The week began with the death of Penelope Keith, sending those over 40 back to her greatest hits. Keith's character Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life remains as embedded in national memory as Fawlty Towers. Keith was RSC trained and played Beatrice in a 1978 TV movie of Much Ado About Nothing. Her wardrobe came from Harrods and Frank Usher. Her follow-up sitcom, To the Manor Born, was described as Schitt's Creek but in Somerset. Paul Eddington, her co-star, wished his epitaph to be 'he did very little harm,' reflecting the gentleness Keith communicated.
Serena Williams' Wimbledon Return
On Tuesday, Serena Williams returned to Centre Court after four years, losing in three sets to 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint. Williams' eight-year-old daughter Olympia yawned from the box. Joint was not born when Williams first played at Wimbledon. Williams, at 44 and mother of two, showed much of her old magic, prompting observers to marvel at her form. The answer, according to the article, is that elite athletes are not normal. The author recalled a WTA event where Venus Williams and other stars circulated, seeming like a superior branch of evolution.
Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition Frenzy
On Wednesday, 80,000 people waited online for tickets to the Bayeux tapestry exhibition at the British Museum. On Thursday, another 40,000 joined the queue, but all tickets were sold out. The tapestry, insured for £800m, has only left Normandy twice. The author contrasted this enthusiasm with her children's potential lack of interest versus pop concert tickets.
Secondary School Induction Day
Thursday was induction day at secondary school. Parents hovered over their soon-to-be year 7s, while the author tracked her kids via phone apps. Smartphone bans for rising year 7s aim to retrain parents, but the author notes it's hard to give up tracking. She reminded her children that when she was their age, her mother had no idea where she was.
Fibre as the New Protein
Friday brought news that fibre is the new protein. A New Yorker piece explained 'fibremaxxing' and noted that fibre affects health beyond 'gut motility,' formerly known as shitting. A food entrepreneur who ate pints of blueberries at a sitting lost weight and realised she wanted a divorce.
