CHI-LITES

When I say 'I haven't been around much lately', I actually mean that I haven't been here.  I have indeed been around a lot.  But not here.

When we decide to do things, we tend to try to fit in as much as possible into the day.  There's no point after all in going to France and just eating a hamburger, or going into a cafe and not having a coffee, or going to the swimming pool and just watching.  Oh, actually I can think of some good reasons why it might be worthwhile doing that.  Er, how about buying a pair of climbing boots and never wearing them then?  Or, in our case, going all the way up to London and then not taking full advantage of all the treats London has to offer.  All the legal ones anyway.

It has been cripplingly cold for the last week.  Not the sort of cold that you dress up from head to foot in animal skins for, but the sort of cold that seeps through shirts and sweaters and makes you wonder whether you should have slipped on yet another woollie, and forces you into yet another cafe for yet another coffee, and makes you look yet again at the holiday sun breaks in Spain, or even at the Spanish apartment sales page.  Even though the crocuses are now coming out, I find it hard to believe it is anywhere near spring.

Anyway, on Tuesday we wrapped ourselves in our furs and went to Chichester.  I love Chichester cathedral; I think I have blogged on it before, so I won't go into detail, but I just adore the way it has grown up over 1,000 years into what it is today - no doubt still evolving.  Here is one outbuilding.

Look at all the different wall construction.  Just beautiful!  And here is part of the cathedral wall itself.

You can see where the building has been modified and added to over the centuries.  But still somehow making the result an attractive one.

But the main reason for visiting the cathedral is that, on Tuesdays, they have free lunchtime concerts, even offering a cup of coffee if you would like one (yes, please!).  Last Tuesday was a recital by the Fujita Piano Trio, three Japanese sisters who have made a bit of a name for themselves (Fujita actually).  They were performing Haydn and Dvorak, should you wish to know.  These concerts are well attended and so we were at the back which made seeing three little Japanese ladies rather tricky

but the music was lovely.  And what a setting!

After, we went to Weatherspoons for lunch.  I still don't like Weatherspoons - mixed grill of steak, pork cutlet, 2 gammon steaks, sausage, mushroom, tomato and chips, plus a glass of wine, for £6.  But what can you do?  The steak in particular was delicious.

And then we went to the Chichester Film Theatre, where we watched Argo.  It was fascinating, thrilling and well acted.  Would it have received an Oscar if it was about a bunch of Iranians infiltrating America and fooling the US authorities?  I don't know.  It was a pity though that the US commander had to say that the Brits had turned the refugees away; that wasn't exactly true.  But then why stand in the way of a good film plot?  It was enjoyable anyway.

Here's an appropriate bit of music to warm you through these chilly days.

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GONE

I seem to do this far too often.  And I told myself I would stop.  But I just had to post this.  FAB?

Thunderbirds and all its predeceesors formed the backdrop to my early life or at least my early TV watching life.  I still look on them, if not with affection, then at least with amazement at their production.  RIP Gerry Anderson.

BALE BOND

Saw Skyfall tonight.  Bond certainly suffered for his cause (whatever that is), putting his life and soul into it in fact.  The action sequences were great; Bond was great (vintage you might say) and all the 50 year old bits that were reintroduced were amusing and enjoyable.  I just have to think for a while whether the plot worked.  Why did the baddy cause such mayhem and distress; why didn't he just kill the person he intended to in the first place?  He was so clever and had such extraordinary resources at his disposal (oh, I have think how he obtained those too) that he could have finished the story at any moment he chose.  Of course there would have been no chase and not much of a denouement in that case, but they're just details.  Hmmm.

We're off to France tomorrow.  Sudden decision.  Might just get a few things in for Christmas though while we're there.  Mostly of the liquid variety probably.

Back at the weekend sometime.  A tout a l'heure.