News and views

Well we have snow in this part of the world. It is almost like proper snow not that namby pamby stuff we usually get. The thing that always amuses me is the reaction of the country to this particular weather phenomenon. At the first prediction of snow the south of the country appears to go into meltdown and gridlock. The northerners look on and laugh and the rest of the world not protected by the jet stream in the northern latitudes just doesn't see how we can't deal with this simple weather type. The country is a laughing stock. The government argues that it cannot justify spending money on what are supposedly rare events. Well to be honest that doesn't wash as on the basis of that argument they wouldn't have bailed out the banks. For a simple one off infrastucture investment we can put in place sufficient material, bodies etc to deal with what are in actual fact probably going to be much more common occurrences.

In the lead up to Christmas here are my recommendations for the week. Tonight you can watch either Tombstone (BBC1) or Gremlins (ITV2). The former is a wonderful adaptation of the OK Corral story and the story of Wyatt Earp. The stand out performance comes from Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. Kilmer who can now be heard as the voice of KITT in the new version of Knight Rider often fails to deliver but this performance is a masterpiece. Gremlins is a delightfully anarchic film which plays around with a number of holiday traditions.

On Wednesday we have Arnie in Terminator 2: Judgment Day(itv2). This was a jaw dropping film when it came out and I remember the reaction to the special effects in the cinema. There are 2 versions of the film out there. The US version has a few more scenes which add a little but missing them does not detract from the enjoyment this film provides. It still stands up today and in a review for James Cameron's latest film Avatar it is argued that without T2 Avatar would not exist.

Christmas Eve brings Four Weddings and a Funeral (Film4). My best man and I went to watch this with a priest friend of ours and could barely stop laughing at his reaction to the opening sequence between Hugh Grant and the late Charlotte Cornwell. It is a bit twee but it is worth a look. Tragically it remains Hugh Grant's finest piece.

Not surprisingly the best day of the week is Christmas Day with three offerings later in the day. The stand out film of the day is Gladiator. This is a truly epic film with stunning effects and incredible performances not just by Russell Crowe but the supporting cast is truly stunning. Oliver Reed delivers a powerhouse performance. Another underrated film is Mercury Rising featuring Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin. Baldwin is arguably the better performer here and is at his menacing best. A more light hearted offering is Speed. It works because Keanu Reeves doesn't have to stretch himself as an actor. The film is stolen, as always seems to be the case, by the villain, in this case Dennis Hopper. All in all good friendly mindless fun. Stick your brain in neutral and just be entertained. Blues Brothers 2000 is on and whilst it isn't a patch on the original it too is very entertaining as a vehicle for all the wondrous music.

In one final seasonal plea do not under any circumstances watch Elf. Will Ferrell is very overrated in my opinion and by watching his tripe you only encourage him to make more of it.

Seasons greetings to one and all

Media reviews of the week

Firstly I have been watching a lot of DVDs in recent days. Eddie Izzard 7 a box set of all his shows is great entertainment if you enjoy slightly unpredictable and off the wall comedy. Star Trek (the film released earlier this year) is a very good watch. The only slightly unsettling thing about it is that I keep expecting Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock, to turn into Sylar rather than use the Vulcan neck pinch. I have also completed series 2 of Highlander.

I am still reading Ranulph Fiennes' latest book which as something of a history buff is incredible. This is one family going down through history affecting major events. I recommend it to you all but read after reading John O'Farrell's Utterly Impartial History of Britain.

Apologies for coming to the weeks televisual film offerings but I had a life at the weekend. I won't dwell on what we have missed so far but Wednesday has a number of films worthy of consideration. The Last Samurai is arguably my favourite of the day. It is beautifully shot and Ken Watanabe steals the show from Tom Cruise but unlike in his early days I suspect that Cruise is more comfortable with this. Cruise is good and with able support from Billy Connolly and Timothy Spall it is a well spent couple of hours. Also worth a look is The Sixth Sense which is up against one of the most overrated horror films of all time The Exorcist.

On Thursday we have Enter The Dragon. Arguably the most influential martial arts movie of all time. It is brilliant entertainment particularly if you get to see the unedited version. Bruce Lee was never better than in this and it is a tragedy that he never lived to see the successor possibly to fulfil his massive potential. Big Trouble in Little China is also on but if you watch Dragon then why would you bother with this effects driven chop socky adventure. On any other day Big Trouble is worth a look.

