A year ago today

It is hard to believe that I retired on the Tuesday before Christmas last year. The last 12 months have gone so quickly, possibly even faster than they did while I was working. I am quite pleased with my blog, and I see there are over 70 entries. I hope I can keep this up.

My main retirement project is the history of Edward Seymour's protectorship for the three years from 1547 to 1549. I had no idea it would take so long. This year has primarily been about background reading. Since my blog of 27th November, I have found Hester Chapman's The Last Tudor King and passages from Alison Plowden's The Young Elizabeth and David Starkey's Elizabeth. I have a routine of taking notes by hand and then typing them on the computer. These are now all complete and in January I can start amalgamating them by cut and paste. I'm looking forward to that.

Beowulf 3D, Hitman and The Golden Compass

I wanted to see Beowulf in 3D and Milton Keynes Cineworld was using the Real D format for the first time. (Real D uses a single projector and an LCD screen. Images are projected alternately left and right to create the 3D effect). I thought the technology was better than the film. There was little story and the dialogue was disappointing. There were too many occasions where a scene had been deliberately staged for a 3D effect, and it showed.

Hitman was far better than the reviews. The film had pace and the action was fast and furious. Similar to the Bourne movies with the hero hunted by ex-employers. The characters were a little wooden, Timothy Olyphant and Dougray Scott not well cast (might have been better in opposite roles) and submerged by the action. But the direction was first rate, especially the action set pieces.

Having read only the first book, Northern Lights, of the Philip Pullman trilogy, I went to see The Golden Compass expecting it to be dominated by CGI typical of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Instead I was very surprised to find a beautiful and ultimately highly emotional film. The casting was perfect. Apart from the obvious leads, the highlights are Eva Green as Seraphina Pekkala, Tom Courtenay as Farder Coram and Sam Elliott as Lee Scoresby. The early part of the film in Oxford is just long enough to set the story before heading north for Lara's search and rescue mission. I probably read the book four or five years ago, which might have been why I found the film so successful. It had been long enough to be reminded about what happens, but familiar enough to understand the plot. Lara's first meetings with Seraphina , Lee and Iorek Byrnison, the armoured polar bear, were brilliant and that's where, for me, the emotion started and stayed to the end. Fantastic.

Joe Strummer

There was a two page spread in this weeks Sunday Times about the new dvd: Joe Strummer:The Future Is Unwritten. His photograph immediately reminded me of John Cusack in the film Grosse Pointe Blank (in my top ten favourite films of all time). Of course, it was Joe Strummer who wrote the soundtrack of the film, and had a hand in the selection of the unbeatable songs used in the movie.

In Sunday's article, John Cusack says "There was nobody like Joe Strummer....... he was a guiding light". So putting the two pictures of John and Joe together, there was no mistaking who John modelled himself on. Even down to the shades he wears in the film.

King Lear

There were two reasons why I was looking forward to seeing the RSC's production of King Lear at the New London Theatre. The first was that was the play I did for my "A" Levels and I went with the school early in 1963 to see Paul Schofield in the title role. This was a performance I can still remember vividly today. Even the programme for this year's play mentions this landmark production. "Paul Schofield was only his forties when, for Peter Brook at the RSC in 1962, he overturned the traditional image of the part".

The other reason was that this time it was Ian McKellan as Lear, it having been nearly forty years since I saw him at the Theatre Royal in Brighton (see Blog of 7th May). This time he is totally convincing as a King who is already losing his marbles when he gives away his kingdom at the beginning, and eventually becomes totally deranged, as the result of this decision ends in tragedy.

All the acting was first class, particularly Sylvester McCoy as the Fool, William Gaunt as Gloucester and the wonderful Romola Garai as Cordelia. Here is a young actress who will make a big star. The direction was excellent, some of the effects quite shattering, especially when the hanging of the Fool was too realistic. This is when theatrical tricks surpass anything that special effects can do on the big screen.

Unfortunately, some of the dialogue was occasionally inaudible. But the action was ramped up in the second half and the time flew by, which it needs to in a play of over three and a half hours.

My favourite line comes from Lear as he meets the blind Gloucester. "Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see the things thou dost not". Nothing changes. Perhaps Lear was not mad after all, only pretending so.

All New Chilterns Walk

Last Monday was such a beautiful day, I had to go out for a walk. I wanted to try a new route and Alison had said how nice it had been on her run with Sara the previous day. This had been around Little Hampden, so looking at the map, I found a circular route of around seven miles that might work.

The walk started from the car park at Coombe Hill and I set off for Dunsmore which is the same direction as my usual circular walk which takes in Chequers and Eddlesborough. At the stables just below Dunsmore, instead of going straight on, I turned left. Now I was on footpaths that were new to me. Through some woods, I was soon walking along a ridge, not high but with superb views. This was a very quiet, almost isolated part of the Chilterns I had never seen before.

Turning off the ridge, I went downhill to meet a path across some fields and eventually came to the village of Little Hampden. Instead of following the road, I headed for a wood where after a short while, another path took me across a big field back to the road. It was here I found The Rising Sun. This is a country pub that I had passed on a walk a long time ago. But the path I wanted was in a different direction and was heading back towards Coombe Hill.

This was the first new major circular walk I had attempted for some years. It has the added advantage that there are a number of alternative, almost parallel paths along the way to try. It did take in some beautiful countryside, no particularly high ridges as most of my usual routes, but nonetheless superb. A definite addition to my trusted circular walks and I am already looking forward to doing it again.

Edward Seymour Project - An Update

The age of the Internet has proved extremely useful in my background research into Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, Duke of Somerset. I have found many useful publications, not only books (many of which are second hand) on Amazon, E-Bay and other online antique booksellers, but many websites from which I have printed articles .

One of my most valuable finds has been on JSTOR. This is a wonderful website that is dedicated to the storing of important historical articles, essays etc. The English Historical Review had published on JSTOR a journal by Ethan Shagan from 1999 called Protector Somerset and the 1549 Rebellions: New Sources and New Perspectives. It includes reference to some virtually unknown manuscripts - a series of nine letters written by the government to the eastern and midland rebels in in July 1549. Best of all these manuscripts are actually printed at the end of the article.

The books I have found include one by Albert Fred Pollard in 1900, who all future historians pay tribute, a 500 page plus "somewhat indigestible" tome from 1968 by WK Jordan, to a modern, bright and concise history of the period by Jennifer Loach published in 1999.

There are two more books I need to buy. One is Intrigue and Treason: The Tudor Court 1547-1558 by David Loades and Kingship and Politics in the Reign of Edward VI by Stephen Alford. This last book has only been published in paperback this year, so it will be very intersting to read a current view on the period.

Eastern Promises, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and American Gangster

Violent, yes, but Eastern Promises is a great piece of cinema. A good story, well written and very well directed, it was a terrific thriller. Naomi Watts plays her damsel in danger with subtlety and Vigo Mortensen is convincing as the driver/fixer who is not all he seems. His fight in the bathhouse is very violent and bloody, but not as excruciating as the slit throat right at the start. Great stuff from David Cronenberg.

I was quite disappointed with Elizabeth:The Golden Age. By far the best section was in the middle which dealt with the plot to install Mary Stuart on the throne. But the scenes with Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh seemed contrived and were wholly uninteresting. And I am not convinced he is a good actor. As Cate Blanchett was immediately the Queen, Clive Owen was always Clive Owen. And he has been the same in every part I have seen him play, except, perhaps for Children of Men. The final section about the Armada was rushed and unsatisfying.

American Gangster seemed quite a departure for Ridley Scott, but a film of which he can be proud. The whole movie seemed to be filmed on location and the different scenes flew by making the two and a half hours feel a lot shorter. Great performances from Denzel Washington and, particulary, Russell Crowe as the story jumps from one to the other. Never meeting until the end, and their final scenes are the better for it.

