All's Well That Ends Well at the Globe Theatre

It had been nearly three months since I had been to the theatre ("The Knot of the Heart" at The Almeida) and I was beginning to have serious withdrawal symptoms. I had never seen "All's Well That Ends Well" so on Tuesday I took myself off to the Globe. Alison has given up on the theatre ever since enduring (her word) Ian McKellen's fascist "Richard III". But the seats at the Oxford New Theatre are really to blame.

My brilliant "Essential Shakespeare Handbook" calls it "one of Shakespeare's problem plays". It is rarely performed, although after this production, maybe that will change. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The acting was generally first class and almost entirely clearly spoken. So us virgins (and the early instruction from James Garnon's wonderful Parolles on the subject is very funny) to the play can understand what is going on. It was Janie Dee's performance as the Countess of Roussillon that I really wanted to see, having enjoyed her roles in some of the Alan Ayckbourn comedies. I was not disappointed. Whenever she appeared, she dominated the stage. I have to congratulate director John Dove for bringing out the best from the text and the actors. The only downside for me was the slightly turgid plot involving the trick played on Parolles. But that apart, all I can say is "Bravo".

Just a note about the weather. Whilst we lucky ones in the seats were quite warm , given the forecast of a chilly evening, those in the pit had to cope with two hefty showers in the first half hour. Well done those in the cast who forsook the shelter of their canopy to show solidarity with that part of the  audience who got wet.

Twenty Years in Watermill Way

This month twenty years ago, we moved to our house in Watermill Way. This anniversary is quite special to me, as before now I had never in my life lived in the same house for more than six years. So you could call this home.
The first photo is from twenty years ago. Note the tiny tree in the front lawn. It grew to be huge and had to be cut down a good few years ago.

The House now has replacement windows, and a border with tall shrubs that now divides what was previously a shared lawn.

I had to start the back garden from scratch, not having touched it the first summer.

It has improved steadily over the years.

Another Day in Oxford

I had been waiting for Alison to finish work for the summer so that we could both go on another day out to Oxford, but her latest contract just goes on and on. So on Tuesday,as the forecast was for a dry but cloudy day, I set off on my own. An early start as I wanted to make sure I obtained a ticket for a tour of the Bodleian Library. There are only four tours a day and numbers are limited to 13 for each tour. There was only one person waiting when I arrived just before 9am, and he seemed to take all the places for the two afternoon tours. But I bought mine for the one at 11.30am.

I had planned on looking round Oxford Castle, but as this didn't open until 10am, I had time to find it, then settle down for breakfast at Costa Coffee. Tea and a bacon roll went down very well. However, once at the castle, it seemed to be something Alison would enjoy, and might take more than the hour I had free. So instead I walked back and paid to go up Carfax Tower.

The 99 steps means that at the top there are good views over the city.

Back along Broad Street, I found a plaque on the wall of Balliol College which I had never seen before.

Thomas Cranmer was Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Edward VI, and so my study of the three years 1547 to 1549 meant he was always of huge interest to me. So to find the spot (the cross in the road) where he was burnt at the stake in 1556 was quite something.

I had not realised that the memorial on St Giles was also in tribute to the three martyrs.

It was time for the tour and had been directed through the main entrance of the Bodleian on Catte Street where I had bought my ticket.

We sat on benches on the ground floor of the library which was The Divinity School where the first examinations (all oral) were held. It is "a masterpiece of Gothic architecture" and the ceiling is famous for the 455 bosses.

Our tour guide told us a lot about the origins of the library before taking us into Convocation House, a meeting place for the university.

A short stop at Chancellor's Court, then up to the main library (Duke Humfrey's Library) on the first floor. Photography is not allowed, but I have to say it is very impressive. There is a clip on YouTube.

After the tour, I took the advice to visit the exhibition on the Making of the King James Bible. The guide does make reference to the First Prayer Book of Edward V1 (Thomas Cranmer's great work) which established English as the language of the liturgy. But it was not on display.

I had hoped to go in The Sheldonian Theatre that had been open to visitors in the morning, but it was now closed. Whilst I was passing Balliol College earlier, I noticed that it was open to the public. As I had not looked round this college before, (last time we went round Merton College) so I wandered back up Broad Street and paid my £2 entry. They even have a guide book, and that was a big help.

It was gone 1.30pm and the Ashmolean Museum was my last stop. Unfortunately their cafe was short on sandwiches, so it was the Costa Coffee at the top of Waterstones for lunch.

The main reason for wanting to visit the Ashmolean was to see the newly built museum that opened last year.

The inside is nothing like the old main entrance. It is an ultra modern building on five floors, a stunning piece of architecture.

On the top floor was an exhibition about ancient Greece, where there was a charge. It was worth it just to see how to exhibit in a modern space.

So that was my day. I caught the bus back to the park and ride at Thornhill and I was home just before 4pm. Exhausted but what a good day.

