July 02, 2005
K.T.'s cafe, Hornsey High St.
(detail) The classic Beckettian combinatorial menu: "desimplified in the course of its production" by numerous ancillary additions, and with euphonious departures, as discussed below.
A long conversation is struck up about whether it's going to rain, harking back to the glories of droughts past ('The fishes were all belly up in the canal, dead'; 'Out on Romney marshes there's dead sheep everywhere'; 'The last time we had a water shortage they appointed a minister for drought, an' as soon as ee's appointed it didn't stop rainin' til september').
Italian chef: "Leesten, if eet rain or not, dey still gonna put up our water bill, so what deeference does eet make".
A fat man encumbered by several large musical instrument(?) cases paces about outside. The proprietor's husband (assuming the proprietor to be KT, shown in the photo) casts a wily eye to the exterior where the shower shows promise of becoming a deluge. "'Ee's bin out there all mornin'." Two minutes later, as he pushes the considerable bulk of his luggage and himself through the small doorway: "I knew we'd 'ave 'im sooner or later."
Posted by robin at July 2, 2005 10:00 AM