Sunday 30 October 2011

F is for Freda....

This is my sixth born, Freda...
although she insists upon being called Freddy.

She is learning "body-building" and spends quite some time in front of the mirror drawing a moustache onto her upper lip with my eyebrow pencil.

I'm not sure which direction she is going in.....

Friday 28 October 2011

E is for Evie

Bless her, this is my fifth born... Evie.

Evie is the motherly type. She sweeps, cleans, and wraps up pine cones and puts them to bed... with lullabies.

She tells me that she wants to find a good husband and have lots and lots of babies.

I tell her that she needn't worry about the good husband bit and explain about parthenogenesis.

She bursts into tears.

Wednesday 26 October 2011

D is for Dorothy

This is Dorothy.

I don't know where I went wrong here. Dorothy is always angry.
And most of all...
She's angry with me...

...Says I have ruined her life and that there is nothing for it but for her to enter therapy.
...She says she hopes I am "proud of myself".

Sometimes I think that is the kind of thing I am supposed to say to her.






Monday 24 October 2011

C is for...

My third born I called Catherine.

But she calls herself Candy.
She has turned out to be a bit of a party girl.

She watches Skins and True Blood.
I never know where she is.

I don't think much good will come of this.


Saturday 22 October 2011

B is for Beryl

My second born is Beryl.

Beryl loves reading.

She had considered a career in librarianship. But she has it on first hand knowledge that this is a shrinking career field. Most librarians that she knows are redundant - in fact, if not in nature.

She is instead contemplating studying linguistics.
She informs me that she is particularly interested in the field of linguistic typology.

I don't know what she is talking about.

Thursday 20 October 2011

A is for Aurelia

The children are ready to go out in the world.

This is my first born, Aurelia.

She is very musical.
Her schoolteacher, Mr Dorchester, wanted her to take up the trombone. But Aurelia tells me that she would rather study the cello. When she is not listening to Schubert lieder - she listens to Rostropovich. Her most recent favourites are Britten's Cello suites.


Sunday 16 October 2011

Zut Alors! Le Vieil Cuisine des Beignets....

Most excellent little doughnuts too.

.... a personal response to Andrew Lansley's attempt to cut the NHS expenses further... by announcing we should all eat less.

Marie Antoinette comes to mind. And most deliciously in this case.

Saturday 15 October 2011

Beelzebub! Where Are All These Flies...?

It is like one of the circles of Dante's Hell round here.

Swathed in mist and cloud for days on end.....
And now?

....My bedroom is full of flies when I go up last thing at night, I swat and flap and sweep... and so does The Old Man....

It makes me wonder if something has deceased in the roof space... But I don't smell anything... And with all these flies... Could a horse have crept up there to die?

I could also feel guilty about my house-keeping. But the other day we visit a friend along the road... Her kitchen is festooned with flypapers...

She says to me...
"All these flies. Where are they coming from?"

Thursday 13 October 2011

In Which I do Contemplate......


Parthenogenesis.

....on account Old Man and me had passing discussion on stick insects and greenfly. As you do.

Monday 10 October 2011

Travels With my Film-Life: USA, CBS newsroom, 1953

Here I am with my beads and handbag, taking a back seat and watching the action as journalist and TV newsman Ed Morrow goes into battle with Senator (Blacklist) McCarthy.

We's watchin "Good Night and Good Luck" a 2005 release George Clooney film for Warner Brothers - with the delicious Mr Clooney as Morrow's co-producer Fred Friendly. The film is set during the time CBS News, or rather the Ed Morrow team, took on the communist-fixated senator who was twisting America up tight and getting everyone looking over their shoulder.... and decided to bring him down.

The film plays in black & white and looks pretty good as a recreation of the 1950s (I should know). It incorporates actual news footage from the time, such as sequences from the McCarthy hearings. According to Wikipedia - one audience member at the initial showings of the film commented that they thought that the Senator McCarthy performance was over the top.... not realising that it was in fact the real McCoy McCarthy, if you get my drift.