Friday's tour de force is Mars Attacks. It is hysterically funny and star studded. Perhaps those who make films based on computer games should watch this to see how to expand an idea where there is little actual source material. With nods to War of the Worlds, Airplane and many other films this is one that is well worth the effort. Also available is The Black Dahlia. This was a disappointment after LA Confidential but that being said it is worthy of a look. It was a bit slow and ponderous and didn't quite hit the film noir feel which it needed. Samuel L Jackson's version of Shaft is also worth a look. Like The Jackal which I reviewed some time ago it retains enough of the original but is more than capable of standing on its own two feet as a film in its own right.

A few thoughts

Well I have been accepted on the PGCE and have now called off my henchmen after what I thought was a really bad interview process. They still await my call 'At my command unleash hell'. I now know what path I am intending to go down and I know what I want to do if I get to the end of that path and it is just now a case of putting in some hard work to get there.

Today I gave some money to a man sitting on the roadside begging. Why did you do that some of you may be asking? I have been walking the 2 miles or so from the kids' school to work and this morning was a fairly brisk morning. Normally I would give to the Salvation Army and outsource the hard work to somebody else and I would always commend support to them as they were there for me and mine when I was a kid. My logic was that maybe if I give this guy something he might get some immediate benefit from it, maybe a cup of tea. Financially it wasn't going to make any great difference to me. Morally it doesn't make a difference to me. If he then went and spent the money on something else then ultimately he will have to answer for his choices to higher authority than I.

What really struck me was the fact that this man who apparently had nothing much to speak of he was courteous and polite which is more than some of my clients are a lot of the time. Maybe if I see him again I will speak to him a bit more and find out where he fits into the universe.

Ireland Week 2 and the mighty Huddersfield Giants

Saturday 8^th August

Well after saying goodbye to mum and dad last night and taking lots of photos I woke up screaming in the middle of the night for no apparently good reason. After a bit of a lie in this morning we set off for Fort Dunree and Buncrana.

We arrived at the fort early and so had to go away and come back which involved some interesting manoeuvring of the car. I spotted a gorgeous deserted beach and tried to find an access point. I found two both of which basically said private property go away. This was extremely frustrating. Whilst waiting I looked up at the top fort and half expected Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood to crawl out of the undergrowth shouting “Broadsword calling Danny Boy!!!”

The exhibition is known as the Guns of Dunree and so I kept expecting Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn to shin up the seawall and start blowing the place up. The museum is good for what it is and the fact that there were few visitors added to the appeal. We were able to wander about but with restrictions. We set off for the top fort and it added to its feeling of being a cross between Navarone and the Schloss Adler. The views from the top were stunning.

We then returned to Buncrana and did some shopping but had to go home before we found the internet café. Jenni & I then spent the afternoon asleep whilst the rugby was on. In the evening Tom and I went down to the sandy beach 2km away. The tide was coming in and so time was limited. The beach is more shells than sand and on a good day is probably fantastic fun.

Tomorrow is a quiet day on the island we hope!

Sunday 9^th August

The day was a bit of an odd one. Went to Mass on the island no strange thing there but the sign of peace was omitted. Dropped the kids and Alison off on the beach and went back to the cottage only to discover that Alison had the keys. Walked the 2k back to get them and Alison came back with me and the kids. We had lunch and then headed off to explore the island. We found the pier and the beach next to it but it wasn’t very nice so we left. Then we looked for the promontory fort but the roads looked dangerous. We then looked for the nice little beach we had seen but couldn’t find a way on to it.

We decided to go to Lisfannon beach which was OK until it rained. We returned home in time to watch the Giants magnificent triumph over St Helens. I then went out to visit the graves and called in on Nellie and had a cup of tea and a chat.

Monday 10^th August

Quiet day. Went to Strabane and stroked Ambrose the bronze pig. I’m sure that God got quite irate over a bronze calf once before. Went to the library and checked email. I had 46 emails of which 6 were actually of any use.

Plans for a trip to Lifford were suspended due to a lack of interest. We stopped off at a picnic spot along the N13 but I was harassed by a wasp and so fled to the car.

Got home and have made arrangements for tomorrow and Wednesday. Also managed to get tickets for Wembley so now have to find somewhere to stay.

In the evening went up to Grianan again. The weather was considerably more clement than it had been on our first trip.

Tuesday 11^th August

Went down to Donegal town and bought some presents. Walked to what’s left of the abbey and went round the outside of the castle. The town was full of visitors from all over the world ( well Europe anyway!!). After Donegal went to Ballybofey and took Tom to see the ground of the mighty Finn Harps!!. The town has changed dramatically in the 13 years since I was last there.

