Fireworks

Bailey and I discovered this mural yesterday, tucked into a corner of a housing estate near Kilburn. It's kind of cool but also kind of creepy. Purple, mottled skin is a little off-putting, not to mention the blue eyeballs, though that's probably supposed to be eye shadow. The whole thing is very "RuPaul's Drag Race."

I worked more in the garden yesterday morning, raking up debris from our tree-pruning experience last month. It's remarkable how many stray sticks and branches are still out there. I'm not a super-tidy gardener but I don't want too much mess. I filled two yard-waste bags, and we already had an extra one full from last week, so we now have our quota -- after they're collected on Tuesday I can do more. I wish I could just rake it all into a big pile and light it on fire like we used to do in Florida, but I'm sure that must be illegal here. (It's unthinkable in any case.)

Many of our neighbors still have their jack-o-lanterns out. This one is pretty amusing -- and quite meticulously carved. I wondered if they'd made this up on their own, but no -- it's a Disney-sanctioned pattern, known as the "Cheshire Cat." Still, they did a good job! Looks like they messed up the right eyebrow, but that's minor.

Considering I didn't even attempt a pumpkin, and haven't for years, I can hardly be critical. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, or something like that.

Last night we got a surprise when a barrage of fireworks began going off across the street. I think they were associated with one of the athletic clubs -- there's a tennis club and a cricket club over there. Probably if I were better plugged in to social media I'd know whose they were. Anyway, I went out in the garden to try to see them (see video) but Mrs. Kravitz's house was in the way, so then I stepped out onto the front porch and got a better view. These were much more intense than anything we experienced the night before, but once again, Bailey didn't seem put off. She barked, but she wasn't fearful.

I see from my right-wing "news" source that some extremists are already peddling the fiction that the American election was stolen. They're trying to cast doubt on the numbers -- for example, they ask how so many more Texans could have voted for Talarico than for Kamala Harris in 2024. (Here's an explainer from a legitimate newspaper.) It doesn't seem inconceivable to me that voters might like Talarico more than Harris; also, a different mix of voters shows up from one election to another. They're also questioning why all the statewide California races broke roughly 53-to-46 percent in favor of Democrats.

So in other words, if results aren't consistent, people must have cheated. But also, if results are consistent, people must have cheated!

Honestly, I shouldn't even be amplifying their absurd claims. Democrats were highly motivated to turn out in these midterms, and Republicans weren't.

And now we have Susie Wiles out (because she's a woman and thus expendable in Trump's White House) and the awful Stephen Miller being elevated. Clearly Trump did not absorb the message of the voters.

Sticks and Foxes

As you can see, the Japanese maple in our garden has turned a brilliant red. The leaves were thicker just a week ago -- they're coming down fast now.

Last night was Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, which meant a zillion fireworks going off around our neighborhood. Most of these were just distant pops and cracks and Bailey, we were happy to see, pretty much slept through them. She only perked up when the family two houses away started sending them up (even though they're Russian). We went out in the garden and I was worried she might get spooked, but she just watched as if thinking, "What are these crazy humans doing now?"

Yesterday I found a stick in the garden and Bailey immediately got excited. We haven't played with sticks much, but evidently she shares this common canine impulse. We tossed it around for a while, until she decided to lie down and gnaw it apart. I'm glad that sticks (obviously plentiful and disposable) keep her amused. Don't worry -- she doesn't swallow the bits.

Meike asked a couple of days ago about the garden cam and why I hadn't posted videos recently. I took it down for several months because it was all seeming a little repetitive, and with Bailey running around out there I was afraid we'd mostly get footage of her. But I put it back out a few nights ago, and yesterday I cobbled together this little video.

At first we see a cat brave enough to enter Bailey's space (though Bailey is mostly inside at night, and maybe the cat somehow knows that). Then we see Bailey herself, followed by not one but two foxes, both at the same time. That was a pleasant surprise, because in my experience foxes tend to come around singly. Apparently they mate between December and February, so my guess is this is a breeding pair. They give birth to litters of four to five cubs in March or April -- I had no idea they had so many, but this is according to the almighty Google, which as we all know is never wrong.

I see that Trump wants to turn the Oval Office into a national monument, presumably so future presidents can't take down all his tacky gold trimmings. If I were elected president (unlikely) that might be my very first step.

Jubilation

I don't think this graffiti is making reference to anything specific. There's nothing dangerous near this bridge as far as I can see. Perhaps it's just someone's street name, their tag.

I'm still processing the election. It's rare that I get to experience such heady triumph, such joy, when reading the news. Usually I'm in a state of despair, or at best, a cautious equilibrium. It remains to be seen how Democrats will exercise their power under this majority and how well they'll be able to get around Trump and his promised vetos, but I'm glad to feel like I'm finally represented somehow in this government. (I live in the UK, but I'm still a US citizen and taxpayer!)

The gifts just keep on coming. No more Lauren Boebert! And the Mississippi senate race is crazy -- at one point yesterday I looked at the results and the candidates were about 40 votes apart. The gap is wider now, more like 1,100 votes, but still incredibly close, with the Democrat narrowly in the lead. In Mississippi!

