For Ever, For Everyone

I'm not getting into a debate about current National Trust news items-  the decision to consider the way in which many of their properties have historic links to the slave trade, or the recent 'discussion document' about a vision for the way forward, which includes "restructuring the curatorial workforce" and "dialling down the Trust's position as a cultural institution, and making it rather a gateways to the outdoors". Nor will I bore you with hassle Bob had over the fact we have been members for the last 5 years, and now qualify for Seniors Discount. I am just going to say we had good fun at Blickling Hall on Friday. It was sunny when we started- but we did eat our picnic in the car, in  in the rain!

The NT only reopened Blickling a fortnight ago, and have put lots of safety measures in place - you enter via the walled garden, and wear masks inside [the gryphons outside setting a good example]  There's lots of outdoor space for having fun, quiet corners for exploring and having important discussion about interesting sticks. [Liz and I both wore our yellow jackets, which is sometimes confusing] But there's Rosie and her parents in the walled garden [Top collage] Me in the walled garden [bottom collage]   And some quirky little NT notices - why personalize it ? Surely "This is an exit" is more sensible than "I am an exit"?? Thanks NT staff & volunteers

Awesome God

If you wish to join in our worship today, it is here. It's Family Service style, and has been prepared by our Youth Minister, Miriam.

Bang!

I've had my 0.5litre Thermos Mondial flask for ages. I even got a second cup to sit on the top, so we can both have a cuppa when travelling. During Grandma's Nursery School, I've made a cafetiere each morning, drunk some coffee before Rosie arrived, then had easily accessible caffeine to keep me going through the day.

But last Saturday I was washing it, and I realised the bottom was coming loose and water was inside. I unscrewed it a little more and BANG!!!

There was an explosion of silvery shards of glass everywhere-all over the kitchen. I'd quite forgotten how bad it is when a glass flask shatters.

Most of it went into the washing up bowl, which was half full of water. Clearing it up was not going to be easy. 

I lined my sieve with two coffee filters and gently poured the water through. That collected the shards and the water drained away. With a brush and dustpan I swept everywhere else - floor, windowsill, worktop, even top-of-the-microwave. Unfortunately the silvery grey glass was well camouflaged on the worktop. Despite my diligence I was finding bits two days later. It's all cleared up now [I hope]

I haven't decided what to do about replacing it. It was a brilliant flask, especially on long Dorset-Norfolk journeys, when it truly kept our coffee hot for hours. And it was properly leak proof, unlike many "thermal cups" But the glass liner is so fragile. Any recommendations for a good replacement? 

Savage Beasts?

When I began supply teaching, it was often the case that I was expected to provide my own lesson plans. I carried a huge folder of worksheet 'masters' in my car. If I got to a school and was asked to do something on light/the Tudors/homophones/triangles etc, I'd fish one out, make a class set of photocopies, and teach the lesson. Then one day, I went into a school in Leicester, and the young teacher in the parallel class said "We are studying light- here's the worksheet for this afternoon"..."This looks OK" I said "Oh it's really good, we always use this one" "I'm glad you like it" I said - and pointed out ©AngAlmond at the bottom. "Oh!!! did you write this?" It was satisfying to think my sheet was popular - but I do wonder how often people use/steal/borrow other people's work. I'm fine with you using my worksheets, or sharing my blogposts - but please, just acknowledge that you are doing it!

