journal of a writing man

Sunday May 12, 2013

Somewhere around this date thirty-five years ago Graham and I went to see Star Wars in one of the big cinemas by Leicester Square in London. I wish I could say I was bowled over by it but I wasn’t. Graham loved it, though, so I went along for the ride. And, in subsequent years, we went to see the next two movies in the series. Then, even Graham’s enthusiasm waned, and we couldn’t bring ourselves to take to the follow-on productions, losing the plot, as it were.

Even so, the movies have a special significance for us and, if I can make it, we’ll do the next one in style, going up to London to see it on the big screen in 2015. It looks as though I shall be wheel-chair bound by then so there’ll be an added spirit of adventure to the trip.

It seems that Walt Disney are making the new movies and, by virtue of a special tax deal with the British Government, will produce and largely shoot the first one here in the UK. The details, so far as they are known, are in the papers/online news pages right now.

I’m not too sure what I think about the move to the UK but if it brings in the money it’s hard not to approve.

So I’m looking forward to it. Just so long as the opening lines are not “Previously… in a galaxy far, far away.”

Saturday May 11, 2013

The excitement today came from the successful sale on eBay of the electric oven we retired early in favour of the splendid Bosch model we installed a month or so ago. There was nothing wrong with it but Graham has turned to baking big time and needed an oven that is up to the job.

Apart from that it was a watching the rain drops on the window kind of day, damp and dismal. Graham says that the sun came out briefly while I was taking my afternoon nap but you could have fooled me.

And now, I’m tired. Too tired to sit here writing rubbish. I’ll try to do better tomorrow.

Friday May 10, 2013

It was a cold and dismal day yesterday, to the extent of blowing up a half-gale. Today was better, but not much.

Even so we took ourselves off out for our weekly shopping trip. Not only that but we took a side trip to the DIY store to buy a new electric mower to replace the one that died last weekend. Darn things don’t last, do they? This one didn’t do too badly–it was the one we bought in Lincolnshire so’s I could cut the grass when Graham was away on a summer job back at St Audrie’s in Somerset. It was a small light-weight model from Bosch, and it’s worked fine all that time. Didn’t even need a new blade.

So there’s another item for the town dump so soon as we resume our get rid of the crappy work, waiting for finer weather. We don’t do the dump when it’s raining.

Yesterday I sat down after dinner to watch a broadcast TV movie–The History Boys, after the fine play by Alan Bennett. I’d seen it before but it’s one of those productions you can see over and over, never losing its impact and appeal. I suppose I ought to identify with Hector and to an extent I do. I seem also to have a strong affinity to the pupils, however, and I’m not sure what that says about me.

Another high light is the disappearance of my Spring hay fever cough, gone with the wind and rain. Of course the cold and rain has sparked off a bit of rheumatism but I’ve learned as the years go by that you need to adopt a swings and roundabouts approach to these things.

Thursday May 9, 2013

Oh dear! What a calamity! I’ve been sat sitting here so long I’ve lost track of time. Here it is, just after three a.m., I have to get up at six, and I’ve clear forgot to write journal.

Never mind. It was a wet, windy and totally dismal day anyway.

Lawks! What a fool I am!

Wednesday May 8, 2013

We decided to have another quiet day at home today. Well, it had turned cold and inclined to drizzle, so a day in the warm was hard to resist.

I used part of my time to watch the Queen opening parliament. Don’t know how many of these ceremonies I’ve seen but it’s nowhere near as many as she has done. Oh boy but she looked tired. Almost as though she was thinking of being home in the warm and kicking off her shoes just like me.

One change in the ceremony this year was the presence of the Prince of Wales sitting on the Queen’s right hand and looking as sour as an unripe lemon. He doesn’t do the King in Waiting act with much grace these days. Mind you, with the Queen on one side and his dumpling wife on the other it can’t be easy to find grace in any situation.

Hey ho. It was soon over and HM was tucked up safe and sound in her coach and on her way back to the comfort of Buck House lickety-split.

“How was it?” Graham asked when I turned the TV broadcast off and returned to the kitchen to refill my coffee mug. He doesn’t do Royalty, not even for me.

“Oh, you know. Same old, same old.”

Tuesday May 7, 2013

Unexpectedly it turned out to another lovely sunny day, warm enough for a t-shirt even when there was a small breeze blowing.

“We’re not going to the dump today,” Graham said.

“Why not?”

“I want to strim the rough grass in the back garden.”

“Oh, fair enough.”

So he had a happy morning with our little petrol strimmer, cutting weeds and stuff down to a decent level while I caught up on some TV documentaries and dozed happily.

That’s a recipe for a good, satisfying day if ever I heard of one.

Monday May 6, 2013

A lovely sunny day, bringing out the best in all of us. They say that tomorrow will likely be even better and I certainly hope so. I need all the help I can get to bring out my best.