Join The Queue

Monday we went to see the new Indiana Jones film- The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. I have to say it's the first time in a long while I've had to wait in a queue for over an hour just to get into a film. I guess being a Public Holiday and the tipping rain didn't help matters.

As for the film itself I thought it was pretty good with action all the way. Obviously the action has been moved into the cold war era to allow for the fact the main actors are looking older but to be honest I felt the intervening years since The Last Crusade had vanished, while this one was playing out. The Soviets made for a nice foe to replace the Nazis but perhaps more could have been made of the cold war reds-in-the-bed paranoia those of us too young to remember it have heard so much about? And what of that iconic series logo, where did it go?

Fans of The X-Files, who are looking forward to that new film, should enjoy Indy 4 LOL.

Theatre

Took a trip out last night to see Oklahoma! at a local theatre. Had never been to a show at this theatre before despite it being practically on my doorstep. Quite remiss of me- it's a very good venue. Equally I can't believe I hadn't seen this Roger's and Hammerstein classic either despite my love of theatre. So two firsts in one night.

Admittedly this was an ameteur production by a local company of players although there was nothing ameteur about the production at all. Played out to a nearly packed out house, a good time was had by all.

Coming, Going And Staying Put

Steve Coppell announced yesterday he is staying at Reading FC for next season. Bit of a no-brainer really that one. There aren't many clubs that get relegated but the owner, team and most of the fans want the manager to stay on. He's done some really good work at Reading: taking them from a middle ranked team in the Chamionship to 8th in the Premiership in the 06/07 season. Not a bad record in my book. Let's hope the new season will be a good one.

Also yesterday Russell T Davis has announced he is to step down as Executive Producer of Doctor Who from next year. Davis is widely acknowleged for being responsible for the success of the new series but has said he is now looking forward to being once again a fan and viewer.

Award winning writer Steven Moffat will take over for series 5, set to be screened in 2010. Moffat already has a number of acclaimed Doctor Who scripts under his belt, including The Empty Child and The Girl in the Fireplace (Hugo awards for each) and Blink (Bafta award 2008).

Just Like Buses...

... You wait for ages and three posts come along in one day.
















Mum met with one the Oncologists today. The news is a little sobering: they don't feel at this stage chemotherapy will be on any benefit and will likely make her ill. The hospital team feel it would be preferable to concentrate on managing her pain and ensuring her quality of life.

They plan another scan on the spine and liver so they can keep an eye on things.

Just so you know.

Work In Progress

Two posts in one day? Surely not!

Meant to post these last week, to prove I haven't been a complete slouch at college of late. This is my latest WIP: part thrown, part coiled. Assuming it withstands firing this coming week, I'll have to think long and hard regarding glaze colours and decoration.

Whoops!

Instead of swimming we spent a good chunk of Saturday in Accident and Emergency, the rest feeling sorry for ourselves.

In his excitement, Little Lad went flying on some concrete flagstones and bashed his head. He doesn't normally complain too much when he falls, thank goodness, but on this occasion he was in a lot of pain and made sure we all knew. One x-ray, a nurse, doctor and consultant later he was pronounced fit to go home: no fractures just a penny sized area on his forehead where the tissue got compressed against his skull.

So now he has an impressive bruise to go with the spots. LOL.

Pox!

Yep- that's Little Lad having finally caught Chicken Pox from one of his pals no doubt.

Poor boy, you've got to feel sorry for him although to be fair he's not complaining. In fact his opening words to me were "Daddy I've got Chicken Pox. Look at my spots!" He seems to be incredibly proud of them and just as full of energy and mischief as ever I'm pleased to say. I had it in my early teens and recall being as miserable as sin, as they say. Since it's now the start of the school exam season, I'm thankful he's caught it now at age four and won't have to suffer later on when it could really have an impact on his studies etc.

Sadly that does mean we won't be able to go swimming for a week or so which is a real shame. Last Saturday's class was meant to have been his last but there were problems with the pool (again) and class was postponed. I can but hope the problems continue for a couple more weeks so we can get that last all important swim in when he's better. Is that being unfair and selfish towards the other kids and parents? I guess it is but if the roles were reversed I reckon each parent would be thinking along the same lines.

On a related note the open air pool just up the road opened recently for the season, which will be from now through to mid/late September depending on the weather. They keep this heated at a constant 22 degrees Celsius (around 72 deg F). Lovely. I might just drop in for a few lengths of an evening after visiting Little Lad. Now there's a thought.

Hell Hath Fury...

Just how good was The Doctor's Daughter on Saturday?

Thought the Hath were a nicely designed new alien species, not so much evil as just the guys on the opposing side. Must have been one of the few creatures or aliens in the series that didn't speak in English. This had made matters interesting and without the benefit of subtitles you were left to guess at their motivations. Quite refreshing I felt.





Spent a bit of time on the official Doctor Who web site Sunday, having a go with their Trailer Maker (http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/trailermaker) function. Does this mean I was sheltering from the heat or did I have too much time on my hands..?

Down

Despite a fantastic win (Derby 0-4 Reading) in yesterday's final match of the season, Reading FC have been relegated from the Premiership. Perforance in their second year in the top division just hadn't been consistantly good enough to deserve to remain. No doubt there'll be lots of finger pointing and I guess many will call for manager Steve Coppell to go. Whether that's fair is another matter- some fans seem to have short memories and have probably forgotten who got the Royals up in the first place.

Keeping Up With The Jones's

Have I mentioned just how much I'm looking forward to The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, the new Indiana Jones film?

Due for release both sides of the pond on 22 May.

Not So Good

Looks like the cancer in Mum's liver is returning.