Sunday, November 27, 2005

 

Restful weekend...

I've had a lovely relaxed weekend; I missed yoga on Saturday – too tired due to the dog sleeping on my bed. I spent the afternoon with little Raffi another 3 year old – we played with imaginary trains made from stickle bricks – he was so engrossed. What I'd really like to do is get John and Raffi together, but they live right across town from each other.

Today we went for a family lunch at a local Korean restaurant and I finally – at the fifth attempt, managed to order the right food, so that I had a Korean meal, rather than a slightly Chinese one – it was delicious.

Just started reading Breadfast at Tiffany's and I also popped into this great discount book shop just off Tottenham Court Road and picked up a copy of Margaret Atwood's book on writing, Negotiating with the Dead.
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Thursday, November 24, 2005

 

Bob Dylan

Bob was brilliant. I squeezed to the front. He spent the whole concert facing the wings and when he did grace us with a look it was like being honoured by the gods. It's the first concert I've been to where no one was trying to sing along… I think because none of us were sure of what we were listening to….everything sounded kinda familiar and then not. I have to also mention the band, who were incredibly tight. They all seemed to be relaxed and having fun…if only he'd faced us it would have been an amazing night.
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Monday, November 21, 2005

 

Red and more red

Colour of the month I'm not really a waitress.
Judy my arms are aching from yoga…
Excited because I'm seeing Bob Dylan tomorrow.
Took John on his second visit to the Natural History Museum on Saturday… explained Darwinism to him… I don't think he'll be a naturalist on hearing that Darwin collected bugs as a boy and took them home his comment was... "disgusting".
Whilst last time I had to explain that what he was looking at were old bones this time I had to explain that all the animals were dead... and how do you explain how an animal is stuffed to a four year old? It got to the point where he even wanted to know when the animated T-Rex was going to die.
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Friday, November 18, 2005

 

Letters from the past

I started working on my grandfathers letters today after a long break. I have two more to do, although I'm not translating them, a very kind man at the library is and I'm writing it down as he translates. They are letters sent whilst he was interned in France during WWII. They are mostly concerned with trying to get a visa so he can get to safety…he didn't make it, so they're very sad. But through reading them he has come to life, which has been both painful and wonderful.
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Thursday, November 17, 2005

 

Clicking needles

I've joined a knitting ring (check out the links) will bore you with some pictures later, just to make it a proper knitting site. This week I got back on my bike, first time for ages, lost my balance whilst I was trying to get off and have some lovely bruises, but feels good to be doing some exercise and even went to try out a local yoga class. I was doing yoga in Surbiton…yes The Good Life!

It's official I'm on a break from the big T… a bit scary…

Took my mum to see In Her Shoes – unexpected… and some nice performances. She came out wanting to move to Florida. Check out the writers blog - Jennifer Weiner
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Thursday, November 10, 2005

 

Poo it's spam

Just received an email pertaining to be from the UK national lottery telling me that I had won £300,000 – I had a split second of thinking what if it were true. I did a search and needless to say it's a new round of spam mail..
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Wednesday, November 09, 2005

 

Lets make a run for it


Here is a picture of the deer that decided to chase Sandy the dog in the park. I don't think she meant any harm – just seemed curious – but Sandy didn't wait to find out, she was a lot bigger.
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Saturday, November 05, 2005

 

Guy Fawkes

I was already to go out there knocking on doors again when it started raining... So instead I managed to trick myself into starting to do my tax return, it ended up consuming the rest of my afternoon, but I feel rather pleased with myself. Still have a fare bit to do, but at least I've made a good start.

Forgot to mention yesterday that when I was talking to one of our neighbours (a couple of blocks away) I was looking at her thinking she looked rather familiar, when she asked if she knew me. Well, we worked out that we had known each other from junior school, which is going back some. It happened once before when this woman walked up to me on the street in town and said my name, I couldn't place her, but then her name just popped out. I'm not sure I'd remember people I've met more recently as those I knew as a kid.

Stayed in with the dog for Guy Fawkes... we have had fireworks all week and Sandy (the dog) is petrified, she tries to make herself as small as possible and lies there visibly shaking. Poor thing, I'm sure it's traumatizing her.
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Friday, November 04, 2005

 

Cold and hungary

Well, it did turn out to be an adventure after all. I met lots of people who have been neighbours for years. I spent hours and came back rather cold. Expecting the worst I was pleasantly surprised to find most people were friendly. Just hoping after agreeing to do something, that they will. Simon went to get a take away which was waiting for me when I got back. Still have lots of houses to cover so I guess it's a busy weekend.
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Walk around

So the dog and I are about to embark on an adventure. We are going to try to rally the neighbours to help us with a planning issue we need to oppose - please wish us luck...
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Thursday, November 03, 2005

 

Film Festival 4

The last day of the festival… It ended with a bang…George Clooney's Good Night, And Good Luck tells the story of how Ed Murrow, an American journalist took on Senator McCarthy – the investigations of the House Un-American Activities Committee have never seemed so relevant...I almost started clapping during one of Murrow's speeches.... not to mention his comments on the responsibility of the media. It's shot in the most beautiful black and white I've seen, it looks like an old 1950's photo brought to life and David Strathairn's performance as Ed Murrow is inspired.

I looked up some Ed Murrow quotes:

Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate
prejudices - just recognize them.

We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.

No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.

We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason…
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Wednesday, November 02, 2005

 

Stones and speed bumps

I went to our residents meeting this week, which as I'm living in the family home, just happens to take place at my secondary school (is there no escaping it – I'd just missed a reunion at the weekend)… So I found myself sitting in my old school gym for the first time in ah-hum year's, trying to concentrate on the size of stones and the height of speed bumps, when all the while my brain kept transporting me back to a younger version of myself attempting to play basketball, I think I spent most of the time trying to decide which hand to bounce the ball with, in the unlikely case it ever came my way.

I was introduced to the new principal of the school – who's come over from NY, she was just starting to tell me about being involved with Holocaust education when we were interrupted [hey the first time I've used the H word in this blog]… so ironically having missed the reunion, I ended up being asked back for lunch.
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Tuesday, November 01, 2005

 

Chutzpah

During the Q and A for 3 Needles with writer / director Thom Fitzgerald, a woman sat next to me, asked me what he had done on the film, then put her hand up and asked him to go for a drink with her!
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Film Festival 3

Walk the Line – best bio-pic for ages – and am walking around listening to Johnny Cash & June Carter because of it
Everything Is Illuminated – a good attempt at trying to transfer the book to the screen, but misses out the magical realism and Elijah Wood lives up to his name…
Shopgirl – Steve Martin's novella - nice, some lovely performances, but a bit slow
3 Needles – deals with the spread of HIV – tough, but very rich
Little Jerusalem – some good performances, but little else
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