Alan Clark Diaries, The Looking Glass War and The Silent Land

I wanted to read a political autobiography for a change, and last year I settled on the well received "Alan Clark Diaries". These are not memoirs. They are exactly as recorded in his diaries from 1983 to 1991. I think that is why I only read them in chunks. Every couple of months I would read another year's worth. They start with the Conservatives sweeping election victory of June 1983. Clark had been an MP since 1974 and was rewarded that month with his first ministerial post in Margaret Thatcher's government. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Employment was not what Clark had in mind, and his first forays as a very junior minister are pretty funny. In February 1986 he is made Minister for Trade, not in the cabinet but almost. He throws himself into his new elevated role and, being such a extrovert, copes well with all the travelling and conferences abroad, and continues in this position when the conservatives are re-elected in 1987.

In July 1989, he almost achieves his main ambition (the army was a lifetime passion) and is appointed Minister of State at Defence. But not as Secretary of State as the following conversation with the Prime Minister describes:
"Alan, I want you to go to Defence........ As Minister of State".
"Who is going to be Secretary of State?"
"Well, don't tell anyone, because it hasn't been released yet, but Tom (King) is coming back from Ireland to do it."
"I'm sorry Prime Minister, but I can't work with Tom. I went through all that when I was at DE, I can't do it again. He's too ghastly."
"I know what you mean, but he is much better now."
"I just can't do it, I'm afraid."
"Alan, you've always wanted to go to Defence. I've stood out to get you this job (uh?). You can't let me down by refusing."
"Oh, all right Prime Minister, thank you very much."
"Right then, that's settled." Oh dear! What a feeble resistance.

The year of 1990 takes up a huge chunk of the book, particularly the downfall of Margaret Thatcher. The book ends in early 1991 (he keeps his position at Defence) as Clark is inducted into the Privy Council. The book itself gives a highly entertaining insight into the workings of government. It is probably the next best thing to shadowing a minister of state, particularly in his dealings with the civil service. The writer is often outspoken, rude and lecherous. But at the same time witty, friendly and clever. Glad I persevered.

John Le Carre's "The Looking Glass War" is the last but one on his early novels that I missed first time round. It follows his acclaimed "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", and for me is a superior story. "The Department" (which we take to mean the military intelligence department of the Ministry of Defence) is in decline. "The Circus" (that we take to mean MI6, the intelligence department of the Foreign Office) is in the ascendancy. The head of  the Department wants one more big operation to underline it's credibility. But it is now in no shape to be effective and the mission is doomed from the start. The novel is very effective at describing the protagonists as they try to resurrect their wartime expertise, all to no avail. One of Le Carre's best.

"The Silent Land" is a shortish novel set in a ski resort in the French Pyrenees. It only has two characters. Zoe and Jake are caught in an avalanche one early morning. They struggle back to the village, only to find it completely deserted. What happens next is a supernatural story of a couple trying to make sense of their isolation. Well written by Graham Joyce, this is an undemanding, yet gripping story of a relationship tested by an unusual experience.

Askew, Ascough or Ayscough

Here we go again. I had found the family of James Ascough on the 1851 and 1861 census, so I was searching for his birth on familysearch.org. There the IGI is now available online instead of having to trawl through CD's at the library as I have done in the past. I found James' christening on 27th March 1808 in Toynton All Saints, the adjacent village to Toynton St Peter where he was on the later census. But his surname was recorded as Ayscough, with his parents named as John and Elizabeth Ayscough. I also found the christening records of James' siblings Mary (25th January 1807 in Toynton St Peter) and William, christened on the same day as James. So they could be twins, or they were just christened together.

I then found the christening of their father John Ayscough on 4th November 1781 in Toynton St Peter with his parents recorded as John and Mary Ayscough. John was christened with the surname Ascough on 20th October 1758 in Toynton St Peter. His parents were Thomas and Susanah Ascough. They had five children: Mary, Thomas, John, Elizabeth and Edward. All were christened Ascough except for Elizabeth whose surname was Askew. And they were all christened in Toynton St Peter from 1754 to 1760 except for Edward in Toynton All Saints in 1764. And it is in the churchyard of Toynton All Saints that John, christened in 1758, is buried in 1844 having gained the grand old age of 85, and his son John, christened in 1781, is also buried this time in 1846. All courtesy of the National Burial Index. The photo below is of  the church of Toynton All Saints..

That is it as far as my searches go on the IGI. What is interesting is how the surname has changed over the years. From Ascough or Askew to Ayscough in the eighteenth century, to Ascough again when those recording the census in the mid nineteenth century wrote down the name, and finally to Askew when George's birth was registered in 1852. And that generations of the same family worked in agriculture, the only employment available in the wilds of Lincolnshire.

The five generations from Toynton are Thomas Ascough born around 1735, his son John christened 20th October 1758, his son John christened 4th November 1781, his son James christened 27th March 1808 and his son George born 27th December 1852.

Above is the church of Toynton St Peter.

The Debt, Take Shelter and My Week With Marilyn

Struggling to find a decent film locally a couple of weeks ago, I took myself off to "Senior Screen", the cut price Wednesday morning showing for us oldies. I thought "The Debt" was a strange choice, but the cinema was packed with lots of us hoping for a rare, decent thriller. What we got was a slightly unsatisfying plot, that felt it must be based on a true story, but wasn't. The action alternates between 1997 where three ex Mossad agents reflect on their mission in 1966. The reflective and stilted drama of the later scenes seem to sit uneasily with the excitement of their capturing of "the surgeon of Birkenau". It doesn't help that Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciaran Hands (though all very good) look nothing like the actors who play their parts in 1966. Jessica Chastain is excellent as Mirren's younger self, and surely could have been made to look 30 years older. The suspense as the mission unfolds is quite something, but all to soon we are back to 1997. There the big twist leaves us with a gripping finale. If only Chastain had been in the final scenes, it might have been the wonderful film it was trying to be.

A movie that tries to be intelligent and original, "Take Shelter" is a decent enough attempt, but a punchier and more dynamic direction could have made it so much better. We never really know if the hallucinations suffered by Michael Shannon in the lead role are real, imagined or prophetic. But the drama plays out very well as Shannon worries he has inherited his mother's schizophrenia. The look and feel of the movie created by director Jeff Nichols is superb. But the highlight for me was Jessica Chastain as the beleaguered wife. The same actress who was so good in "The Debt" and as Celia Foote in last month's "The Help". Within the space of a few weeks, she has established herself as a brilliant performer, especially as you would not think it was the same woman in any of the three movies.

Although "My Week With Marilyn" had moderate reviews, I thought it was an excellent film. First I have to mention the screenplay by Adrian Hodges from the memoir by Colin Clark. I thought it struck just the right tone, with plenty of great quips and one liners along the way. Michelle Williams is quite staggering as a sympathetic Marilyn and Kenneth Branagh does justice to Laurence Olivier's starstruck but bullying co-star and director of  the production of  "The Prince and the Showgirl". Their off screen trauma is probably reflected in the finished movie of 1956. The period setting is good to look at and ably filmed by director Simon Curtis, whether inside Pinewood Studios or when it follows Marilyn outside. There are a number of quite wonderful cameos from a host of British acting talent. Even the three Americans who accompany Marilyn are Brits; Dougray Scott (unrecognisable as Arthur Miller), Zoe Wanamaker and Dominic Cooper are all very good. Judi Dench steals every scene in which she appears as Dame Sybil Thordike, closely followed by Toby Jones, Derek Jacobi, Simon Russell Beale and Michael Kitchen. We were, perhaps, a little distracted by the short appearance of so many classy actors. Shame about Emma Watson. But Eddie Redmayne does well as the 23 year old Colin Clark, who has wangled a postion as third director, and around whose "week" the story is told. Not quite in the same class as "The King's Speech" or "Made in Dagenham", but very, very close.

