2nd Jan 2017
We
have
more
mugs
and
cups
than
we'll
ever
use
at
once.
Some
survive
on
the
shelves
because
they
have
a
sentimental
meaning
to
me.
For
the
record
I've
taken
pictures
of
some
of
what
we
currently
have.
in
the
way
of
drinking
utensils.
17th Mar 2017
Virginia
and
I
went
to
Kent,
seeing
places
like
Bodiam
Castle
and
Sissinghurst
Castle
Gardens
and
Scotney
Castle.
31st May 2017
Being
a
piggy
bank
may
seem
like
a
cushy
life.
Sit
on
a
shelf
and
be
admired.
Be
fed
regularly
with
nice
shiny
coins.
Feel
one's
self
worth
increase
as
one's
weight
increases.
Almost
as
easy
as
being
a
manager
in
a
modern
multinational
company
where
the
only
thing
you
have
to
manage
is
what
your
superior
thinks
of
you.
Alas
the
regularity
of
sitting
on
a
shelf,
and
receiving
offerings,
may
blind
piggy
banks
as
to
their
place
in
the
grand
scheme
of
things.
The
worshippers
do
not
worship
piggy
banks
themselves,
they
worship
what
they
hope
the
contents
of
the
piggy
bank
will
lead
to.
The
piggy
bank
itself
won't
share
in
what
those
jangling
coins
are
jangling
towards.
16th Jun 2017
The
Skodas
we
were
driving
had
been
declining
for
some
while
-
the
grating
noises
and
screaming
bearings
from
my
car
in
particular
urged
us
to
a
drastic
cause
of
action.
Our
friendly
car
mechanic
Brian
said
my
car
needed
changing
so
we
set
off
to
look
at
car
showrooms
in
the
Cambridge
area.
Virginia
suggested
we
should
replace
her
bigger
car
as
we
would
end
up
with
one
car
in
due
course.
We
looked
first
at
VWs,
but
the
boots
seemed
far
to
small.
One
of
our
buying
criteria
was
that
we
could
pack
luggage
for
our
cruises
into
the
boot.
So
we
went
next
door
to
look
at
Kias,
got
treated
to
a
free
drink,
saw
a
Kia
"Cee'd"
which
seemed
big
enough,
and
were
even
persuaded
into
a
test
drive
which
felt
OK.
We
next
tried
looking
at
Toyotas,
and
wished
we
hadn't.
We
did
at
least
learn
we
needed
an
estate
for
our
luggage,
not
a
hatchback
but
the
salesman
was
very
pushy.
He
contradicted
everything
we
said
we
wanted,
made
us
feel
like
we
were
always
wrong.
Toyota
cars
in
themselves
seem
quite
smart
bits
of
kit,
but
Virginia
wouldn't
go
back
there.
We
also
went
to
Marshall's',
some
helpful
salesmen
showed
us
a
Peugeot,
talked
about
a
Ford.
We
felt
quite
bad
about
having
to
say
no
to
them.
So
back
to
Kias,
and
this
time
looking
at
"Cee'd"
estates.
They
did
have
one
suitable
in
our
price
range,
but
in
a
garish
red.
Virginia
didn't
want
black
(morbid),
white
(gets
dirty
easily),
I
didn't
want
red
(too
showy).
So
we
monitored
their
used
car
pages
for
a
week
or
so
until
something
acceptable
turned
up.
After
getting
something
newer
for
Virginia
to
drive
it
my
old
car
seemed
even
more
derelict
so
I
went
for
an
older
and
smaller
Kia
Venga.
I
like
the
higher
driving
position
in
the
Venga
I
have
to
admit.
It
is
nice
driving
a
car
with
central
locking
and
parking
sensors
and
audio
system
which
will
accept
an
iPod.
Cars
may
not
breathe,
or
have
hearts
that
beat,
but
we
did
feel
sorry
towards
our
old
cars.
We
didn't
get
a
lot
in
part
exchange,
it
felt
like
betraying
the
vehicles
which
had
served
us
for
over
ten
years.
