Carrington

I was surprised when the DVD of Carrington arrived on Friday as I had just added to my list of some fifty films I wanted to see over the next year, if I decide to continue with my subscription. I may take a break as I have the 4400 series to view as well as The West Wing and the Jazz history and I have added further trips away arising for an autumn sale of Travel Lodge rooms for £9.

Critics are divided about the merits of the film and after experiencing I reached the conclusion that I agreed with both wings of the debate. I usually agree with what James Berardinelli has to say and I concur when he describes the film about the seventeen year relationship between Lytton Strachey played by Jonathan Pryce and Carrington (Dora) played by Emma Thomson as “a special love story that challenges the intellect with as much vigour as it touches the heart.”

I cannot remember if I acquired my copy of Lytton’s great work Eminent Victorians, the brief biographies of Cardinal Manning, Florence Nightingale, Thomas Arnold and General Gordon before or after Michael Holroyd’s Lytton Strachey, but it is a decade or two since I read either. Once I reopened the Holroyd and read his account of what happened when he first visited the psychoanalyst younger brother who translated the complete works of Freud into English and whose wife was also a psychoanalyst. I wanted to read his book again.

Lytton Strachey remains known for having created a new approach to the writing of biography which was honest, contained the latest psychological insights and which combined irreverence and wit with a sympathetic understanding (Wikipedia). Born in 1880 to Lieutenant General Sir Richard Strachey, he grew up as part of a large upper class Victorian family. Lady Strachey had a total of thirteen children of which Lytton was the fifth son and eleventh child, ten of whom survived into adulthood. His mother is described as a enthusiast for languages and literature and a leading supporter of the women’s suffrage.

Lytton was a child prone to ill health and his frail, nervous and quiet personality which led to a number of schools before spending six years at Cambridge where he wrote verse and was a member of the Cambridge Apostles who included, Bertrand Lord Russell, the philosopher educationalist, writer and activist, the economist James Maynard Keynes, the writer E M Foster, Leonard Woolf, the political theorist, write and publisher, civil servant and husband of Virginia Woolf and Clive Bell, the Art Critic. Together with Virginia , Bell, artists such as Roger Fry and Duncan Grant they formed what has become known as the Bloomsbury Group which in a addition to representing an important aspect of art and literature between the two World Wars, was also known for their complex bohemian behaviour which at one level was frequent bed hopping crossing sexual boundaries.

Lytton was not typical of the upper classes at this time, because although hopeless at the practicalities of life. used to servants and what to day we describe as “carers” he possessed a genuine concern for the plight of others and maintained a wish to express the realities of life and relationships. He was an open homosexual with a love of young men and a succession of relationships of varying length and quality.

Dora Carrington was an artist who painted for the enjoyment of working and what she achieved and did not wish to exhibit or sell. I know that feeling well. It is my work, it is me, it part of me. She attended, through scholarship, the Slade School of Art in London where she became part of a set who decided to abandon the concept of Christian and Surname and be known by a single name, in her instance Carrington. Boyish in appearance she was sexually chased by male artists from the Slade former students Paul and John Nash, Christopher R W Nevinson and the most passionate suitor of all Mark Gertler with whom she became “engaged.”

In the film she encounters Strachey, thirteen years her senior, at the home of a mutual friend. He was attracted to her seeing her as boy until realising she was female but this led to him testing his sexuality with her. A virgin until her twenties, unique for an art student in that era. Gertler turned to Strachey for advice and help in his seduction of Carrington but this led Strachey and Carrington to set up home and share a bed together straddling the period when Strachey moved from poverty and dependence on family support and his self described dark period to comparative prosperity after the Eminent Victorian and to full independence with his subsequent work on the life of Queen Victoria.

While the film depicts some of her work and approach to art and makes reference to Lytton writings, the film concentrates too much on attempting to portray the sexual life of the duo and complex entanglements which followed. Dora married an army man who is depicted as a fascist who wanted all pacifists shot, yet had a relationship with Lytton despite knowing he had refused the army call up and was saved from imprisonment, unlike Bertrand Russell, whose trial he attended, because of medical unfitness. Later after divorce the husband married Francis who became a fully fledged member of the Bloomsbury set and contributed to the biography once the younger brother and literary executor agreed to the venture. Although he film makes no direct reference, Dora is known to have been a lesbian as well as enjoying heterosexual relationships.

This bring me to the review of Christopher Null who asks who was this Carrington and why make a film about her, and more fundamental, what was the point being made in the film? Why make a film about her and not Lytton Strachey? I asked the same question but agree with Barardenelli that the sex scenes are more artistic tableaux than erotica and to which I add that for me the point of the film is two fold. First that it is possible to love and live with someone without owning them or exploiting them sexually and psychologically and secondly that it is possible to have a rich loving life with someone without having what is regarded as normal sexual relations. The problem with this outlook and behaviour is not religious or moral as such but the impact of such a lifestyle on children if there are children and on others if the individual is a role model of some kind. One can imagine how the international media today would have treated the lives of those in the film and all those part of the Bloomsbury set, however loosely an involvement an individual had.

I wrote this before reading Holroyd’s introduction to his revised work which separates the biography from the Literary Criticism and had to force myself from abandoning the rest of my day and week and reading the work in order to complete my intentions for the day and week. Although I have now a growing pile of books to read or reread before I die in one corner of this room and which I suspect will continue to lat there unless I am able to complete my main work and live on, this one I need to tackle after finishing the book about Durham cricket Club as I am to spend so much time watching matches this season unless the team falls apart and reverts to providing other teams with points and cup final places as of old. I can barely find a passage way across the room to the door or reach some bookshelves because of the quality of stuff on the floor. I need to ration the time between activities as I do not have the inclination or energy to devote myself to just photographing work or attending to half completed work sets and will take off into a flight of fancy. The hardest thing is to ignore something appealing which will stimulate and distract me further away from what I need to do. I need to finish this, wash and get myself out into the sunshine as there is roast chicken for lunch with the Boro at Arsenal on TV the Bahrain Grand Prix, Blackburn and Wigan, The London Marathon highlights, the TV Bafta and a Lost Special, There is also a Friend’s Provident cricket match. Durham have a day off before their trip to Somerset.