Ryan Adams and the Hammersmith Apollo

The Ryan Adams concert at Hammersmith was sold out while I was on holiday, but I did find a ticket on e-bay at about face value. So on Friday evening I made what turned out to be a tortuous journey into London. Two hours by car to Ruislip and then underground was far more than I had estimated. So with a 15 minute queue for the toilets, The Cardinals were hitting their first chords as at 8.30 I groped my way to my seat in the darkened auditorium.

Was it worth it? Just. Ryan was on good form, well behaved and played a set of 2hours 20minutes. I had expected a break after an hour as reported from other concerts on this tour. But it was nearly two hours before he left the stage for 3minutes before coming back for an encore. I was surprised that he never said a word between songs for an hour and a half, and then he wouldn't shut up. But he does put on a good show, of what he calls "good old rock and roll". For me, his songs vary in quality, but the best are top drawer. And a top class performance from the band.

Which is more than can be said of the audience. I may have been unlucky to be five rows above a gangway, but I was amazed at the constant stream of people going to and from the bar. The couple next to me went twice. This is just not what I am used to. And there were a number of uncouth and vocal idiots too.

So it will take a lot for me to go to the Apollo again. Although it did bring back many happy memories of what used to be the Odeon Hammersmith. When I left school, I lived in digs in Riverside Gardens in Barnes, just over the bridge from Hammersmith. So my walk to George Wimpey's offices on Hammersmith Grove took me close to the Odeon every day. So I was lucky to be able to see what were the forthcoming attractions. So from 1963 I went to see Tony Bennett, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Duke Ellington and Woody Herman and the Herd. All fantastic big band performances.

These were followed by a blues concert with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and in May 1964 by the best rock and roll show ever with Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins. They were supported by new British groups such as The Nashville Teens (Tobacco Road had not yet entered the charts), The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Animals. Wikipedia confirms they played their version of House of the Rising Sun on their tour with Chuck Berry in May 1964 but did not release a recording until a month later. I can still remember what a great job they did with Alan Price on keyboards.

The most disappointing concert I have ever attended was around this time. Louis Armstrong was a particular favourite, having bought his Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings from 1927 and 1928. So Louis to me was a trumpeter, not a singer. But for the whole concert I wait in vain for a trumpet solo. All the other members of his band played solos, but not Louis. Maybe he was not up to it, but he played with the band, and any short burst on his own would have sufficed.

The last of my 60's memories at the Odeon is the premiere of Thunderball in December 1965. On the day of its release, it was decided to show it at 1 minute past midnight. I must admit that I might have nodded off during the final long underwater sequence, but the music will always wake you up.

The one show I missed was the Beatles. They played 38 shows over 21 nights in late 64/early 65. I had heard that you couldn't hear the music for the screaming and that put me off. But I really should have gone.

Autumn in the Chilterns

This autumn must be one of the best ever for different colours. The beech trees in the woods have varied from bright yellow to gold and then to dark brown. The picture above is at the top of Boddington Hill in Wendover Woods.

The photograph below is my favourite from a walk along the Thames Path from Marlow. This is a picture of a deserted Temple Lock. No boats on a Sunday?

The last photo is of the Grand Union Canal next to the reservoirs at Marsworth. In the distance is the open ridge section of The Ridgeway above and to the right the woods which lead down to Tring.

The Snow Queen

Our annual visit to the New Theatre in Oxford for a new production of English National Ballet's The Snow Queen". Not as enjoyable as last year's Alice in Wonderland, it was still pretty wonderful. Taken from Hans Christian Andersen's winter story of the same name, the ballet contrasts the warm colourful village with the icy palace of the Snow Queen, all silver and sparkly.


My favourite pieces were the dancing of the gypsies and the wolves, but especially that of the Snow Queen herself, a cut above the rest. Alison especially likes listening and watching the orchestra, and from row 5, it is some experience. They are a mighty big bunch of terrific musicians playing a great score by Prokofiev.

Rendition, Stardust and 30 Days of Night

I could not have picked three more different movies. Rendition is a powerful political thriller. The time frames of the three interlocking stories could have been better formulated and the sudden Hollywood ending was alien to the feeling of foreboding that enveloped the film. But the photography and direction were first class.

It is hard to believe that Stardust was my favourite of the three films. It was highly entertaining, exciting, funny and visually stunning. It was taken from a book by Neil Gaiman who has co-written the new Beowulf movie. I'm not a great lover of fantasy films, but this one had a good story and the pace was excellent. Some good characters and Ricky Gervais coming to a sticky end. Brilliant.

30 Days of Night came with good reviews. It was OK, but I thought it was a missed opportunity. The concept of a month of permanent dark,that gave vampires the greatest chance to move around, was a great idea. The build up was quite gripping but after half way it ran out of ideas. The vampires were scary and the set was fine. And the ending was original if not in the tradition of the genre.

First 60 Minute Swim

I started swimming 20 years ago. When I first visited the Wycombe Sports Centre I could just about manage a width in the shallow half of the pool. It was a few weeks before I made the transition to the deep half to swim the 25 m length. When I moved to Wendover I still made the 25 minute journey on a Saturday morning.

A few years later, and by the time the pool opened at the leisure club at the new Posthouse Hotel (now the Holiday Inn), I was up to 20 minutes plus of non stop swimming. Only five minutes away, the new pool was luxury, although only small. But it meant I could go every Saturday.

When the membership fees of the leisure club escalated, I made the move to the Maxwell Pool in Aylesbury. Still quite convenient with adult only swimming on a late Saturday morning. But it could get quite crowded. I also made the discovery of goggles and my style improved immensely as a result. And swimming for 30 minutes became normal.

But the major change happened six years ago when I went onto 4 days a week at work. At the same time a beautiful brand new pool opened in Aylesbury. My day off was every Wednesday so I was able to go every midweek morning. There were lanes for proper swimmers and most times I have had a lane to myself for a good part of each session. So 40 minutes became 50 minutes where I have stuck for the past four years. I had worked out that this was comfortably more than a mile and I was happy at that distance.

That is until a few months ago when I started alternating crawl with my normal breaststroke. At first crawl was very hard, but the last couple of sessions I have found it slightly easier and increased each 100 meter section to 150 meters. The time seems to pass quicker slotting in a period of crawl every ten minutes. Recently I have been up to 55, then 58 minutes and this week passed the 60 minute barrier for the first time. I did feel it the next day, but then I always do.

October in Cornwall

We were later than normal for our sixth year running at the NT property "Doyden" at Port Quinn as all September had been booked early. But we were lucky with great weather apart from one day.

The photo above is from our coast walk on the first day. We walk from the house towards Polzeath and end up at the Rumps. In the background is the tiny island of Mouls. We had lunch just above these rocks.

We had never been to St Ives as we thought it was too far. But it was only 50 minutes to Lelant Saltings where we found the park and train ride. This ten minute journey was absolutely beautiful as the train spectacularly hugs the coast high above some wonderful bays. St Ives was great, not too many people and photo opportunity at every turn.

Tuesday was wet so naturally it was bodyboarding time at Polzeath. We had expected it to have stopped raining by the afternoon, but it was still falling lightly when we donned our wetsuits and headed for the sea. There were only two other people in the water but the waves were superb.

Eventually we realised that it was much warmer in the sea than out and we were getting quite cold. So although we were freezing by the time we had changed, it had been worth it. The cafe by the beach stayed open for us to have a welcome mug of tea.

The next day it was back to being sunny and we spent the day at The Lost Gardens of Heligan. We had been twice before, but we always enjoy the visit.

We nearly always save Padstow for our last day. We parked at Rock where we had a walk along the sands of Daymer Bay. Then the ferry over to Padstow and a walk along the cliffs to look back at the estuary. And in a tee shirt in mid October. We have already booked for September next year.

Disturbia, The Brave One and The Kingdom

The post summer holiday films started with Disturbia. This was a very good thriller, much better than I had expected. A smart retake on Hitchcock's Rear Window with good dialogue, acting and direction.

I expected The Brave One to be a Jodie Foster "woman in peril" that she has already played in Panic Room and Flightplan. But this was a more intelligent movie which was only to be expected from Neil Jordan. Jodie was a far more interesting and deeper character than her previous roles and she played this one brilliantly.

