Volver

Superb new Spanish language film by the same director as 'Talk to her' (his name escapes me).
This film (featuring gale force winds throughout) stars the wonderful Penelope Cruz and features, ghosts, incest, murder, dark humour and very moving scenes in a fast moving dramatic story of dysfunctional families and poor communication of emotions. Many reviewers have expressed themselves disappointed - but I really enjoyed this vignette of current Spanish life and mores.

Foreign Hordes?

What is it about the British & xenophobia? We seem to be obsessed with the 'hundreds of thousands' of immigrants who are: taking our jobs (ie those no British person wants to do or is qualified to do - or can be bothered to get qualified for); taking our homes (despite the fact that we're also obsessed with getting our house prices to rise rapidly, and everyone seems intent on buying two or three houses for holidays, retirement, etc); and horror of horrors - destroying our culture. But then no one knows what British culture is - apart from spending the entire weekend getting smashed out of our minds on alcohol and then fighting in the streets. Am I the only person who loves diversity, enjoys the variety of people I see in the streets and on the tube, is grateful to have interesting conversations about other countries and cultures. I'm quite often the only white man at social events - does this bother me? Not at all. Lets get a grip here - Britain has always benefitted from a wide variety of peoples populating this country. It makes us what we are.

Post Retirement

Since I retired in May I seem to have been busier than ever. One of the guys from my book group has also taken a 'career break' and so I've done loads of those tourist things London residents never do. My favourites have been: Che Exhibition, Constable Exhibition, Apsley House, loads of obscure films in Greenwich, St Paul's Cathedral, Eltham Palace, and just getting to know London.
Even with mad bombers waiting to kill everyone London is still a great city.
BTW my friend Danny is doing a superb blog that you should all see - I'll get his http and post it on here.
I don't seem to have been doing this as much as I should though - so now the weather is getting worse maybe I'll be able to do more posts.

Passenger Choice

There is a report in today's London press that on a flight from Malaga to Manchester the passengers refused to fly until two 'Arab looking' men were ejected. These two men were clearly terrorists because 'they were talking in a foreign language'. Obviously Ali Desai is right - the UK has invented a new offence : 'Travelling whilst Asian'.
Made me think of a list of people I'd like to exclude from planes:
Anyone who starts a conversation with 'I'm not a racist but you must agree...'
Fat people taking up part of my seat
People who insist on reclining their seat when I'm trying to use the table.
All children (especially babies who scream)
People who spread their newspapers across me.
Anyone sitting next to me
Any others you'd like to add?