When I see films like this... I wonder what I would do? Would I stand up and be counted? I suppose I just thank my lucky stars that this was another time, another place.....

Yeah.... right.....

Friday 7 October 2011

Strolling Down the Highway: Bert Jansch 1943 - 2011



Moody teenagers.... 1965... me and me school friend Ros obsessively listening to her LP of Bert Jansch on the old portable record player in the bedroom: Angie, Needle of Death, Courting Blues...

There's already been the sacred Bob in our lives with "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", and "The Times They Are a-Changin". (Of course one dutifully marvelled at the purity of Saint Joan Baez.) But I don't remember anyone else with near the same punch as sacred Bob

... except for Bert Jansch.

It's probably around this time I decides to walk about with no shoes on.... I mean walk to St. Ives, walk around school.... surely they didn't let me do that? St. Ives already warming up to beads, candles and the clanging of hippy bells... Me stopping walking around with no shoes on... after that foot infection. Slouching into folk clubs... but twas all very traditional there... Brenda Wootton and John the Fish.

No, after a while we had to slump by the harbour and stare at the water - contemplatin' getting back to the grittiness and miraculous guitar-playing of Bert Jansch.

The Old Man Gets His Arm Back

To those of you concerned as to the outcome of The Old Man's Hi-Fi dilemma and related queasiness - described in previous posts.

Let me assure you that The Old Man grasps the nettle of The Invoice for Arm Repair. He rings up The Arm People who explain that they offer not so much a service as a Rebuild. So he gulps and says yes to the procedure.

Quick as you like... the Arm wings its way back to The Old Man. He declares it pristine and practically unrecognisable... and promptly ditches all other plans for the day in order to settle down by The Deck to reattach The Arm.

Some time later.... records are being played, The Old Man is smiling sweetly and all appears to be well.

As I waft past on the way to start making supper... a slight frown appears on The Old Man's phyzog.

"Of course... there is now the question of The Cartridge....." say he.

Wednesday 5 October 2011

Patrick McHale's "Fall Guy"

Fall Guy (2011) from Patrick McHale on Vimeo.
And whilst we are being both animated AND thriller minded....Watch this most excellent "animation noir" by Patrick McHale. For those of nervous disposition... there is sound on this one.

Mrs Doonuthin is sitting and weeping....

Monday 3 October 2011

Sicilian Crime Euro-Telly on BBC4

Mrs Doonuthin says... if you ain't seen it yet... you may like to catch up with a little bit of Euro-Telly crime drama: "Montalbano's Croquettes" - showing on Wed 5 Oct 2011 23:20 on BBC Four.

(It's a repeat showing from last year.. and we missed it on Saturday didn't we... that Mrs D is usually so zonked on her Little Glass of Red by that time of a Saturday night that she's snoring her way through telly....)

The drama is an Inspector Montalbano tale based on the books by Andrea Camilleri and featuring said Sicilian police detective.

Find out more by clicking through here with the added possibility of watching it on iPlayer over the next 9 days or so.

Sunday 2 October 2011

Hot October Day

Blimey but it is hot and sunny here. How's it with you?

This morning we go for the beach walk. Pearly, hazy light over a shiny flat sea.... well ... as flat as Cornwall can have a go at.
Wheatears (birds!) on the granite rocks at the top of the beach. Dogs and people splashing about in the briny.

Phew, mop the brow.

The Old Man Feels Queasy

So... you may remember that The Old Man is having some problems with his beloved Hi-Fi? (See 28 Sept Post.)

He be greatly comforted when the Arm Man tells him that he can send his non-tracking Arm back home.... and they will take great care of it and make it a-a-a-all better. This he does....

.... and Friday he gets the pre-pay invoice for the servicing of The Arm...

Around lunchtime The Old Man reports he be feeling sick. As usual, we anxiously consider possible causes. Has he eaten something that's upsetting him? But.... we decide that it is the size of the pre-pay invoice that is turning his stomach!