It
was
hard
to
see
them
abandoned
in
the
car
park
at
the
garage,
awaiting
an
uncertain
fate.
17th Jun 2017
Chiquito
is
a
TexMex
restaurant
chain
which
had
a
place
at
Cambridge
Leisure
Centre,
where
we
often
see
films
on
Saturday
mornings.
It's
not
crowded
or
noisy
like
other
restaurants
there,
we've
even
managed
to
walk
in
and
get
a
table
at
6pm
which
was
a
relief
on
a
Saturday
evening.
There
was
a
good
variety
of
meals
on
the
menu,
I
didn't
tried
all
the
ones
I
wanted
to
try.
The
chimichangas
and
burritos
and
quesadillas
were
tasty,
and
presented
appealingly.
The
staff
were
friendly,
and
indeed
recognise
us
even
after
a
few
visits.
We
normally
sat
in
a
'booth'
which
gives
a
little
more
privacy.
Oh
and
they
did
churros
-
a
dessert
I
fell
in
love
in
when
I
went
to
the
Cantina
at
the
Mexican
pavilion
in
the
World
Showcase
at
EPCOT.
Sadly
Chiquitos
at
the
Leisure
Centre
closed
down
in
2019.
14th Jul 2017
We
do
another
Baltics
cruise,
taking
in
an
Abba
museum
in
Stockholm,
Hamlet's
castle
in
Denmark,
and
Catherine's
palace
in
St
Petersburg.
29th Jul 2017
"The
Magician's
Nephew"
(1955)
is
C
S
Lewis
writing
a
genesis
for
the
land
of
Narnia,
and
his
Narnia
stories.
It
explains
how
Narnia
was
called
into
existence,
and
how
evil
entered
the
realm
in
the
shape
of
the
White
Witch.
Two
children
find
themselves
cast
into
the
strange
land
of
"Charn"
from
London
before
the
First
World
War.
They
manage
to
return
home
but
accompanied
by
the
last
Queen
of
"Charn"
who
causes
chaos
in
London.
The
rings
of
magic
serve
to
transport
them
and
the
Queen
to
a
world
of
stillness
and
darkness
-
a
world
just
before
it
becomes
a
world...
"The
Magician's
Nephew"
is
a
fitting
entry
in
the
line
of
fantasies
like
"Five
Children
and
It",
or
the
fantasies
by
Macdonald
which
influenced
Lewis.
It
has
several
memorable
images
like
the
Wood
Between
the
Worlds,
or
"Charn",
or
Aslan
calling
Narnia
into
being.
It
has
a
sense
of
wonder
welcome
in
our
pedestrian
world.
The
illustrations
by
Pauline
Baynes
match
the
text,
both
in
style
and
economy.
"The
Magician's
Nephew"
is
written
from
a
Christian
point
of
view,
but
an
intelligent
one.
There
is
spiritual
depth
and
insight
here,
from
Digory
choosing
to
ring
the
bell
in
"Charn"
to
Uncle
Andrew
persuading
himself
the
animals
are
not
really
speaking.
Digory
has
to
choose
what
is
right
when
Aslan
sends
him
to
pick
an
apple.
There
is
a
personal
element
in
this
book
for
Lewis.
His
mother
died
when
he
was
young
-
in
the
book
Digory's
mother
is
sick
and
dying
too.
29th Jul 2017
"The
Horse
and
his
Boy"
(1954)
is
a
Narnia
story
by
C
S
Lewis
which
while
definitely
part
of
the
Chronicles
of
Narnia
is
different
to
the
other
books.
It
is
all
set
in
the
land
of
Narnia
(well
Calormen
and
Archenland.)
The
events
happen
coevally
in
Narnian
time
with
the
last
chapter
of
"The
Lion,
The
Witch,
and
the
Wardrobe".
The
plot
has
Shasta,
a
slave
in
Calormen,
fleeing
to
Narnia
and
freedom
with
his
horse
Bree.
Or
as
the
title
suggests
it
might
be
seen
more
as
Bree
flees
to
Narnia
and
North
taking
his
boy
Shasta
with
him.
