08.00 Sunday June 5th 2011, I had written my notes for yesterday which I then lost and could not resurrect something where there was no problem using another form of Word where the spell checker suddenly refused to work. I will return to this morning so far after remembering what happened yesterday in the chronological sequence which I am reverting as a consequence of awaking at 4 am and seeing clearly in my head, after thinking and feeling over a dream, the reason why I keep stalling on the writing fo great work, what its purpose has to be and that publication will have to be posthumous if it is become of significance to others. I then decided that I will need to stop working on projects which interest but only result in the daily writings but to continue with the increasing the output in the art project work by converting existing materials. After reviewing the work achieved yesterday I went early to the Marriott leaving at 5.50.
At the Marriot I read a couple of Chapters of the Game of Thrones before the swim where I did not count length but stayed for an hour in the water. There was time for a quick read of those parts of the Daily Telegraph before having time to fill the car with just under £40 of petrol before a quick visit to the supermarket.
8.01 I arrived as the first customers had entered and found a couple already at the salad bar. I was able to get a good mixture of Feta cheese, olives, some prawn pasta and ham pasta, a few slices of the spicy sausage before topping with corn off the cob, coleslaw and shredded carrot. I fancied some rump steak for Sunday lunch, a bottle of inexpensive sparkling Spanish Rosé- £2.99 after getting and the putting back four of the mini bottles for £5, a whole mini Italian salami £2 just under half of which I slices and placed in the remaining unfrozen roll which I then eat with great relish for breakfast followed by coffee and Pepsi with ice.
09.00 I received a Travel Lodge email announcing a summer sale of £10 rooms and spend time checking on the dates of the penultimate match against Sussex at Hove and them even more time for the July August game against Lancashire at Liverpool, checking the location of the ground and of the Travel Lodges in the area. Now that my expenditure on the Olympic games is less than a tenth of what was expected and taking the decision not to bid for the Ashes Test at the Emirates in 2013 I can manage th4e cost of a couple of cricket trips this year as long as the accommodation cost is kept low.
11.00 I watch the opening play of the second Test against Sri Lanka for the end of the England Innings. Pryor and Broad, then Tremlett and Finn made quick runs taking the total to 486, but later I switched channels after the visitors put on 200 runs before the first wicket ending the day 231 for 1.
From around midday I enjoyed a Mushroom cuppa soup and then a piece of haddock which I covered with mixed herbs, together with a selection from the Tex Mex purchase three chicken wings and a similar quantity of coasted mushrooms and onion rings with potato wedges
14.00 Watch film Cash with Sean Bean Chris Hemsworth and Victoria Profeta, Sean visits his brother in prison also Sean who has who has thrown 625000 dollars in a suitcase from car over fly over when chased by police. The suitcase lands on the car of Hemsworth who on finding the money takes home to wife and they pay off arrears of mortgage to save home then refurnish and deposit rest ion banks plus asking mother to hold a box with quarter of a million.
Bean plays a ruthless obsessional maniac determined to retrieve every penny of the money owed which leads to forcing the couple to rob to replace money used on furniture and other spends. In the end Hemsworth kills Bean disposing of body and car in the crusher and after returning all the stolen money with a compensation bonus for two people who were temporarily hurt the keep the rest.
The film leaves open a sequel with Bean the brother seeking to find out what happened to the sibling and the money.
16.00 I have been undertaking project art work set making which continued during the evening with a total of 32 local Child Care Media sets in 3 volumes together with Blog and Culture 2011 work. These will be registered during Sunday. I had a good sleep on the settee at one point.
I then watched England play Switzerland at Wembley, supposed to be a sell out but with about 10000 vacant seats. The home side went 2.0 down as a consequence of some awful defensive play and good work by the visitors. Fortunate we managed to score quickly with a penalty after their second goal and then got a good worked equalizer shortly after the second half commenced. A draw could result in us losing top spot in this competitive competition where only those in the top spot are guaranteed a place in the finals. Fortunately Montenegro also with a home game could only draw so we retain top spot on goal difference. There are three matches to play over the course of next season. The highest placed team from any of the divisions also has an automatic place along with the two hosts. There is then a further competition for those finishing second in the groups two make up the final 16.