The Assisi Undergorund

After a relaxed morning I thought disaster had struck. Since moving I have hot water and heating at the flick of a switch, although at a price, and then this morning I suspected the switch had fused or worse. I had to boil a kettle for the washing up. It took a few minutes to gather myself and determine the order of priorities for the rest of the day. There is another clear blue sky outside although the weather is changing on the west coastal and inland areas. We had the best of temperatures yesterday and the south east today. I will have to find out what the weather is going to be like for the cricket. I needed good soulful music.

Billie Holiday A to Z Volume 2
Don’t Explain
Easy Living
No Good Man
Porgy
The Blues are brewin
Big Stuff
Where is the sun
I must have that man
Sun Showers
He ain’t got rhythm
The last affair
Let’s call the whole thing of
I am painting the town red
I wished on the moon
If you were mine
Twenty four hours a day
Life begins when you are in love
Miss Brown to you
Mandy is two
Am I blue
Let’s do it

Jim

My tendency when faced with a plethora of things to do which I do not fancy is to leave them all rather than work out an order of priority and work through that. Yesterday I tried to do better

I vacuumed the downstairs and paid off the credit card. Then it was time for a very boring job, sorting out the passwords for this and that, deleting removing ones no longer used or replaced and getting then in some kind of list. Then I had great success with sorting out the telephone account finding that I was over £80 in credit and this be paid direct into my bank account, I also reduced the monthly direct debit. Next week I shall concentrate on the gas and electricity account although I am less optimistic about a similar outcome.

I then spent the rest of the morning sorting our financial records and enjoyed three lamb chops with vegetables for lunch before tackling the heating and hot water problem. I first tried the switch before making the telephone call and it was working again, and has since.

Later I tackled set finishing and made good progress, maintaining the target of three new sets a day. I need to undertake some more photographing of completed sets as there is now a substantial backlog. I also need more artman cards.

I went to Wilkinsons’ in the hope of finding a replacement coffee filter pot without success and on return found that I and some filter papers, over five years old, and the filter paper holder which could make more than the one cup should the need arise and meanwhile I will continue to use the single cup filter pot which uses less coffee. At Azda I bought a gammon joint which I decided would make a better filling for rolls and which I cooked in the evening in readiness for the morrow. I bought some grapes, lettuce, milk, stir fry prepared vegetables, stir fry sauce, olives, ginger spice, crackers although may have lost one box perhaps it is still in the car! It was.

I paid attention to the politics show where the build up is for a savage middle income hitting budget and reduction in public expenditure. My bet if for major hits on the very rich to assuage public anger. I shall take a radio with me to the cricket just in case it is not shown in the Members lounge.

There was a fuss about the Prime Minister making a film for You Tube about his idea to abolish the second home allowance but instead pay members from out of London constituencies an attendance allowance. He then asked to the see the other party leaders to discuss the idea and theirs No one was fooled by this last minute attempt to wrestle the initiative away from the opposition and attempt to placate the angry masses

It is rare for a cinematic film to be faithful to the true story being depicted. Father Rufino Niccacci 1911 1967 was a friar and priest who became the Father Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery of San Damiano in Assisi. In 1943 he was directed by his Bishop Placido Nicolini (James Mason) and the secretary of the Bishop, Aldo Brunacci, who was also chairman of the Committee to Aid Refuges to provide help to Jews fleeing from the Nazi extermination. In the film, the Assisi Underground, Rufino is played by Be Cross and communicates his understandable concern at the implications of such a mission, not for himself but for the clergy and parishioners who would do the looking after, provide the false documentation and try and help them reach the allied forces who were making their way through Italy from the south. When the Germans made leaving the town almost impossible a total of 300 Jews were hidden in local monasteries and convents and in the homes of individual Catholic Parishioners who all risked execution for what they were doing. As Ronald Regan former US President remarked at a gathering of Holocaust survivors in 1983, a slip of the tongue by anyone could have condemned the entire community to the camps, yet they did not yield.

Billie Holiday A to Z volume 3
My Man
Easy Living
Travelling Alone
I’ll get by
My First Impression

After the war he founded a small community of destitute Christians and Jews near to Assisi and later became the parish priest at his birthplace town of Deruta where after his death a street was named in his memory. A year after his death a book was published on his experiences written by Alexander Remati who went on to direct the film

When a woman loves a man
I’m gonna lock my heart
On the sentimental side
You can’t be mine
I can’t believe that your
If I were you

It is impossible know if the priest was satisfied with the portrayal of his role which goes a considerable way to reminding that there were many priests in Europe, including Germany who sacrificed their lives in the true practice of the Christian faith and the film states that some 30000 priests were executed by the Nazi regime. In the film the local commander is portrayed as a Catholic with an understanding of the importance of city and does what he can to protect the church and the priest, together with the city which the German High Command wanted devastated before their departure.

I’m pulling through
I’m all for you
Some other Spring
You are just a no account
You are so desirable
Say it with a kiss

There are two matters which are factual. One of the nuns at her convent is played by Alessandra Mussolini born 1962. The grand daughter of Mussolini became a controversial conservative politician and is at present a member of European Parliament. Sophia Loren is her aunt. She was educated at the American Overseas High school in Rome and is a graduate of Rimini. She has three daughters and a son Benito who has also taken her maiden name. She also won a Golden Globe for A special Day in 1977

Under a blue jungle moon
Hell my darling
More than you know

The second fact is that the portrayal of the Italian International cyclist during the war is accurate. Gino Bartelli 1914-2000 won the Tour de France 1938 and the Giro Italia in 1936 and 1937.

