So glad that this is back for a second series. It’s sweet, funny and very moving.
Roger and Val Have Just Got In, Series 2
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Get Him to the Greek
Get Him to the Greek is sometimes stupid, sometimes shocking but mostly absolutely hilarious. Russell Brand reminds me of a thin Ricky Gervais. Worth a watch, if only for the funny songs.
Cosa Nostra
I finished reading Cosa Nostra tonight. Given my affection for mafia-based entertainment (The Sopranos, Scorcese’s films, The Godfather Trilogy etc.) I was very much looking forward to discovering the truth behind it. Although the content of the book was interesting, my enjoyment was marred for the following reasons:
1) I frequently had to look up the meanings of words, most of which don’t occur in everyday language. Every time this happened it disrupted my flow.
2) I had to keep looking up places that were mentioned on Google maps. There are maps at the front of the book but places aren’t easily located or even present on them, as far as I could tell.
3) There are so many people involved that it’s difficult to remember who they all are. Worse still – and this isn’t the author’s fault – everyone seems to be called Giuseppe or Antonino! I had to makes notes on who was who as I went along, otherwise I got utterly confused.
4) It isn’t in strict chronological order. Where stories overlap then it’s fair enough but the author sometimes goes back and forth over the same few years. I can see that this is necessary as there are so many interwined stories – the history of the mafia is complex – but again, I couldn’t make sense of it without making notes.
I have to admit that finishing the book is a relief. I got halfway through without making notes and then had to start again because I was too confused to continue! In summary, this book is a bit too much hard work if you’re after escapism or entertainment. If you want to think and learn then by all means read it, but not without a cup of tea and a notebook.
(4th in 2012)
Cookies and bread
Baking is a good activity when it’s too cold to play outside. I use one of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s chocolate recipes for choc chip cookies (scroll down to the bottom of the article).
EDIT 06/06/12@: To get squidgy cookies, whip them out of the oven as soon as the outer edge has coloured. Mr W prefers them crunchy like biscuits though, so for him they need to stay in a bit longer. Add 50g of chopped nuts for a nutty variation.
I also made some bread. It’s nowhere near as good as Waitrose bakery bread but I enjoy producing a loaf purely by hand.
A mad father
The American meaning of mad. This video made me laugh so much that I cried.
Super Smart Animals
I’ve enjoyed this series so far. I liked this dog in particular:
Also in this episode, during the cooperating elephants feature, there was a song that I recognised. It drove me mad trying to remember what it was. Finally something stirred in my brain: it was something to do with an Apple advertisement. Much later I realised it was from the ipad2 video. Bloody Apple, finding yet another way to drive me mad. Anyway, this is the song:
Chocs through the post
Today a big box of delights was delivered to me. It must be the biggest quantity of chocs I’ve ever received in one go! Fantastic.
Julie and Julia
Julie and Julia is a charming film. It features blogging, cooking and love – three of my favourite things. There’s a scene that touched me in particular: when Julia Child’s husband gives her the book Larousse Gastronomique as a birthday present. It reminded me of how thrilled I was when I was given a copy by my husband. Not that I’ve used mine as much as Julia Child must have! I also enjoyed the portrayal of an older couple who are enthusiastic and positive about life as well as being completely in love. I hope that’s what’s in store for me.
British identity
Inspired by the Guardian’s interactive article What Does Being British Mean to You? I pondered my own position.
Both my parents’ families are from the same little cluster of villages in Gujarat, India. My parents were among those who emigrated to England in the sixties and seventies. They met through the Gujarati community in England and married. I was born in England and my upbringing and education here has shaped the person I am today far more than my family’s background, in spite of them holding on very strongly on to their culture. I don’t feel Indian; I feel British. My husband is English, we don’t incorporate any Indian traditions into our lives and we work in his parents’ very traditional pub, that most British of institutions. To me, being British means promoting freedom and tolerance.
I’ve never been a victim of overt racism but I feel there is room for improvement. People need to be educated. For example, a few months ago I was talking to an English woman in her fifties. She used, harmlessly she believed, the word ‘Paki’ as a synonym for ‘Indian’. Leaving out the geographical error entirely, I tried to explain to her that she shouldn’t use the word ‘Paki’ because it was derogatory but she clearly didn’t know what derogatory meant. At that point I cut my losses and gave up.