I enjoyed the evening meal of half the salad with defrozen prawns in shell
I also recorded the Britain’s Talent Programme and Finale and the introduction programme from Pop star to Opera singer as one of the participants is Joe McEldry from South Shields. I then fast forwarded for the best bits. I half watched Dr Who which I did not understand from lack of attention. During the day I read two more chapters of Game of Thrones and watered the patio plants and watched part of the Return of King
09.00 Sunday. I have completed rewriting the notes for yesterday within the hour set. Enjoyed a coffee, cereal and about to cook a kipper in the microwave which I did not enjoy as much as usual.
The alarm went and slept on rising around 7, playing 5 games of level one chess again under the regime of going to the beginning every time I lose on draw a game at whatever level has been reached of 101 games at each level.
9.50 having watched the Andrew Marr show covering escalation of Nato’s role in Libya, the anti women’s right situation developing in Egypt, the culpability of European Leaders for what happened in Bosnia I felt in the mood to watch a recording of the Chicago Code giving the show undivided attention.
10.45. A spate of bomb attempts is traced back to anti capitalist government movement a couple of decades back while the corrupt Alderman foils an attack on his life and takes out the black gangster behind the attempt. Basic meat and veg stuff but needed the break before commencing the registration of made sets while listening to Canto Gregoriano disc Coro de monjes del Monasterio Bendictino de Santo Domingo de Silos 1981. I then listened to the first part of the Verdi Requiem and the Dies Irae with Herbert Von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker.
11.15 Completed registration fo 32 Child Care Media sets and commenced to read further Chapters of the Game of Thones listening to a collection of songs about broken hearts with Nilsson- Without You, Roy Orbison- Crying, Dolly Parton- I will always love you, The Everly Brothers- Crying in the Rain, Paul Young- Every time you go, Diana Ross-I’m still waiting, Commodores- Three Times a Lady, Al Green –Tired of being alone, Randy Crawford-Almaz, Rose Royce-Love don’t live here anymore, Earth Wind and Fire-After the Love has gone, Michael McDonald- I keep forgetting, Linda Ronstadt - Don’t know much more, Tanika Tikaren -Twist in my sobriety and Crystal Gale- Talking in your sleep.
13.00 An excellent lunch of the steak together with pieces of Tex Mex but without chicken wings. Rain affected the Test Match and also the start of the 20 20 game between Worcester and Durham. Later no result was declared with no ball bowled.
17.00 in addition to continued reading I watched the outstanding episode of the Throne of Kings while also listen to a second disk with the Pretenders-I’ll stand by you, Prince-Purple Rain, Simply Red-If you don’t know me by now, Fried-You’re with the wrong one. Smiths-How soon is now, Paul Weller –Wishing on a star, Frankie goes to Hollywood-The Power of Love, Chicago-Hard to say I’m sorry, Bread- Baby I want you, Dionne Warwick-You’ll never get to heaven if you break my heart, Christopher Cross-Arthur’s Theme, The Korgis-Everybody’s got to learn sometime, Elvis Costello- Good Year for Roses, 10CC-I’m not in Love, Chris Rea-Fool if you think its over.
18.00 Soup salad apple crumble and custard. Finish reading of Game of Thrones up todate and start writing
20.00 Antiques Road show recap of highlight finds from series.
21.00 First part of new BBC Detective former policeman series involves three cases. The murdered sister of the detective when a child and he a boy searching for her, policeman, the disappearance of one of four sisters as a child, one now in a convent, one a suggestive actress, following discovery that their recently dead father had her missing doll and the admission of one sister that her father tried to put his hand down her knickers until she had screamed the house down at the time, with the third case the idolised teenage daughter of a solicitor who been killed on the first day she attended his office in work experience before going to university. He separated from wife with preteen daughter who is planning to take up offer of job for a year in New Zealand. He is then seduced when having meal out only find the woman also has a case for him and then he is hit on the head going to investigate a car parked in the street that has been following him. That eh allows himself to be hit indicates stupidity part excellence. Part 2 tomorrow.
