Downton Abbey 2013 season ends less the Christmas special

Just discovered a full performance of Tosca from La Scala on You Tube which I will have as a sound background while I write more. Downton Abbey picked up as the series progressed with still much predictability and nothing shocking as the Christmas time death of Mathew the legitimate heir to Downton an husband of lady Mary the eldest daughter, or the death of her sister in childbirth the previous season and so on. So what is going to happen next?

Nothing has happened much to his lord and ladyship although his lordship in part our of protectiveness for his daughter saw the opportunity to regain control of the estate, something which Mary eventually found the courage to challenge and continue what the husband had started in the reform of the estate to match changing times. He has to go to the USA to help a relative at the requests of his wife’s mother and this poses a problem for his Valet and the valet’s wife. She had been raped by the butler of a suitor to Lady Mary. When Mary rejected the offer of marriage the man had gone off and continued with the engagement he had previously entered into thus removing the rapist from the household, seemingly for ever.

The wrong woman had wanted to keep the incident secret knowing that to have revealed what happened would have created a situation in which he husband was likely to take the law into his own hands and having only recently been released from prison following the suicide of his wife faked as murder, he was likely to end on the gallows this time without much ado.

Eventually she confides in the housekeeper and the husband find out but the story appears to be accepted that the rape was carried out by a stranger .So when his Lordship is summoned across every effort is made to persuade his lordship to leave the Valet behind and take the obnoxious chief footman and deputy personal valet instead. This involves the housekeeper revealing to lady Mary the situation and she persuading the husband to take the deputy much to his bewilderment. This proves just as well as the manservant returns with his master one more time. The wrong woman copes and lady Mary decides to have a secret meeting with the Lord to persuade him to dismiss his manservant, someone who he had not taken to anyway. However this only fuels the potential fire as the Lord returns to report to lady Mary and strangely his valet meets with an accident falling from the placement in front of a bus in central London. This adds to her concern as the husband of the raped woman has asked for a day off to York as his master was away and he was under employed

Lady Mary consulted another of her potential suitors. A childhood family friend is given hospitality with his boss as they visit estates to advise the government( coalition) on the future of the great home and lands of the aristocracy. The boss is rather contemptuous of the nobles and their inability to manage the estates appropriately to the changing circumstances and finds lady Mary cold and aloof. One of the ventures she has been persuaded with the help of the estate manager to taken on pigs and she accompanies the inspector on an after dinner visit to see how they are getting on, only to find the new pig man has not checked and the creatures are in a sorry state having knocked over the water trough and dehydrated with one almost dying. The to then spend several hours almost through the night drip feeding the pigs with water carried from the nearest barn. She makes then scrambled eggs on return before going to bed as the first staff arrived to commence morning preparations. This established a friendship between the two. I mention this development because when the coincidence of the accidental death of the rapist is advised together with the husband of the wrong woman having the day off and returning home late she asks the inspector for advice without being specific on the morality of saying or doing nothing in such a circumstance. His advice is to be remain silent but we the audience know that this is unlikely to be the end of the matter.

There were three other above stairs stories one which is best described as half and half. Mary’s young cousin has taken up with the black band leader singer encountered at the club in London who she goes to see on a visit to London boating on the Serpentine and then meets in a tea room at York when he has an engagement in the vicinity. She announces she is to marry and Mary appreciates that this is intended more to shock the girl’s mother than from any appreciation of what she is getting involved in. Mary goes to London to see the singer who announces he is not going ahead because he does not want to subject the girl to what is expected given the era. Mary is impressed with him.

The younger sister has not heard from the editor lover supposed in Germany gaining citizenship so he can divorce his mentally ill wife and marry, but has disappeared after leaving his hotel soon after arrival. She is pregnant after their one night of passion and confides in her aunt who reluctantly accompanies her to a back street doctor abortionist but she backs out. The decision is for the two to go on a long trip to Switzerland to have the baby and place for adoption, ostensibly to learn French, however the grandmother, played by Maggie Smith susses them out and offers to pay for the trip. She continues to finds insufferable the bereaved mother of Mary’s dead husband because of all her do gooding but softens a little after getting bronchitis and is nurses to health. As a sort of reward she is invited to lunch with her God son also widower whose company she does not always enjoy. He takes a shine to the guest accompanying her home and later sends a huge bouquet of flowers to the amazement of Maggie Smith.

The half above stairs is that before illness struck Matthew’s mother had invited the widowed husband of the third daughter who died in childbirth to attend a political meeting in York with the local Coalition liberal candidate. He goes alone and encounters a young woman school teacher ( South Riding territory). Later he encounters her at the village fete which the family runs for charitable good causes and than aids when the car breaks down, he was the family chauffer and one suspects he will now abandon his idea of going to the USA for a fresh start. He is also being encouraged to stand for the local council.

The there are two below stairs stories.. Kitchen maid Daisy who was loved by a footman and agreed to marry him when he returned from the first World war dying, had a pash for one of the footmen with ambitions to become a chef and who has got a place at a famous hotel in London The Ritz I think and who in turn developed a pash for another of the kitchen staff who flirted with him as much to annoy Daisy as from wanting him. He comes back to visit his seriously father and wants to stop at the Abbey but is put of by the Butler who puts him up at the local Inn explaining that they have flu at the House. He still calls in before leaving to say hullo to the girl of his dreams. After hi father dies and is returning North for the funeral he writes wanting the girl to move to London and to marry him something she does not wish to do. To avoid a scene Daisy is given the day off to visit the father of her former husband with whim she has become close and has confided, As it is unlikely the young man will ever have cause to come north again, Daisy is counselled to say good by rather than leave things at a jagged edge. They return to find that the young man has been rejected and is appreciated that he is able to part with Daisy who he recognises had his welfare always at heart as friends. The cooks says how proud she is of the girl and one left into thinking this may not be the end of the story. A good place to stop although there are still sub plot stories to unfold.

　

　

　

　

Sunday in October 2013 watching TV

I just about managed to get down in time to watch the start of the Sunday Marr Programme where he asked Eric Pickles if David Cameron should give Andrew Mitchell his job back to which Eric replied he had always believed Andrew and would welcome back as a Cabinet colleagues saying decision was that of the Prime Minister, He also confessed that although he had once declared his opposition to the Leveson recommendations, in politics, compromise was the name of the game and therefore he supported the Coalition Royal Charter solution, adding that if papers did not sign up to it that was there prerogative which was not the kind of ringing endorsement I wanted although what he said I had feared,

Before this there was an exchange over the papers review which include Dr Mark Kermode following his appointment as the film reviewer for the Daily Telegraph after the departure of the man who had held the position for three decades. I cannot remember the other with both echoing what everyone else has been saying although a recent poll indicates that support for the police has remained strong around 60-65% of population despite the various cases that have undermined public confidence recently and since the sixties. The sting in the tale came later in the programme with the interesting government comment that one solution was for Chief Police officers to be drawn from outside the force if the possessed the right skills and background something designed to chill them further and perhaps ensure that the Police chiefs approach their inquisition at the Commons with the right spirit of regret and promise to make amends,

Something of what they will say as then revealed in an exchange between a former senior police officer and a writer from the Mirror over the question was there just a few rotten apples in the barrel or worse. The third Andrew of the morning ( Neil) Sunday politics show set the scene well by first showing CCTV of police beating up a young House of Commons researcher which led to his acquittal and compensation, Apparently the Chief Constables not only signed off the amended report but have formally admonished the officers in an attempt to close the case and presumably do so quietly which then explain even more clearly why the IPCC took the unprecedented step it has. I thought the former senior officer did an appropriate job in trying to place the catalogue of incidents in context and perspective, saying that it was only a small group of senior police officers who systematically altered the statements of the police who had given honest and accurate statements of their experience attending the disaster at Hillsborough, Everyone including Andrew referred to the recent Police Bravery Awards dinner although the sting in the tail of what office said is that he blamed politicians and the media of getting the situation out of proportion Hmmn. If they can dish it out can they take it when applied them? Perhaps Wednesday we shall see.

