Semi-Detached by Griff Rhys Jones
This is a sensitive and gently funny account of the early formative years of Griff Rhys Jones’s life up until the time he joined the BBC and became well known.
‘From birth through bell-bottoms to the BBC…
Semi-Detached is Griff Rhys Jones’s own account of his ordinary suburban childhood; of adolescent scraps and scrapes; of coming of age in the 1960s and 70s; of family and university life; and of times lost or at least fuzzy around the edges.
It’s a powerful, moving and above all touchingly funny memoir of how one of the nation’s most popular comics and personalities got from there to here…’
Friday, July 20, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Beer by name and by nature…
This year Sue’s birthday coincided with the annual Albury Morris weekend adventure of traditional dance, music and of drink.
We drove down to Beer in Dorset with my Aunt and Uncle, stopping midway for a sandwich a pint and a then at the National Trust property of Lytes Cary Manor (misheard by me as Light Scary Manor) before arriving in time to meet up with the others for another drink before dinner (you can see a theme starting to emerge).
The village of Beer is quaint and retains much of the feel of the original fishing village, albeit sanitised and more affluent than when it relied on that trade. The proximity to the sea did mean that the restaurant we had our evening meal in had a great fish menu that was enjoyed by all. A local pub was selected for the ritual occupation as the massed Morris brought out their musical instruments and sang and drank into the night.
The weekend was superbly organised by Pete and included a tram ride between Seaton and Colyton down beside the bird spotter’s paradise of the Axe valley. We watched the Morris side dance and joined them in some cold refreshments at their allotted venues. A coach took the merry group on to Sidmouth where the dancing outside was put off by the increasingly inclement weather and the group again selected pubs at random to occupy. As alcohol levels increased the side became bolder and soon the regulars were in awe of the sight of several beery and unusually clad older men prancing around the bar alternatively waving hankies and bashing sticks together (having more members than is required for each dance means that the performers can alternate as they tire or require additional refreshment such that a constant barrage of concussive stick dances and percussive bells tied to the legs that accompanies the more musical concertinas, accordions and boron drives the landlord and any potential opposition into submission). Later it was back to Beer where we had some time to freshen up and relax before continuing on with the festivities. I came down to the dinner fashionable late blaming the headaches (I actually was watching the final Dr Who of the series – brilliant it has been too) where we ate some more, drank some more and, after the tables and chairs were pushed to side of the room, singing and traditional dancing ensued.
The following day we checked out and the group decamped arranging to meet at Lyme Regis where they danced on the Cobb as the sea spray plumed over the wall and then retired to a lovely pub at Axemouth for lunch and another dance before finally disbanding and dispersing quietly into the countryside from whence they came like the crack commando dance team they are.
We drove down to Beer in Dorset with my Aunt and Uncle, stopping midway for a sandwich a pint and a then at the National Trust property of Lytes Cary Manor (misheard by me as Light Scary Manor) before arriving in time to meet up with the others for another drink before dinner (you can see a theme starting to emerge).
The village of Beer is quaint and retains much of the feel of the original fishing village, albeit sanitised and more affluent than when it relied on that trade. The proximity to the sea did mean that the restaurant we had our evening meal in had a great fish menu that was enjoyed by all. A local pub was selected for the ritual occupation as the massed Morris brought out their musical instruments and sang and drank into the night.
The weekend was superbly organised by Pete and included a tram ride between Seaton and Colyton down beside the bird spotter’s paradise of the Axe valley. We watched the Morris side dance and joined them in some cold refreshments at their allotted venues. A coach took the merry group on to Sidmouth where the dancing outside was put off by the increasingly inclement weather and the group again selected pubs at random to occupy. As alcohol levels increased the side became bolder and soon the regulars were in awe of the sight of several beery and unusually clad older men prancing around the bar alternatively waving hankies and bashing sticks together (having more members than is required for each dance means that the performers can alternate as they tire or require additional refreshment such that a constant barrage of concussive stick dances and percussive bells tied to the legs that accompanies the more musical concertinas, accordions and boron drives the landlord and any potential opposition into submission). Later it was back to Beer where we had some time to freshen up and relax before continuing on with the festivities. I came down to the dinner fashionable late blaming the headaches (I actually was watching the final Dr Who of the series – brilliant it has been too) where we ate some more, drank some more and, after the tables and chairs were pushed to side of the room, singing and traditional dancing ensued.
The following day we checked out and the group decamped arranging to meet at Lyme Regis where they danced on the Cobb as the sea spray plumed over the wall and then retired to a lovely pub at Axemouth for lunch and another dance before finally disbanding and dispersing quietly into the countryside from whence they came like the crack commando dance team they are.
A vote for de-evolution…
We had a pretty good early spring this year, but that has since been overshadowed by a crappy summer so far. Floods have devastated parts of the country and everywhere else has become steadily waterlogged too. We are not too surprised with a certain amount of meteorological variability in this country, it being the stereotypical topic of choice here. It is expected that Wimbledon will be extended due to rain (why they don’t have a roof over central court is a mystery), that Glastonbury will be knee deep in mud and posh people will be paddling around the Hampton Court Flower Show, but we usually hope to see some sun in-between these events. Alas it is not to be this year and we, desperate for a chance to enjoy the great outdoors, look skyward for a little glimmer of light so that we can have a BBQ and use our new patio furniture. So it was that we took a chance and listened to tales that this weekend was going to be the hottest this year and made arrangements to cook over an open fire both Saturday and Sunday. We got away with it on Saturday when James and Nikala came over and we cooked Sue’s jerked pork and ate it outdoors and sat drinking and talking until nearly midnight. Sunday though was a different story and we pushed our luck by having a dozen people over (much too many to accommodate indoors) for the afternoon. Things started out promisingly as we had nibbles and drinks on the deck, but we noticed the sky darkening and occasional drops of rain as we started eating the prawn kebabs. Stoic British resolve was not enough and we had to repair to the house to consume the chicken kebabs as a thunderstorm passed overhead complete with dramatic lightning and tremendous thunder. Sue put the rack of ribs and sausages in the oven to cook and a short time later and a shout went out the sun had returned – so the brave and slightly damp folk returned to wipe down the furniture – determined to get back outside. By the time the food was cooked the sun had made a welcome appearance and we enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon as we steamed slightly under the sun’s rays. Unfortunately for us Sunday was St. Swithern’s day and tradition says that should it rain on this day then we are in for 40 days and 40 nights of more of the same. So I am considering de-evolution, as the concept of webbed feet and an ability to breathe under water sure could come in handy in the future. Still we don’t have a hose-pipe ban... ...at the moment.
More of wot I have heard…
Smoke of Home by Megson
We saw this duo live at the local folk club and we very impressed with their performance, so much so we bought the latest album. Megson are a talented young couple who manage to reinterpret traditional folk songs in a sympathetic, yet modern manner and also have written new and exciting contemporary folk that is more relevant to them and a modern audience. You are unlikely to hear much of them on the radio, apart from occasional specialist shows, but the do seem to be touring as much as they can at festivals and gigs throughout the UK and Europe. They are well worth checking out.
We saw this duo live at the local folk club and we very impressed with their performance, so much so we bought the latest album. Megson are a talented young couple who manage to reinterpret traditional folk songs in a sympathetic, yet modern manner and also have written new and exciting contemporary folk that is more relevant to them and a modern audience. You are unlikely to hear much of them on the radio, apart from occasional specialist shows, but the do seem to be touring as much as they can at festivals and gigs throughout the UK and Europe. They are well worth checking out.
Wot people say…
Some acquired names for company departments and activities…
The Jedi Council – The Employee Council
The Order Prevention Administration – Oracle Project Administration (the department the processes sales orders)
The Jedi Council – The Employee Council
The Order Prevention Administration – Oracle Project Administration (the department the processes sales orders)
More of wot I have watched…
Pick of Destiny
A very silly but mildly amusing film only recommended if you are keen on rock music and Jack Black at his maddest as he plays along with his TenaciousD colleague Kyle Gass. The official website is also mildly diverting if you have a few spare moments.
The Pursuit of Happyness
This is an entertaining movie that sometimes ladles the desperation on a little too thick (more than the real life story that it is based on) yet the interplay between will Smith and his real life son does touch the soul.
The Departed
The departed is a very good gangster movie that has enough intrigue and action to satisfy most fans of this genre. There is some very fine acting throughout with some wonderful actors taking on supporting roles, though occasionally the accents of a few jar a bit. Overall it is an edge of the seat rollercoaster ride that journeys quickly through the near two hours duration.
Casino Royal
Another James Bond movie can put of those who are not fans of the series, but this version has some significant differences that might attract those who did not like previous 007 stories and might put off those who did. This story is a darker and more authentic Ian Fleming retelling and the first outing by Daniel Craig is also dark and moody with more than a hint of the psychotic. As with most James Bond stories there are occasional plot holes and stretches of credibility but this film benefits from the new approach and from the film makers choice to use more ‘real’ stunts and less CGI (the parkour chase through the building sight is especially exciting). I enjoyed the film and I welcome more of the same from Daniel Craig.
Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz is a very good comedy movie from the makers of Shaun of the Dead and again staring the comedy duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. In a similar vein to Shaun of the Dead and horror movies, hot Fuzz simultaneously pays homage and pokes fun at iconic references in the action/cop movie genre. It is supported by a fantastic cast of veteran British actors who flesh out the silly capers with some style. The official website is nicely put together and entertaining.
A very silly but mildly amusing film only recommended if you are keen on rock music and Jack Black at his maddest as he plays along with his TenaciousD colleague Kyle Gass. The official website is also mildly diverting if you have a few spare moments.
The Pursuit of Happyness
This is an entertaining movie that sometimes ladles the desperation on a little too thick (more than the real life story that it is based on) yet the interplay between will Smith and his real life son does touch the soul.
The Departed
The departed is a very good gangster movie that has enough intrigue and action to satisfy most fans of this genre. There is some very fine acting throughout with some wonderful actors taking on supporting roles, though occasionally the accents of a few jar a bit. Overall it is an edge of the seat rollercoaster ride that journeys quickly through the near two hours duration.
Casino Royal
Another James Bond movie can put of those who are not fans of the series, but this version has some significant differences that might attract those who did not like previous 007 stories and might put off those who did. This story is a darker and more authentic Ian Fleming retelling and the first outing by Daniel Craig is also dark and moody with more than a hint of the psychotic. As with most James Bond stories there are occasional plot holes and stretches of credibility but this film benefits from the new approach and from the film makers choice to use more ‘real’ stunts and less CGI (the parkour chase through the building sight is especially exciting). I enjoyed the film and I welcome more of the same from Daniel Craig.
Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz is a very good comedy movie from the makers of Shaun of the Dead and again staring the comedy duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. In a similar vein to Shaun of the Dead and horror movies, hot Fuzz simultaneously pays homage and pokes fun at iconic references in the action/cop movie genre. It is supported by a fantastic cast of veteran British actors who flesh out the silly capers with some style. The official website is nicely put together and entertaining.
More of wot I have read…
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
‘Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to gain the approval of his father and resolves to win the local kite-fighting tournament, to prove that he has the makings of a man. His loyal friend Hassan promises to help him – for he always helps Amir – but this is 1970s Afganistan and Hassan is merely a low-caste servant who is jeered at in the street, although Amir feels jealous of his natural courage and the place he holds in his father’s heart. But neither of the boys could forsee what would happen to Hassan on the afternoon of the tournament, which was to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return, to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.’
‘Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to gain the approval of his father and resolves to win the local kite-fighting tournament, to prove that he has the makings of a man. His loyal friend Hassan promises to help him – for he always helps Amir – but this is 1970s Afganistan and Hassan is merely a low-caste servant who is jeered at in the street, although Amir feels jealous of his natural courage and the place he holds in his father’s heart. But neither of the boys could forsee what would happen to Hassan on the afternoon of the tournament, which was to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return, to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.’
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Fylde Fields website...
Fylde Fields Olive Grove and Gardens
I have been doing some more work on my parent’s website for their olive grove in New Zealand. Chris did a great job on the original site and I have tweaked and added information to make it a bit more comprehensive. There are still some areas that require more work to bring it up to scratch before I point their web address to but it this stage it needs some reviewing and constructive criticism. Have a look and tell me what you think.
I have been doing some more work on my parent’s website for their olive grove in New Zealand. Chris did a great job on the original site and I have tweaked and added information to make it a bit more comprehensive. There are still some areas that require more work to bring it up to scratch before I point their web address to but it this stage it needs some reviewing and constructive criticism. Have a look and tell me what you think.
Out and about...
Claremont Landscape Gardens
Claremont gardens are what is left of a larger estate that was once one of the most impressive properties in Surrey. The ground works, lake and expanses of tree-lined avenues are very popular with families of young children, who like to play in the park-like areas. We went up to the belvedere and looked out across the countryside from Heathrow to central London. The grounds are not too large and so after we had a stroll around we decided to continue on to the nearby Wisley.
RHS Wisley
We are RHS members and when we make the occasional visit to Wisley it is usually on the member’s only day. This time we went on a Saturday and we were totally taken aback by the numbers of other people their. Wisley are working on a program of works by adding a huge new glasshouse that is soon to open. And along with that they have greatly increased the car parking facilities to accommodate the expected visitors. The gardens were looking very good in their early summer colours and the walk around was very pleasant.
BBQ
Although we have not managed to have a BBQ at home we have enjoyed being invited to others. We had a nice afternoon at some old friends of ours that live near Redhill and had a good time catching up with everybody in the sunshine. Our new neighbours also invited us to a BBQ at their place and we had a lovely evening with the added advantage of only having to stagger next-door.
Abinger Fair
Summer in the villages means fates and fairs and we went recently to one near us. It had a friendly community spirit and was situated in the picturesque village of Abinger Common on the common itself between the church and the pub. It was a very pleasant experience, although we didn’t stay long as we had other things to do.
Claremont gardens are what is left of a larger estate that was once one of the most impressive properties in Surrey. The ground works, lake and expanses of tree-lined avenues are very popular with families of young children, who like to play in the park-like areas. We went up to the belvedere and looked out across the countryside from Heathrow to central London. The grounds are not too large and so after we had a stroll around we decided to continue on to the nearby Wisley.
RHS Wisley
We are RHS members and when we make the occasional visit to Wisley it is usually on the member’s only day. This time we went on a Saturday and we were totally taken aback by the numbers of other people their. Wisley are working on a program of works by adding a huge new glasshouse that is soon to open. And along with that they have greatly increased the car parking facilities to accommodate the expected visitors. The gardens were looking very good in their early summer colours and the walk around was very pleasant.
BBQ
Although we have not managed to have a BBQ at home we have enjoyed being invited to others. We had a nice afternoon at some old friends of ours that live near Redhill and had a good time catching up with everybody in the sunshine. Our new neighbours also invited us to a BBQ at their place and we had a lovely evening with the added advantage of only having to stagger next-door.
Abinger Fair
Summer in the villages means fates and fairs and we went recently to one near us. It had a friendly community spirit and was situated in the picturesque village of Abinger Common on the common itself between the church and the pub. It was a very pleasant experience, although we didn’t stay long as we had other things to do.
