overyourhead

Monday, August 10, 2020

William's 30th...

On Saturday afternoon, we had a very lovely socially distanced surprise 30th birthday garden party for my nephew William.

Doing the job he does, there was a sea theme to the celebrations.

We hid in the back garden and jumped out to surprise the birthday boy when he arrived. He acted surprised, although the three helium-filled fish floating in the middle of the lawn might have given the game away a little!

His fiancée Jaye, his sister Charlotte Kate, and his mother Joanna pulled out all the stops; great food, ample drink and a lovely nautically-themed birthday cake.

It was so nice to see everyone in the flesh. It had been 7 months since I had last seen everyone - including my Mum and Dad who had been shielding.

It was an afternoon filled with laughter, lots of sanitising hand gel, and much hand washing. Very 2020.

Friday, August 07, 2020

Pinas, Koch, Junk, or Pink...

I've ranked types of sailing ship based on how much they sound like euphemisms for a penis:

1. Pinas

2. Koch
3. Junk
4. Pink
5. Man-of-war
6. Tjotter
7. Longship
8. Sloop
9. Cutter
10. Lugger
11. Brigantine

Yes, I've got time on my hands. Feel free to suggest any more!

Thursday, August 06, 2020

Andy Warhol @ Tate Modern...

Last Sunday afternoon Stuart and I took a stroll down to the Tate Modern on London's glitzy South Bank to see the Andy Warhol exhibition.

Socially distanced and donning masks we pootled round the one-way route of this major retrospective - the first Warhol exhibition at Tate Modern for almost 20 years.

As well as his iconic pop images of Marilyn Monroe, Coca-Cola and Campbell's soup cans, it includes works never seen before in the UK. Twenty-five works from his Ladies and Gentlemen series – portraits of black and Latinx drag queens and trans women – are shown for the first time in 30 years.

Andy Warhol was the son of immigrants who became an American icon. A shy gay man who became the hub of New York's social scene. An artist who embraced consumerism, celebrity and the counter culture – and changed modern art in the process.

He was born in 1928 as Andrew Warhola to working-class parents from present day Slovakia. In 1949 he moved from Pittsburgh to New York. Initially working as a commercial illustrator, his skill at transforming the imagery of American culture soon found its realisation in his groundbreaking pop art.

Popularly radical and radically popular, Warhol was an artist who reimagined what art could be in an age of immense social, political and technological change.

We loved it. If you get a chance, go see. It has been extended to November.