So, our not doing very much summer continues... there is that strange feeling of everyone else dashing off places and us just carrying on as normal (though I'm aware, of course, that it just feels that way and that not everyone can possibly be dashing off places...). Plus at least one person has said out loud what I guess a few more will be thinking "well, you did have 6 months away last year...". Yeh, I know. But it already feels like a lifetime ago. And I'm a spoilt baby and I want to go again.
But that's not happening... not right now anyway. Instead we had a day in Aberdeen on Friday (woo-hoo school uniform shopping...). Mark saw the new Batman ("good not great and needs some editing") and I have to report that he admitted that he did nod off briefly at the beginning (the test for all films - can Mark stay awake for the whole thing?). And let's just not mention the horrible business that will be associated with that movie forever. Back in Aberdeen, daughter chose "The Lorax" so I saw that with her (shorter, slightly less hype... though only slightly). I found it a bit "here we go... another cartoon telling us how to live but at the same time doing and representing the exact opposite in every way" (see "Happy Feet"... or maybe don't...) and in general I'd probably agree with the New York Times' verdict. Daughter enjoyed it but she loves pretty much all movies (as long as they're not scary) and it was enjoyable in a very temporary way... just not something I felt particularly good about on the way home. We bought the original Dr Seuss book on the same day (I'd never read it) and I read it to her when we got home. It beats the movie by some large distance (disappointed but not surprised, dear readers). And we're still waiting for the release of "Brave"...
Other things I've been looking at:
This article about loneliness in the Grauniad. I mention it partly because it's just well-written (and how often can you say that about newspaper articles... really?). She makes some good points too about our current way of living. I don't think I could call myself lonely just now but I know I have reached the odd point where a lot of my closest friends live huge distances away and that only now (in my mid 40s...) is that starting to bother me. And even worse, one of those friends, I now realise, died in 2010 (i.e. my Mum). How stupid am I? I never knew how much I would miss her.
The book "Wildwood" by Roger Deakin (left here by a friend... the book, that is). I started reading it this week. Don't tell me how it ends...
The sit-com "The Middle"... very much our family favourite just now. Mark is Mike, daughter is part Sue, part Brick, part herself... and I'm a little worried that I might be Axl (teenage son... lazy, stupid, vain...).
There's a whole lot more Axl on youtube...
The movie "Moneyball". I got it for Mark to watch (man=sports) but in fact I really enjoyed it. Maybe it was all the knackered old baseball players getting their shot at glory... I don't think it was just the Pitt factor (though I did laugh when I saw the real Billy Beane on the DVD extras... not exactly the same kind of guy, lookswise...).
The Baz Luhrmann "Romeo & Juliet". We thought daughter might like it (though I don't know why - she hates anything where people or animals die... she got quite upset about the trees in "The Lorax"). I think my favourite bit was this section. I guess my love of hedonism lives on... (not great quality clip, sorry):
This article about John Clare's poetry. I have tried to read Clare but never clicked with it really. Though I do like this bit from "The Nightingale's Nest":
"For here I’ve heard her many a merry year -
At morn, at eve, nay, all the live-long day,
As though she lived on song."
Well, I like the last six words anyway. It's a start.
Back next week some time. With, I don't know, maybe some thoughts on the Olympics opening ceremony...
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10 comments:
Glad you are enjoying Roger Deakin - all his books are marvellous.
Glad also that you like theNightingale's Nest. It is on my list of favourite poems and was read by a well known poet when some memorial to John Clare was opened in Poet's Corner I think (it might have been Ted hughes) - sorry I can't really remember - put it down to age!
I've really only just started the Deakin book (though I'm sure your son has mentioned him a few times over the years!). It's different certainly.
Looks like it was Hughes who read the Clare poem.
http://johnclare.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/reunitying-of-two-poets.html
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The only places I'm dashing to this summer are Lloyd's Pharmacy to buy Ibuprofen and Argos to buy a new ironing board cover. Oh, it's hard being a nurse!
Are they your Olympic sponsors, SW? It might be hard being a nurse but the karma will be worth it... when you need one someone will be there for you too!!
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we're pretty quiet over here too, planning our first family camping trip of all of one night next week, if it stops raining that is!
Talk of camping here too... not really the summer for it though... bit unpredictable! We headed for a full beach day on Saturday but after a downpour that didn't want to end mid pm we had to give in and come home...
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I totally agree about loneliness - I'm just now realizing how much I miss out that my closest friends live 8 hours away (& I have the hardest time making friends where I live - I'm such a very odd woman). And yes, my mom was my BEST friend. Sigh.
We were going to go somewhere over the 4th, but ended up staying put. Just too darn hot!
Yes, it's probably one of the things I enjoyed most about our time away last year as Mark is one of my best friends and it was good to be with him pretty much non-stop for 6 months. I know some couples wouldn't like the idea of that but we did!
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You're right: a great article on loneliness.
I've dibbed into Wildwood and must do so again. The book of Deakin's which gripped me most was Waterlog. No book has ever made me jump into a river before.
I've learned some great stuff already... like I didn't know moths used the sense of smell before!
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