An Education

Met up with the Best Beloved after her stint as invigilator at the University and went to see "An Education", the film starring Carey Mulligan. The Best Beloved has been keen to see this film as it is set in the time when she was also a grammar school girl. It was one of the films that I had earmarked as seeing later on DVD. Some films just have to be seen in the cinema, for example, "Avatar" in 3D. Smaller scale more intimate films can be seen on the TV screen or on the projector without losing too much. However having said all that I am glad I went to see "An Education". Everyone who has seen it or reviewed it has raved about the central performance of Carey Mulligan, as the bright teenager with a glowing education future, and her encounters in the "university of life". The Danish director, Lone Scherfig, specialises in films dealing with characterisation and is concerned with the lives of ordinary rather eccentric people. She is married to a psychologist, which could be a result of her work or a contributory factor to it. The screenplay is written by Nick Hornby and is a wonderful piece of work. All the character work is exceptionally well done. As the playboy nearly twice her age who changes Jenny's life, Peter Sarsgaard, creates a man with whom we could be morally outraged but with whom we always maintain a touch of sympathy. Peter appeared in the Sam Mendes' film, "Jarhead",as a die hard member of the Marine elite unit, and he played the air marshal, Carson, in "Flight Plan" with Jodie Foster. Peter certainly has range and form and his performance in "An Education" as David must rate a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Alfred Molina as Jenny's father also gives a performance of note although I am a sucker for father roles. He has set great store by his bright girl going to university and adds to the pressures on her. Olivia Williams gives a good performance full of subtleties and nuances as Miss Stubbs, the grammar school teacher and role model, who is challenged almost as much as is Jenny by the latter's experiences. Rosamund Pike, though would also gain my nomination as Best Supporting Actress, as Helen, the blonde air brained girlfriend of Danny (Dominic Cooper). When Jenny says she is going to read English at university, Helen's look of incomprehension is wonderful to behold as she struggles to understand that Jenny is going to read English "books" and why would anyone need to go to university to do that! I would highly recommend "An Education" but you will have to hurry if you want to see it in a cinema as screenings are becoming few and far between. If you don't make it, do catch it on DVD!

Doing it for and by myself!

Do you know how you don't write anything for ages and then one post seems to uncork your brain and ideas that must have been lurking there half-formed for ages suddenly push themselves to the forefront and demand to be written about?

Neither the Best Beloved and I had any dreams about round the world cruises when we retired. At the time I was happy with that decision and we did spend a great deal of money on an extension to our house, feeling we hoped to spend a lot longer in it. We could also justify our decision in terms of reducing our carbon footprint and other worthy explanations, but the truth is more mundane and less worthy.

The Best Beloved's responsibility for an aged mother meant she could not contemplate too many or very long holiday breaks.Even that last phrase arouses in both of us the PWE or Protestant Work Ethic abhorrence of possibly going away on something as frivolous as a holiday! We're not Methodists for nothing! Although only one till five years old, I still seem to carry around a lot of Catholic guilt with me. I am unsure though whether our desire to stay within our comfort zones and not be too risky was also a major factor.

However now the responsibility for aged mother is no longer 24/7 we can contemplate more breaks, for longer durations and for greater distances. We have looked at winter sun holidays and heard on Tuesday of someone who had flown off that very day to Tenerife on a 7 day break of £500 pp having booked it on Sunday on lastminute.com.
We have not yet been bold enough to do that. We are planning to go on a month's camping trip to France in June. We shall have a pop up tent for overnight stops and the proper tent for when we find somewhere we want to stop for a while. We shall wander south by route national rather than autoroute, probably to the South West corner as our visits there have been less frequent than other parts of France. We are planning another canal boat trip in France with friends this year. I have gone off my train journey across the USA idea. However I have discovered the Western Discovery tours and want to do them this year or next. The Best Beloved and I also want to visit New York and New England.

For me though the biggest discovery is that one of the joys of walking is being alone and telling the tales afterwards. This is an important realisation. I have been trying to fit my practice walks involving the Wayfarers Way and the Solent Way around other people and commitments, rather than relying solely upon myself and fitting the other commitments around me. I must be able to equip myself for the cold and wet as well as the fine and dry weather.

