I'll be back

Apologies for the unbelievable lack of blogging for the past couple of months. I'd originally hoped to do daily updates on my US holiday - but was having too much fun cramming various things in and generally being very touristy. Since coming back, the last two months have just been very busy with various things.

Anyway, I'll update and backpost the thoughts I had when on holiday and a couple of other things. Hopefully some sort of 'normal service' will resume quickly...

New York - day 2

Day 2 and I decide to something very touristy - a 3 hour boat trip around the island of Manhattan. I love the way a city can look so different from the water - London takes on a different feel on a commuter boat and Liverpool is a truly beautiful city when viewed from the Mersey.

The trip is fascinating with the guide doing a commentary which combines history with humour, interesting fact with wonderful trivia. He handles very well what could have been an awkward moment as he talks about the World Trade Center; dignified but not going in to mawkishness nor unthinking patriotism.

At one point he comments that he majored in speech and theatre at college before moving to film school and NYC (to be honest the most surprising thing he said during the entire commentary was "my wife and I"...) and whilst his career may not gone how he intended, he is in effect giving a 3 hour one man show several times a week. A highly recommended way to spend a morning in NYC.

After lunch I head to the Museum of Modern Art - no doubt the first of many galleries I'll enjoy on this trip. What a lovely building and a fascinating collection. Modern art may not be for eveyone - but I like it and this is a beautiful haven of art just off the bustle of 5th Avenue.

This weekend is the start of the NFL season and with the New York Giants being the current Superbowl champions the honour of the opening game falls to them. To celebrate there is a free NFL Kickoff concert being held at Columbus Circle - quite why there so we have to watch it from a blocked off road when Central Park is next door and would make more sense I've no idea. Anyway, closing the road in the rush hour adds to the midtown traffic chaos and I wander over to take a look. All I will say is that it's a slighty strange line up - Natasha Bedingfield (I've come all this way to see a Brit artist....), Usher, and Keith Urban (probably best known in the UK for being married to Nicole Kidman) - and I leave pretty promptly.

I head back to the hotel but stop off at Top of the Rock and go to the observation deck. What a contrast to yesterday's Empire State Building. I'm there at a similar time but there are no queues and it's cheaper. It is better organised with more viewing space - on several levels - at the top and, of course, you get wonderful and breathtaking views of the skyline. Its location means you get see across Central Park as well as the beautiful Empire State Building and my undoubted tip so far - if you visit New York forget the Empire State Building, head straight to the Top of the Rock.

New York - day 1

So I made it - and they let me in the country! For a few years I've been wanting to do a trip to the USA and combine visiting New York City and Washington DC. Finally, this year I actually got around to doing something about it.

A few initial observations;

• Terminal 5 at Heathrow is nearly excellent. Check in and security were swiftly dealt with and there are numerous shops and restaurants. But it does seem to be a shopping centre which happens to offer flights, rather than a decent airport putting the passenger first. All that money spent, and still had to queue for the inadequate number of toilets!
• I really hope that the immigration officer's name on their badge is more an acquired name than their birth name - to be a woman called 'Mutt' would seem a tad cruel. And I'm not making that up - that really was her name on her badge
• JFK airport seems to have achieved the impossible and is actually more confusing and ugly than Heathrow
• they clearly don't have speed cameras in the USA. My transfer from the airport was by minivan. Having been driven around JFK airport and seeing it from all angles as the vehicle was filled, we headed off at breakneck speed. Speed limit = 50; we were going at 70 and once touched 80 as we undertook, tailgated and went right across all the lanes on the way to Manhattan, all whilst the driver seemed to be shuffling the paperwork to work out which hotel to stop at first! Good fun - but glad I arrived in one piece!
  

First impression - New York really is Gotham!

My hotel is right in midtown and just off 5th Avenue - room is smallish, but it's all location, location, location! I'm going to be such a tourist on this trip and I walk down to the Empire State Building. It's a beautiful building to look at, and the view from the top - well the 86th floor, to get to the 102nd is another $15 - is amazing, and slightly scary. However, the interior of the building the tourists see is tired and there is a long line to join to pay - though not as long as it could have been judging by the layout of the waiting area. Also, all the staff are dressed in ESB suits styled to allude to the 30s - but none of them seem to fit anyone. I've never seen such a large number of ill-fitting suits in one place. Makes you wonder whether is some deliberate and bizarre branding idea...

Anyway, the view is amazing and a good, though tiring start, to my stay.

North Devon

Post Greenbelt have spent a few days in North Devon for some R&R. I have a real soft spot for this part of the country - it is peaceful, laid back and the geography throws up contrasts from beautiful sandy coves ideal for surfing, to the more rugged rocky coastline a few miles to the north. British weather is still a bit poor - though was finally a few hours of sunshine later today. Enough for me to get a red glow going on my bald pate!

Greenbelt - post festival

The day after the night before.

The festival is over and the tidying up begins. A busy and long day yesterday - there was a moment at about 8pm when I felt really shattered but fortunately it passed fairly quickly.

We tidy up and sort out the last few things - making sure that the stuff which needs to be thrown away is not mixed up with the stuff that needs to go back to London!

Another festival over and one which seems to have been successful - very succesful when the vagaries of the British weather have been taken into account.

Things are sorted fairly easily, goodbyes are said and at 2.30pm I head off for a few days much needed R&R in beautiful north Devon.

Greenbelt - Day 4 - Monday

The final day of the festival often produces mixed feelings - relief that the festival has gone well and is nearly over; busyness in that whilst the rest of the festival is winding down, Monday night is often the busiest time for me; a sense of sadness that the festival is almost over.

Under strict instructions to get my portrait taken as part of an onsite photo project - see here for the whole series but I'm not going to link to my particular picture!

I don't know about you, but often I think of the better thing to say about an hour after the event - and perhaps not more so than today at the Greenbelt press conference. Had a microphone put under my nose and was asked by BBC Radio Gloucestershire to sum up Greenbelt in one or two words. How do you sum up something so strange and eclectic up in one or two words? Of course, I know now, but at the time I fear I perhaps waffled on a little.

So, another festival draws to a close - busy, quirky, fun and thought provoking - tiring but completely worthwhile.