Georgio Nissim, a Jewish Italian, founded an organisation to help Jews escape the persecution, after meeting the Pope and with the help of the Archbishop of Genoa and the Franciscan friars. After his death his sons discovered from his diaries that Bartali had used his training runs to visit where the Jews were hiding, and collected the photographs needed for the forged identity papers and travel permits. He also used his position to learn when the Germans were raiding safe houses and warn those at risk. He also assisted Assisi underground and helped in the escape of Jews heading for the Swiss border. Regardless of the risks there are always human being prepared to risk and give their lives because of beliefs, for the welfare of others or as in the case of Rufino and Bartali, because it was the right thing to do at the time, and the situation in which they found themselves.

the Human Factor and Oliver Twist

I awoke and could hear what I interpreted as a nearby house alarm but it seemed to continue on and on as I dozed and came too several times and there I wondered and then I realised what it was and that from 8.30 until 9.48 the buzzer had been my unpacked disconnected alarm clock, but with battery, in the one of the travel bags, somewhere in the house. Just as well the neighbours on the side of the house are away and there is the open patio space on the other.

It has been a leisurely day and commenced with opening and sending a Christmas card and the decision to write an overview of the year, something I used to do, but stopped two years ago. There was no attempt to be comprehensive, and it proved a longer than had time for experience, as I attempted to distil priorities and summarise.

I made do with soup and then there was another letter and card and decisions to sort out this and that, a visit to the Council's environmental centre to dispose of accumulated rubbish, but the pong from the decaying prawn heads and shells was such that I decided to do the supermarket first and acquire some air freshener, but before that I took my suit to the dry cleaners, also my main car wearing coat, but the label was machine washable so it came back via the post office and supermarket where a lot of time was used finding the air freshener, which proved essential once the rubbish was in the vehicle.

It was not until just before the new five day production of Oliver Twist that I felt the need for food, Chinese style chicken wings, a generous carton followed by a puff pastry mince pie. The Oliver Twist is yet to compete with the most recent film production strangely omitted from the Daily Mail Role Replay information which mentions the original 1948 film and the 1968 musical. Oliver Twist is the story of the Male Supremacist nature of early Victorian society ranging from the attitude of the mother of Oliver Twist and the abuse and exploitation of Nancy and the way the ready way in which the upper and middle classes relished sending street children who committed offences to the gallows, on prison ships to the colonies or to hard labour in prisons, or the workhouse. The pervading attitudes of those are still heard on daily chat shows such as five live.

I was then looking forward the last Spooks as there was no advance showing last week but fell soundly asleep. I woke again in time of a gem of a programme about three women who went in search of their parents, two fathers and one mother. The two fathers were found through the Salvation Army service both with positive outcomes but sadly the woman who has spent nearly two decades trying to find if her mother is alive and two years actively enquiring since the death of her father had by the end of the programme failed to make any progress. The national release of a photograph tonight will hopefully produce the breakthrough for her.

I have written before about the power of this drive to know and how society makes this difficult by allowing mother to register births without information about the name and known circumstances of the biological father

Of course there will continue to be deceptions with false information provided and circumstances where the information is not known or where the circumstances are tricky, but as with adoption there should be opportunity when a young person reaches adulthood to be given the option to obtain the available information, with advance counselling provision if requested. The secrecy is often from the best of intentions and there are sometimes other children or family members whose protection is just as significant at the time, but the power to know should carry a right. The kind of crude bestial justice which is part of the Muslim faith in many countries and supported by national laws in relation to the behaviour and position of women, and as used to be and still is the attitude towards the female in predominantly Catholic nations and which underlines the hypocrisy of the male attitude to the Mary's in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, is symptomatic of male supremacist societies. The way the House of Commons is organised with the gladiatorial combat of Prime Minister's Question Times is another and oh for a Prime Minister with the self confident guts to refuse to perform for their party and for the benefit of the medias, for opposition leaders with similar self confidence, guts and integrity.

And what is this nonsense of the latest sound bite politics of the Liberal Democrats, power to the people, regardless of consequence in terms of justice as fairness, Hullo just as it is fair, is it? for English families to pay for the Scots to enable their children to go to University without the mill stone of charges or for the elderly to retain the value of their savings when they require residential care or comprehensive care, we are now to support the reactionary Liberal notion that it is OK if those who are interested in power holding decide to introduce fascist approaches to the running of hospital or schools, or reintroduce poor law type institutions, of course liberals don't, so why spout the claptrap echoed by Paddy Ashdown and no doubt the assembly of other former party leaders rejected by heir own members or the country at one time or the other, and two men again after the party demonstrated as all the major parties do their ageism. The hypocrisy of attitudes towards, children, the old and the female has not changed although in society in general there is change with recent examples the Queen demonstrating what a better job she has done than any man or that splendid engineer project coordinator for the St Pancras enterprise. This is not an issue of physiological prejudice but of attitude and approach.
This work of tracing missing parents is one role for the Salvation Army who apparently is able to trace 80% of the 4000 requests for help each year and merits greater public recognition. The figures mean over 30000 quests have been solved in the past decade alone.

I then finished the evening with a poor Le Carre type spy traitor film based on a Graham Green, The Human Factor, the last film of the Man with the Golden Arm Otto Preminger and a screen play by Tom Stoppard. The film has nothing original in terms of story and characterization and is light years away from series such Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The double Spy, is Nicole Williamson an actor who has never been convincing or impressed me with a cast of many talents, Richard Attenborough, Robert Morley, Sir John Gielgud and Derek Jacobi and I could have been better employed with my time but once commenced I felt obliged to see it through.

