 |
| In Cambodia - July 9th 2011 |
The mood of sadness created by Brexit was exacerbated by Hull City's heavy home defeat to Brentford from West London during Saturday lunchtime. It didn't help that we had sold our two best players on Thursday night. I watched the match live on TV at the local pub and came home feeling like a man who has just received a coronavirus diagnosis.
For the evening meal, I made a mild chilli concoction containing chopped chicken, kidney beans, chopped red onion, yellow pepper and mushrooms. This we ate in soft tortilla wraps with sour cream and sides of wholegrain rice and salad. But this dinner didn't lift my blue mood.
 |
| An Irish convent at Cappamore - August 5th 2011 |
We have Netflix on our television courtesy of The Beloved Daughter but we rarely access it. Shirley was going out for a social event with other nurses and there was nothing appealing on regular TV. So much that is available via Netflix is utter crap in my opinion but I spotted a 2018 film about the deadly terrorist attacks in Norway in 2011. It was called "22 July" and I certainly found it watchable. How twisted was the evil perpetrator - Anders Breivik! It's quite frightening to think that there are others like him in different parts of the world - just biding their time. I blogged about the sickening attacks back in July 2011 - just two days after they had happened. Go here.
Of course "22 July" was hardly a happy, laugh-a-minute film . After Brexit and the football match perhaps I should have been watching "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" instead. Ah well, to accompany this post and to perhaps lift the gloom slightly, I have selected three random photographs from my 2011 archive.
 |
| A late summer lane just north of Sheffield - September 30th 2011 |
I'm having difficulty believing any of this has happened. You have Boris, we have the orange guy. Neither appears to be able to tell the truth. It's depressing.
ReplyDeleteIt would indeed be easy to get depressed about it all Allison.
DeleteSometimes it feels better to go with the mood we're in than try to jolly ourselves out of it. I've been watching and reading Holocaust pieces featured in the media due to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. It takes me out of the political stuff - well, mostly, although there was politics involved in those atrocities too - but it reminds me that there are worse things to live through than what is happening at the moment.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it's also a reminder to stay vigilant.
That first photo - amazing. Did the tree start out small and grow around the house or just how did that happen?
For many decades the outlying Angkor temples were hidden by jungle. That tree is just one of many that have not been removed because Cambodia is a poor country and because removing them would compromise the temple structures.
DeleteI stream on Netflix, Stan, and FoxtelNow...and watch some great series and documentaries. Below is a list of suggestions on Netflix you may enjoy...ones I've watched and enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story...Series
Bloodline...Series
Mad Men...Series (You’ve probably already seen it...but if not...it is brilliant!)
Dolly Parton..Here I Am...Bio-Doco
The Irishman...movie
Animal Kingdom...Series...US series based around Aussie movie. Ellen Barkin plays the matriach...the role played by Jacki Weaver in the Aussie movie
Sinatra – All or Nothing at All...bio-doco - brilliant
Dolly Parton “Heartstrings”...eight individual vignettes based on her favourite songs...her songs...it does pull at your heart strings. Poignant.
Virgin River...Series
Greenleaf....Series
The Highwaymen...Movie...about the two cops who tracked down Bonnie & Clyde - stars Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson
Legend...series starring Tom Hardy...about the gangsters...the Kray twins.... https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3569230/
Longmire...Series
Unbelievable...Series - US series...starring Toni Collette, among other familiar faces
Quincy...absolutely brilliant bio-doc about Quincy Jones
House of Cards...Series (Kevin Spacey and Robyn Wright...if you’ve not seen it...it is worth watching)
The Sinner...Series
Wish Man...Movie...a nice, heartwarming movie, based on a true story...a simple story - no Oscar-winning movie - but an uplifting, inspirational tale
Bob Dylan – REVUE...brilliant doco
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs...a Coen Brothers brain-child...six individual stories...lots of fun...typical Coen Bros.
Ken Burns – The West....absolutely brilliant documentary series
The Roosevelts – An Interesting History....another brilliant documentary series by Ken Burns
The Civil War..A Film by Ken Burns...again a brilliant doco series
Dead To Me...Short series
Dirty John...Based on a true story...con man...played by Aussie actor, Eric Bana
Bobby Kennedy Up for President...Doco
Seven Seconds...Series
Tyrant...Series...set in the Middle East
The Staircase...Doco based on a true story...murder court case..
The Black Godfather...Brilliant Music Doco about music executive Clarence Avant, told by the people he worked with. I’d never heard of him...but it is a most interesting doco. Top stuff!
The Fall...Series (You may have watched it on the BBC a few years ago...Gillian Armstrong and Jamie Dornan
The Nice Guys...Fun movie starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling and Matt Bomer..good for a giggle.
The Judge...Movie starring Robert Downey Jnr., Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dax Shepard...and more
Nat King Cole – Afraid of the Dark...Bio-doco...brilliant!
The above should cover you for the weekend! :)
Another excellent documentary is...."Joe Cocker Mad Dog with Soul"...
DeleteThank you for these kindly compiled tips Lee. Some things on the list would not appeal to me but others would. I watched "The Assassination of Gianni Versace" on regular TV. It was brilliant
DeleteSometimes a few things can hit you at one time and you end up feeling pretty blue.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are speaking from experience Red.
DeleteChin up tits out!!!
ReplyDeleteI have got a chin but I haven't got any tits.
DeleteMy goodness!1 The last line of your 2011 post could well have been the inspiration for NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's response to our own version of Norway's massacre in March last year.( Maybe she's a secret YP follower too.) Kindness and care for all peoples regardless of race, colour, religion or gender in this small immigrant nation is her constant message. That murderer from across the ditch remains nameless in this beautiful country. Instead we will continue to remember the names of his innocent victims.
