The Pillowman at the Duke of York's Theatre

 

Back on the stage twenty years after it first opened at the National Theatre (where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for best new play in 2004 and later a Tony Award nomination for best play in 2005), The Pillowman is an early but typical Martin McDonagh drama. Packed full of fast dialogue, monologues, foul language and, mainly, hidden violence. I was able to download the full script which comes in at sixty nine pages. The setting is the office of a top detective for a totalitarian state. Enter Steve Pemberton (Inside No 9) as Tupolski and Paul Kaye (primarily known in our house as the pathologist in Vera) as his henchman Ariel. Already there is a blindfolded Katurian, played against gender by Lilly Allen. Interrogation ensues. 

Of course there have been murders. Katurian cannot understand why she is involved, only later to find out why. There is a long, long scene when she (he) is in a cell with her brother Michal (Matthew Tennyson) where why they got there is bandied back and forth. This is where the gender swop comes into it's own. I was at times wondering just what it would have been like with Katurian as a man, and I just could not believe it would have been better. I thought about Alex Kingston as Prospero that seemed to be perfect casting. 

Director Matthew Dunster knows what it's like to direct a McDonagh play after the success of the brilliant Hangmen. The Pillowman  was written after the playwright's six Irish plays and is a kind a catalyst for those dramas to come, of which Hangmen is typical. Of course, the actors are great, who would not be with such material at their disposal. Lily Allen's performance has had mixed reviews, I thought she did well, a mixture of vulnerability and strength.

Alison came with me into London and we had a pleasant lunch at Giraffe on the Southbank. Outside but under cover was perfect. 

The Hot Bed

 

Since I lost the three red Lychnis Chalcedonika in the repeated heavy frosts of last winter, the hot bed has only the giant poppy to offset all the other yellows.

Of those, the most dramatic is what I believe is a wild flower. I have no idea where the large yellow loosestrife came from or if it just seeded itself. I had to go on a plant finder website to see what it was.

 The tall Achillea at the back is just coming into flower as is the Anthemis.

Delphinium Pacific Giant

 The blue Delphinium is still my favourite plant in the garden, it towers above all the other perennials in the main border. I know I have already posted photos this year and previous years, but I could not resist including another. This June there are more flower spikes than I can remember.

And once again a picture of a bee inside a flower.

 

The Wildflower Border

 

This was the wildflower border in May. It was completely covered in blue Cornflowers.

But by the start of June, and despite the staking and propping, they had all fallen over and were way past their best. So they were cleared, and now in their place are a mass of Ox-Eye daisy and Greater Knapweed, both grown from seed a few years ago.

Philadelphus Dainty Lady and Philadelphus Belle Etiole

 I posted pictures of the two Philadelphus on 5th June 2020. This year they have matured into wonderful specimens. Above is the Belle Etiole and below is Dainty Lady.

Poppy and Corncockle Bed

 

In March I sowed some poppy and corncockle seeds in a bare patch along with some bits taken from the cornflowers. I had no great expectations and it was many weeks before this happened.

Past the middle of June and the first poppy has flowered.

Followed by a few more.

The corncockles seem to be on the verge of flowering. I will include a photo when they do.

Goodbye to Sky

 

We have been with Sky for over 22 years. But when it came to renew our contract, they were quoting £62 per month for our package that included Sky Sports. I found that BT, with whom we have our broadband and BT Sport, had a package called Big Sport where Sky Sports would be included through NOW. This would require a (free) BT Box Pro The complete package would be £66 per month and that would include BT Sports in HD for which previously I have avoided due to the extra cost. 

This compares with Sky at £66 and BT Broadband and Sport at £43.22, a total of £105.22. So the new system is a saving of £39.22 per month. However, we do not get some of the Sky channels but we hardly ever watch any of those. So it was goodbye to Sky, and this week the new faster router and set top box (even smaller than the latest Sky Q box) arrived from BT and is all now connected. 

What is amazing is that we no longer need a satellite dish. Everything comes to our TV by Wi-Fi. How things have changed over the years. We no longer need an aerial, no more cable running from the router, no more satellite dish. Hello Wi-Fi. 

