Hastings Battleaxe does anything to avoid today…

Avoid what? It’s obvious, isn’t it?  As I write this, Trump is just about to be inaugurated as US President. A day that the likes of me could never imagined would actually arrive. But it is here, and Battleaxe is living through it. I say ‘the likes of me’, but it is uncomfortable to realise that globally, my left-wing liberal tribe is getting worryingly small.  Anyway, writing this post keeps me away from the media for a bit…  Have also been very busy with holiday arrangements – making, breaking, rearranging. Best thing to do in dark January. So, what photo shall I start with? The weather has been so bad that I haven’t taken any. Here are two blue mid-century glass vases designed by Sven Palmqvist for Orrefors, both in the Battleaxe (carefully curated of course) glass collection.

 

Just a bit more about the vases before I start. The small one came from Burstow and Hewett in Battle, and the large one was acquired on Saturday, from an antique shop in Bexhill. I love the blue colour. Battleaxe never much bothered with Scandinavian glass – preferred vintage Murano and Mdina, but working with Andy McConnell to sort his collections a couple of years ago made me appreciate Scandi glass more.

Back to Battleaxe’s shrinking tribe. There was a very disturbing (to me, anyway) article in the Guardian the other day, by Timothy Garton Ash. Here is the link to it. I’ll just quote a sentence or two:

‘Many people in the world beyond Europe welcome Trump’s arrival, saying it will be good for their country, for world peace, and specifically for achieving peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. Majorities believe all these things in India and Saudi Arabia, and majorities or pluralities – depending on the specific question – in China, Brazil, South Africa and Russia. In fact, Europe and South Korea (which, like Europe, is dependent for its security on the US) stand almost alone in the degree of their worry about the impact of Trump.’

He goes on to say that the countries above, plus India and Turkey, think that Russia’s Putin is an ‘entirely acceptable international partner’. In Europe, countries like Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania are positive about Trump – and look at the increasing strength of the right-wing populist minorities in Western European countries nearer home. Never mind the 77 million US Americans who voted for Trump in 2024…

I grew up in the belief that human beings were inclined to strive to be better people, and wanted a world that moved towards equality, tolerance, understanding, concern for others and care for our planet. Not so, it seems.  Far from it. We are going backwards, to an age of empire-building great powers, societies dominated by wealthy, and frequently corrupt, oligarchs, individuals only out for their own interests, and environmentally destructive resource grabbing.

I don’t know about the supposed cease-fire in Gaza – how will it work out?

Ah well, let’s turn to holidays. Shortly, we were setting off to Chamonix – Philosopher wanted to enjoy the snowy Alps one more time. But the weather forecast is grim. Cloudy, dull, sleety snow… And it is wildly expensive. So we’ve cancelled it, and are going to Malaga instead. Why Malaga? It is easy to get to from Gatwick, should have a bit of sun and is mercifully inexpensive compared with Chamonix, even though we have lost the cost of our flight to Geneva. There should be lots to see and do – Picasso Museum, art galleries, pictureseque Old Town,  cathedral, Moorish fortress – the Alcazaba, a Roman amphitheatre , shops, walks along the sea…

Malaga – Alcazaba, Roman amphitheatre – from the internet.

We are also going on a trip to Ronda. Here is Ronda bridge, by British artist David Bomberg (who knew, he came from Birmingham).

I’ll stop here. Later this week, I am reading at a Stanza Bonanza in Eastbourne, and I’ll need to write something about it.  It features the Hastings and the Brighton Stanza groups. I did a couple a good few years ago now, up in the Poetry Cafe in London.  Crikey, back in 2015 and 2016 – here is the post about the second one…

2 Comments

  1. Frances
    January 21, 2025 / 5:43 pm

    Think you’ll like Malaga – all the things you mention are great, and there’s a very interesting, recently redone Archaeology museum and a fabulous covered market (all food).

    • February 10, 2025 / 2:42 pm

      I hope you saw the next post – we did enjoy it!

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