A Prophet

We saw Jacques Audiard's A Prophet at the SilkScreen on Wednesday. I was prepared not to like it, billed as violent..., but I really enjoyed it (if that's the right word!). Summoning up the claustrophobia of prison from the start it tells of vulnerable young man 'graduating' from a juvenile offenders to an adult prison and his struggle for safety and an education. Yes there's pretty up-front violence but what I will remember are the silences, the points where the sound track virtually disappeared, the moments when you see through Malik's eyes.

And then there's the playing out to Mack the Knife, maybe open ended but, to my mind the intent is clear. Recommended!

Mutterings - 31 October

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Adhesive :: sticky
2. Bill :: Horn
3. Swing :: PLayground
4. Counter :: Lap
5. Fluid :: Dynamics
6. Investigate :: Detective
7. Chit chat :: Banter
8. Humane :: Treatment
9. Boss :: Supervisor
10. Furniture :: Polish

Teaser Tuesday - 26 October

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Reading is a bit slow and hard work at the moment so I'm still in the same book as a fortnight ago!

With her erratic programme and the seasonal wandering of some families, it wasn't surprising to get visits like that of Gheitha, who arrived and filled the clinic one day with her beautiful brood of ragged coffee-cup-eyed children. Their ages ranged from three months to about eight years.

(the children are called Gasaam, Geseem, Geseema, Baseema and Basaama).. coffee-cup-eyed.. what a vision!
From Marguerite van Geldermalsen's "Married to a Bedouin" her tale of marriage to, and life among, the Bedouin living at Petra.

My excessively polite twitter feed

I've generated a TweetCloud from my twitter feed and, as you'll see from the screen shot it is terribly polite, 'please', 'thanks' and 'sorry' all in there! The TweetCloud app does ask for authorisation but then adds a tweet to your feed without checking with you - so if you don't want the ad you'll have to do without it!

Bran Loaf

I was on the rota to provide the after church breakfast this morning, as part of it I cooked a bran loaf - from an old Scargill recipe and as I had a few requests for the recipe, here it is.

• 3 cups All Bran (or equivalent)
• 3 cups soft brown sugar
• 4 cups mixed dried fruit
• 3 cups milk
• 3 cups self raising flour

(apologies for the non weight quantities!) I used this quantity for this morning but it's industrial quantites, you may want to cut it down a bit - it depends how hungry you are!
Mix all ingredients except the flour in a bowl and leave in the fridge - the recipe says overnight, I usually leave it for 3 hours or so. Then add the flour and mix, you may need a little more liquid for a mixture that isn't too stiff. Put into greased lined tin and cook for 1hr at 180C and then 45mins at 150C - test that it's cooked in the middle before removal. I left mine in the oven for an additional half hour with the heat turned off before it was cooked through.
Slice and eat! I think, at Scargill we spread it with butter but I now think that's a bit too much and usually just have it plain.
One of our cats - now deceased used to love this recipe! Here's a link to another recipe I did a few months back for after service breakfast!
I wrote the above recipe from memory but have just checked the book and it is correct!

Mutterings - 24 October

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Sarcasm :: Really?
2. Coke :: Drugs
3. Frank :: Open
4. Party :: Political
5. Witches :: Halloween
6. Intentional :: Deliberate
7. Crisp :: Crunchy
8. Lockers :: School
9. Walking :: Festival - in Bollington
10. Fundraiser :: Political

Janis Ian - When I lay down

I see that suem is err enthusing about Cliff Richard so here's an antidote (maybe)

But when I lay down,
I lied
When I lay down,
I lied
to make them happy
and I lied so they would care
I lied 'cause i was lonely
and I lied 'cause i was scared
I lied so some would leave me
and I lied so some would stay
I lied until I lied my life away