More of wot I have seen…
The Devil Wears Prada
In my opinion this is pretty much an uber-chick-flick with attitude. Sue enjoyed it probably more than I did, but then it is obvious that my understanding of fashion is limited. There is some more detail at Wikipeadia on this film too.
The Prestige
This was more my bag, and even though it has Hugh Jackman in it Sue couldn’t manage enough enthusiasm to watch it through. There are some loose threads and unanswered questions in the script which might be deliberate by the director (though if you read some of the discussion boards there are a lot of people who are over analysing this film). Some elements we a little overdone and some our skipped over too lightly, but over all it is a very good film. The highlight for me is David Bowie as Tesla. Wikipeadia on this film.
In my opinion this is pretty much an uber-chick-flick with attitude. Sue enjoyed it probably more than I did, but then it is obvious that my understanding of fashion is limited. There is some more detail at Wikipeadia on this film too.
The Prestige
This was more my bag, and even though it has Hugh Jackman in it Sue couldn’t manage enough enthusiasm to watch it through. There are some loose threads and unanswered questions in the script which might be deliberate by the director (though if you read some of the discussion boards there are a lot of people who are over analysing this film). Some elements we a little overdone and some our skipped over too lightly, but over all it is a very good film. The highlight for me is David Bowie as Tesla. Wikipeadia on this film.
More of wot I have heard…
Another Run around the Sun by Ben Taylor
This is another album that we bought on the strength of a single track. Sue was keen on a song that was being played on the radio and so we investigated and found his latest album. His sound will be familiar to any old folkies as it is very similar to his father James Taylor. The whole family is musically inclined as his mum is Carly Simon and his sister Sally is also a musician. It is nice easy going music even if it is just a little bit ‘samey’ throughout.
This is another album that we bought on the strength of a single track. Sue was keen on a song that was being played on the radio and so we investigated and found his latest album. His sound will be familiar to any old folkies as it is very similar to his father James Taylor. The whole family is musically inclined as his mum is Carly Simon and his sister Sally is also a musician. It is nice easy going music even if it is just a little bit ‘samey’ throughout.
More of wot I have read…
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
An interesting and quite odd little book that was nevertheless entertaining. I have heard that it has already been made into a stage show and is slated to be turned into a film. There is a cute website that acts as a promo for the book that is worth a visit. Wikipedia has more information about the Life of Pi including some of the controversy regarding the theme of the story and other similar books.
'By Suzy Hansen August 1, 2002
"Jesus, Mary, Muhammad and Vishnu, how good to see you, Richard Parker!" Pi Patel cries when he sees an old friend struggling aboard his lifeboat. Pi's scrambling of faiths probably won't win him the affection of any of those religious figures. But then again, in Yann Martel's "Life of Pi," our hero Pi (yes, as in 3.14, though his full name is Piscine, the French word for "pool") has just survived a sinking ship in the Pacific Ocean and witnessed the death of his family. Anyone in his position would be rejoicing to multiple gods at the sight of an old friend -- even if this feisty Richard Parker character is actually a 450-pound Bengal tiger.
And anyone facing Pi's outrageous plight -- a skittish zebra, vicious hyena and lumbering orangutan join the castaway party for what ends up being 227 days adrift in the (large) lifeboat -- would need the help of all the gods they could summon from the skies. Martel's "Life of Pi" might sound ridiculous, but by the time Martel throws Pi out to sea, his quirkily magical and often hilarious vision has already taken hold. (After all, this is, as Martel promises us, a "story that will make you believe in God.") Martel frames the novel as the reminiscences of an older Pi as recorded by the author and intermittently offers his own observations of this curious Indian man. The device works: Martel is so mesmerized by Pi that one can't help but be enchanted too.
As Pi explains, in his Indian hometown of Pondicherry, the local priest, pandit and imam, as well as Pi's parents, had many objections to his penchant for collecting religions. But as Pi reasons in his typically idiosyncratic way, "Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims." When he observes how Muslims pray, he says, "Why, Islam is nothing but an easy sort of exercise ... Hot-weather yoga for Bedouins." His naiveté can be silly, but ultimately it's an open-mindedness, a way of turning things upside down to see them differently, that serves him well.
Eventually, Pi's family flees an unstable India, where his father runs a zoo, heading for Canada, and bringing various animals along with them on a Japanese cargo ship. It's on this voyage that their happy ark mysteriously sinks. Luckily, Pi possesses a nonreligious kind of understanding and faith that allows him to survive on the lifeboat with four animals not known for their compatibility. Pi's father taught him that the most dangerous creature in the zoo is "the animal as seen through human eyes ... It is an animal that is 'cute,' 'friendly,' 'loving,' 'devoted,' 'merry,' 'understanding.'"
Yet, while Pi knows about the ferocity of the beasts, he's also familiar with the quirks of the animal kingdom that often befuddle humans peering in from outside. Sometimes goats can get along just fine with rhinos. A mouse can live with vipers: "While other mice dropped in the terrarium disappeared within two days, this little brown Methusalah built itself a nest, stored the grains we gave it in various hideaways and scampered about in plain sight of the snakes." Likewise, if handled carefully, a ravenous and terrified Bengal tiger will spare the life of the only human in sight.
Pi's lost-at-sea story never drags. The slow journey is spiked with fascinating survival scenes, as when Pi and Richard Parker meet a school of flying fish: "They came like a swarm of locusts. It was not only their numbers; there was also something insect-like about the clicking, whirring sound of their wings." Pi attempts to catch the fish for food; the tiger is better at it: "Many were eaten live and whole, struggling wings beating in his mouth ... It was not so much the speed that was impressive as the pure animal confidence, the total absorption in the moment."
Pi's story is so extraordinary that when he finally makes it ashore, he offers a comparatively boring version of the tale to two researchers, acknowledging that humans don't have much of a taste for the miraculous. This played-down version makes Pi's true tale, thanks to Martel's beautifully fantastical and spirited rendering, all the more tempting to believe.'
The Constant Gardener by John le Carré
This is a good book from a master writer of political intrigue and conspiracy stories that is well written and believably detailed where the main characters are flawed and human and battle as much with themselves as they do with the frightening circumstances they find themselves in. I understand the film adaptation of the book is very good too.
While on location filming the movie the cast and crew decided to set up a welfare trust, called The Constant Gardener Trust.
‘The Constant Gardener is a magnificent exploration of the new world order by one of the most compelling and elegant storytellers of our time. The novel opens in northern Kenya with the gruesome murder of Tessa Quayle – young, beautiful, and dearly beloved to husband Justin. When Justin sets out on a personal odyssey to uncover the mystery of her death, what he finds could make him not only a suspect among his own collegues, but a target for Tessa’s killers as well.
A master chronicler of the betrayals of ordinary people caught in political conflict, John le Carré portrays the dark side of unbridled capitalism as only he can. In The Constant Gardener he tells a compelling, complex story of a man elevated through tradgedy, as Justin Quayle – amateur gardener, aging widower, and ineffectual bureaucrat – discovers his own natural resources and the extraordinary courage of the woman he barely had time to love.’
An interesting and quite odd little book that was nevertheless entertaining. I have heard that it has already been made into a stage show and is slated to be turned into a film. There is a cute website that acts as a promo for the book that is worth a visit. Wikipedia has more information about the Life of Pi including some of the controversy regarding the theme of the story and other similar books.
'By Suzy Hansen August 1, 2002
"Jesus, Mary, Muhammad and Vishnu, how good to see you, Richard Parker!" Pi Patel cries when he sees an old friend struggling aboard his lifeboat. Pi's scrambling of faiths probably won't win him the affection of any of those religious figures. But then again, in Yann Martel's "Life of Pi," our hero Pi (yes, as in 3.14, though his full name is Piscine, the French word for "pool") has just survived a sinking ship in the Pacific Ocean and witnessed the death of his family. Anyone in his position would be rejoicing to multiple gods at the sight of an old friend -- even if this feisty Richard Parker character is actually a 450-pound Bengal tiger.
And anyone facing Pi's outrageous plight -- a skittish zebra, vicious hyena and lumbering orangutan join the castaway party for what ends up being 227 days adrift in the (large) lifeboat -- would need the help of all the gods they could summon from the skies. Martel's "Life of Pi" might sound ridiculous, but by the time Martel throws Pi out to sea, his quirkily magical and often hilarious vision has already taken hold. (After all, this is, as Martel promises us, a "story that will make you believe in God.") Martel frames the novel as the reminiscences of an older Pi as recorded by the author and intermittently offers his own observations of this curious Indian man. The device works: Martel is so mesmerized by Pi that one can't help but be enchanted too.
As Pi explains, in his Indian hometown of Pondicherry, the local priest, pandit and imam, as well as Pi's parents, had many objections to his penchant for collecting religions. But as Pi reasons in his typically idiosyncratic way, "Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims." When he observes how Muslims pray, he says, "Why, Islam is nothing but an easy sort of exercise ... Hot-weather yoga for Bedouins." His naiveté can be silly, but ultimately it's an open-mindedness, a way of turning things upside down to see them differently, that serves him well.
Eventually, Pi's family flees an unstable India, where his father runs a zoo, heading for Canada, and bringing various animals along with them on a Japanese cargo ship. It's on this voyage that their happy ark mysteriously sinks. Luckily, Pi possesses a nonreligious kind of understanding and faith that allows him to survive on the lifeboat with four animals not known for their compatibility. Pi's father taught him that the most dangerous creature in the zoo is "the animal as seen through human eyes ... It is an animal that is 'cute,' 'friendly,' 'loving,' 'devoted,' 'merry,' 'understanding.'"
Yet, while Pi knows about the ferocity of the beasts, he's also familiar with the quirks of the animal kingdom that often befuddle humans peering in from outside. Sometimes goats can get along just fine with rhinos. A mouse can live with vipers: "While other mice dropped in the terrarium disappeared within two days, this little brown Methusalah built itself a nest, stored the grains we gave it in various hideaways and scampered about in plain sight of the snakes." Likewise, if handled carefully, a ravenous and terrified Bengal tiger will spare the life of the only human in sight.
Pi's lost-at-sea story never drags. The slow journey is spiked with fascinating survival scenes, as when Pi and Richard Parker meet a school of flying fish: "They came like a swarm of locusts. It was not only their numbers; there was also something insect-like about the clicking, whirring sound of their wings." Pi attempts to catch the fish for food; the tiger is better at it: "Many were eaten live and whole, struggling wings beating in his mouth ... It was not so much the speed that was impressive as the pure animal confidence, the total absorption in the moment."
Pi's story is so extraordinary that when he finally makes it ashore, he offers a comparatively boring version of the tale to two researchers, acknowledging that humans don't have much of a taste for the miraculous. This played-down version makes Pi's true tale, thanks to Martel's beautifully fantastical and spirited rendering, all the more tempting to believe.'
The Constant Gardener by John le Carré
This is a good book from a master writer of political intrigue and conspiracy stories that is well written and believably detailed where the main characters are flawed and human and battle as much with themselves as they do with the frightening circumstances they find themselves in. I understand the film adaptation of the book is very good too.
While on location filming the movie the cast and crew decided to set up a welfare trust, called The Constant Gardener Trust.
‘The Constant Gardener is a magnificent exploration of the new world order by one of the most compelling and elegant storytellers of our time. The novel opens in northern Kenya with the gruesome murder of Tessa Quayle – young, beautiful, and dearly beloved to husband Justin. When Justin sets out on a personal odyssey to uncover the mystery of her death, what he finds could make him not only a suspect among his own collegues, but a target for Tessa’s killers as well.
A master chronicler of the betrayals of ordinary people caught in political conflict, John le Carré portrays the dark side of unbridled capitalism as only he can. In The Constant Gardener he tells a compelling, complex story of a man elevated through tradgedy, as Justin Quayle – amateur gardener, aging widower, and ineffectual bureaucrat – discovers his own natural resources and the extraordinary courage of the woman he barely had time to love.’
The prodigal son…
Jamie paid us a flying visit the other weekend so that the family could celebrate his 21st birthday and shower him and gifts before he returned to Uni. He came down with his flat mate and University Rugby friend Golly as he has the added bonus of having a car.
Sue and I went shopping before they arrived and filled the car to the gunnels and emptied the back account as we found all the treats that Jamie might like. As he was only with us for a couple of days he had to take most of it back to Hull with him.
We were planning to have a BBQ having bought new patio furniture and a BBQ, but as luck would have it was cold and wet so Sue did all the cooking inside and we had a great buffet spread. The chocolate cake Sue made was an enormous construction, three sponge layers high with chocolate cream filling and a thick covering of rich chocolate icing all over – Jamie left me a single slice and it took several days to finish just that.
Sue and I went shopping before they arrived and filled the car to the gunnels and emptied the back account as we found all the treats that Jamie might like. As he was only with us for a couple of days he had to take most of it back to Hull with him.
We were planning to have a BBQ having bought new patio furniture and a BBQ, but as luck would have it was cold and wet so Sue did all the cooking inside and we had a great buffet spread. The chocolate cake Sue made was an enormous construction, three sponge layers high with chocolate cream filling and a thick covering of rich chocolate icing all over – Jamie left me a single slice and it took several days to finish just that.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Rock on…
The Zimmers are the oldest rock group ever with a combined age of 3000, and the oldest member 100 years young, they are even older than the Rolling Stones. The group of OAPs came together to perform as a result of a BBC TV program called Power to the People, a three-part series of mischievous documentaries presented by Tim Samuels - who helps some of the most disenfranchised people in society make their voice heard. Their choice of the Who’s ‘My Generation’ as the single they have recorded is made more poignant when the 90 year old lead singer, Alf, sings the immortal line – ‘I hope I die before I get old’.
In an interview one of the women in the group expressed how excited she was to be flying to America to appear in a talk show. She said it would be the first time on an airplane since 1926!
In an interview one of the women in the group expressed how excited she was to be flying to America to appear in a talk show. She said it would be the first time on an airplane since 1926!
What now?
We bought some new garden furniture with the help of Sue’s Aunty Joan who gave us money instead of Christmas and birthday presents. A couple of weekends ago we found a good deal that allowed us to buy a table with six chairs, an umbrella and stand, a bench and an occasional table and we arranged for them to be delivered on a Friday (they didn’t do weekend deliveries). Later that weekend though our washing machine packed up in spectacular style by blowing the fuses, so we looked around and ordered a new one. Being smart we arranged for it to also be delivered on Friday but, as is so often the case, things didn’t go to plan and the company tried to deliver to the wrong address. So they are going to redeliver this Friday instead. After we received the garden furniture and assembled it we decided to get some bits in for the weekend as my Aunt and Uncle were coming over. We ‘popped’ into a garden centre just to have a look and ended up buying a BBQ to go with the new furniture.
It was Jamie’s 21st birthday on Friday and we sent him an emergency rations delivery from the supermarket (including beer, fizz, cake, chocolate, eggs, bacon, sausages and bread) and rang him to wish him all the best. He is in the middle of exams at the moment and is planning to come down next weekend to see us and we hope to christen the BBQ – it will probably rain.
My Aunt and Uncle come over on the Saturday and we spent the next couple of days eating, drinking (luckily we had taken the previous empties to the recycling), and visiting some local National Trust properties.