What can I say about The Kingdom. I quite like action blockbusters and this was OK. But it was only saved by Chris Cooper who was head and shoulders above all the other actors. It looked good on the big screen and two hours passed quickly. But instantly forgettable.

Dexter

There are not many TV series from the USA that I watch. 24, the first season of Lost, Heroes and now Dexter. I have really enjoyed every episode, although I have always watched a recording so as to fast forward through the interminable adverts.

The dialogue was sharp and witty. Towards the end of the last episode, Dexters girlfriend cannot believe that his sister's boyfriend was a serial killer. Dexter replies "what are the odds".

Death Proof and YouTube

I have always been a sucker for a movie having a great song at the right time. In Death Proof , the stand out song for me ramps up the tension at the climax to the first half of the film. Hold Tight was released in 1966 by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick (Jungle Julia gets it wrong in the movie by calling him Mitch) and Titch. Searching on Google, I found a clip of the movie with the song on YouTube. And amongst the comments, someone says "best moment in the movie. I have never seen a more inspired combination of music and visuals". The writer is 18.

I missed he original title for Death Proof which shows for about a second in colour at the start of the film, before being superimposed by the new title in black and white. Again Google came to my rescue to confirm the original being "Quentin Tarrantino's Thunder Bolt". I was also interested in a mobile phone's ring tone which I had heard in Kill Bill. YouTube again provided the answer with a clip from the film. "Twisted Nerve" is the piece that Daryl Hannah whistles on her way to see a comatose Uma Thurman in hospital.

Staying on YouTube, I found a clip from the same film which contains "Whoo Hoo" by the 5,6,7,8's. Comments here pointed out the terrific steadicam sequences. One comment in particular suggested that the best steadicam sequence of all time was from Goodfellas, and once again YouTube has the clip of a single 2minute 34 seconds steadicam shot as the camera follows Ray Liotta and his new girlfriend through the back entrance of the Copacabana night club, through the bustling kitchens and into the dining room. All to the backing of "Then He Kissed Me" by the Crystals.

My favourite movie soundtrack is still Grosse Pointe Blank, soundtrack by Joe Strummer. I was knocked back in my seat at the closing credits to "Matador" by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs (also on YouTube, but a different video).

Gardens in September

As Alison had a few days holiday, we decided to visit some gardens before the autumn set in. We had not been to one of our favourites, Waterperry, for over a year. It was a lovely day, sunny but not too warm. The gardens were still spectacular including the hot bed in the picture above. We visited the tearooms twice for lunch and afternoon tea. Very nice. I bought two Penstemons and a Viburnum. Their plants are so good, I could have spent a fortune.

The next day we were going to find The Savill Garden near Windsor. Unfortunately, when we arrived we found it was closed because of the foot and mouth that had had just been discovered at Egham. So all that way and we had to turn round. We were getting very hungry as we had expected to have some lunch as soon as we arrived at the gardens. So we were heading for Cliveden and stopped at a Starbucks we knew near Dorney Lake. We felt a lot better when we arrived at Cliveden and we did enjoy the walk around the gardens.

1408, Hallam Foe and Atonement

The children are all back to school and the summer season of blockbusters is over. Thank goodness we can now settle down to an autumn of more intelligent movies. These three all had modest budgets, and two were amazingly British.

The exception was "1408", a ghost story that was taken to a whole new level. The special effects were pretty scary, the best of all was when John Cusack loses his hearing and the film presses the mute button. It felt like when your ears pop during an aircraft descent. And the ending was left as ambiguous as it could. good stuff.

"Hallam Foe" was exceptional for just a small British (Scottish) film. I had to go to Milton Keynes to see it and even there it only lasted a week. That is why Stephen Poliakoff only puts his films on television. He says only a man and his dog would see them at the cinema, and that was true of Hallam Foe. Which is a shame, as the photography of the Scottish countryside and Edinburgh rooftops was superb. Jamie Bell deserves awards for his performance. The story was original with good dialogue and a pace fast enough to carry a slow plot.

I was so looking forward to "Atonement". The book by Ian McEwan was one of the best I have ever read. But I did wonder how it would translate to the big screen. And then I heard the cast and thought how exactly right that was and I was right. They did not let the film down. Nor did the script, the location photography (especially that in the street outside the cafe where Cecilia and Robbie say goodbye before he goes off to fight in France), the costumes and the music. What did, in my opinion, were the gaps between the dialogue in the first half. There nothing happens. Is it meant to be artistic? If so, it failed, as the pace is already as slow as it could be. It just did not need slowing even further. I wanted to scream "get on with it". The director gets it right in the second half where pictures of Dunkirk and a London hospital are full of action. I think I knew the story and the ending too well to be too critical, but that is probably why I am.

Not So Easy Retirement

After having painted the porch and side gate, I only needed to paint the conservatory and the whole of the exterior of the house would be fresh having had the new windows and doors installed. I said only. The conservatory is hardwood that had been painted white. So after nearly ten years there were patches that needed attention, even though most of the woodwork was still fine. I had made a note of what paint they used before and found some via the Internet.

It was a much harder and time consuming job than I imagined. There are so many window panels, it was all cutting in. And the constellation's or whatever the features are at the top, I cannot imagine why we chose those. Only that they look nice. On reflection, it only took 12 hours over four days, but it seemed twice that. However, the outside is done before the autumn, and I can now start the inside any time.

Cadbury Dairy Milk - Glass and a Half Full Productions

Cadbury Dairy Milk - Glass and a Half Full Productions

(Click on above link)

This is the best TV advertisement since that for the Astra Twintop and Tigra that surfed the waves to Lonnie Donegan's "Rock Island Line". The expressions of the gorilla waiting to start drumming are quite amazing, with a final stretching of the neck before he starts. The result is a great achievement in a 1 and a half minute video to a great pop song.

Were off to Wembley

It was some weeks ago that Alison phoned from work to say that we had until 5pm to register with the FA website as England Fans and enter the public ballot for tickets to the two world cup qualifiers against Israel and Russia. I managed the registration process and a few days later we were offered, and bought, tickets for the Israel match for the Saturday 8th September.

I had wanted to go to the new Wembley Stadium ever since it was completed, and tickets for the first England competitive game there meant even more. Years before the reconstruction started I was constantly dismayed that our national stadium was so old and tired. It was just about OK in 1966 when I went to the world cup games there, but even then the views were obstructed and far away. The athletics track had hosted speedway and greyhound racing but was then a redundant gap for the spectators. So now I wanted to see where all the money went.

We were not disappointed. The exterior views of the stadium is nothing special, apart from the arch. We found our entrance and were ready for a long climb up the stairs to our position at the highest level. However, we found the escalators, and once through a short queue we were carried gently up a series of escalators to the top.

I had reservations about our seats as they were some of the cheapest, right in a corner near the top. I should not have worried. The view was spectacular. We were directly above the far left corner flag in the photograph, half way up the top level. It was so steep, we could not even see the lower levels below. And the height gave a great perspective on the play. We were told there is not a bad seat in the stadium and they were right.

And the game was good, England played well and won 3-0 with the first two scored at our end. The atmosphere was awesome. The noise was so loud I had to shout for Alison to hear me. We joined in the singing so I was pretty hoarse by the end. The journey home was so easy. The stairs down and the concourse around the stadium are so so wide, there is plenty of room and we didn't have to stop once. The route out was pretty crowded but we kept moving and once onto the main road, it was a normal walk to Wembley Central to catch trains home with hardly a wait. That all makes for a great all round experience.

These are not our photos by the way, someone who was there published these on Flkr.

Transformers, The Bourne Ultimatum and Knocked Up

The last of the summer blockbusters. Transformers did have some good action sequences with a light and funny story. Unfortunately, the talking machines made me cringe and spoilt what could have been a great action movie.

The Bourne Ultimatum lived up to its reviews. The one reason why it did not reach my maximum five stars was the repetitiveness of the fights with assassins and car chases that were also in the previous films.