Askew or Ascough

Or Ayscough, Ainscough or Ainscow etc. All a derivation of the locational name of Aiskew in the North Riding of Yorkshire. My mother's maiden name is Askew. But when I came to searching the census records for her great grandfather, I could not find a single entry. I knew mum's grandfather George Askew was born in Toynton St Peter in the wilds of Lincolnshire in 1852, and that his parents were James and Lucy Askew. But there was no sign of them on any census record.

I took a chance and e-mailed the Lincolnshire Family History Society to see if they could recommend a researcher that would look at some parish records. I was amazed to receive a lengthy reply from Ruth with lots of suggestions. The main one was "I don't think there is a surname in the county which will come with more spelling variations". Ruth had actually found James and Lucy Ascough on the 1851 Census. When I found the same entry, they already had five children. They were also there on the 1861 census, this time with two more children, one of whom was George Ascough.

Toynton St Peter is a tiny village, about 15 miles west of Skegness. James Askew (my great great grandfather) was also born there in 1808. On his son George's birth certificate (which states the surname as Askew) he is recorded as an agricultural labourer, not surprising really. All his older sons had the same occupation. Two were born in Thorpe St Peter, half way to where James' wife Lucy was born in nearby Wainfleet St Mary in 1816.

It was George who made the move to work in the coalfields of Rotherham. But he is 28 years old before I found him on the 1881 census married to Jane and with two very young children. So I guess he moved there just after he was 20. There is no record on the 1871 census of him or any of his parents or siblings. One or both of George's parents may have died. Or the spelling of the surname has defeated me once again.

The Seymours Film Script

When I was looking to publish my family history on the web, I found that Google provided free webspace. So this also seemed to the obvious place to publish my film script. The screenplay of "The Seymours" can now be found at:

https://sites.google.com/site/theseymoursfilmscript

It also contains the following summary:

One of the most dynamic and important periods in Tudor history falls between 1547 and 1549, the first three years after the death of Henry V111.

This is the story of two brothers, uncles of the boy king Edward V1. The elder is Edward Seymour, a clever and ambitious man who seizes the position of Lord Protector. His brother Thomas Seymour is lazy but highly jealous of Edward’s power. He marries the dowager Queen Katherine and becomes romantically entangled with the young Princess Elizabeth. His increasingly devious and erratic behavior, in an attempt to gain power, leads to a tragic conclusion for himself, and ultimately his brother.

Edward Seymour is initially highly successful in his role of Protector. His popularity is secured when he leads the army to a great victory over the Scots at Pinkie. He gains the support of the Council and Parliament to make major reforms. The repeals of the harsh laws on treason and heresy are followed by religious and social changes. Censorship is relaxed and religious debate allowed. It was going too well.

The country was not ready for such freedom. And Edward Seymour, now the Duke of Somerset, had become obsessed with making all the decisions himself and fails to heed the advice of his closest associates. His building of Somerset House also causes controversy. These factors result in a combustible mix leading to insurrection throughout the country culminating in Kett’s Rebellion.

Edward’s position had already been weakened when his brother is executed for treason and rivals take the opportunity to bring about the Protector’s downfall. This is a story of rivalry, scandal, intrigue and treason. This time it is not the regent who is at centre stage, but the men and women around him. It is about the search for power in the vacuum created when a child is King.

131 Songs - Numbers 129,130 and 131

In the end, there were three more Mark Knopler songs I wanted to include. "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits (Number 36) was never going to be enough.

Number 129 - Telegraph Road by Dire Straits

In all the three Mark Knopfler concerts I saw at The Royal Albert Hall in 2005, 2008 and 2010, this was the stand out song. The band play it note perfect to the recording including the long instrumental sections. Outstanding.

Number 130 - 5.15 am by Mark Knopfler

I wanted to pick one track from his six solo albums. I went for "5:15 am" from the "Shargri-La" album. I had already picked The Last Laugh as number 51. 

Number 131 - Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits

This song never fails to effect me no matter how many times I hear it played. It was always going to be my final choice. And it will always remind me of the Dire Straits concert at Woburn in June 1992. You could say I was a fan.

My 131 Songs started with Lonnie Donegan and fittingly finish with an artist who recorded "Donegan's Gone". My musical tastes have changed over the years, but my liking for a folk/country/rock mix is still going strong. Thanks to Lonnie.

The Really Big Chorus - Messiah From Scratch

The Really Big Chorus is made up from members of choral societies from all over the UK and from abroad. Anyone can sing, just pay for your seat, bring the score, and join over 3,000 others at a sold out Royal Albert Hall last night. Alison was joined in the altos (in red tops) by our niece Emily. Her parents joined me in the audience who took up the other 1,000 plus seats. Handel's Messiah is a wonderful piece of choral music and Alison had joined Wendover Choral Society when they performed it two years ago. But this was a different experience completely.

 The Really Big Chorus is really loud. But what is even more amazing is the separation of the voices in such a huge space. Sopranos on the left, altos on the right and tenors and bass in the middle swept around the auditorium in unamplified magical stereo. The orchestra and organ were excellent, and so were the soloists, all marshalled by conductor Brian Kay. What would Handel have thought about so many wanting to come together from all over Europe to sing his Messiah?

Elkie Brooks at The Stables

It was Alison who really wanted to see Elkie Brooks, so a concert at The Stables in Milton Keynes was not to be missed. And what a great evening it turned out to be. An intimate 400 seat venue was perfect, and being in the fourth row at the side was superb. And boy can she still sing. Elkie may be my age but she sounds as good as she ever did, belting out all her most popular songs together with some great blues numbers. An interval after an hour on stage, and then back for the final 45 minutes of a great show. Her six piece band were very good, especially a highly talented sax player. I had just wished she had saved "Don't Cry Out Loud" for the end. It sent shivers down my spine.

Slaughterhouse 5, The Dead Zone and The News Where You Are

I had been meaning to read "Slaughterhouse 5" ever since it was highly recommended by Alison's sister Anne. I think I have her to thank for finding Kate Atkinson amongst others. However this novel was not to my taste. It wasn't so much the subject matter; the infamous fire bombing of Dresden is only a small part of the book, and is dealt with in quite a sensitive way. The main character is saved by virtue of being locked in a place that gives the book it's title. What I found really hard was the writing. It seemed very ordinary with lots of American slang. Well it was written in 1969. The main character, Billy, has few redeeming features. He believes that he time travels and this seems at complete odds with the main worthy concept of the novel which is the absurdity of war. And why does the author have to torture the reader by regularly dropping in "So it goes". I never want to read these words ever again.

When I watched a discussion on "The Review Show" on BBC2 about Stephen King's new novel "11.22.63", and heard what a good writer he is, I searched on Amazon for a non horror novel I might try. Having never read a single book of his, and also having been recommended by Linda at Book Club to try one, I plumped for his 1979 novel "The Dead Zone". I have to say that it was a gripping tale, and boy can King tell a story. But for me, plot, excitement, character and action was all we got. And for me that is never enough. In comparison with the something like "A Visit From The Goon Squad", by another American author, it just does not have the subtlety and literacy of the books I normally read. All the way through I thought it read like a film script. So when I finished the book, I went looking for one, and what did I find? A film by one of my favourite directors, David Cronenberg, with Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen. A DVD was £2.20 on EBay and is now waiting for me to play it. I can actually see why Stephen King is so popular. And maybe one day I will try him again. For now I will stick with books like the next one.

"The News Where You Are" is the latest novel from Catherine O'Flynne. We read her first novel "What Was Lost" for book club and it gained universal approval (see posting 6th September). Her new book is not quite up to the standard of her first, but that is not to say that it was not again a lovely read. It contains all the trade marks of her style, witty and profound.Again it is based in Birmingham where the main character, Frank Allcroft, presents the evening local news programme. He is haunted by the memories of his more successful predecessor who has been killed in a car accident. Or was it accidental? All set to a vividly described urban landscape of the second city. The author conjures up some wonderful characters, possibly just too many jumps between them. But a story that gives you a nice glow with just a hint of mystery. Probably too much of a contemplation of getting old for me.

