Black Swan

Well from my previous and rather bad home movie to something a little more sublime

Black Swan is not a particularly original movie. We have seen its themes of cultural obsession, mental illness and the fight for artistic perfection many times before in such movies as The Red Shoes, Amadeus, Repulsion and Magic and I must admit that the movie's use of such iconic and to many, hackneyed ballet movie stereotypes ( the faded star, the young ingenue battling for the prima ballerina role, the predatory director and The Swan Lake ballet itself) could have failed miserably in their repetition......but in Black Swan, for the most part, all of these stereotypes work (including the old face in the mirror), thanks primarily to some great performances and dazzlingly creative cinematography.

The story centres around Nina (Natalie Portman), an emotionally fragile and sexually immature ballerina who coverts the role of Swan Queen in a new production of Swan Lake. When she is finally given the role over aging prima ballerina Beth (Winona Ryder) the stresses of the new production, coupled with the worries of her role being stolen by a more vivacious and sexually confident Lily (Mila Kunis ) and separation issues with her delicate mother (Barbara Hershey ), Nina descends into madness.

Portman is rather impressive in the very difficult role of Nina. Her character is unsympathetic, abrasive and rather unlikable, but she holds the audience' attention throughout, and perfectly captures Nina's brittleness, fear and latent destructive streak. Hershey is fine as her intense and delicate mom, and the cameo by Ryder reminds a new movie going audience just why she was a big BIG name in the 1990s. However, the real star of the movie is the stunning cinematic treat that is the ballet sequences. With the camera never really leaving Portman's angst face, we are totally immersed in the innovative new ballet production, with it's artistic swoops, and turns and all at the same time we are witnessing the devastating disintegration of a delicate, and flawed personality

Black Swan is not a easy watch, the subject matter is too uneven for that, but I gave the whole thing a compulsive, slightly campy and enjoyable 8/10

Organic Hand Warmer

The weather has turned again, torrential rain has flooded much of the field, and I have spent the last few hours filling the coops with warm dry sawdust to comfort the wet animals after a day foraging.
This is a brief "instruction" video to city slickers on "How to keep your hands warm without mittens"
(The hat is Chris')

Tonight we are off to see Black Swan.....

Postscript

Just a quick note to add to the previous post
The wind has increased again
I have lost the ghost hen house roof ( they were still sat in their nest boxes when I got to them) and the turkey house roof went for a burton at 5pm.
What's with the weather?

Positive Reinforcement

No one must underestimate the power of positive reinforcement. Every day since Constance arrived , when she has appropriately "done a whoopsie" I have hurled myself into a performance of pure thanks, praise and rapture worthy of Sally Field's 1985 Oscar acceptance speech.
Its been a long haul
I have been subject to the ridicule of neighbours, ("He's off again" I can hear them say as I bounce excitedly around a newly "laid" doggy stool) and have been drenched in winter rain storms and snow more times than I care to mention willing her to wee on the wet grass!...but finally the incontinent bulldog is now clean!
Mind you I think I have made a bit of a needy monster there, for every time we now go out on a walk, Constance makes sure she performs and will stop afterwards with  the look of a circus acrobat when they shout  "tarrrrrr rahhhhhhhhhhh!" waiting with tip toe excitement for me to make a fuss of her!

Its amazing what a little praise will do for a girl.
I am feeling jet lagged today. Yesterday I was cooking on adrenalin for some reason and after a full night shift completed a ton of chores when I got home without stopping, Subsequently I just cant get going today. We have had dreadful stormy weather since yesterday and gale force winds have again buffered the cottage and field. It was so bad last night that when I took the dogs out , I dug out my trusty wind up torch and checked on the weighted down hen houses to see if they were ok.The houses all looked ok but I had to stop at the gate to check on the guinea fowl who were all hanging on to the Churchyard elm branches with a hard frozen looking hysteria!

The guineas after their difficult night

As I was gazing up at them torch poised , a local farmer stopped in the lane and asked if everything was ok
I explained that I was checking up on the guineas up in the tree and she laughed asking what I could actually do to help them!
"Oh I know I can't do much" I explained "I'm only giving them some morale support"
She gave me a look
Hummm , I know , I know.,......I sound like a loon

Police.uk

I worked last night.
I spent most of my twelve and a half hour shift "specialing" a distressed and potentially self harming patient. The night was not technical as ITU generally is, but it was emotionally draining.

When I got home,I needed a few minutes "downtime", but couldn't sleep for my usual hours catnap, so I spent a fascinating hour or so trolling through the new crime website Police Uk, which was only launched a few days ago.

The site gives an indication of the crime statistics in your General geographical area and will specifically give you results of crime on your very road!....as you might image the results from the whole of the Trelawnyd  area for December is low ( 2 crimes in total -none on our road) where as the results for our old Road in Sheffield was 8 crimes ( 7 of them antisocial behaviour problems) and 307 in total for that general area of the city.