I should have known better than going to see Knocked Up. It attracted great reviews, but for some reason, I just don't like American comedies. And this was no exception. There were some minor cameo appearances (the guy's father, the girl's mother and the assistant at the TV station). But the lead characters had zero appeal. The best thing was afterwards, when some of the action I found amusing in retrospect. Come back Hugh Grant.

Pygmalion

Like most other people, I only know Pygmalion as the play on which My Fair Lady is based. Despite being a big fan of George Bernard Shaw, I cannot remember going to see one of his plays since Heartbreak House with Paul Schofield at the Aldwych Theatre many years ago.

This was one of the most enjoyable evenings at the theatre. Everything about Peter Hall's production was perfect. It was extremely funny, especially Tony Hagarth as Alfred Doolittle and his rapid speeches about "the undeserving poor". Tim Piggot-Smith was a revelation as Henry Higgins. I was expecting his normal grumpy act, but instead he was flamboyant and delightful. Michelle Dockery was terrific as Eliza. Her transformation from flower girl to a beautiful young woman was staggering. In the penultimate Act, after the ball, her movements are almost balletic as she realises her life has changed for ever. I remember Barbara Jefford (Mrs Higgins) from films in the 60's and was even the voice for Tatiana Romanava in From Russia with Love. She is now 77 according to imdb.com.

40th Anniversary of the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act

Forty years ago this month, at midnight on the 14th August 1967, it became illegal to broadcast from a ship. This spelt the end for pirate radio, especially Radio Caroline which was my favourite. Apparently I was one of 20 million people across Europe who tuned in that night to listen to Johnny Walker. I was living in a shared house during my year in Leeds, working for George Wimpey and based on the site of a seventeen storey apartment block and housing development.

At the time, I owned a Grundig reel to reel tape recorder, so I was able to record the show leading up to and beyond midnight. Unfortunately, the old Grundig went somewhere when cassettes took over. So not only is that recording lost, but also that of Freddie Truman's 300th test wicket at the Oval in August 1964. That was recorded on a visit home in Braintree with a microphone next to the radio. Brother John interrupted the commentary to comment that Freddie was a "spell bowler". I wonder if he remembers?

Too busy to blog

I have just noticed that I have only posted one blog since the 10th July. This is probably because in the summer I like to be outside. Apart from spending time in the garden, there have been other jobs to catch up on like cementing the loose paved step, painting the side gate and filling and painting the porch at the front. All between having new windows and front and back doors installed, and having the alarm disconnected and then alterations to the installation at reconnection. Inside, the tiles next to the windows in the kitchen and conservatory had to come off and the trunking for the old alarm needed to come off and patched.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows arrived on the Saturday of publication. I read it quickly so I would find out what happened in the end. I thought it dragged in the middle, the concept of following the school year I thought was flawed as, being out in the countryside, there were gaps in the story where nothing happened. Contrary to most reviews, I enjoyed the ending more than the rest of the book. Neville to the rescue.

I enjoyed my first visit to MK Dons for a pre-season friendly game with Watford. The football for a League 2 side was better than expected. The brand new stadium is impressive and the parking was remarkably efficient with a reasonably quick exit. And only just over half an hour away.

I went to see "Bedroom Farce" at the Oxford Playhouse with Alison's running partner, Heather. It was an Alan Aykbourne revival and very funny. It was set in the master bedrooms of three different houses, all positioned together on the stage. The cast of four couples were all very good.

Today I have spent most of the time catching up with some correspondence and updating this blog. I do have to prune the clematis before the rain and gales tomorrow, so I had better get outside again.

Family Time Part 2

Its over a week since we returned from Cheshire, this time to see Alison's family. We were welcomed by Daniel and Emily when we arrived at Anne's. When she arrived back from Sainsbury's, we had lunch then a great walk from the house along the river and then back via a canal. Anne and Alison saw a Kingfisher twice, I was too busy talking to Daniel.We stayed for dinner before it was time to book in at the Travellodge.

The next day we picked up Alison's dad and drove to the NT property at Tatton Park to meet Anne and the children. The large gardens are very pretty and we had lunch next to one of the ponds near the Japanese garden. The weather was kind and although mainly cloudy, it was warm enough to finish with tea and cakes sitting outside.

In the evening, Chas had arrived back from London and we all went out for dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant in Marple. The next day, Saturday, we spent the morning in Bramhall before lunch at Anne's. Alison's brother John arrived in the afternoon for a chat before it was time to leave.

Fantasic Four 2, Die Hard 4 and Harry Potter 5

A summer of sequels full of CGI. I can only look forward the The Bourne Ultimatum and a Paul Greengrass blockbuster that does not rely on the computer.

Fantastic Four was an expected disappointment. Incoherent with no story behind a succession of set piece stunts and explosions. However Die Hard 4.0 was terrific entertainment. There was a story, the script was OK and Bruce tried his best to reprise action man John McClane.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix did pretty well given a thin storyline from the fifth book. The child actors are growing up, and Emma Watson has been overtaken in the acting stakes by Daniel and Rupert. But the highlight for me was Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood. star is born.

Family Time

Last week, Michael was over from New York. He was with Zoe on Wednesday and in the evening Alison and I went there for dinner. Peter arrived home late, it was his first week in a new job. But the six of us sat down for a lovely meal after Hannah had gone to bed. It was so nice for all of us to be there.

Michael came back to stay with us Wednesday night and on Thursday we donned our boots and set off for a walk in the Chilterns. The weather looked threatening to start, but turned out to be one of the best days for ages. We were very lucky considering what an awful summer it has been so far. So we had a very enjoyable couple of hours to catch up. We finished up at the "Cafe in the Woods" for lunch outside, again a rare occurrence this summer.

On Saturday I went over to Radnage where Peter and Zoe showed me the work that had been done to their new house, and Hannah was desperate that I see the pink lights in her bedroom. I even met Zoe and Hannah again on Tuesday for lunch in Chinnor. Zoe said she couldn't remember the last time she saw me on her birthday.

Why I hate doing crawl

I seem to have changed my swimming day from a Wednesday to a Tuesday. It is a little quieter at the pool, and I normally have a rest day on Monday which means I am sort of better prepared.

The problem over the last few weeks is that I have started to build up doing crawl to where I now do 5 x 4 lengths every ten minutes of my 50 minutes plus session. Reverting back to breaststroke after each 100metres of crawl is so easy. Except this week I have found how to kick harder doing crawl, but then it takes a while to recover my normal breaststroke kick.

So the four lengths of crawl are a killer. The first length is fine, the next just about OK, but the last two are so hard. I am waiting until they get easier, but that is not happening at the moment. And by the time I reach the fifth session of crawl, well, its only the fact that its the last keeps me going.

I have only ever done breaststroke for the last twenty years, so I guess starting something new was always going to be difficult. The pool will be busy when the children's summer holidays start, so I might have to cut down on the crawl. Hurrah!

Hampton Court Flower Show

The nice thing about Alison giving me tickets for the flower show for my birthday at Christmas was that it was a treat for the middle of the year. The show gardens were varied, and some were exceptional. Alison particularly liked "The Unwind Garden" as the top photo. It did seem quite serene.

We both were very taken by the "View Across the Water" (the other two photos above) which also won a gold medal. This was the best of the water gardens.

The displays in the marquees were staggering as usual. There were so many plants for sale. I limited my purchases to three Nemesia. Although I did consider a Hosta from an awesome collection. I never used to like Hostas, but I can now see why they are so popular. I need to extend some borders so I can plant a few.

We finished the day with the Daily Mail "Darling Buds of May" Pavilion. And what an amazing display of a 1950's cottage garden, the orchard and the village post office, garage and market garden. Fantastic.

We were lucky with the weather. The rain we were promised for the afternoon duly arrived at 3.45pm, but by that time we were on our way back to the bus stop for the park and ride. The traffic was bad coming home, but the thought of dinner at The Five Bells kept us going. We had only time during the day to share a sandwich sitting on a dwarf wall by the lake. So we were ravenous by the time our meals arrived. They went down very well, especially with my pint of 6X.