ReplyDeleteLoved your photos from 2011. What an interesting year of travels you must have had.
I prefer not to revisit 2011 as it was the season of earthquakes here and we were all "standing on shaky ground". Nine years of rebuilding and the city centre has begun to hum again.
A do nothing day today as we're sweltering in 35 deg C heat going down to 22 overnight...... The cat is lying in the doorway trying to catch a breeze and wishing she could swap her furry coat for a cooler summer one.
Too hot to cook so raw food is the only choice.
Wishing you a brighter week ahead and fair weather for walking.
I was just watching the BBC weekend weatherman and he confirmed that NZ is currently sweltering, Go and stick your head in the refrigerator for a few minutes! Thanks for calling by again Peng.
DeleteP.S. I am going to sue your PM for breach of copyright!
Hope you're feeling better soon. As John said:)
ReplyDeleteI used to tell my mum, it could be worse, it could be a double amputation.
I am very fond of black humour. Nice one Lily.
DeleteI love that first picture - how very strange! The meal you prepared sounds good and similar to some of the meals we prepare. I'm sorry you've been down but I think you chose the wrong program to watch if you wanted to lift your spirits. I have not seen that film but I do remember the horrible terrorist attack in Norway.
ReplyDeleteWe have Netflix and they actually do have some excellent movies and programs to watch but it seems like it is difficult to find the ones most suited to your tastes. You can use the search function to look up subjects you are interested in but that can be a slow process. Sometimes I just go by the recommendations of others. One dramatic series that we enjoyed was Breaking Bad. I did not think I would like it but once I got into it I was blown away.
Maybe I should try harder to find good stuff on Netflix but I am pretty choosy. I hope your husband is just about over the flu Bonnie. You deserve an anniversary meal out.
DeleteI recently watched Funny Cow on Netflix and found it very depressing. The only joke, oneliner that made me laugh was:
ReplyDelete"Why is easy listening music so hard to listen to?"
You take some might fine photos YP.
Brentford! A lot of amazing people come from there 😉
ReplyDeleteI'm very choosy too, in regards to tv. So much of it is rubbish.
ReplyDeleteI like historical dramas, gardening and some detective programmes. I'm waiting patiently for the new series of "Endeavor".
Your photos are excellent. I particularly like the one of the car in a country lane. You can really sense the warmth.
Watched old Top Of The Pops on Yesterday channel. TD junior entertaining us with his cutting wit. How did someone as rubbish as Sonny Bono get Cher to sing with him? Disbelief that Peter Noone (Herman) was one of the biggest UK acts in the US ...
ReplyDeleteI find it difficult to call something crap even if I think it is. It's only my judgement. Watching football would be a waste of time in my book but not in a great many others'. The more tolerant we are to what others like and dislike the more tolerant we might become to Brexiteers and their ilk and vice versa. Fat chance . Here endeth (I was brought up with the KIng James Version) the first lesson.
ReplyDeleteI think that for many of us, being in a funk right now is to be expected. There is nothing crazy about feeling a great sadness at the way world events are unfolding.
ReplyDeleteMy best friend always taught me to take the Polyanna stance and always look on the bright side of everything. It could be a lot worse - we could be living in North Korea or Syria. You have a lovely wife, successful children, a nice home, Clint, go for peaceful walks and have a lovely holidays. There is a lot to be happy about. Those riches are irreplaceable.
ReplyDeleteI recognize that tree at the top -- Dave and I saw it when we were in Cambodia, too. Love the convent photo!
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched that Netflix film. I've seen it on offer but it seems like it would be too horrific. We just started a new series called "The Stranger" that seems promising, written by Harlan Coben.
At this time of year only photos of beautiful weather and scenes bring joy to the mind. To brighten up my life going through 'Silent Witness' series, there is something truly macabre watching human organs slapped down on a white surface. Think I missed my vocation of being a forensic professor!
ReplyDeleteThere is plenty to comment on in this post's words and pictures, but I will keep it short and sweet (if I can).
ReplyDeleteBreivik is a name that gives me goosebumps; it is a perfectly innocent enough Norwegian surname but in my mind will forever be associated with the mass murder on the island.
Angkor Vat is a place I would love, love, LOVE to visit one day. What keeps me away is mainly the very long flight.
The pastel paint on the convent building and gate look very summery; I wonder if that is how those living at the convent feel.
Brexit... oh dear. Don't get me started on that.
Some Netflix recommendations:
ReplyDeleteHinterland. Detective series set in Wales and shows that you can achieve great drama without gory details or the f word.
Anne with an E. Charming and lovely story (series) about an orphan in America but with serious issues of prejudice and ignorance.
Film Edie with Sheila Hancock. Old age triumphs over disappointment. Lovely.
Film Victoria and Abdul with Judi Dench. Fascinating story of the relationship between Queen Victoria and her Indian servant.
As someone who loves cooking I think you would enjoy:
Julie and Julia story about a young woman who cooks her way through Julia Chld's cookbook and blogs about it.
The hundred foot walk. Lovely story of an Indian family who set up a curry restaurant opposite a Michelin starred restaurant run by Helen Mirren (well, not her but her character)
Of course, there's always The Crown, worth watching from the start.
We're trying to "chin up" here but with seething resentment that those who foisted this Brexit farce upon us seem to think we should suddenly be happy about it because "it's done". Which of course it isn't and my prediction is that we'll end up with no deal after all.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete