“Only the dark grey umbrella, raised incongruously against the sun, reminds us that this scene is set in August 1939, on the eve of war.” — James Russell

A placeholder for all the weekend shenanigans. The above quote is from this article in The Guardian about Eric Ravilious. I became familiar with his work via the Mid-Century Midland Hotel in Morecambe.

Related
‘Circus’ around Morecambe must end – Taylor (BBC)

Rereading The Fighting Téméraire by Sam Willis. It’s on a short-list of books, mostly about England, that I’m revisiting.

“It is an achievement that has stunned naval historians ever since and is one of the finest of all examples of the professionalism, belief and discipline which characterized the Royal Navy in the Seven Years War.”

“Thus the strands of experience and reward permeated British fleets in these years. As success was added to success, so the fleet became imbued with the spirit of veterans of conflict who had tasted success and who had acquired the habit of victory. This process, typified by the presence of these men and the Temeraire on the Belle Isle expedition, was one of the central underlying reasons for the steady growth of British maritime superiority that was to create an empire that stretched further than ever by the end of the war.”

The other books are Faith of Our Fathers, The Brothers York, and Bermuda’s Story.