On
the
way
they
have
adventures,
meet
fellow
travellers,
and
defeat
a
nefarious
plot.
Engaging
writing,
and
C
S
Lewis
depicts
a
different
world
in
the
Asiatic
style
Calormen.
There
are
several
key
themes
in
the
book.
Aslan
is
depicted
as
working
his
purposes
out
in
people's
lives,
even
though
it
may
not
be
obvious
at
the
time
that
he
is
so
doing.
Some
parts
of
our
lives
can
only
be
understood
in
hindsight.
Another
theme
is
retribution.
Aslan
wounds
both
Shasta
and
Aravis
for
actions
they
have
taken
earlier.
I'm
not
so
sure
how
Christian
this
theme
is
as
Aslan
has
not
applied
the
same
logic
at
other
times.
And
part
of
the
Christian
message
is
that
we
haven't
redeemed
ourselves,
it
is
by
grace
we
enter.
So
this
doesn't
sit
perfectly
with
me.
Yet
another
theme
is
the
lies
people
tell
themselves
and
others.
So
Bree
has
in
the
end
to
come
to
terms
with
just
being
a
horse,
nothing
more
nothing
less.
The
fisherman
who
looks
after
Shasta
in
the
beginning
lies
about
what's
beyond
the
hill
as
a
way
of
not
having
to
know
what
is
beyond
the
hill.
Prince
Rabadash
says
he
wishes
the
Tisroc
will
live
for
ever
which
he
both
doesn't
believe,
and
certainly
doesn't
hope
for.
An
engaging
read.
9th Sep 2017
The
Trading
Post
is
a
very
reasonably
priced
carvery
pub
/
restaurant
with
helpful
young
staff,
well
laid
out
tables,
and
an
ample
car
park
close
to
where
my
father
was
in
a
care
home
in
Kettering.
We
would
go
there
more
often
except
when
we
visited
Dad
we
often
went
on
to
see
my
sister
nearby.
Recommended.
15th Sep 2017
There
is
a
mecca
for
Harry
Potter
fans
at
Watford.
The
Warner
Bros
studio
tour
where
you
can
walk
in
the
footsteps
of
Harry
Potter,
see
the
scenes
from
the
movies,
see
how
the
movies
were
made,
and
taste
something
called
"butterbeer".
The
studios
are
well-laid
out
for
visitors,
well
organised,
plenty
of
free
car
parking,
cafes
and
rest
rooms,
and
of
course
a
large
shop
so
you
can
take
away
some
of
that
magic
back
home.
I'm
not
a
Harry
Potter
fan
but
I
still
got
something
out
of
visiting
these
studios.
Firstly
how
much
effort
goes
into
making
films
of
the
scale
of
the
Harry
Potter
films,
how
many
people
are
involved,
the
talents
required
to
create
the
visuals
and
the
sounds.
A
useful
counterpoint
to
the
instant
gratification
of
our
day,
where
everything
is
a
swipe
away,
where
everything
is
superficial
and
cheaply
obtained.
16th Sep 2017
"Expiration
Date"
(Tim
Powers
1996)
is
a
strange
strange
tale
of
ghosts
and
those
who
feed
on
ghosts.
Powers
weaves
a
world
in
which
addicts
sniff
ghosts
as
they
might
snort
cocaine
or
inject
heroin.
A
subworld
of
suppliers
trap
ghosts
for
their
customers.
Mixing
real
history
with
1992
Los
Angeles
and
gritty
fantasy
Powers
has
the
protagonists
contending
for
the
ghosts
of
Thomas
Edison
and
Harry
Houdini.
But
the
ghost
of
Thomas
Edison
has
no
desire
to
be
ingested.
The
attraction
of
reading
Tim
Powers
is
in
the
worlds
he
creates.
While
they
have
fantastical
elements
those
elements
are
made
real,
are
givens,
are
part
of
the
bricks
and
mortar
of
the
world.
Powers
also
with
verve
marries
up
his
fantasy
with
real
history
to
the
point
of
the
real
history
feeling
fantastical.
