Songs from "Call the Midwife Christmas Special 2015"

Just two songs in the Christmas Special, although there were some instrumental interludes that alluded me.But here are the songs:

(Everybody's Waiting For) The Man With The Bag" by Kay Star

Angel Face by Billy Fury (the song on the juke box in the cafe)

That just leaves the song on the trailer for this episode. It was Happy Christmas (War is Over) sung by the marvelous Christina Perri.

The George Askew Story Part 1 - Five Generations of Agricultural Labourers

I believe there is an interesting story to be told about my maternal great grandfather George Askew. Around 1870 when he would have been eighteen years old, he made the move from the tiny village of Toynton St Peter in the wilds of Linconshire to Rotherham to work in the coalfields. To understand what prompted this move, I wanted to look at his background and found that he was the fifth generation of agricultural labourers who all lived and worked in this hard fenland country.

It was my searches on the International Genealogical Index that found the ancestors of George Askew. But only after  Ruth at Lincolnshire Family History Society who enlightened me on the various spellings of Askew, Ascough and Ayscough. (See postings of 5th and 7th December 2011).

The five generations are:

Thomas Ascough born approximately 1735 married to Susanah.

John Ascough christened on 20th October 1758 at Toynton St Peter, one of five children.. Married to Mary.

John Ayscough christened on 4th November 1781 at Toynton St Peter. Married to Elizabeth.

James Ayscough christened on 27th March 1808 at Toynton All Saints, one of three children.. Married Lucy Sharpe on 20th September 1833 at Wainfleet St Mary, Lincs.

George Askew born on 27th December 1852 at Toynton St Peter, one of eight children. Married Jane Cuthbertson on 23rd November 1873 at Rotherham Parish Church (where his son Ralph married Edith Leather on 1st August 1921 and their daughter (my mother) married my father on 7th December 1943). George's birth certificate records his surname as Askew but the marriage certificate says Ascough. Hence why it has taken me so long to track down the record of their marriage.

We know from the Census of 1851 that George's father James was an agricultural labourer and that on the Census of 1861 George's two elder brothers are similarly employed. So I am probably safe in assuming that their ancestors were too.

However, to understand why George left home to be a coal miner, I want to look at some background to farming in this part of Lincolnshire.

Songs from "We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story"

This is by no means the definitive list of songs from last nights wonderful programme. Some were too hard to track down. Even the first song took me a long time to find.

"Don't Bring Me Down" by The Pretty Things. Once I had managed to trace the composer Johnnie Dee, I was on my way.

"No Milk Today" by Herman's Hermits

"Brown Eyed Girl" by Them

"Take Five" by The Dave Brubeck Trio

There is an instrumental that sounds like a clip from "She's A Woman" by The Beatles but may be something else entirely.

"All Or Nothing" by The Small Faces

"Thank You For The Days" by The Kinks

Any help on the ones I missed or got wrong would be appreciated.

After The Crash, A Spool of Blue Thread and The Blue Afternoon

Anyone who loves a good thriller would give this more than three stars. It certainly sets the pulse racing as the pages fly by in a rush. It was a very cleverly constructed plot, but like any book of this genre, the unexpected twists through the latter part left me feeling a little cheated. There is little literary merit, but the narrative makes up for that. And as a diversion from recent family dramas, this could not have been better.

Not my favourite Anne Tyler novel despite it's huge critical acclaim. We hardly ever move away from the Whitshank family and, for me, they are not a very interesting bunch. The writing, as always, is pure joy, I just love the conversational tone the author uses. The last quarter of the book is actually the best part, so anyone struggling half way through should know this. And finally we get to find out about the title. All too late.

Despite being a terrific storyteller and one of my favourite authors, this particular novel seemed to be a hotchpot of ideas. If Boyd had only stuck to the enjoyable main theme involving Salvador Carriscant as a brilliant surgeon in 1920 Manila and mysterious deaths. But other happenings are thrown into the pot that I found distracting. The author's later work seems far more cohesive and more thrilling as a result.

Bridge of Spies, Victor Frankenstein and Carol

An excellent cold war thriller from Steven Spielberg helped enormously by the contrasting acting skills of Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance. It seemed amazing that an insurance lawyer, James Donovan (Hanks) would end up negotiating for the release of U2 pilot Gary Powers, just because nobody else wanted to be involved with the captured Russian spy (Rylance). Directed with customary bravado with marvelous panoramic location photography, this was enjoyable throughout.

A modern take on an old story, this time only just passable due to a brilliantly maniacal James McAvoy as Victor. This was meant to be a fun movie and on that level it did OK. Unfortunately the story is told through the eyes of Igor and Daniel Radcliffe is pretty lame. The script is pretty awful so don't go blaming the director and the CGI is cheap.