We visited the nearby Polesden Lacey, the quaint little Oakhurst Cottage, and the musical collection at Hatchlands Park.
It was Jamie’s 21st birthday on Friday and we sent him an emergency rations delivery from the supermarket (including beer, fizz, cake, chocolate, eggs, bacon, sausages and bread) and rang him to wish him all the best. He is in the middle of exams at the moment and is planning to come down next weekend to see us and we hope to christen the BBQ – it will probably rain.
My Aunt and Uncle come over on the Saturday and we spent the next couple of days eating, drinking (luckily we had taken the previous empties to the recycling), and visiting some local National Trust properties.
We visited the nearby Polesden Lacey, the quaint little Oakhurst Cottage, and the musical collection at Hatchlands Park.
More of wot I have watched…
Wallace & Grommet – The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
These Plasticine heroes are legendary and Aardman and Nick Park are one of the best creators of stop-motion animation. This latest offering is even better than there previous cinematic gold. Jammed packed with comedic gems they prove that a good script and fantastic characterisation can make a fantastic film without resorting to shock and appal.
Night in the Museum
Another film that is mainly for the kids that still manages to provide something for the grown-ups too. The appearance of Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney topped an all star cast for me. The website that goes along with the film is also quite entertaining.
These Plasticine heroes are legendary and Aardman and Nick Park are one of the best creators of stop-motion animation. This latest offering is even better than there previous cinematic gold. Jammed packed with comedic gems they prove that a good script and fantastic characterisation can make a fantastic film without resorting to shock and appal.
Night in the Museum
Another film that is mainly for the kids that still manages to provide something for the grown-ups too. The appearance of Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney topped an all star cast for me. The website that goes along with the film is also quite entertaining.
Faceless…
British people and Londoners in particular, are the some of the most closely monitored population with more CCTV cameras per head than anywhere in the world. Artist Manu Luksch and her collaborators have decided to bring this to people’s attention by creating a collective and making a film called Faceless by using only footage gained from these cameras. As you have the right to ask for copies of any CCTV footage you appear this group acted out a story in plain view and got these everpresent eyes to film it for them. This project proves to be an interesting if slightly scary concept.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
More of wot I have watched…
Happy Feet
Dancing and singing penguins, what more could you want? Light and fluffy (or perhaps feathery) and obviously aimed at kids, this film still has some real laugh-out-loud moments for the ‘grown-up’s too. The visual imagery is very good with nice textures, smooth animations and believable animal characterisations - that are not too cartoon-like. Robin Williams provides the wacky voices for two characters with his usual reliable results. There is an obvious but not overplayed environmental message that underlines the story which doesn’t detract too much from the simpler boy-penguin-meets-girl-penguin, outcast for being different penguin, and perseverance in spite of sea lions messages.
Set in a time where food is scarce and tensions high our hero, Mumbles, is a penguin that can’t sing and has a compulsion to dance, much to the horror of most of his fellow penguins. He is banished to the wilderness where he finds acceptance and friendship with a group of different penguins who teach him to believe in himself. Driven to succeed against all odds Mumbles sets off to find out what is happening to all the fish and save the day – accompanied by a series of song and dance routines.
The History Boys
This is a very entertaining film, now a stage show, that explores the hot-housing of students for academic success, literary-historical jokes, and exploration of relationships between students and between teachers and students (though I felt the story seemed to be a little unbalanced by too many bi-sexual and homosexual references in preference to other relationship issues). The ensemble cast and strong young actors really made the film come to life.
Set several decades ago a class of bright but unruly history students are close to being the first to all make it into the Oxbridge universities. The headmaster is determined to see his school finally succeed and so he employs a young and confident teacher to coach the boys in the finer points of university entrance. Conflict arises with the existing teacher whose emphasis is more towards giving the boys a ‘real’ education.
Best line – How do I define history? Well it's just one f**king thing after another, isn't it?
Little Miss Sunshine
I love qwerky movies with that ‘Indie’ feel, and this fits the bill for me, plus it has a yellow VW van in it too. Nice and strong acting from the whole cast brings a real feeling of cohesion to an ever more unravelling series of events that finally comes together with an unexpected and moving sequence on a stage.
A dysfunctional family make a road-trip in their clapped out van when the youngest member has the opportunity to take part in the finals of the Little Miss Sunshine competition. They all have to come to terms with their inner failings and the disappointment of failure when they are forced to rely on each other to make it through difficult times.
Tideland
This is a Terry Gilliam film! So you have been warned. A fantastical story from the perspective of a young girl left in an unusual situation and left to draw on her own inner strength to cope. Like many of his films Tideland runs a line that many people find either genius or grotesque (sometimes both), and always controversial, which is one of his stated aims – to make the audience think. The young lead actress is remarkable and totally convincing in the role and is someone to keep an eye out for in the future. Tideland is an amazing film.
Pierrepoint
How could a film about a hangman be entertaining? Take a handful of supreme dramatic character actors, like Timothy Spall and Juliet Stevenson, a tight script oozing repressed tension and you have a recipe for a gripping movie. The movie is a biopic of the most well known executioner in the UK, Albert Pierrepoint.
Jasper Carrott
Carrott is a goofy and entertaining comic, at his best when he stays away from the profane and sticks with his great observational humour.
Dancing and singing penguins, what more could you want? Light and fluffy (or perhaps feathery) and obviously aimed at kids, this film still has some real laugh-out-loud moments for the ‘grown-up’s too. The visual imagery is very good with nice textures, smooth animations and believable animal characterisations - that are not too cartoon-like. Robin Williams provides the wacky voices for two characters with his usual reliable results. There is an obvious but not overplayed environmental message that underlines the story which doesn’t detract too much from the simpler boy-penguin-meets-girl-penguin, outcast for being different penguin, and perseverance in spite of sea lions messages.
Set in a time where food is scarce and tensions high our hero, Mumbles, is a penguin that can’t sing and has a compulsion to dance, much to the horror of most of his fellow penguins. He is banished to the wilderness where he finds acceptance and friendship with a group of different penguins who teach him to believe in himself. Driven to succeed against all odds Mumbles sets off to find out what is happening to all the fish and save the day – accompanied by a series of song and dance routines.
The History Boys
This is a very entertaining film, now a stage show, that explores the hot-housing of students for academic success, literary-historical jokes, and exploration of relationships between students and between teachers and students (though I felt the story seemed to be a little unbalanced by too many bi-sexual and homosexual references in preference to other relationship issues). The ensemble cast and strong young actors really made the film come to life.
Set several decades ago a class of bright but unruly history students are close to being the first to all make it into the Oxbridge universities. The headmaster is determined to see his school finally succeed and so he employs a young and confident teacher to coach the boys in the finer points of university entrance. Conflict arises with the existing teacher whose emphasis is more towards giving the boys a ‘real’ education.
Best line – How do I define history? Well it's just one f**king thing after another, isn't it?
Little Miss Sunshine
I love qwerky movies with that ‘Indie’ feel, and this fits the bill for me, plus it has a yellow VW van in it too. Nice and strong acting from the whole cast brings a real feeling of cohesion to an ever more unravelling series of events that finally comes together with an unexpected and moving sequence on a stage.
A dysfunctional family make a road-trip in their clapped out van when the youngest member has the opportunity to take part in the finals of the Little Miss Sunshine competition. They all have to come to terms with their inner failings and the disappointment of failure when they are forced to rely on each other to make it through difficult times.
Tideland
This is a Terry Gilliam film! So you have been warned. A fantastical story from the perspective of a young girl left in an unusual situation and left to draw on her own inner strength to cope. Like many of his films Tideland runs a line that many people find either genius or grotesque (sometimes both), and always controversial, which is one of his stated aims – to make the audience think. The young lead actress is remarkable and totally convincing in the role and is someone to keep an eye out for in the future. Tideland is an amazing film.
Pierrepoint
How could a film about a hangman be entertaining? Take a handful of supreme dramatic character actors, like Timothy Spall and Juliet Stevenson, a tight script oozing repressed tension and you have a recipe for a gripping movie. The movie is a biopic of the most well known executioner in the UK, Albert Pierrepoint.
Jasper Carrott
Carrott is a goofy and entertaining comic, at his best when he stays away from the profane and sticks with his great observational humour.
More of wot I have read…
The Island by Victoria Hislop
This is the author’s debut novel and it is interesting and involving if a little on the light side. I enjoyed finding out about the island life of recent Crete and about leprosy and the leper colony. Some of the main characters are lacking some depth but there is a good amount of detail about the places and lifestyles of the people which betrays the author’s background in travel journalism. Incidentally the author is married to Ian Hislop of Private Eye and Have I Got News For You fame.
‘On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find out about her mother's past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to London. When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through her she will learn more. Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone's throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga - Greece's former leper colony. Then she finds Fortini, and at last hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip...’
This is the author’s debut novel and it is interesting and involving if a little on the light side. I enjoyed finding out about the island life of recent Crete and about leprosy and the leper colony. Some of the main characters are lacking some depth but there is a good amount of detail about the places and lifestyles of the people which betrays the author’s background in travel journalism. Incidentally the author is married to Ian Hislop of Private Eye and Have I Got News For You fame.
‘On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find out about her mother's past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to London. When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through her she will learn more. Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone's throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga - Greece's former leper colony. Then she finds Fortini, and at last hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip...’
Thursday, April 26, 2007
More of wot I have heard…
annA rydeR
On Wednesday we went to the Chanticleer folk club with Lorraine and Paul and watched the wonderfully entertaining annA rydeR. She is an obviously accomplished musician and a talented writer with a great sense of humour. She played a few heart-warming folk number, jazzy songs, and funny tunes (the Hoover song got us all chortling along). Anna played the piano, guitar, accordion, ukulele & piano, trumpet & piano and her finale was on the bicycle pump (this was probably only limited by what she could carry). It seems her talent is not limited to music as we saw some of her cartoon greeting cards that she is also making and selling through the Hare and Bare website (Paul did think that name sounded pornographic, but we’ll let him off).
On Wednesday we went to the Chanticleer folk club with Lorraine and Paul and watched the wonderfully entertaining annA rydeR. She is an obviously accomplished musician and a talented writer with a great sense of humour. She played a few heart-warming folk number, jazzy songs, and funny tunes (the Hoover song got us all chortling along). Anna played the piano, guitar, accordion, ukulele & piano, trumpet & piano and her finale was on the bicycle pump (this was probably only limited by what she could carry). It seems her talent is not limited to music as we saw some of her cartoon greeting cards that she is also making and selling through the Hare and Bare website (Paul did think that name sounded pornographic, but we’ll let him off).
More of wot I have read…
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
This is a gentle non-challenging romantic story that is sweet but not overly exciting either.
‘When he was a boy, Charlie St. Cloud almost perished in a car crash that killed his little brother, Sam. Years later, Charlie is still trying to atone for his loss. It is only when he meets Tess Carroll, a captivating, adventurous yachtswoman, that he is faced with a choice – between death and life, the past and the present, holding on and letting go. The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud is a romantic and exhilarating novel about second chances and the liberating power of love.’
This is a gentle non-challenging romantic story that is sweet but not overly exciting either.
‘When he was a boy, Charlie St. Cloud almost perished in a car crash that killed his little brother, Sam. Years later, Charlie is still trying to atone for his loss. It is only when he meets Tess Carroll, a captivating, adventurous yachtswoman, that he is faced with a choice – between death and life, the past and the present, holding on and letting go. The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud is a romantic and exhilarating novel about second chances and the liberating power of love.’
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
More of wot I have heard…
The Family Mahone - Mahone Brew
BBC Radio DJ Mark Radcliffe (DJ Mahone) was a founder member of this folk ensemble and writes much of the band’s songs. The latest album has a distinct beer drinking theme right down to the name and the label on the cover which features specially commissioned ale from Mr. W and Mr. C at the interesting boutique WC Brewery.
It is a very rousing and humorous collection of tunes played with real enthusiasm and skill, a nice contemporary twist on a traditional folk sound.
The name of the band hints to their punk approach to the music and the original Celtic punk band, the Pogues. Originally known as the Pogue Mahone the Pogues took their name from the anglicized of the Irish phrase póg mo thóin, or ‘kiss my arse’.
BBC Radio DJ Mark Radcliffe (DJ Mahone) was a founder member of this folk ensemble and writes much of the band’s songs. The latest album has a distinct beer drinking theme right down to the name and the label on the cover which features specially commissioned ale from Mr. W and Mr. C at the interesting boutique WC Brewery.
It is a very rousing and humorous collection of tunes played with real enthusiasm and skill, a nice contemporary twist on a traditional folk sound.
The name of the band hints to their punk approach to the music and the original Celtic punk band, the Pogues. Originally known as the Pogue Mahone the Pogues took their name from the anglicized of the Irish phrase póg mo thóin, or ‘kiss my arse’.
Monday, April 16, 2007
More weird weather…
Not long ago we had snow on the ground, this weekend it was up to 25 degrees, and later on we might still have frosts. We took advantage of the lovely weather and traded indoor chores for outdoor ones working in the garden and at the allotment. We painted most of the fences and planted out a border in the rear garden and cleared out the shed so that we can start planting seeds. We had a difficult time planting the potatoes at the allotment as the ground was rock hard and the sun blazing hot. On Sunday morning we went for a walk in the woods with a neighbour who showed us where the bluebells were starting to bloom carpeting the ground in a purple haze. In the afternoon out side there was the distinct smell of accelerant and burnt sausages wafted across the back gardens as people took the opportunity to spend the whole day outside.
Working away again…
I have just returned from a week in The Netherlands at one of our offices there learning more about the product range of the company I work for. The course was with several colleagues from throughout the world and it was interesting talking with them and discovering what we had in common and what we didn’t. We stayed in 's-Hertogenbosch, a town also known colloquially as Den Bosch.
Once the one time home of Hieronymus Bosch (the Bosch part of his name taken from the name of the town) the 16C painter of weird and scary paintings on a religious themes, such as The Temptation of St. Anthony (I found a shop selling models of some of the images in his paintings and bought the least freaky one, which was the fish-boat in the foreground of the main panel.)
A quaint old town, Den Bosch retains much of its old-world character with pedestrian cobbled streets, Dutch gable end buildings, canals throughout and under the town, and wonderful masonry signs on buildings showing the occupation of the original occupiers (a relief of a brewer for an Amstel shop, another of a baker elsewhere). The statue/relief tradition has been maintained with modern equivalents on the side of buildings between the original and the religious statuary.
There was a real feeling of prosperity in the town with fancy designer clothes boutiques, interior design shops, and streets of cafés, restaurants and drinking establishments, the patrons of which filled the narrow streets with a joyful noise.
There were the typically Dutch establishments dotted around such as the bicycle shop (with every variety of bike and accessory available), the ‘koffee’ shop (the distinct sweet smell signalling its presence), and the comic shop (the Dutch and the Belgium seem to share the obsession with weird and wonderful comics for young and old alike). I found a lovely old fashioned sweet shop down one of the quieter side streets, where there were shelves upon shelves of jars containing their multicoloured goodies. Here I bought a pick-and-mix bag of liquorice for Sue who loves them (although even she has difficult with the extra salty Dutch ones).
