Wednesday June 27, 2007
Rather a pleasant day, though still grey and a little chill after the recent rains. I carried out the majority of my chores in descending energy order, starting with cutting the grass and ending with dusting. Tomorrow morning I shall clean bathrooms–not much more than a swish over the porcelain–and then I’ll be ready for inspection.
Graham sounds tired on the phone. I’m hoping that his mother’s visit will give him the chance to wind down a little.
There’s a large, heavy parcel waiting here for him, containing the Quad 606 he’s won on eBay, along with the 34 preamplifier he picked up a few days back. These are destined to replace the 33/404/FM3 set up which he’ll be selling back, hopefully at a profit. He sold our Audio Innovations valve[tube] integrated amplifier last week so it seems as if his pursuit of a truly lust-worthy hifi is now self-financing. Which is good.
It’s strange to be listening to true hifi once more. It’s not as plummy and thrummy as I remember it but then we’re listening through some excellent Quad speakers rather than the coffin-sized Celestions that graced my last system, years back.
Our aim is to fetch up with a really good but thoroughly dependable and long-lasting system against the imminent final demise of what we know as hifi. The flood tide of digitization and iPodification has all but swept traditional domestic music reproduction aside.
I confess I’m relieved that Graham’s joined the retro movement in this regard. I find mp3 and iPod awfully tinny and scratchy, and at odds with my classical music collection.
Anyway, my chores done, I sat down to watch the 3rd episode of the 2nd series of Rome. Strong meat but excellent, vivid and satisfying. I’m recording each one on the hard-disk recorder against a final, day-long Rome festival when the series ends and then, just as soon as they are available, I shall buy the box set.
It’s an HBO-financed production by the BBC; if it reaches the US audience I suspect there will be some dialogue ‘adjustments’ and, possibly, editing, in honour of the more delicate feelings of the audience in the States. Probably a good thing.
I’ve been poking around to find (free) movies available for download/online viewing. Haven’t found anything I’d want to spend time on so far but I suspect this will be the way of the future. My 8mb broadband connection is just about up to the job but the next speed upgrade is on the way, with more to follow. So far it’s free or, rather, no additional charge; if I’m to participate it’ll have to stay that way.
After a store-cupboard dinner–eggs, chips [fries] and sausages–washed down with a medium lager beer, I flaked off and took an early night.
Not earth shattering as days go, in spite of our pit-stop change of prime minister–anti-climactic in the extreme–but pleasant enough.
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