22.00 Have quick run through of Pop Star to Opera Star first four with Joe McEldery doing surprisingly well and crowd loving him. Interesting. 22.30 BED
06.00 06 06 2011 Had a difficult night with several wakings restlessness and sleeping difficulties
06.30- 8 Good swim and sauna and read of Daily Telegraph
08.10 By Salad Morrison’s, Fresh milk, Bacon enjoying Bacon roll at 10 after eating past use by date for kipper forgotten in fridge, Orange Fruit Juice offer £1 and four Chicken Kiev’s for £2 although have planned to run down freezer for defrost. Play games having lost game 84 level chess requiring a go to start again decision.
11 Music today has been a Tearjerkers disk: Mad World, Westlife-Flying without wings, Eva Cassidy-Fields of Gold, George Michael- Different corner,- Ronan Keating If tomorrow never comes, Katie Melua- Closest thing to Crazy, Bandy Almost doesn’t count, Alliyah-Miss you, Candi Staton- Suspicious Minds, Macy Grey- I try, The Corrs- what can I do? Acqualung-Strange and Beautiful also you have got a friend and I swear
12.50 Have completed Game of Thrones writing pages 266 to 529 but will leave check and final write until later.
Watch Bargain Hunt where both teams finish with cash in hand. Satisfying.
13.05 Take car into town centre after bringing in the two rubbish bins and pay for a 15 minute stay at car park. Have to get £60 cash from bank because the machine does not have £10 notes to make the required 50 to pay for the replacement garage remote. Email today from Sunderland security chief at stadium confirming remote has not been found. But 3 £1 bags of cherries and have one on return.
14.30 Watch an awful film called Command Performance Directed and starring Dolph Lungren, the hulk as a drummer former biker in the USA appearing as a concert opener for an American teen star called Venus in Moscow attended by the Russian President and his two pre teen daughters. The film begins with a Soviet History lesson as former President Mikhail Gobachev was able to foil a coup in 1991 by traditional hard liners.
The point of the film is that a decade or so later the son of one of the plotters, a General who shoots his wife and then himself rather than be captured returns to seek revenge with remnants supporting the old order. They achieve bloody mayhem killing all the Presidential security bar one and a large number of concert goers before they can escape. The President’s two daughters, one is played by Dolph’s daughter in her first screen performance, are held separately from the President and the USA Ambassador. Dolph who was having a quiet smoke when the insurrection and mayhem takes place joins forces with the surviving security man and gain access to weapons and rescue the hostages killing many along the way. In the finale Dolph has to engage in personal combat with the son of the former coup plotter who holds the remote to explosives tired to one of the President’s daughters. In the last scene the security man is given Russia’s highest award and Dolph and expensive present before he gets into a car with Venus with whom he has established an unlikely relationship.
17.More pop music: Love is all around-The Troggs; When a Man loves a woman-Percy Sledge; He’s so fine-The Chiffons; Walking Back to Happiness-Helen Shapiro, Silly Love Songs-Wings; Under the Boardwalk-The Drifters; Joanna Kool and the Gang; Stand by your Man-Tina Turner; I only want to be with you-Bay City Rollers; Lady Love-Lou Rawls, I will always Love you-Gloria Gaynor; Jenifer Juniper –Donovan; I believe-the Batchelors; Rock you Baby-George McCrae; Only You- The Platters, Do you ant to know a secret-Billy J Kramer, Love will keep us together-Neil Sedaka.
10.30 Tuesday June 7th had a much better night so up late 8ish played games while decide what kind fo day I wanted and could cope with deciding on finish diary 1, watching last day of test, must remember to enter lottery for week, making up sets, catch up TV nothing inspiring or active but reach point when proper writing commences again. From yesterday half those entering lottery did not get a one seat and this was some 900000 rather than 250000 first suggest so hmmn and I was luck to get the pair of seats or two singles.
I found the second episode of case files on BBC watchable and enjoyable but still full of dubious plot points as he solves several plot points.
I begin with the murder of the daughter who goes to her father’s office for the first day. Our past affected detective ex copper consumed with guilt over the death of his sister whose murderer was never found works out that there was no need for her to have followed the knife wheeling man unless she knew who he was. The Aussi travelling boyfriend arrives back home and discloses that she was given the teddy bear as an unwanted gift by an unwanted admirer. When visiting the teacher who was having affairs with some of his pupils we had been given the clue of a son a son calling out to his mother working in the garden and something of a local busybody. He visits the young man and gets him to admit that he believed the only things topping him having a relationship with the girl was her father so he had gone to office to get him to allow the relationship, which he flashbacks we know she rejected and had been accidentally killed as he had flashed the knife unaware she was following so closely. The father recovers in hospital after a heart attack and befriends the young street girl (drugs prostitution with dog type) who the detective has seen before when the two have me to discuss progress in said park. Father recovers and returns home and moves on switching off the lights around his daughter’s bed.