So for next time: Oxford Castle, The Sheldonian Theatre and Magdalen College. There is so much to see.

Tring Book Club - Fasting Feasting by Anita Desai and Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson

There were only three of us at Book Club this time, but nevertheless we had a good exchange of views. "Fasting Feasting" is about two dysfunctional families. The story of the Indian family in the first two thirds of the book centres on one of the daughters, Una. She is not a clever girl, unlike her sister. She loves school but is a poor student, the opposite of Aruna. Una is clumsy, dizzy  and much put upon by her parents who are described as MamaPapa as if they are sole entity. The writing is gentle and lyrical, and the family conflicts are well drawn. There some upsetting passages particularly involved Anamika, the beautiful and bright cousin whose marriage is a disaster. Una wants to belong and the visits of an aunt, Mira-masi only go to give her ambitions beyond what is possible. "Una had never been more unsupervised or happier in her life". The final part of the novel moves to America and Una's brother Arun who stays with an equally dysfunctional family while studying at university. The comparisons of the two families is amazing, and Arun's difficulties living in what to him is an alien environment makes for a very interesting final section.

I just love the writing of Kate Atkinson, so I was so looking forward to reading her latest Jackson Brodie novel "Started Early , Took my Dog". And was as good as ever. Not quite as brilliant as her previous "When Will There Be Good News", but still an excellent read. Kate's writing is punchy, with clipped sentences, clever and very witty. I knew we were in for a treat with the first paragraph:
 "Leeds: 'Motorway City of theSeventies'. A proud slogan. No irony intended. Gaslight flickering on some streets. Life in a northern town".
This is a very entertaining book. The author seems to write in little anecdotes, as if she was relating a story over dinner and each time adding a brilliant punchline at the end. About the dog Jackson acquires and in the pet shop "the small four legged sailor uniform that was hanging behind the counter, complete with jaunty little hat". And about Jackson again "Looking for a fresh start. Somewhere there was a place for him. All he had to do was find it". The mention of Betty's Tea Rooms got me thinking about the one we visited in Harrogate. But apparently this was only the original and they have now spread to York, Ilkley and North Allerton and Harrogate now has two. Jackson has been to all of them "all part of the male impulse to collect". The settings of Leeds and Whitby were all too familiar. I love the way she writes in the third person but from the point of view of one of the four main characters. There is something eerie when she switches from one to another. If I have one criticism, there is sometimes too much plot. I guess that is why my favourite parts concern Tilly (Matilda Squires) an aging actress, suffering from the beginnings of dementia, who has only a very tenuous connection with the main plot, but whose wonderful story is not the crime fiction of the central theme. At the end, there did seem to be three or four mysteries that were never resolved. Maybe they are for the next book, or I missed something. But they did not detract from what is a highly enjoyable book.

Bridesmaids, Larry Crowne and Transformers 3

What possessed me to go and see "Bridesmaids". I blame the reviews that were almost universally good. The first twenty on Rotten Tomatoes were all glowing. I should have known better. it is a long time since I walked out of a movie, but this came the closest after the first ten minutes. I just cannot stand these gross out American comedies. The sad part is, that there is a good sweet romcom hiding underneath. The relationship of lead Kristen Wigg and that of bit part player Chris O'Dowd was the best thing about the film. But it was the appearance of the always splendid Rose Byrne as the horrible, spoilt one that kept me watching through all the rubbish. And the late revelation about her job by the huge Megan put the top hat on the awful ensemble. What is wrong with me?

And it was the reviews that nearly stopped me from going to see movie of the year "Larry Crowne". The critics have all massively missed the point. When The Times gives it a grudging one star you know this is true. This is the most tongue in cheek romcom to come out of America for years. I didn't think they did such things, and all the critics obviously didnt think so too. so let's start with the names of the leads - Larry Crowne and Mercedes Tainot. Doesn't that tell you something? This movie is pure feelgood escapism. Nothing is remotely real. How can an aging redundant retail worker team up with an ultra cool scooter gang/ There you go. It is not supposed to be real. Take "Star Trek's" George Takei as the hot shot professor Dr Matsutani. That's right. Must be best supporting actor. OK, the film is cheesy to the point of being a gooey brie, but hey, I love brie. And there is so much feelgood stuff poured in that it nearly overflows. I had high hopes as soon as ELO's "Hold on Tight" played over the opening credits. They also play "Calling America" over the final credits. Great stuff. With tracks from Tom Petty, the soundtrack is spot on. There is a nice role for Brit Gugu Mbatha as Talia. She started her acting career in Holby, Spooks and Dr Who before some American TV. I have saved the two lead till last. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts just look as if they are having the most enormous fun and it shows. Tom does a reasonable job of directing, but that was easy. But it is the writing of Tom and Nia Vardalos ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding" - do these movies do better in the UK than the USA?) that stands out. When Tom and Julia wave to the audience at the end, I bet the critics didn't wave back. Guess if I did.

