Sunday, October 24

After breakfast I go for a walk. The last few days have seen floods in some parts of southern Finland and some photos in the Vartiokylä Facebook group suggest that the seas shore here has seen flooding.

I set off to investigate, listening to Let It Roll a George Harrison compilation that I borrowed from the library. While not the best thing I have ever heard it reveals his solo work as more interesting than I had remembered. You can, however, tell instantly which of the songs he co-wrote with Bob Dylan, because the lyrics suddenly become much cleverer and complex, with better wordplay.

It also reveals Ringo Starr as a much better drummer than people tend to believe. He appears on two of the three Beatles tracks taken from The Concert for Bangla Desh which shows them in proper “solo” form.

Ringo’s drumming on While My Guitar Gently Weeps seems exemplary to me. He neither merely keeps time nor shows off, but if you listen carefully you will notice that he fills the song with little flourishes that keep it swinging and prevent any boredom seeping in.

When I get to the sea I walk along the path and, yes, the sea had risen and flooded the road. It has gone back now but huge puddles remain.