The weather was unseasonable warm as it has been in the UK too, and this brought out the café culture and the excess of bare skin. The skies remained clear throughout the week and on after I returned home.
Once the one time home of Hieronymus Bosch (the Bosch part of his name taken from the name of the town) the 16C painter of weird and scary paintings on a religious themes, such as The Temptation of St. Anthony (I found a shop selling models of some of the images in his paintings and bought the least freaky one, which was the fish-boat in the foreground of the main panel.)
A quaint old town, Den Bosch retains much of its old-world character with pedestrian cobbled streets, Dutch gable end buildings, canals throughout and under the town, and wonderful masonry signs on buildings showing the occupation of the original occupiers (a relief of a brewer for an Amstel shop, another of a baker elsewhere). The statue/relief tradition has been maintained with modern equivalents on the side of buildings between the original and the religious statuary.
There was a real feeling of prosperity in the town with fancy designer clothes boutiques, interior design shops, and streets of cafés, restaurants and drinking establishments, the patrons of which filled the narrow streets with a joyful noise.
There were the typically Dutch establishments dotted around such as the bicycle shop (with every variety of bike and accessory available), the ‘koffee’ shop (the distinct sweet smell signalling its presence), and the comic shop (the Dutch and the Belgium seem to share the obsession with weird and wonderful comics for young and old alike). I found a lovely old fashioned sweet shop down one of the quieter side streets, where there were shelves upon shelves of jars containing their multicoloured goodies. Here I bought a pick-and-mix bag of liquorice for Sue who loves them (although even she has difficult with the extra salty Dutch ones).
The weather was unseasonable warm as it has been in the UK too, and this brought out the café culture and the excess of bare skin. The skies remained clear throughout the week and on after I returned home.
More of wot I have read…
Never have your dog stuffed by Alan Alda
Like most people I guess I only really know Alan Alda from the MASH TV series and I was interested to find out more about the man. The opening line is an immediate hook and it becomes apparent that it is from a defining moment in his life. It is a sweet and gentle read that comes from the heart without being over sentimental and which avoids the overt name dropping that some so called celebrities seem to resort to these days.
‘He's one of America's most recognizable and acclaimed actors -- a star on Broadway, an Oscar nominee for The Aviator, and, for eleven years, the inimitable Hawkeye Pierce on the M*A*S*H TV series -- during which time he became the only person ever to win Emmys for acting, writing, and directing. Now Alan Alda has written a memoir as elegant, funny, and affecting as his greatest performances.
"My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six," begins Alda's irresistible story. The son of a popular actor and a loving but schizophrenic mother, he spent his early childhood backstage in the erotic and comic world of burlesque and went on, after early struggles, to achieve extraordinary success in his profession.
Yet Never Have Your Dog Stuffed is not a memoir of show-business ups and downs. It is a moving and funny story of a boy growing into a man who then realizes he has only just begun to grow. It is the story of turning points in Alda's life, events that would make him what he is -- if only he could survive them.
From the moment as a boy when his dead dog is returned from the taxidermist's shop with a hideous expression on its face, and Alda learns that death can't be undone, to his decades-long effort to find compassion for the mother he lived with but never knew, to his acceptance of his father, both personally and professionally, Alda learns the hard way that change, uncertainty, and transformation are what life is made of, and that true happiness is found in embracing them.
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, filled with wonder, good humor, and honesty, is the crowning achievement of an actor, author, and director. But surprisingly, it is the story of a life more filled with turbulence and laughter than any Alda has ever played on the stage or screen.’
The Last Juror by John Grisham
The former lawyer turned author writes about what he knows; law and crime, and I know him best from the Pelican Brief. This novel also explores the nature of small towns in the deep south of America during the 1970’s with a detail of someone who was there. It is a wonderful and gentle read that revels in the atmosphere of a place and time that not everybody will be familiar with. I enjoyed the book and found the pace and feel of it a pleasant alternative to some of the more action packed novels out there at the moment.
‘In 1970, one of Mississippi's more colorful weekly newspapers, The Ford County Times, went bankrupt. To the surprise and dismay of many, ownership was assumed by a 23 year-old college dropout, named Willie Traynor. The future of the paper looked grim until a young mother was brutally raped and murdered by a member of the notorious Padgitt family. Willie Traynor reported all the gruesome details, and his newspaper began to prosper.
The murderer, Danny Padgitt, was tried before a packed courthouse in Clanton, Mississippi. The trial came to a startling and dramatic end when the defendant threatened revenge against the jurors if they convicted him. Nevertheless, they found him guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison.
But in Mississippi in 1970, "life" didn't necessarily mean "life," and nine years later Danny Padgitt managed to get himself paroled. He returned to Ford County, and the retribution began.’
The Raw Shark Text by Steven Hall
…also see the ‘annotated raw shark texts’ for in-depth analysis…
Wow, this is a very special book, a conceptual-psychological-literary thriller that plays with words and ideas in a wonderfully visual and at times even graphic-novel kind of way. Elements of the book jar and prod at the mind in a deliberately uncomfortable manner (is Mycroft Ward = Microsoft Word, is Dr Trey Fidorous = Richard Dreyfuss?). It is a nicely written and captivating read that, if rumours are true, will be appearing on celluloid before too long. Pretty good for a first novel.
The bastard love-child of The Matrix, Jaws and The Da Vinci Code – Mark Haddon
‘FIRST THINGS FIRST, STAY CALM.
If you are reading this, I’m not around anymore. Take the phone and speed dial 1. Tell the woman who answers that you are Eric Sanderson. The woman is Dr Randle. She’ll understand what has happened and you will be able to see her straight away. Take the car keys and drive the yellow Jeep to Dr Randle’s house. If you haven’t found it yet, there’s a map in the envelope – it isn’t too far and it’s not hard to find.
Dr Randle will be able to answer all your questions. It’s very important that you go straight away. Do not pass go. Do not explore. Do not collect two hundred pounds.
The house keys are hanging from a nail on the banister at the bottom of the stairs, don’t forget them.
With regret and also hope,
The first Eric Sanderson.’
Like most people I guess I only really know Alan Alda from the MASH TV series and I was interested to find out more about the man. The opening line is an immediate hook and it becomes apparent that it is from a defining moment in his life. It is a sweet and gentle read that comes from the heart without being over sentimental and which avoids the overt name dropping that some so called celebrities seem to resort to these days.
‘He's one of America's most recognizable and acclaimed actors -- a star on Broadway, an Oscar nominee for The Aviator, and, for eleven years, the inimitable Hawkeye Pierce on the M*A*S*H TV series -- during which time he became the only person ever to win Emmys for acting, writing, and directing. Now Alan Alda has written a memoir as elegant, funny, and affecting as his greatest performances.
"My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six," begins Alda's irresistible story. The son of a popular actor and a loving but schizophrenic mother, he spent his early childhood backstage in the erotic and comic world of burlesque and went on, after early struggles, to achieve extraordinary success in his profession.
Yet Never Have Your Dog Stuffed is not a memoir of show-business ups and downs. It is a moving and funny story of a boy growing into a man who then realizes he has only just begun to grow. It is the story of turning points in Alda's life, events that would make him what he is -- if only he could survive them.
From the moment as a boy when his dead dog is returned from the taxidermist's shop with a hideous expression on its face, and Alda learns that death can't be undone, to his decades-long effort to find compassion for the mother he lived with but never knew, to his acceptance of his father, both personally and professionally, Alda learns the hard way that change, uncertainty, and transformation are what life is made of, and that true happiness is found in embracing them.
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, filled with wonder, good humor, and honesty, is the crowning achievement of an actor, author, and director. But surprisingly, it is the story of a life more filled with turbulence and laughter than any Alda has ever played on the stage or screen.’
The Last Juror by John Grisham
The former lawyer turned author writes about what he knows; law and crime, and I know him best from the Pelican Brief. This novel also explores the nature of small towns in the deep south of America during the 1970’s with a detail of someone who was there. It is a wonderful and gentle read that revels in the atmosphere of a place and time that not everybody will be familiar with. I enjoyed the book and found the pace and feel of it a pleasant alternative to some of the more action packed novels out there at the moment.
‘In 1970, one of Mississippi's more colorful weekly newspapers, The Ford County Times, went bankrupt. To the surprise and dismay of many, ownership was assumed by a 23 year-old college dropout, named Willie Traynor. The future of the paper looked grim until a young mother was brutally raped and murdered by a member of the notorious Padgitt family. Willie Traynor reported all the gruesome details, and his newspaper began to prosper.
The murderer, Danny Padgitt, was tried before a packed courthouse in Clanton, Mississippi. The trial came to a startling and dramatic end when the defendant threatened revenge against the jurors if they convicted him. Nevertheless, they found him guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison.
But in Mississippi in 1970, "life" didn't necessarily mean "life," and nine years later Danny Padgitt managed to get himself paroled. He returned to Ford County, and the retribution began.’
The Raw Shark Text by Steven Hall
…also see the ‘annotated raw shark texts’ for in-depth analysis…
Wow, this is a very special book, a conceptual-psychological-literary thriller that plays with words and ideas in a wonderfully visual and at times even graphic-novel kind of way. Elements of the book jar and prod at the mind in a deliberately uncomfortable manner (is Mycroft Ward = Microsoft Word, is Dr Trey Fidorous = Richard Dreyfuss?). It is a nicely written and captivating read that, if rumours are true, will be appearing on celluloid before too long. Pretty good for a first novel.
The bastard love-child of The Matrix, Jaws and The Da Vinci Code – Mark Haddon
‘FIRST THINGS FIRST, STAY CALM.
If you are reading this, I’m not around anymore. Take the phone and speed dial 1. Tell the woman who answers that you are Eric Sanderson. The woman is Dr Randle. She’ll understand what has happened and you will be able to see her straight away. Take the car keys and drive the yellow Jeep to Dr Randle’s house. If you haven’t found it yet, there’s a map in the envelope – it isn’t too far and it’s not hard to find.
Dr Randle will be able to answer all your questions. It’s very important that you go straight away. Do not pass go. Do not explore. Do not collect two hundred pounds.
The house keys are hanging from a nail on the banister at the bottom of the stairs, don’t forget them.
With regret and also hope,
The first Eric Sanderson.’
Friday, March 30, 2007
More of wot I have heard…
Faithless - Forever Faithless
I found this at the checkout at a supermarket for under £5, a bargain for this collection of the band’s better known tracks. Even if you don’t know much about them you will have heard their music backing shows or adverts on the box. A great accessible dance act that is musically accomplished and lyrically inspiring. The gentle, dreamy and soulful voices reach deep inside your head where the words resonate while the incessant beat drives your feet to tapping. Love it!
I found this at the checkout at a supermarket for under £5, a bargain for this collection of the band’s better known tracks. Even if you don’t know much about them you will have heard their music backing shows or adverts on the box. A great accessible dance act that is musically accomplished and lyrically inspiring. The gentle, dreamy and soulful voices reach deep inside your head where the words resonate while the incessant beat drives your feet to tapping. Love it!
I love Dorking…
We have a new ‘tourist attraction’ in Dorking. In the middle of the roundabout on the main junction into the town is a ten foot tall metal cock. The Dorking Cock is a symbol of the town and dates back to when they used to breed these five toed chickens locally.
Naturally the new construction has caused plenty of comment and discussion and the noble beast itself has been adorned variously with streamers and daffodils in the short time it has been here (we are waiting for Easter to see what materialises then!).
I know the name of the town itself has come in for some comment from friends and family who associate dork and dorking with something else, but a T-shirt available shows that the locals don’t take themselves too seriously (I love Dorking). I’ve got to get me one of those!
Discussions about the Dorking Cock
Naturally the new construction has caused plenty of comment and discussion and the noble beast itself has been adorned variously with streamers and daffodils in the short time it has been here (we are waiting for Easter to see what materialises then!).
I know the name of the town itself has come in for some comment from friends and family who associate dork and dorking with something else, but a T-shirt available shows that the locals don’t take themselves too seriously (I love Dorking). I’ve got to get me one of those!
Discussions about the Dorking Cock
All kind of Folk…
The Chanticleer Folk Club is based out of the Friends Provident Social Club in Dorking and this provides and excellent venue with good performance space, comfortable seating area and separate (and cheap) bar. I suspect the name of the club is a reference to the Dorking cockerel. The club is run by Neil ‘the goblin’ McRitchie and his wife Martina. Neil used to work at the Hobgoblin music store and he plays the melodeon for the Rampant Rooster Morris side and the Pugwash Ceilidh Band. The club meets most Wednesdays from 8:30pm until 11:00pm and usually alternates weekly between a guest artist and a ‘singer’s night’ where club members perform.
Our last visit to the folk club was to see the Geordie fiddle player Tom McConville with Claire Mann on fiddle, flute, and whistle and vocals and Aaron Jones on bouzouki, guitar and vocals. They played traditional tunes, jigs and reels from all around the UK and gave a great performance to the small audience for a couple of hours.
Our last visit to the folk club was to see the Geordie fiddle player Tom McConville with Claire Mann on fiddle, flute, and whistle and vocals and Aaron Jones on bouzouki, guitar and vocals. They played traditional tunes, jigs and reels from all around the UK and gave a great performance to the small audience for a couple of hours.
A day in bonny Scotland…
The Monday after I returned from Brussels I was again on a plane, this time to Aberdeen where I was to meet with a couple of guys from the local office and go to visit a customer to talk about some work they want us to quote for. It takes longer to fly to the other end of the country than it does to some places in Europe and the ‘glamour’ of the ‘jet-set’ soon wares off when you have to shuffle in queues through several airports. Luckily I was able to go there and back in a (long) day and get back home by evening.
Out and about in Brussels…
I recently visited Brussels for a few days on a training course for work, learning about some of the company’s new products. There were a couple of colleagues from my office with me along with our opposite numbers from Sweden, The Netherlands, France, Bulgaria and the local office and our German boss. It is interesting to meet people from all over Europe and to find out a little about them and fortunately, for us ignorant types, the company language of English means they all speak more than one language (some embarrassingly speak many more).
More of wot I have read…
London Bridges by James Patterson
This book is trying to be an action packed thriller with a worldwide (centred on America) threat in the vein of the TV series ’24’. The main problem is the Alex Cross is no Jack Bower; in fact I became very frustrated with his lack of constructive input or drive (he seemed to spend most of his time jetting around, walking in parks brooding or asleep). The almost omnipotent, omnipresent villain with limitless funds and resources was too much too. It was a quick read, but for me, ultimately unsatisfying.
‘Alex Cross is back in his tenth and most explosive adventure yet.
In broad desert daylight, a mysterious platoon of soldiers evacuates the entire population of Sunrise Valley, Nevada. Minutes later, a huge bomb detonates a hundred feet above the ground and lays waste to homes, cars, and playgrounds: a town annihilated in an instant.
And so is the Wolf
Alex Cross is on vacation in San Francisco with his girlfriend, Jamilla Hughes, when he gets the call. The Russian super criminal known as the Wolf claims responsibility for the blast. The Wolf is the deadliest nemesis Cross has ever faced, and the fact that he is still at large is agonizing for him and his new bosses at the FBI.
