A different approach to the Nativity

For a different take on the Nativity story suggest you dip in to the The Natwivity.

You can follow on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook.

A classy flash mob

From those crazy canucks...

This is bringing culture and arts to the people - very enjoyable.



Hattip to the excellent Richard Littledale blog.

Website of the week

Now we all know there are various dating and matchmaking websites out there. But forget about Match.com or eHarmony. May be Guardian Soulmates or even Sarah Beeny's My Single Friend is more your thing.

Perhaps... but there is an alternative. Welcome to The Ugly Bug Ball.

I know - I'm showing far too much knowledge about this...

By Christmas it'll all be over - well just after actually...

In a month it'll all be over.

I find the long run up to Christmas all a bit annoying - yep, we're into grumpy old man territory here - and the fact that some shops started selling Christmas decorations in August is just, well, wrong. I have a rule that I don't really discuss Christmas, or start Christmas shopping, until the start of December.

Today I broke that rule. At a craft fair I purchased a couple of things that I'll be giving as presents.

I feel so dirty...

That was the week that was

It's been a strange old week or two.

Busy, in that things I committed to a few weeks or months ago have all suddenly come along. Good, in that I caught up with some people who I'd not seen for a while - always good to catch up with old friends. Tiring, it was just too busy and tipped from being 'good busy' to 'bad busy'.

The week ended with an invitation to a performance of Random - a one person short play looking at the impact one day's events has on a family written by Debbie Tucker Green. The performance was stunning, comic, poetic and powerful. Perhaps I should have stayed and chatted with people over a drink afterwards - but the combination of the play, and a long week or two, led to a polite decline but a thoughtful bus ride home.

As I said - a strange week or two...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - part 1

So the end is nigh and the final part of the Harry Potter series makes it way to the big screen - in two parts.

Firstly, the decision to split the final book is correct - to limit it to one film would be doing it a disservice, especially after all the years it's taken the series to get this far. Secondly, the end of this part is in the exact right spot. The nearest cinematic equivalent I can think off is the end of the Empire Strikes Back - it's also a film that has similarly dark moments. Thirdly, if for some bizarre reason you've not seen or read parts 1-6 yet go to see this, then you won't have a clue what's going on. The film assumes knowledge of what has passed previously. But is it any good??

It's beautifully shot with a bleached/wash out look. The story is fine and although it weighs in at around 2.5 hours it rarely drags. It is a dark story but there are some moments of humour and there are also some beautifully played passages. However...

The film concentrates on Harry, Ron and Hermione - the other characters are rarely on screen yet when they are the screen is completely lit up. Alan Rickman and Helena Bonham Carter are excellent but are there for fleeting moments. A lot falls to the three young leads to carry the film - and to be honest I'm not sure they do. The simple fact is that the older actors are miles better than any of the younger cast.

After a while your mind can wander. I know Hermione has created a bottomless bag but just how many outfits did she manage to pack? Harry is 16-17 years old - has anyone not told him to get some trendier specs?

The leads are all great looking - special mention must go to Emma Watson's stylist as Herminone looks nothing less than wonderfully attired throughout - but sometimes it looks like a shoot for the latest Boden ad campaign rather than a film.

Overall it's good film, but you felt it could have been some much better.

A picture worth a thousand words

Friday evening I popped in to the Royal Festival Hall to have a look at the World Press Photo exhibition. I've managed to see this the last few years and would highly recommend seeing it if you get the chance.

The photos contained their usual mix of beautiful and challenging images portraying joy and hardship. Images of Gaza and the rioting in Madagascar are particularly tough, but there are also images of great beauty such as those of the wildlife in South Georgia, Antarctica. I particularly liked some stunning photos of Barrack Obama's inauguration - from a private moment backstage to addressing the mass crowds in the National Mall.

The winning photo was of the rooftop protests that accompanied the Iranian demonstrations following the last election. I have to admit I didn't agree with the choice - it's the right story but I felt other photos were better images that were more powerful or conveyed the situation better.

But what do I know? Look for yourself - the winning photos can be seen here. There is also a magnificent archive.

Back to Blogging?

The blogging has been on a bit of break. It wasn't intended.

I was away at the end of August and during some of September. When I returned various other things got in the way and the blogging took a back seat. It wasn't designed, and I've missed doing it. Twitter has been good - I can be followed @smittyonline - but occasionally I need more than 140 characters. So, another attempted reboot.

I've taken the opportunity to slightly tweak the design and hopefully some semi regular blogging will return. Though no promises - there have been a couple of abortive restarts in recent history