Norman Parkinson III

Just so that we are clear that Norman Parkinson had an eye for contemporary art and fashion, see the above picture of a model in a Philip Treacy hat. Still pretty though.

Norman Parkinson II

Here is another great shot by Norman Parkinson. There is always something magical in the composition of his pictures; something whimsical and alluring. This shot is taken in the nineteen fifties/sixties and yet the attitude that it portrays could be a hundred years back from now. Tub-thumping? Yep, that's right and if, Jed, I am a grumpy old man, I am proud of it.

Norman Parkinson

I just saw this advertisement, for an exhibition of the work of Norman Parkinson, on Jeffrey Archer's Blogspot ("We Authors", don't you know!) and thought to myself that I can actually remember when women dressed like that but where did they all go - or, where did it all go wrong?

I mean, one minute, we are the greatest civilization on earth and the next we have become, roughly in order: beatniks, hippies,rockers, mods, punk rockers, goths and street rappas: each incarnation of 'pop' being lower and more vile than the last; thanks to idiots such as the walking corpse Andy Warhola and those 'artists' who: exhibit corpses; pile up bricks; or tin and label 'the artist's excreta' or, in the case of Tracy Emmins, scrunch up their dirty linen, for us to stare at in 'art' galleries. And it all takes place to a brain-damaging, wall-thumping, cacophany, called muzac, given to us by talentless, breast-wiggling, pelvis-grinding, near-naked female tarts and a host of scruffy, male plonkers, selected and promoted by money-grubbing morons on gutter-level 'telly' programmes.

What a shame that we 'lost it'.

Homeward Bound

And so back safely,at what I can describe only as just the other side of midnight as these events do not take place in earth time. However, there was nearly a Galactic Highway pile-up on the Mars Home Straight on the journey home. Tiredness, I suppose, induced a little wandering of the attention by the fellow in front; his broomstick wobbled, he braked too hard and he nearly lost his Familiar. Fortunately, mine was able to reach out and grip her before she fell right off and the situation was saved. We pulled over for a break after that: a cup of tea for me and a saucer of milk for Flash. Unfortunately, I am not permitted to give an account of the proceedings at the venue and, indeed, I received something of a censure, from the most senior member of the coven, for having mentioned the proceedings at all. Still, there we are.

What hat did I wear? The hunting-weight Cambridge, of course.

Flash is in the top picture.

Here we go then!

As can be seen, my broom is at the ready and all I need now is to find my cloak and hat, wand and Flash the Cat (my Familiar-in Chief), load the hamper and set out. Back in the morning. A very good night to you all. Chocks away... Here we go...

Tonight's The Night

Tonight's the night. I have to convene with my Cornish coven at the Equator, in mid-Atlantic at midnight so I shall have to get my broom all shaken up and ready to rustle. It doesn't take long to get there but I am unsure of the principal objective of this year's proceedings. However, we will, as ever, begin with:

"When shall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightning or in rain?

When the hurlyburly's done,
When the battle's lost and won.

That will be ere the set of sun.

Where the place?

Upon the heath....

Fair is foul and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air."

Twickenham

Twickenham Stadium (also known as ‘Twickers’) is the home of rugby football and is in Middlesex. The Stadium was built on ground formerly used as a cabbage patch and so, sometimes, it is also called ‘Cabbage Patch’. The first game there was on 2nd October 1909 between Harlequins and Richmond. The first international was on 15th January 1910 between England and Wales. Rugby football is supposed to have been invented by a bored schoolboy at Rugby School. A plaque in the school reads:

This stone commemorates the exploit of
William Webb Ellis
Who with a fine disregard for the rules of football
As played in his time
First took the ball in his arms and ran with it
thus originating the distinctive feature of
the rugby game.
AD 1823.

Rugby School is in Warwickshire and was founded in 1567 by the will of Lawrence Sheriff, originally to educate the poor of the area. It is now one of England’s major public schools. Its most famous headmaster was Dr Thomas Arnold (1795-1842) who introduced enlightened reforms in education; emphasizing sport, self-control, reliability, steadfastness and taught the assumption of responsibility which, altogether, proved a combination that has since been adopted in education systems throughout the world. Suggestions for dress to spectate are set out in Chapter 11 of History of Men's Fashion.