And so is the Weasel
Major cities around the globe, including London, Paris, and New York, are threatened with total destruction. The Wolf has proven he can do it - the only question is who can stop him in time. Surveillance film of the blast reveals the presence of another of Alex Cross's most dangerous enemies, the ruthless assassin known as the Weasel. The thought of these two dark geniuses joining forces makes Alex's blood run cold.
Now are you scared?
World leaders have just four days to prevent an unimaginable cataclysm. In a matter of hours, Cross is catapulted into an international chase of astonishing danger. Joining forces with Scotland Yard and Interpol, Alex fights his way through a torrent of false leads, impersonators, and foreign agents before he gets close to the heart of the crimes. Racing down the hairpin turns of the Riviera in the most unforgettable finale James Patterson has ever written, Alex Cross confronts the truth of the Wolf's identity - a revelation that even Cross himself may be unable to survive.’
The Husband by Dean Koontz
I have written about Dean Koontz before and his skill in descriptive writing and characterisation and in this book he doesn’t disappoint. He manages to drag you into a nightmare scenario while delicately describing the environment and revealing the hidden depths and of his characters exposing them to evermore extreme conditions in a tantalising and believable manner. I found this book riveting.
‘With each and every new novel, Dean Koontz raises the stakes—and the pulse rate—higher than any other author. Now, in what may be his most suspenseful and heartfelt novel ever, he brings us the story of an ordinary man whose extraordinary commitment to his wife will take him on a harrowing journey of adventure, sacrifice, and redemption to the mystery of love itself-and to a showdown with the darkness that would destroy it forever.
What would you do for love? Would you die? Would you kill?
We have your wife. You can get her back for two million cash. Landscaper Mitchell Rafferty thinks it must be some kind of joke. He was in the middle of planting impatiens in the yard of one of his clients when his cell phone rang. Now he's standing in a normal suburban neighbourhood on a bright summer day, having a phone conversation out of his darkest nightmare.
Whoever is on the other end of the line is dead serious. He has Mitch's wife and he's named the price for her safe return. The caller doesn't care that Mitch runs a small two-man landscaping operation and has no way of raising such a vast sum. He's confident that Mitch will find a way. If he loves his wife enough… ...Mitch does love her enough. He loves her more than life itself. He's got seventy-two hours to prove it.
He has to find the two million by then. But he'll pay a lot more. He'll pay anything.
From its tense opening to its shattering climax, THE HUSBAND is a thriller that will hold you in its relentless grip for every twist, every shock, every revelation...until it lets you go, unmistakably changed. This is a Dean Koontz novel, after all. And there's no other experience quite like it.’
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
Where I like many of the subjects Dan Brown explores in his books and enjoy a certain amount of conspiracy and intrigue too, I find his execution sometimes jars and throws me off when I am reading. His annoying trait of telegraphing important messages as if the reader is a simpleton is condescending and disruptive to the narrative flow. Also Robert Langdon often appears ignorant of some things whilst making implausible leaps of deduction at other times. Important clues that have been hidden for centuries are solved in mere moments. If you get over these little frustrations the far-fetched story is quite entertaining.
‘When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati... the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth.
The Illuminati has surfaced from the shadows to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy... the Catholic Church.
Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces he has hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.
Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair... a secret location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.
An explosive international thriller, ANGELS & DEMONS careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war...’
This book is trying to be an action packed thriller with a worldwide (centred on America) threat in the vein of the TV series ’24’. The main problem is the Alex Cross is no Jack Bower; in fact I became very frustrated with his lack of constructive input or drive (he seemed to spend most of his time jetting around, walking in parks brooding or asleep). The almost omnipotent, omnipresent villain with limitless funds and resources was too much too. It was a quick read, but for me, ultimately unsatisfying.
‘Alex Cross is back in his tenth and most explosive adventure yet.
In broad desert daylight, a mysterious platoon of soldiers evacuates the entire population of Sunrise Valley, Nevada. Minutes later, a huge bomb detonates a hundred feet above the ground and lays waste to homes, cars, and playgrounds: a town annihilated in an instant.
And so is the Wolf
Alex Cross is on vacation in San Francisco with his girlfriend, Jamilla Hughes, when he gets the call. The Russian super criminal known as the Wolf claims responsibility for the blast. The Wolf is the deadliest nemesis Cross has ever faced, and the fact that he is still at large is agonizing for him and his new bosses at the FBI.
And so is the Weasel
Major cities around the globe, including London, Paris, and New York, are threatened with total destruction. The Wolf has proven he can do it - the only question is who can stop him in time. Surveillance film of the blast reveals the presence of another of Alex Cross's most dangerous enemies, the ruthless assassin known as the Weasel. The thought of these two dark geniuses joining forces makes Alex's blood run cold.
Now are you scared?
World leaders have just four days to prevent an unimaginable cataclysm. In a matter of hours, Cross is catapulted into an international chase of astonishing danger. Joining forces with Scotland Yard and Interpol, Alex fights his way through a torrent of false leads, impersonators, and foreign agents before he gets close to the heart of the crimes. Racing down the hairpin turns of the Riviera in the most unforgettable finale James Patterson has ever written, Alex Cross confronts the truth of the Wolf's identity - a revelation that even Cross himself may be unable to survive.’
The Husband by Dean Koontz
I have written about Dean Koontz before and his skill in descriptive writing and characterisation and in this book he doesn’t disappoint. He manages to drag you into a nightmare scenario while delicately describing the environment and revealing the hidden depths and of his characters exposing them to evermore extreme conditions in a tantalising and believable manner. I found this book riveting.
‘With each and every new novel, Dean Koontz raises the stakes—and the pulse rate—higher than any other author. Now, in what may be his most suspenseful and heartfelt novel ever, he brings us the story of an ordinary man whose extraordinary commitment to his wife will take him on a harrowing journey of adventure, sacrifice, and redemption to the mystery of love itself-and to a showdown with the darkness that would destroy it forever.
What would you do for love? Would you die? Would you kill?
We have your wife. You can get her back for two million cash. Landscaper Mitchell Rafferty thinks it must be some kind of joke. He was in the middle of planting impatiens in the yard of one of his clients when his cell phone rang. Now he's standing in a normal suburban neighbourhood on a bright summer day, having a phone conversation out of his darkest nightmare.
Whoever is on the other end of the line is dead serious. He has Mitch's wife and he's named the price for her safe return. The caller doesn't care that Mitch runs a small two-man landscaping operation and has no way of raising such a vast sum. He's confident that Mitch will find a way. If he loves his wife enough… ...Mitch does love her enough. He loves her more than life itself. He's got seventy-two hours to prove it.
He has to find the two million by then. But he'll pay a lot more. He'll pay anything.
From its tense opening to its shattering climax, THE HUSBAND is a thriller that will hold you in its relentless grip for every twist, every shock, every revelation...until it lets you go, unmistakably changed. This is a Dean Koontz novel, after all. And there's no other experience quite like it.’
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
Where I like many of the subjects Dan Brown explores in his books and enjoy a certain amount of conspiracy and intrigue too, I find his execution sometimes jars and throws me off when I am reading. His annoying trait of telegraphing important messages as if the reader is a simpleton is condescending and disruptive to the narrative flow. Also Robert Langdon often appears ignorant of some things whilst making implausible leaps of deduction at other times. Important clues that have been hidden for centuries are solved in mere moments. If you get over these little frustrations the far-fetched story is quite entertaining.
‘When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati... the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth.
The Illuminati has surfaced from the shadows to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy... the Catholic Church.
Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces he has hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.
Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair... a secret location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.
An explosive international thriller, ANGELS & DEMONS careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war...’
Thursday, March 15, 2007
More of wot I have read…
Fallen Angels by Bernard Cornwell and Susannah Kells (his wife Judy Cornwell)
This book has characters connected with A Crowning Mercy and along with that and his Gallows Thief book they are the only ones I have read. All are similar and display the author’s passion for the detail of the period that has made him so well know especially for his Sharpe series. His characters tend to be quite romantically drawn in a somewhat stylised way, but they are fun and fit in well with the adventurous nature of the story. His books are an easy and enjoyable read.
‘The Lazenders, a gilded family, have been the envy and pride of Britain for centuries. But Toby Lazender, the heir, is now mysteriously absent. His sister, Campion, is running the family estates in his absence.
But Lazen Castle is, unknowingly, a house under siege. The Fallen Angels – among the most powerful and dangerous men in Europe – are plotting to bring revolution to England. To succeed, they need money, and the Lazender fortune can provide it. A web of deceit closes around Lazen, drawing Campion ever closer to a subtle trap that has been laid for her. Her only hope for survival lies with the Gypsy – her brother’s aloof horse-master – a man whose loyalties have always been uncertain.’
This book has characters connected with A Crowning Mercy and along with that and his Gallows Thief book they are the only ones I have read. All are similar and display the author’s passion for the detail of the period that has made him so well know especially for his Sharpe series. His characters tend to be quite romantically drawn in a somewhat stylised way, but they are fun and fit in well with the adventurous nature of the story. His books are an easy and enjoyable read.
‘The Lazenders, a gilded family, have been the envy and pride of Britain for centuries. But Toby Lazender, the heir, is now mysteriously absent. His sister, Campion, is running the family estates in his absence.
But Lazen Castle is, unknowingly, a house under siege. The Fallen Angels – among the most powerful and dangerous men in Europe – are plotting to bring revolution to England. To succeed, they need money, and the Lazender fortune can provide it. A web of deceit closes around Lazen, drawing Campion ever closer to a subtle trap that has been laid for her. Her only hope for survival lies with the Gypsy – her brother’s aloof horse-master – a man whose loyalties have always been uncertain.’
More DIY…
We have been spending more time and money on decorating the house and it is getting close to how we want it. We have had more help from others too, Sue’s mum has made us some curtains and one of Sue’s aunts has done some wall papering while Sue’s sister jet-washed the deck, I put up some shelves and fixed the squeaking wardrobe doors, and Sue cooked an amazing roast dinner. Now that the weather has started to warm up we have also been down at the new allotment digging and planning while the back garden is also getting some attention with spade and saw.
Infestations…
Our new house has evidence of previous woodworm in some of the floorboards in our bedroom. Recently on a couple of nights we heard a random ticking sound that we couldn’t place, we didn’t have any clocks and the heating had been off for several hours so of course I thought ‘death-watch beetle!’ We weren’t one-hundred percent sure and I suspected a few other things, but we thought it was better to be safe than sorry, and so we arranged for a ‘Timber Pathologist’ to come around a do a survey. When he came over we lifted a few floor boards and he drilled a hole in another to inspect with a probe and in the end he was happy that we didn’t have a problem. I moved the two wicker baskets that sat on the bookcase behind our bed (they were pushed right up against the wall) and we haven’t heard the noise since.
But now we seem to have an infestation of cats! Our cat flap in the back door is either open or shut and normally we leave it open so our cat Sooty can come and go as he pleases. We also usually keep all the internal doors open to let the air circulate. The cat’s food is kept on the kitchen floor by the back door, and although he is a fussy eater, the bowls are always empty. On a couple of occasions we have come home from work and he has greeted us as usual while another black cat has come downstairs and run out through the cat flap. Also on a couple of nights ginger cat has come in and Sooty has started hissing at him so that I have had to get up and shoo it off. Now we have to close doors and the cat flap for some peace and quiet. It must be noted that Sooty is not averse to entering other neighbouring houses for food and a sleep either.
But now we seem to have an infestation of cats! Our cat flap in the back door is either open or shut and normally we leave it open so our cat Sooty can come and go as he pleases. We also usually keep all the internal doors open to let the air circulate. The cat’s food is kept on the kitchen floor by the back door, and although he is a fussy eater, the bowls are always empty. On a couple of occasions we have come home from work and he has greeted us as usual while another black cat has come downstairs and run out through the cat flap. Also on a couple of nights ginger cat has come in and Sooty has started hissing at him so that I have had to get up and shoo it off. Now we have to close doors and the cat flap for some peace and quiet. It must be noted that Sooty is not averse to entering other neighbouring houses for food and a sleep either.
Monday, February 19, 2007
More of wot I have heard...
The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
The second album I have of this band and it is similar in style to the first. It has strong storytelling elements that seem to be based in (American) folk traditions, though every so often they seem to enjoy throwing in a curve ball. It is an album to sit and listen to more than to play in the background. It demands a certain level of attention from the listener for which it rewards with little gems of audio delights.
Brooke Fraser – What to do with daylight
This artist was new to me and I didn’t know what to expect when I played her album. Sent as a present by my brother and his wife from NZ I have since found out that this young Kiwi girl is very popular there and in Australia. She has a pleasant voice and the songs are nicely written. We have played it a couple of times now and it will probably be on high rotation for a while to come.
The second album I have of this band and it is similar in style to the first. It has strong storytelling elements that seem to be based in (American) folk traditions, though every so often they seem to enjoy throwing in a curve ball. It is an album to sit and listen to more than to play in the background. It demands a certain level of attention from the listener for which it rewards with little gems of audio delights.
Brooke Fraser – What to do with daylight
This artist was new to me and I didn’t know what to expect when I played her album. Sent as a present by my brother and his wife from NZ I have since found out that this young Kiwi girl is very popular there and in Australia. She has a pleasant voice and the songs are nicely written. We have played it a couple of times now and it will probably be on high rotation for a while to come.
Another year older...
Amongst the many cards and gifts I received for my birthday were books on foraging ‘food for free’, picking wild fungi safely, and spotting birds found in the British garden (along with a pair of binoculars), the latest novel by Dean Koontz, various T-shirts, a pair of jeans, a wallet, a box of wine, a nice whiskey, some chocolates, and a couple of CDs. Since we have only recently moved into our new home we decided not to go away, as we often do for my birthday, instead family and friends came over the weekend before and we entertained at home.
Virtually working...
Trip to Barcelona
I recently went to Barcelona with work on an annual sales conference. Somewhere in the region of 500 people from offices throughout our EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region came and joined in. Some of the extra curricular activities included a trip to the Barcelona football club home ground where we had a reception, tour and presentations with Eidur Gudjohnsen giving a brief talk. Not being that interested in sport or in football (soccer) in particular it all left me somewhat cold. One of the hotels we were in was near to the ground and during the few days we also saw Ronaldinho in the bar. Some of the attendees at the conference went to one of the matches on the Sunday evening. We also went on a short bus tour of the sights of the town (I had seen much of it when Sue and I visited a few years before) and we ended up having dinner at the Casa Batllo , one of the architect Antoni Gaudi’s best designed houses.
Trip to Manchester
I had another trip away this year, though this was only a flying visit to our training school in Manchester where I was learning about one of our products. The visit coincided with expected ‘blizzard’ weather conditions that were to sweep the west, south and midlands. On my journey back I prepared myself for the possibility that I would have to stop and book in at a hotel for the night, but the horrors predicted by all of the news networks and travel services didn’t affect my route at all, in fact I got home in record time as hardly anybody was on the roads. The public utilities in the UK can’t seem to cope with any minor variation in the weather (leaves on the line, the wrong type of snow etc.). A few centimeters of snow and everybody is all doom and gloom, yet colleagues of mine battled through several feet of snow in Germany and there the trains were running and the taxis still ran at 140kph down the autobahn!
