A Peek into my Week …

Hillary Eylül 28, 2022

Now that the gardening season is drawing to a close I will be concentrating more on other things that go on in my life as a way of keeping the blog going over winter. This is a little peek into what is going on in my world this week.

I am reading …

The Book of Idle Pleasures

It is about throwing off the shackles of modern life and embracing the pleasure of little things – to enjoy ourselves and indulge our inbuilt love of nature and sensuality and conviviality without breaking our backs or the bank. Using the old idea of making our own fun, using our creativity and imagination rather than paying someone else to do it for us – simple things, the bare necessities – things that cost nothing. Idle pleasures help to side step the commotion of a work-hard, shop-hard world and enter a world of joy and freedom. Written by Dan Kiernan and Tom Hodgkinson of The Idler.

I am watching …

In the aftermath of his father's death an artist (Ewan McGregor) meets and falls in love with a young woman (Melanie Laurent). The story proceeds through the first weeks of this relationship with flashbacks on memories of the artist's childhood and of his father's last days. The flashbacks help us understand why McGregor's character is having such a hard time building a relationship with someone who for many people would be a dream woman: McGregor's father, played beautifully by Christopher Plummer, was gay, who only came out after his wife died. McGregor's character frets constantly that all his relationships will become as passionless as his parent's and so, little by little, has sabotaged them.

Arthur

This is a quirky film and one of my favourites, especially because of Arthur the dog, who builds a telepathic relationship with McGregor – the sound track is good too, with Hoagy Carmichael, Jelly Roll Morton and Josephine Baker. Highly recommended if you like your films a little left-field – oh and it is based loosely on a true story.

I am taking photos …

of the last few flowers in the garden that are hanging on through colder weather and rain that never seems to stop. Bulbs are pushing through and I still have a tree full of apples.

One of my favourite things …

art pottery – picked up for a couple of pounds in a charity shop – I love the handmade feel about it – the colours – and how the centre is a little off skew and the abstract squiggle in the middle looks like a red pepper cut in half.

I am perusing …