Goodness Gracious Me!

 Friday. 5.25 a.m. It's bright and early, and I've already taken Alfie out. 

Yesterday, after going to The Oaktree Centre for Bible study and help with packing up Acorns, playgroup (I don't go earlier because it opens earlier than it used to. There are two sessions, and the second one finishes at 12.15.) I drove home and immediately went into the shopping centre to have a browse and go into Costa which is opposite Marks and Spencer. I had a cold drink, caramel (not sure what it's called), cheese and ham toastie and banana and pecan cake.  Very tasty. Then into Waterstone's. Bought two books, one from Anthony Horowitz, 'The Magpie Murders'. It's currently being shown on BBC1 and on 'Britbox', although I haven't watched it. I may once I've read the novel. The other, 'This Sweet Sickness', by Patricia Highsmith. I've read a couple of her novels, 'The Talented Mr Ripley' and 'Strangers on A Train' which was made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock. I think her novels are best described as psychological thrillers.

Saturday. 5.05 a.m. Alfie and I were out well before 5 o'clock this morning. He was doing his usual barking when he saw me getting ready to go out. The buildings in the city centre, which are normally seen from Oldbrook Green, were obscured by fog. Completely hidden by grey and gloom, but it was reasonably mild out.

12.20 p.m. My Sky mobile SIM contract will expire in June. I wasn't aware of this. I was under the impression that it was paid for with my iPhone payments, which are paid in instalments. I had an email informing me that this was about to happen and that I could end my contract or continue. I don't want to change to a different provider, so I telephoned the call centre (I was wondering if it should be open this morning, as it's a Saturday. Fortunately, it was. The young man who answered was extremely helpful. He informed me that I hardly use my data allowance, and he advised me to go for a lower allowance, which would reduce my costs considerably. So, I now have 6 GB of data and cost £7 per month. I also learned that my contract, which pays for the iPhone 12 I currently have, expires in June next year, meaning that I can upgrade to a newer model iPhone when the contract ends and the phone is paid off.

Sunday. 7.00 a.m. I have been up since well before 4 o'clock this morning. The reason was that there was a noise somewhere within Dexter House. I have a feeling an ambulance was called because someone fell over in the corridor, but I'm not sure, and I didn't investigate. Because I couldn't sleep, I read a chapter of my current book, 'Les Misérables.'  I did some clearing up in the kitchen and even cleaned the bath! I know, rather odd, but it's cleaner than it's ever been since I moved into the flat.

I took out Alfie at around 5.15, with him barking outside the bathroom door, where I get dressed. As I write this, the sun is shining and it's relatively mild.

2.45 p.m. I have been watching the National Theatre production of 'Much Ado About Nothing' on the National Theatre At Home app (and shown on my Hitachi HD television.) This production, which was originally in repertoire in the Lyttleton Theatre at the National Theatre's South Bank Home, is set in a 1930s hotel and has Katherine Parkinson as Beatrice and John Heffernan as Benedict. There was an element of a 1930s film musical about it, mixed with that of a Marx Brothers film, with mistaken identity and plenty of visual gags. I have also seen the David Tennant/Catherine Tate production of the same play, and, of the two plays, I think they had a far sense of chemistry than in the more recent National Theatre production.

Reading and Viewing- Part 1

So what have I been reading and watching recently? On the book front I recently completed reading 'High Minds,' by Simon Heffer. It was a hefty read, some 700-800 pages, taking things from around 1840 to around 1880. I have since ordered the next volume which is called 'The Age of Decadence' which takes things up until the start of the First World War, which I have already received from Amazon and then the third book, which is already available in hardback but comes out in paperback in around May-June and called 'Staring At God,' which covers the First World War. If these books are as well researched and written as the first volume, then they should make excellent reading. I can recommend the first one, but since I haven't started the next one, I can't as yet comment.

I next read 'The Old Vic: The Story of a Great Theatre- From Ken to Olivier to Spacey' by Terry Coleman. Right up my street, being something of a theatre fanatic and having worked in professional theatre myself. Carol and I went to see a production staged by Propellor Theatre, in a performance of 'The Taming of The Shrew at the Old Vic, when she was a teacher at Stantonbury School and we were hooked on this all-male company and following this production, managed to see them several times more, at Milton Keynes Theatre and the Oxford Playhouse. Really great theatre and rip-roaring productions.

Having read all that history (and there was a lot I learnt as a result.) I decided I needed some fiction to read next, so I turned to my good old stand-by, Sherlock Holmes, as i'm gradually working my way through the entire canon and I have now reached 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes,' which begins with 'The Empty House.' Since reading that I decided to read one of Anthony Horowitz's take on Sherlock Holmes, so I have bought the first one in the series, which have apparently been approved by the Conan-Doyle estate, called 'The House of Silk.' I wasn't sure I would like this novel, and have been pleasantly surprised by how good it is. Horowitz has managed to write in the style of Conan-Doyle, the voice of Doctor Watson is very well done and completely convincing, but done in a modern manner. We get a fair amount of backstory for Watson and the typical Holmesian 'tropes' are in place; the arrival of the gentleman who wants Holmes to investigate the crime (I won't give to much of the plot away on here.) An easy read, which is what I wanted and I will have to read more of this series.

I've finished the third series of 'The Crown' on Netflix and as a result I've closed my subscription. I've enjoyed the show, but I don't think this last season was as good as the first two. Olivia Colman as Her Maj is good, but the episodes haven't been as enticing and engrossing as earlier episodes. Out of the 10, several were duds, nothing wrong with the writing, but a couple just didn't gell somehow. I can't explain, but I realise out of ten it must be difficult to maintain a particularly high standard and were there just to make up the numbers. I still think it would be better to have some sort of connection between each episode, a story arc which links them. There's nothing to keep you wanting to carry on watching. I know there was no intention to be a 'cliff-hanger' at the end of the episodes, but it's what keeps you wanting to continue watching. I can understand why they're ending the show with the 5th season as it would become to close for comfort when it gets nearer to the present and some difficult events in the royal story would have to be covered, I imagine the death of Princess Diana would be difficult to handle as well as several royal relationships and particularly what the Queen referred to 1992 as her 'Annus Horribilis.' It still has amazing detail, the period is beautifully portrayed, the costumes, makeup and sets are brilliant and it deserves all the awards. I may resubscribe to Netflix in time for the fourth season, but there is nothing else on Netflix which makes me want to continue with it.