I recently went to Barcelona with work on an annual sales conference. Somewhere in the region of 500 people from offices throughout our EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region came and joined in. Some of the extra curricular activities included a trip to the Barcelona football club home ground where we had a reception, tour and presentations with Eidur Gudjohnsen giving a brief talk. Not being that interested in sport or in football (soccer) in particular it all left me somewhat cold. One of the hotels we were in was near to the ground and during the few days we also saw Ronaldinho in the bar. Some of the attendees at the conference went to one of the matches on the Sunday evening. We also went on a short bus tour of the sights of the town (I had seen much of it when Sue and I visited a few years before) and we ended up having dinner at the Casa Batllo , one of the architect Antoni Gaudi’s best designed houses.
Trip to Manchester
I had another trip away this year, though this was only a flying visit to our training school in Manchester where I was learning about one of our products. The visit coincided with expected ‘blizzard’ weather conditions that were to sweep the west, south and midlands. On my journey back I prepared myself for the possibility that I would have to stop and book in at a hotel for the night, but the horrors predicted by all of the news networks and travel services didn’t affect my route at all, in fact I got home in record time as hardly anybody was on the roads. The public utilities in the UK can’t seem to cope with any minor variation in the weather (leaves on the line, the wrong type of snow etc.). A few centimeters of snow and everybody is all doom and gloom, yet colleagues of mine battled through several feet of snow in Germany and there the trains were running and the taxis still ran at 140kph down the autobahn!
Around the home...
The House
Boiler replacement
We had always planned to one day change the boiler in the new house as we have a preference for a combi-boiler rather than having separate hot water and central heating, when the electric immersion heater failed though we were forced to act quicker than we expected. Unfortunately we couldn’t easily replace the heating element in the hot water cylinder because whoever fitted the boiler placed directly above the cylinder, preventing us from getting access to the bits inside it. This lack of planning and poor execution is a theme that seems to run throughout the house (some might call it qwerky!). For a few weeks we had to do without hot water and we were washing either at work, at Sue’s mums, or at the local swimming baths. Now it has been replaced we are pretty much back to normal.
New furniture
We sold much of our furniture to the woman who was buying our old house as we had bought it when we moved in there approximately 10 years before. We brought only the sitting room furniture (the seating we intend to change later once we have finished the redecoration), and some shelving and storage units. We had bought new beds just before the move and we had a lovely old oak dining table given to us by Joyce and Terry (the frame of which is several hundred years old). We had new dining chairs delivered in the nick of time just before Christmas ready for use by all our visitors who were coming over to dine with us during the festive break. We have bought a few pieces of furniture which are in the Indian style in dark rosewood and rustic finish and they seem to suit the style of the cottage very well.
Decorating
We had help from Sue’s brother and nephews with plastering and some painting, enabling us to repaint the lounge, dining room, front bedroom and start on the bathroom. We have now nearly finished painting, with just the woodwork in most of the rooms and the walls and woodwork in the bathroom yet to do. Sue’s aunt is coming over soon to hang some wall paper on a feature wall to complete the lounge and then it is details such as door furniture, shelves, some pictures and a curtain left to hang after that.
Fence
We had some storms earlier in the year and the only fence in gardens in our terrace of houses to come down was ours. It was completely rotten and so we again called on Sue’s brother to come over and put up a new one with strong concrete posts that should now last a while.
Allotment
We still have our old allotment which we will slowly rob of useful plants, moving them either to a new allotment or to plant out in our garden. There is a section of land behind us that is being used as a vegetable garden and we have asked the owner if he would consider letting us rent (or buy) some of it off him, but we haven’t heard back from him yet. We have bought our seed potatoes, onions and garlic and we plan on starting planting in a couple of weeks, once the ground starts to warm up.
Boiler replacement
We had always planned to one day change the boiler in the new house as we have a preference for a combi-boiler rather than having separate hot water and central heating, when the electric immersion heater failed though we were forced to act quicker than we expected. Unfortunately we couldn’t easily replace the heating element in the hot water cylinder because whoever fitted the boiler placed directly above the cylinder, preventing us from getting access to the bits inside it. This lack of planning and poor execution is a theme that seems to run throughout the house (some might call it qwerky!). For a few weeks we had to do without hot water and we were washing either at work, at Sue’s mums, or at the local swimming baths. Now it has been replaced we are pretty much back to normal.
New furniture
We sold much of our furniture to the woman who was buying our old house as we had bought it when we moved in there approximately 10 years before. We brought only the sitting room furniture (the seating we intend to change later once we have finished the redecoration), and some shelving and storage units. We had bought new beds just before the move and we had a lovely old oak dining table given to us by Joyce and Terry (the frame of which is several hundred years old). We had new dining chairs delivered in the nick of time just before Christmas ready for use by all our visitors who were coming over to dine with us during the festive break. We have bought a few pieces of furniture which are in the Indian style in dark rosewood and rustic finish and they seem to suit the style of the cottage very well.
Decorating
We had help from Sue’s brother and nephews with plastering and some painting, enabling us to repaint the lounge, dining room, front bedroom and start on the bathroom. We have now nearly finished painting, with just the woodwork in most of the rooms and the walls and woodwork in the bathroom yet to do. Sue’s aunt is coming over soon to hang some wall paper on a feature wall to complete the lounge and then it is details such as door furniture, shelves, some pictures and a curtain left to hang after that.
Fence
We had some storms earlier in the year and the only fence in gardens in our terrace of houses to come down was ours. It was completely rotten and so we again called on Sue’s brother to come over and put up a new one with strong concrete posts that should now last a while.
Allotment
We still have our old allotment which we will slowly rob of useful plants, moving them either to a new allotment or to plant out in our garden. There is a section of land behind us that is being used as a vegetable garden and we have asked the owner if he would consider letting us rent (or buy) some of it off him, but we haven’t heard back from him yet. We have bought our seed potatoes, onions and garlic and we plan on starting planting in a couple of weeks, once the ground starts to warm up.
Christmas and New Year...
As we had just moved into our new house we took the opportunity to have Christmas and New Year at home. Joyce and Terry and Liam the dog came down to stay with, as did Jamie back from University in Hull. We had other family and friends over during the festive season and Sue and Joyce made very good use of the double oven cooking traditional roasts for the masses. We interspersed the eating with walks in the countryside, visits to the local hostelry and naps on the sofa. After Christmas Sue and I were left to our own devices for New Years, and took it easy kicking back and enjoying Jools Holland’s Hootenanny on the TV. This meant that we were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on New Years Day and so we joined the local Westcott History Group , or a Sue calls them – the Hysterical Society, and went for a walk. The day was bright and fresh and the outing made us feel very virtuous. After our visit to see a 300 year old farm (with mulled wine and mince pies included) and the much older Saxon church we stopped at a pub to celebrate before returning home to open the champagne.
Friday, February 16, 2007
More of wot I have read...
Insomnia by Stephen King
King’s writing style tends to lean towards action and violence, often graphic and gratuitous, rather than a steady building of suspense and tension that I prefer. I thought his choice of main characters was inspired and I was looking forward to learning how they viewed the world, but they too seemed to become more inclined towards heroic activity than you would have credited them with. I was not totally convinced with the supernatural elements that King tried to convey in this book and this inevitably frustrated me. I just think I don’t get on with his writing style, but I know many others do.
'Ralph Roberts has a problem: he isn't sleeping so well these days. In fact, he's hardly sleeping at all. Each morning, the news conveyed by the bedside clock is a little worse: 3:15...3:02...2:45...2:15. The books call it "premature waking"; Ralph, who is still learning to be a widower, calls it a season in hell. He's begun to notice a strangeness in his familiar surroundings, to experience visual phenomena that he can't quite believe are hallucinations. Soon, Ralph thinks, he won't be sleeping at all, and what then? A problem, yes - though perhaps not so uncommon, you might say. But Ralph has lived his entire life in Derry, Maine, and Derry isn't like other places, as millions of Stephen King readers will gladly testify. They remember It, also set in Derry, and know there's a mean streak running through this small New England city; underneath its ordinary surface awesome and terrifying forces are at work. The dying, natural and otherwise, has been going on in Derry for a long, long time. Now Ralph is part of it. So are his friends. And so are the strangers they encounter.'
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
I found this book much more my cup of tea and I was drawn in immediately, attracted by the playful writing and the sympathetic and qwerky characters. Even though the idea is not necessarily a new one, the interpretation seemed fresh and exciting. I particularly enjoyed Koontz attention to detail and his almost poetic style of description.
"The dead don't talk. I don't know why." But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn. Maybe he has a gift, maybe it's a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd's otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it's different. A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd's deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15.
Today is August 14.
In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares—and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
As a sequel this book suffers from the fact that we know many of the secrets we didn’t in the first book, and taking it on a step sometimes pushes the boundaries just a bit too far. There is not a lot extra that we find out about the characters we like and the new characters seem even more outlandish than before. It could be trying too hard.
Every so often a character so captures the hearts and imaginations of readers that he seems to take on a life of his own long after the final page is turned. For such a character, one book is not enough — readers must know what happens next. Now Dean Koontz returns with the novel his fans have been demanding. With the emotional power and sheer storytelling artistry that are his trademarks, Koontz takes up once more the story of a unique young hero and an eccentric little town in a tale that is equal parts suspense and terror, adventure and mystery — and altogether irresistibly odd.
We're all a little odd beneath the surface. He's the most unlikely hero you'll ever meet — an ordinary guy with a modest job you might never look at twice. But there's so much more to any of us than meets the eye — and that goes triple for Odd Thomas. For Odd lives always between two worlds in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, where the heroic and the harrowing are everyday events. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead — it's something that just happened. But as the unofficial ambassador between our world and theirs, he's got a duty to do the right thing. That's the way Odd sees it and that's why he's won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death.
A childhood friend of Odd's has disappeared. The worst is feared. But as Odd applies his unique talents to the task of finding the missing person, he discovers something worse than a dead body, encounters an enemy of exceptional cunning, and spirals into a vortex of terror. Once again Odd will stand against our worst fears. Around him will gather new allies and old, some living and some not. For in the battle to come, there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope. Whether you're meeting Odd Thomas for the first time or he's already an old friend, you'll be led on an unforgettable journey through a world of terror, wonder and delight — to a revelation that can change your life. And you can have no better guide than Odd Thomas.
The Husband by Dean Koontz
I received this book for my birthday from my wife and it is a real page-turner. I didn’t want to put it down, drawn as I was into the horror as Mitch’s world is turned upside down and everything (well almost everything) he though was good turns bad. At the end it had my pulse beating faster as I willed him on. I have really enjoyed the few books I have read by this author and I will look out for more of them now.
What would you do for love? Would you die? Would you kill?
We have your wife. You can get her back for two million cash. Landscaper Mitchell Rafferty thinks it must be some kind of joke. He was in the middle of planting impatiens in the yard of one of his clients when his cell phone rang. Now he's standing in a normal suburban neighborhood on a bright summer day, having a phone conversation out of his darkest nightmare.
Whoever is on the other end of the line is dead serious. He has Mitch's wife and he's named the price for her safe return. The caller doesn't care that Mitch runs a small two-man landscaping operation and has no way of raising such a vast sum. He's confident that Mitch will find a way. If he loves his wife enough… Mitch does love her enough. He loves her more than life itself. He's got seventy-two hours to prove it. He has to find the two million by then. But he'll pay a lot more. He'll pay anything.
BloodBowl by Matt Forbeck
If you approach this book with the same attitude as the game of BloodBowl them you probably won’t be disappointed. It is never going to win any literary awards but then that never was its aim. It’s just a bit of fun.
He should have stuck to fighting dragons…
Dunk Hoffnung’s life is going nowhere fast and being an adventurer is definitely not all it’s cracked up to be. The pay is terrible, the conditions harsh and the only people you meet are generally monsters and they’re more interested in eating your flesh than sitting down and sharing their feelings…
When sports agent Slick Fullbelly spots Dunk bringing down a Chimera with a spear from a hundred paces, he’s sure that his search is over. Slick works for the Bad Bay Hackers, and they need a new thrower. Dunk is about to be plunged headfirst into the insane world of Blood Bowl, the fastest, meanest sport in this dark and brutal fantasy world. Dunk puts down his sword and steps off the battlefield…… onto the football field.
DeadBall by Matt Forbeck
This is more of the same, bad jokes, terrible puns, and wild action that is absolutely nothing more than a bit of fan fun.
Would-be star quarterback Dunk Hoffnung is back and, unfortunately, he's not smelling of roses. His dreams of fame and stardom within the ridiculously violent game of Blood Bowl have all come to nothing. But a good player never says die (though they have been known to say "Ouch" or "Look, take the ball! Just don't hurt me!" or "Not in the face!") and he's determined to make his name… in the Albion leagues. All he has to do is survive the dirty tricks, the sneaky cheating and the exploding footballs. And that's just the players on his team.
King’s writing style tends to lean towards action and violence, often graphic and gratuitous, rather than a steady building of suspense and tension that I prefer. I thought his choice of main characters was inspired and I was looking forward to learning how they viewed the world, but they too seemed to become more inclined towards heroic activity than you would have credited them with. I was not totally convinced with the supernatural elements that King tried to convey in this book and this inevitably frustrated me. I just think I don’t get on with his writing style, but I know many others do.
'Ralph Roberts has a problem: he isn't sleeping so well these days. In fact, he's hardly sleeping at all. Each morning, the news conveyed by the bedside clock is a little worse: 3:15...3:02...2:45...2:15. The books call it "premature waking"; Ralph, who is still learning to be a widower, calls it a season in hell. He's begun to notice a strangeness in his familiar surroundings, to experience visual phenomena that he can't quite believe are hallucinations. Soon, Ralph thinks, he won't be sleeping at all, and what then? A problem, yes - though perhaps not so uncommon, you might say. But Ralph has lived his entire life in Derry, Maine, and Derry isn't like other places, as millions of Stephen King readers will gladly testify. They remember It, also set in Derry, and know there's a mean streak running through this small New England city; underneath its ordinary surface awesome and terrifying forces are at work. The dying, natural and otherwise, has been going on in Derry for a long, long time. Now Ralph is part of it. So are his friends. And so are the strangers they encounter.'
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
I found this book much more my cup of tea and I was drawn in immediately, attracted by the playful writing and the sympathetic and qwerky characters. Even though the idea is not necessarily a new one, the interpretation seemed fresh and exciting. I particularly enjoyed Koontz attention to detail and his almost poetic style of description.
"The dead don't talk. I don't know why." But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn. Maybe he has a gift, maybe it's a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd's otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it's different. A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd's deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15.
Today is August 14.
In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares—and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
As a sequel this book suffers from the fact that we know many of the secrets we didn’t in the first book, and taking it on a step sometimes pushes the boundaries just a bit too far. There is not a lot extra that we find out about the characters we like and the new characters seem even more outlandish than before. It could be trying too hard.
