#88 The Offcuts
In search of Chonkus, hedges, and people who know how to drive
Today I think I may have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. There is a zebra crossing near me which, despite being on a quiet road, I find I always end up crossing when a maniac is on the road. This morning, someone made no attempt to stop as I was about to cross and before my brain could catch up, my hand was high in the sky flipping her off. Maybe a slight overreaction. Or maybe not if the next person she fails to stop for isn’t paying as much attention.
Madeline Cash’s short story collection, Earth Angel, was weird, darkly funny, and boundary-breaking. Overarching themes cover modern life, the female experience, and fundamental human flaws. I read a review before I started that said, ‘the one with the baby at the drug deal was good,’ and I really think it tells you all there is to know. I picked up another book, but a few chapters in, I realised the plot was going to centre heavily around Covid and lockdown. I am still not ready. I don’t know if I’ll ever be. I rarely put books down once I’ve started, something I am getting better at, but I hate the ‘meh’ feeling that comes after. I’ve had Selfish Girls by Abigail Bergstrom downloaded on my Kindle for a while, and I’ve decided I’ll start that this evening.
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The Traitor’s Harriet on the similarities between her TV show experience and her new book
A baby Asian elephant calf was born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo - a win for the campaign to strengthen conservation
How to celebrate Lunar New Year in London
I saw the Anna Ancher: Painting Light exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery last week, and it was magical. Ancher, who was born and lived in Skagen, Denmark’s most northerly tip, is a well-known figure in her home country, but this is the first exhibition in the UK dedicated to her work. Beginning her career in the late nineteenth century, her work belongs to the Impressionist movement. She defied social expectations as a female painter and mainly focused on the people and landscapes of her hometown as subject matter. The exhibition is on until 8th March, and it’s worth a visit.
I’m always fascinated by the things we pass by every day without even realising. I regard myself as more observant than most (no offence), but until last week, Dog Hedge has completely passed me by. Only a few streets away from where I live, there is a giant dog-shaped hedge so notorious that it can even be found on the map. I now cannot unsee it, nor can I believe I never noticed it before.
It reminded me of when I was in Crete two years ago with my friend, and we tried to find Chonkus Maximus, the big fat cat seen on the streets of Chania. She caused such a frenzy that for her own safety she’s since been adopted. There is unexpected wonder on every Google Maps corner.
Tomorrow is pancake day, one of my favourite days of the year. Though this year, instead of baking up a storm for my housemates, I’ll be travelling to New York for a friend’s wedding at the weekend. I’ll be seeking out pancakes at the airport for breakfast. McDonald’s pancakes & syrup and Grind’s buttermilk pancakes with fruit and mascarpone would be my top picks. Mix A Pancake by Christina Georgina Rossetti was written in 1893 for children. A short little poem of instructions to help you prepare for the big day.
Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake,
Toss the pancake,
Catch it if you can.