Carol is a totally different proposition altogether. A superb and beautiful  piece of cinema that is almost better after viewing as so much lingers in the mind. Forget the Oscar worthy cinematography, costumes, sets, lighting and sound. 1950's New York has never looked so good. Whilst they play an extraordinary part, it is the depth of the relationship between Cate Blanchett as Carol and Rooney Mara as Therese that is so effecting. Their performances, so wonderfully tailored by director Todd Haynes, are those of the unspoken law of restraint that permeates their conversations. This prevents the two leads from expressing their feelings for each other and as such they are left in limbo and it is their heartache we feel, not sadness as described by some critics. Their yearning is unforgettable.

Some have described Carol herself as being beautiful. But I disagree. She is glamorous, yes, and intimidatingly smart, but some bitterness and unhappiness (that may be where sad comes from) prevents any beauty appearing in that startling face. Is she just a predator when it comes to Therese? I don't think so, she is careful not to push her new friend and makes no demands. When it comes to the crunch it is Therese who unexpectedly takes the lead.

There are some quite riveting scenes. The opening tracking shot is brilliant, and the scene with the lawyers unforgettable. That might just tip the Oscar Blanchett's way when in any other year it would be Mara collecting the gong as she did at Cannes. And then the ending is so blindingly subtle and emotional. Not a word is uttered as Therese is bravery personified.

Queen Anne at the RSC Swan Theatre, Stratford

I booked for Queen Anne many months before this brand new play opened, so this is always taking a risk. But I was encouraged by the casting of Natascha McElhone and Johdi May in the main roles. And then Ms May pulls out a short while ago citing "creative differences". She is replaced by Emma Cunniffe as the Queen and she delivers a career enhancing performance, by far the best actor on the stage.

The play itself is ambitious as it portrays the politics of the first few years of the eighteenth century. It takes a while to sort out who is who and what they mean to the action. I felt the production was a little uneven, it misfires in places but in others it is absolutely riveting. I guess it would be hard to sustain that level through a two and half hour play.

I had understood that the heart of the play was the relationship between Princess, then Queen Anne and her friend Sarah Churchill. But a lot of that seemed to be played without the two of them together. When they do take centre stage, the political ambitions of Sarah seem to prevent any emotional bond between the two. Any of that coming only from the Queen, unreciprocated by Sarah. That was a shame. Natascha McElhone is a slight disappointment as Sarah in her first time role for the RSC. Maybe the matinee didnt suit her, or she was missing Johdi May. At times Sarah's fiery temper showed her expertise and she certainly dominates the stage.

The harsh satire following the lapse of the Licensing Act in 1695 is portrayed dynamically on occasion by a drunken gang that includes Jonathon Swift and Daniel Defoe. Interesting but not that enjoyable.

In fact I'm not sure if debut director Natalie Abrahami was up to the job. She somehow seemed just to have the lines spoken by numbers. There were, as always, some great cameos. I liked Robert Cavanah as John Churchill and newcomer Beth Park as Abigail Hill. But the time flew by which is always a good sign and I learnt a lot about the political shenanigans which dominated the court.

Tring Book Club - My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

My choice for book club went down a lot better than I dared to hope. Despite it's great reviews and the number of weeks in The Times top ten paperbacks, it is an unusual novel. There is no real plot or story, almost a diary of what happens to the narrator (who has the same Christian name as the author, although that itself is not her real name) over her childhood and adolescence. These take the form of a series of anecdotes, some are interesting, some are not. There are sections that are quite long and deep introspective contemplation of events and characters.

It took me nearly half the book to get into the various characters, although they are all listed at the beginning. I found the translation awkward as if trying to exactly replicate the Italian language used by the author. That might have been OK if then someone had rewritten the translation into every day English.

However, there is much to be enjoyed. The setting of Naples is particularly well described throughout. There are some characters that are highly memorable and the narrator's cleverly realised complex relationship with her friend Lila is the heart of the book. And we learn a lot about the Nepalese desire for conflict, argument and violence. So different to us English.

Steve Jobs, Spectre and Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Steve Jobs is one of my favourite films of the year. A wonderful theatrical movie in three acts. With a marvellous screenplay from Aaron Sorkin superbly realised by director Danny Boyle and an outstanding performance from Michael Fassbender. It was a brilliant idea to set the movie before three product launches in 1984, 1988 and 1998. As the camera follows Jobs around the conference centres, we are reminded of the equally fine Birdman. But I enjoyed this film even more.

I guess we always had to go and see Spectre. Although it was only a week ago, I am finding it hard to recall anything memorable. I guess it's because we have seen it all before. The fight on the train, the car chases, Bond's capture and escape. Maybe the highlight for me was the cleverly staged opening tracking shot in Mexico City. But the movie never regained this great action sequence. If this is the last of Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes (he needs to get back to proper movie making), maybe a new team will find something fresh.

The main reason I went to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 was because I had seen all the three previous films. However there was none of the fine witty supporting roles we had earlier in the series. Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland and Elizabeth Banks. Unfortunately they are relegated to miserable onlookers. And Jennifer Lawrence is equally morbid as Katniss Everdeen tries to save the world, again. The expected special effects of the traps that face our intrepid band are somehow quite disappointing. In the end this was all for a much younger audience, although resting and wanting something trivial after a hard 10K the day before, it did the trick.