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Thursday 13 December 2012

Frost

frosted playing fields




An icy cold day with plenty of sunshine but temperatures barely getting above freezing.


dripping icicles in the sun

frosted snow-in-summer




Friday 30 November 2012

Holding back the waters...


Volunteers have been carrying out work in the dog-walking wood, including putting up a fence round the pond.

I'm not sure that the pond approves of this idea - it certainly is trying it's best to escape!

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Watery Derbyshire

We haven't had such heavy rain as some areas of the country but this was the river Derwent spreading itself over the fields just outside Derby on Sunday.






Water was also high at Rowsley - this is a mill lade, not a river!


but the ducks still seemed happy











and the sheep had found some dry ground at least





Friday 16 November 2012

Autumn walk - from the phone






carpet of beech leaves


                 

Sadly the photos are slightly blurred as I forgot to take the real camera and had to rely on the phone!

Saturday 10 November 2012

Of Mice and Men at Nottingham Playhouse



Somehow, despite reading a lot of Steinbeck at school - the Pearl and Grapes of Wrath spring to mind - despite there being a film of the book starring John Malkovitch, despite my teen who's reading it for English GCSE dropping lots of plot spoilers, I'd never read Of Mice and Men and had not even the faintest idea of the plot. The 'reading at school' probably gives a clue to my general attitude towards Steinbeck - once I've been put off something, I rarely try again - but after this performance I may have to change my mind.
Set in 1930s depression America, two drifting ranch hands, George and Lennie, have a dream - to get a little place of their own, with chickens and rabbits, alfalfa and fruit trees. All this depends of course on being able to earn and save the money to pay for it - and life is rarely that simple.
The whole play had a very disturbing violent undercurrent, culminating in a shockingly abrupt ending. A very different location but it reminded me of the desperation of the characters in They Shoot Horses Don't They? There were accomplished performances from all of the cast though I was particularly struck by those 'regulars' I've seen in different roles - Robin Kingsland and Mark Jardine, who I saw in last year's The League of Youth and John Elkington as 'George', a very different part to the one he had in the Importance of Being Earnest.
The major downside to the evening was picking front row upper circle seats. At the time of booking these seemed like the best left available but I wouldn't sit there again! Once the play had started it was possible to ignore the drop just in front of us but (obviously) everything is seen from above and I only realised today, seeing a promotional photo, how tall 'Lennie' was, dwarfing his friend 'George'! In future I'll pick downstairs stalls seats - even if they're towards the back.
I can't finish without a mention of the Star of the Show - Odie Bannerman, a blue merle Australian Shepherd, playing Candy's dog. I don't believe I'm seen a dog live on stage before - plenty of times in films where of course they have the chance of re-shooting a scene but never in the flesh. Odie was wonderfully behaved and completely stole the show!

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Homeland Series 3 - why?

I sat enthralled all the way through Series 1 of Homeland - the story of a US marine, captured by Arab terrorists and held by them for 8 years. Eventually he's released but has he been 'turned' by his captors? is he maybe suffering from Stockholm syndrome and identifying with them? Whichever, I was absolutely glued to the TV as his story unfolded - but then, after building to a big dramatic ending, a second series was scheduled and the first fizzled out like a damp firework.
We're now 3 episodes in to that second series - and I hear that there's going to be a third!
This should be a good thing, right?
Sorry but I don't think so. This series already seems to be ambling, diverting up by-ways and generally chasing its tail instead of moving forwards. OK, two of the episodes have ended with dramatic revelations but it's starting to feel a bit like nothing much happens then there's a build up just before the credits, much the way there is in a soap!
The thought of things being unresolved at the end of this series and dragged out into yet another makes me think I'll just give up now. It's such a shame as it's the one thing I watch regularly on TV. Still, The Killing III will be on soon and thankfully the Danes seem to know how to make a wonderful TV series AND how to make sequels to it.

Monday 8 October 2012

Shipley in Autumn



Big tree, little tree






 We've had a gorgeous sunny weekend so decided to make the most of it and visit nearby Shipley Park to catch leaves as their colours change






...and berries as they ripen





discover strange faces in the tree trunks..





                                                    .....and an unexpected cricket