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Parodies and covers 07 March 2017 19:34 We’ve had a busy social calendar recently, with two formal black-tie event to attend. A random sample of our diaries would suggest that I put on a dinner suit every Saturday night, when in reality it’s only twice a year – but on consecutive weekends. Which all goes to prove the importance of realistic sample data in statistics. The first event was a uni soc annual reunion dinner. It was a good evening, and I had a bit of a catch up with some of my cronies – pretty much the same as any reunion dinner. Although I was the only one there from my year, there were a few from the years immediately above and below me whom I knew. I also knew the guest speaker – yes, I do know everyone. We haven’t seen each other for several years, so was able to have a catch up with him as well. The second event was an annual dinner-dance for one of The Aged’s many social groups. Again, another enjoyable evening with good food and chat. The evening’s entertainment was a disco – I’m not sure the two are the same, but I got up and had a boogie anyhow. Until they put on modem music that I’d never heard before. In between all these social engagements we’ve had time for culture too. We went to see “St Joan” at one of those National Theatre broadcast-to-a-cinema thingies. We studied* “St Joan” at school, but I remember very little about it, other than there being something about a Dolphin and she was burned at the stake – and the latter of those could be from history rather than the play. Oh yes, and George Bernard Shaw didn’t use apostrophes. *Studied might be stretching it a bit. It was one of the texts we read in year eight, nine or ten. My background knowledge was so poor that when CS3 asked what period St. Joan d’Arc lived in I was a bit stumped. “Well, I know It was when England and France were at war, but that’s happened so many times over the centuries it doesn’t really pin it down much”. For future reference, it was the Hundred Years’ War – though I don’t know which of the 116 years* it was. *Yes, the Hundred Years War did last for 116 years – 1337 to 1453. I don’t know who won – but I not sure that anyone knows. The play was good and worth seeing. It has a 21st century setting, with boardrooms and televised news reports, which worked well. The stage revolved slowly throughout the performance. Because it was theatre in the round, I assumed this was so one part of the audience would not see the back of the actors for the entire play but apparently, it was to symbolise how St Joan put everything in a spin. There’s always a dilemma at the end if these broadcast live performances. It’s a live performance, so you feel that you ought to applaud (especially when you hear the applause from the venue), but it’s a cinema so you feel that you shouldn’t applaud. We didn’t applaud Saturday morning CS3 had her first D of E practice hike in the New Forest. CGF and I spent the morning wandering around Lyndhurst. We bought a birthday present for Mrs The Aged, and I bought Christmas presents for The Ageds. Then I decided that March was way too early to be buying Christmas presents, so gave them to them as a thank you for taking us to the dinner-dance. Lyndhurst was fairly empty – not surprising as it is a town that is really geared for the summer tourist market. But we found a great café that was really busy – nearly every table occupied. Seems to be the place to go in Lyndhurst on a Saturday morning. We had a couple of coffees, and then decided to have a late breakfast as well. One of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had. The café sources as much of its food as it can from within twelve miles – no mean feat considering most of the New Forest is heath land and hardly conducive to growing much other than ponies. The school where CGF teaches is having a “staff has talent” competition. This was a good reason for me to dust of my muse, get my creative juices flowing, and write a song. Based on The Feelings “A Hundred Sinners” (which goes like this).
Come to maths you know you love it Time for lessons has come, and we think maths is all fun Come to maths you know you love it [Circle theorem] Mathematics, mathematics, ah ah Every prime has two divisors Come to maths you know you love it Mathematics, mathematics, ah ah Come to maths you know you love it OK, it’s not quite up to the standard of Tom Lehrer or The Barron Nights, but it’s not bad for something written on the back on a napkin over a cup of coffee.
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