Greenbelt - Day 3 - Sunday

A long and busy day at the festival today - and no time to take any photos but have a look at the excellent photos on flickr. The Rising Sun theme is almost becoming ironic given the weather this weekend. With a few showers some parts of the festival site are distinctly squelchy - but what's a festival in the UK summer without some mud!

However, overall the weather, whilst a little windy in places, and the odd passing shower, has been acceptable. Little sunbathing under the Rising Sun, but there has been daily yoga in the morning.

Greenbelt - Day 2 - Saturday

The festival gets more fully underway.

Weather looking good and might escape the worst of the British summer.

And some have found something to interest them.

Greenbelt - Day 1 - Friday

Well, in true Field of Dreams style - "we have built it, and they have come". Always reassuring when the gates open and you see the site fill up with Greenbelters.

A couple of showers have dampened the ground first thing this morning, but on the whole the forecast looks fairly favourable for the next couple of days - certainly in comparison to what we've had over the past few weeks.

Don't know what will happen over the next few days - a lot of hard work, but also plenty of fun and a chance to catch one or two things that might take you by surprise.

Looks to be a good weekend ahead!

Greenbelt - pre festival

It's the August Bank Holiday weekend so I'm making my annual 'pilgrimage' to the excellent Greenbelt Festival.

Arrived yesterday to help with the set up. Always fascinating to see the skeleton of the site take on flesh over the next couple of days. Lots of anxious looks at the weather forecast and seeing how the weekend might pan out - surely the 'British Summer' must arrive at some point??

Much going through my mind pre-festival so little sleep had last night as I couldn't switch off - not long now 'til the start.

More Olympic thoughts

How annoying are the BBC Monkey/Gorillaz style opening credits and indents - and particularly the Monkey Madness part of evening round up show?

Just how bad an interviewer is Garry Richardson?

The Olympics have been been great - the BBC presentation of the event, very poor.

On the Buses

Spotted what looked suspiciously like the cast of Gavin and Stacey on the top deck of an open top London bus, complete with file crew, going around Parliament Square at approx 4pm.

Website of the week

Has been a bit of break on this front.

Still, if you think you have little 'quirks' then look here - you may even want to add your own.

Some Olympic Thoughts

1. If you're in charge of 2012 opening ceremony just how annoyed/worried are you at the moment - follow that! Fear not for do not forget the Manchester Commonwealth Games opening ceremony featured David Beckham, a parade of old cars and the Wombles - the 2012 ceremony will be fine...

2. Just how good are the GB cycling team?

3. Just how quick could Usain Bolt be if he ran flat out for the whole 100 metres?

4. Just how normal and refreshing is Rebecca Adlington?

5. Just how poor has the BBC presentation been? Way too much of the presenters rather than the sport, poor 'human interest' and 'amusing' pieces (I particularly hate the Phelpsometer/Jaws theme and the 'previously at the Olympics' start of the evening show), not enough coverage of other 'minor' sports and some incredibly poor commentating. Notable exceptions on the commentary front are Michael Johnson (refreshingly calls it as it sees it), Gerry Herbert (knowledgeable and passionate, if slightly hysterical) and Hugh Porter (like most cycling commentators - such as Phil Liggett on C4 and David Duffield on Eurosport - he's completely mad but the spirit of Alan Partridge lives on). Also did you used to watch some football programmes just to see what John Barnes or Barry Venison would actually be wearing? Doesn't the same seem to apply to Gabby Logan and the Olympics coverage?

Is an interesting article here about just how unequal the Olympics are. Is it still little more than a posh people's sports day?

Needing a Nudge

Although I've linked to a few books to read, I've never really discussed books here before. Still, always time to try something new!

I've been reading Nudge, a new book by American academics Thaler and Sunstein, and the only reason I'm writing about it is because it is on the current 'must read' lists of numerous politicians.

I think it's safe to say that this is first book by Yale University Press I've ever read, let alone purchased. However, in a similar vein to Freakonomics, Microtrends, and The Tipping Point, it's a comfortable, accessible read. In it Thaler and Sunstein say that if 'choice architects' give things a little thought they could design decisions so that people are 'nudged' in a certain way for the overall public good. For example, on starting a new job you are automatically enrolled in a pension scheme rather than having to make a conscious decision to join one. In doing this you save for your retirement and everyone will be better off. However, because they also want to allow choice, you always have the chance to opt out, thus the freedom to choose is preserved. They call this 'libertarian paternalism' and it will be a big thing in both the upcoming US election, and the next UK one.

This seems fairly sensible - but let's also be careful here. The pensions thing seems sensible, but another example they suggest is that organ donation should move to an 'opt out' rather than, in the UK at least, the current 'opt in' system. This is perhaps a bit more controversial - in effect the state would 'own' your organs for transplant upon your death (and more organ donation is needed) unless you'd made a conscious decision that they couldn't. Suddenly a nudge seems a bit more of a shove?? And I speak as someone who has had a donor card since aged 16.

Personally I feel there is an innate contradiction between 'libertarian' and 'paternalism', and it's one they don't quite solve - and I'm also not saying which one I tend toward! Nonetheless, it's a fascinating book and well worth a read. You may really agree with it, or may find it all very worrying, but it makes you think. You may not yet be aware of 'nudging' - but many key politicans are.

Have a browse at nudges.org.

The Dark Knight

The new Batman film - much anticipated, much awaited and with the added poignancy of Heath Ledger's last performance. But is it any good?

Let's make no mistake - this is a nasty, nasty film.

Just who is the audience supposed to be supporting in this film. Batman? Doubt it, he comes across as annoying and spoilt rather than tormented and full of anguish. The good DA Harvey Dent? Perhaps but then, somewhat ironically given Batman's graphic novel background, he becomes a one dimensional cartoon character. The cop Gordon? Well, let's just say I'm glad I'm not his wife. The Joker perhaps? Well, yes if we are meant to sympathise with a double crossing sociopath who has a knife fetish.

The film is horrible. There is an almost pornographic celebration of knives - and given the current climate, especially in London, this makes this film even more depressing. The 'plot' is risible and the film is violent and gruesome - how this film has got a 12A certificate (the same as the excellent Man on Wire!!) I don't know. It starts well but is at least 20 minutes too long and after a couple of hours I was bored and just wanted it to end.