There's a marine biologist/research scientist in Norwich, John Savage, who has always been fascinated by weird creatures. In 202, he produced a little book, "Captain Pottie's Encyclopaedia of Wildlife" [sadly out of print now] Taking many years to compile it was a collection of crazy creatures ‘discovered’ by a fictitious mad Victorian explorer. Most of them were word games inspired by biologists of the 19th century who often got their illustrations and descriptions of real living creatures completely wrong. Savage self-funded a short print run, and the books were sold through independent bookshops, and Waterstone's. He also sent copies to a few agents in the hopes of a book deal. Four years later, Ricky Gervais produced "Flanimals". [whose agent, incidentally, was one of the ones who had been sent a copy of Captain Pottie] 

Savage believed that this new book plagiarised his, and stole many of his ideas. He tried to sue, but ran out of money. Now RG is attempting to register Flanimals as a trademark. John is again taking him to court, this time appealing for crowdfunding to finance the action. I have compared the two books, and honestly feel JS has a valid case here. He has tried to talk the matter through with RG in a reasonable manner, but got nowhere, and thinks that it is wrong that RG should profit from his hard work [with no acknowledgement of it] Here are just a few of the examples of creatures in the original Pottie, and remarkably similar illustrations and descriptions from Flanimals.

You must make up your own mind. I just feel very sorry for a modestly paid researcher who has spent his whole life studying the animal kingdom, and produced a little book of fun, being shafted by someone else. Especially when that person has an estimated wealth of over £110million.

When a journalist contacted John this year, to alert him to the trademark issue, he took legal advice. He says this "Initial talks between my solicitor, David Langwallner and Sheridans Solicitors, Gervais' current legal team, predictably, broke down with Ricky Gervais once again stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the stupidly obvious fact that he has plagiarized my book. 

So here we go again, except this time I intend to go all the way to the high court if necessary. The trouble is, as his previous lawyers so kindly pointed out I am facing enormous legal costs. Let that sink in for a minute. A millionaire who’s stolen from me is threatening to liquidate me if I challenge him, and this from a guy who likes to portrayhimself as one of us, in his words, one of the 'ordinary people'" 

As I say, you decide for yourself. Personally, I usually try to stand up for the little Naboths and Uriah-the-Hittites of this world against the rich and powerful. And on the whole, I think marine biologists engaged in research are generally seeking to benefit the planet, even if they don't earn megabucks.

The Graduate

Had she still been at her regular nursery, Rosie would have enjoyed a special Graduation Day next week. All the Rising Fives, about to leave and begin Big School are celebrated. But there's still going to be some sort of event to mark this time, when they leave the Nursery where they spent 3 or 4 years. Parents have been asked to provide a photo of the children in paper "mortar boards" Rosie and I did that as our craft activity last week. Today is most definitely the end of Grandma's Nursery School. I never imagined when I began my "four week stint" in early June that I'd still be working all these weeks later. But I've loved it. Thank you Rosie - my best ever pupil...

We're Going On A Berry Hunt...

... Going to find some big ones, juicy black big berries...Just round the corner and up the lane. Madam insisted on wearing her back pack ["It's an adventure, I'm Dora the Explorer"] The hedgerows weren't as laden with fruit as I'd hoped, but when we passed the entrance to the meadow, Rosie said "we can have our lunch here" She  sat down, took off her backpack and got out her packed lunch. And promptly devoured the lot! My lunch was still in the fridge at home so I just picked what few berries I could whilst she ate.

Then we walked a bit further up the lane and watched over the farm gate as a man sheared a sheep. There were geese and cockerels in the yard watching him too. Rosie loved it. We strolled home and picked a few apples from the "Free Windfalls" bucket (too many wasps to linger longer) I had enough fruit for a small crumble to go in the freezer - and Rosie had lots of fun; a picnic in a field, a sheep shearer to watch and lots of conversation about what we could see in the countryside. We were only out for an hour or so, but it was lovely, making precious memories together. I felt truly blessed.

To My Dear And Loving Husband

Today is our 41st Wedding Anniversary - last summer was full of our Ruby Celebrations. This year - so different, and for the first time ever, we are apart on our special day, and we've been separated more in the past three months than ever before. This joyful photo was taken just a week or so ago, in our Cornerstones Summerhouse - definitely older and greyer than we used to be, but still just as happy and in love ... thank you Bob ... missing you lots ... see you soon!

