The Rothschild house of flint

An article in the Daily Mail about an unusual new house has caught my attention:

“If you want a house that stands out, blending in, it seems, is the way forward.

This wedge-shaped house in Buckinghamshire has been awarded House Of The Year in the prestigious Royal Institute Of British Architects (Riba) awards. Commissioned by Lord Rothschild for use by his family, Flint House rises out of the ground with step-style roofing that disappears into the sky.”

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3334722/Built-lot-wedge-Inside-incredible-tapered-home-named-Britain-s-House-Year-2015.html#ixzz3sbEqcyFF

This house seems symbolic to me: thin end of the wedge, ascending step by step…

The architects have created a colour gradient: the walls fade from dark to light, starting with dark grey flint near the ground and ending with white chalk at the top.

People’s opinions vary in a similar way: at one extreme this ziggurat-shaped house has been described as reminiscent of an Aztec temple; at the other, the pebble-dashed effect reminded one commenter of a public convenience in Worthing!

In the middle, it has been called a staircase to nowhere, a motorcycle jump, a doorstop, and likened to a slice of cake.

No one has started talking about Mesopotamia, Illuminati ceremonies or sacrificial temples yet, but this is probably just a matter of time!

Another recent string of minor misfortunes

I wrote about a bad day I had in a previous post. I have had a few more bad days recently, and I have a good idea what caused them.

I kept walking into and tripping over things at home, giving myself some bruises.

I went out on some errands. I fell very heavily just outside the library: all I did was step on a tiny stone, but it rocked forward, threw me off balance and tipped me right over. I was very shaken; I got some more bruises and I grazed my hands. 

Inside the library, a machine took my reservation money but did not credit my account; luckily the library staff believed me when I said I had paid, and they sorted it out.

I had a jarring shock when my internet connection suddenly stopped working when I was in the middle of something important. I did get it working again, but I had some bad moments.