Are there some good things? Yes, some. Heath Ledger is good as the Joker - all twitches and ticks - and it is a fitting final performance, but talk of an Oscar is wide of the mark and his best work remains Brokeback Mountain. Old stagers Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are excellent and light up the piece, but their parts are small and you wish they had more screen time. Aaron Eckhart is good as Harvey Dent; it's more his movie than Batman's. But overall a nasty film and one that is not a 12A - if you have kids under 12 don't take them, it can be pretty gruesome. If you have kids over 12 I still wouldn't take them - it's just not good enough.

Paris for President

Now, I'm like so not a fan of Paris Hilton - but I have to admit that the recent Paris for President video done in response to John McCain comparing Barrack Obama to her and other celebs is very funny.

What's even more worrying is that her environmental policy makes more sense than McCain's or Obama's.

Paris for President - she's, like, totally ready.

The things people say...

Yesterday when watching Man on Wire I was seated next to two old dears well into their 70s. They bustled in just as the opening credits were rolling and sat transfixed throughout.

At the end, as the closing credit rolled, one said to the other in a loud stage whisper,

"He was very attractive when he was young. Not anymore though. Very attractive as a young man. You know what he reminds me of now though? He looks like an old gay."

Man on Wire

Man on Wire is a documentary telling the story of when in 1974 Philipe Petit did a high wire walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. It is riveting.

Petit is a natural story teller - and it has to be said, very French. Also included in the film are the various talking heads of Petit's co-conspirators - an eclectic mix of old friends from France, people who worked in the the WTC, and a couple of, well frankly, potheads. One of the accomplices sports the finest moustache you are going to see in a film this year.

The film tells the story from the start - almost in the style of a heist movie - and includes film of Petit's previous high wire walks between the towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral and over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is spellbinding. The movie is excellently executed - from the superb Michael Nyman soundtrack to the correct (but possibly controversial??) decision not to mention the terrorist attacks of September 11th.

No film footage of the Twin Towers walk exists, but there is footage of the Paris and Sydney walks, and the stills of the event are superb and suitably vertigo inducing. It's also a strangely emotional film - perhaps best summed up by the NYPD cop who says "I figured that I was watching something that somebody else would never see again in the world - it was once in a lifetime."

Simply stunning.

Still here

Apologies for the lack of posts the past month. The last few weeks have been hectic and I'll be back posting a few items over the next few days.

Fear not - am still alive!

Where's Christopher Robbin and Alice?

Have to say that yesterday I went to one of the most surreal things I've ever been to. For a variety of reasons I was invited to a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace...

Now, it's really not my kind of thing, but the invitation was for me plus guest and figured it would be sort my Mum would love. Dress code is lounge suit, morning dress or military uniform (no medals) for men, and suitable dress (trousers suits are allowed) and hat for the ladies. Chains of office can be worn!

So, with invitations in hand we join an incredibly over dressed queue and enter the Palace via the front gates. It's a strange event. There are hundreds of people and it's rather like a society wedding without the service. We have a wander and get some sandwiches (cut into fingers, no crusts), some cake (the chocolate cake is lovely and is complete with a little gold crown on top) and a cup of tea (special Twinnings Royal Garden blend). The Queen appears and does a walkabout, chatting with various predetermined people. Mum manages to get quite close and has a good view of the Queen. We are both a little amused that my Mum has the same hat as 3 others standing near her in the crowd - she must be lot more trendy that she thought.

We have a wander round the grounds - which are lovely. Most women, Mum included, take the opportunity when having a stroll to take off their new shoes for a moment. It is a little amusing to see all these women, hatted and in new outfits, nearly all taking off their shoes for a little respite from the standing around.

We wander back to get a cold drink and before you know the National Anthem strikes up and it's time to leave. We walk out through the front gates of the Palace to the bemused looks of gawking tourists and head, along with several others, for a very overdressed stroll through St James Park.

A pleasant afternoon - not really my thing but I'm glad I've been. Weather was warm, and those in military uniform or top hats must have been sweltering - especially the Yeoman of the Guard as many of them weren't exactly in the first flush of youth.

Overall, it is a surreal experience - not least because of the music selection of the band. You'll be stood having a cup of tea listening to some Mozart. That will end and the next tune will strike up - hold on, that's a Beatles medley containing When I'm 64, Sgt Pepper and With a Little Help From my Friends. Then there'll be some more chamber style music, followed by the Lambeth Walk or Living La Vida Loca. The most bizarre was walking through the gardens and suddenly realising the band were playing Staying Alive - perhaps Her Majesty is a secret Bee Gees fan.

High Fashion

On the way back from Birmingham popped into the Bicester Outlet Village. No particular reason other than to break the journey.

Walking round something caught my eye. The were a small group of women wearing full traditional Muslim dress, complete with the veil. That in itself was nothing strange, not even in Bicester Outlet Village. What did cause me to raise a wry smile was they were carrying loads of bags from all the high end fashion stores - Calvin Klein, Jimmy Choo etc. Couldn't help, given their attire, but wonder why spend the money?? Presents??

Tonight, Matthew, I will be Noel Edmonds

Did my 'riveting' 30 min slot on the induction course at work - day 2 and the 'prime' post lunch spot for half an hour on financial management is always a tough sell.

Highlight was when the phone on the desk rang - in true Deal or No Deal style - half way through my talk. Ought to make it a regular occurence for this slot!

Fat Pig

Toddled along to the Trafalgar Studios last night to see Fat Pig, the play by Neil LaBute. Set in America it's a four hander about how friends react when a bloke dates a 'big boned gal' - it also looks at how he deals with it, does he admit that the large lady is his date?

It's an interesting and funny piece; much of which is due to the quartet of fine British actors as the actual characters are pretty vile. Neil LaBute is a writer who can divide opinion - many think he is simply honestly highlighting much of what happens in the real world, other feel he's a misogynist.

An added bonus for this performance was a Q&A session after the play with LaBute and the four actors with the somewhat 'inspired' selection of Venessa Feltz as the chair. To be honest it was poorly handled by Feltz who let the audience, especially one or two people, to be far too vocal. I'd much rather have heard more from LaBute and the actors rather the vague pretentious twaddle of some of the audience - especially as LaBute and the actors came across as witty and intelligent, well aware of the issues the play threw up.

The cast are excellent and contains Kris (BT ads) Marhsall, Robert (Mitchell and Webb) Webb, Joanna (Gavin and Stacey) Page, and Ella (not sure) Smith. Webb and Smith are particularly good as the main couple.