I must stop going to see movies like "Transformers 3". Like "Bridemaids" there is a decent story hiding underneath. And the first hour is not at all bad. There is quite a lot of plot so you actually have to concentrate on what is going on. But then it is all downhill with the CGI battles at the end as tiresome as ever.

Scott and Bailey

This week saw the sixth and final episode of the fairly average but always watchable crime drama "Scott and Bailey". It did something which too many British cop series don't do and that was to engage with the characters instead of being all plot. It was created by Surrane Jones (centre) who plays DC Rachel Bailey and is famous for her time in Coronation Street. She is ably supported by the always good Lesley Sharp (left) as DC Janet Scott. But for me, the standout performance was from Amelia Bullmore (right) as their brilliant boss DCI Gill Murray. Her television career started in 1993 in "Cracker" and she has been very busy since then, recently in "Ashes to Ashes" and "Twenty Twelve". In this new series she was just fantastic.

The writer was Sally Wainwright, always known in this house for her great screenplay for "At Home with the Braithwaites". And I have to mention the director of the final episode Ben Caron. The final scene in the pub was a fabulous close up across the bar of the two shattered DC's who are then joined by their equally hurt DCI and then the mesmorised DS. You could cut the tension with a knife. Best bit of TV for ages.

Kathleen Edwards, Amanda Marshall, Lucy Kaplansky, Caitlin Rose, The Chapin Sisters, Lissie, Nerina Pallot and Adele

Ever since I listened to Kathleen Edwards' (who comes from Canada) latest album "Asking For Flowers", it was only a matter of time until I bought her two earlier recordings "Failer" and "Back To Me". And whilst these are not quite up to the brilliance of the new one, they were still worth the investment. Her music is typically the mix of country and folk that so dominates my music collection these days. There are so many great tracks on all three albums, she is a really special singer and songwriter.

It was only when the self titled album from Amanda Marshall (another Canadian) arrived did I realise most of the songs are cover versions. And worthy as most of these are, I would have liked to hear more of her own compositions. But there is one big surprise here of a song she wrote. "Sittin' On Top Of The World" is the title song from the album by LeeAnn Rimes. Of the other two songs she wrote, "Dark Horse" is another great track. The album was recorded in 1995, and although she made two more in 1999 and 2001, there is nothing there to compare with her first. Shame.

Lucy Kaplansky was born in Chicago and moved to New York when she was eighteen. Her music is very much folk based. Two of the covers on her latest album "Over The Hills" are by June Carter ("Ring of Fire") and Julie Miller, which shows the kind of artists that have influenced her style. But it is her own compositions that shine through. Her opening track, appropriately called "Manhattan Moon" has a distinct sound of Nanci Griffith about it. No bad thing. Of her five other albums, I might try "The Red Thread". Will give it a listen first.

Following her fairly ordinary EP "Dead Flowers", the debut album from Catlin Rose is a much better offering.  Altogether more indie/alt-country rock than folk, her slightly unusual songs are well worth repeat listening. Four of the ten tracks are covers, which leaves a good selection of her own songs to enjoy. She has a great voice, and her backing musicians make for a great album.

I was definitely in two minds whether to buy a Chapin Sisters CD after listening to excerpts on the net. But having gone for their 2008 album "Lake Bottom" I was not disappointed. Although the early tracks are just reasonable, the final two are quite magical and worth the investment on their own. The Chapin Sisters are Abigail Chapin, Lily Chapin and Jessica Craven. Lily is to the fore (writing and singing) on track ten "Bird Song" and Abigail on the final track "I Hate The Moon". These are so outstanding that their latest album "Two" (Jessica only adds some vocals) has just arrived.

After being knocked out by Lissie's album "Catching a Tiger" (my posting of 13th August 2010), I now have her earlier EP "why you runnin". Not quite in the same class as her latest recording but classy just the same. She is doing four nights in Norway in August. Why not here?

Somehow I missed posting a review of Nerina Pallot's album "fires". It may have been that on first listen it did nothing for me. However it does get better the more I play it. Her music is modern indie pop, not something that I usually listen to. But her songs on this album work really well. Like many others, I then went for her earlier and debut album "dear frustrated superstar". Again not to the standard of "fires" but still worth a listen, although it is still early days.

Everything that has been said about Adele is true. She is just a phenomenon. Although I prefer her first album "19" (see posting of 7th March 2008), her latest "21" is quite extraordinary. It obviously appeals to all generations as she has a huge young audience through to oldies like me. My favourite tracks are again those that feature the piano of the brilliant Neil Cowley, "Turning Tables and "Take It All". His accompaniment on "Make You Feel My Love" and "Hometown Glory" from "19" are still preferable, if only he had played on "Someone Like You", it may have beaten the lot. But I guess as Dan Wilson co-wrote this other stand out track, he had to play on it