Episode Details

I thought I might share a few random bits and bobs from my little life for you to ponder today, starting with various interviews.

Here I am on the mighty James Delingpole’s podcast, talking about most subjects, though squabbling about conspiracy theories.

Then there is this interview with Jasmine Birtles for the Money Magpie podcast, talking mostly about gold and property. (Audio on Spotify; video on YouTube).

Also this radio interview with ABC Australia, I was quite pleased with. Here it is.

And, if bitcoin is your thing, here I am on the Discovering Bitcoin podcast.

Right. That’s all the interviews done.

A Thief in our Midst

Turning to matters closer to home, there is a beautiful cat, pictured below, which belongs to a Chinese lady, who lives three doors up. She visits my garden every morning (the cat not the Chinese lady) as I am getting my 15 minutes of sun, purrs seductively, gets stroked, and then wanders off on its day to do who knows what. If I leave the back door open, she will come into my house and visit me at my desk, stretch out luxuriantly and, if I pick her up, start padding my chest pleasantly. I thought we had become friends.

Well, you can’t trust anyone.

I now discover this feline fiend has been sneaking into my son’s room to steal his socks, which it then brings back to its owner three doors up.

Here it is. Caught red handed.

A Rare Trip to the Theatre

On Wednesday I went to see The Comedy About Spies in the West End. It’s not something I would have normally gone to watch, but my friend Tom Woods had some tickets he couldn’t use and so off I went with my next door neighbour. I thought it was terrific. Thank you Tom!

I’m obsessed with farce. Always have been since I first watched Fawlty Towers as a little boy. (I actually did my university thesis on Fawlty Towers). It’s my favourite form of theatre by a country mile. I love the precision of it, along with the heightened emotion and panic. Done well there is no better narrative form, in my opinion.

Films like Midnight Run and TV series like Curb Your Enthusiasm, in my view, embrace farcical plot schemes. But if you want a farce in its purest form on film, watch What’s Up Doc. Just the best.

The premise of The Comedy About Spies is a little bit forced, but the jokes are fab, there are hundreds of them, one after the other, they are brilliantly executed and with incredible precision - it’s wonderful to see a show this tight. By the end I even found myself moved by the characters. I LOLed many times. What can I say? It’s really good.

What’s your favourite farce? Let me know in the comments.

The South Africanisation of Everything

In other, less positive news, on Tuesday evening I found