I'll think of a good title later

In a nod to my other half's One more chapter...

I spotted this book in an olde worlde book store in the village of Alfriston (one of the few remaining true English villages around - all stone buildings, beautiful gardens, all independant local shops etc. well worth a visit if you can) & just had to buy it.

It has a red fabric hard back cover with worn corners & dull faded gold titling down the spine. This book was awarded to Mrs E.R. Blackwell of Reading Technical College in 1951/2 as a prize for something unknown. This book harks from the time when books were still little treasures.

The book itself is fascinating to me especially for many reasons. For one it is, I think, the first non-fiction book I have ever read in its entirety & I learnt an awful lot. The text for the most part is an enormous collection of anecdotes from & about various stars of the circus world. When I was a teenager I worked in a number of circus shows & I remember being fascinated after the work was over how the older performers could go on for hours into the night recalling stories & reeling off huge lists of people they had worked with. This book sparked that feeling in me again.

The language is very different to what I am used to, & it would be all too easy to brand it as racist. A lot of the words used would not be considered polite if used in conversation today, but they were the words that people were brought up with at the time. The way the author describes the feats of the non English performers, the lion tamer Macomo in particular you get a true feeling of awe & respect, & a deep sympathy for the great German juggler Cinquevalli over his abandonment by the English at the start of WW1.

On the internet this book only appears on odd antique book sites so there is little point in me trying to provide a link as Nix does, but I will say that if you have never done so, go out & find a good book shop, find something old & interesting & give it a go. If you can't find a good bookshop you could always try Project Gutenberg.

Right then off to the EJC for me. See you all in a week!

Myself & 2 friends took a trip up to London yesterday to see Cirque Du Soleil's Dralion at the Royal Albert Hall.

I don't visit London that often, I've always thought of it as a really daunting place.

While walking to the theatre though I saw a beautifully lit open air art exhibition. It seemed strange but so pleasing to see something so peaceful out in the open hustle of the big city. I really wish we weren't so pressed for time, it just looked a really nice thing to do.

I've probably only visited my capital a dozen times, 3 such visits were to see various Cirque Du Soleil shows.

I was really looking forward to seeing this show specifically for a single juggler named Viktor Kee. What makes him so special is not what he juggles (he does do some highly technical stuff but nothing world beating), but how he moves while doing it. Viktor is a really big man, the amount of power he puts into moving his frame so fast & so fluidly is amazing. His whole body twists & turns in wild serpentine swoops. No other juggler I have ever seen puts so much energy into creating their presence on stage.

He was a real delight to watch.

See it if you get the chance.