The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

I had a movie date with Zig today. Normally during the hols we head off to see some animated or cartoon movie, and I know he loves 'em but often they leave me a bit cold, so when the only G or PG movie that he hadn't seen was Walter Mitty and it was one with real people even if it is Ben Stiller, I jumped at it.

I was pleased that Zig reads well as there is quite a lot of text that is subtly included, and at the start of the movie it was not always completely 8year old obvious if the action was real or imagined, but as the story rolled along, it became more manageable and Zig seemed to really enjoy it, except of course for the bit where his MA let out a little squeal and grabbed his leg in fright. Oh ok I admit that that happened a couple of times but there was a big one when Walt went swimming with the 'porpoise'.

So to the review such as it's gonna be: The movie is pretty good, if a little longwinded. It's beautifully shot and I like to imagine that much of it is indeed shot on location. The story line is far fetched and ends typically and unsurprisingly - but it is American after all.

It was lovely sitting in the dark for a couple of hours eating up our illicit cache of smuggled in sweeties.

Lego mania

Santa delivered a big old box of Lego to Zig, here at the big house and it sure ain't the Lego of my youth.

You might remember those pails of blocks which were all the same or rather the variety of blocks was pretty limited. Yeh there were a couple of different colours and a few different sizes and if you were really flash you might have some wheels and an axel thing, but generally you just shovelled blocks together to make some odd looking building or car or truck, and then pulled it all apart to make another one.

Well times have certainly changed. Now a box of Lego comes with three or more instruction booklets which give step by step guides to the careful construction of things like this QUIINJET and all the little fellas that drive it and fight the good fight...well it might be a bad fight, I don't really have a clue
about 'em all  but Steve knows 'em so it seems what's old is new again in terms of villains and heros, but not blocks.

This construction took more than 700 pieces and almost a full day's work. The focus and attention to detail and of course the ability to read the instructions left me amazed. I reckon all that ready to assemble stuff now made in China, should come with instructions written by Lego experts, at least then a child really might be able to put 'em together

So late yesterday when he finished, I asked Zig if he was gonna pull it apart and do it again, but the answer was 'No'. So now to try to make the most off all those dollars Santa spent importing the box from John Lewis UK, because it wasn't available here, and certainly not in time to get onto Santa's sleigh, I reckon we are gonna try to write some stories using the characters. Well at least that is what Ma has in mind. Zig seems happy to look at the space ship and play with the little fellas. A box of the little guys might have been easier for Santa to carry and could possibly have provided more bang for his buck, except that when Zig unwrapped it he almost cartwheeled, coz it was exactly what he wanted.

Xmas joy.

The ham was a triumph. As Belly walked into the house she could smell it cooking and she said that Poppy was with us. Ahhhh that is success indeed.

We ho ho ho'd to the dancing hat courtesy of Carol and parcels were opened with gusto. We ate and swam and generally caught up with all the news and settled Zig in for his extended stay. What a wonderful Christmas present, having the little guy here for the holidays. I reckon we are so lucky.

The Christmas crackers went down a treat and even Steve was able to win a couple of times. He reckons we have a family secret about how to cheat at crackers. I reckon it's just that we don't give a shit so the competitive edge is irrelevant and so there is no pressure. Anyway silly hats were worn and jokes and riddles told and charades performed badly.
R
We swam all afternoon, even Belly got in. We played catch and Zig and I got to a top of 22 without a dropsy and with MA and Pa and Zig we got to 13 before one or all of is buggered up

By 7 o'clock we were all completely buggered and so it was a quick sanga for an easy dinner and off to bed with Zig. Of course Dog is also utterly out on her feet, almost too pooped to eat her dinner. Now she's out to it and we are so stuffed that we are not rousing her wet old body outside.

What a truly lovely day.

My Dad's Glazed Ham

Bugger me it's HOT!! and not in a good way. I know it's summer and I know I live in a sub tropical area, BUT IT'S HOT.

I got away to an excllent start this morning, running out the door ( alright I am using the term very loosely ) and was at the shops by 9 am just as the doors were opening. We are having christmas tomorrow with Belly and Zig and so I had those last minute things to sort like food and chrsitmas cheery things on sale for 75% off.

I cringed when I saw that crackers were now a less than a fiver instead of the $25 I spent on 'em prior to  xmas, and sweeties and other festive sillyness came in at less than $30 instead of some stupid amount that no doubt I would have parted with prior to the 25th.

I stopped for an expresso on ice but after I had paid for it, they admitted to being a bit short on ice so it was not as cold as it might have been.

