29 Comments

I thought the French opening ceremony was extremely weird and I am very glad of it. France understood the assignment and they interpreted it extremely Frenchly, and they delivered it in the worst rain I've ever seen in anything Olympical, which is extremely impressive. Using the whole of riverside Paris as the stage was extremely ambitious, and I could feel myself starting to pick holes in bits of it without realising the reality of how difficult it must be to set up cameras and move them around etc. - so, the fact they pulled THAT off (in THAT rain) is so impressive too.

You've reminded me that a copy of Things Fall Apart has sat on my bookcase for over a year and all I've done is look at the spine of it. Time I did more.

My stray attention has been captured by Ursula Le Guin. I've been a fan for decades but I've still read a lot less than half her output - which is truly daft, since she's the fantasy/scifi author whose work has spoken to me the deepest, especially with her fascination with what gets misnamed "ordinary life", the little profound moments that patchwork up our days. Now I'm finally finishing her Earthsea cycle I'm ready for everything else she wrote, including her less well-known novels, her essay collections, her lectures, her rants and her asides. It's a project that will take me years, and I'm ready to begin.

Also, I've racked up over an hour on this side by side map viewer from the National Library of Scotland, which can show you what anywhere in the UK looked like a century ago: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/ Absurdly addictive. (Hat-tip Alastair Humphreys.)

Expand full comment

I love that you’re on a Le Guin reading jag - there’s a lot of books to get through. But she’s a genius, so it’s fine. Things Fall Apart: you won’t be sorry! And Paris: what I liked most of all was how much it will upset JD Vance :)

Expand full comment

Oh and I LOVE the hot air balloon!

Expand full comment

Yes! Looks so fantastic. And amazing that it's 100% electric!

Expand full comment

Ha! Yes. I saw him idolizing Charles de Gaulle for being "self-confident". Because of course he did. Hopefully the Last Supper interpretation catapulted him off his favourite sofa. Anything that upsets JD Vance gets a round of applause from me. But I think he's probably more upset about how most Americans feel about him: https://www.salon.com/2024/07/24/making-history-in-the-completely-way-jd-vance-is-really-unpopular-and-dragging-down/ And of course his fear of 'childless cat ladies'. What an absolute plum duff he is.

I've heard Things Fall Apart is a hard-hitting read. Is it going to be like watching the first episode of The Bear? Am I going to need a very strong cup of tea afterwards?

Expand full comment

Le Guin's "No Time To Spare: Thinking About What Matters" is a must for anyone taking a deep dive into her inner life. I'm not sure, but it might be Le Guin's final published work. Recommend to anyone who hasn't read it. And recommend a reread to those who have.

I'm ashamed to say Chinua Achebe has been staring at me since I befriended his god-daughter 24 years ago. Shall I dust him off so I can finally face Ada without shame?

Expand full comment

I thought the opening ceremony was a delightfully quirky and outstanding production. Celine Dion's performance had me welling up, considering how much it must have taken her to perform. At the end, I felt a kind of solidarity with others that I haven't felt in a long time. I appreciated the speech about athletes supporting each other even when competing against each other.

My family has been doing a deep dive into Harry Belafonte's music. It's been great fun and easy listening.

Where I live has had unusually generous weather compared to the last few years so I've taken advantage of hiking more instead of being in my usual reverse hibernation during summer. It's been lovely to hike in the prairies when the wildflowers are blooming.

Expand full comment

The phrase 'unusually generous weather' really speaks to the moment! Love the idea of hiking through wildflowers in the prairies.

Expand full comment

One word for the Opening Ceremony - Rafa!! ❤️💪🏾🇪🇸

And also, boats! I loved it, the Frenchness of it, the opera, drama, Gaga, Celine. It was so pretty and felt really unifying and emotional.

However the laser show off the Eiffel Tower was a bit overstimulating for my sensory self, I had to keep covering my eyes 🫣

I just finished re-watching 4 seasons of Felicity. That I first watched in my early 20’s. Now I’m in the limbo, wanting to start something new but can’t make a decision. Olympics gymnastics & tennis is filling the void for now 💛

Expand full comment

I love Kay Sohini’s work. What a treat to read it early! Well, I time-travelled backward this week to original trance music and The Goonies and I really enjoyed it ; ) Quite enjoyed the serendipity of trance music then appearing in the opening ceremony of the Olympics so I danced about with my son and tried not to squash the junk food picnic we’d made for his first viewing of an Olympic ceremony. My husband was away on a work and I noticed how much easier it was to just be free and silly and have spontaneous fun, belly laughs and all - something I now need to work on cultivating all the time and not just in the gaps! Enjoy NYC!