Roadrunner by Jonathon Richmond

I mentioned this track in my posting of 4th June, and what do you know, it was this weeks "Going For a Song" in the Sunday Times. What a great series this is. Tim Richardson is a gardens writer and says "its a great song for 17 year olds to play while driving too fast". I have to admit its difficult for me not to press down on the accelerator when it starts "Roadrunner, Roadrunner, going faster miles an hour".

We Need to Talk About Kevin

One the most painful books I have ever read, so much so that I couldn't wait to finish it. But it was totally engrossing, excruciating and gripping. The fact that I kept telling myself that no child could be as awful as Kevin was no consolation as the brilliant writing assured me there was.

I had never heard of Lionel Shriver. It was the interesting concept of her seventh novel, and that it had won the 2005 Orange Prize for fiction, that attracted me in the first place. I didn't see the gut wrenching twist at the end coming for a long time, but I never do. Although the surprise did give me a thrill at the time, I thought it did detract from the fulfillment I expected when I finally finished reading.

What I need now is to get back to Terry Wogan and his autobiography "Mustn't Grumble".

Pirates 3, Ocean's 13 and Vacancy

A great conclusion to the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was terrific fun. A fairly incomprehensible plot did not spoil the frantic action and witty dialogue that made the film a joy to watch.

Not so Ocean's 13. A pathetic script and wooden characters that even the great actors could not make it anything but boring. A challenger for worst film of the year.

Vacancy was a good thriller. Although a standard man and woman in peril formulae, it was still had believable characters, sharp direction and plenty of twists and turns. Simple fodder maybe, but that's OK.

Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall

We first went to the ballet in 1990 when we saw The Kirov in Swan Lake at the London Coliseum. Since then we seem to enjoy the ballet more and more every time we go. We were lucky to see Darcey Bussell twice with The Royal Ballet at the ROH. The first time was in 1991 when she danced the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. The programme said it would be Lesley Collier, the top dancer at the Royal at the time. When it was announced she was indisposed and it would be Darcey, there were a few groans. We hadn't heard of her, but she was fantastic. She was only 23. When we saw her in Cinderella in 1998, she was at her peak. Magic.

Swan Lake performed by English National Ballet in an arena like the Albert Hall is something else. Spectacular with wonderful costumes, great lighting, my favourite ballet score, dry ice and 60 swans. The soloists were good, how hard it must be to dance on such a huge floor, in front of an audience of 3,000 plus on all sides, there is nowhere to hide. If they do another ballet next year, we will definitely go again.

Dorset in June

Five nights at the Manor House Hotel at Studland. "A quiet sanctuary" as Alison commented on our departure. No children, great views, large garden and grounds, food wonderful, huge room with six windows one side towards the sea and four on another overlooking the gardens. Breakfast not available until 8.30, so no business people, and not a sound after 10pm. We could not have wished for more.

On the first day we took the ferry from the end of Studland Bay over to Sandbanks. A short drive took us to Poole with a handy car park for the harbour. Then a boat took us to Brownsea Island. Owned by the National Trust (so free to us) we enjoyed a circular walk all the way round. Came across a few tame peacocks who displayed their plumage for our photos. The boat back became a a tour of Poole Harbour which was as interesting as it was unexpected. By then the weather had turned from cloudy to sunny and sitting on the top deck was perfect. A mooch around Poole before we took the ferry back.

Tuesday was our longest drive. First to Charmouth and some fossil hunting. Nothing spectacular found but the beach was nice. Into Lyme Regis where our only shower of the day started whilst having tea and cake. The rain soon cleared and we walked over to the harbour and a precarious but spectacular amble along The Cobb. Pretty much deserted so able to take some good photos. Alison didn't have a black cloak, so emulating Meryl Streep was not on. We were very impressed with Lyme Regis, it is such a beautiful place.

The next day was my favourite. The weather was good so we walked from the hotel to Old Harry Rocks (see photo above) and then along the cliffs to Swanage. A really great walk. I had been to Swanage many years ago and thought I remembered it as a bit seedy. I was very wrong. It is quite a pleasant resort, nice beach and a picturesque setting. I had suggested before we started out that we might get the bus back, and didn't have to wait very long for our open top bus ride back to Studland.

The weather was not very promising for our last day, so we took off for Chesil Beach. It was very windy and cloudy, but stayed dry. We parked at the small visitor centre, which we found to be one of the very few ways onto the beach. Not at all flat and sandy, but like a long steep dune of pebbles. Nothing like the photographs that are taken from the air. The waves crashing in were quite deafening. A lower level of pebbles was soon under water. Their website said it could be dangerous as the pebbles are unstable. Arriving at Weymouth, we were not impressed. I thought it would be a much nicer place than it was. We didn't stay long. A coffee and a walk along the seafront and we were off to Lulworth Cove. What a difference, such a beautiful place. The weather had brightened so Alison decided we could walk over to Durdle Dor. Quite a steep climb to the top of the cliffs turned out to be over a mile of hard going. But again it was worth it. When we arrived at the rocks, I was amazed to see Portland in the distance where we had been earlier in the day. The walk back was better, mostly downhill with marvelous views of Lulworth Cove.

We were thinking about going to Bournemouth on the way home, but the weather on Friday was very wet. We were just lucky that the previous four days had been so good.

A Long way Down, The Time Travellers Wife, Untold Stories, Margrave of the Marshes and We need to talk about Kevin

To complete a trilogy of reviews, these are the books I have read since retiring.

"A Long Way Down" by Nick Hornby is an irresistible book. Full of contemporary language, written by four very different "friends". "The Time Traveller's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger is equally enthralling. I didn't want it to stop.

It took a long time to finish Alan Bennett's "Untold Stories", but his writing is always captivating. And I have already written about "Margrave of the Marshes".

I had to call it a day with "The Night Watch" by Sarah Waters, but I'm glad I did as having started "We need to talk about Kevin" by Lionel Shriver had got me hooked.

After our visit to Canterbury, I have just read "Murder in the Cathedral" by T S Eliot. It was one of the plays we did for "A"Level at school, but I didnt remember it at all. Mainly written in verse, there are some great passages. The four tempters give Thomas a way out before ending together with this speeech:

"Man's Life is a cheat and a disappointment;
All things are unreal,
Unreal or disappointing:
The Catherine wheel, the pantomime cat,
The prizes given at the children's party,
The prize awarded for the English Eassay,
The scholar's degree, the statesman's decoration,
All things become less real. man passes
From unreality to unreality.
This man (Thomas Becket) is obstinate, blind, intent
On self-destruction,
Passing from deception to deception,
From grandeur to grandeur to final illusion,
Lost in the wonder of his own greatness,
Enemy of society, enemy of himself."

And the end where the four knights go to the front of the stage to address the audience and explain their actions. It is just like a business presentation without powerpoint. Wonderful, but it was all wasted on me at eighteen.

Mary, Thea, Sandi, Alison, The Dixies........and Jonathon

I had to record that the six CDs in the car this last week have been such a great selection. The five female artists are all such marvelous song writers. I hadn't bought a Mary Chapin Carpenter CD for a few years, but I had listened to some clips from her 2004 album "Here and Gone" and was not disappointed with my purchase. The arrangements, and especially the piano playing of producer Matt Rollings, were outstanding.

I wrote about Thea Gilmore's "The Threads" EP in March. There is one track called "Icarus Wind" that is exceptional.

"smile...it confuses people" is such a good album from Sandi Thom. "Lonely Girl" and "Sunset Borderline" are great back to back tracks.

Its hard to pick a favourite track from the Grammy award winning "Taking the Long Way" by the Dixie Chicks. It deserved its success.

Even after such great albums, "Alison Krauss Live" was still spine tingling. Up goes the volume and on comes the virtuoso playing of Union Station and the magical voice of Alison. She called Jerry Douglas the best Dobro player in the world, who am I to argue. This is the only one of my six AK albums that contains "I am a man of constant sorrow", worth it for that track alone. Lonnie ( see previous posting) would have been bowled over by the exuberance of the music.

