Book Club

 

Our Book club is a new one, a spin off of an original 2005 club who has been going strong .

I was first into the meeting room, closely followed by a friendly forty something South African Asian chap called Faisal who I liked immediately because he shook my hand, had a big smile and the fact that his dog had ripped apart his book of the month. I showed him my phone case which Roger has chewed only five hours previously, and he nodded knowingly.

I think we are going to be firm friends 

The rest of the group by chance had all met in the foyer with Alison ,our bubbly facilitator and found their seats some ten minutes later.

The demographic was much younger and varied than I expected . Out of twenty of us , two thirds were in their twenties and half of those described themselves with the pronoun of “ they” . Apart from Alison there were just three older group members, including myself and so the energy in the room was different than I expected. 

One young person dominated the conversation, but I enjoyed listening to the discussions, having not fully read the book of choice. 

I’ll go again.

LGbTQ+ Dumplings

 

I’m going to an LGBTQ+ Bookclub later. I will blog about it when I get home.

The cockerel died this morning as I predicted. 

I’ve read my book and drank tea and made chicken dumplings steamed in miso

Ordinary is Good

 I had a simple and ordinary night tonight.

Supper with  Gorgeous Dave and his seven year old daughter 

Paella with long discussions of not hiding your prawns under the rice and no pudding until you finish

Some showing off in front of the guest 

I made some brownie points bringing a girl’s magazine 

Nothing too heavy 

I sort of played a benign uncle and sat there and listened

It was Lovely

Family

 

I’m sat in the living room alone.

The dogs ( well mainly Mary ) have been reprimanded severely after a surprise attack on the bantam cockerel who was trying to fill up on cat food and bread which I’d put out for him in the snow. 

Instinct took over and Mary was up the garden dragging the poor bird which was screaming at the top of its lungs, as the others piled in to help. Luckily I managed to separate bird from bitch amid a cloud of feathers, but the damage may have been done.

Chickens , especially lone ones often do badly after an attack. 

I left him the remains of the cat food and then made coffee silently in the kitchen. 

Dogs know when you are angry at them and hate being ignored. Non of them could look at me when I came into the living room 

Best to let them stew for a while. 

I’ve been studying the relationships between the Greek Royal family and the other European royals and have found it fascinating. The scenes where Crown Prince Pavlos and his mother Queen Anne-Marie of Greece thanked the crowds for their spontaneous cheers of support for the late King Constantine II were incredibly moving and I’ve enjoyed the subsequent who came from where? puzzle which has various country Royals related to another and all meeting up at what is essentially an extended family funeral.

I’m not doing much today . There is more snow forecasted , and so I will do some laundry, make a rich bolognese sauce and will start bringing together a new webpage for the Trelawnyd Community Association.

Ive just collected handfuls of chicken feathers from the back garden too 

A miserable looking bantam sheltering in the front garden 

Snow

 

I was snowed in again this morning

This happens because of the topography of the lane rather than the amount of snow falling. 

From my cottage the lane snakes upward into the village at quite an angle .

When snow falls and gets iced, the cars just cannot get past the church. 

My sister and brother in law dressed in matching emergency yellow and black ski tops came to the rescue with a food pack and Sailor John from next door dropped off some logs .

Mrs Trellis tied a plastic carrier bag on the gate with two Mars bars inside wrapped in Christmas napkins 

Ive been looked after.

Which is very nice.

Indeed

Tonight as usual I’m crammed on the trendy blue couch 

Roger is snoring gently on my shoulder,Mary & Dorothy and Albert scattered liked curled fur cushions crammed in the gaps .

Albert’s broken leg stuck up in the air 

I’ve been rather moved by coverage of the funeral of King Constantine of Greece 

And the fire is roaring 

I may be single , but I don’t feel alone tonight

Beautiful Morning

 

This more biblical photo was taken over the village at the same time by villager Jo

Empire Of Light

 

Cinema that acts as a panacea to all of the ills in life is a common theme in movie history. 

Cinema Paradiso, Amelie, The Last Picture Show and more recently The Fabelmans all feature characters that are “saved” by the fantasy of film. Indeed it is a common theme that runs through Going Gently where a sometimes sad, middle aged gay pongo retreats to the warm land safe place of his childhood when disasters were all overcome by handsome men in dinner jackets  and spunky ladies in their best frocks.

Empire of Light is Sam Mendes’ homage to the cinematic wonder of his youth. Set in 1980, we enter the world of the Empire cinema on the South East Coast . Although streamlined from its original four screens this beautiful and slightly down heeled  Art Deco building is hanging on in a “ modern “ world and ran by a ragtag group of staff. Headed by a sleazy Manager Mr Ellis ( Colin Firth). We meet the mousy and lonely deputy Hilary ( Olivia Colman),wise cracking and gentle doorman Neil ( Tom Brooke) and grumpy geek projectionist Norman ( an underused Toby Jones). When a twenty something black undergraduate Stephen ( a lovely performance by Michael Ward) joins the staff. The lonely Hilary and he embarks on a friendship and then an affair which is complicated by his youth, her hidden mental illness and the racist overtones of that pivotal time.

Empire of Light is a coming of age movie with twists. Colman is wonderful as always, whether it is in the bravura and very funny scenes where her mental illness finally is unleashed on a pompous charity showing of Chariots Of Fire or in the quiet and painful moments when she is silenced and slightly vacant by her lithium medications and sat on the Promenade in Broadstairs. 

Michael Ward has a gentleness and more importantly an openness of a young man who is just dipping his toe into life and who wants to do so righteously.and Tom Brooke in a brief role is very sympathetic as Hilary’s caring and insightful co worker.

Filmed predominantly and with feeling by Roger Deakins  in Margate’s Dreamland and Broadstairs ( both towns I know well) Empire Of Light has a particular charm and a nice sense of time and place. 

I enjoyed it, even if it was a tad too long and the one scene where Stephen’s Mother ( A dignified Tanya Moodie )reminded him to be “Kind” with Hillary and her illness had me weeping into my sleeve.

Lovely

Nothing Changes

 The Last of Us starts tonight on sky Atlantic 

A tv series based on a video game is about the zombie apocalypse…quelle surprise!

Nothing much changes.

I shall be watching.

I see Carrie Bradshaw is dating good old Aiden In Sex and City’s And Just Like That…. Prince Harry is still banging on in Spare about how bad his lot is..

I’m still reading it , and am now rather bored…can’t you tell?

Days off now. A cinema trip to see Empire Of Light , college, The Lesbian and Gay book club, supper at Gorgeous Dave’s. It’s a full week, before night shift again on Saturday

Nothing much changes. 

I made a chick pea and coconut curry yesterday from scratch, it was nice.

I had extra door keys cut for Trendy Carol and I sent the Beatrix Potter book to my great nephew.

The weather is cold and damp

And I long for some sun