The King and I. The film, not Charles III.

It’s claim to fame is that I was 12 days old when it was first released. The seventieth anniversary of which is Monday.

Thank you. Thank you. That’s quite clever because I have just got those two sentences up without actually saying anything.

I held down the relevant keys and singularly failed to say anything and it replied: “Thank you. Thank you.”

I’m not quite sure whether to be surprised, confounded, or thankful. Unexpected, it certainly was.

Although I do have a surprising connection to Prince Charles before he became Charles III.

Just thirteen years and two days after the previous event, I watched the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales in Caernarvon on television.

Actually I was probably even more of an nationalist little sod then than I am now.

But surprisingly he seems to have done quite well at the job. Mind you he’s had a lot of years to practise.

And with the benefit of hindsight seeing that he delivered part of his address in Welsh as well as English was something to be welcomed.

The King and I.

King Charles ascended to the monarchy at the great old age of 73, the oldest ever in British history. And in world history as well I am amazed to discover.

Although there is a proviso. He is the oldest monarch to be crowned. Apparently the king of Saudi Arabia and the king of Kuwait ascended in their 80s but were not crowned and therefore it doesn’t count for some reason…

Returning to the King and I film. I hadn’t realised that it was banned in Thailand and apparently still is. Because of the liberties in Thai tradition taken by the filmmakers.

It’s also the only role that the lead actor, Yul Brynner, ever won an Oscar for.

I hadn’t realised that the film role reprised the acting role of the same name. In which he made an astounding 4,625 appearances.

My best memory of Yul Brynner is in the Magnificent Seven. Although how I can remember that is probably beyond me because I was four when the bloody thing came out.

Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, and Horst Buchholz.

It was all based on the Japanese film “The Seven Samurai” by Akira Kurosawa which I’ve seen subsequently two or three times, including at university.

Apart from the sheer length of the film and the fact that it was all in subtitles, I probably think that the original was better than the remake but only just.

And considering what we were talking about with our trip recently to Almeria, The Magnificent Seven was made in Mexico rather than Spain.

Heat and humidity.

Amazingly some of you have been getting it warmer than us this week. Although that will probably be your summer for 2026!

I have sympathy for anybody who has to put up with 40°C. Especially when it’s really humid. Which it is normally in the UK and if you remember, is why I escaped over here.

Although I have to say we’ve been doing our best to be humid here as well.

We currently seem to have two different types of humidity.

The one that affects the thermometers and the one that doesn’t. If you can spot the thermometer moving from 40 to 60% humidity, you know what to expect.

But when the humidity stays at 45% and the sensation is that it has changed to 70 or above, I’m not sure how you react.

It’s not my imagination as L has spotted this too. Suggestions and/or solutions on a postcard please…

I seem to be suffering a bit from the brain sludge today. Can’t seem to get anything flowing. I’m not sure whether I thought that talking about The King and I and The Magnificent Seven would easily use up the whole of my allotted space. But whatever, it didn’t.

Actually in all probabilities it’s been quite a pleasant week as long as you haven’t tried to move particularly quickly.

Went for one of our famous coast walks on Saturday and was lucky enough to have the breeze in our face all the way.

The evening of Tuesday was the night of San Juan. Which is yet another excuse for the Esteponeros to let their hair down and have a bit of a fun time.

And die Tochter and husband Rob came up to join us.

Although we flaked out before midnight and left them to it. Too many people.

Some Júas on the beach before San Juan. Photo by author

Júas. Y muñecas.

Basically in English guys as in Guy Fawkes and dolls.

Although with the first Spanish word being pronounced “hoo wass”, our Spanish teacher, Carla, has discovered this is amusing to anybody from the Newcastle area (North-East England rather than -under-Lyme or in Australia. Well, well, well, I was not aware of there also being a Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal!).

Because this is how the Geordies might pronounce a word meaning ladies of ill repute.

Which, going off on a tangent of a tangent, makes me wonder why they were considered ladies of ill repute?

Depending on which joke book you subscribe to, we all know that prostitution is the second oldest profession after lawyers or accountants.

It reminds me of one of those strange phrases that you’re never really quite sure if you understand it. She is no better than she ought to be. Or indeed is no better than she should be.

A rather mild English idiom that suggests that the person concerned has no moral standards.

Which probably doesn’t have anything much to do with the night of San Juan. But potentially could have.

The whole idea of San Juan is that these júas represent people/concepts who/which are considered worth ‘cleansing’ on the night of the Summer Solstice. The rituals burn away bad luck, purify the spirit and celebrate the solstice. While the effigies burn you can wash your feet in the sea and/or jump little fires three times to bring good fortune.

And don’t let the little fact that the solstice is actually June the 21st get in the way of a good tradition. 🤣🙄

The 24th is however the traditional Midsummer Day and is one of the English rent quarter days but what that has to do with Spain I really don’t know.

I think it’s like everything to do with dates, to be honest. What with the changing from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.

It’s why in the UK the end of the tax year is the 5th of April.

Prior to the change of calendar that would have been the 25th of March, which lines up with the rent quarter day.

I am rather pleased to read that the so-called Give Us Our Eleven Days riots of 1752 were probably just a myth.

I think that’s probably enough for one week. For some reason it’s not that nothing has happened. I’m just struggling to actually get it down on paper. Electronic paper that is…

Hasta la próxima.