Usually when you watch a film based on a book that you have read, you expect to be disappointed.
However, Under the Skin does not disappoint. If you've read the book, which is one of my favourite's, you know roughly what to expect. I will admit that I had not imagined Isserley as an alien, but when you read you make your own mental picture of the book.
Anyway, the film is very atmospheric, and we see our world through the eyes of an alien.
The film is not to everyone's taste, but it is excellent.
Perhaps it is best to see the DVD as you get all the extras, and can understand why parts of the book have been missed out.
I hope Michel Faber is pleased with his amazing book.
Sunday, 20 July 2014
Not been here.
Well, sorry for the break in blogging. I've been without a device to post with.
However, I have done lots of knitting, and reading. Oliver, Edwin and Becky bought me a Kindle fire for my birthday. I'm just finding my way around it.
More posts will follow.
However, I have done lots of knitting, and reading. Oliver, Edwin and Becky bought me a Kindle fire for my birthday. I'm just finding my way around it.
More posts will follow.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Scaremongering
I have noticed that there have been stories in the News about the influx of immigrants that will come "flooding" into the country now restrictions have been lifted.
If you believed some of the stories, we should be finding it difficult to walk around without bumping into a Romanian or a Bulgarian.
Have you fallen over vast swathes of the aforementioned people whenever you go out? No, me neither.
For even one person to come over here, it means giving up the life they are used to, leaving their friends and extended family behind. It means coming to a country where they more often than not, do not speak the language, do not know the ways and customs of the country. They are giving up what might be a very poor living, but at least they are familiar with it and know what to expect, in the hope of having a better lifestyle in a country where they will have to make adaptations to their lifestyle to fit in.
With all that in mind, are we really going to be "flooded" with immigrants?
I seriously don't think so. The people who come here will be determined to make a better life for themselves. They'd have to be in order to give up everything that is familiar to them and start afresh.
One thing that the scaremongers have missed out on is....if these people can come here, then surely the reverse is true, and we could emigrate to another EU country.
Personally, I think the immigrants who come here to work are very brave to give up what they know in search of a better lifestyle.
And as for them "taking our jobs". That is a sweeping statement if ever I heard one. Yes, the jobs are there, but they are often jobs that many of the UK unemployed think are beneath them, either in skill level or wage level.
There are quite a few Polish live near me, and many of the men are qualified engineers and electricians, but they are just doing any job rather than be jobless.
So, my point here is....how willing would you be to give up everything you are familiar with, and move 100s or 1000s of miles from your home in search of a better life?
I know I wouldn't, unless I had someone very special in the new place.
If you believed some of the stories, we should be finding it difficult to walk around without bumping into a Romanian or a Bulgarian.
Have you fallen over vast swathes of the aforementioned people whenever you go out? No, me neither.
For even one person to come over here, it means giving up the life they are used to, leaving their friends and extended family behind. It means coming to a country where they more often than not, do not speak the language, do not know the ways and customs of the country. They are giving up what might be a very poor living, but at least they are familiar with it and know what to expect, in the hope of having a better lifestyle in a country where they will have to make adaptations to their lifestyle to fit in.
With all that in mind, are we really going to be "flooded" with immigrants?
I seriously don't think so. The people who come here will be determined to make a better life for themselves. They'd have to be in order to give up everything that is familiar to them and start afresh.
One thing that the scaremongers have missed out on is....if these people can come here, then surely the reverse is true, and we could emigrate to another EU country.
Personally, I think the immigrants who come here to work are very brave to give up what they know in search of a better lifestyle.
And as for them "taking our jobs". That is a sweeping statement if ever I heard one. Yes, the jobs are there, but they are often jobs that many of the UK unemployed think are beneath them, either in skill level or wage level.
There are quite a few Polish live near me, and many of the men are qualified engineers and electricians, but they are just doing any job rather than be jobless.
So, my point here is....how willing would you be to give up everything you are familiar with, and move 100s or 1000s of miles from your home in search of a better life?
I know I wouldn't, unless I had someone very special in the new place.
Friday, 10 January 2014
Promises to myself for 2014
I always think resolutions are difficult to keep, so I'm not making any, but I am promising myself that I will do certain things.
So here goes...
I promise to be kinder to myself and not torture myself about what I shouldn't eat and drink. I will try to eat more of what is good for me, and less of what is bad for me.
I'm going to continue denting my yarn stash, and try my best to dent my fabric stash.
I'll read, but then again, seeing as my idea of hell is no books, that is easy to keep.
I'll try not to spend money on frivolous things. (I don't do this much anyway.)
I'm going to try not to leave Yule gift buying/making to the last minute.
Try to stop myself getting stressed at times, as this just triggers problems with my asthma.
And lastly, I will try my best to finish decorating the stairs and landings, and possibly give the kitchen a coat of paint, and maybe the bathroom.
