Day Off Week 46 2025

Various things on Tuesday. Quite early on I headed down to central London and to the National Gallery where there was an exhibition of paintings by Joseph Smith, the distinctive Derby artist. All the famous choriascuro works are there plus some interesting 3d exhibits and lots of helpful explanation about the background to the paintings. In the evening, we watched the BBC's Mr Burton. Monday marked the hunredth anniversary of the birth of that flawed Welshman, Richard Burton (born Jenkins). I presume the biopic was accurate enough. The bilingual situation is fascinating, especially in such an industrialised part of Wales and so relatively recently. There was a brief zoom meeting in the afternoon but most of the rest of the time went on reading the first 50 pages of the first volume of Densil Morgan's Theologica Cambrensia which I've been wanting to read for some time.

10 people who died at the age of 58

Around this time of year we like to do this. It keeps us humbled and sane(ish).

1. Machiavelli, Niccolo writer (58 years 50 days, June 22, 1527)
2. Dickens, Charles novelist (58 years 122 days, June 9, 1870)
3. Baker, Chet jazz musician (58 years 142 days, May 13, 1988)
4. Flaubert, Gustave writer (58 years 148 days on May 8, 1880)
5. Warhol, Andy artist (died of complications from gallbladder surgery 58 years 200 days, February 22, 1987)
6. Burton, Richard Welsh actor (died of cerebral haemorrhage 58 years 269 days, August 5, 1984)
7. Harrison, George Beatle (died of cancer 58 years 277 days, November 29, 2001)
8. King James I [VI] (58 years 281 days, March 27, 1625)
9. White, Barry singer (58 years 295 days, July 4, 2003)
10. Kepler, Johannes astronomer (58 years 323 days, November 15, 1630)
[Also, Joyce, James Irish writer (died of a perforated ulcer 58 years 346 days. January 13, 1941)

More on The Tudors

With Wolf Hall staring next Wednesday (see here) I'm not the only one going Tudor. BBC2 were showing a documentary on The Last days of Anne Boleyn recently I see (a repeat from 2013 with Hilary Mantel, David Starkey, Philippa Gregory, etc), which I hope to get round to watching soon (see here). Philippa Gregory in The Times recommends, on the Tudor theme, the anonymous painting at Hampton Court Palace The Family of Henry VIII, c. 1543-1547 (see here), Mark Twain's novel The Prince and the pauper (see here), the 1970 TV series with Keith Michell as Henry VIII (see here), Donizetti's opera Anna Bolena (see here), the 1969 Richard Burton film Anne of the thousand days (see here) and Edmund Spenser's unfinished poem The Faerie Queene (see here). No room for Rick Wakeman's six wives I see. Leave it to me.

Cool Wales

I don't know if it's to do with St David's Day but there are plenty of news items around at the moment and it is a reminder that there is plenty to celebrate.

The rugby seems to be back on track for a start. As for soccer,

there is not only Swansea's historic 5-0 win in the League Cup Final and Gareth Bale at Spurs going from strength to strength but Ryan Giggs will probably play his thousandth game at senior level today.

Meanwhile, in Hollywood Shirley Bassey was performing at the Oscars and Michael Sheen has been unveiling a Hollywood star on the walk of fame for Richard Burton and the Stereophonics have a new album.