Sun - Here It Is, Hurrah!

I Have To Make A Fuss While I Can
     This is England, after all, where you really can have four seasons in one day, most of the day being Winter (that is, twenty three hours of Winter, thirty minutes of Autum, twenty five minutes of Spring and five minutes of Summer).
     I did post a picture of Oldham Edge from our kitchen - or what would have been Oldham Edge if one had infra-red eyesight and could see through the ocean-in-the-atmosphere that was the weather yesterday.
     Slightly different perspective today, and there is the Edge, limned in bright daylight.  What a difference a day makes, eh?  As twenty-four hours previously it was nice weather for canoes.

That's the Edge, in the middle, if you see what I mean

Against The Day:  Progress Report
     Now up to page 272, dear audience, and once again Mr. Pynchon and coincidence arrive on the printed page.  Remember in recent weeks how Conrad elucidated on "Glagolitic" and "quotidian"?  Both words cropped up in today's reading.  Really, what are the odds of that happening?  Phil?

"One hundred and twenty four million to one, Conrad.  Ergo, aliens are manipulating your reality.  Sorry but there it is."

Back To The Theme - Sunshine
     Danny Boyle's 2007 film, of course.  
     Conrad loves this fillum.  Best seen at the cinema, of course, which he did indeed do.  It's so good that I am willing to make allowances for the Haunted House pre-ending nonsense with Pinback.  A "2001" for our times.  No, I won't spoil the ending by relating what happens, go and see it yourself!  Conrad particularly likes Cliff Curtis, who plays the mission psychologist as being borderline bonkers.

Little Miss Sunshine.  Close enough.

The Sun - A British Newspaper
     Whilst the sun itself sits high in the heavens, this particular publication unashamedly sits squarely in the gutter.  "Yesterdays news tomorrow" as it was once described, served up with ladies not wearing clothes.  When it's journalists went on strike, the editor kept it going by writing a few articles, using very large text and using even more photos of ladies wearing even less.  Nobody noticed the difference

The Sun.  No, hang on a minute -

The Daily Star - Another British Newspaper
     I know, I know, I'm reaching a bit here, but our sun is a star, alright?
     The Daily Star - if you like, the very embodiment of Lowest Denominator Publishing: lots of ladies not wearing much, GREAT BIG HEADLINES so they don't need much text to follow, and a prurient interest in everything sleazy, cheezy or <thinks> queasy.  If it were any worse it would be the Sunday Sport.  Except daily.

A Diary Tsar.  Close enough.

Pink Floyd
     Ah, any excuse for Conrad to hold forth on one of his favourite bands.  They have two relevant songs:
     Fat Old Sun
     From the "Atom Heart Mother" CD, a wistful and nostalgic song about the passing days of summer, with some nice big guitar chords as it plays out.
     Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
     No, not about "Sunshine" or suicidal rocketship crews.  This comes from a Ray Bradbury short story about a mission to scoop a bucketful of Sun from the sun itself.  Roger Waters' vocals sounds very sinister indeed.

No!  Not Gong. Roger Waters.  Pink Floyd.  Do keep up!

The Chemical Brothers
     Ah, any excuse for Conrad to hold forth on one of his favourite bands.  They have two relevant songs:

Here's a church in Georgia (the Caucasus)
Hey, this makes just as much sense as "Setting Sun"

     Setting Sun
     From their 1997 album, "Dig Your Own Hole".  An abrasive song with Noel Gallagher on vocals, with some shrieking keyboard runs and lyrics that mention the object of the narrator's affection coloured like a setting sun. I think.
     The Sunshine Underground
     From "Surrender", and there's no need to worry about what the lyrics mean or, indeed, what the or a "Sunshine Underground", because it's an instrumental track, and one of Conrad's favourites.
     
Sunshine In A Bottle
     No! I do not mean some incredibly syrupy carbonated concoction loaded with sweeteners and preservatives and artificial colours - although those are, obviously, the best kind of drinks - rather I mean this stuff:

Probably unwise to drink it, folks.

     It's so much better for you than lard, dripping or goose-fat, really.

No Sun But Plenty Of Run
     We took Edna down to the park for a runabout, which she enjoys, and to see if she'd fetch the ball - a qualified success at that.  She will bring the ball back if there's a treat involved, otherwise she thinks it hilarious fun to race around you whilst keeping the ball.  She did several dozen laps of our bench before realising that - she was tired.

Note dog-ball distance discrepancy

A traditional Victory Roll.  To be done after besting humans.

Edna, pooped.
"Pooped" in the sense of "tired" of ye of disgusting minds!

Conrad Dispels Flapjack Curse
     Nothing to do with sun or sunshine or stars, merely proof that Conrad baked a sultana-and-cherry flapjack THAT WAS NOT BURNT!

Before baking

     This time the recipe was different - less butter, no chocolate chips (because they melt), and only 20 minutes cooking time, with a bit of condensed milk added to the mix:

Browned, NOT BURNT!
I am obsessing slightly, aren't I?

That's it for now, off to sort out lunch for tomorrow and tea for tonight.  "Tea" as in the meal, I've had about four pints of the drink already.