"Expiration
Date"
has
themes
common
to
other
Powers
books
like
quests
for
the
postponement
of
death,
and
layers
of
reality
and
history.
So
Powers
explains
the
apparently
random
events
of
history
as
being
the
result
of
dealings
in
an
otherworldly
realm.
The
lead
characters
in
"Expiration
Date"
go
on
journeys
of
redemption
and
resolution,
and
by
the
end
a
kind
of
right
has
triumphed.
16th Sep 2017
The
film
"Pirates
of
the
Caribbean"
is
loosely
based
on
the
Disneyworld
ride
"Pirates
of
the
Caribbean".
An
Aztec
curse
has
turned
a
group
of
pirates
into
the
living
dead,
moonlight
shows
them
for
what
they
are
-
a
skeleton
crew.
They
kidnap
Knightley
to
try
and
end
the
curse
because
of
a
medallion
she
has.
Disreputable
Depp
and
brave
Bloom
set
off
to
rescue
her.
A
stunning
performance
by
Depp
as
Captain
Jack
Sparrow.
Neat
imaginative
writing.
Everything
is
very
tongue
in
cheek.
Hollywood
filmmaking
at
its
best.
The
sequels
are
plotless
disasters.
16th Sep 2017
"Young
Detective
Dee"
is
a
prequel
to
Detective
Dee
And
The
Phantom
Menace.
The
rule
of
the
Empress
Wu
is
threatened
by
a
sinister
conspiracy
involving
a
sea
dragon.
She
handles
the
situation
by
assigning
Detective
Dee
and
colleagues,
encouraging
them
by
saying
if
they
haven't
solved
the
case
in
ten
days
then
it's
off
with
their
heads.
That's
the
way
to
motivate
people.
"Young
Detective
Dee"
has
spectacular
action
scenes
that
alone
make
the
film.
A
lot
of
wirework
perhaps,
but
it's
frenetic
and
imaginative
and
drags
you
into
enjoying
it.
Just
a
question
of
suspending
disbelief
and
letting
the
images
flow
into
one.
Sometimes
the
computer
graphics
aren't
quite
right,
but
mostly
it
works
very
well,
recreating
Luoyang
at
the
height
of
the
Tang
Dynasty.
The
character
of
Detective
Dee
seems
to
owe
something
to
the
detective
in
Wu
Xia.
Tsui
Hark
adds
another
welcome
dimension
to
the
film
here,
making
the
Dee
character
not
as
bland
perhaps
as
in
the
first
film.
There's
less
rivalry
between
imperial
factions
here,
the
enemies
are
non-Chinese
-
read
into
that
what
you
will.
27th Oct 2017
The
cake
Virginia
did
for
my
niece
Beth's
wedding.
10th Nov 2017
A
long
weekend
in
the
Lowestoft
area,
seeing
the
"Africa
Alive!"
zoo
and
the
"Time
and
Tide"
museum
in
Great
Yarmouth
among
other
attractions.
26th Dec 2017
Christmas
begins
before
Christmas.
Christmas
begins
well
before
Christmas.
For
us
it
could
be
said
to
begin
with
Christmas
lists.
Not
being
imaginative,
or
strongly
endowed
with
mind
reading
abilities,
we
solicit
ideas
for
what
to
buy
people
from
the
people
themselves.
We
also
rack
our
brains
for
what
to
suggest
that
people
buy
us.
For
some
in
our
families
we
are
reduced
to
exchanging
vouchers
which
may
seem
more
like
handshaking.
Having
got
the
lists
then
there
is
the
coordination
to
avoid
duplication
of
presents
which
shouldn't
be
duplicated
(two
copies
of
the
same
book
would
be
an
example).
There's
also
ordering
presents,
hoping
they
arrive
in
time,
worrying
when
the
days
count
down
and
there's
no
sign
of
them.
I
was
very
glad
when
a
parcel
arrived
from
YesAsia
on
the
last
but
one
day
of
work.
There's
also
concealing
the
presents
at
home
from
one
another
-
this
year
I
used
a
suitcase
which
I
hope
hid
the
smells
of
bath
stuff.