You may not agree with LaBute - and the play has an honest rather than happy ending - but he raises an interesting issue; a man would get a lot more grief from his friends for going out with a fat woman than a woman would for going out with a fat bloke. The fat bloke in me is grateful - but that doesn't make it right!

British Grand Prix - Race Day

Back to Silverstone for the race!

Things are different to yesterday. Firstly we had to queue to get in to the car park - being sat stationary for about 15 minutes wasn't too bad, but it signals the day will be different with the bigger crowd.

Secondly, the weather. It is wet and windy! Very windy, which makes the rain seem a lot worse. Our seats are excellent - we are on the pit straight level with about the 15th/16th on the gird and we are on the very last row. This gives an excellent view - we are also bang opposite a large screen TV so can follow the race - but offers no protection from the weather. At all! The wind is straight at us and watching the short the GP2 race makes us very wet. Amusement is offered by someone in front - dressed only in jeans and T shirt - who tries to ease into a bin liner to offer some protection from the rain. He seems to have forgotten to bring XXXL.

We go and find some shelter and fortify ourselves with yet more sausage based meals. Slightly less damp we settle in for the race. Ever in support of the underdog I decide to cheer on Force India - they seem to need it - and I was disappointed at none of the merchandise stalls could I buy any Force India stuff. Surely a missed opportunity for them.

The race is noisy - you can't quite appreciate just how noisy 20 F1 cars can be - and although the weather is foul from a spectator point on view, it makes for a great race. Cars are spinning, tyre strategies come into play, and David Coulthard - in his last British GP - doesn't even make it round one lap. Force India start well but don't finish.

In a masterpiece of wet weather driving Lewis Hamilton wins. The crowd go mad and heave a collective sigh of relief when he takes the chequered flag - he's been miles ahead but throughout the race you just have a sneaky feeling he's going to have a rush of blood to the head and spin into a gravel trap at any moment.

Overall a great day and, though damp, really enjoyable. Silverstone as a race track is excellent, but as a spectator facility is poor. Some of the logistics seem to be run by people lacking common sense - when leaving the crowds are delayed by several bin lorries parked and taking up half the pathway which just seems stupid - and it simply can't cope with 90,000 people. We make a swift exit but get stuck getting out of the car park for about half an hour, which is pretty good - though I later learn that someone else I know spent a lot longer trying to leave! It's a pity really that the circuit so poorly serves the spectators as the actual track allows for great racing and the place if simply stacked with history - it's just not fit for 90,000 and they ought to visit other venues, like the Millennium Stadium, to see how things can be done (although not the new Wembley which is, considering the money spent, actually quite poor for fans). Nonetheless, a fascinating couple of days and thoroughly enjoyable - well worth the effort, and the rain!

British Grand Prix - Qualifying

Somehow I've ended up at the British Grand Prix!

Once again spare syndrome has struck. Last week I was told there might be a spare ticket going for the Sunday - eventually turns out the tickets are for the whole weekend! So, rather earlier than is strictly necessary on a Saturday morning, I head up the M40 to the old airfield on the Bucks/Northants border that is Silverstone.

I'm not really a petrolhead - the occasional viewing of the World Rally Championship or Top Gear is as far as it goes for me - but the person I'm with knows their stuff and so I won't be ignorant the whole weekend.

The weather is breezy but apart from a brief shower it is dry. Silverstone is flat and the wind means that the weather barrels across the sky at great speed. It's reckoned about 60,000 turn up for qualifying day and the place is comfortably busy - quite how it will be tomorrow with the capacity 90,000 will be interesting. Although we get in (and leave) very easily I can already foresee problems with larger numbers. For example, the male toilets are incredibly badly designed with only one entrance/exit - they look new but have the owners not been to other stadia to see how best to design such places? And if you're a vegetarian then you are screwed re catering - most food on offer seems to be a variation of sausage.


The weekend is against the background that Silverstone has lost the British GP to Donnington Park - mainly to do with facilities. It seems as pity are the racetrack is excellent - it's one of the few in motor sport that allows overtaking - at the sight lines are fine. The number of helicopters flying around is incredible - every UK based chopper must be here.

An interesting day, but who knows what tomorrow will bring - especially looking at the weather forecast!

It's My Life (apparently)

OK, I'm now a bit worried - this is becoming a habit - almost an addiction. It's June and last night once again I've somehow ended up at a Bon Jovi concert...

It's really strange. This concert is at Twickenham - 2 stops from me on the train. My friend and I have a pint at a pub on the river and head over to the stadium - the weather is windy but looks like it will hold. Once again I'm amazed at the demographic of a Bon Jovi concert - it's young (most are in their 20s) and it's probably over half female. Guess it proves sex appeal sells.

We have good seats - high up in the gods but front and centre. The support act - Biffy Cyclo - is dreadful. All the other UK dates have The Feeling as support, but tonight they are playing Glastonbury. It's also the same evening as the Mandela concert so I guess getting a decent support act was always going to difficult.

In front of us are a group of people who, as the evening unwinds, act out an episode of a soap opera. One bloke can't handle his drink and goes through the 5 stage of drinking so brilliantly observed by the excellent Larry Miller. At a couple of points his wife/girlfriend is in tears and the security guard keeps a close eye, having a quiet word on one occasion. It's never threatening or hostile, just distracting - he's just a complete pillock who can't handle his beer, makes an idiot of himself and you do wonder if he has 'special needs' and has been let out with his social workers for the evening.

The concert is what you'd expect from a best selling group who have been around for over 20 years. They are a tight unit, completely at ease with each other and the crowd and it comes across. Bon Jovi will never be at the cutting edge nor have artistic credibility - but they do a great concert and give the fans exactly what they want - and really, you can't ask for more. For me the weirdest thing is simply walking all the way home from such a big gig - gradually the crowds ease but they are still several from the concert walking alongside us all the way back to TW11.

Overall, a good evening at the local concert venue.

Priceless (Hors de Prix)

In this lovely French film Audrey Tautou plays a gold digger out to snare herself a rich older husband on the French Riviera. One evening she mistakes the bartender for a rich hotel guest and they spend the night together. He is smitten but she leaves, not knowing who he really is. A year later she returns and eventually the truth dawns.

