2015 arrives – cold and crisp

Bond’s DB5

So, we’ve had a very little snow, and it barely stayed for half a day. Other than that it is cold, mainly clear and rather bracing when we carefully venture out for short periods of time.  The bird feeders in the garden seem to be constantly needing filling – and the cheeky squirrel trying to pretend he’s a blue tit when he’s hanging off the perch on the seed feeder just makes me smile.  Happily he (she?) and the birds seem to get along – and when the birds think (s)he’s had enough they let him/her know.

DTs moves into a bit higher gear now as we enter intensive preparations for Sleeping Beauty in March.  All coming along well so far – just need to produce the tickets so the Box Office can open!  This weekend’s job I think.

Goldfinger’s Rolls

Having started 25 hrs work a week from December I am really enjoying (and benefiting from) my shorter hours.  I don’t feel exhausted all the time, and I’ve had the time to do lots of those little things that get overlooked when working flat out full-time – like cleaning, ironing…. No, but also some of the fun things too.  Will and I spent a couple of lovely days in London last month – seeing Bond in Motion (an exhibition of James Bond’s vehicles), followed by dinner at Brasserie Zedel (great premises and excellent food) and Shakespeare in Love – great show, see it if you get chance. We also had a mooch around one of my favourite markets at Spitalfields – an antique market mostly the day we were there – and a very eclectic collection it was too!

Also had the time to join Becky and her colleagues at Reelscape Communities – doing great workshops and motivating kids through practical work with film industry professionals.  Keep an eye on their blog for fascinating developments and great pictures of the kids engaged in what they are doing.  Loved seeing the excitement when a big camera was brought in for them to operate!

Read some good books too – watch out on my Goodreads (on left) feed for all the ratings and reviews.  NB this isn’t everything I read – just what I think deserves a wider audience.  Latest rave is Sally Gardner’s The Door that Led Where – once you pick it up you just have to finish it!

The Double Shadow by Sally Gardner

This is an interesting ‘film noir’ type tale.  Set in the 1940’s (in the main) Arnold Rubens builds a memory machine to save his daughter Amaryllis – from what we are not quite sure to start – her own destructive will, from some threat in her childhood that is dimly lurking on the edges of her memory, or from the ever nearer threat of war?  Many of the characters appear to be much less straightforward than we think as we first meet them, and the hero Ezra is all too human, and totally engaging.  The book is peopled with believable characters who deal with an improbable but authentic sci-fi plot, the science is never heavy and the plot moves at a pace, but yet with a sense of mystery so you are completely hooked.  A real sit down and read book – I hope there are more to come from Sally!

A complete contrast was the contemporary novel set in America – Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur.  This is the story of orphan Elise brought up by her uncle and aunt  who has some growing up to do as she starts her middle school, and try to find out who and what she is as she matures.  Eight keys help her find out her history and help her think about her future.  A very engaging read.