131 Songs - Numbers 127 and 128

Number 127 - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me by Elton John

I thought I may run out of songs before I considered one from Elton John. However, listening to some of his early stuff, it reminded me of an LP I had in the seventies. The songs on "Greatest Hits" now seem pretty old hat; except for one. "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" (composed by Elton and Bernie Tapin) still sounds as good today as it did all those years ago. Invariably it was, in those days, through some headphones when there was nothing I wanted to watch on TV. One of those LP's that was played to death, but one track that still lives for me.

Number 128 - The Air That I Breathe by The Hollies

I have no idea how I came to miss this track. Written by the British songwriting duo Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, it first appeared on the former's 1972 album "It Never Rains In Southern California" ("it pours, man it pours"). But it was the version by The Hollies that gained most success, reaching Number 2 in the UK. An absolutely stunning performance of a great song.

Robin Van Persie

It's safe to say that Arsenal are not my favourite team. But I have stuck with Robin Van Persie in my fantasy football team for the last few years. And after a quiet start, he has again come up trumps, especially when I made him captain which double his points. Before Game Week 8, I was struggling around the 1.2 million mark, out of 2.5 million teams. But as soon as Robin started scoring (in the last five games he has scored 2,2,3,1 and 2 goals), I have steadily made my way to the top 252,000. In these last five games, Van Persie has scored 132 points , 44% of my total points for these games! So after Game Week 12, I'm only 18 points and 109,000 places behind Alison. All thanks to VP. Can he keep it going?

PS - 28th November 2011

The answer is ...... No! This week Robin didn't score, or provide an assist, or get a bonus, even playing Fulham at home. The rest of my team played so poorly (including Balotelli with minus points after being sent off having come on as a substitute) that my total for the week was a pathetic 24 points. That put me in 2.56 millionth position out of a total of 2.64 million players. So given that there will be many that are not playing any more, being in the bottom 80,000 for the week is worse than a lot of those, and worse than I have done in the the three years playing the Fantasy League. so I am now back to 423,000 overall and massively behind Alison in 135,000 place. It just serves me right for gloating. Some big transfers are required this week.

The Killing II

Hurrah. "The Killing" (or rather "Forbrydelsen" which better translates to "The Crime") is back with a new series on BBC Four. I don't always agree with AA Gill's television reviews in The Sunday Times, but he put into words exactly how I felt about the first episode on Saturday:
"The Worst bit was waiting for it to start. Would it be the same? ......  (Would) they want to give it twists and new directions.........So Phew, tak. The first few minutes were a great, huge cathartic relief, a reassurance that it was all going to be allright. The haven't changed a thing. "

Like me he likes the "convoluted confusion... the politics....everyone's a suspect and, most important, Sarah Lund is still the buttoned-down, wound up, taciturn piece of Nordic ice-hotness in a scratch hair shirt" (the jumper did change for Episode 1 to the (blood) red garment in both pictures - (the one above courtesy of MEESON,HITANDRUNMEDIA.COM in the Sunday Times). And of course Denmark "is still a strangely featureless flat land full of strangely featureless flat people".

We agree about the foreign language giving a disturbing sound, and how the film is shot with "an awkward and disconcerting mixture of disengaged exterior observation and intensely fraught interior claustrophobia, but with good chairs". Gill doesn't mention the music. Fortunately exactly the same melancholy melody as before. If anyone at film school wanted an exam question to compare Scandinavian crime drama with American, they should look no further than how Series 1 was remade in the USA. Everything discussed above was missing. Chalk and cheese.

Jenna, Lena Marlin and Alison Krauss with Union Station

I have only bought a couple of CD's in the last six months, very unusual for me. Perhaps the following reviews explain why.

After finding her album "Brother" had so many good songs, I finally sent for her first and only other CD "Barefoot and Eager". Not up to the standard of "Brother" and more a mixture of covers with few original songs. But an easy listen and her version of "Wish You Were Here" is quite something.

I actually received Lena Marlin's "Twist The Truth" for Christmas, being her latest CD from 2009. I love her other three albums, so on first listening this was quite a disappointment, and that was probably why I didn't review it previously. However I played it in the car last week and was surprised how I enjoyed it. It actually has one stand out track that matches any of her best work. "Story of a Life" is unmistakeably a Lena composition.

Somehow I missed the release of "Paper Airplane", the latest from Alison Krauss and Union Station, so I only had time to play it a couple of times before their concert that heavily featured these songs. I have to say that, again on first play, this is not their best album. The songs are all OK, but they just seems like rehashes of everything they have done before. The instrumental accompaniment is again first class, but nothing that stands out. In a way, it is nice to have something new from Alison and the band, but it seems like they just went through the motions. It has generally received rave reviews, so I will have to listen a few more times before I can make a final judgement.

In Time, Johnny English Reborn and Tower Heist

The concept of "In Time" was better than the fulfilment, but there are not enough good sci fi movies around so this one would have to do. In some ways it is a one trick pony, although the basic idea was a pretty brilliant one. Andrew Niccol, famous for writing "The Truman Show" and "Gattaca" has come up with another imaginative story. He has a pretty decent budget and the action looks great on the screen. The first half is quite good, but the movie descends into some awfully predictable car chases towards the end. Justin Timberlake still cannot act and is therefore unconvincing in the lead role. And Amanda Seyfried is almost unrecognisable in her wig.

I would have normally given "Johnny English Reborn" a miss, but Alison wanted to go, and as this would double her visits to the cinema this year to two, I could hardly refuse. In the end it was a reasonably jolly film. There were plenty of references to old Bond movies, and the action sequences were OK. I think that Rowan Atkinson is past his sell by date, but why would he refuse such a big pay day. And the attendances have been staggeringly high. At least Alison's next trip will be for the new Sherlock Holmes feature.

I had no great expectations for "Tower Heist" as I would normally avoid anything with Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy in two of the main roles. However I was pleasantly surprised. This comedy caper did have quite a few laughs and some big twists and suspense moments towards the end. There is a long build up to the robbery and this worked quite well. Ben Stiller was OK, and Eddie Murphy was not in it for very long. Alan Alda, Casey Affleck and Mathew Broderick and the rest of the cast all did their bit. The direction by Brett Ratner catered to a mainstream audience, but he has done a lot of these movies before. I guess he repeated the formula for "21" and others before that. As a piece of frivolous entertainment, it worked fine.

Alison Krauss and Union Station at the Royal Festival Hall

How fortunate for us that at the end of a long summer tour criss crossing the USA (including a stop at the Hyannis big tent on Cape Cod, long after we had left), Alison Krauss and Union Station came to the UK. Four sold out nights at the 3000 seater Royal Festival Hall shows just how popular they have become. They played a non stop two hour set of songs from their new album "Paper Airplane" intermingled with some old favourites. The band was on top form and Alison's voice was quite splendid. I was also surprised at how good is Dan Tyminski's  singing live. When they sing together, they complement each other so well.

Jerry Douglas gave the others a break with a brilliant solo, and two more musicians on piano and percussion came on for some of the numbers. The encore was even better when Alison and the band gathered around one microphone for five quiet numbers (including "When You Say Nothing At All" and finishing with a superb "There Must Be A Reason") with very little accompaniment. Fantastic. The only downside was that the sight lines are not the best at the Royal Festival Hall, and they missed out  "Doesn't Have To Be This Way" and "Let Me Touch You For A While". But we did get "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow". Thanks Dan.

The Garden in November

We have ariived at the middle of November and we have not had a frost. So there are some perennials that are still flowering. The roses continue to bloom and we have taken the odd cutting to display inside.

