Saturday Morning

Early, a bit wet - at least the recycling bin men have just been - now just for the black bags - which are piled all down the street. It's pretty foggy and bears no relationship to the forecast that's just been on the radio.

Feeling OK today - almost myself - had a sleep in the afternoon and felt quite perky by evening.

Had a movie night - big stack to catch up on - started with Frost/Nixon - which I really enjoyed, well cast and very good script and editing. Period detail OK too - biggest problem for me is Michael Sheen, who was excellent - but his career is turning into a series of impersonations  - all of them look like Tony Blair ( which he doesn't - it just seems that way - when I see Blair now, I just think - oh, he looks just like Michael Sheen ) I found it a bit distracting - but really enjoyed the film

Film 2 was Munich. If you are my age or older, you will know the story - or have seen the excellent but chilling doc '5 Days in September'. The film was superb ( and I hate Spielberg movies!) - I really enjoyed it. Gripping, well acted and brilliantly crafted. The only weak point was Daniel Craig who was hopelessly miscast and too famous for his role - he was good, but just 'wrong' and his accent was strange and confusing. I found the film moving and very complex. If you are interested in morality and history - it's for you. There is one scene in particular that really stuck in my mind and was the most hotly debated subject on a couple of film review boards I looked through ( yes, I'm quite sad - I always read up on films before and after I watch them ), without ruining too much, a character who is shot in revenge for a terrible act that includes murder - as they are dying, tries to pick up and cuddle their cat, as their last act - looking for some last comfort - it was unexpected and moving, and very humanising - put a lot of the film into context. In the same scene an assassin is conflicted about the state in which to leave a body - how much dignity they give to someone they clearly despised - very good film, made far more challenging by the knowledge that it all based on true events.


In the mood for a couple more films tonight - as I have to go back to work tomorrow ( In Brighton all day Monday so I need to gear up and prepare for proper work ) - much of this month will be spent fretting about and eventually completing my tax returns - at the last moment.

Walking the dogs around Clive Vale yesterday I seemed to think there were MORE xmas decorations than before xmas - people hanging on until the last moment - building a hedge against grim reality.

The events that are filling the CoE with scandal and turmoil are absurd, comic and tragic at the same time - "I seek to make no windows into men's souls' she said a few hundred years ago - but obviously - windows into the bedroom are OK. Why don't they just turn the whole church into a theme park and be done with it.

Talking church - I accidentally stumbled across a series of blogs yesterday written by fundamental christian American off-grid types, they were the strangest thing - they revel in poverty and hardship - thank God for everything and live such cliched lives - and are so contrary in everything they do, going to great lengths explain how they sold a piece of vital farm equipment to buy a bag of oranges that they had to walk 2 miles to a store to buy - so that their children could have one each for thanksgiving ( they don't 'do' xmas )  and thanking God profusely for the blessing of a new life ( pregnant with number 5 but unable to feed the other 4  - although the husband looks like he eats all the food himself ) - and yet being very tech savvy, having a better technical grasp of the Internet than I have - and probably their own satellite rig - whilst devoting huge amounts of effort to 'Shaker' style home crafts and frugal but rather stylish living and rating each other hand stitched cotton hair coverings with traditional hand embroidery. I suppose we all correspond to one type or another - it's all lifestyle choices. The adherence and promotion of the 'wifely' role was fascinating and chilling at the same time - as was their hatred of Obama - and their absolute determination to live 'their' lives and preserve 'their' freedoms - but without allowing anyone else to have their own.

I don't specifically have anything to do today - not being 100% and this being the last day of a well earned holiday. I have a pack of lamb in the fridge that's going to the dogs later - as I'm not eating meat again - in fact, a bowl of soup and a tin of cold rice pudding last night was my first meal of 2013. The house is quite clean and tidy - I don't need anything and I might as well just have a day off. Dog walk soon - they have behaved really well again since kennels - they probably know about the lamb - I'm sure they check the fridge.