Oh yes. Sometime during all the madness this week I took F and A to see The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Hmmm...
Very good on the whole, and close to the plot and script of the story.
Less good on the story of the book I thought, with a bit of overkill on the monsters and battle scenes. Some of the CG was a bit crap in places, especially around Alsan's death scene. really jumpy and pixelated.
Too much LOTR I thought as well - is that the film by which all fantasies will now be measured?
The books were written at similar times, and both in Oxford.
Does this explain why there is so much Gandalf in Aslan and so much Frodo in Lucy Pevensey?
The armour making in the Snow Queens Palace aka Isengard?
The battle scenes, the panoramic shots of the armies. Susan and Lucy following Aslan into the woods aka The Hobbits follwing Strider.
Aslan's camp is EXACTLY the same as the gathering of Rohan, from which the fellowship set off along the Paths of The Dead.
And why the Director has used the same shots and similar scenery as Middle Earth for Narnia.
Lacks the realism of LOTR though.
I found the talking animals a bit cheesy, especially the fox who was REALLY badly animated.

I'm too cynical. It was well made and effective. The kids loved it.

E (2 yrs) - 3 farmyard puzzles. £2
S (4 yrs) - Buckaroo £10 An electric racing car circuit. £5 Torch £5 = £20
A (7 yrs) - Box set of seven Chronicles of Narnia books. £1
Guess who? game £10. Torch £5 = £16
F (9 1/2) - Swallows and Amazons 50p.
Rubiks cube £15. Torch £5 = £20.50
B (16 yrs) - Dada calendar £10 Books by Nietzche, Kant and Plato £20 = £30
K (19 yrs) - Dali calendar £10 A3 Folio £20 = £30
T (35 yrs) - 3CD worship collection £18
Pocket book of Trees and Wildflowers £8 = £26

Mum and dad
Subscription to Wildlife Trust for a Year. £30
Brother in law
Hand knitted super long scarf £32
Father in law
Bird feeder and a million of fat balls £25
Nephews
Books £5 Torches £5
Sister
Chocolates £10

Done. Wrapped and stored.
Bring it on...

Lost track of the last few days. Its amazing how much can happen in a week. Not world-changing stuff (as regular readers of this blog will know ;-), but just the kind of litter that blows thru the alleys of everyone's life I suppose.
Biscuit and her boyfriend have been and gone. The visit went very well, but now thaey are safely home I have relaxed and realized how stress-making the whole thing was. I genuinely like him, and Trx agrees we should send him something for his 18th on New years Day.
Tuesday afternoon I think they arrived.
All I can really remember doing is a fantastic walk around Acres Down in the Forest all day Wednesday in beautiful autumn sunshine. Stan literally ran his legs off and spent the whole afternoon grinning and waving increasingly bigger sticks around. We sat on top of the hill and had a picnic lunch...
Yesterday was crazier, and Biscuit commented on the fact that we actually went out five times. Apparently that's more than she usually manages in a week! wtf??
Deliver some cards in the morning and took the skates to The Park. I went to visit the accoountant after lunch and signed off the accounts for the year. Apparently we made a profit last year??
Explain that one...
Then the annual pilgrimage to the wanky lights on Broadwater Road.
Home in time for cell at the Rumbles.
Secret Santa.
A box of chocolates is really, really rubbish. I thought we perhaps knew each other better than that.

Stopped by the police on the way home with Claire. They are investigating another "serious" sexual assualt that happened last week. Nothing to declare.
That's another crime in St Denys tho - which is worrying.
I should have reported the inflatable Santa and flashing penguins on the corner...

And on Tuesday evening this week there was a helicopter search along the River for another suicide jumper. That's the third person to have taken their lives this way in the last twelve months.
No please. Don't put fekkin railing and a high barrier along the bridge.
Its not the bridge's fault!! And most people that use it don't jump off.
Those that do will just find somewhere else.
Oh I see. That's the whole point...

One more shopping trip to do this evening as our visitors have eaten all the food we bought Monday.

Thursday afternoon Kink PASSED her driving test at the second attempt!
Hurrah. Still no idea when she will come down here, but now this is a major step forward. Apparently she's off to Wales today to visit her brother.
Don't ask!

Office just now writing this. I know, I'm on holiday. Went in to see if any money had come in. £3K, so well worth doing. Unfortunately, Shitface hasn't left any counter-signed cheques so I couldn't write myself enough to cover the next mortgage payment.
Ask me how much if I'm bovvered...
There's so much due in over the holiday period that it will sort itself out within a week or three of going back.

And RH has been on. Again. BC has pooped on the Island re-issues. And he doesn't even have any song-writing credits!!!
Still, the Robin Simon association has emerged. What a discovery! He really does know some exciting people.
I'm slowly filtering thru the media archive. SO much info there. Am I really the only person who can be bothered to actually read this sh*t and extract the info has already been published and anyone could have read. Some of the early interviews from Sounds in 77/78 are fascinating.