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay.
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let’s so persever[e]
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

[To my dear and loving husband, by Anne Bradstreet, Puritan Poet 1612- 1672]

Yes, You CAN!

Did you know that today marks the start of the "Love Canned Food Festival"? Me neither - I only picked this information up yesterday. I did know that canned foods have massively increased in popularity in recent months - firstly with people preparing "Brexit Boxes" and then with "Pandemic Panic Purchasing" [how journalists love their alliterations] Many of us who grew up with parents & grans who'd lived through WW2 have always had a fondness for things-in-tins. And thrifty cooks like Jack Monroe have helped bring those ideas up to date [I continue to enjoy her excellent book purchased a year ago]

But "Love Canned Food" has been around for some time now - around 3 years, in fact - and they're attempting to pick up more followers in the next few days, with a dedicated instagram page, and 'cookalongs' and more.

So maybe you might want to browse the website, find some new recipe ideas, or even add your canned-food-photos to the instangram page. Who knows, maybe you will find a recipe to use up those chick peas, sardines and peaches you bought in a mad moment back in March? 

Hearts And Minds

Today's service from United Church Ferndown is HERE. Bob  is continuing the Armour of God series and this week is preaching about the Helmet of Salvation, with particular reference to mental health issues. Please join us. 

Going Off The Rails...

During WW2 people were encouraged to eat carrots to help them see better in the blackouts. Yes they do contain Vitamin A, which is good for your eyes, but the night vision thing is a myth. I did try to explain this to Rosie, but we got our wires crossed, she thought I meant you could carry this orange vegetable at night in place of a torch! 

In Victorian times, a carrot grower from Cambridge had an idea for making his fortune. He would grow the crop in farms across Norfolk, then take it to Hellesdon, a village just outside Norwich. Here he had built a factory, beside the River Wensum, where he could wash the produce, then using the new railway, transport it speedily to London. From here the healthy, fresh East Anglian carrots could be shipped all over Europe. It seemed a brilliant scheme. At the end of the first week, the authorities shut down his factory. The water supply for Norwich was becoming very polluted by the runoff from his cleaning process!

Hellesdon Station remained - opened in 1882, it finally closed in 1952. It was on part of the Midland and Great Northern Line linking Kings Lynn and Norwich. The MGN closed soon after, the tracks were lifted and the station demolished. 

But now the "Marriott's Way Heritage Trail" [website HERE] exists so that people can walk or cycle along part of the route taken by the Victorian travellers. Thanks to the efforts of Stuart Macpherson [aka Mile Cross Man] who grew up locally and developed a passion for the railways, some parts have been restored [the station platform, and track signage] The name comes from William Marriott, chief engineer of the railway for 41 years. Here's Stuart's "Ghost Photo" combining an old vista of the station with the current verdant view

When Steph & family visited, we did a 4 mile walk along here with the family. It was so peaceful among the trees even though Hellesdon is now a busy city suburb.

Bob is sitting on a bench sculpted from old railway track. At one point, we turned a corner and came upon a meadow full of sunflowers. In the warm sunshine we felt like we could easily be "en vacance" in France! 

I'd like to do more of the trail sometime. Liz, Jon and Rosie have explored it on their bikes. You can check out Mile Cross Man's informative blog HERE

Frozen!

I'd studiously avoided Frozen, I'm not that keen on Disney films. This probably dates back to 1960 when my Grandmother took me to see Pinocchio and I got so distressed I had to be taken out of the cinema. But Rosie has been given an Elsa dress, and the dolls, and she can sing all the songs... So Wednesday was Frozen Day.

Lesson planning is so much easier now than when I began teaching. Find a few pictures online, and copy and paste them to a pre-prepared addition worksheet - and voila! It's a Frozen Sheet. Anna, Elsa, Olaf etc are good short words for reading and writing practice. So it was easy to put a morning's activities together. Our art and craft in the afternoon was folding and cutting snowflakes [the side door now leads into Arandelle]

And I firmly believe that children engage with lessons if they are interested in the topic. When we'd finished decorating the door, Rosie gasped "frozen fractals all around!". [ that's a line from the film's hit song "Let it Go"] I'm not sure she's quite ready for learning all about fractals yet - but maybe when she's older this week's work will prove a good foundation. 