The one odd CD in the car was a compilation free in the Sunday Times called "Anarchy UK". The punk recordings were ordinary including the obligatory Sex Pistols but not anything by The Clash. However there was one brilliant track that I had not heard for a long time - "Roadrunner" by Jonathon Richman (composer) and the Modern Lovers. I had left the CD in the car from the previous selection, just to here this track again. A masterpiece of a two chord garage anthem. How can that be?

Spiderman 3, Zodiac and 28 Weeks Later

What a mess. Spiderman 3 was the worst film I have seen for a long time. It was embarrassing. There was no story to speak of, just a series of seemingly unconnected events. The fight sequences were all effect and no emotion, as all the characters had become pathetic. There was no direction of the acting, any dialogue was superfluous, it would have been better as a silent movie. When Spidey gets nasty, is that meant to be funny? Because it wasn't.

There was potential in the cameo roles, but only the daughter of the manager of Spidey's apartment was special. Her added "goodnight" to Spidey was so good, it could have been from another movie. And who was the guy he meets in the street? They obviously didn't know what to do with the last third, so they just threw money at the special effects. But what a poor ending for a poor film.

Zodiac was interesting but not engaging. It did need two and a half hours to tell the story, but Roberts Downey Jr was the only character who was not one dimensional. The film lacked pace in parts, but the directing was great, as was the screenplay. The soundtrack was terrific with an original selection of tracks from the 60's and 70's. I had not heard Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" for years and it was a real blast form the past.

28 Weeks Later is strange film. I have to say it all seemed a bit amateurish. How not to make a sequel to the brilliant 28 Days Later. The first half of the film in Canary Wharf was inspired, but
it loses track when an ordinary chase in the second half centres on other locations which were interesting for a few seconds.

Margrave of the Marshes

When he died in October 2004, John Peel had only written the first part of an autobiography. He had only reached 1964 and was only just over half way through his time in the USA. When his wife Shelia picks up his story, the writing did not contain the same witty, intimate and captivating recollections to which John was privy, and I nearly called it a day. However, sheer curiosity kept me going, and I was rewarded with an incredible tale of an amazing man.

In the last words of Chapter Three, John recalls "I allowed my life to be transformed by hearing first Lonnie Donegan". And the first part of Chapter Four is a tribute to this event. Now I cannot say my life was transformed by Lonnie. I happened to be only eleven when "Rock Island Line" reached the charts in 1956 and John Peel was fifteen. However it did pave the way, even at such an early age, for my love of folk/country/rock that this record embodied.

When we lived in London in the 1950's, I can remember my brother and I being put in the care of the guard on the train from St Pancras to Rotherham to visit our grandmother (Nanan) in the summer holidays. She used to meet us at the station and take us to the semi on Wordsworth Drive. Still living at home with her were three uncles, all in their twenties. The youngest was Geoff and he was the one who owned "Rock Island Line" on a single 78 (rpm). During the day we were allowed to play this and an LP of Bill Haley's "Rock around the Clock". It was the single that I thought was magic, and it was played time and time again. It certainly has influenced my musical taste to this day. When Johnny Walker included requests in his Drivetime show on Radio 2, the four he played of mine started with "Rock Island Line".

Like John Peel, I was never a huge fan of Lonnie's comedy records, although the inspired release of a live recording for "My Old Man's a Dustman" is still entertaining. But it was records such as "Cumberland Gap", "Jack O'Diamonds" and "The Grand Coolie Dam" that I shall remember. John Peel may have mentioned "Six Five Special". This was probably the first rock and roll music programme on British TV. It started on the BBC in 1957 and Lonnie was one of the stars, so it was obviously my favourite programme of the week. A black and white film version was made the next year and mum took us to see it, one of my first movie memories.

Best Things about Retirement Part 3 - Reading at Night

The most reading I have done over the past ten years has been on the train. It started when I used to commute every day to my first contract with Shepherd Construction at Cavendish Square in the West End. The 50 minute journey every day from Stoke Mandeville to Marylebone was only tolerable with a good book. Recently, the long but not frequent trips to the Discovery Dock site in Docklands and Burlington Danes labs in Acton, meant I could get stuck in to my current novel.

However much I thought it would be nice to read last thing at night, I was always too tired during the week. But since retiring, I now look forward to switching off the TV after the late news, and reading until my brain tells me it didn't capture the page I was on. I always read fiction. Biographies etc I leave for the daytime, which reminds me, now that I have finished John Peel's, its time to start the latest from Terry Wogan.

May in April and April in May

April started off sunny and stayed that way. No rain fell until the 25th when some drizzle and the odd shower over a coup,e of days gave way to clear weather through the beginning of May. Temperatures for April were typically around 18 degrees, way above the seasonal average. They peaked at 24C on the 15th. Bluebells were in flower three weeks early (see Blog 22nd April) and the lawns were as hard as they are in June.

But the weather changed on the 7th May with heavy rain overnight, the first useful rain for five weeks. And we have had rain most days, some heavy. Boy, did the gardens need it. Temperatures now reach a maximum of 12 to 14C so quite cool. We have had to switch the heating back on over the last two days.

Hay Fever, Old Times, John Gabriel Borkman and The Seagull

I went to see Noel Coward's Hay Fever and Harold Pinter's Old Times at the Oxford Playhouse. Both were very enjoyable in their own way. In the first,Stephanie Beacham stood out as Judith Bliss. It was a light and amusing comedy, rather than hysterically funny.

I love seeing any Harold Pinter play. I went see Old Times at the Donmar two years ago. The Oxford production could never match a thee hander in such an intimate theatre as the Donmar. But Sir Peter Hall's direction brought the best from Neil Pearson, Susannah Harker and especially Janie Dee.

John Gabriel Borkman at the Donmar was the best play that I have seen for ages. David Eldridge had previously written an acclaimed new version of Ibsen's The Wild Duck which the Donmar had produced. His version of John Gabriel Borkman is outstanding. Whilst Ian McDiarmid (Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in Star Wars) received rave reviews as Borkman, for me the two sisters, played by Penelope Wilton and Deborah Findlay, were superb.

I was looking forward to my first visit to The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford where the RSC are playing while The Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Theatre are being refurbished. As a temporary theatre, it is certainly very grand. See www.rsc.org.uk/transformation/courtyard/. It has been built next to the studio theatre that was called The Other Place. I only went there once, to see a wonderful and memorable production of Richard II as the first in the RSC history cycle.

Unfortunately on the night I went to see The Seagull, it was only a third full. I cannot remember when I have ever been to see a play and the theatre wasn't full. So this was an unusual and slightly uncomfortable experience. I'm not sure if this was the right venue for Chekhov. It needed a much more intimate space. The acting and direction was good enough, but Trevor Nunn's choice of translation was patchy. Whilst trying to be modern, some dialogue was clumsy and did not match the traditional 1900 setting. Next time its back to the Donmar.

Shooter, Next and Fracture

Three mainstream Hollywood thriller/action movies. What do they have in common apart from one word titles? None are emotionally challenging, but all three are well directed, well photographed in interesting city locations. Guns play a significant role in all three as you would expect.

Three heroes up against overwhelming odds. Mark Whalberg was efficient but one dimensional. Nicolas Cage seemed to in another movie altogether, but Ryan Gosling was great as the hotshot lawyer. That made Fracture the winner by a short shot.

Theatre Royal, Brighton

As a postscript to our visit to Brighton, and when I was delving into my box of old programmes to find those from the World Cup of 1966, I found three from Theatre Royal, Brighton from 1966 and 1968. The latter, shown above, is for two plays starring a young Ian McKellen and James Bolam.

The first programme from 1966 is a production of Staircase with Paul Scofield and Patrick Magee. The other is Bernard Shaw's You Never Can Tell. This was one of Ralph Richardson's most memorable performances and subsequently played for a long time in the West End. Many London plays previewed in Brighton.