I am not quite sure how useful these statistics will be ( apart from a vague curiosity value)

But it is worrying as it is interesting!

 ps for a more interesting view of world policing ( this time from rural Alaska...have a look at this police beat website........-thanks Ina)
Unalaska Crime

Sitting in A field at dawn

Sometimes your actions seem to mirror exactly the soundtrack you are listening to, and this morning, I experienced such an event, which proved to be rather moving.
At 7.45 , somewhat blurry eyed I led the dogs down the lane for their first walk of the day, They don't "do" mornings very well at all ,so the walk is somewhat pedestrian and relaxed in nature, In actual fact the pace of the walk seemed to  mirror the music I was listening on my ipod, which turned out to be John Barry's theme from "Somewhere in Time".
We walked into the sheep field just down the lane and ambled slowly to the style where we sat looking back at the lights of the village. The wind was gusting strongly, but it was not cold, and as I sat down on the damp grass, each one of the dogs quietly took up position next to me, all of them touching a leg, thigh and an arm, a habit which is both comforting and rather sweet.
Moments later we were joined by Albert, who rubbed his head against each of the dog's faces in turn ( including Constance) and the six of us shared the peaceful morning air as John Barry's melancholy music played on.

An overheard gem

Last night I went to see a pretty average Iranian Movie entitled The Hunter at Theatre Clwyd....it was an so so movie and an average night.. but the whole evening was elevated by a chance moment
As I was looking at the art exhibition in the long gallery, I could just about make out singing coming from the studio theatre....I stopped by the studio door and realised that they were in full rehearsal for the forthcoming production of Guys And Dolls!
In the more or less deserted theatre ( there was only two people in audience for the movie) I stopped and listened to a cracking rendition of "sit down you're rocking the boat" it was lovely too......I absolutely love a show stopper!

Mixed Bag

The starlings are back. Wave after wave of enemy birds have been "darkening" the skies from beyond the Gop and again the Churchyard trees are filled with chattering, hungry bastard gob shites.
I wrong footed them this morning , instead of letting the birds out then coming into the cottage  for breakfast and a bit of light housework! (lol) I unwrapped my bagel and sat sentry on top of the duck house with the plastic rake in my hand.
This ruse wrong footed the starlings who remained firmly in the trees giving me the evil eye.(well giving me around a 1000 evil eyes) and their agony was compounded when I continued to remain on the field to clean out several of the hen houses but not before I hand fed the geese and ducks with some corn and bits of bagel.( you could almost hear the starlings drooling at this stage!)
I know it was a petty victory. Starlings have the brain the size of a peanut! But at least it made me feel a little better.
I have had to hide smaller feeders inside the hen houses in an effort to protect the feed from the raiders....if anyone out there has any more advice please let me know......it's becoming a bit of an obsession.

Right, I have just enjoyed THE cup of coffee for the morning and need to take the dogs to the beach and then run some errands, like a trip to the bank and the video shop . ( yes its life in the fast lane here!)
Watched a so-so thriller last night called Case 39.....It was worth watching just for the American version of Matt Cardle....Bradley Cooper who played a hunky psychiatrist!
When I was a psychiatric nurse we NEVER had any shrinks that looked like Bradley.........mores the pity.

Gawd,I have just remembered a funny memory from years ago!
When I was a student nurse I sat in with an interview an old Austrian  Psychiatrist (honestly he WAS Austrian!) was having with a neurotic lady who was refusing to leave hospital ( although she was well enough to do so)
The conversation went as follows
( try to "picture" a thick Austrian accent!)


Patient (anxiously) " Oh doctor I cannot possibly leave hospital, I feel so ill, I just cannot cope"
Doctor: nodding calmly "hummmm sure sure sure sure sure!"
Patient: "no honestly doctor I  just cannot go home"
Doctor: Making a mime with his hands- forming a small circle" first it like this"
Then he made a fluttering movement with his fingers
"then.........it like this!!!!"
Patient (bemused) " I dont know what you mean doctor!"
Doctor: "watch my sweet" and slowly and deliberately he repeated his mime and stated again
"First it like this.....now it like this!"
The patient looked confused but nodded imperceptibly in politeness
Four times the doctor performed this very slow little game, and after the final mime asked gently
" you understand my dear?"
The patient nodded
"OK he said brightly waving his hand to the door "You discharged!"
"Yes doctor" the patient said vaguely and got up and walked out.
After she left the office I sat there rather confused by the whole thing then piped up
" What did you just do?"
The psychiatrist smiled thinly as he cleaned his glasses
"who knows!" he said simply...... " it worked!"