Sitting Comfortably

In 1972, Bob's parents bought a 3 piece suite, covered in an oatmeal tweed. His Mum subsequently made covers in an attractive Sanderson linen union fabric. In 1987 they bought some Ercol stuff, and gave us their old suite. We bought some removable, washable, fitted Plumbs covers. This suite has been brilliant. For 11 years it has been in the Cornerstones lounge.

But we wanted to get a sofa bed here. The family is growing, and it would make it easier to accommodate more overnight guests. So last year we purchased an IKEA flat pack sofabed and brought the boxes up here to assemble.[A very complicated business] We knew that in the long term we could not keep the suite, although we were still fond of it. 

"Put it on eBay" said Liz - "mid century furniture like that is very popular right now." So I did - and a guy contacted me immediately with questions, won the auction and paid up his £75...then contacted me he couldn't collect it after all. A family member was very sick and he had to go away for at least a month. "I suggest you relist - I will understand if you keep the money as I have messed you about" It seemed morally wrong to keep the cash, so I refunded him and relisted. But this time, no interest at all. I contacted the company in Norwich who refurbish and resell this sort of thing. "Sorry, we aren't buying anything right now"  I put it on the local Gumtree. Nothing. I rang the local charity group who refurbish furniture. Thankyou - but there's no space at the moment to store it. 

I refused to take it to the tip - where I'd have to pay to dispose of it and it would end up in landfill. So in the end, it went back onto Gumtree "Free if you can collect by Monday" [I was expecting we'd both be going back to Dorset on Tuesday] And a lovely young couple came up from Suffolk on Sunday afternoon with their van, and were delighted with it. She's going to replace and re-cover the cushions, and once again children will snuggle up for their bedtime stories on the sofa, and Mum and Dad will relax with a cuppa after work.

Last August we moved the dining table, and temporarily put the new sofabed into that room. But now the lounge looks very different as the sofa is in there, along with the black leather Poang chair which Bob found on Facebook Marketplace. We already have a Poang in Dorset, so in the long term, all will match beautifully.

So the erstwhile Dining Room is now almost empty - apart from a small book case, an easy chair and Rosie's desk. It is currently called "The Classroom". This has been a good decision - when we were studying in the lounge, a little girl was too easily distracted by the idea of watching the TV. "How about I do this worksheet, then we watch some Paw Patrol, Grandma?"

We'll miss that old suite - it's been in the Almond family for almost half a century. But we no longer need it, and I am so glad to pass it on to another family who will enjoy it, hopefully for a good few more years.

It's Not Rocket Science

 
Yesterday we had a good "Air Day" [no jokes about Essex girls, please] We considered balloons, bubbles and rockets. Using another idea from this excellent book we made some rockets.

I printed off some simple rocket shapes, and cut them out. After colouring them in, we stuck bits of drinking straws to the backs [chunky milkshake size] We flattened the top of each straw and taped them shut. Then used a smaller straw slipped inside to launch them by blowing hard. We had mixed success.Our rockets were aiming for Venus, but they all went onto the grass or patio.[I'm not sure if this video clip will work]

We also compared a balloon filled with air, and one filled with water, and blew bubbles and chased them around the garden. It was all good fun - we may do some more air experiments [Liz bought a bag of balloons a while back and they need to be used up] 

Meanwhile Bob drove back safely to Dorset and I've settled quickly back into Nursery Teacher routine. But Rosie's desk has moved. During the three weeks of holiday when Bob and I were together, we did quite a bit of re-arranging at Cornerstones. But that's another story. 

What A Scoop!