I have always loved the theatre. Dad had always been involved in amateur dramatics, even from a young age, and Mum loved to watch plays on tv. When I was young, we had two great aunts who lived together in Esher. They must have been sisters of Gran who was our father's mother. Every Christmas in the mid to late 1950's, when we lived in London, they took us to see a show. Sometimes these were plays such as Toad of Toad Hall.

I remember going with the school to see Paul Scofield as King Lear in London in 1963 as this was our Shakespeare for English A Level. The same year I played Major Petkoff in Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man,which was the school play for that year.

So now I have been going to see a play half a dozen times a year, more over recent years. So tonight it is Chekov's The Seagull. I do like to go different theatres to look at the building, so tonight is especially exciting as the RSC have opened the new Courtyard Theatre while the main house is being refurbished. I will be going early to have good nose around.

Alan Ball and 1966

This is the only photograph of Alan Ball that I could find from the newspaper clippings I kept from the 1966 World Cup. This is from the Sunday Mirror of 31st July 1966, the day after the final. He didn't play in all the group matches. He played on the right of midfield in the opening 0 - 0 draw with Uruguay with John Connelly on the left. For the next game against Mexico, they were replaced with Terry Paine and Martin Peters. Ian Callaghan came in for Terry Paine against France, only to be replaced by Alan Ball for the quarter final. The rest is history.

When my friend Ray (see blog 25th January 2007) showed me the advert in the Evening Standard for world cup tickets, we were amazed that we could buy a season ticket for all the games at Wembley (where England played all their group matches) including the the quarter final, semi final AND FINAL. So we sent off our applications, and back came all the tickets in a nice little sellophane holder. Although I kept all mine, unfortunately they have been lost over the years. But I still have the programmes as the photograph above.

I missed one game. A friend at work (Rowena - her father had given me the second half of a Chelsea season ticket in 1964 when his work ar Reuters took him abroad) held a party to celebrate her 21st birthday on the same day England played Mexico. So I watched most of the game on their tv with her father. So Ray and I exchanged tickets, so I had his for the France v Uruguay game at White City, a most unusual venue, and took my friend Trevor.

Of course the final was fantastic. We were in our normal position behind the goal opposite the players entrance, the one where Geoff Hurst scored our third goal. The celebrations after the match were tinged with a little sadness. We had followed England through all their games and now it was all over.

From someone who went to nearly all the games England played, the most emotional was the match against Argentina in the quater final. For the eight minutes that play was halted when their captain Antonio Rattin was sent off, the chanting and singing was unremitting. England were by far the superior team until that moment. But then, as is so often playing against ten men, their play faltered. Only a wonderful header thirteen minutes from the end by Geoff Hurst ( only playing as Jimmy Greaves was injured) from a cross by Martin Peters won the game.

I was twenty one when we won the world cup, the same age as Alan Ball. I hope someone says the same words at my funeral as they did for Alan. They think its all over. It is now. But only for us.

Brighton Revisited

Alison had never been to Brighton, so we decided to take advantage of a Paramount Hotel offer(previous similar deals have taken us to Harrogate and Redworth Hall in Durham) and have two nights at The Old Ship Hotel right on the seafront. I had spent parts of five years from 1963 to 1968 at Brighton College of Advanced Technology ( later to become Brighton Polytechnic and more recently the University of Brighton), so for me this was a nostalgic return forty years on.

We were going to visit Arundel Castle on the way, but it started to drizzle so we carried on to Worthing, taking in the pier and the promenade before a coffee and some specialist shops (Yankee Candle and Oil and Vinegar).

Made Brighton late afternoon, checked in (leaving the car in the hotel car park for two days) and went for a wander, before the inclusive first night's dinner. The hotel did not have Sky, so we found an Australian pub called The Outback to watch the Chelsea v Liverpool Champions League semi. It was packed, but had about a dozen screens, so there was no problem seeing. It was just we could not hear the commentary over the noise. Memorable. ( Other pubs we have watched football include one in Harrogate for England v Columbia in the world cup and one in Wadebridge to see Arsenal lose at home in the Champions League to Inter Milan).

The next day we took in all the sights. Brighton centre did not seem all that familiar. Probably as a twenty year old, I only remember the pubs such as The Sussex above. We were caught in a heavy shower in the middle of the day, and rushed for the shelter of the aquarium Brighton Sealife. The building is quite historic. It was interesting to see the indoor arena (now unused) where the dolphins were displayed before this was banned in the UK. But the highlight was the tunnel where giant turtles and sharks would swim over your head.

We found a nice Italian restaurant for dinner and took in the pier at night. The next day was our last and we drove to the marina for a nice wander, then a coffee, in glorious sunshine. Later we headed for Eastbourne and walked the promenade and our third pier. Finally we eventually found Devils Dyke for a short walk along the top of the downs. It was a really nice break. The weather was good for the most part and even the M25 on a Friday evening was not too busy.

The Hills Have Eyes 2, Sunshine and Blades of Glory

Sometimes its hard to pick the right film to go and see. The Hills Have Eyes is a typical modern American horror where gore takes precedence over content. The photography almost saved the day.

Sunshine was a "must see", being directed by Danny Boyle. Enjoyable sci fi, although the ending was very obscure. When I tried to make sense of it by looking for comments on the web, I found that I was not the only one confused.

I only went to see Blades of Glory because I thought that Shooter might be too uncomfortable to watch in the wake of the events at Virginia Tech. I can remember going to see Heat just after similar shootings and found that quite difficult, so I did not want to chance a repeat. I am just not keen on American comedies, and Blades of Glory did nothing to change my mind. There were some quite good visual jokes, which was fortunate as the verbal gags were almost non existent.

If there was one thing these films had in common, it was the restrictions of where they took place. Outside and inside some rocks, a spaceship and an ice rink. I'm looking forward to some better locations next.

Bluebells and Beech

As this is the best time of the year to see the bluebells, it also co-incides with the beech trees coming into leaf. So on Saturday, my circular walk from Wendover Woods was extended by taking lots of photos. These have now been edited and the best are on my picasa web album. This first picture is at the start in Wendover Woods where the bluebells are the most prolific.

These are beech trees coming into leaf. The collision of the copper buds that have not yet opened with the flourescent green of the new leaves in the background make a startling contrast.

Best Things about Retirement Part 2 - Listening to music at home

Up until this year, listening to my music (as opposed to that listened to with Alison) was pretty much confined to the car and definitely my preferred way. I have now found that listening at home is a whole new experience. Some music is definitely better sitting at the wheel, but surprisingly some is better at home.

I have just played "Wrecking Ball" by Emmylou Harris and it was beautiful. It must be that the softer music comes across better in a less confined environment. Will have to try Gillian Welch, Kathryn Williams and Aimee Mann.

An introduction to Ryan Adams

My son has always suggested I might like Ryan Adams' music. I must have tried a clip somewhere and was not impressed. However there is a great website called www.allmusic.com. This has short extracts from all the tracks on loads of albums. And those from "Gold" encouraged me to buy the CD.

I was not disappointed. In fact there are two of the best back to back tracks I have heard for a long time. "When the stars go blue" and "Nobody Girl" are outstanding, especially the chorus on the former and the verse and instrumental opening and closing on the latter. This song makes me go weak at the knees and goes straight to my all time favourites. Thanks Michael.

Front Bed - Part 2

I knew we needed to finish the front bed, but after the problems with the first section, I thought it might be too dry to dig. But my neighbour Angie came over on Sunday morning to see if we could get started. It was actually a lot easier cutting and stripping the turf than I had imagined. And this time there was actually soil under the grass instead of builder's rubble, which meant we didn't have to import topsoil this time.

By mid afternoon we were at the garden centre choosing shrubs and by teatime they were in. Its amazing how much quicker it was with two of us.

A Busy Easter

The Chequers Estate and Grand Union Canal at Marsworth.

