Day 21 of lockdown (I think!) A routine has taken over in these strange times. People still shop, there's no food shortages to speak of, though I go shopping as little as possible. Tara had a nice idea of sending Olly & Gary & Beren a bottle of gin for Easter (we got Alec some beers) as we won't be meeting up, we'd originally planned a get together here. Had a really nice day on Good Friday. Got the BBQ going and cooked sausages ( a given for any bbq!), chicken drum sticks, pork chops and bacon, had some salad and as a sort of starter a carrot dip with veg. Played a game called Flickin Chicken in the garden, it was a beautiful day, then later on played a board game of QI which was very good. It's National Camping Day and Paul & Kate were planning to camp in their garden, Kate even rigged up an outside shower for them, so we thought we'd have the BBQ today to show solidarity with them though they ended up doing it the next day, Kate is very clever as she also made a kind of cooker out of a couple of tins. Very enterprising!
On Alec's suggestion we watched a Danny Boyle directed film called 'Yesterday' a couple of days ago. What a great little film! Basically a small time musician gets knocked off his bike during a freak power cut across the world. He wakes up in hospital and although everything appears normal the world has never heard of The Beatles or coca cola. Although I'd say I'm not the greatest Beatles fan , the music was great. Basic feel good film, the girl who has loved him for years of which he is oblivious , eventually gets him. Do watch ! In these strange times we are living through abit of uplifting fluff like this is just great!
Also watched 'Emma' the screen adaptation of the Jane Austen novel. It starred Bill Nighy, twitching away as only he can, also Miranda Hart being, well Miranda Hart really. Didn't mind it though it was bit of a slog at times. Tara, who wanted to watch it more than I wasn't that keen which is a shame. It was never an Alec film though he sat through most of it. The musical accompaniment was of the period (Regency) and T thought it sounded like Maddy Prior, on waiting for the credits it was indeed Maddy Prior and the Carnival band!
Another film Alec suggested was 'The Gentleman.' Bit of a gangster geezer type film and not generally a genre that would interest me but this wasn't bad at all. Hugh Grant can play characters other than a confused English toff as he displayed here. Though he was in a sort of Michael Caine warp for the film but it worked well. Chases, shoot'em ups and geezers. Enjoyed it!
Ida is on anti inflammatory tablets. The vets as everywhere are having to do things differently. So a phone consultation was the order of the day! Having described Ida's limp best I could the Veterinary thought it was probably a pulled ligament or muscle so no walks for a week and this medicine. Difficult of course as it could also be just a bit of old age creeping in. We're back walking her now and have done a maximum of 4 miles. She would seem OK. Getting the medicine from the vets was also unusual. Got to the car park, phoned to let them know I was there I'd already paid by card, a nurse lent out the door and put Ida's prescription on a chair then I could retrieve it.
Taken by bino's on one of my walks with Alec, didn't really see anything though it was a delightful walk. The blossom is coming out and the Blue Belles are showing too, Alec has seen a couple of Hares on his early morning walks. I was pleased to hear this as its sometime since I've seen any in the general area of Church Bottom. It's still strangely quiet even when on walks as there are very very few aircraft flying because travel has pretty well stopped. We're only half an hour from Luton Airport so regularly saw and heard the planes around yet now its hard to find even a vapor trail. Oh, nearly forgot! A Sparrow hawk actually took a Pidgeon and devoured it in our garden! I got a couple of rather naff photos, there as alot of feathers! Paul told my about the British Trust for Ornithology's weekly garden bird count. They usually charge to do it but Paul thought as they'd made it free I'd be interested, which I was, so the count that week was abit more interesting.
What else has happened? Oh yes, Beren did an excellent quiz for us all on Sunday night. We all connected on Skype and played in houses so Alec Tara & I were a team, as were Gary & Ellie, Olly & Laura and Alec's Laura played on her own as no one there wanted to do it. Beren had worked hard to make it varied and also a good balance of difficult and less difficult questions. The cleverest round was one where all the answers were our names! It whiled away most of the evening and was a great laugh.
Just finished watching 'Rocketman' the Elton John biopic. A good film with some great music but not one I'd watch again I shouldn't think. If half the film is true to his life then he really wasn't very happy and certainly had a very odd and unloving family, felt sorry for him to be honest.