However without a frost,  the autumn colours have not been at their best. Although the Silver Birch in the back garden has never looked better.



The hand that first held mine, The Elephant to Hollywood and One Good Turn

Having already read, and been impressed by,  Maggie O'Farrell's "After You'd Gone", it was obvious that her Costa award winning "The hand that first held mine" would be right up my street. and it certainly was. It alternates between two stories, one set in the modern day, and the other in the 1950's. The first follows the life of Ted and Elina with their new baby and the second centres on young  Lexie who leaves her Devon home for life in London. This seems the far more successful of the two, but the stories have a connection which gradually unfolds. O'Farrell is a terrific writer. Her prose is eloquent and interesting which has produced a highly emotional and dramatic novel.

I read very few autobiographies, I think the last one was Richard Attenborough's. And after reading Michael Caine's "The Elephant to Hollywood", I wont be in a hurry to read another. Not that there were not lots of interesting stories, but that the writing was so poor. Nearly every page had something like (and I opened the book at random here) "... I became good friends with ...". How many friends can one man have? Well I suppose quite a few when you are Michael Caine. I was hoping that there would have been more about the restaurants he owned, but there was not much at all. I guess most people would only want to hear about his movie career.

Back to some brilliant writing with Kate Atkinson's "One Good Turn". There is something clever or witty in nearly every sentence. Again I opened the book at random and immediately found "Martin managed to give him the slip while he was entrenched in negotiations over his hat". It is just her choice of words that I love. It is the second of her novels that includes the private detective Jackson Brodie. But the great thing is he only appears for about one fifth of the book and he does no paid private detecting. It is how Kate Atkinson combines a thriller with dramatic family stories that is so wonderful. Not quite the best of her four Jackson Brodie novels ("When Will There Be Good News" is still my favourite - Jackson is hardly in it) but better than anyone else could write.

Tring Book Club - Any Human Heart

It had been on my to read list for sometime, so I was really glad when Linda recommended "Any Human Heart" by William Boyd. But when I found that this long, 500 page, book was written as a journal, I was not initially impressed. However it turns out to be a terrific piece of fiction. Logan Mountstuart starts his journal at the end of 1923 in his last year at his private school and follows his life from his time at Oxford University (Jesus College) to his working life, wartime and up until his death at a good old age. His entries are sometimes haphazard with gaps at certain times, but it makes for fascinating reading as it follows the main events of the twentieth century.

Logan's life is one of ups and downs, sometimes too much so, but otherwise it would not have been the great story it is. He becomes a writer, but although he is published, he never makes use of his talents. He is an attractive and charismatic man, but a pretty immoral one. He is married three times (once very happily but tragically) and has numerous affairs. He visits many countries for various reasons and during the second world war has the best of times and the worst of times.

One of the main themes of the book is that Logan meets many significant real life characters: Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, Ian Fleming, Viginia Woolf, Evenlyn Waugh and Jackson Pollock to name but a few. But it is his (surreal) relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor which is most dramatic, especially the period in the Bahamas. Sometimes the feeling of unreality creeps through, but it is nonetheless highly entertaining. I read the last 100 pages in one go, something very rare for me. But that says something for the brilliant novel it is.

We Need To Talk About Kevin and The Help

After recently seeing "One Day", two more films adapted from books that I have enjoyed. "We Need To Talk About Kevin" is based on the book by Lionel Shriver where Kevin's mother Eva writes letters to her "estranged" husband Franklin. Were they always written so that Eva could get them published one day I now ask myself? The film takes a more narrative construction but still uses Eva as the centre of the story. It is directed by Lynne Ramsay, her first for nearly ten years. It is a bold and brilliant interpretation of what is a harrowing tale. The editing of real time and flashbacks (especially at the start) is sometimes too quick, but it gives the film the sense of disturbance it needs. Awful things happen, but the director never makes them unbearable. The visual flair of the movie is extraordinary. You do not fail to miss the most ordinary objects that are coloured red. The performances are wonderful and so is the casting. You just knew that Tilda Swinton would be so right as Eva, and she was. The music is haunting. Lynne Ramsay has somehow tapped her Scottish routes by including three early recordings of American folk songs by her countryman Lonnie Donegan. I could not believe it when the first came on. The original score is by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. This was a very well made film in all respects. And the end is still as devastating as it was in the book.

We had read "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett for Book Club last year, and I really enjoyed it.  The movie very faithfully followed the book's narrative and it was pleasure to be reminded how it was such a great story. The photography of the deep south is absolutely gorgeous, the costumes, lighting and sets should all get Oscar nominations. The ensemble acting is first class. Emma Stone comes of age in the lead role of sparky Skeeter Phelan, but it is Viola Davis as the maid Aibileen who steals the show. Another Oscar nomination a certainty. Yes, it does get a bit sentimental at times, and it is a bit long, but it never felt less than engrossing, and the crucial incident that colours the last half hour seems even better on film than it did in the book.

My City

Ignoring the pretty ordinary reviews, I entered the Almeida Theatre full of anticipation to see "My City" the first play written (and directed) by Stephen Poliakoff for twelve years. In that time he has created some of the best films for television ever shown. My fantastic box set of DVDs include "Shooting the Past", "Perfect Strangers", "The Lost Prince", "Friends and Crocodiles" (my favourite) and "Gideon's Daughter". Any of these would have made a good feature film at the cinema, but like his latest movie "Glorious 39", there is limited appeal. So he made a series of films for television which have won great acclaim, including his latest excellent productions "Joe's Palace" and "Capturing Mary". I just love everything of his I have seen.

So it was a big disappointment that "My City" was such a let down. The problem was that there was such little plot. Poliakoff has always been good on narrative, but here all we have is basically a collection of stories and memories. The action takes place over one night, when two twenty somethings meet their old headmistress and two of her colleagues who are all now retired. The story of how they inspired their pupils unfolds over the course of the night. There are periodic flashbacks to school assemblies (an exciting device to start with) as head Miss Lambert (very well plated by Tracey Ullman) Mr Minken (a brilliant David Troughton) and Miss Summers (Sorcha Cusack) address the children (the audience) and tell stories that stay with them for ever. Yes, it is like being taken to the past  in a particularly interesting assembly, but we are not children any more, and we need something more inspirational and emotional from a play than that.

The two ex pupils are in fact very well acted by Tom Riley and Sian Brooke, and when they cross examine their old teachers, the old Poliakoff sparks start to fly, but this is all too rare. The dialogue is always good, but that is what you expect from this writer. But in the end it is a pretty flat affair. I guess my memory of the play will also be tarnished by the journey home. Two hours and ten minutes was not funny. The Holloway Road was blocked and turning round to find the way I came in via the A40 was a disaster. First I got lost and ended up nearly going over the river. Found my way to the Aldwych and all was fine. But the A40 had night roadworks and the jams going into one lane were awful. I would have been better off joining Miss Lambert on one of her nightly walks around the city.

131 Songs Numbers 124,125 and 126

Number 124 - Next Time You Fall In Love by Reva Rice and Greg Ellis

The next three songs are unlike anything that has gone before. They start with one from a musical, Starlight Express. I had thought to include songs from "Tell Me On A Sunday" which I think is the best thing written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the lyrics by Don Black are also excellent.  However, if I wanted a really cheesy number, I looked no further than "Starlight Express". My chosen track wasn't even in the original 1984 production. When new songs were added in 1992, Don Black again found the right lyrics to suit Lloyd Webber's syrupy melody. It always makes me smile, so that must be a good thing.

We Sail The Ocean Blue by Gilbert and Sullivan

There was no way I would not have a song from  G&S, there are so many to choose from, and "HMS Pinafore" is my favourite of all their light operas. I almost chose "Now Give Three Cheers", but the song that starts the whole thing off never fails to stir.