The bartender - a lovely performance full of warmth and charm from Gad Elmaleh - still pursues her, but knowing who he really is, i.e. not wealthy, means she isn't interested. Through a bizarre set of circumstance the bartender ends up being a gigolo to an older woman. However, he still loves the younger gold digger - will he eventually win her over??

Give that the film has a slightly unpleasant premise - both characters after all are providing companionship and sexual services to older, richer partners - the film could have been tacky. However, what you actually get is a lovely, light romantic comedy - a basic boy-meets-girl and loses her plot, but one well done. Both leads are excellent, playing the parts with charm and humour, and both look stunning - especially Audrey Tautou who looks incredibly glamorous and miles apart from her kooky Amelie character.

If you get a chance, see it. It will only be remade in Hollywood in a couple of years with Ashton Kutcher and Lindsay Lohan in the lead roles. You have been warned!

Website of the week

To find more graphical representations of songs and films, go to the excellent graphjam.com.

And they say accountants can't have fun...

Lights, camera, action?

Spent yesterday evening 'workshopping' with a small group of actors and writers - absolutely fascinating seeing words you've written come to life in front of your eyes.

It's also scary - as the scene you've written unfolds there is a slightly strange apprehension in your stomach as you wonder whether it's any good or complete drivel. Does it make sense? Does it sound natural?

What did I find out? The dialogue is OK but the actors found my lack of written directions a little strange. Yes they want freedom to add to the words - but they need something to start them off! I also discovered that changing a single word in a small exchange can really help/hinder its flow.

Nice to do something - no matter amateur - completely different to the day job.

My Secret Addiction

Having a minor sort out/tidy up. Stack all of my unread books in to a pile - it's rather large.

Currently I have 22 unread books - of which 11 have been started before I got distracted by something newer and more shiny. Breakdown of the 22 books is;

• 2 novels
• 3 political
• 5 theological
• 3 biography/history
• 3 sports related
• 6 film/journalism related

Not sure what it says about me - my inability to walk past or into a bookshop (new or used) seems to be a possible addiction. Do I need an 'intervention' or to phone my 'sponsor'?

The Garden City

Always good to catch up with people and spend time with friends and yesterday was doing just that in the delightful Letchworth Garden City - one of whose claims to fame is that it had the first roundabout in the UK.

Is a little strange going there as I've connections with the area - I spent a few years growing up in Hitchin, the next door market town, where my grandparents lived for around 40 years, and an uncle and aunt were married in Letchworth.

It's a fascinating space - a development of the early 20th century it remains a charming town with a sense of its own identity and community. It has some wonderful architecture and wide grassy boulevards - there really is a sense of space. All this just 30 odd miles and a 30 minute train ride from Kings Cross.

Driving back I reflected on whether such a development could possibly happen today - I suppose the nearest is Poundbury. As I drove past Stevenage and Hatfield - two lovely Hertfordshire old towns ruined by town planning - I realised that such developments definitely weren't possible in the 1950s and 1960s.

Still a partial plant

Spent the day on an 'awayday' with a group of people. Was a interesting day getting to know people a little better. and part of the time was finding out our preferred 'team roles' using those devised by Dr Meredith Belbin.

I'd done this a few years ago so knew a little of what to expect. Would my preferred 'team roles' have changed much (or at all) over the past 6 years?

Results were in - I'm still a Monitor/Evaluator and a Plant. Does this signify a lack in progress of my personal development? Or I'm comfortable with who I am and play to my strengths?

HIGNFY

The joys of spare ticket syndrome have stuck again as I've just spent a very pleasant evening watching a recording of Have I Got News For You.

Alongside Ian Hislop was BBC newsreader Kate Silverton, and with Paul Merton was poet, broadcaster and 'professional northerner from Barnsley', Ian McMillan. Hosting the evening - Jeremy Clarkson.

A good evening started with Jo Caulfield doing some stand up to warm up the audience and then into the show. The actual recording started at 7.50pm and ran for 2 hours - with a few retakes it meant it finally finished at 10.10pm.

OK, it wasn't a completely riotous 2 hours of non-stop humour - inevitably there were a few misses - but much was good quick witted stuff. Kate Silverton was told she looked like a particular C4 style/clothes show presenter, Ian McMillan told a great joke about a Yorkshire tombstone amongt other slightly surreal observations, Ian Hislop had his usual pithy observations, and Paul Merton had a couple of great one liners and flights of fancy - one answer he gave in the "missing words" round was superb and had Jeremy Clarkson in tears.

Clarkson held the whole thing together well but a particular highlight was Paul Merton telling some old gags - probably dating back to his early stand up act 20 years ago - while we all waited for the retakes to be set up. Simply excellent.

Tomorrow night, BBC1, 9pm.

The Magic Rectangle

Just over halfway through a busy week. Lots of stuff going on - work, evening meetings, discussions and catching up with people.

Decide to unwind with a brief bit of telly. Unlike most of the nation I couldn't a monkey's about The Apprentice, but thankfully there is the return of Location, Location, Location which I'm able to catch on C4+1.

Now, I actually can't stand the rash of property porn shows there are on our screens - most seem evil and generally they all merge into a ghastly 'Grand Design in the Attic in the Sun with a Property Doctor Show' - but I do have a soft spot for Location, Location, Location.

Well... for Phil and Kirstie.

Well... mainly for Kirstie.

If having a thing for Kirstie Allsop is wrong, I don't want to be right.

I've said too much...

Website of the week

Remember the 80s? Flock of Seagulls haircuts, shoulder pads, and mobile phones the sizes of briefcases proudly boasting a talk time of up to 45 min!

Then, of course, there were the 'delights' of the 'mixtape'.

I don't think 'enjoy' is the right word...

Strange Week

It's been a strange week.

The bank holiday makes it a short working week and the office is quiet, but there is still loads to do.

News that I've got a ticket see the NFL game at Wembley in the autumn is well received - the amount it will cost perhaps less so!

A potentially quiet weekend - especially in comparison to recent ones - is slightly tempered when I look at my diary and see how busy the coming week is.

A couple of other situations put things in perspective and reinforce the fact that as much as I love words, sometimes saying or writing the right things is incredibly difficult.

Indeed, sometimes I wonder if words are ever enough?

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The hat is back. After a long 19 year wait we get the next installment of the adventures of the mid-western university professor. Was it worth the wait?

Well, er, no. Let there be no doubt, this film is an absolute stinker - it is awful.

