7. Sister Euphemia of the Five Wounds

Sister Euphemia of the Five Wounds (Eric Idle ) has one of the best lines as an unlikely comedy nun in Nuns on the Run.......when introducing himself to the mother superior ( he is a petty criminal hiding in a convent as a nun like you do!), he utters the unforgettable line

"My name is Sister Euphemia of the Five Wounds ........five wounds for short!!!"

8: The singing Sister Ruth

Cross-eyed Stewardess Karen Black is flying the jumbo jet all alone after a mid air collision in Airport 1975 . The passengers are revolting (literally) and it is up to progressive camp-as-Christmas nun (Helen Reddy) to get her plucky guitar out and calm everyone down with a little ditty about about best friends......arhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

9: Sister Mitya

Conspiracy of Hearts (1960) Has everything but the kitchen sink thrown into it!. A Wartime Italian convent (with fellow nominees outwardly Hard but deep down sweetie Sister Gerta (Yvonne Mitchell) and the motherly Sister Constance (Megs Jenkins), Nasty Germans trying to kill Jewish Children, Brave nuns trying to help , a murdered priest and a mother superior with false eyelashes............not a dry eye in the house!

Sister Mitya (Sylvia Syms at her most virginal) is the novice that almost gets herself shot whilst protecting those little kiddies!!!

10 Bad Nuns: Sister Ruth and Sister Aloysius Beauvier

In joint 10th position comes two of the"rotten apples" in the barrel.
Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron) is one of the most memorable sex crazed would-be-killer nuns in cinema history.
With her red vampire eyes and slash of scarlet lipstick, I was frightened silly (as a ten year old child) when she tried to fling the virtuous Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) from the Himalayan Bell Tower in Black Narcissus
Sister Aloysius Beauvier (The pig eyed Meryl Streep) was one of those old fashioned and bitterly strict school nuns that existed ( and probably still do) in every catholic school .
When she stalked down the aisles of the church, smacking chattering school boys sharply over the back of the head, she was more frightening than any movie baddie

Dydd Dewi Sant Hapus

March 1st is Saint David's day. Today Children still wear a daffodil (or small leek) to school as way of celebration...and it is nice to see that the Empire State is decked out in the Welsh colours in honour.
Not many of my friends will be marking the day...but I know that Nia Haf, over in Australia , will be....lots of love to you today
xxx

Flora Robson hands

I usually work on Sunday night and because of the slightly better weather we have been having recently, I usually spend the day with my hands, elbow deep in mud, manure and dirty sawdust. Subsequently, when I am at work, my hands (although as sterile as I can make them!) do resemble those owned by Sister Philippa (Flora Robson) in Black Narcissus.
You may recall the scene, when the wise horse faced Robson is banging away with her hoe on the terraced vegetable plots, trying to divert herself from her crisis of faith? She looks down at her hands which are raw, gnarled and blistered and then painfully carries on with her work......well picture those hands with a ton of ingrained dirt rubbed into the thumbs and you have mine!
Allotment work and ITU don't quite go together...for 20 minutes or so before shift, you can always find me at the sink scrubbing away at the callouses on my fingers, at hands that despite the recommended three minute hibiscrub wash, never really look clean.
I think I get away with it, only because I usually wear gloves all the time.........resembling Al Jolson in the Jazz singer.......

The Curious case of Benjamin Bum-ache

It has been a week of cinema. Tonight we went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). I wasn't too bothered about seeing it, after all I remembered that it was three hours long and starred Brad Pitt! But I must admit I rather liked this overlong tale of melancholic whimsy.
I bet that director David Fincher loved one of my favourite films Un long dimanche de fiançailles (A very Long Engagement), as Benjamin Button has all the visual magic and cinematic style of the French fantasy film. Indeed the cinematography is the best bit of the movie, and every shot is framed and planned within an inch of its life.
The film is literally an exploration of kismet and fate. The acting is all pretty average (despite the Oscar nominations), but I must admit I did like the all too brief appearance by Tilda Swinton as a sad English diplomat's wife!
All in all I gave it an 8/10

I have been a bit fed up today as the car has had a cracked windscreen, our electricity bill standing order has doubled and the Albert's vet bill is due to be paid!.......too many bills in Febuary I feel....especially as the car is due its MOT and the dogs are due their inoculations.
Chris has been a sweetie and has calmed me down nicely.

Chris' friend from his work has called down this afternoon and has taken three of the buff chicks to augment her hen house which was nice. Rogo and Stanley somehow both escaped their enclosures at the same time soon after and have been fighting terribly. I managed to separate them , but both were battered and bloody when they stalked back to their own houses.
....boys will be boys.......

Learning difficulties

Well, it is unanimous! Apparently I have let myself "go".......this seems to be the consensus of most of my friends and family! Jo, Chris' colleague from work had a look at the blog the other day and thought I looked like someone with "learning difficulties!!" Tonight I picked Chris up from the station and as I got out of the car to get our tea from the chip shop, I caught him laughing at my state of dress!
I was wearing my allotment clothes- old combat pants, dirty jumper, trouser legs tucked into socks (I had taken my wellies off to drive) and had a half chewed pair of crocs on! My hair was uncombed ( as it has been all week) and I am sure there was a bit of uneaten breakfast still in my beard...
"You look like a retard!" Chris cheerfully told me.
Anyhow, I have hoed the four vegetable plots today, which has been a backbreaking job, and everything is ready now for the spring planting. My potatoes are set up in the shed for chitting (below pic). and most of the seeds are ready for the off.
You can just see William in the far left of the photo. He spent the day with me, but unlike the Scotties he had to be tied up at all times. The poor lad exhausted himself totally, just watching an ambling hen or the pigs in the distance