Nothing in particular
Jun. 5th, 2022 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
puddlesharkHad to go into Poole a few weeks back, and took the opportunity to wander up through the Old Town, and to visit what used to be a favourite tea room.
Things seen while walking:
Construction (1). Cranes looming above the buildings of the Old Town, and in the distance new tower blocks rising, concrete skeletons against a sky full of raincloud. Poole continues to pull down all its interesting old buildings, and to replace them with blocks of flats. But not skyscrapers: skyscrapers are a symbol of mad wealth, and that sort of mad wealth is only really found in London.
Construction (2). A van parked on the Quay with the legend "MEH Construction" painted on its side. Unfortunate use of initials, one cannot help thinking.
Construction (3). Walking down the cobbled lane towards the church, saw three scaffolders in bright orange hi-viz waistcoats, one on each level of the scaffolding in front of one of the older houses, joking around & trying to alarm passers-by with loud cries of things like, "Don't undo that, you crazy fool!"
Things seen while drinking tea: plastic.
I used to really like the Old Courtyard Tea Rooms in Poole. There was a little brick courtyard at the back, with creepers growing up the walls, where you could sit in the sunshine, surrounded by greenery, with the sparrows chirping.
But I hadn't been there since Lockdown, and it has now changed hands. Gone is the greenery, gone are the sparrows. The real plants have been replaced with plastic ones. The walls of lovely old brick are now covered and hidden by plastic fake creeper. The gravel under the tables is covered by a carpet of bright green astro-turf.
I'm beginning to think that maybe there's some sort of byelaw passed by Poole town council making character illegal in the town.
***
Books read: devoured in one sitting Amongst Out Weapons, the new Peter Grant by Ben Aaronovitch. So love these books.
Stayed up rather too late several nights last week, reading the four Phoenix Feather books by Sherwood Smith. I suppose you would describe them as wuxia [Chinese martial arts fantasy] fan fiction, but with a great cast of characters, and very entertaining.
***
Television:
Quite enjoying contemporary Chinese police drama Ordinary Greatness on iq.com, following four new recruits to the force. Wasn't sure it would be my cup of tea - I hate the "cocky apprentice gets taken down a peg or two" trope, but Zhang Ruoyun (from Joy of Life) as the lead manages to be both cocky, clever and likeable.
I have to wonder if this was written by the same writer as Go Ahead because it is also full of scarily bad mothers (but maybe scarily bad mothers are just a Thing in Chinese contemporary drama).
Watched the first four episodes of Chinese costume romance A Dream of Splendor on we.tv, and really enjoyed it. Well-written characters, and already a good chemistry between the male and female lead. But the rest of the series is VIP only, and I can't subscribe to we.tv as they only take payment by smartphone. So I suppose I'll have to wait a few months and see if this turns up on any other platform.
There are a couple of new K-dramas on Viki.com, but both of them are female lead, shriekingly over-the-top melodrama. Not sure I'm really in the right mood for that at the moment.
Things seen while walking:
Construction (1). Cranes looming above the buildings of the Old Town, and in the distance new tower blocks rising, concrete skeletons against a sky full of raincloud. Poole continues to pull down all its interesting old buildings, and to replace them with blocks of flats. But not skyscrapers: skyscrapers are a symbol of mad wealth, and that sort of mad wealth is only really found in London.
Construction (2). A van parked on the Quay with the legend "MEH Construction" painted on its side. Unfortunate use of initials, one cannot help thinking.
Construction (3). Walking down the cobbled lane towards the church, saw three scaffolders in bright orange hi-viz waistcoats, one on each level of the scaffolding in front of one of the older houses, joking around & trying to alarm passers-by with loud cries of things like, "Don't undo that, you crazy fool!"
Things seen while drinking tea: plastic.
I used to really like the Old Courtyard Tea Rooms in Poole. There was a little brick courtyard at the back, with creepers growing up the walls, where you could sit in the sunshine, surrounded by greenery, with the sparrows chirping.
But I hadn't been there since Lockdown, and it has now changed hands. Gone is the greenery, gone are the sparrows. The real plants have been replaced with plastic ones. The walls of lovely old brick are now covered and hidden by plastic fake creeper. The gravel under the tables is covered by a carpet of bright green astro-turf.
I'm beginning to think that maybe there's some sort of byelaw passed by Poole town council making character illegal in the town.
***
Books read: devoured in one sitting Amongst Out Weapons, the new Peter Grant by Ben Aaronovitch. So love these books.
Stayed up rather too late several nights last week, reading the four Phoenix Feather books by Sherwood Smith. I suppose you would describe them as wuxia [Chinese martial arts fantasy] fan fiction, but with a great cast of characters, and very entertaining.
***
Television:
Quite enjoying contemporary Chinese police drama Ordinary Greatness on iq.com, following four new recruits to the force. Wasn't sure it would be my cup of tea - I hate the "cocky apprentice gets taken down a peg or two" trope, but Zhang Ruoyun (from Joy of Life) as the lead manages to be both cocky, clever and likeable.
I have to wonder if this was written by the same writer as Go Ahead because it is also full of scarily bad mothers (but maybe scarily bad mothers are just a Thing in Chinese contemporary drama).
Watched the first four episodes of Chinese costume romance A Dream of Splendor on we.tv, and really enjoyed it. Well-written characters, and already a good chemistry between the male and female lead. But the rest of the series is VIP only, and I can't subscribe to we.tv as they only take payment by smartphone. So I suppose I'll have to wait a few months and see if this turns up on any other platform.
There are a couple of new K-dramas on Viki.com, but both of them are female lead, shriekingly over-the-top melodrama. Not sure I'm really in the right mood for that at the moment.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 02:14 pm (UTC)I keep looking at the latest Peter Grant book, but I'm in the middle of no less than 4 novels (two in English, two in Welsh) and making progress with none of them. Perhaps I should just give in and buy it, because I usually find they do get me reading fiction again.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-06 04:48 pm (UTC)Yes, I haven't really been reading much lately, but the latest Peter Grant always kickstarts me into reading again.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-08 09:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-06-09 02:42 pm (UTC)