Ernie by Benny Hill

I was wondering what my favourite comedy song would be. A Flanders and Swann? The Goon's "Ying Tong Song"? However there is only one real contender for me. "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" to give it's full title, is not only performed by Bennie Hill, but he wrote it too. His inspiration came from his time as a milkman in Hampshire. It became the Christmas number one in 1971. Even David Cameron chose it as one of his eight Desert Island Discs. Says it all.

A Day in Stratford

When Alison told me she was going to meet her sister in Stratford (as her husband was taking her there with their daughter for a short break to celebrate Anne's 50th) I could not let the opportunity pass. We took the park and ride which proved quick and very economical. The weather was perfect, with clear blue skies for most of the day.

We started off with a walk over the pedestrian bridge to the other side of the river. The landscaping around the canal basin is very tasteful. We had coffee and cake sitting outside the theatre on the river side before heading for Shakespeare's Birthplace where I had never been before (see photo below). Well worth a visit. After an unexpected shower, we found Hathaway Tea Rooms for a late afternoon snack. The building is from 1610 and has recently been refurbished. A pleasant end to a very nice day.

131 Songs - Numbers 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, and 123

Number 116 - Nothing Else Matters by Lucie Silvas

This list of some of my favourite female singer songwriters starts with three great waltzes. I just cannot believe Lucie Silvas has not been more successful. She has two fabulous albums, "Breathe In" and "The Same Side", but was dropped by her record label after the second had poor sales. She apparently has recorded some new songs, so here's hoping for their release soon and some live shows.

Number 117 - Through The Dark by KT Tunstall

After her first excellent album "Eye to the Telescope" (from which my chosen song is taken) and then the not quite as good but quite reasonable "Drastic Fantastic", I did not even bother with her latest disappointing "Tiger Suit". What we want is more songs like the sublime "Through the Dark".

Number 118 - Freeze by Honey Ryder

Honey Ryder are Lindsay O'Mahoney and Martyn Shone. Their only album "Rising Up" is an absolute belter. I have chosen "Freeze" but there are other great tracks too. They are working on a new album, so I hope we do not have long to wait.

Number 119 - Poison Prince by Amy McDonald

This was a hard choice. There are so many good songs on her two albums "This is the Life" and "A Curious Thing". Her uptempo numbers are particularly good and "Poison Prince" is one of those. It never ceases to thrill. I also posted a review (31st October 2010) when I saw her live in Cambridge.

Number 120 - Hometown Glory by Adele

There has been enough said about Adele so it doesn't need me to say how brilliant she is. I try not to play her two albums "19" and "21" too much so they stay fresh when I hear them. "Hometown Glory" (from her first album) is remarkable for the combination of the song, Adele's voice and the piano of Neil Cowley. Superb.

Number 121 - Again Today by Brandi Carlile

I was so disappointed when Brandi cancelled her tour here when we had the ash cloud as I was so looking forward tom seeing one of my favourite singers. Like the last two artists, there are two competing albums for my choice, "The Story and "Give up the Ghost". Her self titled debut album is also pretty good. I nearly chose "Before it Breaks" from her latest album or the title track from "The Story" (with the crashing chords that put Coldplay in their place). But "Again Today" from the same album is just so wonderful, it gets me every time.

Number 122 - Take My Hand by Dido

It was hard to pick a Dido song as there is not one that stands out. But I love her albums ("No Angel", "Life for Rent" and "Safe Trip Home" so much, I had to find one track for this list. And from her first album I found that "Take My Hand" is actually a classic.

Number 123 - The Cheapest Key by Kathleen Edwards

Of all the songs she could have chosen for her set on Monday, the one I was really looking forward to was "The Cheapest Key" from her latest and best album "Asking For Flowers", although "Failer" and "Back to Me" also have some very good tracks. But it just didn't happen. I guess it needs her full band to give it the big impact it certainly has.

Midnight in Paris, Real Steel and Contagion

I have never been a great Woody Allen fan, but his "Midnight in Paris" had received mainly good reviews ("a return to form" etc). I found it pretty lightweight, but are all his movies the same? It did have a certain je ne sais quois (get it?), the scenes of Paris being quite beautiful as expected. The mix of time travel and the introduction of many characters who inhabited Paris in the past (Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali to name the most prominent) was interesting, but reminded me too much of the book I have just read ("Any Human Heart"). The scenes where Owen Wilson (seemed to struggle with his lead role) meets Rachel McAdam's family I found embarrassingly amateurish. However, it was mostly an entertaining 90 minutes.

It wasn't even half term and Aylesbury Odeon had little to offer. "Real Steel" was one of those movies that seemed quite enticing on the trailer, but ended up a very poor affair. It could have been so much better, but a clumsy script and ridiculous characters made for a very disappointing movie.

I was looking for a a much more tense thriller than "Contagion" delivered. It had all the hallmarks of a documentary with too much switching between all the organisations looking to contain or cure the virus and the people who are effected. But director Steven Soderbergh and his all star cast have produced something that is clever and watchable. Marion Cotillard produces the best performance, but like the other stars, is on the screen all too briefly. A slick and informative thriller that sort of peters out at the end. But overall a quite enjoyable film.

Kathleen Edwards and Bon Iver at Hammersmith Apollo

This was the first time I went to a concert specifically to see the support act. I do like all three of Kathleen Edwards' albums and seeing her perform live seemed like a chance too good to miss, even though only as the support. Her performance, with the accompaniment of only two other guitarists and no percussion did nothing for the vast expanses of the Apollo, was not helped by the background noise of a thousand people talking loudly throughout the set. So her plaintive, and often quiet, songs were not really suitable for the venue. Things were better when rocking through her uptempo pieces. Her 45 minute performance felt too short, but the audience were all there to see the main act. One positive feature from her set was what I presume were songs from her new album due out in January. They were all great, so looking forward to that.

I had listened to bits of Bon Iver's latest album on Spotify, and thought it was not really my kind of music. I made up my mind to listen to a couple of numbers but ended up staying over an hour. This is one band who are obviously brilliant live. Nine musicians including two drummers can really make some noise. And when they go into mainstream mode (which is less than half the time) they produce a powerful and awesome sound. If only their songs were all like that. But overall, I was very impressed.

131 Songs - Numbers 114 and 115

Number 114 - Loch Lomond Live by Runrig

I just love recorded live albums. From The Beatles Live at the BBC" to Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" and Dire Straits "Alchemy" and "On The Night", there are so many I will have to make a list sometime. But I have to admit that the only reason I bought the CD "Once in a Lifetime - Runrig Live" was for the one track. "Loch Lomond" is transformed from a light Scottish ballad to something raw, powerful and uplifting. It is the one time I wish I was Scottish. When I listen to the rest of the album, I'm glad I'm not.

Number 115 - It Must Have Been Love by Roxette

The only full length live version I can find is my own tape recording of a Wembley concert by Roxette, transmitted on BBC radio. I have had the tape for years, and I must get someone to put it on to CD. It is somewhat spoilt by the lazy audience participation for the chorus they are expected to sing, but it gives it a spontaneous quality not found on normal released albums. I did buy Roxette's "Tourism", but this track has only a short live intro before reverting to an acoustic studio version. The song itself, written by Per Gessle and sung by Marie Fredriksson, is a run of the mill power ballad. But somehow I regularly dig out the tape to play.

Kate and Isabel Hoyland

Kate and Isabel Hoyland were born in Sheffield in 1869 and 1872. Their parents were Charles Hoyland (see "Three Generations of Brush Manufacturers" posted on 23/2/2009) and Hannah Selina ne Wynne. They had one brother, Charles Haywood Hoyland (my great grandfather) and one sister Hannah (see "Hannah Mayor" posted on 10/8/2009). Kate and Isabel never married and were able to live comfortably from the proceeds of their father's business. They were still living with their parents when they were in their twenties, according to the 1901 census. This was at Norwood House in Dore outside Sheffield.

Their other sister Hannah, an artist, had married another artist called Fred Mayor, against the wishes of her parents.