I spent yesterday reading, starting a new book -- "Sharp Objects" by Gillian Flynn, which I literally picked up for free somewhere. Entertaining so far! And I did laundry and walked the dog. Her new harnesses have arrived, so I'm going to test those out starting today. Hopefully they'll be a little more snug (and escape-proof) than the one she has.

I also bought a new lead, but I'm a little scared to try it -- although it's advertised as strong, Bailey is very strong. What if it's a piece of junk? The last thing I need is Bailey rocketing across six lanes of traffic on Finchley Road. (Or rocketing toward someone's teacup poodle with fire in her eyes.) Maybe I'll stick to her old one until I get somewhere enclosed -- like the cemetery -- and then I'll test it there.

Oh Frabjous Day!

Well, I'm just aghast! Not only did Talarico win in Texas, but most other Democrats in contentious races won too. As I write Michigan is still undecided, but it's looking good, and the Dems have control of both the House and the Senate. They should now be able to push back against some of Trump's craziness. Democrats have also been elected governor in Texas and Georgia, among other states. It's a big blue night!

I was afraid to hope it would turn out this well. Now I can exhale! I feel a bit like I did the night Biden got elected in 2020 -- like, finally, the adults are back in the room.

Here's what I don't want to happen: I don't want the Democrats to now become obsessed with vengeful investigations and impeachments. Let's just move forward, and see if we can take action that will make a difference in the daily lives of people across the country and the world. Can we reconstitute our decimated foreign aid? Can we strengthen our NATO alliances and our opposition to Russia in Ukraine? Can we restore investment in alternative energy, and meanwhile soothe tension in the Middle East enough to get that oil flowing again?

On the domestic front, you know what law I'd most like to see passed? I'd like to see a prohibition against federal law enforcement agents -- especially ICE -- wearing face masks (with possible rare exemptions for undercover officers). It seems like a minor thing, but if the authorities are going to detain people on the street as they're going about their daily lives, they should have to show their faces. Masked police are un-American. (Needless to say, I'd also like to see ICE activity scaled back in general.)

Oh, and Ilhan Omar comfortably won in Minnesota with about three-quarters of the vote, despite the relentless smear campaign I mentioned yesterday. Perhaps that was never much in doubt, but I still find it gratifying. Another middle finger to Trump and MAGA.

Just when I had come to doubt the fundamental decency of American voters -- when I'd decided that our country is rife with racism and retrograde, isolationist thinking -- they produce a victory like this. I'm glad people recognize that Trump needs opposition.

In Florida, where I vote, the Democrats lost many of the statewide races. But that's not really a surprise. I'm used to being in the minority there. And let's not overstate the message -- it's typical for opposition parties to do well in midterm elections. But still.

Anyway, that's enough about all of that. This (above) is the bouquet Dave bought me for my birthday. I took it out to the patio to photograph it in daylight. Pretty nice, right? And above that, you can see our Thanksgiving cacti, blooming up a storm. Funny how the blossoms appear mainly on the side of the plants facing the window.

I took a long walk on my own yesterday morning to finish off the podcast I've been listening to. It feels good to get that done. And I somewhat caught up in blogland and on e-mails, although as we all know, this is an unceasingly flowing river!

Critter in the Vines

Thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday! It was a very mellow day around here. I walked Bailey twice, watched a couple of movies, and finished off a New Yorker.

When I walked Bailey down the Black Path in the afternoon, we passed this beautiful cascade of Virginia creeper. I tried really hard to get Bailey to pose in front of it, but this dog will not stop moving. I basically just had to snap her in action.

Then she plunged her head into the vines, convinced she'd heard some critter in there. And maybe she did.

I watched the movie "Network" in the afternoon -- still so relevant and entertaining after all these years -- and to compound my sense of birthday dissipation I ate leftover Halloween candy while I watched. Then, in the evening, I made an extra large martini and watched "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" for approximately the 40,000th time.

Dave came home from work with a big, beautiful bouquet of flowers, which I'll photograph today.

All in all, it was a perfect day and I just let myself do whatever I wanted with no self-recriminations. I'm 60 years old, dammit. I don't need to please anyone but myself, right?!

Today is election day in the USA. I imagine we won't know anything until tomorrow, but I will be biting my nails to see how this turns out. I wish we could eject the Orange One from office, but alas, he is not on the ballot -- these are midterm elections for congressional and local races.

I'm most interested to see if Talarico can win in Texas -- he seems like a great candidate but a Democratic senator from the Lone Star State still seems like a long-shot to me -- and I want to see what happens to Ilhan Omar in Minnesota now that she's been targeted (but so far charged with nothing!) by Trump's justice department. The right-wingers are spreading a story that Omar married her brother in order to allow him to briefly immigrate to the USA. Even if it proves true -- and I'm not sure it will -- I wonder how significant it is, since evidence suggests it was a relationship only on paper. Not to excuse felonious behavior, but wouldn't the greater question be, why have we built an immigration system that pushes people toward such ridiculous extremes?

