Up by four o’clock in the morning, and fell to the preparing of some accounts for my Lord of Sandwich. By and by, by appointment comes Mr. Moore, and, by what appears to us at present, we found that my Lord is above 7,000l. in debt, and that he hath money coming into him that will clear all, and so we think him clear, but very little money in his purse. So to my Lord’s, and after he was ready, we spent an hour with him, giving him an account thereof; and he having some 6,000l. in his hands, remaining of the King’s, he is resolved to make use of that, and get off of it as well as he can, which I like well of, for else I fear he will scarce get beforehand again a great while. Thence home, and to the Trinity House; where the Brethren (who have been at Deptford choosing a new Maister; which is Sir J. Minnes, notwithstanding Sir W. Batten did contend highly for it: at which I am not a little pleased, because of his proud lady) about three o’clock came hither, and so to dinner. I seated myself close by Mr. Prin, who, in discourse with me, fell upon what records he hath of the lust and wicked lives of the nuns heretofore in England, and showed me out of his pocket one wherein thirty nuns for their lust were ejected of their house, being not fit to live there, and by the Pope’s command to be put, however, into other nunnerys.
I could not stay to end dinner with them, but rose, and privately went out, and by water to my brother’s, and thence to take my wife to the Redd Bull, where we saw “Doctor Faustus,” but so wretchedly and poorly done, that we were sick of it, and the worse because by a former resolution it is to be the last play we are to see till Michaelmas. Thence homewards by coach, through Moorefields, where we stood awhile, and saw the wrestling. At home, got my lute upon the leads, and there played, and so to bed.
Six geese claiming their hereditary rights to the grass by the cemetery pond. No idea if they included our park geese. Also, mockingbird claiming his rights to the high ground.
Wild apple and cherry trees blooming outside of town. Wild mustard and buttercups adding yellow to the roadside dandelions.
Temperature got up over 60 F, sunny, light winds. Got out on the bike for the first time in weeks, upriver to the turn-around of my ignominious fall. Did not die.
Lizards have been somewhat fewer in the apartment complex than last year, and the other night I learned a possible reason: a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) couple have set up housekeeping on the back lawn next door! (No pictorial tax as yet: their nest, less than five feet from the curb, overlooks a back alley heavily travelled by garbage, service, and delivery vehicles as well as human pedestrians—meaning that they’re probably experiencing botherance enough without amateur paparazzi. (1)
Burrowing Owls are regarded as local mascots and rigorously protected here; standard procedure upon discovering an inhabited burrow is to erect a little designated perch for the owls and cordon it off, crime-scene style, halting any human construction until the young have left the nest.
(1) Rule of thumb is that if the owls are reacting to your presence, you’re too close; the risk of attracting gawkers is one reason that doxxing Burrowing Owls nesting on private property is frowned upon around here. Schools, museums, and other such facilities, however, will encourage on-site nesting, observable by remote cam.
I’m finding varying accounts of how capable they are of digging their own burrows, but certainly the owls prefer the convenience of found housing when they can get it, not only taking over burrows constructed by other animals but occupying such human artifacts as PVC pipes; it’s quite possible to build artificial burrows to attract them.
Today is Heat Awareness Day, so pay attention; this is important.
It's hot.*
*Not applicable in the majority of the North Eastern United States. Or the North Western parts. Or Canada. Or England. Or Australia. Or really anywhere else that isn't Florida right now.
And now, let us sing our traditional Heat Awareness Day song!
The heat is on!
The heat is o -- hon!
[guitar riff] Nanananana. Nananana. Na. Na.
The heat is on!
Nanananana. Nananana. Na. Na.
The heat is o -- hon!
Nanananana. Nananana. Na. Na.
Tell me can you feel it?
Tell me can you feel it?
TELL ME CAN YOU FEEL IT???
"Oh, I can feel it."
Well alrighty then.
Thanks to Julia K., Mary D., Meghan H., Miriam S., Richard B., M.R., & Amanda for keeping it hot, hot, hot.
1998! The Good Friday Agreement gives Tories something new to undermine, Former Conservative Cabinet Minister Enoch Powell makes his greatest contribution to Britain by dying, and Andrew Wakefield's fraudulent paper puts him in the running with Thomas Midgley Jr. for single individual who did the most to undermine public health.
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read,, underline for never heard of it
Which 1998 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read? The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell Days by James Lovegrove Glimmering by Elizabeth Hand Nymphomation by Jeff Noon The Family Tree by Sheri S. Tepper Titan by Stephen Baxter
Air temperature 49 F, wind west about 1 mph, high thin clouds. Catbird poking around out back while I was getting breakfast, might have been two. Not raining, warming up into the 60s after lunch, may try for a bike ride.