If I can manage to do these things, perhaps I won't feel so lonely.
I'm going to continue trying out a new recipe per week. I've already tried two this week, minestrone soup and apple strudel.
As a last mention, I did knit a swatch of entrelac knitting before 2013 left us, so that one is another first. I can now confidently knit the cardigan I want to make in it as I now know what I'm doing, and it's a lot easier than I thought it would be.
So here goes...
I promise to be kinder to myself and not torture myself about what I shouldn't eat and drink. I will try to eat more of what is good for me, and less of what is bad for me.
I'm going to continue denting my yarn stash, and try my best to dent my fabric stash.
I'll read, but then again, seeing as my idea of hell is no books, that is easy to keep.
I'll try not to spend money on frivolous things. (I don't do this much anyway.)
I'm going to try not to leave Yule gift buying/making to the last minute.
Try to stop myself getting stressed at times, as this just triggers problems with my asthma.
And lastly, I will try my best to finish decorating the stairs and landings, and possibly give the kitchen a coat of paint, and maybe the bathroom.
If I can manage to do these things, perhaps I won't feel so lonely.
I'm going to continue trying out a new recipe per week. I've already tried two this week, minestrone soup and apple strudel.
As a last mention, I did knit a swatch of entrelac knitting before 2013 left us, so that one is another first. I can now confidently knit the cardigan I want to make in it as I now know what I'm doing, and it's a lot easier than I thought it would be.
Sunday, 29 December 2013
Review of "resolutions"
I've just had a look back at my post where I put my aims for 2013.
I haven't managed to cover all of them, but I have done some of them, and done things that weren't on the list yet needed doing
So.....What did I manage to do?
I've managed to lose around a stone in weight, but it has gone off gradually, more needs to be lost but I am happy with having lost some weight.
I read some classics. I even read Madame Bovary by Flaubert, which was originally banned as it was a scandalous book, but by today's standards it is quite tame and almost boring. You have to be good at reading between the lines to get what could have been construed as "racy" back in the 1850s.
My fabric stash is undented, although I did have plans for the next couple of days, but it will just scrape the surface slightly.
Denting my yarn stash has been slow and steady. As part of my plan to dent it, I decided to make a crocheted bedspread, for extra warmth in winter and to be use in place of my duvet on the warmer nights in summer. I needed 400 squares, and have currently got 375. I also made some of my Yule gifts with yarn from my stash.
And I am going to at least swatch an entrelac square before the year ends
The patchwork has remained untouched.
I have made bread, including a couple of focaccia breads, malt loaves and pain au chocolat, although I think pain au chocolat is technically a pastry,
The pot garden did get weeded, but as weeds are living things, it needs doing some more, and I am considering knocking the soil out of some of my pots and starting again. The reason I am reluctant to do this is because there are quite a few bulbs and primulas in my pots, which are not visible. If I do knock the soil out I might do it in the alleyway against the wall, so the primulas can then grow to their hearts content.
The kitchen was not decorated, however I have , with the help of Edwin got all the gloss painting and ceilings and landings done in the stairs. The walls need stripping and painting.
So all in all, although 2013 has been a struggle in some ways, I have managed to complete some of the tasks I set myself.
Perhaps for 2014, I should set myself tasks/goals again, rather than making any resolutions? After all, I have completed some goals.
I can't say that 2013 has been a happy year for me, but the festive period has been spent in the company of my three and their partners, and I'm happy to have them around.
Perhaps I'll make myself a list of aims for 2014?
I haven't managed to cover all of them, but I have done some of them, and done things that weren't on the list yet needed doing
So.....What did I manage to do?
I've managed to lose around a stone in weight, but it has gone off gradually, more needs to be lost but I am happy with having lost some weight.
I read some classics. I even read Madame Bovary by Flaubert, which was originally banned as it was a scandalous book, but by today's standards it is quite tame and almost boring. You have to be good at reading between the lines to get what could have been construed as "racy" back in the 1850s.
My fabric stash is undented, although I did have plans for the next couple of days, but it will just scrape the surface slightly.
Denting my yarn stash has been slow and steady. As part of my plan to dent it, I decided to make a crocheted bedspread, for extra warmth in winter and to be use in place of my duvet on the warmer nights in summer. I needed 400 squares, and have currently got 375. I also made some of my Yule gifts with yarn from my stash.
And I am going to at least swatch an entrelac square before the year ends
The patchwork has remained untouched.
I have made bread, including a couple of focaccia breads, malt loaves and pain au chocolat, although I think pain au chocolat is technically a pastry,
The pot garden did get weeded, but as weeds are living things, it needs doing some more, and I am considering knocking the soil out of some of my pots and starting again. The reason I am reluctant to do this is because there are quite a few bulbs and primulas in my pots, which are not visible. If I do knock the soil out I might do it in the alleyway against the wall, so the primulas can then grow to their hearts content.
