Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Ephah




Had to go into the city to go to the bank, so Julie and I had a snack at the Ephah café in the Bank Arcade. The coffee is always good there, which is more than you can say about a lot of the eating places around town.

Then browsed through the Spice World shop across the arcade. They had some organic mandarins which were so brightly coloured they looked like they'd been dipped in orange dye. They were dearer than the ones in the supermarket but so sweet and juicy.

We strolled around the shop, which is an Aladdin's Cave of foodstuffs. Not to mention the extra items, like the shelf of Indian DVD movies. I've always been mildly interested in Bollywood but not to the point of actually buying a movie.

David and Nicky Williams have a nice little operation there at the junction of Bank Arcade and Wellington Court – her coffee shop and his Spice World store.

For dinner a plate of lamb and cheese croquettes on a bed of baby spinach with a sauce of mushrooms, chickpeas and grapes, accompanied by soy-and-linseed bread and washed down with green tea. A simple meal but enough to keep body and soul together.

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A card in the mailbox from the power company. They're working on the powerlines in our street on Saturday morning and warn us that the electricity may be cut off. This is going to make breakfast difficult – a cold drink isn't my favourite way to start the day in winter.

Last night the temperature went down to 1° [34°in the old scale]. I hope that Saturday morning isn't a repeat of that or it could be awfully chilly in an all-electric house.

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I really miss the Blackmask web site. It's been one of my most-visited web sites for years – the sheer range of free books they offer is breath-taking. Unfortunately they got into a legal battle with Conde Naste, who own the copyright on The Shadow and Doc Savage, and they've been off the air all this month.

Every so often my finger strays to their entry on my browser's favorites list, but there's never any response. *Sigh*





Old Time Radio revisited:

Gunsmoke [1955] "Chester's Hanging"

Brisk if brutal western drama – even Matt Dillon has to deal with paperwork and go through the wanted posters if he wants to nab fugitives. His sidekick Chester almost comes to a bad end here.

Jack Benny [1946] "Fred Allen"

Celebrated comedian Allen makes a guest appearance. "Now that we've finished ad-libbing can we get back to the script?"

Life with Luigi [1948] "The Little Immigrant"

Probably not politically correct, but an engaging sitcom about an amiable little Italian in Chicago (J. Carroll Naish). A highlight is Luigi's attempt to explain the American banking system.

Whitehall 1212 [1952] "Weed Eradicator"

Measured police procedural about poisoning in a small town in Wales. Script ed by the legendary Wyllis Cooper, better known for his Quiet Please series.

Rocky Jordan [1948] "The Bartered Bridegroom"

A clone of Casablanca – adventures of the owner of a Cairo nightclub. Full of the usual ambience of Hollywood's mystic East with all its danger, intrigue and sinister characters. Not to be confused with Frank Sinatra's Rocky Fortune series.







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