After their father died in 1905, Kate moved to Surrey and at the 1911 Census, age 43, was living at Burghley Road in Wimbledon. She was head of the household and had visitors there on the day of the census including Hoyland nephews Charles (17) and Stanley (5) and niece Louise (16), plus a widow age 41 and a servant. Amazingly, Isabel was then living on Busheywood Road in Dore. Was this the same house that Mum and Dad moved to with John and I sometime around 1947/8?

I guess it was soon after 1911 that Isabel left Sheffield to join Kate in Surrey. When we moved to London in the 1950's, we were told they were living in Esher. It was during our time in London that we used to meet our great great aunts when they treated John and I (with parents in tow) at Christmas to tea and a show in the West End. I can remember a production of Toad of Toad Hall, and possibly A Midsummer Night's Dream. At this time the sisters were in their eighties and still going strong. It seems that they both died in 1960. Kate had reached the ripe old age of 90 and Isabel was not far behind.

The Homecoming

I haven't seen as many plays by Harold Pinter as I would have liked. "The Caretaker", "Old Times" (twice - you would not think it was the same play), "The Dumb Waiter" and the totally brilliant "No Man's Land", and that is all. So when a new production comes on, I make sure I book tickets early. It was just not possible to get into London to see "Betrayal", but "The Homecoming" by the RSC at Stratford was too good to miss.

This is not an easy play to watch, especially if you know nothing of the plot. Even the critics argue about what it all means. It is a dark family drama inhabited by unpleasant characters, who are mostly unpleasant to each other (just like "Eastenders"), so fun it is not. Pinter never revealed the meaning of any of his plays, so it is up to the director, and the audience, to come up with their own interpretation. You cannot take anything anyone says for granted, you have to make your own mind up what is true and what is a lie.

The director, David Farr, has brought in Justin Salinger for his RSC debut as Teddy, and very good he is too. They worked together at the Lyric Theatre's 50th anniversary production of Pinter's "The Birthday Party". Apparently the author left Justin a phone message to say that his performance had changed his view of the play, and Justin has never erased the message. All the cast are terrific, and it is the acting that makes it such a wonderful performance. Nicholas Woodeson shines as the bad tempered father Max, he reminded me a little of Bob Hoskins. Jonathon Slinger and Aislin McGuckin (who played Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the play I saw a few weeks ago) were much better in this. David Farr has produced something special, if I had one small concern it was the pauses that litter a Pinter play. There were very few. But that may have made it better.

131 Songs - Numbers 111, 112 and 113

Number 111 - The Scientist by Coldplay

One of the few modern male bands that I like. In fact, I will have to see them live sometime. The magic thing about this brilliant song is the way the instrumental builds through the piece. It starts with a quiet organ before being joined by acoustic guitar and piano, and later electric guitar and drums. It is when the guitar crashes into the final instrumental that it really gets me every time.  I love their breakthrough album "A Rush of Blood to the Head" from which this track is taken, but "X&Y" that features "Fix You" is even better. I have to say that Chris Martin has always been very generous the way all the songwriting credits go to the whole band. How often can we say that about others.

Number 112 - Bohemian Like You by The Dandy Warhols

I have no idea who The Dandy Warhols are, but I have always loved this song.

Number 113 - When the Stars go Blue by Ryan Adams

I will look for recommendations of songs in many places: the radio, amazon, newspapers and magazines. But I have my son Michael to thank for finding Ryan Adams. I started of with his album "Gold" as I guess many newcomers would. It may be his classic album, and certainly my chosen song is here, along with other great tracks. But the other three albums of his in my collection are also very good, all in different ways. "Cardinology", the last of these, is fresh and exhilarating. And I am really looking forward to hearing his latest, and very well received, album "Ashes and Fire". On my Christmas list?

Jane Eyre, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Drive

The common dominator of these three wildy different but highly worthy movies is that they all take their time. There are slow, sometimes silent, moody passages where the director wants to create atmosphere. I have to say that there is the odd occasion when you want to yell "just get on with it", but by and large they work OK.

My main reason for wanting to see "Jane Eyre" is that earlier this year I went to see a play in Oxford called "Bronte" (see posting 6th April). It was about the three sisters and one brother and whose house on the moors was echoed in Charlotte's book. It was interesting to see some of her experiences used for the story. There have been many films and TV productions of "Jane Eyre" but somehow I must have missed anything recent, so it all felt pretty new. The two leads made the film. Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender are excellent. They are well supported by Judy Dench and particularly Jamie Bell as St John Rivers. The script is fine but the direction of Cary Fukunada is nothing special. Haddon Hall is the wonderful setting for Thornfield House, the third time it has been used for a "Jane Eyre" production. The costumes are what you would expect from a superior British period piece, and the music is also terrific. In the hands of another director, this could have been a superb movie.

Another film based on a well loved book. John Le Carre is my favourite author (although I do prefer is later work), and the seven episode 1979 TV series of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" with Alec Guiness as George Smiley is a masterpiece. So how did it work, condensing the story into a two hour movie? Well Connie Sachs, played by Kathy Burke, has, I think, one scene? She is such an integral part of the book, it did leave me a little flat, and that was my overall impression. That is not to say it was disappointing. The casting was about the best you can get. Gary Oldman is spot on for Smiley as is the rest of the cast. The most impressive character for me was Mark Strong as Jim Prideaux. He was absolutely brilliant. The direction of Tomas Alfredson (the man responsible for the superb "Let The Right One In") really captured the atmosphere of post war England and the shabby world of espionage with all it's lies and devious plotting. Worth seeing.

As I watched the first half of "Drive", I wondered why it had an 18 certificate. There was nothing to trouble the censor there. But then the violence all kicks off, and pretty graphic it is too. Ryan Gosling plays the driver without any other name. He is monosyllabic and has no social skills. He is very good at one thing and that is cars, whether behind the wheel or under the bonnet. At night he moonlights as a getaway driver, and the opening sequence is absolutely fabulous. In the day he does odd stints as a driver in movies. He makes contact with a lonely mother ( Carey Mulligan) and her son who are neighbours on the same floor of their apartment building. They start what seems a platonic relationship, he husband is in jail, and it seems that for the first time in his life, the driver has found something more than cars. It is only when the husband returns that things start to go wrong. So we have what is an interesting story, but the uncommunicative nature of our hero does nothing to ease the sense of melancholia. That is until a bungled robbery results in the bloodthirsty second half, full of tension and drama. Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan are both very good. The direction of Nicolas Winding Refn is amazing. The car chases are few, but they are so well done. His photography of Los Angeles is wonderful and the pace of the film is just right. And the visual flair is there for all to see. Just be careful if you don't like violence.

The Betrayal, Sister and A Visit from the Goon Squad

The last three books I read were all excellent. The first was The Betrayal by Helen Dunmore that was long listed for the Man Booker prize, and should at least have made the shortlist. It is set in 1952 in Leningrad, where the siege during the war still haunts the city. But Moscow is oblivious to what the powers that be see as an embarrassment. Stalin's harsh regime holds sway and it's effects are told in the story of Andrei and Anna. A young hospital doctor and his wife, a nursery schoolteacher, are caught up accidentally with a high powered security chief and his ill son. The story is gripping and the writing is powerful and bewitching. The writer has published eleven novels including A Spell of Winter that won the Orange Prize, and in this latest book she is on top of her game. It is a sequel to the critically well received The Siege which I now wish I had read first.

Crime fiction is not usually my thing, but Rosamund Lupton's Sister is a classy piece of literature. The story is told by Beatrice who returns from New York as her sister is missing. Has she taken her own life as the police believe, or was she murdered. Beatrice thinks so but is in a minority of one. Her quest to find the truth becomes one of increasing danger, with the biggest twist at the end of any book I have read for years. This was one book I found very hard to put down.