Yesterday was the penultimate programme about the Queen featured the number of official visits, a Royal Garden Party and an aborted visit to open the new Arsenal Football club and broadened to other family members with Charles and Camilla travelling to organic farmers and them meeting farmers in a local pub. The Garden party was interesting because it is regarded as a treat for those who will not make it to an investiture. People dress expensively and queue for half an hour to get in but are given free entry into the Palace and a scrumptious tea of fine fare before being gathered in lines for a family walkabout in which individuals are pre selected to have a few words said to them by the Queen. On hot days as the summer of a year ago, so distant now St Johns was much in demand. Those who are considered VIP's have their own Marquee and a special walk walkabout session. The one important conclusion from the series which has its last episode at Christmas is the serious effort which the firm makes to fit in and understands contemporary society at all levels. It is difficult for anyone wanting to do the job and to attempt consistent professional perfection for decade upon decade. The nature of his task was wonderful portrayed by one stupid woman who drags her mother and son around the country to wave flags and get a close up of the Queen. At one level she was awful cringing embarrassing and one wondered how many of the flay wavers were of this ilk, but she also fulfils an important constitutional function that our brings in he tourist need for the public flag waver, and in fairness I would rather have her as Queen follower than yet another idiot giving credence that those waste of space personalities to contribute nothing to society except their lack of substance.

At last someone has said in the media what I have long suspected, that just as those behind the TV telephone competitions were able to fix outcomes with thousands continuing to phone with no chance of winning, the question has been asked of the X Factor and were thousands prevented from phoning in order to fix the outcome? How could a margin of 1% change to 10% so quickly? Did the earlier votes still count?

The Good Girl and some politics

Oh dear me after finding time to write I managed to lose everything before saving and decided not to immediately rewrite in disgust with myself and there is no heart for starting to rewrite as there are more important things to do to think and write about.

One reason is that I have spent so much energy earlier yesterday and to day that I need have a break. I watched a dreadful film which as soon it commenced I realised I had seen on TV. This was Jennifer Anniston as the Good girl. Now here is the plot a boring small town housewife with a husband who is a painter decorator finds it difficulty to get out of work clothes because he spends most of the day stoned on pot with his best mate and then watches awful television programmes on a clapped out TV hopping his life will change dramatically for the better when he proves he is a man by his wife giving birth. His wife works in one of those awful small town supermarkets which should make every educated American cringe and seek social asylum anywhere and she is ripe to be allow herself to be seduced by a pretentious young fantasist whose parents consider him to me an embarrassing disappointment although in fairness the film suggests that he is surprising good in bed which the type rarely are.

The film signposts that the husband is going to be tested as infertile just at the time that wife not only is regularly bonking the younger man who is no good as a supermarket assistant but allows herself to be blackmailed by, guess who, of course the husband best friend because he is only is best friend to cast covetous eyes on the Mrs and finding that she is bonking the young man sees his chance to gain the carnal knowledge and of course she is daft enough to get pregnant and hullo, the husband is not as thick as we have been led to believe and works out that she must have been sleeping with someone else.

None of like to move out of our comfort zone for too long so when she has the opportunity to run off with the young after he robs the supermarket leaving the evidence to identify him she funks her opportunity, turns him in so he gets shot dean American style and she is left to stew in her own soup although every indication her husband will bring up the child as his own and turn him into one of those nice young men whom will do is draft and come home in a body bag without understanding why.

I rarely slam something this way but its greatest crime is to set out to be a serious and intense film about USA small town life

Yesterday was bitterly cold and much time was spent after going quickly to Newcastle trying to ensure that I did not catch a cold. It would have been my fault as I went out unprepared, I also made the mistake of going to a long stay car park when the short stay was not only closer to the station entrance but a little cheaper. I found out that the two bookshops within sight of each other are now owned by the same firm with an identical range of books, This worked in my favour because while the first had almost every map except the one I wanted the second had every map.

Earlier I had paid a visit to the home where my mother had been resident for three years to collect a letter that had been sent to her and which made be explode in amazement. However it will have to be left until after my next mini trip as the main item of activity will take up to the last minute to finish.

Yesterday and today the TV has been political. Yesterday I thought the Prime Minister was nearly back to being his own man at Question time and Cameron was off key although what he seemed to be doing si trying to leave the British Public media with the idea that Brown is a loser who cannot cut the mustard. Vince Cable is showing how wrong his party is because he has the Commons feel and ability, an appears a sound man but considered unacceptable because of his age and the belief the country needs another half baked political leader. Tonight was question time where the government spokesperson was put on the rack over the decision of the PM to attend a two hour session with the chairs of Parliamentary committees before going over to Europe to sign the Europe Treaty and because he then flew home staying away from the evening junket leaving it to my local Member of Parliament who happens to the Foreign Secretary. The last political nightcap of thee year did a scrooge with Christmas past present and the future appearing and had Vince Cable dancing with a Come Dancing star. The decision of the show to include personalities with no political background and nothing to say just to. Well I am not sure what. Because this is a programme for the political chattering classes

I also watched an interesting programme of kidology which made much of the ending of debutants in the late 50's because as Princess Margaret was known to say, any tart could get in whose parents had the brass. The object had been to ensure that those of upper class good breeding intermarried with others of the same social class. The girls who also included those from the colonies went a finishing schools, I once accepted an invitation to a social event as a finishing school under the apprehension that it was a home for elderly people, and then a year full of dances and events such as Ascot, Henley perhaps Wimbledon and Polo at Windsor, some hunting and shooting and were expected to remain virgins in the hope of the iond of marriage which would set themselves up for life and where according the rules once you produced to sons, in case the first did not make it for one reason or the other you were free to do your own thing, discretely. Having explained why the event had become redundant, thrown in that out of the past crop of 1400 1500 one had become a communist writer and journalist and one joined the IRA and went to prison, one of four went to university and another had a significant career, two of the last ladies had tea with four of twos crops…. Shush you did not know they existed well it is presented as a different king of event.. The Royals tend to be foreign and minor, the events are branded as good works for charities and the gals, well they want do good work or make money in the city so the evenings are good networking and of course they all go to college and uni, the right uni of course and the right set, is where you expect to make a match if you don't get already invited to the right parties and other social events. Hullo I thought can you explain to the difference.