I was actually better at this when I was teaching but probably because it was like snatched time from terms or preparation time. I might just sneak under the radar with my 2:2 degree in order to join David Cameron's elite teachers. The sentiment is worthy but ill thought through. In my time as deputy head I had to monitor and assess a number of prospective teachers. My opinion was sought at the end of their time doing "school practice". In some cases I would and did fail candidates. Some of these were the cleverest of the crop but my bottom line criterion was always would I want my Zoe and my Alice to spend all day in the classroom with this person. Mind you, I applied the same criterion to mini bus drivers I used to assess - would I want my two kids riding in the back of a bus driven by this person? I realise this was subjective but it meant I wouldn't wish any less for other people's children and would look back over the other more objective summaries and judgements I had to make.

I am trying to recapture some of that sense of urgency about my walking. This is the year and now is the time to make a start! I need to clear my head and some of the commitments that I keep using as an excuse to cover my lack of effort and drive.

Sitting and thinking

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and some of the thoughts are beginning to form a coherent whole.

I didn't audition for the Bench production of "The Crucible" in April as I had first intended at the play selection. Vaguely it was part of getting outside of my comfort zone and taking more risks, which is one of my new year resolutions. However on closer analysis I found it was more to do with a possible rehearsal schedule of 30 rehearsals and 8 performances over a pretty solid fortnight. I know it wouldn't be me committed to 30 rehearsals but at three rehearsals on average per week and one of those usually Sunday afternoon this can mean a commitment of 10 weeks and/or 10 Sundays. That is one heck of a time commitment and one I have done regularly now for decades. The number of projects I have deferred because I was in a Bench production is phenomenal. It is probably because I can't multi task, and am lazy/indolent and need an excuse to blame for my lack of application (or am possibly just an old "tart" who needs his time upon the stage topping up at frequent intervals). I have satisfied some of that parenthesised demand (old "tart") by accepting three parts working for Cloak and Dagger, murder mystery dinners. These total 7 rehearsals and 8 performances in the same time scale as I would have been working on "The Crucible". Admittedly the type of work is very different but I am beginning to enjoy more and more the working directly with an audience and staying in character while being questioned at a dinner table. I am also enjoying exercising the old comedy skills, which I enjoyed knocking the rust off in "What the Butler Saw".

I will probably feel the need to exercise my dramatic side at some stage during the year but will look out for those opportunities.

What is the purpose of all this time clearance you may ask? The Great France Walk calls! My health fright on "Butler" shows I cannot blissfully assume that I can do it in my own good time. I need to start putting flesh on the idea. If I am to achieve the dream, I need to develop the ability to walk an "x" number of miles carrying my equipment upon my back in a day. I need to define and refine that word "equipment" down to its basic essentials so that overnight and for the agreed duration of the 'hike' I am self sufficient and self reliant. I need to do some planning and map work, improve my basic French and acquire clothing and gear. But above all I need to do some real walking!

Last Minute Revision Pays off!

I was delighted to see "The Hangover" win the Best Film Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes. I was also pleased to see "Avatar" win Best Film Drama and James Cameron win Best Director. My last minute revision certainly paid off. I was sorry that Ricky Gervais resorted to penis jokes so early in his introduction. What was so impressive about the "Avatar" win was that it is no longer the second highest grosser in cinema history after "Titanic" but has now overtaken the latter and takes first place. Such films are usually overlooked for less commercially successful. I expect that the Oscars might still go for "Up in the Air" and perhaps Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker".

Golden Globes

Tonight the film awards, The Golden Globes, get awarded at a glittering ceremony. I shall record the programme and watch during the day tomorrow trying to avoid any references to it in the daily paper.

In order to be up to scratch for the Golden Globes I watched 4 films on Thursday and Friday of last week.
"The Hangover" which is a Las Vegas-set comedy centred around three grooms-men who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him. It is genuinely funny and beautifully directed by Tod Phillips, who keeps the lot rolling along. However the stand out performance for me was Zach Galifiankis as Alan. He is the oddball added to the quartet almost as a last minute thought and lacks all social skills both as a man and as a mate. On Several occasions he made me roar out loud. Zach also appears as one of the employees in "Up in the Air" and I spotted him immediately so how cool is that!

I then watched "Paul Blart: Mall Cop", written by and starring Kevin James as an overweight mall cop or security guard caught up in a raid in the mall. Kevin James is a very funny actor and with great sensitivity (and I loved his performance in "Hitch"). However I watched it for Jayma Mays, the feminine lead and love interest. She plays Emma, the OCD teacher in "Glee", one of my favourite TV series.