14.30 About to get myself ready to go for some milk and salad thingies while listening to a Sky Arts programme about the career of Roy Orbison with the Gibb Brothers Barry and Robin, Robert Plant, KD Lang, Bernie Taupin, and Bono with all the favourites sang in full, Pretty Woman now, starting with Only the Lonely, Running Scared on what appears to be an early Top of the Pops and then Crying, The programme poses a challenge because I already have his greatest hits recorded and I have so far restricted myself to one programme with the others so far Joan Baez, Nina Simone, Bryan Ferry and so many other come and gone including the Stones, Beatles, Billy Holiday, Queen and Bob Dylan record and I am nearly out of space after recording a Phil Collins programme and a long over two hour programme about the Moody Blues last night all to view later today when I get back, Golden days while I write on Your baby does not want you anymore. Its Over (The title?). Walk on, if she would meet. Blue Bayou as Taupin states switching from the passionate to the most vulnerable. Time to get myself ready and go out if I am going to make it today although I want to stay.. Walked to Morrison on what was a nice afternoon, no wind, not cold and some sunshine for milk, lettuce, cucumber, a small tin of crab meat, some, salami, some luncheon meat and as an experiment some salad dressings all for salads, some liquorice 3 bags for £2 and one of the more expensive at £1.38, was a £1 and before that £1.98. Returned for a drink of cold Pepsi Max, finished listening to the Orbison which I shall not keep while playing Patience aiming for 270 games but reached a block. Must sort out the rest of the chicken.

Flog it Sheffield basket £220 estimate £180- £250, reserve set at £200. Clock work cars £60 star selling at £90 although estimate £100- £200 auctioneers discretion. Gold Cigarette case reserve £350-£500 93 grams £600 start and went at £640. Water Colour £200-£300 bought for £80 not sold. 10 p bric-a-brac sale Moorcroft not perfect condition honesty pattern reserve £150 £ 440 with bid in the room as well on the books that is just incredible divide up between a lot of children. Hornby Train for £500 estimate £200-£300, Apprentice piece Chest of Draws with a range of veneers £100- £150 first bid at £100 No reserve on some watches I am confident around £150 going to see for what it is worth. Art Deco £ 100 start over £200 finished at £210. Aboriginal Art split whole lot up £170 first item £ 10 last one £ £210. £ £180 fourth lot £170 last lot £ 620 on online a spear £1530 to be divided between Salvation Army and Water Aid brilliant.

Plan to miss out on Strictly Come Dancing dance off where the standard yesterday was all round good and with several improving their position. It is unusual to see 9’s given at this early stage with 3 in instances and 2 in another I was also impressed last night with the X Factor show which I part recorded in order to watch the start of the latest Montalbano finishing earlier in the afternoon. The song chosen by Sam Bailey which opened the show was not as great as it should have compared to the young powerful show ending number by the black teenager always in tears of joy mist remember her name who cannot still believe she is as good as is with other teenager the young Scottish schoolboy also singing from the heart about love which he admitted he has never experienced, the black mother with a daughter was also impressive, two of the groups less within having to participate in the sing off and where the third group did not perform because the pregnant member was unwell. I have also not recorded that I had watched Les Miserables once more which has come to Sky Films but cannot recorded must view live so to speak. I have recorded a wonderful performance of Verdi’s requiem mass Sky Arts from Venice which some glorious shot of the city and which was first heard live when I was sixteen seventeen half season Promenade concert at the Royal Albert Hall over nearly sixty years ago but just like yesterday.

19 20 enjoyed three small home baked rolls filled with a Dutch cheese after stripping the remains of the chicken into a bowl for a Thai Stir Fry on Monday perhaps with noodles and then a Balti curry and brown rice on Wednesday. Good second exercise session to 43 mins. Now have on the recording of Phil Colin in Paris looks like Olympia. Had intention of turning to Montalbano but instead will some registering of completed work after checking out on email and deciding whether to use voucher or book ticket for Captain Phillips tomorrow.

Watched an OK Downton Abbey which still does not seem to have a focus beyond a succession of stories which do not appear to leading anywhere. As anticipated the wife of his Lordship’s valet is not pregnant after the rape but the daughter of the house who spent the night with her editor lover before he went to Germany to gain citizenship and marry her and disappeared from the radar, visited a Harley Street doctor so as expected guess what, The childhood friends who professed love and marriage to Lady Mary has announced his engagement but a new face has arrived conducting work for the Ministry about the survival of the country houses with his boss and both are to stay at the house. Meanwhile the son if a tenant who has died with significant debt of past rents unpaid has done a deal to farm the patch showing that his Lordship has a sense of the past and a heart which pleases the socialist inclined son in law who wonders about his future and is considering going to the more egalitarian America. A boy is placed as a trainee gardener at the home of Maggie Smith against her better judgement only to believe he has taken an important paper knife. One of the footmen fails his attempt to become a cook at a top London Hotel (Ritz) much to the delight of one of the kitchen maids who hankers for him in silence. The notorious senior footman is up t his tricks arranging for a relative to come as laundress complete with an electric sewing machine which brings her into the servants hall as this is where there is an electric point and her Ladyship also pressures the nothing new fangled cook into accepting one of the new refrigerators to replace the ice box.

The key story I suggest is that his lordship’s valet pressurises the housekeeper into revealing that his wife was raped although she attempts to cover up by whom fearing the husband will take steps to kill the man involved While all is well between the couple and she moves back from the house to their home in the village, he advises the house keeper that the matter is not ended and he will find out and deal with the so called stranger no matter how long it takes.

Later still I watched The Wee Man a film about a man who found not guilty in one of the longest and mst celebrated murder trials in that nation and has written books and claims to have turned his back on his life of crime. More on this another day

The Newsroom and a question of truth and integrity

20.00 The Newsroom is a series made by the same team that created The West which I watched most of the episodes over 7 seasons and plan to do so again this time on The DVD is which I bought at bargain price. The series has all the same fast moving talk and interactions and centre on a 24 hours channel which sets very high standards for integrity In this second season I am not sure for how many episodes we have been building up to the most recent viewed as recorded in which the Editor/ Controller in Chief. The Director and the News Front Man tender their resignations because of a set up by an influential source and the falsification of a crucial interview by a new man seeking a permanent position led the team after an investigation lasting nearly year that USA troops had used a chemical weapon when extracting two wounded individuals and which had killed uninvolved inhabitants.

At least two episodes with a third dealing with anther story but also covered the interrogation by the chief lawyer for the company plus other layers in playing the devils advocate in defence of a law suit by the instantly sacked man for £5 million dollars claiming he was the scapegoat for institutional negligence. The owner of the loss making anyway company, a female tycoon with several companies refused to accept the resignations or settle the law suit and brings in her top lawyer and this end the programme an explains the three previous ones n which she ad her team quiz the positions of everyone in the editorial team who participated in the decision taking about the story over the year before it was screened,

The important government source who had provided the station with confirmation on a number of important stories in the pat had a son who was hired by the company at one point, but was hired and then died of illegal drugs and the man blamed the company and his head and plotted his revenge which was to confirm a story he knew to have no official foundation. The man who edited a film to give the impression a retired general had said differently from his qualified statement came with a chip on shoulder about USA involvement in the war and government behaviour and when the assigned assistant was not allowed in the room by the former general the took the subsequent opportunity to edit and was only found out after the story fell apart when the programme director realised there was a time gap in a TV showing football game.