Expand full comment

Absolutely adored the opening ceremony of the Olympics, as well as Alice Maddicott’s book, Tender Maps.

Expand full comment

Currently reading Ambition Monster by Jennifer Romolini and recovering from finishing Bel Canto by Ann Patchett after bringing it to the top of my TBR pile. Have pre ordered My Good bright wolf even though it sounds devastating and abit close to the bone.

Expand full comment

I would concur with that assessment!

Expand full comment

I started playing House Flipper in an effort to actually play the games I’ve bought on my PC and I’m delighting in how slow and relaxing it is. Carefully tidying rooms, painting the walls, installing the odd appliance, it’s exactly what I’d hoped for and I’m loving listening to a podcast while playing.

Expand full comment

This week it’s choral music in Worcester, at the Three Choirs Festival. Heard some subliminal Byrd today. Also my Substack is full of rest, burnout, slow productivity, and doing nothing … think the universe is telling me something VERY LOUDLY🙄🤣

Expand full comment

Watched part of it and yes, definitely bonkers, but with you on the balloon, felt very Jules Verne!

Expand full comment

I’ve not watched the Olympic opening ceremony but now feel tempted! I’ve been enjoying some delicious reading time with a week off work immersed in Melissa Febos’ wonderful ‘Girlhood’ and enjoying an excellent charity shop find of ‘Brother of the More Famous Jack’ by Barbara Trapido

Expand full comment

It’s loooong Faye but also delightfully bonkers ;)

Expand full comment

I loved the opening ceremonies but wished there was more information as I watched! Why did the athletes not wear life jackets except for Nadia, Serena, Carl and Rafa? The showcasing of French culture and architecture and fashion was sublime! How can they possibly top this in the closing ceremonies? I can't wait to watch break dancing but am very content to watch everything else until then! Will there be a live feed to your talk in NY?! I hope so! And finally...want to research Palestenian embroidery as a way to cope with my grief.💖

Expand full comment

I think there’s a live feed on the Chautauqua website :)

Expand full comment

There was a fabulous Palestinian embroidery exhibition at Kettles Yard last year, take a look here https://www.kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk/stories/8-things-to-know-about-material-power-palestinian-embroidery/

Expand full comment

Thank you so much!🥰

Expand full comment

I just finished Liz Moore's God of the Woods. yum! summer camp in the 70's disappearing children, rich folk behaving badly..... lots of characters and twists and turns... Now what!

Expand full comment

Crochet, reading, and puzzles

Expand full comment

I have a friend who goes to Chautauqua every year and comes back with the most fascinating stories. One of these days I might make it there but unfortunately not this year for your lecture. It's more complicated to visit than Disney World. That's why I never make plans when I go because I cannot plan for the unexpected. Although, I have been to the Harry Potter World in Universal Studios and that is worth the craziness every time. We did go to Disney World once during a Florida hurricane while everyone else in the state was evacuating. There was no waiting in line that time. Have fun in NYC & if you like HP, there is a store next to the Flatiron Building. Must get a t-shirt!

Expand full comment

When I hear "Chautauqua" instantly the Clintons come to mind.

Expand full comment

I had a magical encounter with Hummingbird Moths that I shared on Substack.

Expand full comment

I've been listening to French jazz vocalist Caro Josée late at night while devouring fresh, cold strawberries and Turkish apricots. I was also introduced to Rona Maynard's "Amazement Seeker" newsletter, which is a refreshing literary read. Interesting vignettes that take me to a new space or angle which is what words do, done right. She's now in my substack rotation.

Yesterday I underwent a medical procedure, the first of a few. All scary stuff so what to do in retaliation but shop. Baby overalls, art catalogues from NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Breton shirts because France, sage hand lotion from Australia because my newly manicured fingers demanded. And haircut because hair should always be cut. I feel better now. All done through the haze of anesthesia. Shopping pseudo high is the best kind of shopping.

Expand full comment