Every so often a character so captures the hearts and imaginations of readers that he seems to take on a life of his own long after the final page is turned. For such a character, one book is not enough — readers must know what happens next. Now Dean Koontz returns with the novel his fans have been demanding. With the emotional power and sheer storytelling artistry that are his trademarks, Koontz takes up once more the story of a unique young hero and an eccentric little town in a tale that is equal parts suspense and terror, adventure and mystery — and altogether irresistibly odd.
We're all a little odd beneath the surface. He's the most unlikely hero you'll ever meet — an ordinary guy with a modest job you might never look at twice. But there's so much more to any of us than meets the eye — and that goes triple for Odd Thomas. For Odd lives always between two worlds in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, where the heroic and the harrowing are everyday events. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead — it's something that just happened. But as the unofficial ambassador between our world and theirs, he's got a duty to do the right thing. That's the way Odd sees it and that's why he's won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death.
A childhood friend of Odd's has disappeared. The worst is feared. But as Odd applies his unique talents to the task of finding the missing person, he discovers something worse than a dead body, encounters an enemy of exceptional cunning, and spirals into a vortex of terror. Once again Odd will stand against our worst fears. Around him will gather new allies and old, some living and some not. For in the battle to come, there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope. Whether you're meeting Odd Thomas for the first time or he's already an old friend, you'll be led on an unforgettable journey through a world of terror, wonder and delight — to a revelation that can change your life. And you can have no better guide than Odd Thomas.
The Husband by Dean Koontz
I received this book for my birthday from my wife and it is a real page-turner. I didn’t want to put it down, drawn as I was into the horror as Mitch’s world is turned upside down and everything (well almost everything) he though was good turns bad. At the end it had my pulse beating faster as I willed him on. I have really enjoyed the few books I have read by this author and I will look out for more of them now.
What would you do for love? Would you die? Would you kill?
We have your wife. You can get her back for two million cash. Landscaper Mitchell Rafferty thinks it must be some kind of joke. He was in the middle of planting impatiens in the yard of one of his clients when his cell phone rang. Now he's standing in a normal suburban neighborhood on a bright summer day, having a phone conversation out of his darkest nightmare.
Whoever is on the other end of the line is dead serious. He has Mitch's wife and he's named the price for her safe return. The caller doesn't care that Mitch runs a small two-man landscaping operation and has no way of raising such a vast sum. He's confident that Mitch will find a way. If he loves his wife enough… Mitch does love her enough. He loves her more than life itself. He's got seventy-two hours to prove it. He has to find the two million by then. But he'll pay a lot more. He'll pay anything.
BloodBowl by Matt Forbeck
If you approach this book with the same attitude as the game of BloodBowl them you probably won’t be disappointed. It is never going to win any literary awards but then that never was its aim. It’s just a bit of fun.
He should have stuck to fighting dragons…
Dunk Hoffnung’s life is going nowhere fast and being an adventurer is definitely not all it’s cracked up to be. The pay is terrible, the conditions harsh and the only people you meet are generally monsters and they’re more interested in eating your flesh than sitting down and sharing their feelings…
When sports agent Slick Fullbelly spots Dunk bringing down a Chimera with a spear from a hundred paces, he’s sure that his search is over. Slick works for the Bad Bay Hackers, and they need a new thrower. Dunk is about to be plunged headfirst into the insane world of Blood Bowl, the fastest, meanest sport in this dark and brutal fantasy world. Dunk puts down his sword and steps off the battlefield…… onto the football field.
DeadBall by Matt Forbeck
This is more of the same, bad jokes, terrible puns, and wild action that is absolutely nothing more than a bit of fan fun.
Would-be star quarterback Dunk Hoffnung is back and, unfortunately, he's not smelling of roses. His dreams of fame and stardom within the ridiculously violent game of Blood Bowl have all come to nothing. But a good player never says die (though they have been known to say "Ouch" or "Look, take the ball! Just don't hurt me!" or "Not in the face!") and he's determined to make his name… in the Albion leagues. All he has to do is survive the dirty tricks, the sneaky cheating and the exploding footballs. And that's just the players on his team.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
The country life…
The local Westcott History group has done some investigation on the little village of Westcott that we now inhabit and reveals that it was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The sign on the green has a small thatched dovecote upon it with the letters of the compass above (though the N has been replaced with a T to spell out WEST of Westcott).
The village sits in an Area of Natural Beauty at the foot of the North Surrey Downs by Ranmore Common which is criss-crossed by many footpaths and walkways including the Pilgrim’s Way that runs all the way down to Canterbury. A path runs passed our front door and down to where it crosses Pipps Brook before climbing up towards the common.
We are in the lovely named Mole Valley District (named after the river that is so called for its habit of disappearing into the ground to emerge elsewhere), and near to the old market town of Dorking (why does everyone snigger at the name?)
Dotted around the countryside are many fine pubs and picturesque villages and just over the ridge of the Downs is the UKs largest vineyard, Denbies, who make some very fine wines.
The village sits in an Area of Natural Beauty at the foot of the North Surrey Downs by Ranmore Common which is criss-crossed by many footpaths and walkways including the Pilgrim’s Way that runs all the way down to Canterbury. A path runs passed our front door and down to where it crosses Pipps Brook before climbing up towards the common.
We are in the lovely named Mole Valley District (named after the river that is so called for its habit of disappearing into the ground to emerge elsewhere), and near to the old market town of Dorking (why does everyone snigger at the name?)
Dotted around the countryside are many fine pubs and picturesque villages and just over the ridge of the Downs is the UKs largest vineyard, Denbies, who make some very fine wines.
New home sweet home…
Well we have moved into our new home at last after many months of negotiating and waiting for everybody involved being ready. On Monday the 11th the removal men arrived (from the old peoples home it seemed – four guys, the youngest of which was in his fifties the oldest nearer seventy) and started to shift our mountain of possessions in the pouring rain (and that is even though we were leaving the dining suite, sideboard, wardrobes, TV cabinet and all of the appliances with the exception of the freezer behind). In fact they soon filled the first van up and had to arrange for another to come for the remaining household items and garden plants and equipment. The elderly removal team then went off to wait at the new house while Sue went with friend Carole to the estate agents to wait for the monies to exchange and to pick up the keys while I took some of our more valuable items and the cat in our car to join the old boys at the new place.
After we got the keys it was another few hours of shifting stuff, interspersed with the occasional tea, until all the items were indoors and the guys left at around 5pm. We took Carole up to one of the three local pubs for a meal (a wonderful Thai curry) before she left and we returned to our new home totally exhausted.
We both had the week off and we were kept very busy each day unpacking, building new flat pack furniture, painting the front bedroom (painted Chelsea Blue for the previous owners football mad son) and fixing the odd little fault that we had found (we needed a new door lock and had a leak under the sink). Luckily we were able to prevail on the services of Sue’s builder brother Dave and his son Terry to help us out, and when the range cooker and dishwasher arrived Dave came back to help connect the gas and electric when the delivery engineers refused (the electrical outlet had to be moved). This close to the festive season could have proven difficult to get anyone else in and so he literary saved our turkey and Christmas for the family.
After we got the keys it was another few hours of shifting stuff, interspersed with the occasional tea, until all the items were indoors and the guys left at around 5pm. We took Carole up to one of the three local pubs for a meal (a wonderful Thai curry) before she left and we returned to our new home totally exhausted.
We both had the week off and we were kept very busy each day unpacking, building new flat pack furniture, painting the front bedroom (painted Chelsea Blue for the previous owners football mad son) and fixing the odd little fault that we had found (we needed a new door lock and had a leak under the sink). Luckily we were able to prevail on the services of Sue’s builder brother Dave and his son Terry to help us out, and when the range cooker and dishwasher arrived Dave came back to help connect the gas and electric when the delivery engineers refused (the electrical outlet had to be moved). This close to the festive season could have proven difficult to get anyone else in and so he literary saved our turkey and Christmas for the family.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Tits like coconuts…
With the weather turning nippy and many a bird finding things becoming harder, it is important to think about how you look after your little friends this winter. Apparently half a coconut hung from a tree branch is a favorite of many a small bird and will help see them through this tough time of year. (What did you think I was talking about?)
Trip to Geneva…
We recently had a short weekend break to Geneva with a couple of friends for a spur of the moment holiday. We had all done a good deal of research and so had a plan of what we wanted to do and see. The main tourist season had ended so we missed out on a few of the events that we would have liked to catch but we did have a nice day out to the nearby suburb of Carouge that has a delightful market, some fabulous arty shops including an awesome toy shop. We loved the old town and the view from the top of the cathedral across the city and lake was spectacular. Naturally we ventured out onto the lake passed the fountain, crossing several times in the little taxi boats. (A single pass ticket can get you on all public transport from trains, trams, busses and boats and also gives benefits for several attractions around town and is available for 48 and 72hr periods). We ate well in several establishments from the quirky and intimate ‘at my cousins house we eat chicken’ to more exclusive establishments (Though I seemed to have found a taste for expensive drinks without even trying) and Sue and I enjoyed the locally caught Perch.
Moving House…
Things seem to be progressing now at last (fingers and toes crossed). We have finally exchanged contracts and set a date of the 11th of December for the big day. We have been busy writing to our service providers, packing boxes and making arrangements for the move. We will take the week off and hope to have most things sorted for when friends and family start arriving for Christmas. We have ordered our new range cooker and dishwasher after checking twice on the size (how big!), and I needed a lie down afterwards when I saw the bill.
The new house is similar to the one we are leaving in that it is a mid terraced two-up-two-down cottage but it has a converted loft space giving us an extra room. The bathroom and kitchen are bigger but the gardens are pretty much the same size (I have spotted a section of land at the back that is currently being used as a veggie plot and I think I will try and contact the owners to see if they want to rent or sell it to us). We do have the advantage of being able to walk down the lane and out onto the North Surrey Downs and a short journey takes us into Dorking where there are all the facilities of a good sized market town including mainline train links to London.
The new house is similar to the one we are leaving in that it is a mid terraced two-up-two-down cottage but it has a converted loft space giving us an extra room. The bathroom and kitchen are bigger but the gardens are pretty much the same size (I have spotted a section of land at the back that is currently being used as a veggie plot and I think I will try and contact the owners to see if they want to rent or sell it to us). We do have the advantage of being able to walk down the lane and out onto the North Surrey Downs and a short journey takes us into Dorking where there are all the facilities of a good sized market town including mainline train links to London.
More of wot I have read…
Heroes Die by Matthew Stover
I am not sure about this book. It is in a very macho style with excessive focus on prolonged and graphically violent fight scenes interspersed with chauvinistic male/female interaction and little character or background development. If you like your action hard and fast without any guilt then this could be for you. Personally I would have liked to know more about the technology, sociological background and motivation that leads up to this novel.
‘Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable; simply the best there is at what he does.At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions. Yet he is shackled by a rigid caste society, bound to ignore the grim fact that he kills men on a far-off world for the entertainment of his own planet--and bound to keep his rage in check.But now Michaelson has crossed the line. His estranged wife, Pallas Rill, has mysteriously disappeared in the slums of Ankhana. To save her, he must confront the greatest challenge of his life: a lethal game of cat and mouse with the most treacherous rulers of two worlds…’
Supermen Isaac Asimov collection of sci-fi short stories
An interesting read of some quite different and variable stories. It has been a long time since I have read short stories and I enjoyed the different style and pace that is a necessary part to them.
‘The unique and sometimes powerful stories included in this multi-authored collection of short stories are, as the title suggests, tales of men that could be considered to be supermen. This anthology contains a number of good stories and some excellent ones about human beings that are in some way superior to ourselves. There are 12 tales from some of today’s better known science fiction writers.
'What Rough Beast' by Damon Knight is an excellent story about a man who can twist time and events. He can create wealth, heal the sick, and change the world in an infinite number of ways. This was a very entertaining story with an intriguing concept.
'Worlds To Kill' by Harlan Ellison is a very good story about a man who destroys entire worlds for a living.
'In The Bone' by Gordon R. Dickson tells the intriguing tale of one man searching for new worlds and equipped with the best technology that man can provide. He begins to feel godlike until he meets a technology just little better.
Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Dean R. Koontz, A. E. van Vogt, Roger Zelazny and Robert Silverberg are some of the other writers that contributed to this above average collection of short stories. I first bought this collection back in the eighties. It sat, for some unknown reason, on my bookshelf collecting dust. Finally, craving some short science fiction stories, I read this book. I found it to be a very enjoyable book. Like any short story collection certain stories are better than others. However, there are enough varied ideas and concepts that everyone should find something that they like in this book. Amazon Reviewer’
The Universe Maker by A.E. Van Vogt
This is another book that I am in two minds about. I found it difficult to have sympathy for Cargill, who seems self serving and chauvinistic (this might be a product of the time when it was written – 1950’s). It also seems that the author skips a little lightly over some of the more complex and far fetched concepts leaving me unsatisfied with his explanations. Nevertheless it is quite an original story line and for that it is worth the effort.
‘Morton Cargill is about to die for a crime he committed 400 yrs. ago. Lieutenant Morton Cargill was brought from the past to be punished for his crime, an accidental murder that took place centuries before. Now he is in a world ruled by the Shadows, an evil people who can pass through solid walls & remain untouched by weapons. But the Shadows are being threatened by the Planiacs, a celestial race that lives high above the earth & to whom the preservation of Cargill's life means their own existence. Now Cargill is hunted by one race, held captive by the other, caught in a deadly clash of minds & machines - in a terrifying world where he doesn't know the rules!’
I am not sure about this book. It is in a very macho style with excessive focus on prolonged and graphically violent fight scenes interspersed with chauvinistic male/female interaction and little character or background development. If you like your action hard and fast without any guilt then this could be for you. Personally I would have liked to know more about the technology, sociological background and motivation that leads up to this novel.
‘Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable; simply the best there is at what he does.At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions. Yet he is shackled by a rigid caste society, bound to ignore the grim fact that he kills men on a far-off world for the entertainment of his own planet--and bound to keep his rage in check.But now Michaelson has crossed the line. His estranged wife, Pallas Rill, has mysteriously disappeared in the slums of Ankhana. To save her, he must confront the greatest challenge of his life: a lethal game of cat and mouse with the most treacherous rulers of two worlds…’
Supermen Isaac Asimov collection of sci-fi short stories
An interesting read of some quite different and variable stories. It has been a long time since I have read short stories and I enjoyed the different style and pace that is a necessary part to them.
‘The unique and sometimes powerful stories included in this multi-authored collection of short stories are, as the title suggests, tales of men that could be considered to be supermen. This anthology contains a number of good stories and some excellent ones about human beings that are in some way superior to ourselves. There are 12 tales from some of today’s better known science fiction writers.
'What Rough Beast' by Damon Knight is an excellent story about a man who can twist time and events. He can create wealth, heal the sick, and change the world in an infinite number of ways. This was a very entertaining story with an intriguing concept.
'Worlds To Kill' by Harlan Ellison is a very good story about a man who destroys entire worlds for a living.
'In The Bone' by Gordon R. Dickson tells the intriguing tale of one man searching for new worlds and equipped with the best technology that man can provide. He begins to feel godlike until he meets a technology just little better.
Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Dean R. Koontz, A. E. van Vogt, Roger Zelazny and Robert Silverberg are some of the other writers that contributed to this above average collection of short stories. I first bought this collection back in the eighties. It sat, for some unknown reason, on my bookshelf collecting dust. Finally, craving some short science fiction stories, I read this book. I found it to be a very enjoyable book. Like any short story collection certain stories are better than others. However, there are enough varied ideas and concepts that everyone should find something that they like in this book. Amazon Reviewer’
The Universe Maker by A.E. Van Vogt
This is another book that I am in two minds about. I found it difficult to have sympathy for Cargill, who seems self serving and chauvinistic (this might be a product of the time when it was written – 1950’s). It also seems that the author skips a little lightly over some of the more complex and far fetched concepts leaving me unsatisfied with his explanations. Nevertheless it is quite an original story line and for that it is worth the effort.
‘Morton Cargill is about to die for a crime he committed 400 yrs. ago. Lieutenant Morton Cargill was brought from the past to be punished for his crime, an accidental murder that took place centuries before. Now he is in a world ruled by the Shadows, an evil people who can pass through solid walls & remain untouched by weapons. But the Shadows are being threatened by the Planiacs, a celestial race that lives high above the earth & to whom the preservation of Cargill's life means their own existence. Now Cargill is hunted by one race, held captive by the other, caught in a deadly clash of minds & machines - in a terrifying world where he doesn't know the rules!’
Friday, October 13, 2006
More of wot I have read…
Lindbergh - by A. Scott Berg
This was an enthralling account of an amazing person. I felt my feelings for Charles Lindbergh swing from sympathy for the foul treatment he suffered at the hands of the press, through awe at the incredible mental capacity and focus of the man, to distaste at the bullying and self-centred attitude towards people he claimed to care the most about. At the end I had to admit to a misting of the eyes as his end approached. It could be possible to excuse the man his failings when you consider his start in life and I am sure it crossed his mind that this and the family history of mental illness may have had an effect on him. Perhaps it was more by chance that he changed the world in 1927, but it was entirely down to his actions throughout his life that no-one forgot it or him.
Here is an interview with the author talking about his Pulitzer Prize winning book.
‘Charles Lindbergh's solo flight from New York to Paris captured the imagination of a post-war generation hungry for heroes, and cemented an exalted spot for the 25-year-old pilot from Minnesota in the collective American imagination. A. Scott Berg's thorough new biography of the aviator suggests that despite the public scrutiny that accompanied his every move until his death in 1974, Lindbergh remained an intensely private man. The son of ill-matched parents who separated when he was 6, he was painfully shy and emotionally guarded. "Aviation created a brotherhood of casual acquaintances ... in which he felt comfortable," writes Berg with characteristic perceptiveness.
Lindbergh's wife, the writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, gave Berg unrestricted access to her husband's and her own voluminous personal papers--and he made good use of them to assess both the couple's relationship and their activities. Probably the most startling revelation is a brief but candid discussion of Anne's affair in the late 1950s with a New Jersey doctor, which helped assuage her need to vent emotions in a way her buttoned-up husband found insupportable. (During the horrendous days in 1932 when their 20-month-old son was kidnapped and killed, Berg notes, she never once saw Charles cry.) The biography is solid on all aspects of Lindbergh's career, including his notorious urging that America stay out of World War II; Berg rebuts charges that Lindbergh was a Nazi or a traitor, but rightly criticizes the anti-Semitism latent in some of his speeches. With this book, Berg succeeds in surveying Lindbergh's fascinating life and assessing its historic impact.’ - Amazon.com
This was an enthralling account of an amazing person. I felt my feelings for Charles Lindbergh swing from sympathy for the foul treatment he suffered at the hands of the press, through awe at the incredible mental capacity and focus of the man, to distaste at the bullying and self-centred attitude towards people he claimed to care the most about. At the end I had to admit to a misting of the eyes as his end approached. It could be possible to excuse the man his failings when you consider his start in life and I am sure it crossed his mind that this and the family history of mental illness may have had an effect on him. Perhaps it was more by chance that he changed the world in 1927, but it was entirely down to his actions throughout his life that no-one forgot it or him.
Here is an interview with the author talking about his Pulitzer Prize winning book.
‘Charles Lindbergh's solo flight from New York to Paris captured the imagination of a post-war generation hungry for heroes, and cemented an exalted spot for the 25-year-old pilot from Minnesota in the collective American imagination. A. Scott Berg's thorough new biography of the aviator suggests that despite the public scrutiny that accompanied his every move until his death in 1974, Lindbergh remained an intensely private man. The son of ill-matched parents who separated when he was 6, he was painfully shy and emotionally guarded. "Aviation created a brotherhood of casual acquaintances ... in which he felt comfortable," writes Berg with characteristic perceptiveness.
Lindbergh's wife, the writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, gave Berg unrestricted access to her husband's and her own voluminous personal papers--and he made good use of them to assess both the couple's relationship and their activities. Probably the most startling revelation is a brief but candid discussion of Anne's affair in the late 1950s with a New Jersey doctor, which helped assuage her need to vent emotions in a way her buttoned-up husband found insupportable. (During the horrendous days in 1932 when their 20-month-old son was kidnapped and killed, Berg notes, she never once saw Charles cry.) The biography is solid on all aspects of Lindbergh's career, including his notorious urging that America stay out of World War II; Berg rebuts charges that Lindbergh was a Nazi or a traitor, but rightly criticizes the anti-Semitism latent in some of his speeches. With this book, Berg succeeds in surveying Lindbergh's fascinating life and assessing its historic impact.’ - Amazon.com
A new set of wheels…
I collected my new company car this week and returned the 'old' Saab with a few thousand more miles on the clock.
I now have a Vauxhall Astra. The model is an Astra Sport Hatch Design 1.6i 16v Easytronic, and it is painted Royal Blue.
This car is two grades lower than I am allowed, but in return for downgrading I get money back and the tax is much lower. And since there is only Sue, who doesn’t drive, and me at home and we don’t have off-street parking, it seemed to make sense to choose something small and practical. The Easytronic gearbox is a variant on the semi-automatic that allows you drive in fully auto (I do a lot of motorway miles) and also allows you to drive as a clutch-less manual. The Design trim level also gives you automatic lighting and automatic windscreen wipers, making life even easier.
I now have a Vauxhall Astra. The model is an Astra Sport Hatch Design 1.6i 16v Easytronic, and it is painted Royal Blue.
This car is two grades lower than I am allowed, but in return for downgrading I get money back and the tax is much lower. And since there is only Sue, who doesn’t drive, and me at home and we don’t have off-street parking, it seemed to make sense to choose something small and practical. The Easytronic gearbox is a variant on the semi-automatic that allows you drive in fully auto (I do a lot of motorway miles) and also allows you to drive as a clutch-less manual. The Design trim level also gives you automatic lighting and automatic windscreen wipers, making life even easier.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Bricks and mortar II...
We have now found another property which we have had an offer accepted on this time in a village called Westcott just west of Dorking in amongst the picturesque Surrey hills in the delightfully named Mole Valley District. The house is a three bedroom mid-terrace house with a reasonable sized kitchen and garden. Westcott is a little village with a church, a bakery, two convenience stores and three pubs. There are several walking and cycling paths out into the countryside, up into the gentle rolling hills, and over to Denbies Vineyard (the largest in the UK). Dorking itself is a bustling town with lovely historic buildings, smuggler’s caves, and antique shops along with all the essentials and with good transport links to London and elsewhere.
A marriage on the border…
We had a couple of days off recently to attend a wedding of one of Sue’s work colleagues at Hexham in Northumberland. The wedding was at Langley Castle a few miles away from the historic town and from Hadrian’s Wall between two families that have historic Scottish and Reiver names. The event was wonderful and in a great setting we ate and drank well and danced traditional rounds to the live folk band before boogying down to the disco.
While we were in the area we had a look around the historic and picturesque town of Hexham with its Abbey and Gaol, and we went down the road to see the impressive Roman ruins at Corbridge.
We broke our return journey in Derbyshire and visited a couple of National Trust houses. The grand Kedleston Hall and the rather spooky Calke Abbey.
While we were in the area we had a look around the historic and picturesque town of Hexham with its Abbey and Gaol, and we went down the road to see the impressive Roman ruins at Corbridge.
We broke our return journey in Derbyshire and visited a couple of National Trust houses. The grand Kedleston Hall and the rather spooky Calke Abbey.
A harvest festival…
Once again the autumn signifies the end of summer and the last warm days as they shorten as we get closer to winter. In the garden it is a time of bounty as we reap what we have sown. An abundance of courgettes, tomatoes and blackberries has led to Sue making more chutneys and jams. We have been pleasantly surprised with this year’s melon, sweet peppers and butternut squash which are large and plentiful. The hot, dry summer that benefited the more exotic crops was not so good for our traditional mainstay and we had a disappointing return from our potatoes and our corn as we were not able to give them enough water.
More of wot I have heard…
Nouvelle Vague, Vol I
…and…
Bande A Part – by Nouvelle Vague
These are a couple of interesting albums by a French outfit that have taken classics and rarities from rock, pop, and punk and given them a twist by reinterpreting them with a Gallic café/club feel.
Damaged – by Lambchop
We have many of this band’s recordings and have seen them live a couple of times, once at a regular gig and once where they performed live accompaniment to a silent film. Kurt Wagner leads a large ensemble cast of musicians with his characteristic soft and raw lyrics that require concentrated effort by the listener to extract the most from them.
Feast of Wire – by Calexico
Gentle and delicate TexMex folk have been a mainstay of the Calexico sound for some years now (though I have read that some fans consider that they have ‘sold out’ with their more mainstream later albums). I have several of this band’s recordings and they rate very highly in my personal chart.
…and…
Bande A Part – by Nouvelle Vague
These are a couple of interesting albums by a French outfit that have taken classics and rarities from rock, pop, and punk and given them a twist by reinterpreting them with a Gallic café/club feel.
Damaged – by Lambchop
We have many of this band’s recordings and have seen them live a couple of times, once at a regular gig and once where they performed live accompaniment to a silent film. Kurt Wagner leads a large ensemble cast of musicians with his characteristic soft and raw lyrics that require concentrated effort by the listener to extract the most from them.
Feast of Wire – by Calexico
Gentle and delicate TexMex folk have been a mainstay of the Calexico sound for some years now (though I have read that some fans consider that they have ‘sold out’ with their more mainstream later albums). I have several of this band’s recordings and they rate very highly in my personal chart.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
More of wot I have read…
The Accidental - by Ali Smith
I found this a very unusual book that doesn’t have an obvious plot narrative but investigates how a stranger affects the lives of a family that is drifting aimlessly when she turns up at their door by accident.
It is a very well written and engaging story the spends most of it’s time exploring the different ways people react to external forces and does a good job of getting you inside the head of the characters.
"Winner of the Whitbread Award for best novel and a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, The Accidental is the virtuoso new novel by the singularly gifted Ali Smith. Jonathan Safran Foer has called her writing “thrilling.” Jeanette Winterson has praised her for her “style, ideas, and punch.” Here, in a novel at once profound, playful, and exhilaratingly inventive, she transfixes us with a portrait of a family unraveled by a mysterious visitor.
Amber—thirtysomething and barefoot—shows up at the door of the Norfolk cottage that the Smarts are renting for the summer. She talks her way in. She tells nothing but lies. She stays for dinner.
Eve Smart, the author of a best-selling series of biographical reconstructions, thinks Amber is a student with whom her husband, Michael, is sleeping. Michael, an English professor, knows only that her car broke down. Daughter Astrid, age twelve, thinks she’s her mother’s friend. Son Magnus, age seventeen, thinks she’s an angel.
As Amber insinuates herself into the family, the questions of who she is and how she’s come to be there drop away. Instead, dazzled by her seeming exoticism, the Smarts begin to examine the accidents of their lives through the searing lens of Amber’s perceptions. When Eve finally banishes her from the cottage, Amber disappears from their sight, but not—they discover when they return home to London—from their profoundly altered lives.
Fearlessly intelligent and written with an irresistible blend of lyricism and whimsy, The Accidental is a tour de force of literary improvisation that explores the nature of truth, the role of chance, and the transformative power of storytelling.
I found this a very unusual book that doesn’t have an obvious plot narrative but investigates how a stranger affects the lives of a family that is drifting aimlessly when she turns up at their door by accident.
It is a very well written and engaging story the spends most of it’s time exploring the different ways people react to external forces and does a good job of getting you inside the head of the characters.
"Winner of the Whitbread Award for best novel and a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, The Accidental is the virtuoso new novel by the singularly gifted Ali Smith. Jonathan Safran Foer has called her writing “thrilling.” Jeanette Winterson has praised her for her “style, ideas, and punch.” Here, in a novel at once profound, playful, and exhilaratingly inventive, she transfixes us with a portrait of a family unraveled by a mysterious visitor.
Amber—thirtysomething and barefoot—shows up at the door of the Norfolk cottage that the Smarts are renting for the summer. She talks her way in. She tells nothing but lies. She stays for dinner.
Eve Smart, the author of a best-selling series of biographical reconstructions, thinks Amber is a student with whom her husband, Michael, is sleeping. Michael, an English professor, knows only that her car broke down. Daughter Astrid, age twelve, thinks she’s her mother’s friend. Son Magnus, age seventeen, thinks she’s an angel.
As Amber insinuates herself into the family, the questions of who she is and how she’s come to be there drop away. Instead, dazzled by her seeming exoticism, the Smarts begin to examine the accidents of their lives through the searing lens of Amber’s perceptions. When Eve finally banishes her from the cottage, Amber disappears from their sight, but not—they discover when they return home to London—from their profoundly altered lives.
Fearlessly intelligent and written with an irresistible blend of lyricism and whimsy, The Accidental is a tour de force of literary improvisation that explores the nature of truth, the role of chance, and the transformative power of storytelling.
More of wot I have heard…
Still - by Lily Allen
A (s)punky girl that sings from the heart on subjects that matter to the younger generation. To us she sounds like a female equivalent of the Streets – Mike Skinner. Catchy tunes and pointed lyrics make this a lively album and a good debut.
Veneer - by Jose Gonzalez
This artist has become popular here in the UK for having a track used in a TV commercial. His style of music is quite and gentle with simple arrangements that although they don’t always leave a strong impression, they do give and fine overall feeling to the album.
Late Night Tales - by Flaming Lips
The Late Night Tales series of albums has a different artist select tracks that mean something to them. It is an insight to the influences on them as well as being an eclectic mix of popular and less well known music. We have collected most of the series so far and have enjoyed them all and this is no exception.
A (s)punky girl that sings from the heart on subjects that matter to the younger generation. To us she sounds like a female equivalent of the Streets – Mike Skinner. Catchy tunes and pointed lyrics make this a lively album and a good debut.
Veneer - by Jose Gonzalez
This artist has become popular here in the UK for having a track used in a TV commercial. His style of music is quite and gentle with simple arrangements that although they don’t always leave a strong impression, they do give and fine overall feeling to the album.
Late Night Tales - by Flaming Lips
The Late Night Tales series of albums has a different artist select tracks that mean something to them. It is an insight to the influences on them as well as being an eclectic mix of popular and less well known music. We have collected most of the series so far and have enjoyed them all and this is no exception.
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