Mid Month Mutterings (April '09)

Here we go again then ... the middle of another month, and I've got a few 'bits' about which to post. I hope you've enjoyed a very pleasant Bank Holiday weekend.

●●●●●●

In a post of last year I talked about finding old videos, and watching them again. One of the films I found was 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'. I didn't watch it at the time, I don't think I felt up to it. But last week I watched it again. It remains one of my favourite - if not my most favourite film of all time. Although it is undoubtedly a film I cannot just watch any time. I have to be 'in the mood'.

Can anyone think it anything other than a stunning piece of work? Jack Nicholson IS R P McMurphy so brilliantly, and Louise Fletcher IS Nurse Ratched so completely, that it was a surprise to me to discover neither of them were first choices for the roles for which they both won Oscars. The role of Ratched was turned down by six different (very famous) actresses before Fletcher was cast just a week before shooting. The moment where she (Nurse R) humiliates and mentally abuses poor Billy, whose stutter has left him after his night with Candy, is truly horrible. My favourite scene in the whole film is when McMurphy hands the Chief a piece of chewing gum ... those who know the film will know why.

Watching the film again not only reminded me of its brilliance, but also that those in the world with Nurse Ratched's characteristics are, surely, just as 'dangerous' to their fellow men (and women) as those with the criminal tendencies of Randall P McMurphy?

●●●●●●

My friend 'F' and her daughter came up from Devon for the first week of the Easter holidays. Her daughter is now the same height as me :-O Last time I saw her, which was approximately 7 weeks earlier, she was still smaller than me. How the heck does that happen? Little people who I cuddled when they were teeny, and who I have seen grow up have no business growing as tall as me when they are only 12!

●●●●●●

I need to thank Joanne over at Reasons To Be Cheerful 1, 2, 3 (I too was a fan of the late Ian Dury - such an inspiring character) for this lovely Blog Heart award. I recommend her blog to those of you who enjoy reading and relating around the issues of family and life; where the writing has honesty, humour and candour. Thank you Joanne - x - I appreciate the award.

●●●●●●

Don't you just love it when a local charity shop puts out a big basket with a sign on the side which reads 'Fabric Remnants - 50p each'? I had a good old rummage through and these two fabrics somehow climbed out of the basket and into my hands:

They both said 'bag' to me. I'll post pictures if and when they get made.

●●●●●●

The first half of April sees No.1's birthday, and this year was no exception: round it came, just like always. I'm not quite sure how that many years have whizzed by, but they have and she's so much taller and more grown-up looking than she was on her last birthday. She requested a chocolate brownie birthday cake (again):

Which was made even more gooey by the addition of some fudge icing on the top. (As you can see, I overcooked it a bit - hence it looking rather 'dry' along the base and at the side :-( ).

She had a sleepover party (translation: stay up really late being as noisy as possible, squealing, giggling and chatting) with the Gang of Four: No.1, S, B and J. They are a close knit foursome - all very different to each other, but somehow it 'works' when they're all together (or in any other combination, actually). They've been buddies for a few years now, and are comfortable enough with one another to bicker like siblings, but it's always done with affection and fun.

They all went up to bed at around 10.30pm. Much raucous laughter and loud bumps as people apparently fell off beds (that's what they told me, anyway). At 11.15pm I asked them to hush it up. They did ... for about 10 minutes. At midnight I said I would start getting grumpy from here on in as I was tired and needed to sleep. Shortly after 1am I decided I needed a different approach, so I sent a text to all their phones saying if there wasn't some quiet I would separate them and they'd have to sleep in different rooms. That worked reasonably well. At 2.15am one of them decided to sleep on No.2's bed (he was at his pal 'A's place), one of them decided to sleep in the bathroom, and two of them remained in No.1's room. They appeared, bright and bouncy at 8.30am, and feasted on a breakfast of bagels and pains au chocolat, whilst watching Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, on DVD.

I felt as knackered as a knackered thing the day after the night before, but they all seemed to have a good time, and that's the main thing.

This is a collage of some of No.1's birthday highlights (in case you were wondering, she has a 'thing' about ducks!):

●●●●●●

I'll leave you with a picture of Georgie-cat. She poked her head through the banisters on the landing, so I took a quick snap. That'll teach her.

●●●●●●

© Author