Mutterings - 17 October

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Freak :: out
2. Homework :: Exercise book
3. Favor :: Every Good Boy Deserves (mnemonic for the notes of the treble clef)
4. Encounter :: Brief
5. Shake it :: All About
6. Felony :: Lawbreaking
7. Loops :: Shaker (work by John Adams)
8. Groove :: Record
9. Funding :: Charitable
10. Plot :: Gunpowder

Teaser Tuesday - 12 October

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Al-Barra, Umm-al-Biyara, Umm Zeitoona and Umm Saysabana blended northwards to meet Umm Sayhoon, a long dusk-pink ridge that ran back to the east and climbed halfway up the side of the Sh-rah to complete the circle.
At our juniper camp we gathered dry twigs. Mohammad, singing, made tea.

From Marguerite van Geldermalsen's "Married to a Bedouin" her tale of marriage living at Petra. This is our BATS (book group) book of the month.

Mutterings - 10 October

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Intruder :: Sinister
2. Repelled :: men of Hastings (there's a sign - or was a sign - on the beach there about invaders being repelled by the men of Hastings!)
3. Trench coat :: 60's fashion
4. Lipstick :: Red
5. Humongous :: problem
6. Oven mitts :: singed (our's are)
7. Case :: study/law
8. Daughter :: in-law
9. Attorney :: listened (I may need one!)
10. Shaken :: but not stirred

A play fight

A play fight
Originally uploaded by rajmarshall

As a final picture from Alpujarras i thought I should add this picture of two of the spanish(!) kittens at the hotel in Capileira. The photo I took of kittens in Almeria has been rather popular and here's a photo of two of our previous kittens from long ago!
These two were very friendly and even their mother was happy for them to be played with by strangers - though not when they were enjoying ham from the hotel kitchen. There's a couple more photos of them next to this one in flickr - click on the photo!

Simon's Cat in 'Cat Chat'

Yes I know it's been up most of the day and i've only just got around to it, been distracted!

Wind turbines

Wind turbines Cramlington
Originally uploaded by rajmarshall

These wind turbines weren't here last time I was up in Northumberland, not commissioned yet but they're to supply the Merck Sharp and Dohme plant in Cramlington with most of its power. One other picture of the turbines on my flickr pages - next to this one (click on the photo)

The Hotel Dog

Sammy
Originally uploaded by rajmarshall

Sammy was very keen on walking groups especially if they take him with them as a guide and is a fixture at the Hotel los Bérchules. We had a stormy night before our last half day - we had to truncate the holiday because this hotel was booked up but maybe that was as well in view of the weather! Lunch in Bérchules and then a taxi ride back to Capileira and a drive back to Malaga where the plane left 3 hours late.. but the walking and eating break did us good! As before the full album is on flickr and I hope to get some of Beth's photos off her sometime!

Mutterings - 3 October

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Panels :: Beating (and Grunewald Altar panels!)
2. Repetitive :: exercise (thinking piano here)
3. Pancakes :: Lemon
4. Quarterly :: Bill
5. Impulsive :: Move
6. Episode :: television
7. I am :: who I am
8. Horrendous :: accident
9. Inhumane :: treatment
10. District :: nurse

Above Trevélez

Above Trevelez
Originally uploaded by rajmarshall

Our last inter hotel walk was from Trevélez to Bérchules, a cloudy day with some rain so at least we weren't burnt off! This was - of the full walks we did - probably the trickiest to route find. Maybe it would have been easier in the Spring when the ground was greener - though we did see, the next day, some other folk in the InnTravel tour using the road rather than the longer version of the walk probably because of all the rain which had fallen. There's a bit where you are instructed to follow an overgrown acequia (looking like 2 parallel lines of vertical slates) - which looks like this!. The loose dogs do indeed run away when you pick up stones! The path down towards Bérchules is marked by more figs, mulberries and walnuts. Stayed at the Hotel los Bérchules, contrary to the walking guide notes there appears to be at least one other restaurant but the hotel's restaurant was simple, homely and much enjoyed!