(Lord’s day). To trimming myself, which I have this week done every morning, with a pumice stone,1 which I learnt of Mr. Marsh, when I was last at Portsmouth; and I find it very easy, speedy, and cleanly, and shall continue the practice of it. To church, and heard a good sermon of Mr. Woodcocke’s at our church; only in his latter prayer for a woman in childbed, he prayed that God would deliver her from the hereditary curse of child-bearing, which seemed a pretty strange expression. Dined at home, and Mr. Creed with me. This day I had the first dish of pease I have had this year. After discourse he and I abroad, and walked up and down, and looked into many churches, among others Mr. Baxter’s at Blackfryers. Then to the Wardrobe, where I found my Lord takes physic, so I did not see him, but with Captn. Ferrers in Mr. George Montagu’s coach to Charing Cross; and there at the Triumph tavern he showed me some Portugall ladys, which are come to town before the Queen. They are not handsome, and their farthingales a strange dress. Many ladies and persons of quality come to see them. I find nothing in them that is pleasing; and I see they have learnt to kiss and look freely up and down already, and I do believe will soon forget the recluse practice of their own country. They complain much for lack of good water to drink. So to the Wardrobe back on foot and supped with my Lady, and so home, and after a walk upon the leads with my wife, to prayers and bed.
The King’s guards and some City companies do walk up and down the town these five or six days; which makes me think, and they do say, there are some plots in laying. God keep us.
Lilacs blooming in the mist, honeysuckle flowers starting to open, our flowering crab out back is dropping petals. The azaleas are done, so no more hummingbird reports for a while. No cat friends on my morning walk.
That's right, buttercup, get ready for some eighties movie madness, starting with these sweets based on The Princess Bride - although I hope you've already figured that out by now.
It's just that I was looking for the DVD at a store recently, and the clerk literally said, "Ummmmm, is that the one with Anne Hathaway?"
Kids.
But speaking of kids, I was sure that Jen had put this Little Mermaid cake in here by mistake, because I totally remember when this movie came out! It can't be that old.
Such military precision! I'd expect nothing less from a Top Gun cake.
But I have bad news: the Terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever.
Ok, fine, so Inspector Gadget isn't exactly the same thing. (And not technically a movie, unless you count the live-action film from 1999 - which you really, really shouldn't. - Jen)
But I can't believe we've come this far without mentioning the most quintessential '80s movie of all, Gremlins!
At least, that's what I've heard. This movie may have traumatized me as a child; I still haven't even seen the entire thing. Great cake, though! His ragged little ears are my favorite - they're so cute and non-murderous.
How amazing is this? It would be an impressive cake if it stopped with the globe, but there are so many other great details, from Jareth's sneer down to the tiny arrows on the stone path. So cool.
You know what? That last cake reminded me of the babe. What babe? This one:
Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. A beauty in black and white! Whit-whoo! (That was me typing out the sound of a wolf-whistle. Not as easy as you'd think).
Now, I'm not sure if this stunner inspired by The Neverending Story is a wedding cake or not ...
...but I can't think of a better way to start a new life together than with a luck-dragon on your cake! Can you? In fact, we should probably just start putting Falcors on all our cakes. Weddings, birthdays, graduations, Falker Satherhoods. All Falcor-worthy.
And finally, the '80s movie cake to end all '80s movie cakes (and especially appropriate since Star Wars day was this month!)
I don't know what's more amazing, the insane amount of detail on this cake, the fact that it was made with modeling chocolate instead of fondant, or, I don't know, that it freaking GLOWS?
I hope it rocked your universe as much as it did mine!
Happy Sunday!
*****
P.S. I just found the most gloriously 80s shirt I have ever seen.
A time-displaced cop struggles to protect history and the glorious revolution from a time-displaced psychopath, as well as from the cop's own better nature.
Air temperature 46 F, wind northwest about 7 mph, cloudy. Weather radar shows rain still rotating through Downeast and Canada but none aimed at us personally. Should be able to get my walk in.
To the Wardrobe, and there again spoke with my Lord, and saw W. Howe, who is grown a very pretty and is a sober fellow. Thence abroad with Mr. Creed, of whom I informed myself of all I had a mind to know. Among other things, the great difficulty my Lord hath been in all this summer for lack of good and full orders from the King; and I doubt our Lords of the Councell do not mind things as the late powers did, but their pleasures or profit more. That the Juego de Toros is a simple sport, yet the greatest in Spain. That the Queen hath given no rewards to any of the captains or officers, but only to my Lord Sandwich; and that was a bag of gold, which was no honourable present, of about 1400l. sterling. How recluse the Queen hath ever been, and all the voyage never come upon the deck, nor put her head out of her cabin; but did love my Lord’s musique, and would send for it down to the state-room, and she sit in her cabin within hearing of it. That my Lord was forced to have some clashing with the Council of Portugall about payment of the portion, before he could get it; which was, besides Tangier and a free trade in the Indys, two millions of crowns, half now, and the other half in twelve months. But they have brought but little money; but the rest in sugars and other commoditys, and bills of exchange. That the King of Portugall is a very fool almost, and his mother do all, and he is a very poor Prince.
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