And Hullo there was this programme which suggested that all the efforts to end social inequality had failed in that surprise surprise children from poor homes went to poor schools failed to make good progress educationally and ended up in poor jobs, irrespective of their ability while children from homes with money, and books, whose parents talked to them etc got them to good schools where they rapidly overtook the children for poor homes, irrespective of their abilities. An hullo there are some educated people who are shocked to find this is so. Hullo don't you know what made Britain great was its class structure, rituals and traditions which was strong enough to embrace the men of wealth, the women who were good in bed and to looked good on the arm. However access was controlled and restricted. The problem is that it was all the open and every one knew their place and how move up or down according to inclination and with the majority content to stay where they were. When you try and ban anything all that happens is that goes underground, becomes secretive and more clever in disguise.

A Shot at Glory

I have just watched one of the better films about football and the fans and supporters of lower division clubs although it was full of clichés, it hit the right note, including sound track by Mark Knofler and was a cut above the usual for this genre by a great performance by Robert Duvall, and a supporting cast heavyweight Brian Cox. Through out the film I knew I knew the co star but it was only afterwards I realised he was one of the great Scottish centre forwards of all time Ally McCoist of Rangers who I first saw play as a young lad at Sunderland where he never delivered the high expectation until he went back to his homeland, subsequently following his career as a consequence, enjoying his commentating and pleasantly surprised to find that he was also able to act. Ally played at Ranger for 15 years 581 appearances and 355 goals, winning 8 league titles 9 League cups but only 1 Scottish Cup. He played 61 games for Scotland and after retirement in 1998 he became a TV commentator and pundit until earlier this year he went into Management as an Assistant to Walter Smith at where, Rangers, where else!

In the Robert Duvall never won anything as a player and missed out on big time management refusing to speak to his former colleague now manager of Rangers for two decades or his daughter who married someone of a different religion and where in Scotland Catholics supporting Celtic and the Orange Order Protestants Rangers (the role played by McCoist) who is bought in by a new owner who warns that if they do not get into the big time he will transport the team to Ireland. The team has become the talisman for the small Scottish town with a good Salmon river nearby and picturesque countryside. McCoist the actor has all the problems associated with get rich and famous players, drink dependency and a fierce temper, cannot resist the women who throw themselves at him or engage in fisticuffs with opposing fans, opposing players and anyone who insults or abuses him. However the team to win promotion from division two to one and then aim for the Premiership and get to the Cup Final, against who, why Rangers of course and then what happens you must see the film.

Bella Mafia, Notes ona Scandal, Mandalay

Yesterday I became angry, more angry with myself for being angry. I will restrain myself from disclosure about the details for now, although it is the kind circular administrative incompetence which makes one weep. It concerns a bank. Banks can lose billions and write of billions in debts. But when it comes to sorting out comparatively small amounts of money, they are full of promises and explanations which turn out to be hollow and in some instances false. Watch this space.

This has been a difficult two days for several reasons and I was managing well by making good progress in my work have completed the first 80 pages of mainly descriptions and colour photographs, mostly four a page, of Rivera 2007, the re-emergence of the riverside of the Tyne and the Wear and of the glories of the open spaces and coast in between. The second part will be completed by Christmas. The work has become an escape from the emotions of other experience.

There is a limit to the amount of time devoted to the work and I need a gap between first writing, correcting and redrafting and final rewrite corrections of words. If I do not do this then mistakes occur which I do not seem because what I see is what is in my head and which not necessarily what appears on paper. I had thought I had completed all the writing but when I transferred from album used when there was to be just one volume to a matching pair I reread and needed further amendment and correction although these were minor and only three or four. I could be more precise as I have the drafts, but there is no inclination to check. I have completed the parks and open spaces, except for the photographs of Roker Park and the rechecking of the description. I will have a mini break now and then complete before Christmas.

In between this work I have been watching films of varying interest, impact and quality.

The most entertaining and least significance was a war film Churchill's something in which a British identical twin replaced his German counterpart in order to be in the position to facilitate a combined operation of partisans and parachuted troops to blow up a dam. He is undone when put the test by a suspicious Gestapo man but the mission is successful with the usual Boys won heroics, self sacrifices and nail biting last second luck.

The second was of little more consequence although it has gone down well with fans who have subscribed to GMovies. It was great and sensitive said one, the best Mafia I have seen. I agreed with the comment that this two two hour mini series was helped by having Vanessa Redgrave and Natassja Kinski their spelling, star. The film has a novel idea of what happens when all the men of a Mafia family are killed by ambitions other heads of families and the widows and one fiancée decide to take revenge electing one of their number to head the family after she kills the person who carried out the murders, but only to find it is the son placed for adoption when she was recovering from a car accident. This type of film creates sympathy for the plight of individual characters but must ensure that there is a heavy condemnatory morality in which crime must not seen to pay when all the evidence is that in relation to the Mafia it has.

In this film the reason for the car accident is that a girl is attempting to see the head of the family because she has been left with the child after his eldest son was killed in a vendetta. She then marries another son with the approval of the family head and is thrilled when she presents a son, of twins. These are also slaughtered with the men folk and her first born having run off from the priests after the adoption failed, is taken up by the another family who have a grievance against his father's family. You get the drift? However I liked the notion of women becoming even more ruthless and effective at running a Mafia family than the men. Why should anyone think this would not so? The title Bella Pasta, sorry I mean Bella Mafia, coming to think of it Bella Pasta is a better idea as I have enjoyed several meals in these eating houses. When I have nothing to do I will watch the whole thing in case I have been unfair. sometime.

The daughter of a crime boss is also the subject of the third film Manderlay which I disliked as much as Dogsville first of the Lars von Trier trilogy USA Land of Opportunities. In both films the director uses a small sound stage with a plain surface, so it is play where acting is used to conveys time and place. In Dogsville it is a cut off community who embraces the daughter of the gangster and then turns on her and in Manderlay it is a southern plantation in which the head blackman has conspired with the lady owner to keep the rules of slavery because both feared change and decided that the black workers and their families would not cope in the outside world or in an unstructured set up. The regime including lashings for misdemeanours. As with Dogsville the writer Director is able to attract major stars, Nicole in the first and Lauren Bacall in the second. In both films there is a large cast.

