Culture, birthdays and a Dilemma

Culture, Birthdays and a Dilemma

 

It was when he buried his head in the horse’s withers and, as the camera moved away, this stalwart’s despairing sobs could just be heard through the mist, that I was hooked.

Parade’s End dramatised by Tom Stoppard from three novels by Ford Maddox Ford is broadcast on BBC2 in five episodes at 9pm.

It could be named the thinking man’s Downton Abbey.  One has to keep one’s wits about one to follow the plot. It has an illustrious cast; Rebecca Hall and Anne Marie Duff – both of whom I would go far to see and Benedict Cumberbatch to name only a fraction of the talent.  Indeed my eyes kept checking the cast list so often I almost lost track of the action.  As it is I expect I shall end up reading the novels.

 

The title Parade’s End denotes the violent end of Edwardian Britain similar to Robert Grave’s title Goodbye to All That and the hero, Cumberbatch, is a brilliant statistician married to a wayward socialite played by Rebecca Hall.  Then on the golf course he encounters a young suffragette being chased by the police and he is captivated.  But he is an honourable man and his wife is about to return to the marital home after some high jinks on the continent.  Awkward!

 

It’s not too late to catch the first episode and then join me in what I’m sure is going to be a rare treat.  With a cast like that and Tom Stoppard writing for the BBC for the first time for decades it has to be a winner.

 

Two of our girl’s quartet have birthdays this week- 88 and 83.  They came round for coffee, cupcakes and pressies and then on Saturday J and I (her first birthday without her husband) went to a music recital at the town church – St Andrew’s in aid of a new window.  The pianist was a real music buff – batty about Bach and the rest of the German composers and keen to share some of his knowledge in an amusing way. One was reminded of the old programme Face the Music when experts spoke of music in an engaging manner.  Occasionally his wife was allowed to get a lyric in and I particularly enjoyed Who is Sylvia and I must go down to the sea again because I remembered all the words.

 

Apparently most musicians have a favourite key and a lady he met on a plane told him she could tell a lot about a person from knowing their favourite key.  His was D flat major.  I think. 

Then we had a jolly good lunch at the Bistro – really both jolly and good.  The real celebration is on Wednesday when the quartet meet in Taunton for a get-together which involves the much missed fourth member, Margaret travelling over from Cheltenham and here is my dilemma.

 

I am meant to have a long delayed business meeting in London ‘towards the end of August’ but as the girls insist they don’t want to have our get together without me and kept another date as a fall back I have to make a decision.  Then I read my horoscope:

 

With the dynamic planet Mars, helping you to focus on your long term hopes and dreams, you can begin to make real progress with a new creative project in the week ahead.  Do not let your social life distract you, or listen to well- meant advice.  This is your chance to win the recognition you deserve, so play to win this time around.

 

I’ve made my decision, what would yours be?

Photos below