Meanwhile the detective finds that the man who pursued him and hit him over the head is the son of the next door neighbour to the two sisters trying to find what happened to their abducted fourth. The old eccentric woman dies of natural causes and the by this time helpful former police colleague discloses that the reason for the assaults is the son feared being disinherited in favour of the detective which is what happened although the fortune of £2 million is left to a home for cats and the detective is left the favourite cat. However this is not the end of this tale. Pursuing the disappearance of the missing sister he meets another former colleagues who like him interprets the finding of the doll among father’s possessions as ominous and returns with his daughter in tow tot eh nunnery to interview the third sister again and forcing her to reveal the truth. She was he abuse one of the family by her father and realising that he was taking an interest in her younger sister she attempts to take her to be cared for by the friendly woman next door who they hey call a witch. In a scene which I do not understand the young sister screams at what she sees and is smothered to death by the older who turns to her father for help and he buries the body close to the entrance into the woman’s garden where they had stood. He digs up the body, brings in the police without disclosing his knowledge of the circumstances as after all he has chosen a form of indefinite imprisonment away from the world. The detective begins a relationship with the actress sister after the funeral takes places while the guilt wracked older sister begins a loving lesbian relationship with a woman met at the tea garden.
Now this where the plot interactions becomes preposterous as the third case is also resolved of the missing daughter of the sister imprisoned for murder of the woman who picks him and sleeps with him at the bar restaurant after which he was hit on the head when investigating the car that had been tailing him earlier in the day. He breaks into his bosses police station and computer to learn the whereabouts of the mother after she is released from prison and he tracks her down to living in the Scottish Countryside married to an understanding vicar. The mother reveals that it was her sister who kills the boyfriend and father of the child but she accepts the punishment because the situation had been brought about by her inability to cope with the unwanted baby and she takes responsibility on the basis that the older sister will look after her child who was placed in the care systems and then went on the streets drugs and prostitution something which the mother cannot immediately cope with. This is almost the nonsensical part of the story in that the child would have either been placed for adoption with mother’s consent or been kept informed of the position of the daughter, especially in view of what happened.
I said almost the most incredulous part of the tale because surprise surprise we find that that the missing girl is none other than the street girl in park befriended by the father of the murdered daughter and that the elder sister is truly a bad lot because she works as a nurse at the hospital where the father was taken after the heart attack and the detective after being hit on the head and is in a relationship with a doctor who is going to marry and the reason for wanting to trace the girl is to help her but also persuade her to stay away and not wreck the new relationship by disclosing the background. The detective takes the girl to visit the home fo her mother but although she sees the woman she says she is not ready to have contact and returns to live, it is suggested with the father of the murdered girl who wants to make up for the lack of understanding of his daughter which indirectly led to her death.
So at a serious level the two episode programme is about the relationship between father’s and daughter and siblings and the darker aspects. Hmmn
Before hand I also watched another film of the day. The Tailor of Panama which I have seen in theatre and on TV before but which I continue to enjoy because of its significance in relation to the war in Iraqi and the belief in the existence of weapons of mass destruction.
Piers Brosnan plays a discredited MI6 operative after an affair with the mistress of an ambassador who sent to Panama where it is thought he will do no harm but keep an eye on the status of the canal. In the John le Carré book (inspired by Graham Green’s Our Man in Havana which is one of 11 novels by the writer I have in my library and which I have added to the will reread over the net year or so list) the canal is yet to handed to the Panama government for its control and management which is the situation in the film and which makes the story more effective. As is normal in such postings he is given the role as IT officer and sets out to find those among the ex pats and locals who will provide him entry into the governmental society as well as direct intelligence on any issues of concern. He selects the Tailor of Panama City for his first target for several reasons. The man is married to someone who is PA to the chief executive of the canal operating company. The self styled Saville Row tailor not only has the President and other government members as his clients but belongs to the club fraternised by the rich and powerful in the country. He can also be bought because he has debts, having invested in a farm on the advice and part owned without his knowledge by the bank manager an because is not a Saville Row trained but learned the craft while in prison (an unlikely tale as are most of the ingredients of the story but no matter). His mentor was an actual Saville Row Tailor, Uncle Benny, who acts as continuing mentor despite his death and is played by Harold Pinter.