Since joining the Green Living Group, I've tried to avoid unnecessary single use plastic. So I've been buying washing powder instead of tablets. But the cardboard Sainsbury's box did not contain any sort of scoop. There was a phone number to ring. Years ago one of the girls misread a label and thought there was a lady called "Customer Caroline" - but it was Stephen who spoke to me, not Caroline! A few days later a stiff white envelope arrived. I was very impressed by the fully biodegradable, collapsible cardboard scoop. Well done Sainsbury's! I thought.

It's intelligently designed, and no plastic anywhere. There is only one strange detail... 

Look at the quantities the scoop can measure - 50, 70, 97, 120, 145 and 170 ml. 

But the recommended quantities for washing according to the packet are  45, 60, 65, 85, 105, 110, 125 and 150ml.

There is no correspondence whatsoever between scoop and packet! [unless you have hard water and heavy soil and you do three 50ml scoops] How bizarre is that? 

Will No-one Think Of The Children?

Mrs Banks asked this of her seemingly perfect nanny, Mary Poppins - and Helen Lovejoy [the Pastor's wife] said it in the Simpsons. And now I am saying it too. The Government has created a total and utter fiasco. I have spent over 60 years in the education system, as a student, and as a professional. I have seen some appalling government decisions, affecting the lives and careers of dozens of people. But this current state of affairs is awful, by far the worst time to be at school - whether staff or student. 

I feel so desperately sad for young people working conscientiously to become doctors, nurses, dentists, teachers,vets... all on course for their chosen profession - and with predicted grades recognising their abilities, and university places offered on that basis. And 25000 of them have been given new grades, falling 2 or more places below those predictions.This ridiculous algorithm for the A level results is obviously skewed. If you are an extremely bright pupil, in a school not known for producing genius kids, you're stuffed, mate.

And the universities don't know what to do - their funding is affected by which/how many students they take. So they cannot just say "come anyway" or they may face financial penalties they can ill afford. And just don't get me started on the Brexit/Erasmus disaster.

Right now, my own children are beyond A levels, and my grandchildren too young for school. But this weekend has had a significant impact on our family nonetheless. The majority of University Staff are still working from home, and now the workload has changed and increased significantly. So Bob will finish his holiday and drive back to Dorset without me - and Rosie will be coming back to Grandma's Nursery School for another fortnight.

We are fortunate to have this option - so many families, already struggling, have been torn apart over the past few days. My thoughts and prayers are with them, and their teachers.

With All God's People...

Click here for today's service from United Church Ferndown. Whoever, wherever you are, we are so pleased if you join us to worship God together. Especially we are glad to know that friends all around the world have been sharing with our church fellowship in Dorset, since we went over to YouTube Services during the covid lockdown. You are in our prayers. 

Everything Stops For Tea

 It's a quaint old English custom... 

We went out for tea yesterday, to Biddy's Tearooms in Norwich. It was wonderful! Last year on our Ruby Wedding Anniversary, Liz, Steph & Co gave us a gift voucher for a full cream tea at this charming little shop. We never fitted it in during our October break "We'll do it in our post Easter break" we said. But of course that never happened. So we rang and made a booking for yesterday

Biddy's  is set up as a typical 1940s tea room. There is a vast range of teas to choose from, and different sandwiches, scones and cakes. The waitress brought the menu, and two glasses of iced water to drink as we made our food selection. We chose Lapsang Souchong, and Afternoon Blend. Sandwich options were amazing too. Bob had Norfolk ham., chilli jam and Brie on white bread, I opted for chicken mayo with salad on wholemeal. Served with a fresh coleslaw. Then scones - his plain, mine spiced, with raspberry jam and clotted cream. Finally cakes - these were huge- cinnamon swirl bun and biscotti Rocky Road blondie.