She and also concerns that she had led one of the other witnesses into confirming something he did not know and where it emerged he had sustained brain damage and memory loss for a subsequent incident about which he had been decorated, claiming he had for the award fir a different incident. Thus once the story was shown to have been false despite all the month of investigation and proofs the belief that the institution had failed rather than just the young man who had wilfully and dishonestly mislead, also gained ground..

22.00 There was also time to watch a programme screened previously to mark the 70^th birthday of Mohammed Ali someone who is regarded by many in the UK as the greatest sportsman the world has seen both in terms of his ability with lightening fast reflexes as well as a personality with came to endear me and where he developed a support affection for the USA because of the loyalty and support which was maintained during the period when he was not allowed to box by the USA because of his political and religious view of being converted as a Muslim and changing his name from Casius Clay.

He is the only great sportsperson I have met albeit in passing when he came over to the table I was sharing with others and shook his hand at the Town Hall South Shields during a dinner reception to mark his visit to the Town where his marriage to his third wife was blessed at the Mosque attended by thousands of people who came to see him and given their support. His visit was in the same week that the Queen also visited as part of her UK tours to mark the 25th anniversary of coming to the throne and while she too was given a great reception at a gathering at the local stadium Gypsies Green however the natural charismatic charm of Ali had an effect on everyone that I have never witnessed before or since. It was not surprising that he was chosen to be one of those who stood with the Olympic Flag at the 2012 Olympics along with the other International figures selected.

I also went on to watch Question Time and This week where Diane Abbot was back to be reported next writing and also and watched the second health programme in which the need to stand and walk was emphasised to compensate for all the sitting down I do as well as how help someone who is choking.

Andrew Marr October 2013 Sunday and The Balcklist Begins

0012 Daily Notes 2013 12^th October 10.35 after a good sleep with one break and lots of vivid dreams which if I had time I would consider , especially if I made notes on waking. But rising just before 9 after 8.2 hours SP machine, average 8.3 and listening to Andrew Marr cover a wide range of subjects I have washed up made coffee and will shortly exercise, session one, having also played Patience to 125 consecutive wins and 1689 games after the previous 1300 plus achievement although not as much as the 1500 plus prior to that. I had not tidied my hair or shaved for the second morning and with the skies darkening and the news of a great wind I am not sure I will venture out later although there is need of milk.

Andrew’s guests included a dreadful woman from the Sunday Times continuing the pathetic free press mantra beware when the political parties are in agreement as if consensus in a democracy is to be feared, feared by the press barons and their commercial interests and the jobs of scum hacks I guess so and good. David Mellor made a surprising cautious response to the rampant defence of the indefensible saying he was not A Hacked Off man pity that David you remain a curious mixture, sill hoping for a political come back? But I agree if an impasse has been reached then unless the governing politicians are confident the rest of the news press will come round if they remain firm, a bit like Obama and the budget in the USA against the reactionary bullying extremes of the republicans, then comprise is the name of the game by both parties although in this instance something is not better than nothing.

 

The retiring from office Chief Prosecutor who has done a great job re historical sexual and other forms of violence against children and young people rightly defended his recent statement on the present law when an abortion agency has to take into account the health risks to a woman of a continuing pregnancy as well as other factors irrespective of sex of the embryo and the recent fuss has to be seen in relation to a story of concentration type camps in North Korean and babies being skinned and eaten so alleged Huffington Post He had just received the papers re Plebgate and the issue of how long the police had taken was not a matter for him.

Malala was interviewed at pace by Marr himself pressing her views about Education, the distortions of the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan and in relation to the Muslim faith generally and her intention to complete her education and one day enter politics in her home country while pursuing her charity work for the education of girls everywhere.

Labours new Opposition Education Minister Tristram Hunt was introduced as an impressive young articulate historian and commenced the process of rewriting Labour Policy on quality as well as quantity education, the need to progress quality teaching, the new approach to free schools back to technical colleges and putting Mr Gove in his place and a possible new Labour leader emerges.

