Saturday 4 December 2010

It's a Wonderful Life

I really don't know what either of my 2 dogs do when they stick their heads deep into the snow and undergrowth....is there some poor wee beastie trembling beneath their hot breath??

We're walking along a road would you believe...no idea when that'll be clear!

He's getting sick of being my model but co-operating, just...






Neither Rich nor I had seen the film "It's a Wonderful Life" 'til last Friday night! I thought I was the only person in the world who hadn't seen it and was resigned to never seeing it. But no! We spotted it on some crummy Christmas channel on Sky (digitally remastered into HD too...) and recorded it for some unspecified date.


Then on Friday evening after all chores were done and while I was cooking supper (comfort food lasagne in case you're interested) Rich wandered through and suggested that we stay in and watch the film.


I loved it! I had thought that it sounded very schmaltzy and a bit sickly and the clips I've seen on the various "50 Best films" compliations have made it look a bit miserable too. But it's not. It's brilliant, well-acted, timeless, loving, thought-provoking, schmaltzy, teary and just lovely. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the only tears I shed were at the happy bits (and I enjoyed the fact that Rich had wet eyes at that part too).

So, if you've not seen it, watch it. It's great, really.

Then on Saturday, after shopping, chores and a long, crispy, snowy, cold dog walk in the afternoon we decided to have another night in and watch Slumdog Millionaire. Yet another film which I (seemingly alone in the world) have never seen. The 2 films are not dissimilar actually, both slightly darker than you expect them to be, both about love, honour, integrity and real life and both ultimately uplifting in a very satisfying manner.


What was so great for me was not just watching a couple of films but the fact that we're perfectly happy staying in once in a while. I don't have to get dressed up and go out to a pub (often an empty one) EVERY weekend. That I'm with a man who enjoys my company whether in the house or outside of it. It may seem like a little thing to most people but it's huge to me.


Sunday night I went to yet another distant away pub quiz league fixture with my mates from the old pub. Richard looked at me as though I was a little mad for going out as the snow was still quite bad. We dithered for a while as to whether or not to go all the way to Winster (which is a remote, hilly village about 40 minutes away from here). In the end we decided that, sod it, we would go.


The roads weren't too bad and me and the rest of the team were very pleased that we went. We had a really good win; the pub we were playing in was cracking, really traditional, cosy, friendly and great beers and all in all it felt like the start of Christmas. As we left the pub at around 11pm, it was freezing (minus 10 or so) but the snow was crunchy, the village was beautiful. Our breath just hanging in the air looked lovely and the stars were stunning. A proper feelgood evening.

Monday night, however, Richard and I did leave the house. For dancing of course!! Having missed last Monday we were a bit nervous about whether they had learned loads of new steps and how much we might have missed. Luckily no new steps. This was not however, to mean that all would be well. Everyone else had spent last Monday practising the complicated new steps we had learned the previous week!! Which Rich and I could hardly remember!! It was a nightmare....all those new quickstep and tango moves were just dim wisps to us whereas everyone else was sailing round the floor!! Yikes. We won't be missing another week in a hurry!


This week though, we were very fortunate not to miss new waltz steps so now we have the Basic and the "Whisk and Chasse". We're getting very professional I tells ya! Or, maybe not.... but it's great and we love it. You just lose yourself in the concentration but once in a while you feel like you're really dancing and it seems effortless. W were having such a laugh doing the cha cha cha though that we started showing off and promptly lost our place. Idiots..couldn't stop laughing...

1 comment:

Peridot said...

It's a great film, isn't it? I love it too.

Great pics as ever.

Px