The three books have all been by women writers and have all been terrific. But the last stands head and shoulders above the others. It is the best book I have read for a long time. I wasn't put off by the title. A Visit from the Goon Squad must be a reference to time (as in "time is a gooner") and it is time that plays a big part in the book. Each chapter tells a story from the point of view of a different character. They all connect in some way, and at times it is at first hard to know how. But the author does not keep you guessing for long, and the smallest clue will give you all the information you need. The main thread of the book is the music industry (which was what interested me in the first place), so we have Bennie, a producer, Sasha his assistant, someone in PR, a journalist and other family or friends. And each chapter can take place at a different time, even in the future. It sounds like a highly complex novel but somehow it works really well. The writing is excellent and no wonder it won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize For Fiction. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

One Man, Two Guvnors

I am still reeling from last night's performance of One Man, Two Guvnors at The Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury. This National Theatre production, superbly directed by the genius who is Nicholas Hytner and starring James Corden, is bar far the funniest thing I have ever seen on stage. In fact I had to concentrate on not laughing because my head hurt from a succession of hilarious turns. This is a highly original presentation based on an Italian farce, but imbued with the comic stupidity and coarseness that is British humour.

It all starts with a skiffle group (James Corden's character it turns out has been sacked from one such band) on stage, playing original material by Grant Olding, for ten minutes as the audience take their seats. I say skiffle, because the percussionist plays a washboard (not even as well as I could in the old days), but an electric guitar was never skiffle, and where was the banjo? Apart from that, they were really very good. Music plays a big part in the play. On occasions, between scenes, the curtain is drawn and the band come back on, and later are replaced by members of the cast who at various times perform a turn. James Corden on xylophone and the two black members of the cast with their calypso are highlights. As I say, highly original.

The play itself is part farce, part stand up (James again), part audience participation. And given the complications of the plot, you would think it very strange. But in some miraculous way, it works superbly. James Corden, who I never really liked before, turns out to be a fantastic comedy actor and stand up comedian as the bumbling minder Francis Henshall. His interaction with the audience had me in fits of laughter, in fact I cannot remember the last time I laughed so much. The last half hour of the long one hour forty minutes first half, is non stop laughing. The whole of the cast are larger than life and ham it up splendidly. I especially liked Oliver Chris as the ex public school twit Stanley Stubbers who also happens to be a murderer. And somehow newcomer Tom Edden is brilliant as the 87 year old decrepit and abused waiter Alfie, the male equivalent of Mrs Overall from Acorn Antiques.

The final plaudits must go to Richard Bean for his adaptation of Carlo Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters. Thank goodness that this is a theatre going experience that will tour for years and years, so all the people who will hear about it can see it for themselves, and I can go again.

Another Holiday in Cornwall

This was the tenth year in succession that we have had a weeks holiday in Cornwall. Every year we stay at Port Quin, previously at Doyden, but for the last two years at a cottage called Lacombe (that can be found on the National Trust cottages website) near the tiny harbour. It is the white building on the far left, and was used in the TV series "Poldark". We arrived on Thursday to wonderful weather and the photo above is taken as we had time for a walk along the cliffs towards Port Isaac.

The next day was equally fine and we took the walk we usually do along the coastal path to Pentire Point. Here are great views of Polzeath, and a good place to eat our lunch.

The tide was coming back in as we reached Lundy Bay on our return, so we could not venture too far along the beach. We were out for over five hours, so pretty tired when we arrived back at the cottage.

However, it was such a lovely late afternoon, we drove the short way to Port Isaac for a slow stroll around the harbour.

The next day was pretty windy with showers and the sea kayaking we had planned was cancelled. Alison had a run whilst I drove to Polzeath to look at the waves and buy a newspaper. So it was good to have a rest after the previous day's long walk. We headed into Wadebridge for lunch but some heavy showers persuaded us back to the cottage for the afternoon.

The next day was even windier but sunny, and we made our way to Padstow. We had a great walk up to the monument and along the cliffs where we had a superb view of the windsurfers making use of the conditions. The walk back along the beach was equally spectacular. Lunch of sausage and chips at The Quayside cafe and a stroll around the shops.

The forecast for Monday was not very promising, and as we headed towards Helston on the day we explore somewhere new, the rain was unrelenting. We were very quiet in the car. However as we arrived at the town, the rain had stopped. Nothing much to see in Helston, so after a cafe stop for tea and cherry cake, we headed to the National Seal Sanctuary at Gweek that was not far away. When we arrived it wasn't long before the sun came out and a beautiful day began. We were amazed just how many seals were there, all having been rescued because of injury or abandonment. Last year 49 pups had been rescued, looked after and released back into the wild. On our visit we saw a week old abandoned pup called Murray in their hospital.

The older seals (Common, Fur and Gray Seals) are in separate spacious tanks and are amazing. There are also penguins, otters and sea lions. Alison helped to feed them.

We were there over three hours, it is such a wonderful place in a magnificent setting by the estuary. It was now such a nice day that we headed down the Lizard Peninsula to have a look at Kynance Cove, again somewhere new for us, and very impressive it is too.

The National Trust look after the area with car parks and a tearoom where we were just in time to have a cup of tea sitting at a table overlooking the bay. Quite incredible.

It was raining when we woke the next day, and it didn't stop until we went to bed that night. It was only light in the morning so we took the short drive to Polzeath for a superb session of bodyboarding. The waves had never been better. After a shower and change back at the cottage, it was time for lunch at our usual cafe in Wadebridge. The rain became heavier in the afternoon, but we did not have long to rest before we were off to have dinner at Fifteen at Watergate Bay. A table by the window overlooking the beach meant that we had great views of the crashing waves. The meal was fabulous, the best ever tasting menu.

The following morning was sunny, but still slightly cool as it had been all week, so we still went on our planned visit to The Lost Gardens of Heligan. We never tire of going there, and the tea room is splendid.

On our last day we usually head straight home after packing the car. But Thursday looked to be such a nice day we decided to make up for the day we missed where Alison runs from the cottage to Rock and takes the ferry to Padstow. I have driven there and hired a bike to cycle down the Camel Trail to Wadebridge and back.

We then meet at the car park, I have most of the fish and chips at The Quayside cafe, and then we walk up to the monument (again), some last bits of shopping before heading home. Once again a thoroughly enjoyable week.

Family History Website

In the end it was pretty straightforward. My brilliant family history software (Family Historian 4) has a special programme to save all my data to a folder especially for a website. It also had instructions (not very clear) about how to download an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and suggestions on recommended free web space. The FTP is Filezilla, and what an excellent piece of kit it turned out to be. But first I had to set up my webspace on RootsWeb freepages which is part of Ancestry. The link is http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~davidbbroberts.

So I was all set to go, and the transfer went really well. After a couple of days I could access my web space but I was very disappointed that it was not searchable. I tried for days searching for individuals but to no avail and I went off on holiday wondering what I could do next.

I need not have worried. As soon as I was back home, my first search on Google ( and every other search since) brings up any family member who has at least two Christian names with the link to my web space. That is just fantastic. All the individuals are on my father's side of the family. My next project will be to do the same for mother's ancestors.

I have also created some web space on Google Sites where I am starting to place some family history documents. The link is https://sites.google.com/site/dbbrobertsfamilyhistory. The two sites work so well together.

Final Destination 5, The Skin I Live In and One Day

At last we come to the end of the summer movies which are either fantasy, superhero or gross out comedy. "Final Destination 5" fits none of these categories, but is still aimed at the end of the holidaying teens. It is basically the same old story, but the filming in 3D works spectacularly well on occasion. The set piece bridge disaster is a revelation, and quite the best use of 3D I have seen to date. Otherwise a diverting but unmemorable movie.