Cate Blanchett seems to have wandered in from the adjoining film lot as she appears to be a SMERSH baddie from a 1970s Bond movie. Her accent is three parts generic East European villain combined with one part Chelsea; whenever she says "Doctor Jones" she sounds like she live just off the Kings Road. Ray Winstone plays a character called Mac whose reason for being in the film seems to pop up every once in a while and shout "Jonesy!" at the top of his voice. Shia LaBeouf (the bloke from the Transformers film) is Mutt Williams, a quiff adorned, leather jacket wearing teenager who is supposed to be some type of "Marlon Brando from The Wild One" character but actually ends up looking like a reject from a Village People tribute band. I could go on...

Are there any good bits. Well, yes. The start shows promise with a nice 'Area 51' allusion and some references to McCarthyism in the USA - although this is partly undone when one the interrogators is played by the 'Janitor from Scrubs' and 'Jim Robinson/Marissa in The OC's stepdad/the bloke from Ugly Betty' is the senior army general. Harrison Ford is excellent, he still has great comedy timing and screen presence. Karen Allen, from the first film, returns as Indy's love interest but doesn't get enough screen time. Jim Broadbent is wonderful as Indy's university boss, but even that sub plot is inconsistent - Indy is threatened with the sack yet he is a tenured professor...

It's a mish-mash. Spielberg said he wanted to reduce the use of CGI in this film - yet two big scenes, a nuclear explosion and the grand finale, are simply rammed full of CGI 'magic'. Lucas said he didn't want to make another Indiana Jones film until he had a story and script of sufficient quality. If this is the best he could find after 19 years - a story that seems to have given up half way through and simply added some leftover pages from an X-Files episode to pad it out - you wonder what on earth he rejected.

The hat still looks great, and the soundtrack is excellent with those wonderfully familiar sounds, but overall you sort of wish that everyone, including you in the audience, simply hadn't bothered.

Website of the week

More proof that some people have way too much time on their hands.

Voices and Vision

Spending a couple days back in the Midlands so after heading back up the M40 I toddle off to send the afternoon in Worcester with my Mum.

Although I've been to Worcester on numerous occasions I've never actually been around the cathedral - and what a lovely place it is. It's been around for centuries and is packed with surprising history - for example I never knew it was the final resting place of King John. A tea stop in the lovely refectory - I can recommend the flapjack - and then a potter around the cloister which contained an art exhibition - Voices and Visions - from Worcestershire schools, much of which is excellent (for more see here).

A stroll along the picturesque river and a potter around the city centre - a pleasant start, in pleasant weather, to a bank holiday weekend.

Champion the Wonder Horse...

I didn't watch the Champions League final - it was exactly the sort of game I want both sides to lose. Mind you, with Drogba being sent off for a girly slap and Anelka, Ronaldo and Terry all missing penalties, it was very nearly the ideal outcome for me.

It also highlighted the power of the internet as within hours I'd been sent the picture below.

Iron Man

Tony Stark is a Bill Gates type figure in arms manufacturing. A young genius, he became the head of the family multinational business, developing and selling high tech weaponry, as well as being a sort of rock star/playboy figure in the world of commerce.

He gets captured in Afghanistan and realises that - shock, horror - some of his weapons have got into the hands of the baddies, i.e. non-US forces. He escapes, has his epiphany and decides he wants to 'make a difference.' As part of this he develops an Iron Man suit to fight for good and justice etc. etc.

As popcorn films go this is pretty good - the special effects are excellent, there is the semblance of a plot, and there is good use of humour. Robert Downey Jr is excellent as the lead - funny, vulnerable, strong when needed. To be honest, he pretty much carries the film and is worth the price of a ticket alone. It would have been a lot worse with someone else in the role. He's ably supported by Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges. The film does lose its way after about 90mins - it's well set up plot wise but then seems unsure where to take it, perhaps they had an eye on the sequel?

It's not a brilliant movie, but it's far better than any of last year's rather poor threequels and is a good 'popcorn' watch. I came out from it with two thoughts - how cool is Robert Downey Jr? And how hot is Gwyneth Paltrow?

For the excellent Mark Kermode's take on it see this review - this one has even intercut some of the good Doctor's vocal impressions.

Website of the week

And you thought your sofa was ugly?? Just look at the winner of last year's Ugly Couch Contest.

For some more details see here, and for some previous winners look here.

Catching up

It's been a busy week- ridiculously so. Various stuff - work stuff, other stuff - culminating in doing, somewhat bizarrely, a sort of talk to a local youth group.

Overall a busy and bitty week - hopefully tomorrow will be a chance to veg out.

Hello Z gap!

Look, I'm on the web!

Busyness

Apologies but been a hectic week so a lack of posts.

Hope to catch up fully this weekend.

Happy Go Lucky

In Mike Leigh's new film we meet Poppy, a young, single primary school teacher. We meet her friends, see her take driving and flamenco lessons, and generally see a slice of her North London life.

And that's pretty much it.... virtually nothing happens in this film.

Whether you like or hate this film will depend on how much you like Poppy's 'quirkiness' and 'always look on the bright side' take on life. Me? I just about stood it, but only just.

My main problem was about 90mins into the film I realised there wasn't actually much of story. We meet Poppy, spend some time with her, but nothing is resolved in the plot as there is no plot to resolve. The story doesn't seem to go anywhere - and then the end credits role.

Now, this is not a film to completely dismiss as a complete waste of my time - tempted though I am. The acting is excellent with numerous lovely character pieces who all interact well. London is far more recognisable than the version we tend to see on screen through the eyes of Hollywood and/or Richard Curtis but still looks beautiful. There is even a trip to Southend. But...

There are several scenes which easily could have been cut without ruining the film - the flamenco lessons, the visit to the physio etc. - whose overall running time is too long. In another scene Poppy is coming home past a deserted warehouse late at night. She hears a noise which she investigates by going in to the said derelict warehouse and ends up chatting to a tramp. Eh?? No - people just wouldn't do that.

That scene, like much of the film, just doesn't ring true. Disappointing.

Website of the week

I know it's an advert - but I do like this.

Pottering around Puttenham

The weather is glorious so strap the bike on the roof of the car and head into Surrey. Do a lovely 25+ mile circuit around some rural parts of the North Downs, starting and finishing in Guildford.

