Sort of Ranty Thinking

I am going to slam a lot of incoherent thoughts at you and you can ignore them if you want but I am going to do it anyway. I am still a bit preoccupied with the floods. I know that as far as the "Powers That Be" are concerned we have all moved on because it has stopped raining and a Head Has Rolled (mainly, as far as I can see, because he was on holiday when the floods came and so therefore unable to complete the compulsory "march around flooded areas in wellies looking very concerned" thing that is required at times like this)

I saw on the news that the Jorvik Centre in York was badly flooded and they have no idea when it will open again. For those who haven't been, the Jorvik Museum celebrates York's rich Viking history with interactive displays and rides though a reconstructed village. All the models (see photo)  and electrics and the like have been destroyed. I have probably mentioned that FOW1 is an archaeologist and although he is a bit sniffy about museums where you get to smell what a Viking toilet was like, he is very keen on other areas of the Jorvik. There are artefacts in there that are well over 1000 years old and if it wasn't for the quick thinking of the York Archaeological Trust they would have been lost forever. This would have been at least as distressing an event as the horrible damage to people's homes.The thing is the Jorvick, despite being situated in a basement in often damp York, has never flooded before - ever - which should tell us something about how things are going.

FOW1 saw Jeremy Corbyn doing the concerned welly walk round York and, although he has a deep fondness for the Corbster, he was struck by how much he just seemed like everyone else. Trying not to check his watch to see how soon he could scoot off back to London. And speaking of London, the Thames is tidal isn't it? But when was the last time London flooded? Well it doesn't does it because they have a state of the art, all singing, all dancing barrier. Hoorah!

I think we all know that the times, in a Global Warming sense, they are changing and it isn't enough anymore to throw a bit of dosh at something in the hope that you can build your sandbag wall a bit higher next time. We can always drag a few squaddies from their Christmas break to help you. 

No, it's surely time of a more visionary, more ecological approach. There are interesting thoughts here about a way to work with the nature that is battering the living daylights of of us - to naturally disperse the water before it hits our homes. It's visionary and thinks differently which has to be a good thing because the same old, same old just isn't working is it? Schemes like this do take investment but the very successful and innovative Thames Barrier cost £1.2 billion to build and frankly we could all do with making sure that it's not just Londoners' tootsies that don't get wet when the rains come down.

Christmas Culture

BBC

As usual, we got out and about a bit and also watched quite a lot of telly over the hols. Here is my totally non-expert view on the stuff we saw.

Dr Who
FOW 2 has been a bit off Dr Who this season. Not because of Peter Capaldi, who is obviously very good, but because she feels that the writer Stephen Moffat has been playing fast and loose with the rules. For example, she was apoplectic, when Dr Who went back to Gallifrey because he can NEVER go back to Gallifrey. I, however, am unburdened by such detailed knowledge and laughed like a drain all through the River Song Christmas episode. Sometimes I think it is an advantage to be a bit simple.

Downton Abbey
Sorry. Never seen it. Felt it was a bit cheeky joining here so I didn't and also saw that Maggie Smith has never seen it which must mean something.

And Then There Were None (Bit of a spoiler - move on if you don't want it)
This should have been amazing. I had read the book - best Agatha Christie I think but I felt the adaptation was so keen to get that Poldark chappy stripped to the waist that it upset the balance of the thing. To have the person that did the deed explain it while someone dangled on the edge of death was distracting. Much better to have a last letter explain it all. Also HOH who hasn't read the book guessed the killer within the first hour. He said it was obvious. Something wrong there then.

Sherlock
Ooooh. This one divided everyone I think. I found it a bit up itself, I'll be honest - a bit too knowing. However, I still think it is twenty times better than everything else on the telly to be honest so lets not complain too much. 

Star Wars
I know my reaction is not normal but this makes me so happy. I so loved the first films and it was so great to see someone had gone back and done it so well. It is very important to uber fans like me. (Can I just say here that despite being slightly obsessed, I have never actually thought that Jedi was a religion and for those that think so, I think you should consider the possibility that George Lucas came up with the whole idea after one too many shandys. Just a thought)

Sisters
Very funny film. Not for your Maiden Aunt if she is easily offended. Well actually if she is quite difficult to offend.

When Harry Met Sally
Family pre Christmas outing to the Arts Centre. Of course very funny and beautiful and romantic and witty and heart stoppingly brilliant. (HOH has suggested that if your Maiden Aunt will be troubled by the sight of Meg Ryan faking full on jiggy in a cafe - she may prefer to give this a miss. Good Point, Well Made)

Not bothering you with High Society, On The Town and the Frank Sinatra story. They were from my personal Sinatra afternoon and aren't anything to trouble anyone else with. You understand.

Christmas As a Learning Project

Or things I never learn over the Christmas period.

1. It goes so fast. Christmas is over in almost the time it takes to say "Is a mini ironing board an acceptable present for Aged Parent?"
2. I will always achieve less than ten percent of everything on my to do list.
3. I will always underestimate (a) The amount of time it takes to be hospitable (b) How shattering being hospitable is.
4. This does not mean that I don't enjoy being hospitable.
5. All talk of Christmas Lunch really just being a large Sunday Roast is nonsense. Despite trying manfully to pare the whole thing back I still end the day feeling something like I imagine the cook felt at the conclusion of one of Henry VIII's most jolly weddings.
6. New Year's Eve could make Pollyanna depressed. Even the dog got upset (Fireworks give him bad nerves)
7. If chocolate is in the house, I will find it and eat it - almost unconsciously. (Almost)

So bloodied but unbowed, we tick another Christmas off, having discovered, controversially, that a mini ironing board may not have gone down that well with the Kardashians but it makes an old lady with a bad back a very happy. 

Happy Christmas

Hello. Just to let you know that the blog will be going quiet over the Christmas period and I will be back with deep insights for living (or failing that lots of inane observations) in the New Year.
And, bowing to huge public demand, all that remains is for Martha Towers and especially Aged Parent (with assistance from FOW1) to wish you all a Blessed Christmas and an Amazing New Year

Nativity Overkill

It has been suggested to me that Five Nativity sets may possibly be a little over the top. I am not sure about that and I'm not taking any notice of anyone anyway but I thought I might just introduce you to them. (This is nothing like introducing you to my children either) The set above is the newest addition and this is cool and elegant Jesus with a free Bethlehem background. 

This is cute Jesus and has the advantage of having the whole stable shenanigans attached. No blu tac needed. Real straw too, therefore highly authentic

This is "I've No Idea Where This Is From Jesus" so called because I have no recollection of buying it. Still, all are welcome here.

This is Inca Fairtrade Jesus AND you can put a tealight in it. That is all.

And this is my oldest child Nativity. If you look closely you can see that most of them are propped up against each other because they have a lot of bits missing. A great deal of the damage was caused by FOW1 doing secret death match fights using them as action figures when he was little but I sort of thought if Joseph wasn't man enough to take Spiderman then God would never have chosen him to look after Mary and Jesus. Five? Too many? Nah.