No sooner had I made a start on my Somerset history project, when Easter arrived with great weather. So the last two weeks has included visits from Alison's sisters family ( and a great day at Marsworth reservoirs and canals), great walking weather, and with Alison, a trip to the NT property at Ascott near Wing, going to Bristol to see my brothers and to my daughter for dinner (as she said, the first time she has ever cooked for me). In between there is always so much to do in the garden at this time of year, as well as horrible jobs such as cleaning the outside of the conservatory and jetwashing the pavings. So the history project has to wait.

New front bed

We have a shared front lawn with our neighbours. When we first moved in, two trees had been planted by the builder. As these grew and grew, they both eventually had to come down, leaving a plain square of grass between the two properties.

Two years ago we dug out an oval bed in the centre of the lawn, and on Sunday, my neighbour Angie and I started to strip the turf to make what will be a shrub and flower bed that will give each of us with our own piece of front lawn, and at the same time, provide a pleasant view from our front windows.

Stripping the turf was the easy part. Digging out for the planting was a harder job altogether. The upper layer of ground contained a fair amount of builder's rubble, and after that we were into the clay. So we used copious quantities of fresh topsoil and compost for the holes we dug for the plants. We finished the digging and planting the next day after a visit to the garden centre to buy the shrubs. We did pick two beautiful days to be outside. We still need to topsoil between the plants and cover the shady far end with bark. That will leave the final extension of the bed at the front of the lawn to be tackled another day.

M&S - "Itchycoo Park"

The combination of the Small Faces backing to the latest M&S advertisement is a little masterpiece. Mostly written by Ronnie Lane (who combined with the remnants of the Small Faces, after Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie, to form the new Faces band with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood), "Itchycoo Park" joins a number of great songs from the sixties used on big ads. And Twiggy outshines the other four (much) younger models in presenting the new spring collection from M&S.

The Number 23, Becoming Jane and 300

Three very different films. Of the three, my preference was for "Becoming Jane". Anne Hathaway was excellent, as was all the acting, and the dialogue sparkled.

"The Number 23" had an interesting plot, but possibly suffered from the casting of Jim Carrey in the lead role, and that once the significance of 23 as a mystical number had been explored, there was not much else to the story. But well directed for the few chills along the way.

Similarly, once the "300" had won the first battle, the remaining fight sequences were pretty repetitive. And there seemed no consistency in their coming through the first battles unscathed, to their easy capitulation at the end.

Going for a Song

There is a wonderful series in the Sunday Times called "Going for a Song". Last week Phil Jupitus described why he he picked "The Birds will still be Singing" by Elvis Costello. He starts off "Being someone who is easily manipulated by emotions means that I am more than fair game for any artist who can spin a heart wrenching turn of phrase or construct just the right interplay of chords to tip me over into floods of tears".

I hardly ever reach such a state, but on Saturday at midday, the first game at the new Wembley was introduced by a montage of the old Wembley, its demolition and the building of the new stadium, all to Coldplay's "Fix You". Good old Sky. Sometimes they do things better than anyone. So that was all pretty emotional. But then they showed some interviews with people outside the ground, and some had memories of the old Wembley. I just thought of 1966 and that was it.

Edward Seymour - A start at last

My history project is underway at last. Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford was made Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector when the nine year old Edward VI came to the throne in 1547. He held this office for nearly three years before being stripped of his office and thrown in the Tower of London. It is this period on which my project concentrates, and in particular Somerset's relationship and struggle for power with his brother, Thomas Seymour.

I now have a number of sources (apart from Alison Weir's "Children of England" whose first one hundred pages covers this period). These include "The Boy King - Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation" (a highly scholarly but very dry book by Diarmid McCulloch), "England under Protector Somerset - An Essay" by Albert Fred pollard and various extracts from the internet including Marilee Hanson's piece on Edward VI on her website http://englishhistory.net/tudor.

I have also found a copy of a 1953 film called "Young Bess" with Stewart Granger as Thomas Seymour, Guy Rolfe as Somerset and Jean Simmons as the young Elizabeth. Although most of the film does actually cover the same period, it is primarily concerned with the relationship between the future queen and Thomas. But it totally distorts many historical facts. The story of Edward and Thomas Seymour is dramatic enough without having to resort to fantasy.

Lucinda Williams' "West" and Thea Gilmore "The Threads" EP

Two of my favourite artists have new CD's. When I first heard the opening two tracks of "West", I thought this was not in the same league as Lucinda Williams' "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road". But then came track three and everything changed. The opening chords were haunting and the song was as good as anything she has recorded. The experience of her mother's death runs through many of the songs, not least for "Learning How To Live". Why cant we have more piano solos like the one in the middle of this track. It reminded me a little of Floyd Cramer, the grandaddy of country pianists. "Come On" is a real rocky track with a wonderful Hammond organ in the background. Another reminder, this time Alan Price's playing on "House of the Rising Sun". Having now listened to the album a few times, all the songs have a great deal to offer in their different ways. An excellent piece of work.

There are few artists that would get me out on a Saturday evening, but Thea Gilmore is one. When I found out she was performing an acoustic set at The Stables on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, I was wondered how this would be. Especially after seeing her with her band two years ago at the same venue. I need not have worried. Her songs fit perfectly with one or two guitars (the other supplied by her partner/producer/etc Nigel Stonier). She played many of my favourites, along with half a dozen I had never heard before. Four of these were from a new limited edition EP called "The Threads) that we were able to buy after the show. And four of the best tracks she has recorded. And she saved my all time favourite "This Girl is Taking Bets" (thanks to Johnny Walker again for introducing me to Thea's music) for the end. I think I was the only poor soul who clapped the intro.

Music and Lyrics, Hot Fuzz and The Illusionist

If there was thing in common for these three films, it would be that they are somewhat lightweight, but still good entertainment. Hugh Grant is looking an even older lothario than usual in Music and Lyrics. But he still manages to give a great performance, and Drew Barrymore was always my favourite of Charlie's Angels. The ratings have always averaged two stars, but I found the whole film totally engaging and give it four.

Which is more than the other two films. Hot Fuzz was just slightly disappointing after the wonderful Shawn of the Dead, with too many repetitive jokes, and hammy acting. But good fun. I probably saw the twist in the Illusionist far later than anyone else. But is was good to be tricked for so long. It was just a shame about the casting of Edward Norton in the main role. Any other actor would have improved the film immensely.

Canterbury and Chatham Historic Dockyard

I'm not sure why Alison picked the first week in March to have a short break. I guess the fact that the two nights at the very nice Ramada hotel outside Maidstone and the Eurotunnel fare were free using Tesco vouchers had something to do with it.

We ( or should I say I) picked the Historic Dockyard at Chatham for the first day. It might have been that it was pretty deserted, but the whole place seemed to be a bit amateur compared with, say, Portsmouth. And the weather didn't help. Although bright, there was a very chilly wind, and Alison particularly suffered, as you can see. There was nowhere to get warm, even the horrible cafe was cold.

The two ships we went on were quite interesting. The second world war destroyer showed how basic the conditions were at sea. The guided tour of the submarine HMS Ocelot was the high point, especially having to slide through the hatches from one compartment to another. The best presented exhibit was the RNLI display of 17 old lifeboats, each with their own history.

On the second day, Canterbury was a totally different story. The weather was sunny and the wind had died down. The Cathedral looked wonderful, both outside and the interior with the sun streaming through the stained glass windows.

I was particularly interested to see where Thomas Becket ( we were always taught it was Thomas a Becket) was killed, having done "Murder in the Cathedral" by T S Elliott for O Level. I was not prepared for the impressive area dedicated to the events of 1170. Visiting the spot 46 years after studying the book ended up being quite emotional, especially seeing the stained glass window representation of Thomas which is used so often.

In the end, because we were there in early March and the few visitors, meant we enjoyed the visit to Canterbury even more, and coupled with the great weather, made for a memorable day. We ended up in the Roman Museum, which was worth it to see the remains of a Roman building underground.

On Saturday we went through the tunnel to go shopping at Cite Europe. Our hotel was only half an hour from the tunnel so the travelling was reduced to just the journey back. The garage is now stacked with wine and beer and the fridge has a delightful smell of cheese.