By coincidence, otherwise there would be no film, the gangsters arrive at Manderlay as someone is to be lashed and the daughter sees this as an opportunity to intervene and she stays with some of the other gangsters who act as enforcers and protectors. The daughter creates a commune in which the rest of the white family work for their keep, including the blacking up of faces which was a nice twist, but because of a dust storm their supplies are damaged and they all forced to eat dirt.. However the rescue some cotton plants which produce a good crop. At this point it appears that the gangsters who have been sent away job well done while the daughter decides to stay, only to believe they have stolen the profits. They have not but tell daddy who sends his daughter an ultimatum to leave or stay.

As with Dogsville she comes to realise that the pathway to hell is good intentions and first she is required by majority vote to execute the eldest former slave who has stolen the precious food provided a sick child who dies. Then she discovers the truth that the former white lay boss and head Blackman had cooked up the ongoing slave charter and then she finds that the Blackman previously saved from flogging and who now gives her a purely physical sorting which most women will regard as rape but which she adores, has stolen the money but which is rescued and returned, so she flogs him near to death. With that she goes off to the rendezvous with her father only to find he has been and gone and leaves a note praising for being a chip off the old block and therefore is has no anxiety at leaving in her in the hell she has created. Americans will understand the significance of all this better than me.

The fourth film was of a very different order and received some forty nominations for awards including Oscars in 2006. Notes on a Scandal has three outstanding performances, Dame Judy Dench as the malign vampirish in terms of consuming the personalities of other very lonely seen it done it school teacher which she is good at, especially controlling children, which is why so many teachers leave the profession soon after qualifying because of the absence of good order and consequent impossibility of teaching anything to anyone. I must do a blog about Dame Judy and her excellent actor Husband Michael Williams who sadly died in 2000. In this film Judy longs for a close relationship but is a relationship in which she is in control and seizes the opportunity fro emotional blackmail when she discovers that the new teacher, Cate Blanchette has been more than indiscrete with a 15 year old pupil and decides to sit on the information on the understanding that the relationship is ended. When she discovers that it has not she arranges for the discovery with the consequence of a police investigation, the break up of the marriage and ultimately ten months in the nick.

The part of the younger teacher is played by Cate Blanchette who also merits attention having made some forty films herself of varying quality by always commands great attention for her ability to communicate emotions and the person inside. She describes her character as someone where there is such a gulf between the person on the inside and outside that she commits hari kari as a means to get her to face her inner self. She also describes the problem of needing the imperative of marriage and motherhood but also needing to find a greater meaning and purpose to her life. She has devoted a decade to her older husband where the fire of the early relationship vanished with the task of bringing up a child with Down's syndrome, and a normal daughter into a rebellious teenager. The husband is played by one of my favourite men, Bill Nighy who supports what is essentially a two woman film but he is an essentially component in what makes the sum significantly greater than its parts or subject.

Spooks reverted back to the standard of the rest of the series and clearly si not coming to an end with the journalist now set on course to join the team but in place of who, not Ros me thinks, possibly Adam who was about to going out with a bang anyway before next week's official episode which is about the explosive type of bang. Having suggested it was not of the calibre of the previous outstanding episode there was some grim truth about this one. The Home Secretary has one of his staff arrange the killing of the whole of the spooks team as the price of peace with Iran and when confronted by the head of spooks the Home Secretary explains his dilemma in such a way that Harry, the had, can only agree, but adds the wearing if you step one inch out of line in relation to us in the future we will do you.

I thought Cameron went off the boil or out of steam today, and the Liberal Democrat Vince Cable appeared to flunk his lines whereas Gordon seemed back to his old self which suggests the counter offensive has commenced and this may include those within his own political party.

John Denver Story the film, Cranford and more

This has been a rambling day. I did not go to bed very late last night but when I awoke after the dawn, I did not feel ready to leave bed after going to the toilet and now only remember a series of getting's up, returning to bed and what seemed a long continuous dream so what when I did finally leave the bed it was 11.30 am and I cannot remember when last this happened as on previous occasions when I have got up during the night to work and retuned to sleep around 5 am was 9 or 10 the latest when I begin the new day. This morning for example it was 9 am after retiring at 2.30 am and I felt immediately ready for work although first the rubbish bin was put out, a cup of tea followed by toast and two games of level three chess, making twelve all have been won. 502 games have been played so far level 2 with 31 drawn and four losses and still the highest winning streak under sixty, but I have coming to know the opening variations so well that I rush and then mess up the end game despite being in strong impossible to lose and should not drawn positions. Given that about 150 other game, not recorded have been completed at this level I decided to postpone continuation for a few days and test out level three where the computer has not learnt by play.

A part reason for staying in bed yesterday morning was recovering from the cold of Saturday afternoon. I was half hearted about going with mind on something else and leaving it late I had not thought about the conditions after clearing up the mess in the patio from planting the spring bulbs on Friday when it had been mild, although freezing on Thursday, such rapid swings in temperature are unusual. I hope I have not left the bulb planting too late to get a early display although one solution would be to invest in a different set of containers one for bulbs and one for flowers. I had delayed because flowering plants bought April May were still in bloom at the end of November and some still are although the foliage withers.

Feeling the cold I had put going out trousers over tracksuit bottoms and worn a warm inner jacket under the outer coat. However the wind had a nasty cutting edge which everyone around me commented on despite being tucked under the roof of the stand. The majority of them had wisely brought hats which I must remember on the next occasion. It felt appropriate to suffer a little given mixed emotions about attending the event, and in general I believe in doing appropriate penance for my accumulated sins. At I was prepared not to enjoy the game, and it was so and I became so cold that I longed for the game to be over.

I had been cheered up by getting an email from U2UK after sending them my notes on encountering their vehicle and going to the gig at the refurbished Customs House and the email asked if the notes could be put on their web site. I had also invested £4.50 in the Eurodraw and both star numbers and come up, 7 and 9 with one other, so the win was £9.50, and then on Saturday night I won £10 which means that for this year I am still losing less than 50% of the money played and twice I hoped, how I hoped this time that the email's "we have some exciting news check you account" meant something better that yet another minor win. In respect of major prize I conclude it is not written, but taking the position of Omar Sharif than Peter O'Toole.

Although Sunderland started brightly you could (me and the rest of the 42000 home crowd) immediately felt the lack of confidence among the players after losing 7.1 with the manager admitting he had not left the house for two days such was the pain he had experienced. Twice before the team had made the Premier League in recent times and twice before they had been relegated in a humiliating way. It was vital for the club and for the town that this did not happen again. Saturday was to be the test day as the visiting team Derby, the Brian Clough brought to international fame is in the same position that Sunderland were in two seasons ago, bottom and with only six points against the leader's thirty six. They came for an honourable draw but when a short hit the post, you saw their confidence soar as ours departed further and the realised the game was for their winning, and in fairness the likely nil nil outcome would have a fair result.

At least the foul mouth racists, there had been at least two sitting in the seats behind at the game with Newcastle, perhaps two or three rows back, were not there and as there were several empty seats despite a good crowd, I hoped theirs was a one off visit in my location. I would not be faced with the dilemma of accepting the situation or initiating action which was my inclination but not my mood.

Both last season and in several matches this, an important goal was scored in final minutes. The stand on this side of the ground has been designed with only one level of exits where most others have two, and which leads to severe congestion at the end when all those at the lover levels take precedence, so I and those behind are usually stuck for five to seven minutes before being able to leave and which in turn means being in slow moving traffic all the way home, again not a problem if the team has played well and won. So having once before left early to visit my mother in hospital and had to watch the goal on the TV replay within the stadium I decided to leave more in hope than expectation that this would do the trick. It did and we scored a winning goal in extra time as I was half way down the stairs.

On the way back I called in at Asda to get a couple more Christmas Poinsettias, the last two they had in store such has been their popularity, so that I five from this season. The two from last year are twice as tall and although the flowers get smaller with each flowering and one has ceased to flower after nurturing for the year The first task on arrival home was to have a double whisky to remove the cold and kill any prospect of a chill. After an evening meal of fish cakes and chips, well at least it was better than the deep fat fried chips from the local take away chippy that I fancied, I settled down to an evening of work checking the writing and transferring the photos from four of the original five Rivera volumes into the what will be the first of a two set edition each of 80 pages, in matching albums bought in Newcastle the previous morning. I am using a monster 100 pocket, 200 sheet volume for the master edition. The work was not completed until this evening because I needed to make a few corrections and a couple of rewrites. I tell a lie as I need to print the last five pages of photograph views of the open spaces, which I have put off until tomorrow as there needs to be a cartridge change as the colouring is not right. I had difficulty in doing this once before the ink out sign comes up, but found the manual which for once contained the information which worked.

So getting up so late today meant no breakfast and time for Sunday Roast, a chicken breast in a tin foil container ready to go in the oven mark 5 for 45-50 mins and with small sausages and balls of stuffing, for £3 part of a 2 for £6 offer. Although the frozen roast potatoes required less time at a high setting, they were just right at the longer lower and it was an enjoyable meal accompanied by half a glass or port without ice and then some green grapes. The half breast, put to one side to cool, was then diced I will get some pasta or sweet and sour sauce tomorrow with boiled rice to make an evening meal. This evening I had two of the cheese baked topped rolls with some lettuce, tomato and slices olives after deciding the tomatoes needed to be eaten before a new bag of red, yellow, orange and green salad peppers. I finished the evening meal with two puff pastry mince pies and custard which was a little too sweet on reflection. Tuesday I will have a prawn omelette, possibly the other way round if the prawns have to be eaten by tomorrow and Wednesday a bass. Tomorrow finish the albums, and then commence Christmas cards and present wrapping, the latter I still have to obtain.

All this is no more than preamble for tonight's TV film experience and viewing, the John Denver story, and which commenced with the Antiques Road show, where I marvel at the treasures handed down within families, although the best treasure of what parents and grand parents can pass down is of themselves, but a few trinkets would have been nice. I was moved when a recent widow brought one of the gifts given by her husband and she was moved when told something of its history and value. She was someone who had known she had been loved. But not perhaps how much in terms of the value of the gift and you could see the wish on her face that she was no longer able to demonstrate her appreciation, a subject which I will return when I talk of the film. I also enjoyed the evident thrill of a military man when he was able to be told about the lady in a portrait, but which also confirmed the portraits were not of family members

Then the first of what proved to be three successive features which resulted in leaving album completion until the morrow. This episode of Cranford superseded the previous two with its three interwoven stories. The first centred on the bereaved Judy Dench whose dominating sister died suddenly last week. It emerged that wealthy farmer (Michael Gabon) had courted her thirty years before but she had been forced to decline his attentions because of parental opposition and family circumstances, including the running off of a younger brother to India from whom they had heard no more since learning that he had settled and was doing well. Last week the daughter of a neighbour had also said no to an army man off to India because of the feeling of duty to care for her father, who then announced he would be away a lot and during this week Judy Dench, the bereaved sister, made a point of letting the father know something of his daughter's situation, and I have a feeling that the two will be connected, the missing brother and the distant suitor. Encountering Judy last week Michael made obvious his continuous interest and she in him despite an absence of thirty years and appropriately chaperoned for the era she accepted an invitation and subsequently he comes calling and indicates the intention to propose after a brief trip to Paris. Alas he takes a chill and pneumonia on his way back and she is left once more with what might have been. Her sister had insisted that their live in help had no "followers" and is rebuked by Judy when she receives a valentine card the sending of which has come into fashion. After the death of Michael, Judy frees the girl to have a caller come once a week if he is approved of, such was the lot of household servants

The second story was more of a social commentary as the squatter, shack living, poacher, father of the boy who has been taken under the wing of the lady of the manor's estate manager is arrested on suspicion of stealing and assault, and faced a trial and banishment for life to labour in the colonies. The son wants his father to reveal that they were both poaching where the offence would be a fine of £5 or three months in jail, but this would also mean a similar sentence for the ten year old boy so father insists his son should remain silent. The son nevertheless reveals the truth to the estate manager who pleads the cause of the family with her ladyship who is persuaded to see the family conditions for herself, and who in turn ion Christmas eve summons the magistrate Member of Parliament, who pays the fine and enables the father to be freed for Christmas Day together with provision of work and no doubt an estate dwelling. A feel good story to balance the sadness of what might have been and the realities of mid Victorian life.

