Stage one of returning to Kantara was completed yesterday. It was a fairly quick visit with a number of cases and bags of stuff to unpack onto the boat, and a check throughout her to find her (relatively) warm and absolutely dry; no condensation or mould as often happens in boats left unattended through the winter. It was lovely to be welcomed back by so many friends and acquaintances on the marina. Hopefully, subsequent stages will be completed next week, and then we'll be back for the rest of the year.
Jess went off to Iceland on Monday, for a month, and she's loving it.
"Iceland Is cold! -4 but feels like -7. Our hostel is awesome! All leather sofas and dusty books and gramophones. Our northern lights tour got cancelled and we don't have time this week to do another one. Fortunately we didn't pay when we booked so we don't lose out. We're going to go on our own hunts instead. The ice on the pavements is like no ice I've had to walk on before! Inches thick and clear as glass! Precarious, but there are lots of clear paths too. Icelandic beer is yummy, Icelandic pate is served in a cereal bowl with 9 pieces of rye bread. Yes... 9..."
"Today it snowed! Not much but it was fun. We saw the northern lights last night..from just outside our hostel! Who needs expensive tours!? Not us! Today I drank the best ever hazelnut latte, bought a mug that says 'I have no idea what this mug says' on it in Icelandic, and went to the saga museum, the settlement exhibition and the penis museum.....yup.....that's a thing. The vagina museum is, apparently, in Rotterdam."
"The penis museum sells willy warmers, t shirts that say 'penis museum... it's not for pussies', wind up willies, willy candles."Steve's off to the French Alps on Saturday, snowboarding with a group of friends. The snow in their resort looks very good!
Grace has to collect new glasses before our final trip back to Kantara, and that should be on Monday. Fingers crossed.
More DVDs watched recently...
Breakfast on Pluto
"As a baby, Patrick (Cillian Murphy) is left by his mother on the steps of the rectory in their small Irish town. He's discovered by Father Liam (Liam Neeson), coincidentally his real father, and placed in an abusive foster home. By the time he's a teen, Patrick identifies himself as transgendered, renames himself Kitten and sets out for London with a rock group in hopes of finding his mother. Along the way he works variously as a magician's assistant, a prostitute and a dancer."This is a fascinating comedy drama with not a little pathos, and an outstanding performance by Cillian Murphy. Quite unlike anything else I've seen.
The other Boleyn girl
"King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) lacks an heir. Seeing this as an opportunity for personal gain, the Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) and Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance) persuade Thomas' daughter Anne (Natalie Portman) to seduce the king. But Henry falls in love with Anne's sister, Mary (Scarlett Johansson), instead. When Mary becomes pregnant, she's confined to bed, with charged with Anne keeping the king from straying, but the plan backfires when Anne seeks the king's affections for herself."Up in the air
"An idea from a young, new co-worker (Anna Kendrick) would put an end to the constant travel of corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), so he takes her on a tour to demonstrate the importance of face-to-face meetings with those they must fire. While mentoring his colleague, he arranges hookups with another frequent-flier (Vera Farmiga), and his developing feelings for the woman prompt him to see others in a new light."
"Dodge Connolly (George Clooney), captain of a 1920s football team, wants to give the sagging sport a boost and capture the country's attention. He recruits Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski) to play for the team. Carter is not only a war hero, but he is also fast, handsome, and guaranteed to pack the stands with fans. Newswoman Lexie Littleton (Renée Zellweger) goes digging for dirt on Carter, while both Dodge and Carter try to score with her off the field."
No in-depth consideration of any of these here - they're all very good films.
Apart from this one...
"Based on Leo Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," set in contemporary Hollywood.After a hotshot Hollywood agent (Danny Huston) dies, colleagues scramble to dissuade clients from defecting from the agency."To put it simply, a depressing tale of a man killing himself with illegal drugs.
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