I still find it amazing that you can find an oasis of rural Britain so close to London, and take in countryside that wouldn't look out of place in an English-set, Hollywood-financed romcom movie, such as Seale Church in the picture.

You can almost make out Hugh Grant and/or Bonneville and Kate Winslet in the background.

Follow the umbrella

Occasionally in London I'll do something 'touristy' - it's a global city which get loads of visitors and sometimes those of us who live here forget why people visit. Today was one of those days.

I've driven round Hyde Park corner numerous times but I've never actually visited Wellington Arch or No 1 London. Both are fascinating in their own way but the real gems are the monuments around the arch, especially the New Zealand and Australian ones.

To make me feel like a tourist I happened to be there as the guards made their way through the arch.

To make me feel like I live here I bumped into some people I knew on the escalator at Hyde Park tube station!

Blimey, it's Boris

Comedians and satirists relax. Your prayers have been answered. For the next four years you should never be short of material - Boris has been elected Mayor.

Some observations;
* Both Boris and Ken have big 'personal' votes - given how badly the other results have been for Labour, would the London defeat have been greater if it had not been for Ken's personal support?
* If Ken had run as an 'Independent', as he had to in 2000, would he still be Mayor?
* Ken's speech following the defeat was very gracious - more so when you consider how ill-tempered some of the campaigning had been. If he had shown such graciousness and humility earlier, or during his time in office, would he still be Mayor?

All rather academic now - but let's strap ourselves in as the next four years could be entertaining.

Well, I'm working on a couple of ideas...

Last night I toddled along to the latest meeting of the writer's group I'm sort of part of. Have to admit I'm starting to feel a bit of a fraud. Others are moving ahead with their draft scripts and ideas, and one even has a Stargate tie-in audio book coming out soon. I've got a rather lame 3/4 finished script that seemed 'a good idea at the time', and some lame idea about a leaving party.

I could come over all arty and say I'm "struggling with my craft" - but the reality is I'm either too busy, or lack the discipline of setting sufficient time aside to put fingers to keyboard. Heck, I'm even rubbish at updating this blog...

Ho-hum...

A slightly surreal evening

For reasons I'm a little unclear about - though apparently I was "on a couple of people's lists" - I am invited to the launch of Now I am a Person, a book linked to the Umthombo Street Children project. The venue is 11 Downing Street.

Have to admit it's all slightly weird. The author/photographer of the book says a few very well chosen words, Simon Mayo interviews the Umthombo founders, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer is present. The contrast between the location and the reason for the event is also quite poignant.

The most surreal part of the evening is when a small Scottish women, full of energy, bounds up to our small group and says, "Hello, I'm Maggie Darling." It takes me a moment to put two and two together and work put that she is 'Mrs Chancellor of the Exchequer'.

So, a slightly surreal, but throughly enjoyable evening.

A compliment... but then again...

Today my boss commented that she valued my 'measured responses' to things.

Couldn't help but think that it could be interpreted that I was forthright and gobby...

Website of the week

If the toaster can have an online museum, then why not the humble banana?

"Like Barry from Eastenders"

Yesterday was a beautiful day, a real sense that spring had finally sprung - and I spent most of it in a meeting in a church basement.

Actually it's not a bad as it sounds. A chance to catch up with people, throw around ideas, look back on the past year but also forward to the next. Breaks for coffee, food, and a much welcome drink down the pub for an hour, also helped!

There was a slightly surreal part of the day when the issues of being single got discussed - quite how I'm not entirely sure - and it was quite intriguing. How we address the issues facing those who are 'desperate and dateless' (or who perhaps end up in the 'freaks, geeks and losers' category - don't worry, all the terms were used in 'ironic' quotes and initiated by those of us in the categories!) threw up some interesting ideas; and surprised me how out of touch on such an issue some can be.

Intriguingly, I'm at that 'awkward age'. I'm slightly too old to be in the first flush of attractive singledom - but if I wait another 10 years then my time will come. Those currently in relationships become divorced and I, as a 'nice guy', become a hot property - woo-hoo!!

Amusingly, and completely separately to all this, someone is trying to play cupid and set me up. "Just look them up on Facebook, send them an email or message, and take it from there," were the instructions. Now one flaw is I don't actually know their Facebook name, nor do I particularly use Facebook, but that wasn't my main issue.

"So I just send them a message out of the blue and suggest meeting up? Despite the fact that I don't know her, or what she looks like, and she has no idea who I am? It seems somewhat... contrived? Not exactly a 'natural' way of meeting up is it?" I say.

"I was trying to think if you've met before and was trying to describe what you looked like."

"Barry from Eastenders is often said as a pretty good likeness," I reply. The day moves on.

Later the person rather sweetly apologised for embarrassing me earlier. The apology was unnecessary but I suppose I was embarrassed - it was the whole 'arrange a blind date via Facebook' thing that threw me most. Mind you, as I often say, it's when people stop trying to set me up that I need to worry!

;o)

Son of Rambow

Son of Rambow is a charming and very British picture which follows the unlikely friendship of two boys - one a bit of a cocky so and so and the other from a strict Plymouth Brethren family - as they attempt to make their own version of Rambo. It's a film set it the 80s and has beautifully observed moments of the decade - poor hairstyles, VHS video and how cool foreign exchange students seemed. But it should have been such a better film.

Yep, this movie has heaps of charm, some nice laughs, and does capture growing up in the 80s well - it is also incredibly annoying. As much as I wanted to love and be charmed by it, there are just a few too many faults that got in the way of me totalling enjoying it.

Firstly, the two main children are annoying - you, frankly, just want to slap the cocky one, and the acting of the other is, at times, painful. A subplot involving the mother of one of the children as she struggles to do right by both her son but also her strict faith is wonderfully played by Jessica Stevenson, but ultimately seems to go nowhere. The worst thing is the criminal under use of Eric Sykes in a cameo that is so brief that if you blink you are in danger of missing it, but it still completely lights up the film.

Son of Rambow is not a bad film - it has much to commend it - but you just feel that it could have been so much better, and ultimately you sense a wonderful opportunity lost.

Website of the week

And why shouldn't this humble but vital kitchen appliance have a wonderful website dedicated to it??

Connections deep and wide...

Spent the last couple of evenings catching up with friends. Thursday was a drink and some food with a friend who I did my accountancy studies with 10 years ago. We've kept in touch and now his career has brought him to the world of Whitehall - handy for catching up when you work in the Westminster village!

