arteejee

A site of satirical musings, commentary and/or rhetorical criticism of the world at large.

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Location: Southeastern, Pennsylvania, United States

Sunday, April 19, 2020

Sunday Morning Post (V.2, #15) - RIP, Lady Constance


This weekend marks the 20th anniversary that Warrior Queen and I made settlement on our present abode in Southeast Pennsylvania.  We moved in on April 18, 2000 and our first meal in our forever home was a cheesesteak from a local pizza shop. This started a tradition for our moving in anniversary: a cheesesteak dinner. 


We returned to the same pizza shop for years until I discovered one time that they microwaved the meat instead of frying it fresh on the grill.  I was shocked, shocked I tell you.  Warrior Queen was even more shocked and determined that we would never return to that pizza shop.  So, the tradition continues, but at a different location.


The ensuing years have been, overall, good to us.  We don’t have as many trees as we used to have on our 1/3-acre property.  At least two blew down, one died by lightning strike, and at least four others had to be cut down when they died by disease.  The house hasn’t fared as well, but this is normal for an aging structure.  We still have four sturdy walls and a roof over our heads.  The appliance death toll goes something like this: we are on our third water heater (hard water in our area); second heating system; second refrigerator; fourth dishwasher; and now in the market for our second cd player.



Most importantly, we are still able to stand each other and, if we manage to survive this current leadership and health crisis, we look forward to paying off our mortgage in 2040!

The weekend is not all cheesesteaks and cheers.  I learned that we lost British comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor to the Covid19 pandemic earlier this week.


Bummer and Drat!


I first became a fan of Brooke-Taylor’s when our local Public Radio station (WVIA in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA) played reruns of I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again. In ISIRTA, he had a wide range of characters from the young, slightly prissy male (Timsey Whimsey) to the over-sexed septuagenarian/octogenarian Lady Constance de Coverlet.  Later cast member John Cleese and occasional script contributors Graham Chapman and Eric Idle found fame as Pythons.  Taylor, Graeme Garden, and “Wee” Bill Oddie formed The Goodies.  America was able to see The Goodies for a few years, but in the ensuing years we were able to watch Fawlty Towers, Black Adder, Benny Hill, Fry and Laurie, and more recently in the 1990’s Ab Fab.  I seldom watched these later shows, but I always made time to view the pioneers of surreal, stream-of-consciousness comedy.


I found this sketch featuring Brooke-Taylor and three other pioneers in the At Last, The 1948 Show.   Farewell Lady Constance!






(Thank you for reading.  In this space next week: even more tidings of great depression.)

10 Comments:

Blogger Debra She Who Seeks said...

Happy House Anniversary and enjoy your cheesesteak! I was a fan of Tim Brooke-Taylor and the Oddies too. RIP funny man.

April 19, 2020 at 11:23 AM  
Blogger Raybeard said...

Crikey - I never imagined for one moment that you'd have been familiar with Lady Constance. We have an archive BBC radio station in which old recordings of these ISIRTA shows, with many others are constantly replayed, right now we've gone back to near the beginning in the late-ish 1960s and already Lady C. is always the character which audience and myself most look forward to.
So very sad about Tim B.T. He'll be remembered a long, long time, and this Lady will be one of the reasons why.

April 19, 2020 at 11:58 AM  
Blogger Mistress Maddie said...

Cograts on the house anniversary. In these times anything to celebrate is worth it.

He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.

April 19, 2020 at 1:08 PM  
Blogger Raybeard said...

Graeme Garden: "Ah, Lady Constance! How long is it now?"

Tim B.T. as Lady C.: "Hmmmmm. Let me see.....Thank you!"


And btw: Congrats To you both on your 20th anniversary. :-)

April 19, 2020 at 1:25 PM  
Blogger Bob said...

Happy House-iversary.
I say it's an ongoing thing; you get one thing done, or fixed, and then another thing comes along.

April 19, 2020 at 2:02 PM  
Blogger Dave R said...

Happy Anniversary!

And I can't believe they nuked the meat... that's damn despicable.

April 19, 2020 at 4:14 PM  
Blogger Ur-spo said...

Many happy salutations on this historic day !

April 19, 2020 at 11:12 PM  
Blogger Jimmy said...

I'll chime in,...Happy house celebration.I've never had a true Phili cheese steak. Someday....

They don't make things like they used to. I was told when replacing an air conditioner, six years is average life span. I've never bought on the cheap, but this is good reason to do so if that's the case (the dirty greedy bastards).

April 20, 2020 at 12:26 AM  
Blogger Deedles said...

A belated happy houseversary to you two! I googled Tim Brooke-Taylor since I'd never heard of him before. I enjoy googling new to me people. Stay safe and bug free. May all of your plumbing be clogless and may termites bypass your humble abode.

April 20, 2020 at 11:53 AM  
Blogger todd gunther said...

Thank you, Debra for the well wishes.

Hi Raybeard! I have a lot of found memories of ISIRTA. They did seem to get away with more there then we would hear in the States, which made them all the more popular. I have seen some excerpts available on Youtube. I will have to set aside some free time to listen to them.

Thank you Maddie for that good thought.

Thank you Bob. The joys of owning a home...or at least being in debt forever to pay it off.

Thank you Dave R. I know nuking the meat...scandalous!

Thank you, Spo. Stay safe!

Hi Jimmy. Planned obsolesence has victimized us all of us.

Thank you Deedles. You may want to check out Youtube for some of Brooke-Taylor's performances.



April 21, 2020 at 7:36 AM  

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