The kitchen was not decorated, however I have , with the help of Edwin got all the gloss painting and ceilings and landings done in the stairs. The walls need stripping and painting.
So all in all, although 2013 has been a struggle in some ways, I have managed to complete some of the tasks I set myself.
Perhaps for 2014, I should set myself tasks/goals again, rather than making any resolutions? After all, I have completed some goals.
I can't say that 2013 has been a happy year for me, but the festive period has been spent in the company of my three and their partners, and I'm happy to have them around.
Perhaps I'll make myself a list of aims for 2014?
Thursday, 26 December 2013
Weirdest day of the year
Boxing Day is the weirdest day of the year for me.
After the boys have finally got up, they went up to their Dad's for Christmas Day mark two. Ever since my divorce they have done this, and I know they are going, but it doesn't make it any easier on me. I think there has only been one Boxing Day that I have enjoyed, and that was with my lovely friend, Zenonas.
Maybe one day in the future I will meet someone very special, but I am not going to hold my breath until they come along.
I did try joining a dating website in January of this year. I only met one person, as far as I know my profile is still up there, but as I changed my email address, I have no way of knowing if I have had any more replies. There were too many men who would swap emails, say they wanted to meet, and when it came down to it, they just stopped contacting me. All I can presume was hey were most likely in some sort of relationship, and were cheating on their partner, or about to, and thought better of it.
After the boys have finally got up, they went up to their Dad's for Christmas Day mark two. Ever since my divorce they have done this, and I know they are going, but it doesn't make it any easier on me. I think there has only been one Boxing Day that I have enjoyed, and that was with my lovely friend, Zenonas.
Maybe one day in the future I will meet someone very special, but I am not going to hold my breath until they come along.
I did try joining a dating website in January of this year. I only met one person, as far as I know my profile is still up there, but as I changed my email address, I have no way of knowing if I have had any more replies. There were too many men who would swap emails, say they wanted to meet, and when it came down to it, they just stopped contacting me. All I can presume was hey were most likely in some sort of relationship, and were cheating on their partner, or about to, and thought better of it.
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Lowering the age of consent.
There has been a call from a "leading health expert" to lower the age of consent here in the UK.
Thankfully it has been rejected by "Downing Street".
I say thankfully, as currently teenagers here in the UK are required to stay in full-time education until they are 17, an there are plans to put the limit up to18 before teenagers leave full time education. If the age of consent had been lowered there would have been a situation where girls could have sex and possibly get pregnant, and still have to be at school. (Yes, I know that happens now, but usually the pupil is "educated elsewhere" once she starts to show.) IF...and thankfully it is not happening, but if it had, where would schools stand? Would there have had to been a change made? After all if sex at 15 had been made legal, then surely schools would have to allow for the possibility of pregnant students? And as I work in a school, I can't see that as a good thing. Not because of seeing pregnant teenage girls around, but because sometimes schools can be extremely busy, and walking down a corridor at the change of a lesson can be difficult, as they can get very crowded.
So, for once, I think the current government has made the correct decision in rejecting this proposal.
And have you noticed, when proposals like this are rejected, they never name the "expert". I, for one, would love to know why they truly thought lowering the age of consent would benefit any teenage girls? I believe the argument was to stop sexual abuse, how, it would stop it is not explained. However, I would think that sexual abuse can still be carried out whether the girl/woman is over the age of consent or not, as any unwanted attention constitutes sexual abuse as far as I can see. (That's my opinion though.)
Thankfully it has been rejected by "Downing Street".
I say thankfully, as currently teenagers here in the UK are required to stay in full-time education until they are 17, an there are plans to put the limit up to18 before teenagers leave full time education. If the age of consent had been lowered there would have been a situation where girls could have sex and possibly get pregnant, and still have to be at school. (Yes, I know that happens now, but usually the pupil is "educated elsewhere" once she starts to show.) IF...and thankfully it is not happening, but if it had, where would schools stand? Would there have had to been a change made? After all if sex at 15 had been made legal, then surely schools would have to allow for the possibility of pregnant students? And as I work in a school, I can't see that as a good thing. Not because of seeing pregnant teenage girls around, but because sometimes schools can be extremely busy, and walking down a corridor at the change of a lesson can be difficult, as they can get very crowded.
So, for once, I think the current government has made the correct decision in rejecting this proposal.
And have you noticed, when proposals like this are rejected, they never name the "expert". I, for one, would love to know why they truly thought lowering the age of consent would benefit any teenage girls? I believe the argument was to stop sexual abuse, how, it would stop it is not explained. However, I would think that sexual abuse can still be carried out whether the girl/woman is over the age of consent or not, as any unwanted attention constitutes sexual abuse as far as I can see. (That's my opinion though.)
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