Brosnan is true to form as the Bond style character, bedding any and every woman coming within his orbit and looking for a way to retire form the service with capital to live as he has become accustomed. In the book he is still seeking rehabilitation back to big time operations. He is fortunate that the Tailor is also on the make and a man fo great imagination with friends who were active opponents of the infamous General Manuel Noriega who became a prisoner of war when the USA invaded in 1989 and was then arrested in France after his release and is serving a term of imprisonment there after which he will be extradited back to Panama to be tried for human rights violations there. It is likely that now aged in his later 70’s he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
The Tailor is played by the brilliant Geoffrey Rush more recently known for his role as Lionel Logue in the Kings Speech with a grand history of role from the Marquis de Sade, Les Miserables, Elizabeth, the Life and death of Peter Sellers and Munich. He first fabricates that the on his recent Wold Tour the President put up the canal to the highest bidder and that the Chinese governments mainland and Formosa had joined forces to take control and gained a strong bases for activities in South America. When pressed especially by the Americans for evidence he attempts to gain information from the company by photographing papers brought home by his wife.
When this fails to convince he creates an opposition to the government friendly to the USA using his two friends. One Michelangelo Abaxas (Brenden Gleeson whose memorable roles for me is In Bruge and as Michael Collins)) was active against Noriega but was broken under torture in prison and although critical that nothing has changed since the creation of the existing regime he is a spent force and drinks his guilt at sense of failure and lack of courage to fight on. Rush through Brosnan paints the man as the leader of a new opposition and potential President given he right amount of funding Rush asks for £10 million which Brosnan increases to £15million and the British Ambassador steps up to £20 million..
Rush employs as a personal assistant another anti Noriega opponent who has one side of her face scarred from torturing under the former regime. She is also put up by rush as a movement leader with both the known pedigree of opposition and of being tortured. The Tailor is happily married with a family of two children and his wife is played for Jamie Lee Curtis, an excellent actor who I do not find sexy which has been a problem with some of her roles, but not in this instance where she plays an intelligent loyal wife and to the company for whom he works. While the ambassador, the political officer and another senior member of staff with whom Brosnan has a relationship are all sceptical about every aspect of the situation, the American are keen because of the decision to relinquish the canal especially the man who was required to hand over control who had wanted the country to become another State of the Union.
Then there is a development which threatens the enterprise in that Michelangelo on learning of renewed police interest and advised by Rush to go to ground with his PA gets drunk instead and commits suicide. Rush is distraught at this although his PA says that their broken friend had been waiting for an excuse to take such action. On learning fo the development the Americans see this as action by the regime and the excuse to undertake a new invasion with their forces already on alert and available within four hours to launch.
Meanwhile Brosnan’s London boss has arrived with the negotiated £15 million which he takes to Brosnan’s flat to await developments. He had insisted on handing the money over directly to the future President but Brosnan has emphasised that without the money being handed to him there would be no opposition. This confirms to his Panama based colleagues that the whole thing is a fraud but too advanced to halt the American intervention. There is then a Saigon type attempt of the top people to leave the country. Meanwhile Rush attempts to advise the British of the fraud and is ignored and then attempts to stop Brosnan leaving. Brosnan persuades him to help him get to the airport for a fee and there the Ambassador also assists for his share, a modest £1.25million. Meanwhile Jamie has gone to her boss who contacts the President who contacts the USA opposite number and persuades him to order the withdrawal. So it can be said that not much harm was done especially as Jamie forgives her husband who comes clean about his background. The film is great fun especially when Brosnan uses a pay by the hour brothel for his meetings and also takes Rush for another meeting at a gay club. It is all more Graham Greene than La Carre but with the serious point about the gung ho infallibility and believability of the Americans. Myth or Truth?
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