Went for lunch at Seamus & Vonny’s place. Spent the afternoon chatting about life the universe and everything. I put my foot in it criticising social work students and also possibly by the fact that any invite to S & V to come down to the cottage might not have been clear enough. Tom & Jenni both had a go on the drums and Jenni also had a go on a guitar. Also found out that I will not need to learn how to speak Gaelic to teach at the level I want in Ireland. Not that learning Gaelic would be a problem. Chatted to Paul about his musical taste.

After getting back to the cottage Paul & Phyllis came over. We had pizza and chatted and got photos taken. Decided that I will go and see Willie Downey whilst I am here as it might be the last chance to do so.

Wednesday 12^th August

Went to the Aquarium in Derry this morning. A reasonably interesting place if not much to do there. We then went in search of Prehen Woods. These are known as the 'lungs of Derry' but they seemed to have been removed. We eventually found the place but there was no parking or at least none that I was happy leaving the car in. Thwarted in our efforts to walk through the ‘lung of Derry’ we decided to call in on Nellie to see how she is doing.

Got back to the cottage earlier than planned and so had to do the washing up before preparing lunch. Off bowling this afternoon with Paul & Phyllis. Bowling was great fun and Tom and Jenny had a whale of a time.

Thursday 13^th August

Today was Nellie’s birthday so a mass visit was coordinated for the afternoon. I went into Derry and got some flowers for Nellie having been recommended a place by Terri. At lunchtime I took the kids for a pony ride at Terri’s. The kids were escorted by Aoife. The ride didn’t quite last as long as I was expecting but the kids enjoyed it.

On the way down to Nellie’s I called in on Willie Downey but he wasn’t there. Got to Nellie’s and she was as ever delighted to see the kids. It was announced that Patsy was on her way up from Dublin. She had made the decision when she got up that morning.

Shortly after Jacqui, Gerry, Paul & Phyllis arrived. Jenni did what she usually does which is feed off the fact she has a new audience to delight and Patsy did not disappoint.

Later on Patricia, Harry and Chloe arrived. Jenni made a new friend and acquired a new toy.

Called in on Willie Downey again but he wasn’t in.

Friday 14^th August

At last I have met my uncle Willie and also one of his daughters. It was fantastic to spend time with him and get to know him and everybody else. He gave me a few tips for the family tree which paid off massively when I got back home.

On Saturday went back to see him again and brought the family this time. The kids had a whale of a time getting to know their new relatives. We then went over to see Nellie before setting off for the ferry.

As usual the parting was sad and I don't intend to leave it so long the next time. The trip to Larne was only interrupted by a marching band and a brief stop on Glenshane Pass. We actually arrived too early for the ferry.

The actual ferry trip was better than the trip over but the drive down to Huddersfield was a bit of a killer. Next time I will make sure that we book a hotel both ways.

Overall the trip was the best holiday I have ever had despite what my face might have said at times. It reminded me of why I love Ireland and Donegal in particular.

A couple of weeks later Thomas and I met up with Emmett, Tom's godfather, to watch the RL Challenge Cup Final featuring Huddersfield and warrington. The result was bad but the day was great. We managed to cope with the underground. When we arrived at Wembley we went in search of food and found American Charcoal where the portions were huge and Tom couldn't finish it all. We spent the day with Steve, Denise and Stephanie who we met on the train down.

The stadium is massively impressive but there aren't enough toilets. I almost felt like punching a member of Team Robbo who felt that more singing would help the team play better.

Well that's all for now.
Take care!

Books, films and other matters of interest

Well hello again everybody, here is my latest rambling set of thoughts. In terms of films on TV next week there isn't a great set, the tv channels are saving up for the Christmas glut no doubt. Film of the week is undoubtedly Batman Begins. It has a great cast, great script is well acted and has undoubtedly saved the franchise. Arguably it is a better film than its more vocal successor The Dark Knight. On the same night, Sunday, there is Kelly's Heroes which is something of an odd war film. It is delightfully daft, exciting, funny, moving at times but always worth a look.

As trailed last week I have now watched the Renegade Version of Highlander 2. Is it better than the theatrical release I hear you cry? Yes but only marginally. Some of the additional scenes do help the film make more sense but still the film is disappointing. Perhaps after the original film anything would be disappointing.

John O'Farrell's latest book was, as expected very entertaining, possibly not as good as the first history book but nevertheless a good read. Currently I have 2 books on the go. Ranulph Fiennes' family history is shaping up nicely and P J O'Rourke's latest offering looks like it could be a good read.

This week we have a voyage south to that centre of the universe Worksop and a rugby match in Otley. On Tuesday I have my PGCE interview, fingers crossed there and lip well and truly bitten. We are wondering if my 10 year old will carry through with his strike threat and if so how we will notice that it has started.

Well more later

Vaya con dios