03 April 2009

today's driving . . .



. . . test makes me feel like this

19 March 2009

natasha . . .

I felt overwhelmingly sad awakening to the news of Natasha Richardson's death.

I'm not entirely sure why I feel so affected by it, but wrote the following to a friend early this morning, and felt like also posting it here . . .

For the last several years, this is the photo that has adorned the website and printed promo material for the lone small theatre I still regularly attend. Whenever I'd hear anything about Natasha or the theatre, I'd always automatically put the two together.

The image is from The Lady from the Sea from 2003, which I didn’t go to see but remember when it was being publicised because it was around the time of my Redgrave fascination/serendipitousness*.

It’s funny, I’ve often thought ‘why do they still use that same old photo after all this time, they should really remove it…’ but of course I’m sure they won’t now. I hope not, anyway.

* Around 6 years ago, I happened upon an entire floor of exhibition space about the Redgrave family at the Theatre Museum in London. A rather quaint homage, really. I wasn't working at the time, and it was free, so I went back a few times, and throughout this time, things about one Redgrave/Richardson or another kept coming up.

I always thought it odd but fascinating that this was a permanent exhibition. The theatre was fabulous, and I used to always take visitors there (no one ever seemed as interested as I), but lost its funding 2-3 years ago and was shut down. Part of the building now forms something useless like a Starbucks. Very depressing.

I always meant to go back and visit the Redgraves before their lives were removed, but never made it. Natasha's tragic fate has now reminded me of that.

Perhaps my unwitting fascination with her is also fuelled by the fact I had to watch The Parent Trap at least, roughly, 25+ times due to a previous job and my mother running a home daycare (where the film was much-loved by the kiddies) during a time when I'd had to move back home.

I've only a vague memory of A Handmaid's Tale; I think it included something untoward, so of course immediately went onto the teenage 'must see' list. I can recall hiring it from the local video shop, my friends and I disappointed to find it wasn't as racy as we'd been expecting!

Thinking about the opening line of the BBC's obituary: 'Natasha Richardson spent much of her life being labelled; first as the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and then as the wife of Liam Neeson. '

In my younger days, I didn't know any of this, and it wouldn't have mattered anyhow. If I'd needed to label her, it probably would have been something such as 'beautiful English lady'.

What more could one want?

14 February 2009

I read this in . . .

. . . a US-based friend's Out of Office reply:

> We will be closed on Monday Feb. 16th for the Presidents Day holiday

Hmmm…

President’s Day?

Presidents’ Day?

This appears to be unclear even to those who try to educate children.

I also didn’t realise this day's the same as Washington’s birthday - wasn’t it previously called that?
Lincoln still appears to have his own day; hmm, doesn’t seem fair for him to get a mention while the first George W doesn’t.

How do people get through life not wondering about such things?

Why not combine the two into just one day - or a day to celebrate every single one of them - and then it really can be called Presidents Day.

No, that's wrong too.

Presidents’ Day it is, then . . .

Now onto the really important question: Why don't we have Prime Ministers' Day?

Heath? [mind, he did get his own airport]

Wilson's Day?

The National Day of Attlee?

In fact, Britain hasn't a single holiday to officially-recognise anyone's contribution to national history.

Hrmph.

03 February 2009

I don't want to go to Chelsea . . .

. . . Hotel, that is.

As difficult it may be to believe, yesterday was the thirtieth anniversary of the death of
Sid Vicious.

I shall have more to say on this later when I've a bit more time.

02 February 2009

i made a . . .

. . . little town in the snow












currently watching: Murder, She Wrote (Jessica's in Ireland, allegedly)

here and now . . .

‘South-east England has the worst snow it has seen for 18 years. . . ’

IMPACT OF THE SNOWFALL
One of two runways closed at Heathrow
Passengers stranded at Gatwick
Southampton Airport closed
London City and Luton airports closed
London buses withdrawn
Train services cancelled
Hundreds of schools closed
The Highways Agency said there have been too many minor accidents on the roads "to put a number on".



I am just on my way out now to play in it - with hopes I can last more than a few minutes!

29 January 2009

blast! I have finally had to . . .

. . . break down and accept the fact that Google now owns this.

The reason this page hasn't been updated for so long is because I was very chagrined to learn I had to create a new Google account, etc in order to access my page ever since Blogger was taken over a couple of years ago.

I've finally given in, primarily because I wanted to comment on another blogger's
post, but couldn't do so without first signing in. If that person ever ends up on this page, I would like to share with her now how honoured she should consider herself I've finally gone to these lengths, because despite how much I like to say about everything all of the time, nothing has propelled me to do so in over 2 years!

So here I am. Perhaps I shall have to go back to keeping up this page . . . we'll see.


currently reading: Bill Bryson -
The Lost Continent


[edit: I've decided to, as time permits, re-post some bloggy bits that were listed elsewhere. I mention this so that I don't look as if I'm contradicting myself by saying above that I've not updated this page in two years, when just below it one can see posts with more recent dates. I'll add them in with their original date and time stamp!]