Amazing that the best film I have seen this year happens to be a subtitled Spanish melodrama. None of the critics use this description for "The Skin I Live In", preferring physcological thriller or a soap opera horror. "The exageration of plot and character to appeal to the emotion" as melodrama is defined, suits this brilliant movie, although certainly it mixes all the other ingredients to make one superb pot. The credit all goes to the director Pedro Almodovar. He also co-writes the screenplay loosely based on a French novella. One lasting impression is how suptuous the film looks. The lighting of the gorgeous sets produces something special on the big screen, the costumes, sound and music are all excellent. There are jumps in time that are well done and go to give us the one huge twist well before the awesome ending. Antonio Banderous is great as the barmy but brilliant surgeon and the rest of a fairly small cast are equally good. It will take something special to beat this to the best foreign movie oscar.

Having read the book of "One Day", I was nervous as to how such a rich study of two peoples' relationship over sixteen years would translate to the big screen. The first half hour proved my fears were well founded. After skipping a few years after the predictable opening, I felt it hardly captured the feel of the platonic friendship. It did not help that the longer scenes were quite boring as they included too much of Emma's "boyfriend" Ian and Dexter's decline into booze and drugs. And Ann Hathaway's occasional attempt at a Yorkshire accent was quite offputting. Apart from that, she is very good, as is Jim Sturgess as Dexter. After seeing him in "Heartless" and on the trailers, I thought he was no way the right actor for the role. But he grew into the part really well. Things pick up halfway through. Dexter's downfall, and becoming nicer as a result, is well complemented by Emma's maturing character. Why the wedding they attend had to be situated in central London rather than Somerset I dont know, but their scene together sets up a much better final third. The last few scenes are brilliant. The director follows the device in the book to bring in the second half of Chapter One set in 1988 at the end. And it makes far more impact in the movie, as time jumping sometimes does. So I left with a warm feeling, something I had not expected early on.

131 Songs - Numbers 105, 106, 107, 108, 109 and 110

Number 105 - Solo by Sandy Denny

The only British singer on this section of some of my favourite female songwriters who combine folk, country and modern popular music to give each their distinctive style. Sandy Denny joined Fairport Convention in 1968 and recorded three albums with them, including their most successful "Liege and Lief". She left the band soon after to pursue a solo career and concentrate on writing her own songs. In fact, her most famous composition "Who Knows where the Time Goes" (my second favourite of her songs) was first recorded with The Strawbs in 1967. Sandy recorded four solo studio albums before her death in 1978, however the live album "Gold Dust" from the end of 1977 is truly superb. It is from this CD that I have chosen "Solo" which originally opened her third solo album "Like An Old Fashioned Walz".

Number 106 - Learning How To Live by Lucinda Williams

Everything I wanted to say about this song is on my posting of 16th March 2007 (where have the last four years gone). It is the third track on the album "West" which I believe is even better than "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road". From this earlier CD, I almost chose "Cant Let Go" for one of my favourite cover versions. But I will stick with one her own songs for this list.

Number 107 - I Take My Chances by Mary Chapin Carpenter

My huge collection of Mary Chapin Carpenter CD's are hardly played these days, just on the "country" side of country for my taste these days. But rummaging through them, I knew it was about time to give them another play, and mostly I was not disappointed. In particular, the first album of hers that I bought ("Come On Come On") still stands as her best ever. It even has a track called "Passionate Kisses" penned by ... Lucinda Williams. And from this album also comes my chosen track. Like many of her recordings, it is distinctly jolly. And there are just not enough of those songs around these days.

Number 108 - Shawn Colvin - Get Out Of This House

I have to admit that I only own a greatest hits album of Shawn Colvin. She has , though, a big link with the previous artist, Mary Chapin Carpenter. She actually wrote the title track of "Come On Come On" as well as other songs she gave to her. And Mary returned the favour. I have ignored perhaps her most well known song "Sunny Came Home" from her breakthrough album "A Few Small Repairs" and instead gone for "Get Out Of This House". Just one terrific song.

Number 109 - Wall In Your Heart by Shelby Lynne

The three albums in my collection from Shelby Lynne are probably her most popular. "I Am Shelby Lynne" released in 1999 won her a Grammy Award for best new artist. And "Identity Crisis" is her stripped down and most personal set where she plays all the guitar parts and produced the recording herself. But I first heard her on the radio with the track "Killin' Kind" from the even better follow up album "Love, Shelby". This is one great series of country soul songs. "Wall In Your Heart" is co written by the prolific producer Glen Ballard who also produced  the album. A fabulous combination.

Number 110 - You Do by Aimee Mann

The last in this section of American crossover singer songwriters is one class act. "You Do" is from my favourite album of hers  "Bachelor No 2 or, the last remains of the dodo" from 2000, although "Lost in Space" from 2002 runs it close. It is from that year that Aimee appears on "The West Wing" episode called "College Kids" where she sings the James Taylor song "Shed a Little Light" at the "Rock the Vote" concert. It was only last week that we caught up with this particular episode, and never having seen Aimee perform before, that was just a knockout. And what a way to end this group of favourites.

Tring Book Club - What Was Lost and Great House

The only problem with "What Was Lost" is that it was over too quickly. Catherine O'Flynn's debut novel is so very enjoyable. From the first page where the "bus driver was keeping the bus at a steady 15mph, braking at every green light until it turned red", her storytelling is quite magical. I was led to believe that the central character was Kate, a ten year old part time sleuth, who keeps watch at a new Birmingham shopping mall in 1984. Not always the most diligent detective "useful drill though, he caught us sleeping" and her still childlike tendency to keep swivelling her office chair on the lino "tried to keep a tight rein on this habit", O'Flynn captures her personality right on the button. Although a sense of impending danger is inescapable.

But by page 68, we have travelled forward to 2003 and Kate is no longer around. Instead we follow Lisa, the assistant manager of a record store, and Kurt a security guard as they go about their dreary working lives in the revamped Greenoaks shopping centre. These are two wonderful characters, especially Lisa whose brother Adrian we met in 1984. Lisa deals with with one stupid shop assistant in such a mature way that you can only wonder at her maturity.

But the star of this mystery story is Greenoaks itself. Built on industrial wasteland that Adrian had made his playground, the author portrays a wonderful atmosphere that  is down to both the workers and customers of the complex. She writes with a style that is funny, witty and unpretentious. Just very readable and a great mystery story, what more could you ask.

If only Nicole Krauss had learnt the skill of brevity. Her complex and literate book "Great House" is possibly the most tangled and confusing novel I have read for a long time. I liked the idea of the story being told by four separate characters (well five actually, but that is what I mean) at different times and in different places and this is challenging enough without being so oblique. We eventually find out who the narrators are talking to, except for the fourth. Is Isabel just talking to us? And I like a book with jumps in time and place, but it needs to be consistent and sometimes we wonder where we are. Especially if you read it over a couple of weeks. So put all these together and you have a really challenging book. It is certainly not without merit, and there are many passages that will stay with me. The writing is sophisticated, compulsive and at times very instructive.

To illustrate my concerns, I have to refer to a letter written by Lea to Isabel in the last of the four sections that make up Part One. This is a most valuable piece of information about this particular story, but in my view should have waited until the end of the book which is when it was written. It almost gives too much away. And then by the time you read Part Two, you have forgotten what it said. The link between the four stories is a huge old desk that belonged to the father of one of the main characters before it was stolen, along with all his furniture, in 1944. Although it never appears in the second story which seems like it it is from another book.  There are passages where our narrators recall memories, but these are sometimes too long, boring and detract from the narrative. It seems like the book is really a memoir or a confession. But just as you become frustrated, there appears a gripping passage.

Ultimately I felt a little let down that what could have been a superb novel ended up being too clever for it's own good. It was complicated enough without trying to be even more obscure. I will try to read it again, this time not having to unravel what is going on, and missing out "True Kindness". The explanation of this part's title not for the faint hearted. One reviewer said it was like a pack of cards that the author had dropped and picked up in the wrong order. I just think she left some on the floor.