Saturday 18 January 2014

And When Did You Last see Your Father?"




Just spent an afternoon watching the Film "And When Did You Last see Your Father?" The film is a series of flashbacks to various periods in the life of Blake Morrison as he remembers moments he shared with his father Arthur while he, his mother and younger sister Gillian tend to him on his deathbed in his Yorkshire home. Despite Blake's success as a writer, poet, and critic, his father - a rural general practitioner - never accepted his decision to pursue a literary career nor was he willing to acknowledge his achievements in his field. Bullying, blustery, and boorish, Arthur blunders his way through fatherhood, regularly calling his son a fathead and intruding into the boy's private moments with a sense of entitlement. He has a penchant for exaggeration when he's not telling outright lies, and he publicly humiliates his long-suffering but passively complacent wife Kim with his shameless flirting with various women and an affair with Beaty, a friend of the family. At other times, he seems genuinely interested in bonding with his son, taking him camping so they can test supposedly waterproof sleeping bags he has made or allowing him to drive in the family's Alvis convertible on a wide expanse of deserted beach with reckless abandon. As a result, Blake is left with mixed feelings for the man, ranging from deeply rooted anger to compassionate acceptance. Only after Arthur's death is he able to set aside his resentment and recognize him as a father whose flaws ultimately helped mold his son into the better man he is. After reading the plot this sounds anything but a bundle of fun, but I can assure you that it is quite entertaining. In the opening sequence Arthur wanted to get to Goodwood for the opening car race, but is held up in a traffic jam, so he waves his stethoscope aloft and goes past the queue shouting "Doctor" at the top of his voice. He arrives at the wrong entrance with the wrong coloured tickets, but is not to be put off and again uses his doctor ruse to get in!

Sunday 12 January 2014

The Galaxy Song by Eric Idle

I recently had an e mail from a friend which contained a link to "The Galaxy Song". This seemed to be singularly appropriate as we have been shown the Aurora Borealis and various other stars and galaxies in BBC programmes over the last week or so.The original song was written by one of the Monty Python Team (Eric Idle) in 2003. Prof Brian Cox looked at the lyrics and pointed out that since 2003 some of the facts in the song had been superseeded. If you want to hear the original version of the song, try this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=buqtdpuZxvk‎Similar There is also a clever cartoon version which I am told originated in Australia. You can find this at: http://dingo.care2.com/cards/flash/5409/galaxy.swf

Thursday 2 January 2014

Panto Season

"He's behind you!" "Oh no he isn't!" "Oh yes he is! - The eternal cry from the audience at the pantomime to warn the hero that there is danger lurking. How we enjoy joining in the cry! This time of year is most definitely the Pantomime season when all good children and grandchildren are taken to the theatre for their annual dose of real live pantomime. The pantomimes are always based on traditional stories - Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc. and always have a happy ending, when good triumphs over evil. This year we are in for a double dose of pantomime. Firstly we take the grandchildren and one of our daughters and her husband to Harrogate Theatre to see their version of Sleeping Beauty. The story:- Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a beautiful princess is born. The entire kingdom is delighted, apart from the evil fairy, who places a curse on the Princess. As the day approaches when the Princess will turn 18, little does she know of the evil spell placed upon her at birth. Intrigued by a mysterious old spinning wheel she receives as a birthday present, she pricks her finger and falls asleep… Who could possibly break such a terrible spell?
Then a couple of days later we visit the wonderful Georgian Theatre in Richmond to see their version of Cinderella. The theatre is celebrating 225 years since its opening in 1788! This is a view of the tiny theatre from the stage. It is only 20 feet from the back of the theatre to the stage)
Our reason for visiting the Georgian Theatre in Richmond, to see their version of Cinderella is that we know the person who is playing the baron - James Turner!

Wednesday 1 January 2014

Our old haunt - the Aagrah

It being Mum's birthday yesterday we went out for a meal. We visited one of our favourite haunts - the Aagrah in Shipley. Being the boring and predictable old duffers that we are becomng, we had our usual - a Vege Mekhani for Mum and a Chicken Korma for me, with the usual Popadums to precede the main course, then Peshwari Naan, Basmati Rice and Lemon Rice. Mum had a "small" white wine and I had a diet Coke. I had had a quiet word with one of the regular waiters and arranged for a Birthday Cake (Chocolate Pudding with an indoor firework to follow the main course). Mum knew nothing about it until it arrived as she wasn't facing the direction it was brought from! Most of the assembled diners joined in Happy Birthday!!! We followed this up with a latte each and the usual supply of Aagrah Mint Chocolate. Just as we were about to get ready to leave, the waiter said, "Aren't you staying for the fireworks?" So we hung on until midnight and were among 20 - 30 poeple who witnessed a couple of boxes of what were termed "Earthshakers" going off! Something like 100 individual fireworks packed into a square container and each linked by a fuse to the next firework.The impression was of 100 individual rackets firing into the night sky, and the final 6 of each box created a fantastic display of pyrotechnics!

Three Sisters (not forgetting their other halves!)

As the years pass by (and as I grow older) I find that I am becoming more philosophical. – Let me explain. Since we had the new kitchen fitted my good lady had a wall plaque put up on the kitchen wall which reads “Family is Everything” Being the sort of cynical soul that I thought I was, my thoughts were Hmm! A sentimental piece of kitchen decoration. Ideal to catch the eye of a female would be purchaser! However after this Christmas, I have to admit that there could be some truth in it!!! Our three girls have come up trumps yet again. Over the Christmas period they have cooked/baked etc. lots of delicious food which has been supplied to the doddery old parents to be consumed at our meals/parties etc. (as they say on Come Dancing,) “In No Particular Order” I think of Rachel’s delicious gammon cooked in Coca Cola, Sarah’s home made nibbles, bags of nuts and crisps, and Hannah’s home cooked turkey and roast potatoes. On top of this there have been some very suitable and thoughtful birthday and Christmas presents. I know that Mum was most touched with her surprise Pandora Bracelet, presented to her yesterday, and I have been delighted with all the “smellies”, and books I have got! Thanks Girls. You really are the tops!