation restaurant, and the next day Sulis waters at the Pump Room, a visit to the Museum of Bath at Work, the Victoria Art Gallery, a delicious lunch at the Green Rocket and the The Death of Stalin film at the Little Theatre that was both funny and serious. Then it was Callington in Cornwall and a delightful five-night stay with Liz Green apart for Richard’s not passing his second driving test attempt (this time in Launceston). While with Liz, we watched Wonder Woman one night, went out for dinner twice (Tapenades in Liskeard being excellent), visited the Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle, and I swam 90 laps over the five days. I managed to work on my part of an article I am writing with Ross. I also watched Chris Bennett’s video documentary Cannabis in Ancient Greece: Smoke of the Oracles? that I found masterful and highly supportive of my own position.

A comfortable night at the Mercure Hotel in Wigan for a reasonable price, and then it was the Royal Hotel in Kirkby Lonsdale, a favourite, for three nights. Apart from Ruskin’s View, a favourite power-centre, for our daytime celebration of Samhain on the first of November, I mostly worked – finishing the Ross article and answering the questions (chapter descriptions, etc.) from Jennifer Hammer at New York University Press to whom I had submitted my “Pagan Mysticism” manuscript. A night at the Cross Keys Temperance Inn in Sedbergh followed, and then we were in Loch Lomond after enjoying the rolling landscape of the Yorkshire Dales.

At Marion & Leslie apartment, I finished reading Mike King’s The Angel of Har Megido. It is an utterly fascinating tale that bounces chapter by chapter between Washington, D.C. and Israel. It is a book I could not recommend more strongly. While in Loch Lomond, mostly I worked – this time on re-organising and preparing my lectures for the CHS spring semester. We ritualized for the Nones. I also heard from Jennifer who declined on publishing “Pagan Mysticism” but gave me some possibly useful suggestions.

What should have been a four-hour drive to Elgin became instead, thanks to road diversions, a seven hour one. After checking into the Mansion House Hotel, I swam 20 laps. Marcia and Peter joined us for dinner. The next day we visited both the Phoenix Shop at Findhorn (purchasing a lot of health food items), the Cluny Hotel, swam 22 laps, and Marcia & Peter treated us this evening to dinner. The following morning I swam 24 laps. And even with the rain, the drive later to Dunkeld and the Royal Dunkeld Hotel where we stayed two nights was through magnificent and solace-inspiring vistas. Our first night’s dinner was at the hotel, and the second at the Atholl Hotel. I continued for much of the day to work on the CHS lectures. And though it was extremely expensive, I could not resist purchasing a silver Swarovski crystal bracelet for Chloe. On the Sunday, we attended the Remembrance Day service in the Dunkeld Cathedral. It was pleasant and moving. Then in the bitter but sunny cold, we drove to Doune visiting first the Scottish Antique and Art Centre (another favourite) before checking into the Woodside Hotel for two nights. As the next day was the Ides of November, we ritualized and communed with an awesome ancient oak tree near the Teith River and Doune Castle. The castle with its Monty Python and the Holy Grail associations we also visited and enjoyed. And then we were back to the apartment in Loch Lomond for five nights.  I think I finished at this point the last of the CHS lectures. I also worked on descriptions of some of my books and articles for Kudos. One night we thoroughly enjoyed in the Digital Arts Centre in Helensburgh the National Theatre Live broadcast of Sondheim’s Folies – especially Janie Dee as Phyllis. The next night again in Helensburgh, it was dinner at the Sugar Boat. Some nibbling infractions of the regime such as cheese, real cheese! – for dessert, but … Before dinner, it was another visited to the Digital Art Centre for Murder on the Orient Express. And on our last full day in Loch Lomond, we climbed Stoneymollan with its breath-taking views.

After a night in the Cosmopolitan Hotel of Leeds, we visited dearest Claire in Ossett for lunch and then all had cappuccini in the town. This was followed by two nights with Carol in Bowdon. Finding Carol’s was challenging because with the “new road” my statnav would not work – telling us variously to make a u-turn or left turn in the middle of the motorway. And with my iPhone suddenly also not working, I could phone neither Claire or Carol when I needed. Our second night in Bowdon, Carol’s grand dinner of most delicious duck, cheese and fruit salad with Brigit, Di, Patrick & Lisa and Warren & Michael rather violated the regime diet but again … And the violation was even greater when, two days later, we had the Thanksgiving dinner at the Club – the full monty and with champagne, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, all being fully delectable.

The following day I was just on the verge to dash to my consultant appointment at the Royal Marsden Hospital when Eamonn mentioned by email that we would see each other at the Nonsuch Singers’ Christmas concert before our 22 December visit to the newly opened Temple of Mithras. I glanced at the calendar to see when this was and noticed the Royal Marsden visited listed for 6 December. What I was supposed to be going to was a dental appointment. I managed to be just on time, and the next thing was agreeing to have a tooth pulled that I have been trying to save. Nick said afterward when looking at the tooth’s roots that I had made the right decision. Yesterday was the Sophia Conference where we saw Darby, Nick, Patrick and Sharon Knight. I liked best Ralfee Finn’s “Sun Sign Columns: Do They Have Relevance, Meaning and Value?” and Nick’s talk on “Key Concepts in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology: the Self in Medieval and Modern Astrology.” Reputedly from this last, between Plato, Aristotle (with a partial exception) and the Stoics, it is the Stoic view that sees all “within the chart” with the stars and planets not just being applicable to the lower emotions and irrationalities.

Tomorrow is another lawyer visit in preparation for Richard’s biometrics next Saturday after which we have matinee tickets for Young Marx and dinner planned with the ROSL theatre group. Hopefully we will be able to get from Croydon to the New Bridge Theatre in time. Before this we have the Extremist Club, Mika visiting for a night and a day, something at the Saatchi and Richard’s dental appointment; and after, dinner at the Rixies’, my Royal Marsden appointment on the 6th, lunch with Elisabeth, Woody’s opening, and the Nonsuch concert on the 9th. And then it is the Yule! Perhaps it is all dizzying, and the curtain of life or at least of many of life’s pleasures is descending, but the Thanksgiving moment re-permitted a grateful appreciation of what it all is and whatever it is.