Cultureseekers had another quiz today - but the topic, hairstyles, didn't appeal. And just as well, because it'd have clashed with Prince Philip's funeral. They didn't show it on Irish tv, of course, and we don't get the BBC - but it was available online. It was just as well I got set up early - as predicted, my mother's laptop reception was too bad to watch it on that, and it turned out that the security settings on my work laptop wouldn't let me, either! I ended up watching the whole thing on my phone..
And it was well worth it, for fans of pomp and ceremony - nobody does it better than the British royal family. It might have been a pared-down ceremony, what with the pandemic, but it was a gorgeous, sunny day, and most of the main royals attended. Even with everyone in black, there was glamour to be had; the shots of the stooped little Queen, all alone, were poignant, and it was lovely to see Harry, returned for the occasion, chatting with William and Catherine as they made their way back to the castle, afterwards, eschewing the fleet of cars that had lined up to ferry them up the hill. So much for Hola, which claimed that he got a frosty welcome..!
Anyway, that took up my whole afternoon, so it was tonight before I needed something to fill the repeatedly occurring gap in Saturday schedules. It's a month now since St. Patrick's Day. And what with the pandemic raging harder than ever, of course it was all online this year - at least they had more time to prepare than last year! And they did us proud, with a week's worth of festivities - most available on the festival website, and for free. I hadn't had time to see everything I wanted to, but luckily, it's mostly still there to watch.
Tonight, I was lucky enough to find an interview with Mary Coughlan. Famous as Ireland's premier blues singer, she has a terrific voice, which she displays in a few performances in this clip - and in between, she's as fantastic to listen to as always. An uncompromising character, with a life tough and demanding enough to lend real authenticity to her lyrics, she's also entertaining, and in her day has been a devoted activist. Well worth listening to her account of her life! particularly her protests for women's rights.. Cannot recommend this highly enough.
For tomorrow, if I get a chance - well, Up in the Cheap Seats watched A Splinter of Ice, a Cold War drama, on Friday. It's still available for purchase, and can be watched up to July - I might try that.
For next Saturday - the same group has a Meetup I can make! A couple of intrepid souls are watching a live-streamed reading of a Canadian play - starts at 11.30pm our time, and we'll chat before and after, is the plan. Yep, sounds like something I can manage! So I've booked a ticket. Should make a change, at least..
No comments:
Post a Comment