Pass the tissues

Night shifts should have one rule of participation! and that is never watch a sad film after only two hours sleep. Fatigue, leaves the body and soul slightly wrung out, and an emotional romp of say Pet Rescue proportions or heaven forbid an unscheduled viewing of Little Women (1994) or Shadowlands (1993) can leave a person prostrate!

Finding Neverland (2004) is the kind of film that can fell the most cynical of movie goer at ten yards. It has all the ingredients; small grief ridden children, a willowy tragic heroine, sad incidental music and clever inspired and manipulative direction. Ok, the story of J.M Barrie's inspiration for Peter Pan is supposed to be based on a true story (yeah right!), but who indeed cares that reality is way out of the window in this film as the performances from dying Edwardian mom Kate Winslet and her brittle grieving son ( an outstanding Freddie Highmore), are stunning.

A weepy 8/10

2008 plans

Working tonight (we are quiet on ITU so what's the guess I will be farmed out to another ward), but have got loads done this morning and afternoon.
Bartering and little swaps of eggs and veg have been so useful to me over the past year! I have gotten quite good at it. Today the lady at the veg shop came up trumps and I collected a ton of slightly over ripe tomatoes and lettuce for the girls (a few stories about the chickens coupled with a few eggs have worked wonders with her) People love feeling that they contribute to the well being of a few animals in some small way, and getting people on board has been rather fun.
2008 plans have bee on my mind today!
I have the promise of a cockerel from one of the very Welsh country nurses I work with, so next year I do hope to rear a few of my own hybrids as well as a whole flock of ducklings. The runner ducks will be the cash crop of the year whereas new layers will take over from the likes of Robina, who have stopped laying.The whole of the field has now been effectively cropped close by the poultry, leaving me a blank canvass on which the new vegetable patches will be laid this spring.
I think I shall write to the owners of the orchard which is located behind our cottage yet again and see if they would consider a rental? The ducks would benefit form a move beneath the apple trees and would clear the overgrown untidy look of the place. (I could preserve apples and pears without feeling I am scrumping all the time).
The picture is of suddenly friendly new hen Beatrice, who has taken over from Mildred Pierce in the matey stakes.

Meg's New mate

This is my 582 nd post!!! and I thought I would keep up with tradition and drop a brief line about everyday cottage life. Janet and Ned came round last night for dinner, and it was nice to feel that we had some Christmacy night with my family before the fairy lights have been taken down.

Meg decided she was Janet;s bessie mate all evening, which made Janet rather smug.

I am Legend

Richard Matheson's 1954 novel I Am Legend is an excellent portrayal of a lone man in a plague ridden Los Angeles and his decent into a sort of isolation madness amid a horde of mutant vampires. The 1970 film version starring a robust Charlton Heston changed the vampires to a more palatable Zombie threat, but did, I remember, explore the psychological effects being the "only man on earth" would have on an individual, if the unthinkable ever happened.

I enjoyed the first half of Francis Lawrence's 2007 remake, as hero Will Smith actually makes you believe that insanity is only a hairs breath away. I have always found Smith an incredibly charismatic and personable actor, and he gives his role of Robert Neville a depth which enhances an above average action movie to something quite moving at times. The audience actually believes he loves and needs his only companion (a beautiful Alsatian dog), and there was one or two sniffs of emotion from the stalls when Neville speaks line after line of the Shrek movie screenplay perfectly in time with a playing dvd, thus reinforcing his despair

What let's the film down, is that it drops the psychological torment that is key to the narrative after an hour and concentrates all attention on the vampire threat with some very variable computer-generated imagery (CGI). The mutants, I am afraid, just do not look real and it is this fakery that reduces the dramatic punch the film has in its action scenes.
Having said that, several of the action sequences are pretty exciting!, the recreation of a dead New York complete with deer grazing on 42nd Street is wonderfully evocative and set pieces such as a flash back to the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge are truly spectacular.
But the film is carried by Will Smith and it is his performance which saves it. I would have loved to see more of his decent into his own inner hell, but I guess the average American audience wants to see more mutants than be challenged with the psychology of loneliness.

A good 8/10

Simple ideas

As with most good products, it is often the simplest of ideas that work the best. I have always had a problem with getting the high and low tides all mixed up before dog walking, and trying to exercise 4 dogs on a small strip of grass if the waves are crashing over the sea wall is a right bind.
Now I have a tidal "clock" up in the kitchen, walking could not be made simpler! set for 13 hours I now know exactly when to go; not rocket science but an effective idea nevertheless.
hummm, must be easily pleased

They don't like it up 'em!

I have always enjoyed the film Zulu (1964) . A military precursor to the disaster films of the 1970s, this boy's own adventure has the usual mixed bag of characters (quiet, thoughtful hero, snobby toff, thief-with-a-heart and a score of hymn singing Welshmen) and pits them against 4000 angry Zulus in 1879 South Africa. Who will survive? and how?....., it is an age old story, which works wonderfully under director Cy Endfield's deft hand.

Watching my Christmas remastered edition of the film has been greatly satisfying! as some of the set pieces have now worked themselves into movie history. Who can forget the Welsh soldiers (led by actor Ivor Emmanuel (pic) in their scarlet tunics belting out "Men of Harlech" in reply to the Zulu war chants; Nigel Green's underplayed and lugubrious Colour Sergeant and of course John Barry;s thundering musical score. (Perhaps his best African score - ok I also love his music to Born Free and Out of Africa). the film is the stuff of movie legend.

Zulu still keeps you interested after three hours of stiff upper lip and has been ideal for a rainy Friday afternoon.

I also have the box set of Hitchcock films to watch at some stage (Xmas Pressie from Sorrel)......excellent!

Found a couple of huge dead rats in their runs behind the compost heaps this morning, which is satisfying! I have cleaned out the coops and moved the whole electric perimeter fencing to allow the birds new grazing.The weather has been mild but it feels more wintery today than of late. Chris has spent the day reading and watching some sort of Disney film about female figure skaters!

Home

The journey back to Wales was easy, compared to the outward trip. We were back locking the hens up at three pm! Meg and William, as is usual for a stay in kennels, fell asleep minutes after getting into the car, and will remain asleep for the rest of the day. (a product of 6 days without sleep)
Chris has arranged his Christmas gifts in a suitable design in the spare bedroom (he photographed them Boxing day as per usual) whilst I pottered around putting gifts and food away.
Stone cat ( a pressie from Chris' Brother and Sister-in-law) was dutifully ensconced into the garden (pic), the fire lit and left over bubble and squeak is ready to be pan fried for tea! Nice to be home

As usual Christmas does not prevent the sad world news such as the killing of
Benazir Bhutto or the stabbing of Sue Goswell by her mentally ill husband from happening; but for once you really hope it would

Boxing day

Socialising can be pretty tiring.We have had a day of party games (guess the intro! ad nauseum) cold meats and my pickled shallots ( very tasty) and a family walk to Broadstairs harbour and hot chocolate at Ballards (pic).

Chris has loved his first family Christmas in a long time, and as usual Sorrel has bent over backwards in looking after us.

Long journey back tomorrow with the Belingo filled to the gunnel's. For me,tomorrow means the total finish of the Yuletide season. Cards will be taken down and the pressies put away, back to normality.

We have had a peacefull Christmas. However I have just read the Sheffield forum entry on "who has had a row this Christmas?" some very funny, others quite moving.......It's like anything, real life is better than anything Eastenders have to offer! http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=289526