Last night was a meal in north London with a group of friends I used to work with nearly 10 years ago - in many respects people to whom I owe my career. Again we've kept in touch and gather together over food once in a while to catch up, gossip and find out what's going on in our lives. The conversation was varied, and at one point I commented that I'd been to at least a wedding a year for the past 15 years - often several in some years.

This seemed to surprise them, not that I got invited to weddings as I'd been to most of their's, but the amount I'd been to. Most of them had only been to a handful, which I found slightly strange especially as I was the only unattached person in the group. I said I guess I know quite a lot of people and often through different aspects of my life - few of my friends intersect. I probably have a wide circle of friends/acquaintances (aside - when does an acquaintance shift to friend territory? - end aside) but I suspect most of the relationships aren't as deep as theirs - for example, many friends and family are spread out around the country. It's probably different to those who have a smaller, but deeper circle of friends and family. Anyway the conversation quickly moved on to catching up with something else.

Driving back I had a brief ponder. I know I'm quite private and can keep a distance - I'm aware of the irony that I have a blog (!) - yet I also keep in touch with people over many years. Is a smaller, but deeper, circle of friends better than a wider set of acquaintances that last over several years?

Who knows - and does it matter? All I know is it was thoroughly enjoyble spending time catching up with people with whom you have a connection and a shared history.

Such time is always time well spent.

Website of the week

Wouldn't you just love to do this at Waterloo or St Pancras?

Frozen Grand Central

1066 and all that

As we were all taught at school, William the Conquerer landed on the South Coast in 1066 and there was the Battle of Hastings. It is, of course, slightly incorrect. The invading Norman forces landed at Pevensey, a few miles to the west of Hastings, then proceeded inland and had the battle a few miles to the north of Hastings - at a place now cunningly called Battle. They pretty much avoided Hastings - and having been there today I can understand why.

If you like traditional seaside tat and fried food, then Hastings will have some appeal. It's clearly a town which has been through hard times, but there are signs of improvement - there seems to be a fairly new shopping centre and the Old Town part of Hastings has several lovely back alleys with an eclectic range of shops, bars and cafes. Nonetheless, I couldn't warm to the place - it just seemed, well, sad.

I didn't expect Bexhill, just up the coast, to offer much. It's probably best known as being the butt of several Goon jokes and where Eddie Izzard spent much of his childhood. To be honest there isn't really much there to keep you long, but it does have the magnificent De La Warr Pavilion.

Beautiful and imposing it combines an auditorium, gallery spaces and a cafe/restaurant all overlooking the coast - an excellent arts centre. It's just been recently renovated and, to me, proves that the main problem with buildings is not when they were constructed, but how well maintained they are. A Victorian building can just as easily become grotty as this concrete modernist masterpiece - all that's needed is a bit of TLC.

It's not to everyone taste - but I love it. A work of art hosting works of art.

Chichester

I've never been to Chichester - and I wasn't intending on doing so as part of this trip. However, on an impulse I turn off the A27 and am so glad I did. What a charming town.

Here the skyline is dominated by the cathedral. It's one of the oldest in England - the See of Chichester was established in 1075 and the building of present cathedral was begun in 1076. It's a proper, massive cathedral and an intriguing contrast to Portsmouth. However, like Portsmouth it is also a lovely welcoming place at the heart of the town - the cathedral is on the edge of the main shopping area and opposite the House of Fraser store. It feels an integral part of the town and whilst I pottered around the place there as a brief pause as, on the hour, a couple of short prayers were said from the pulpit. It had the right vibe - blending faith, history and relevance.

Having wandered around the town centre for a little while I stumbled across the Pallant House Gallery. It's a wonderful, smallish gallery housing a fascinating collection of modern art. An absolute gem of a place and I spent a good while working my way round the artistic displays. Here, in a gallery down a side street, I came across works by Picasso, Dali, Nash, Moore, Hepworth, Sutherland, Nicholson, Caulfield, Hodgkin, Freud, Hockney, Blake and Warhol. Should you ever be in Chichester, and even remotely interested in art, I heartily recommend you pay a visit - and if modern art isn't your thing it has an excellent bookshop and restaurant/cafe. Simply delightful.

Solent Views

In Notes on a Small Island Bill Bryson comments that it must look strange as he dines alone in various local restaurants at typical British seaside towns out of season. I know how he feeld as I'm sat in a pizza restaurant overlooking the Solent as various ships, ferries and hovercrafts go by - there is even a bloke sculling in a rowing boat. It's out of season and I've escaped London to the south coast for a couple of days.

The Spinnaker Tower dominates the Portsmouth skyline. It's impressive, iconic and beautiful. It is also completely pointless. I join a queue, pay my money, join another queue for the lift (there is only one and you can't walk up), go up, look at the view (which is impressive) join another queue and then get in the same lift to go down. I'm there less than half an hour - most of which is in queues for the lift - and have paid £7. Like many UK tourist things it promises more than it delivers - it's a great idea but poorly delivered. It is best viewed from afar.

The rest of the new development at Portsmouth seems to be the work of a group of 14 year olds who had too many Red Bulls - it's hideous and Portsmouth has replaced one dated and worn development for one which will itself look dated in a decade. You sense a missed opportunity.

Less than a mile away and you come to Old Portsmouth. Whilst there is not much there, you can stroll by the harbour entrance and then stumble across the delightful Portsmouth Cathedral. In the middle of a residential square the Cathedral is wonderfully accessible and homely - it shows its roots as an upgraded parish church. A church has been on the site since the 12th century but the the Portsmouth Diocese was only created in 1927, and some parts of the Cathedral weren't finished until 1991. There is little pomp or glamour - there is no cafe and only a small bookshop unlike most other cathedrals. It's one of the nicest cathedrals I've been in, and one you feel you could make your local church if you lived locally - which is as it should be.

A little further on and you come across the Royal Garrison Church - and you thought your local parish church had a roof problem!

Overall don't know what to make of Portsmouth. It has loads of history, a long naval tradition, the beauty of the Solent and the lovely open spaces at Southsea. The weather has been glorious and I've no doubt seen it in its best light, but... I don't know. Like many coastal towns you wish it well, you hope that the new development will work and it will be less reliant on football for its identity. You hope you're wrong - but you just feel that its best days are behind it.