Fast X, Hypnotic and Chevalier

 

Not sure if the script was decent as there was too much mumbled dialogue in Fast X. I cannot remember seeing any of the previous nine films in the Fast and Furious franchise. Apparently they all star Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez etc. But it's just one stunt after another. Occasionally these were totally impressive. It was interesting to see other members of the cast including Helen Mirren (she's only six months younger than me but time has not been kind), Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, Jason Statham and Charlize Theron. The baddie (Jason Momoa) could have done with at least one sidekick. I was not convinced. I thought the film had elements of the Mission Impossible franchise and later found out that so did other people. Someone said that it was "dumber and more delicious than ever". Sorry but I had nothing with which to compare. What was really disappointing was that at the end I found out that this movie was the first in what maybe a series. The ending was a cliff-hanger right out of Saturday morning pictures. Just like the trailer for the new Mission Impossible told us that this will be over two movies. A joke, right?

I could not make up my mind whether Ben Affleck was deliberately trying to be an idiot, or whether this came naturally. Robert Rodriguez' s Hypnotic. is a reasonable science fiction thriller about people who have powers of hypnotism. It could have just been a fantasy movie but it tried to keep it's feet on the ground. Again some expensive stunts and it didn't outstay it's welcome.  

Chevalier is a  historical drama loosely based on the life of Joseph Bologne who wowed the French court in the mid eighteenth century. Or so we are led to believe. There is no doubt that he was an extremely talented classical composer and musician. A virtuoso violinist, a top class fencer is there nothing at which he did not excel? The story of the son of a slave and a plantation owner was always interesting in the absence of any other decent drama. A typical American production who, when faced with a foreign location, stuff the cast with British acting talent. Good for them. Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton, Sian Clifford and Minnie Driver play alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr as Bologne. He was OK but it needed someone with more personality.

Asteroid City - the trailer

 

I have now seen the trailer for Asteroid City a couple of times and I still cannot believe it included two songs from my youth. It was in 1957 that Johnny Duncan and the Blue Grass Boys had a hit record that went to No 2 in the UK charts at the height of the skiffle craze. I was twelve. It was originally a Trinidadian calypso song.

Also in the trailer is another skiffle hit. Freight Train by the Nancy Whiskey and Chas. McDevitt Skiffle Group was recorded in 1956 and made it to No 5 in the UK charts.. It was written by Elizabeth Cotten in the early 20th century. All I want to ask is ..... how come Wes?

Garden in June

 

There seem to be more flowers on the roses this year. Below is "Blue for You" that must like it next to a wall.

The white rose is the tallest and just coming into flower.

The yellow rose has it's first flower.

There are three roses in the long border, a little behind the other but are now looking good.

Next to the conservatory is the blue Aubretia that nearly covers the path.

The giant Poppy in the hot bed is doing great.

A blue Iris popped up in the middle of the Cornflowers but did not last. I must clear some space for it next year.

The Weigelia that I cut down last year has it's flowers back.

The revival of the Hypericum Hidcote continues. 

The same for the Clematis Montana.

The Philadelphus by the side patio is in full flower despite the infestation of black fly.

And finally, these are the two trees that were in existence before we moved in nearly 32 years ago. First the Common Elder at the very far end of the garden.

And lastly on the other side of the fence on a piece of ground that nobody seems to own is the giant Robinia Pseudoacacia. See separate post.

The Main Border in winter and summer

 

It was in July last year that I last published a post on the main border But here is a comparison with today's photo above and below how the border looked in February. On the far right above is the Philadelphus Dainty Lady.

Then the border really came into life in May with the Alliums and Giant Poppy in flower.

I have not planted anything new this year, but all the old perennials have loved the rain in early Spring and now the weeks of sunshine. I have to start with the Delphinium Pacific Giant. In the bottom corner is the Lupin I thought was lost.

The pink Astrantia are doing well in a number of places.

As is the Veronica Shirley Blue.

The blue geranium is just right at the front of the border.

The larger poppy compliments the Alliums which are now past their best.

For some reason the Honey suckle never produces many flowers, but it does cover the fence.

There is another Delphinium which has not yet flowered. Watch this space.