pumpkinstrokemarrow

Once upon a time there used to be a joint called 'Roosters' which catered to the late night appetite for fatty beefburgers of under age drinkers. A veritable institution for many years. The next occupant of the building went for a complete change and sold baths. The current occupant has gone back to the building's catering roots and trades under the name of 'The Canopy' (http://www.143thecanopy.com/), a place which looked a bit fancy but which we had never managed to get to, partly because it seemed to have odd hours. Never there when we were. Furthermore, being entrepreneurial, they had opened an outdoor coffee department on their chunk of market place, a department which attracted a clientèle of smoking ladies of a rather different class to the indoor customers, almost entirely older and genteel.

But yesterday we finally made it for morning coffee and bacon sandwich. Which last turned out to be made with good quality bacon, white toast and was served with a micro salad on a shiny white oblong plate. Rather to my surprise the toast worked fine - perhaps because the toast came before the sandwich, rather than the other way around.

Later on that day, a touch of agatha (not agnatha which is entirely different) on the box, flying under the name of 'Why didn't they ask Evans?'. A slickly made affair but I found it a bit hard going, with the result that it was no match for the jigsaw resident in the same room. I also suspected that Miss. Marple was an intrusion, a rather clumsy one at that.

Checking this morning, I ask wikipedia which tells me that Miss. Marple was indeed an intrusion into this second bite at what had been the subject of one of the very first adaptations of an agatha story for television, the bardess not really approving. It might even have had to wait for her estate to give the OK for lots of dosh after her demise. But it is a tribute to the strength of the Marple brand that such intrusions are thought to be appropriate. Also that the price of Marple DVDs holds up so well, their fetching a good deal more than those adapted from the bard proper.

Resorted to powerpoint to help me understand the plot summary provided by wikipedia (see https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8152054/evans.pptx if you want a better view than that above. Although this last seems to be a lot better than my last attempt at this sort of thing on November 26th. Don't know what has changed), which eventually turns out to be very simple - and not much to do with what we saw yesterday. I suppose that the ability to turn a such simple plot into a slick & satisfactory whodunnit is one aspect of the considerable agathan talent. Perhaps I ought to suggest to the people that market these things that a picture is worth a thousand words, or put another way that a powerpoint that they can buy from me is a lot more helpful than a cast list.

Despite all this interest, not moved on this occasion to buy the book. At least not from Amazon. Maybe it will turn up at a car booter.