Tuesday February 08, 2005

Casino Royale the next Bond film..

The next Bond film is to be Casino Royal. One hopes it is better than this spoof . Why so many good actors got involved in that film is beyond me. I do not suppose for one minute the official Casino Royale Bond film will bear any resemblance to the book.

The book is the first Bond novel by Fleming and introduces Bond to the reader. The story is rather dark at the end as Bond recovers from his tussle with Le Chiffre and his henchmen. If you know the game of Bridge you are also going to understand more about what is going on as the game at the Royale progresses.

Has Dalziel lost his teeth ?

Only recently got to know this detective series but we always enjoyed Dalziel's character hard talking, drinking and no messing policeman. His sidekick Pascoe is also good as a grumpy sidekick who is never taken seriously by his boss.

The series has tackled some tough issues and perhaps the highlight is when they go back to the village where Dalziel's sister still lives who has not talked to him since the miner's strike. Dalziel was involved of course in police activities related to that event in mining history. The nicknames they gave the junior police were very clever and funny too - eg Ivor, Janet ...

This series is a bit watered down now and it appears Warren Clarke has had some kind of makeover and there is a significant absence of a cigarette in his hand and whiskey in the other. Of course the former is a good thing as we should all be pleased when someone cuts down or cuts out smoking . I also suspect the whiskey was not the real thing glenmorangie being my favourite single malt.

Pancake day

Today is pancake day .

This day was the day you had a feast before the period of Lent where certain foods were not allowed to be eaten. The last three or four days before the beginning of Lent are known as Shrovetide. The old names for these days were:

Egg Saturday,

Quinquagesima Sunday

Collop Monday

Shrove Tuesday

Of course most people probably buy frozen pancakes nowadays and warm them up. We used to cook them ourselves but usually ended up with a sticky mess in the bottom of the frying pan.

In some areas pancake races will still be held.

Here is how to make pancakes from Delia Smith. Good luck !

Of course we should celebrate on this day the safe return of Ellen MacArthur to the UK today after breaking the round the world record. I was thinking last night what she would like most after being cooped up in the trimaran for seventy one days. A hot meal cooked with fresh food, a good nights sleep without having to be half awake to deal with any problems. Or finally perhaps a good soak in a bath. But perhaps after being surrounded by water for the last two months a quick shower would be a better idea...