skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I get so many kind comments on this blog that I feel bad about "disappearing". Believe me, I don't enjoy "disappearing", but that's how it has to be for now.
Anyway, here's a nice bench to rest on. I'm not managing to take photos, but I certainly am not resting! The bench can be seen in the "Eastern Avenue", one of the long formal approaches to Ham House, starting at the Fox and Duck inn (where else?).
By the way: my right arm now lifts, with difficulty, to about 90-92 degrees of the desired 180 degrees, and the legs are getting stronger. The walking stick is still necessary. It's going to need several more months of work!
What luxury! My bone china "cat-mug" and my speciality shortbread ginger flavoured biscuit, a cup of excellent Indian tea and the News at Ten on BBC Radio 4 before tucking down into my nice cosy bed: my books and electric light to read by.
What really thrills me is the recent discovery that all white Europeans have at least 2% of Neanderthal DNA! "Neanderthal!" is normally an insult neatly hurled across a field of anger at someone you think is culturally and intellectually inferior. (What a base instinct that is).
However, it's certain that Neanderthals lived about a mile away from where I am typing this. I've always had a soft spot for them. Now I can welcome them in to sit down and chat. "Come in cousin. I'm pleased to see you. Have a look around and feel at home. You've travelled a long way, haven't you! But please do wipe your feet and wash your hands first."
In the last two blog entries I've compared and contrasted the original Swedish "Wallander" series and the BBC British version. This link introduces us to an interesting discussion:
http://blogs.sun.com/racingsnake/entry/new_wallander_series_on_bbc
One contributor regrets the fact that in the British version the scene is so bright and sunny and the architecture so "Scandinavian Clean" whereas the Swedish version is more gloomy (weatherwise) and the architecture more dull and not particularly attractive. It's more like the real everyday Sweden.
One important item is the mention of a new HD video camera, the "Red One", that was probably used to make the British version. This camera produces stunning visual results. The British "Wallander" positively dazzles us.
I think that the Director has used this camera very cleverly. He shows a scene bathed in sunlight, and surrounded by clean "stainless" architecture, but the characters and the stories are far from "stainless". They are in fact deeply currupt and disturbing. The contrast is very effective. We are shocked by the differences between reality and image.
For those who know Britain and Scandinavia well there are some fascinating insights to be won when watching these two versions.
