« June 2004 | Main | August 2004 »
I've just run across the best *ever* film version of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Anthony Andrews (the one from Brideshead Revisited who isn't Jeremy Irons) as Sir Percy, Jane Seymour as Marguerite, and a very young-looking Ian McKellen as Chauvelin. Sir Percy is unbearably foppish, Marguerite is worthily tough, and Chauvelin is a fantastic dancer (also much less camp than the average Chauvelin, I like this approach much better as it makes him less of a caricature and more plausible as Marguerite's ex). Julian Fellowes is the Prince Regent, hooray! Even better, Inspector Hobson puts in an appearance as Sir Andrew ^__________^
*glees* The sets are lavish and they do colour-theming (I always love it when they do that). Currently, Chauvelin is the only black-clad person dancing in a ballroom full of people in satin pastels, and Percy's clothes are the palest of the lot. And verily swash is buckled. Poor old Ian McKellen, he almost makes you feel sorry for the nasty little toad. ^_^
now I've caught up a bit. The catching-up hasn't actually been bad because Mum's done such a wondrous job of handling my email while I've been away - extant crises number zilch, and although the junk mail folder had 621, the inbox was a mere hour's work. Bliss. ^_^
I got my remaining business sorted out today, apart from the stuff I have to do now, and Dad felt adventurous so we went a-driving. Started with the Uffington White Horse, which as any fule kno is the best, most wonderful and oldest chalk figure in Britain, and one of my Favourite Things, and incidentally everyone should read Sun Horse, Moon Horse by Rosemary Sutcliff, who gets why, and A Hatful of Sky by Terry Pratchett, who gets *everything*. There's also Chalk Gods of Albion by I-have-no-idea-it's-not-my-book, but that's factual so you actually have to care before that's fun.
Aaaaanyway, rapidly moving on from the bibliography, we drove on for a whistlestop tour past the Avebury stones, which are the Pentium 4 to Stonehenge's pocket calculator, and then we stopped at Stonehenge for good measure. I wish the bastards would get on and build this much-vaunted tunnel and poncy visitor's centre, cos at the moment they charge an extortionate entry fee for a brief walk and a view from miles away, plus a luxurious tour of the gift shop which sells silver menhir necklaces and jewellery made from stone - not Stonehenge stone, natch, but stone from the right 'mystical' hills all the same. I wonder if anyone informed the inhabitants of Preseli that they were all mystical and stuff? Still, Rory and I performed a spirited rendition of the Eddie Izzard 'Heave, everyone, heave!' sketch, and all was good. ^_^
Oh, and by the way: Yay! They sacked Sarah! And Nick. Heavens. Looks like Greg should get a bigger role out of it, which might please you... *is muchly amused*
Off tomorrow to spend some time a-touristing in London with the scums, which sounds like fun. But now I have to make Full Metal Alchemist pocket watches like a crazy person. *rolls up sleeves*
Baaaaaack! In case you hadn't noticed from imouto-chan's blog. ^_^;;
So. Brief rundown of events. Cottage looks much the same as I remember it, though I still haven't got used to being able to get right across the stream on the stepping-stones (there have been two missing in the middle as long as I can remember, necessitating some fantastic leaps and a convoluted route to make it across the stream without getting wet, but they've been replaced).
We didn't do much the first full day - drove to Snowdon but missed all the tours we wanted due to being late ^_^;;. Weds was delightfully full of nothing, other than a brief expedition to Bala to stock up on food. Thurs we went to a copper mine, which was amusingly advertised as 'a family day out the weather can't spoil'. This was true in some respects, since apparently the mine is cold and dripping all year round and irrespective of weather, but the family day out bit will be much improved when they actually finish building the visitor's centre, which currently consists of beams. :D And in the afternoon I wandered up the Forestry track from the cottage and collected bits of quartz from beyond the Forestry gate (this is perfectly fine now but used to be Verboten when they were cutting down trees up there, so feels highly illicit ^_^)
Friday we went to Corris Craft Centre which has always been one of my favourite places, and I persuaded/browbeat/bullied Rory into buying a small racecar set with constructible track in different shapes (if Scalextric was a jigsaw, you'd have something similar). And then we rolled on to Aberdovey, or Afon Dyfi if you're a Welsh nationalist, and wandered along the seashore and ate icecream. Saturday was Portmeirion, which was indeed bloody weird. I liked the concrete boat and the 3-D stone columns with flat trompe l'oeil statues on top. The whole place is designed to make you do double-takes all the time :D Climbed Bird Rock in the evening, which Rory and I have only done separately and once before. We made it to the top in time to see the sunset light over the huuuuuuge vista you see up there, and lo it was loverly.
