I haven’t watched many films this summer, whilst we were away we mainly watched our new ‘Battlestar Gallactica‘ DVDs that Andy got for Christmas. Season one was great and I am now looking out for season two. When they were on TV, we didn’t always catch them because they were on late, so having the DVDs has been a great way to see them, no ads!
I really enjoyed the ABC show ‘How the Hell Did We Get Here?’The Baby Boomers Guide to the Movies’. It was a top 20 of Australian Films and I had seen most of them and truly enjoyed the show. It reminded me how much I love Australian film, even the older films that were mainly included in this list!
We went to the cinema at Wollongong to see ‘Casino Royale‘. I wasn’t keen, because I’m not traditionally a big James Bond fan, but I did enjoy this film. My favourite James Bond was always Sean Connery but this new guy gives him a bit of a nudge. The cinema was looking a bit sad though. It felt dirty and dusty, so lucky it was a good film, or I possibly couldn’t have sat through it.
I saw ‘Children of the Revolution‘ on pay TV at the motel we stayed at in Kiama. It was Aussie and quite funny. It’s an Australian movie from 1997 and had Rachel Griffiths in it,among others.
I was delighted to see another Australian movie on the guide ‘Dalkeith‘. It was based on a story from the Traralgon old peoples home by the same name and I had always wanted to see it. I was seriously dissappointed though and couldn’t watch it all. Too stereotypical, although the reviewer I have linked to was more positive.
At Ulla Dulla I watched the new TV series ‘Men in Trees’ and loved it. Andy dislikes the main character, but I’m sure he will tolerate it for me! I am going to watch this series, I can tell. It reminds me of my old favourite ‘Northern Exposure’.
Holiday Reading
I was limited to taking 2 books away for my holidays. Andy works hard to keep what we take away to a minimum, which is good common sense, but a challenge for me when I read so much. I took Isabel Allende’s Ines of My Soul and totally enjoyed it. It was kind of violent though in parts. I enjoyed the character Ines though and as always enjoyed the way Allende writes.
The second book I took, one that I had already started was ‘The Tesla Legacy’ by Robert G Barrett. I have always been interested in Tesla, since I read about him years ago in Linda Goodman’s book ‘Star Signs’. I am looking forward to seeing the movie ‘The Prestige’, David Bowie, whom I am a fan of, is playing Tesla in this film. It looks like a great film anyway and I love fantasy. Hugh Jackman is another of my favourite actors, he’s an Aussie too!
Anyway getting back to the book,it was a light and easy read with lovable characters and some interesting ideas. Andy read it also and agreed it was a bit childish in parts but still enjoyable.
I finished these books in Woolongong, so set out to find some second-hand bookshops on the way home to fulfil my need to read. My first find was ‘Maestro’ by Peter Goldsworthy in a fabulous second-hand bookshop in Kiama, where we stayed on the first night of the trip home. My son Tom has it on his booklist so I thought that would be a good buy. I loved it. I was quite surprised by it to be honest. I have read ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ and thoroughly enjoyed that, yet found this to be a very different style. It deepened my love of Baci chocolates! I intend to read all his books this year.
Maestro was a short book, so my next find was ‘The Moon and Sixpence’ by W. Somerset Maugham in an op shop at Bateman’s Bay. It was a very hot day and we had walked the streets in a frustrated search for a second-hand bookshop. Eventually we found the op shop and I couldn’t see anything that interested me and Andy recommended this book as one he had loved. I thoroughly enjoyed it. In the beginning it was a shift in concentration because the language is less contemporary, but once into the story and characters, I couldn’t tear myself away. It is a real journey. This book is freely available from Project Gutenburg here,as are a number of Maugham’s other novels, which I will also read this year. In fact after this experience these holidays I think I will get some ebooks one of my memory sticks to take on holidays. The problem is when you are camping it’s a challenge.
My final book purchase was from the shop in Mallacoota that has lots of second hand stuff and a range of books. I found a book there called ‘Briar Rose’ by Jane Yolen, which was another enjoyable read, but unfortunately I consumed it too quickly and was without a book for our last night at Orbost.
Paths
Today I swept my paths. I have paths all around my home and because Andy had done such a magnificent job in the back yard, it inspired me to uncover the paths in the front yard, which had been buried, probably since last spring, by tanbark. The path was totally covered. It looks great now.
I do love overgrown and hidden paths though, just not at my home. Here is a picture I took this time last year on a walk at Cape Patterson. I like beach paths especially when they are dark and overgrown and then you emerge out on an open beach that seems so wide open and light in contrast to the path you have taken to get there.