The good new young doctor has set his heart on the eldest daughter of the local Vicar and is persuaded by a visit college friend and fellow doctor to send her snow drops on Valentine's day after which her father suggested he be invited to call. However the visiting friend not only sends Valentines to the younger daughters of vicarage in fun, but to another spinster of the town who assume it is from the local young doctor who she has set her heart on. One feels there will be pain and disaster before some happy ending, if there is to be one. A Dickensian run in to Christmas with a new version of Oliver Twist announced at the time.

The second feature was the final episode of the three part programme on the Premiership of Tony Blair which as with the other was exceptionally honest about several matters, although alas I went to sleep as the after meal siesta arrived late, given the overall late start to the day.

Tony was convincing that he had been spontaneous in the words chosen to mark the death of Princess Diana but noteworthy was the failure to make any reference to the ongoing controversy about her death. He was honest about his dislike of a Cabinet government in which he was expected to listen to the debate of others and reflect heir majority viewpoint. Of course this is a civil servant's dream as it means they can lobby individual Ministers some of whom they will control and then play them off against each other and thus spoke anything too radical or which does not fit in with the consensus mood of the day among their numbers. One can imagine their horror when Tony pointed out he had an elected mandate and they were required to do his bidding and how they hated when he directed them through his inner circle, Tony wants this, or you to do that. Of course the style also affects the Cabinet who have a straight forward choice, accept the approach or be replaced. It also reduces the opportunity of back benchers to join in. Tony was also wise to follow the wisdom of keep your enemies close to you for that way you are more likely to learn of their intentions and machinations.

I increasingly am of the opinion that Gordon's mistake was to try and move from his natural Stalinists approach more Blair than Blair a position stringer with the Chancellor because of his control of all home affairs, hence Blair's concentration on Foreign affairs and Gordon's decision to give the Foreign Affairs job to David Miliband, thus leaving him to continue to control the homeland an area which the opposition was bound to make the strongest attack. I would to know the true story of the present furore over secret cash donations to the party. The opposition leader has clearly learnt from Tony's song book when both in opposition and in their first term they continued to produce catchy policy changes to interest the media over weekends and take attention away from troublesome problems and the opposition, forgetting they were in government and would be judged as the government. The problem was Iraq which quickly unravelled the personal power Blair had with the people, reflecting their mood, and which in turn unravelled his power within the Government and party thus freeing opponents to come out of their respective closets. Unfortunately I missed what he had to say about Iraq but I was awake for the praise from all sides about his handling of the situation in Ireland where friends and foe had warned him that the situation was beyond resolution with both sides hating each other as they had done for decade upon decade. That it took years to implement the Good Friday agreement on weapons abolition and then on power sharing in government takes nothing away from the importance of the achievement which was down to Blair with help from the USA.. Just think what would have happened if the Muslim fundamentalists had been able to fuel the extremists within the IRA and UDF?

It had been a good evening till then and awake once more I was tempted to go to bed or stay and work, but something made me give full attention to the John Denver story which could be said to follow many a traditional storyline for the lives of the famous. John came from a very well off middle class American home with his father being a great pilot and instructor who wanted his son to follow him in some manly occupation while John had the overwhelming created force for song writing and had acquired the ability to play the guitar with a pleasant but not outstanding voice. As with all driven creatives he wanted and could not other and success in terms of public recognition and the wealth which accompanied was secondary, although brought the usual challenges of what you do away from the adoration, the highs of live performance, of trophy seeking females, enough money for toys of any kind. There was also the not uncommon theme of finding someone to love and who loved back when he was poor and struggling and where there was no advance understanding of what they both wanted in later life or how they would each react to fame and success. The girl was and remained beautiful and desirable and wanted a not just a home and babies but a husband who played he normal roles as part of such a family and did as is normal react to the time he was away, the attention of others and time he of himself he gave to his work even when he was at home. She also had given up her own development for him and friction was inevitable when she turned to the study of psychology psychiatry and clinical work becoming a Doctor. Not helped was his lack of fertility although the solution of adoption appears to have helped his wife more than him and he was unable to relate to them any more than his father had to him.

John was four years young me and retained his youthful looks until his death at he age of 54. His zenith was in the 1970's and although he remained a successful recording and touring artist releasing 300 records half of which he composed himself. In the early 1980's his marriage ended and the film suggests that there was a combination of causes, an act of casual infidelity on his part, the never being there, especially when needed, aggravated by becoming involved with a host of political an environmental causes and his wife's decision to continue with what I presume had been her original career intentions as the children matured into adulthood. Then three events appeared to precipitate the break. Just when he commenced to establish the kind of relationship with his father that he had wanted, his father has a heart attack and dies. He is also dropped by his record company and only smaller companies are interested with the changes in pubic interest. Finally in a moment of anger at him she agrees to the cutting down of trees immediately around their home because of some water/drainage problem and John retaliates by taking a chain saw to the marital bed bought without consulting him. This act finishes the marriage although over time they are able to meet through their grown up children. Six years after the divorce John married an Australian actress and singer but this lasted only five years during which time after receiving medical treatment he was able to father a daughter. There was the suggestion of a reconciliation before his death when flying an experimental new plane.

The records. Leaving on a Jet Plane the hit for Peter Paul and Mary, Take me Home Country Roads, Rocky Mountain High, Sunshine on my Shoulders, Like a Sad Song. Baby you look good to me tonight, What's on your mind, and the best known of all Annie's song.