Friday I saw "Avatar" in 3D, the second highest grossing film in the history of cinema since the "Titanic". The effects and events are mid bogglingly good and no doubt James Cameron has pushed some of the technical boundaries of film making. The film itself is immersive and I happily wallowed in it for the 161 minutes of its duration. in my younger days, in sci-fi films Earth was invaded by aliens from dead planets intent on taking over ours. In "Avatar" the humans are the aliens trying to take over Pandora as they have killed off Earth. I was intrigued by the characters and the cultural references but not entirely won over by them. The idea of a disabled marine being able to inhabit the body of an avatar is magnificently evoked. The film also evoked my acrophobia on a number of occasions as mountains are suspended in the sky and the indigenous people fly dragons.

Flying was the subject of the last film, "Up in The Air". If this film doesn't win an award then there is no justice. The performances are marvellous and the direction (by Jason Reitman, responsible for "Juno")is subtle and masterful. George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, who flies ten million air miles criss crossing America laying off the workforce on behalf of cowardly bosses. Clooney is magnificent - he uses to tics or techniques - he just delivers a character who you understand every moment he is on the screen. I am amazed Vera Farmiga, who plays Ales, "Just think of me as you, but with a vagina", is not nominated as she gives a performance that is as great and as subtle as that of Clooney. The other female is Anne Kendrick as Natalie, a green horn to whom he shows the ropes and his system. She just adds to the magic of a great film!

Annual Service

The Best Beloved got her drive and path cleared. We did in fact test drive both cars today despite the pretty poor condition of the hill in our Grove. It appears I am booked in for the annual service of our Focus tomorrow morning at 0830 in Chichester. It was a simple and telling answer to my simple query about why we had to clear the drive!

I also walked up to the nearest Homebase and bought a few bird feeders for the garden. Instantly we were visited by our robin and a tit, so making my expedition worthwhile almost immediately. I would like to do my bit for the local wildlife and was prompted by a snippet on television last night. I think our robin lives in the large fir tree at the bottom of our garden - in fact I think you could do an entire wildlife programme based just on that tree. Apparently robins will forego their territoriality in these dreadful winter circumstances, which shows other species are prompted to acts of goodwill to others when there is snow on the ground.

Pompey are play away at Coventry tonight and I wish them well but don't mind if they lose as they can then concentrate on Premier League survival. I shall be supporting them at the home game against Birmingham on Saturday. I am in support of the protests as they seem to have rattled the ownership and top management.

I am now researching short stories to find material for the adult Tale Tellers at the Southdowns Literary Festival. We each plan to do a 20 minute story in a 45 minute session. It will be interesting to work out the technique for starting (and finishing) a storytelling session with adults - we are quite expert now when working with children.

Quote from Albert Camus I like: "Don't walk in front of me as I may not follow; Don't walk behind me as I may not lead: Walk beside me and be my friend."

Path clearing and roadworks

The Best Beloved wants to clear our drive or at least a path from front door to pavement and around the two immobilised cars. My question was simple:"Why?"

Was she expecting a sudden influx of visitors? Was she intending to use the cars? We have been visited by the kids and had a lovely meal and lots of fun playing charades (The Best Beloved's rendition of "Transformers 2; Revenge of the Fallen" was incredibly funny as revenge is not a concept she deals in and her sub-textual delivery was beautiful and wondrously naive. I, on the other hand, could do 'revenge' and 'petty spite' easily). However they walked and so found no hardship crossing our small drive. We have a sign on the front door dissuading cold callers (a particularly apt expression in this seasonal weather). The Best Beloved has almost recovered fully from her hamstring problem, exacerbated by a fall in the drive early in the Christmas holiday. Therefore, we are able to walk everywhere we want to go. If necessary and are using the shopping trolley we will catch bus into Havant and back. In order to visit her mother, the Best Beloved will use two buses. The cars are redundant at the moment and the hill that is our Grove is ungritted and looks treacherous for the rare vehicle on the move. The milkman still arrives , bless his warm woollen socks, and leaves our order.

