Well, we deserved a rest after all that rushing about the country, and for the past ten days we have been having a quieter time back in Hastings. Some of that time it was so incredibly hot that Battleaxe couldn’t do anything except sit indoors, watch crap telly and eat ice-creams. Oh, what a sacrifice. Last weekend we had a visit from one of the Old Philosopher’s group – the first wife of Philosopher’s old Philosopher friend Jim. Fortunately, the weather had cooled down a little so we were able to go out and about. Sally had never been to Hastings, so we saw our home town through new eyes.
When we first moved here, we used to walk for miles and miles all over Hastings and St Leonards marvelling at the differences in architecture, the quirky corners, the hidden twittens, the green spaces and the ever-changing views. Obviously, over time, familiarity has changed that, and we now stick to a few of our favourite places. But walking round with Sally, we remembered how amazing it all is – she had never seen the net huts, the fishing beach, or the Old Town – all full of novelty and, as we saw, looking at it all with fresh eyes, very picturesque. Some bits are looking very shabby though – St Mary in the Castle, the disused boating lake. I read there is a plan to turn part of the boating lake into a ‘splash pool’ where kids run in and out of fountains. But of course, being Hastings there is no money to do it and the town is useless at maintaining fountains – the one at Pelham Place has been broken for some time.
And another thing, Sally was very keen on ‘Foyle’s War’ and wanted to see Foyle’s house. We hadn’t really looked at the building in Croft Road for years, but we were surprised how shabby and dilapidated it now is. I understand it has been sold at least once since the TV series was filmed. Anyway, rather a shame…
The next day we went for a walk round St Leonard’s, and again, much marvelling. Marine Court, Norman Road, Burton St Leonard’s… Again, we couldn’t help but notice how weed-infested and over-grown St Leonard’s Gardens have got. I know HBC is horribly short of money but still…
Talking of that, the Andy Burnham circus is a bit of a worry, with all his talk about the No 10 of the North etc etc. He talks about the South-East as if we are a load of flesh-pots sucking the life out of the country. Well, I agree things are horribly London-centric and parts of the region are indeed ridiculously wealthy, but Hastings is firmly in the South-East and is one of the most deprived towns in the country. I just pray we don’t get forgotten in all this northern-based devolutionary fervour. Still, hopefully it’s all just talk. He’ll have no money to do anything…
Anyway, believe it or not (and stick with ‘or not’), the girl in the painting above has apparently just been vomited up by a dragon. Well she looks very good on it, and remarkably unperturbed. On Tuesday this week it was an Old Philosophers meet-up day in London. We went to the Francisco de Zurbaran (no, I had never heard of him either) exhibition at the National Gallery. I have to say, for Battleaxe, it was not quite my thing. He was very big on religious art, and what’s more the sort of religious art where the back-lit subjects, hands clasped, are casting their eyes up to Heaven in speechless devotion. He painted many female saints – all kitted out in very ornate seventeenth-century outfits.. I forget which saint the dragon girl was supposed to be. Do people still believe this stuff? After the exhibition, we had lunch at Locatelli, which is actually in the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery, and it was good. Not too noisy, spacious, nice food, good service. Not the cheapest but not ridiculous. Battleaxe would recommend.
All good. I think I’ll go downstairs and watch Wimbledon now.