Dragon and Crown

The Thanksgiving cacti are still blooming up a storm. The salmon one has opened (above)...

...as have the white/pink ones. And as you can see, the dark pink plants are blooming profusely. So I'm happy to get flowers out of all four of my cacti this year.

Some of you may wonder why I'm not calling them Christmas cacti, which is probably the name we all learned when we were younger. Apparently true Christmas cacti have a slightly different leaf shape and bloom later. Here's a short video about how to tell them apart. Most "Christmas" cacti sold in stores are actually Thanksgiving cacti, according to the experts.

Mine seem to bloom even earlier than is typical. As someone pointed out last year, they're more like Halloween cacti. Maybe that's because I live so far north, with rapidly decreasing sunlight in the autumn. Just a guess.

Not much happened around here yesterday. I took Bailey out for a walk in the afternoon, to the cemetery. Let me just say, I am thrilled that her dog walker is starting again today. She is wearing me out, she's such a wild thing! She slipped her harness at one point, lunging after a squirrel, so I am assessing new harnesses on Amazon. Hers came from the shelter and it has a tendency to loosen, so I need one that's more secure.

After I refitted her harness and tightened it up, we walked back along Mill Lane. Bailey stopped at the door to the vet's office, as if she wanted to visit again. You'd think she'd be terrified of the vet at this point, but no! An older man walking past me said, "That's a smart dog!"

Then he said, "Hey -- how many rings does a marriage have?"

Oh, great, I thought. Dad jokes.

"I don't know," I said.

"Three," he responded. "The engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffering!"

When I told Dave this story later, he said, "That guy has been waiting days to be able to spring that joke on someone."

Once again, I came across a box of stuff set out for the taking on someone's garden wall. I took these two little dishes, featuring a dragon and a crown.

As you can see from the back, they're Limoges porcelain -- specifically a pattern designed by Régis Dho for Philippe Deshoulieres. I think Chambord is the pattern name, but I'm not sure. They look to me like something swiped from a hotel or restaurant in France or Monaco. There's a listing for some identical dishes on Etsy -- she wants £60 for them, but I've seen similar ones listed for less elsewhere. I just thought they were kind of cool.

Today is my birthday. I am the big six-zero today. I can't believe I'm 60 years old, but you know, in a way it's such a relief. I've written before, and fairly recently, about the AIDS anxiety I felt as a young gay man -- I was always afraid I might not make it to 40, much less 60. So I'm pretty happy to be here, wrinkles, age spots and all!

Quo Vadis, Bailey?

Remember the chrysanthemums I bought last fall? Rather than throwing them out when they finished blooming -- which I've always done in the past -- I saved them over the winter. They died back dramatically but then sprouted and leafed out again in spring, and now they're blooming once again. I've learned something about the durability of chrysanthemums. They're not just annuals anymore.

I'm going to move them to the front porch, so people passing on the street can enjoy them. I wanted to wait until after Halloween so they didn't become a target of any pranks, though I'm not sure trick-or-treaters really play "tricks" anymore if you're not around to give them candy. As Dave said yesterday when I mentioned this concern, "It's not 1954!"

We did get some trick-or-treaters late yesterday afternoon, just as it was getting dark. Fortunately I'd prepared at the last minute by buying a bag of Celebrations and a bag of Maltesers at our local off-licence (in America we'd say convenience store). Dave and I had plans to go out for dinner last night, so we missed the bulk of the candy-seekers. Now we have a bowl of chocolates to eat. The Maltesers turned out to be a Christmas mix featuring reindeer -- probably from last year -- so it's just as well I didn't hand them out!

Bailey's cumulative energy has been building over the past week as she's been home healing -- she was like a pressure cooker about to explode. Finally, yesterday, she was literally doing zoomies around the garden, so I took her out for a long walk. We went to Gladstone Park, where I put her on her long lead and she ran and challenged squirrels.

We walked about five miles, which worked out a lot of that excess energy. Gladstone Park is a really good place to take her because it's open and grassy, and her long lead doesn't get run such a risk of getting caught in underbrush. (Unlike on Hampstead Heath.)

She was worn out enough that Dave and I could go to dinner with the secure knowledge that she'd be snoozing in the flat. We went to Quo Vadis, a Soho landmark with famous neon signs that's celebrating its 100th year in business. Dave heard they're known for their martinis. I tried one called a Gibson that was said to be "extra dry" with a pickled onion, and it contained too much pickle and not enough "dry" for my taste. But maybe that's just me. (I always find, when I try a fancy martini, that I much prefer the classic gin-with-a-splash-of-vermouth recipe.)

The food was excellent, though. I had a smoked eel and cheddar soup, followed by pork cheeks and a trifle for dessert. My trifle even came with a birthday candle, though my actual birthday isn't until tomorrow. Dave didn't finish his pork cheeks so we brought one home for Bailey. (Don't tell the chef.)

Here's a video showing Bailey at the park -- I was trying to capture her waddling gait and her restless demeanor. (We used to joke that Olga had ADHD, but she was placid compared to Bailey!) And then there's video of Bailey enjoying her pork cheek last night. She's not spoiled at all.