pumpkinstrokemarrow

But irritating that the brain came up with the wrong answer, rather than no answer, yesterday. As we were told when taking O-levels, you don't get a mark if you don't answer the question. But you lose a mark if you answer it wrong. Which I used to think was a little unfair in that you got penalised for trying. I suppose they would have said that you ought to know when you don't know.

And returning to the matter in hand, I am reminded once again of the advantages of being able to afford an editor to check one's pearls of wisdom. If one likes to splash about in deep water, good idea to have a life guard.

And returning to the double bill, this started with a good omen in that a maggot was observed in the butter dish at lunch. Well known to be a good omen since Etruscan times. BH thought that the maggot may have escaped from a home grown organic cabbage which had been resident near the butter dish for a while but I am not so sure. Organic cabbages do carry bugs but it was not the sort of maggot that you get on cabbages, more the sort of maggot you get on meat. But we decided not to pursue the matter and simply ejected the maggot out of the back door. Food for the young blue tits that had been flying around earlier in the day.

Then off to Epsom Playhouse for the matinee showing of the 2009 adaption of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', a story of which I had not previously heard. But the author, Oscar Wilde, was a sufficient draw. Turned out to be a film of some interest, but a film which was rather too long and not helped by the rather uncomfortable seats in the Playhouse. Rather hard with not much leg room, which may have accounted for flagging interest in the orgy scenes. The rest of the audience consisted of a row of six middle aged ladies a few rows in front of us and another six middle aged ladies a few rows behind us. There may have been the odd gent. besides myself. Also a lady in a wheel chair. Reminded of the time when we went to see 'Last Tango in Paris' many years ago, which also included orgy scenes, considered fairly wild at the time. As yesterday, the audience then consisted mainly of middle aged and older ladies. Perhaps it is all part of the coarsening of one's tastes and senses as one gets older.

The some interest was sufficient to propel me to Garrett Lane to stock up on Wildery. So we now have a picture book about Wilde's life and times (£3.50 from a charity shop) and a learned edition of the original book; a learned edition containing 150 pages of version 1 of the book, 150 pages of version 2 of the book and 150 pages of commentary. Plus lots of scholarly apparatus and notes. Telling the US audience things like the Brits have the quaint habit of calling private schools public schools and that Whitechapel was on the boundary of the bad lands of the 1900's East End of London. But started first on the life and times, from which I share a couple of factlets. First, that the Marquess who brought Wilde down was divorced by his second wife on grounds of impotence. Or perhaps annulled is the proper term in such a case. This despite the fact that he managed five children (2 gay) with his first wife. Second, that Reading jail was not that bad. Wilde was lucky in that the governor of the second half of his sentence was a civilised chap who allowed him, as a gentleman fallen on bad times, various privileges. Like books and a cushy job.

Back home to the second item on the double bill, a 2006 retread of 'The Wicker Man'. At least, the second half thereof. I am fairly sure that we had started to watch it before and not liked it. But this time, starting in the middle, it seemed OK. Atmosphere managed well, without needing either flesh or blood to gee things up. Unusually for a Hollywood film of this sort, without needing hypodermic needles, which suited me just fine as I not keen on the things. The matriarchal island with its geometrically arranged old-style bee hives and its drones (the human as well as the bee variety) worked well. In fact, up to the standard of the original, which while a good film, does seem a bit dated now. I shall have to look out for a DVD of the retread in the charity shops.