Each diner had a three tier plate stand with each course neatly presented. Our booking was 1:30pm, and this was a more than adequate lunch. We did not want any more food for the rest of the day. Takeaway cake boxes were available for diners who could not manage to eat everything

I'd love to go back again with the Liz and Steph sometime, and try a different tea/sandwich/scone/cake combo. I watched a mum with her two grown up daughters at another table, clearly having a lovely time together. A little oasis of calm in a crazy world when we could forget the pandemic for an hour or so and just be happy in the company of those we love. 

Holiday Humour

 

On Monday we went out for a drive - very grateful that the car has A/C, it was SOOOO hot. After a little stroll round a garden centre and a reviving cuppa we returned to the car. As Bob got back into the car there was an alarming rip. "I think we need to go straight back to Cornerstones" he said.

These are really quite old trousers, and there was already a mend on the knee. So they will be off to the ragbag. But laid out on the bed, this does look like a weird winking face, don't you think?

In Dereham on Tuesday, I was very amused by the Mattressman sign. "sleep safe, 2metres". Even in our king-sized bed that's impossible, without at least one of us falling out. One friend suggested that was the idea - both sleep on the floor, use the bed as a divider, hold hands under the duvet. 

Rosie came for a sleepover on Tuesday. "Grandma, I need a bedtime snack" "I don't think you do" "But my tummy is rumbling" "I can't hear it" "Well. That's because it's rumbling in slow motion!" 

My Passion Bears Fruit

When I was busy running Grandma's Nursery School, I noticed the plant outside my bedroom window was smothered in passionflowers. But I never took a photo. Now it is covered in fruits. Some are still green, but many are ripened to a deep apricot shade and just beginning to shrivel. (this variety has yellow fruits - different from the purple ones sold in the market, they are smaller and less fleshy) Now is the time to harvest them, and carefully slice them open. The vivid red seeds come away easily from the surrounding membrane. They make a jewel like garnish for desserts. A dozen fruits yielded about 2 tablespoons of ruby seeds. 

The seeds are alleged to have health benefits, but one is advised not to eat the yellow skins. I think the seeds would look gorgeous with a creamy pannacotta. My neighbour said he fancied the idea of an indulgent spoonful on top of peanut butter on toast! 

Have you ever used passionfruit seeds in your cooking? 

The story of how the passionflower got its name is HERE

We Will Remember Them

Last weekend, we looked at a couple of very different Norfolk war memorials. The first was on Friday - we were visiting an elderly relative at Downham Market. She's got a very positive attitude and is coping remarkably well with all the lockdown restrictions. But just as we got to the town I noticed a little sign "RAF Victoria Cross Memorial" pointing down a side road. So on our way back, we detoured briefly to have a look at this.

During WW2, Downham Market Airfield was a strategic base for the pathfinder crews. The airfield, due east of the town was close to the village of Bexwell [officers stayed in the Rectory] Over 700 men who flew from here never returned- and two of them earned the Victoria Cross, posthumously for their bravery.

Arthur Louis Aaron  from Leeds was only 21 - he was seriously injured in a raid on Turin in 1943, with dreadful facial injuries. The bomb aimer took control of the aircraft, and Arthur, unable to speak, managed to convey the instructions for safely landing the plane. He died nine hours later from exhaustion. In millennium year, the people of Leeds voted for a new statue in the city to mark a great citizen - Arthur won the poll. The statue represents Arthur standing at the foot of the tree as children climb towards the freedom he helped win for them. The girl at the top is releasing the dove of peace.

The second VC recipient was Ian Willoughby Bazalgette [a great grandson of Joseph, the civil engineer famed for building the London sewers] He was from Canada, in the Royal Canadian Air Force. In a 1944 raid on Trossy St Maximin in France, his plane was badly damaged. He ordered all crew to bale out, apart from two men critically injured. He flew the plane back,but on landing it exploded killing all three men inside. Ian was just 25. A new Canadian Air Force Memorial is being developed at the National Memorial Arboretum and there will be a statue of Ian there soon

Here's the memorial to these two brave young men, outside the little parish church in Bexwell. I was concerned about weather damage - Bob said the wooden casing made that inevitable. But I was pleased when researching the story later to discover a new memorial is under way- to commemorate all those airmen who died flying from Downham Market.This one will be carved in black granite by a local stone mason.