Sunday we went back to Snowdon, and timed the tours right this time. Went on a tour of Dinorwig hydroelectric power station, which sounds boring but was actually fantastic. I particularly liked the bit where you got to stand ten feet from the axle powering the whole station, which is about six feet diameter, solid metal, and doing 500 rpm. It shook the floor and the air in your lungs, you couldn't hear *anything*. ^_______^ And then we took the train up Snowdon - well, me and imouto-chan did, and the brat walked it, being the energetic type. We met him at the top to admire the view, drank nasty powdered coffee, and trundled back down again.
And that was that. Packing up the cottage was pretty unpleasant but then it always is - traditionally my grandparents left after we'd gone, so I've never closed up before, and it's even nastier that way. Still, we had a farewell salute from a Tornado which barrel-rolled right over my head on the stepping stones (the RAF practices low-level flying on a regular basis in the valley. If you climb the next-door mountain and get lucky with the timing they fly *underneath* you :D). Now the owners are going to sell it, but that's fine. As long as whoever gets it next keeps it in good nick until I have the liquid assets to take it off their hands, I mind not at all. ^_^
I am in Wales. So is she and the li'l bro. Back next Monday, sees ya ^_^
Going to Wales. On Monday. For a week.
^_________________________________^
I've been going to the cottage (it has a name but is always known as The Cottage), which is a little signalman's cottage on a long-abandoned overgrown railway line out in the middle of nowhere in north Wales, every year since I was two until my grandparents died, whereupon the arrangement sort of lapsed. It is small and extremely beautiful and peaceful and idyllic and out in the absolute middle of nowhere. And I haven't been there for nearly eight years now, which suddenly seems very strange indeed. Going as the responsible adult, instead of with my grandparents, is a weird thing and feels suspiciously like a rite of passage, but don't worry, I'll get over it.
*glee glee glee glee glee*
So as of this Monday, I shall be gone until next Monday (the 19th), so obviously no email or Net activity till then. My mobile will *probably* work at the cottage, but texts are probably more reliable than calls. No landline anymore, apparently. ^_^;;; But you get excellent mobile reception if you climb the mountain next door, it only takes half an hour or so. :p
I am having a good week for bloody great thunderstorms. For this one I am inside and dry, which is a major improvement on the last one.
^_______________________________________^
or, Why Spending Too Much Time With My Extended Family Makes Me Go Slightly Insane. ^_^
My aunt's over (as I might have mentioned) so I'm currently caught up in the social whirl, shopping, drinking tea, eating cake, drinking tea, visiting garden centres, drinking tea, and (on very special occasions) eating cake and drinking tea while shopping at garden centres. And my last couple of commissions are growing claws and practicing their evil laughs so they can sneak up behind me and curdle the aforesaid tea with panic when I ought to be enjoying myself. Ho-hum. ^_^;;
"I'd never be good enough for Mr Miyagi."
-my li'l brother, wistfully, in a rather surreal moment in between tea and cake.
One day I really must introduce him to Phinn, but I fear there would be some kind of explosion.
CONGRATULATIONS KATY YOU ROCK LIKE A ROCKING THING!
^________________________________________^
Huh. I never knew Ivor Novello was gay. Suddenly all the little scripty bits in Gosford Park between Novello and Wiseman and Ryan-Philippe's-character-whose-name-I-have-forgotten make a great deal more sense. O.o
And while I'm at it, everyone ever should watch Gosford Park, for lo is it worthy of a zillion Oscars instead of the measly two(?) it got. Soooo much good acting, and it's so gloriously *British* ^_^
In other news, I've been making Garnet's headdress from the end of Final Fantasy IX today, which may turn out to be my commission crowning glory. It dun half look good, though right now I've nearly no idea how I'm going to attach the complex silver pattern pieces to the hairband it's going to rest on...
Oh, and tomorrow I have to be up at the crack of dawn, cos my aunt is coming over from America and has unhelpfully caught a plane that arrives at 9.15. At Heathrow. On the other side of London. Why yes, that is the nastiest corner of the M25 smack bang in the middle of the rush hour, why do you ask? *makes will*