Black Dog

 

The story of redemption through the love of a dog isn’t new in Hollywood. Who hasn’t cried buckets at Lassie Come Home or The Incredible Journey?? But places like, China have a somewhat different kind of relationship with canines to be sure so this modern western set in the rundown town on the verge of the Gobi Desert, feels totally new and reinvented. 

The film starts with a sense of awe and incredulity as hundreds of dogs gallop down a valley side in front of a battered Chinese bus which overturns as the animals rush on. 

No Indians 

No covered wagons 

Just dogs and a crashed bus.

It’s an amazing scene . 

And this film by Guan Hu is full of such scenes.

It’s 2008 and China is supporting its Olympic heroes, but for the diminishing  rural/industrial population life is grim. In a nameless Town, full of empty slum apartment blocks, the feral dogs symbolise the dispossessed Chinese poor, despised by officialdom and lacking order and hope. 

Into this existence we follow one of the crashed bus passengers . Lang ( Eddie Peng)  is coming home after time in prison. Silent and morose, he finds his alcoholic father poorly and in charge of the most depressing zoo imaginable. Neighbours mourn their old life as the authorities engage Lang as one of the town’s dog catchers, a troupe of nasty characters who are not above beating to death dogs caught. 

But Lang rebels and although he faces a local butcher wanting revenge for his nephew’s supposed murder he is softened by the appearance of a strange black dog , who he befriends and eventually dotes on. 

It’s a strange, haunting film, heavy on symbolism and showing much criticism of the new Chinese way. 

I was thinking about it all the way home, a sign of a powerful movie I always think.

I had a Chinese takeaway tonight too, something I never do! 

I can never justify the cost

Tonight I said fuck it 

Dim sum, salt and pepper prawns and special fried rice

Bloody lovely

  

Weaver

 It’s a lovely morning in Wales

And Weaver’s namesake is zooming again

Rachel heard from Pat yesterday and it’s good to hear that she’s peaceful 

The link is here

https://racheldubois.blogspot.com/

If I hear anything else I will post it here

Pookie

My mother’s tablecloths , the ones she embroidered herself are in the washing machine post flower show.

I will hang them on the garden bushes later to dry in the sun.

I met my sister in law for lunch and did a big store cupboard shop which was satisfying.

It’s warm and bright today and I’m smiling because an old friend Geoff not seen since my 1988 York days got in touch. We’ve texted during the day and his words have been healing to a somewhat tired soul 

“ I was just explaining to my dear wife why I looked you up- you meet some people along the way who you don’t forget- remember we got on really well, had some great laughs and of course there was always the memorable late shift with the Haloperidol😂. Have often wondered where you were and what you were up to so glad I’ve been able to get in touch!”

The twins made a foolishly youthful mistake last night and walked bravely into the living room together. Mary was half asleep, but not sleepy enough not to give chase before I could grab her, and the resulting bunfight had the record player knocked over and the kittens scampering for the stairs. 

This is only a minor set back for they are confident enough again this morning to be waving little hairy back paws at the dogs through the bannisters like prisoners rattling their mugs at a couple of screws.

Mrs Trellis laughed when she saw me earlier as I’m wearing my Garfield T shirt

“ you look like a big fat toddler” she quipped

8 Days

 Just to let you all know I’ve emailed Weaver twice this week with no reply.

Her last email from the 21st was brighter and chatty, it ended

“ my gay friend I have known since he was twenty is so good to keep coming over and they keep me going” 

I’ve checked a few blogs to see if she’s commented but nothing. I’ve also checked my spam , just in case a relative of hers has emailed me as requested .

I will let you all know , when I do

I have two clients to see today

Almost There

 Caught up with Nu on the phone after I got home which was lovely and then settled down to watch the opening ceremony of the Paralympic’s which is much more relaxed than their much criticised  counterpart

The Croatian team has just passed and I remember an ex patient Marinko Kapatanovich at the spinal unit who became a dear friend before he was repatriated to Split in his wheelchair from Sheffield in the early 1990s. We wrote to each other for many years before his early death in the 2000s

Marinko

Rural Croatia wasn’t a place for a paraplegic back then.

. The twins are both sat at the bottom of the stairs. Mary is watching them carefully. Another couple of nights and I can see them mixing naturally .

I think I’ve managed their introduction rather well 

Roger is asleep on the couch.

Hit The Road

 

I went to see a Chinese Neo noir thriller yesterday afternoon. It wasn’t very good, Only The River Flows 

Could have been the most depressing movie I’ve seen all year, but it was nice to get back to my touchstone of the cinema again. 

I’ve needed it.

Today I’m off to counselling supervision then am off to the university library to plan an essay, Trendy Carol’s hubby has the Welsh and Mrs T  will check on the devil kittens at midday. 

Enjoy my lisping choir 

The Patter Of Little Feet

 

It was still dark when I woke up.

The lane light remains out of use and so the bedroom is almost totally dark, expect for the slight glow from the garden solar lights and the faraway moon.

There comes the patter of paws on wooden floor boards

Then an excited squeak , followed by another set of pattering

The twins are in the bedroom. 

They don’t stay long, for the Marathon run is from my bedroom around theirs up and down the hall and into the bathroom where they terminate inside the shower cubicle .

I heard the toilet roll being unravelled and various shower gels being knocked over.

I fell asleep until my extended foot and right big toe was being tapped furiously .

More racing and fighting.

This time up and down the stairs. 

The first step is the first step into no man’s land and cannot be negotiated as yet.

The upstairs is their domain.

Around dawn they were at it again .

This time abseiling down the side of the bed ,

More toe smacks, and zooms and the occasional fart

Something crashes in the bathroom and the dogs bark from their place on the reading chair in the kitchen.

I put the pillow over my head 

And swear

It’s not yet 6 am

Home Cooking

I have come down with a small bump today. Before cooking , I took my two boiled fruit cakes to friends in the village. One to Eirlys who didn’t make the show and the other to John & Mandy next door. 

I’ve cleaned the cottage and let Roger explore upstairs when the kittens are out of their room. He did so silently and carefully and apart from a few kitten hisses, he returned downstairs ten minutes later rather nonplussed.

I’ve made a parmesan aubergine bake top heavy with garlic and whilst it was cooking, sent in my nursing revalidation in  ( my final one ever) 

Hurrah!