Our second memorial was spotted as we walked round the Swanton Morley Yard Sales on Saturday [total spend £3 on programmes, a jigsaw, a book for Rosie and a pipe wrench!]

At the end of the road opposite the church is a new housing development. It was built four years ago. The roads are named for seven young men who left the camp in the village for the war in Afghanistan.[It began as a WW2 RAF base, now owned by the Army] 

There is an attractive memorial at the entrance - with all the details. These soldiers were from REME and attached to the light Dragoons, whose Latin motto vivet in aeternum- merebimur means it flourishes forever- we shall be worthy.

The info board says "May they always be remembered by the community in which they were stationed" I do hope that is true. Building homes for future generations to live in peace seems a good way to honour their sacrifice.

I stood quietly in the blazing sunshine reading these memorials - and then came home to read news reports of people complaining that they felt restricted by lockdown and 'needed' to get onto the beach and into the bars, and they resented giving up their freedom...I felt sad.

Please And Thank You...

Firstly a please.  Pumpkin and Pauline have won the draw to receive the Goode Books. Please can you email me with your snail mail addresses so I can pop them in the post to you?

Secondly a thank-you to Tom and Jane in Valparaiso, Indiana. I confess I hadn't heard of your city [I've checked it out now- it looks beautiful] It is around 50 miles south east of Chicago, at the base of Lake Michigan.

I did know about Indiana Jones, but not the Indiana Smiths! It was really lovely to hear from you. I am so glad you're enjoying the blog, and our weekly YouTube church services. God bless you both.

Friends are so precious - both the ones close by, and those we only know through the internet. I'm truly grateful for all the friends I have. 

PS Don't forget the Perseids meteor shower tomorrow - between midnight Wednesday and 5.30am Thursday is supposed to be the best time

A Bit Vague...

Our Saturday night viewing of late has been la dernière vague - the French supernatural mystery drama on BBC4. As it was shown in two episode chunks - starting at 9pm, we tended to record the second and watch it on the Sunday 

I kept falling asleep mid-episode, which is frustrating.   The biggest mystery for me was the title - which means "The Last Wave" - when actually the main focus was not the waves on the ocean, but the huge barrel shaped cloud which appeared in the sky.

These roll clouds [technical name arcus volutus] really do exist - appearing in Queensland, Australia around October - and they have also been seen in the USA, the English Channel and the Shetland Islands.

The story is basically that this amazing cloud appears over the ocean on the day of a Surfing Event - and eleven surfers are temporarily lost in freak weather conditions.

How the small community [ a resort in southern France on the Atlantic coast] copes with the aftermath is intriguing and surprisingly relevant to the current pandemic situation. Some people suffer greatly, some make great sacrifices, and everyone is affected in some way. Life changes - and will never be quite the same for those who have been through the experience.

You do need to be able to cope with subtitles [unless,like Mags, Barbara, Jean, and other followers of this blog, you are fluent in French] but the acting is good - my favourite was the little boy, Gael Raes, playing Thomas [on the right of the picture at the top] He was brilliant - and can't be more than about 9.

The series has six 45 minute episodes, and is currently available on BBC i-player. There were one or two odd, inexplicable plot holes [yes, plot holes, not pot holes] But on the whole I found it clever and intriguing even though it isn't my usual preferred genre.The filming was excellent [all done around the resort of Contis, St Julien en Born]

An intriguing tale, well told, set in a hot summer, when everything seems strange. 

What are you waiting for? I rate it *****

God Is With Us

Click here to view this encouraging story. Go on praying for Beirut

Rest In The Lord

 Apologies, I've had problems with UCF worship link today. The theme is Rest. Update link Here