The other point I made was that once you clear the path and drive you then have to keep it clear as it can become a liability. Perhaps it was all those decades living in Bradford that has made me a bit of a curmudgeon and resistant to the charms of snow? I know Lord Adonis has spoken up in defence of common sense and community spirit to encourage people to clear their frontages despite council warnings of liability. My worry is that you can create skating rinks rather than welcoming paths. You do need to put something down on the cleared surfaces. I am starting to worry about all this salt we have sprayed on the roads - where will it all go when the thaw comes? Won't it eventually get washed somewhere? I read that in Sweden they use wetted sand. Admittedly it will still have to go somewhere when it thaws but we have a supply of sand in Britain we don't need to import expensive salt. Just a thought!

On Mondays I get the Daily Telegraph for the Sports Supplement as I was once advised it was one of the best. Useless today as sport has been so adversely affected by the weather except in South Africa where the England cricket team seems particularly adept at rearguard actions. Anyway I was forced as a result to read the paper more than is my usual wont. I was delighted to see the Donmar "Hamlet" has made £6 million on Broadway. I was also reminded that I was born in the winter of 1947 although my memories are very vague! I read the column by Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. His topic was the roadworks constantly disrupting London life and costing Londoners about £1 billion per year. In the Thatcher era the utilities were given quite amazing powers to dig up the road; this was an attempt to help the new privatised utility companies. Unfortunately the number of companies and services able to use these powers now number 100. London is apparently pioneering a time limited permit system in order to speed up the 300,000 holes dug annually in London streets. Johnson's suggestion is lane rental so the companies are charged for the time spent digging up roads. Naturally the utility companies say this will add to their costs which will be passed on to the consumer. However Johnson goes on to say it might encourage new technology, the equivalent of keyhole surgery and angioplasties in road-excavation. He also suggests the round the clock working of Singapore and the plating over the holes as used in New York.

I was much heartened by hearing that my old school went back to work today. What is the point of being retired if everyone is staying at home? I am much uplifted by the tales of young people making every effort to get into work. I once was much driven by the protestant work ethic instilled into me by my grandmother in particular - I wonder what happened to it? Do I need a shovel or a spade?

Some sort of resolution

I am often impressed by the other blogs I read and of course feel I have to follow suit. I still use Pie Corbett as my educational muse: "imitate, imitate,imitate,imitate,imitate; innovate,innovate,innovate; invent."

So. in full imitation mode, I have decided to eschew the usual form of resolutions and also to limit myself to three, although the second is an extended one.

(1) Take more risks and try to avoid staying so comfortably within my comfort zone.Idle and indolent are perfect adjectives for me and only very rarely am I seized by the need to burst into action. I don't think at this stage in my life I am suddenly going to become a thrusting, dynamic sort of person. However if offered options I will try to take the one that is outside my comfort zone and requires more effort on my part. I love taking part in Bench productions but do tend to end up putting a couple of months aside to do one and putting the rest of my life on hold while I do it. I have worked out that if I do small scale Bench productions rather than the major ones I can do more rather than less. It also means I have created more space to respond to other offers and indeed to come up with ideas and projects of my own. We are continuing with our Tale Tellers series of stories for children at the Arts Centre in the spring months. We are also going to use the Southdowns Literary Festival as a guinea pig venue for taking our storytelling to adults. This has already involved starting to look at short stories with a view to turning them into stories to be told rather than read. There is a possibility of a monologue that would certainly stretch this old actor. I will also take part in Totton if asked and in the Supernova event planned for September, perhaps even writing and directing if I can stir my stumps in plenty of time.

(2)See more cinema (weekly), read a book per week and see more theatre (monthly). These are things I enjoy thoroughly and are therefore no hardship upon which to base a resolution. However they still count as guilty pleasures and I can be easily deferred by pointing out what I should be doing instead. I think I am going to have to allocate a sort of Orange Wednesday approach. The Best Beloved is forever saying I must be more flexible but that does mean I usually end up not doing anything. She also sometimes sidetracks me by saying something like "Oh I want to see that film as well!" but we then spend the rest of the week trying to work out how to fit it in and the film has dropped out of the cinema schedules. This is my fault really, not hers, I must say "I am going to see it on Wednesday at 1240. Are you able to come?" Please note the lovely daytime viewing, which I love. Theatre is more difficult because it is more expensive and is usually at a distance, i.e. London. However, I want to see Mark Haddon's "Polar Bears" at the Donmar. Book reading I think I can fit in if I get started at the beginning of a week and don't spend too much time on the computer!

(3) More walking is needed.