Now I know it is odd to be celebrating xmas on the 5th of January, but my oh my how much cheaper is it.... maybe this is what we should always do, except that there is that little bit of darkness in the heart on the 25th if you aren't doing what everyone else is doing. There see, never happy ho hum.

We bought a walloping ham yesterday and I am gonna glaze like my dad would have done, well not exactly like he did, cos he didn't have a recipe and neither do I, so I am working on memory and making it up a bit, and in a way that always reminds Belly of her dear old Poppy and I am gonna make my world famous potato salad and a bit of greens. We have a plum pud for pud but that will have to be seen to be eaten.

Steve is off at golf - god help him in this heat, mad dogs and Englishmen and all that, but before he left he cranked up the air con so it is lovely inside even if the dog doesn't quite know which way is up. Am gonna wrap up parcels and set them under the tree and get ready to let Zig at Santa's surprises.

Roll on christmas I say. ho ho ho de ho.

August Osage County

Yep it's movie season again and I love it. I love the cool darkness and the expectation. I love the over priced snacks and I love love the ads and the glimpses of the coming attractions.

Last night we went off to the Gold Coast Arts Centre cinema for a look at this movie. It is not where I usually go, but the timing suited so off we went. The trouble is that the preliminaries are missing. Maybe because it is a Council run place they don't feel they should put any ads on. Oh there are ads for themselves about what else is going on at the centre but not those wonderful drink ads or ads made specifically for the cinema. I love them! Up on the big screen in beautiful colours and clarity and with a languid pace not used on the tellie. At home we record just about everything so we can fast forward the ads, hence I am not some sort of crazy ad junkie, but the ads at the pictures are just better. And I usually choose my next movie while watching the trailers. So there was a bit lacking, even though the ice cream snack was yummo!

So to the movie. Well it is packed with big names and they definitely did not disappoint. It was very dark and at times laugh out loud funny.

Steve reckons it might have been written for stage because it was wordy and mostly took place inside the house. He didn't NOT like it but I reckon with comments like that, which I agree with, perhaps it's more of a chick flick. It's not like 'Sex in the City 1' which I could watch over and over again - yeh I know, what a saddo!, but I am very pleased I have seen it. Meryl Streep was just brilliant and I don't think I have ever seen Julia Roberts do a better job.

So now to choose the next one, but I reckon I will have to go back to the old haunt to get my ad fix.

Just discovered that Steve is correct. It was indeed a play. He will be pleased that he has kept his 100% correct record in tact.

Home sweet home.

Back from the big smoke yesterday to find the house beautiful and clean and tidy which was a big relief especially after the disaster that was the spiteful shitful tenants earlier in 2013. Carol and Richard had not only been up sorting the place since 4.30am, but we have discovered all manner of little treaties tucked away as well. All that in itself would have made for a happy happy homecoming, but the sheer blissful exuberance and love from the dog was almost enough to bring a little tear to the eye of even the hardened old Pom.

She has barely left our sides since we got in except to shit and I am very pleased to say she happily trots out to do that but then she is back in a flash.

She swam like a maniac in the pool and then settled onto the couch for a good ol' cuddle with her mum, even now she is sitting under my desk as I writing this and it's a pretty small desk, so she is more than a little in the way, but I am not gonna rouse cos I am pleased to see that she is happy that we are home, and really she is not all that heavy on my feet.

Ah she is a good girl and it's very good to be home.

2014 here we come!!

I thought that we were gonna be crackerless this year and whilst I didn't quite go into a 2 year old tantrum strop, it was close. We were all settled for a foodie boozey night in the city apartment across from the Story Bridge, with the ultimate explosion of crackers at midnight. They had a little taster at 8.30pm for the kids and there was not a cracker to be seen. I was less than fucking happy.

But we struggled on with cooking and eating. Steve had had a sneaky little peak at a barge which might have been being placed with some crackers, but he didn't let on in case I was even further disappointed.

Midnight loomed and we straggled out onto the balcony and prepared to be underwhelmed. But then the crackers started on the barge, and even though I was well aware that they were the consolation prize I sat in childlike awe, cos I really do love a cracker. The colours and the sound and the almost smell... It made my evening.

But a word to the Brisbane City Council: Pretending that there is anything flash about that bloody shitful light show, and I am using the term very loosely indeed, is just delusional. It's as plain as the nose on anyone's face that you are just doing some sort of cost cutting. Surely all those residents who live riverside and pay all that appalling rates money deserve a little more of the crackers, and their free loading friends do too.

Can't believe that the year is not even a day old and I have already had a whinge... seriously hope this is not a mirror for 2014 cos I plan for it to be a biggie... YIPPEE!

Here's cheers to a successful indulgent smiling year.