In a new occasional series, Dabblers select those poems that manage to hit a very particular spot, and do it better than anything else. First, Gaw gets carried away by a bit of seasonal sunshine. I find the warm days of early summer can sometimes impart a tremendous feeling of well-being: ... Read More...
About Author Profile: Bill
The Dabbler reviews the new three-part documentary All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace (BBC2, 9pm Mondays). First, we really should get one thing straight: our Western economies are being held hostage by a financial oligarchy. If you don't believe me, read this and this (to take two separate and convincing ... Read More...
Yesterday, I had a glimpse into another world. It was afforded by a handful of remarkable works by Zoran Mušič in the Estorick Collection's latest exhibition (Double Portrait: Ida Barbarigo and Zoran Mušič, to 12th June). Large, figurative oil paintings, including portraits of the artist and his wife (above), they were executed ... Read More...
Since acquiring two little boys and their accompanying paraphernalia we've tended to use the shooting brake (ok, our VW) to travel to our holiday destination in the South of France. As a consequence - and also because of the sometimes frequent stops required by said little boys, one of whom ... Read More...
While the music is performed, the cameras linger savagely over the faces of the audience [below]. What a bottomless chasm of vacuity they reveal! The huge faces bloated with cheap confectionery and smeared with chain-store makeup, the open, sagging mouths and glazed eyes, the hands mindlessly drumming in time to ... Read More...
I was in my local fishmonger's on the weekend, Steve Hatt on the Essex Road. Whilst I was waiting to be served I took a look at their list of orders for collection on the day. It was mostly fashionable seafood for smart local restaurants - I noticed Ottolenghi were ... Read More...
Today's Dabbler Hero had all the characteristics of a dabbler in his subject with the notable exception that he was as dedicated as any scholar could be. He had an amateur's approach but a professional's commitment. Here's Julian Barnes' description of our historian: Cobb’s history is archival, anecdotal, discursive, button-holing, undogmatic, ... Read More...
Another London jaunt. An unusually quiet one. The quietness really set in on the East London line - London's newest stretch. I picked it up at Haggerston in Hackney having walked up the Regent's Canal from Islington. Like the other stations on the line, as well as the trains, visual design ... Read More...
Sunday night on TV is Big Picture night. Professor Niall Ferguson (bottom) takes on the meaty subject of Civilization on Channel 4 at 8pm. However, he's trumped by Professor Brian Cox (top), who in the following slot takes on the biggest subject conceivable in Wonders of the Universe, BBC2, 9pm. They're both impressively ... Read More...
Whilst up a scaffold erected around the South Porch of Cirencester Parish Church (it's being repaired, admirably), I managed to catch a glimpse of this creature. Despite having something of a demonic character, I believe it's a cat. It brought to mind a feline description provided by Bartholomaeus Anglicus, writing about two hundred and fifty ... Read More...
