Saturday

A lovely day - the hottest weather we've had this year. I met maeve_the_red and la_marquise_de and their respective other halves in town, went in search of scrumpy and a cream tea, with partial success, and then walked round the Chalice Well. It's looking beautiful at this time of year, full of fiery tulips.

After this, we came back to the ranch, cooked, admired Sid up a tree (photos may follow), ate dinner outside and then watched DR WHO. Spoilers ahoy.

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Big thank you to maeve_the_red for last week's ep. I shall probably watch this today.

Because it's Sunday

Via kradical, a meme:

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Witches in the 'hood

Last week, palecast mentioned an episode in which her daughter was accosted by some local teenage (white) boys in a manner that is probably more appropriate to the denizens of some rap-land ghetto. This caused some amusement in our household, since during the recent visit to NYC, we stayed for a couple of days in Brooklyn, in a neighbourhood which wasn't particularly rough, but was certainly what we Brits would call working class. As a result of getting off at a different end of the subway to the one suggested, we had some temporary difficulty in finding our hostess' place. This meant some standing on street corners with suitcases and a map. We were approached at least twice by locals, who to my doubtless prejudiced eye looked exactly like drug dealers, and addressd thus: "You look lost. Might I be of any assistance?' They proved to be pleasant, helpful and accurate in getting us to where we wanted to go.

Later, we had lunch in a Guyanese place on Nostrand Avenue. I was carrying a full tray back to our seat when another patron stopped immediately in front of me (he hadn't seen me behind him, obviously, and was looking for a friend). At once, a fearsome gentleman in a nearby booth, texting intently and covered in gold chains, turned to the man in front of me and said 'Hey! Get outta da lady's way!!!' Searching Man leaped up the steps, apologizing profusely, and unecessarily.

It intrigues me that whenever white kids adopt rap culture, or whatever the hell it's called, they become belligerent and aggressive, when the people who actually live in it are so courteous - at least, they were to us. Maybe we just looked helpless. I wonder, though. I have, on several occasions, got lost, at night, in dodgy areas of foreign cities (Luxor and Guangzhou, to be exact) and people have been so kind and helpful. I have a lot more faith in the rest of the human race than I do in my fellow Brits, that's for sure.