The Lib Dem energy minister was on form on why the Miliband freeze wont work and the makings of deal about nuclear power involving the Chinese and perhaps the Japanese as it sounded close putting to parliament. We have made up with China following the little breakdown of Cameron meeting the Dalai Lama

 

22.05 feeling relaxed and would like to go to bed, suck a boiled sweet and read with SL mask on. First a good update with the highlight of the day so far a new series on Sky Living called The Blacklist which was not as expected to do with the Senator Joe McCarthy blacklisting era in Hollywood, the arts or public life but a kind of Bourne style show was some excellent acting although I am not sure about female lead. I downloaded via Sky the first two episodes and was impressed that gave undivided attention and watched both.. Must look to see whose who and particular a look alike for Ingrid Bergman

A former CIA man disappears and considered to be the most wanted man for several decades as a private contractor, fixer behind a number of International crimes arrives at CIA HQ and gives him self up and then maintained in various high security facilities which includes a building vacated after 9/11 and a large ocean going tanker and intentioned in the highest forms of security within such facilities as per the last James Bond film. He has information regarding an imminent major crime but will only talk to a new young female agent and profiler agent just fully trained married and about to adopt a child on the basis we later learn she is opposed to having a biological offspring when there are so many unwanted children in the world. She is off for her first full posting and also had an appointment with an adoption agency last stages before a child is allocated to him. That these two events are incompatible does not appear to concern the programme makers or the audience who become fully engaged.

Throughout the first two episodes she and her employers ponder of the selection of this young woman with the full CIA arriving by helicopter and car in number to get her to where they holding the prisoner for prior questioning and then getting him to reveal where a major incident is going to occur in the city. This is a major train cash which h says is organised by a villain, a contractor who has staged a number of previous assassinations in the form of major accidents and where he claims 3000 people have died collateral damage so speak. He offers to provide the connections which will enable his chosen “partner” to capture the man responsible via his next venture which involves the kidnapping of the daughter of a general and the unleashing of a dirty bomb in the city to avenge situation which had led to the death of his child children family as collateral damage in a central European community. While the child is kidnapped that his plans have become so known leads him to take prisoner and torture the woman’s husband who barely survives. The prisoners suggests that her husband is not all that he seems, a school teacher, and she finds a box under floor boards where they lives, presumably his place from before contained passport identities, money and a hand gun. She keeps this to herself including when questioned under modern lie detector conditions on the advice of the prisoner with a view to finding out the background quietly when the husband recovers and is returned home.

The tension in the pilot episode is when the child is placed wired up in the midst of a zoo but is saved at the last moment by a contact of the prisoner who goes off with the weapon. The perpetrator of the assassinations appears to die rather than be captured and the prisoner is returned to incarceration and handing over to the justice system at the appropriate time but then makes an offer to the CIA which they find impossible to refuse. to make available information about the most wanted mega international criminal, some not even in the CIA top ten list.... Hence the title of the series The Black List.. He will only work with the young woman and wants an open life style leading to immunity from prosecution for past crimes. The female Justice Secretary / Attorney General figures refuses and he is returned to Sea Going captivity.

However as someone who does not use the Internet or Mobile phone he appears able to maintain a network and receive intelligence or at least had stored intelligence which he decides to use when the husband has recovered and the “partner” has returned to her original duties. He comes up with the assassination of an international known woman (the Ingrid Bergman look alike) who rescue young people and children from the International slave trade, to assist the prevention eh requires a return to his former lifestyle staying at top hotels but never the same places for more than a few nights at time and take his partner off to Canada to gain the appropriate information about the net target of the international criminal organisation which he states is the assassination of the International mature Ingrid Bergman look alike woman as a major International function in the city. It emerges that his intention is to kill the woman to appear suicide all along as she is the head of the criminal organisation and a major trader of the young people and children she appears to the world to be saving. Thus the big wigs agrees to using his services although making it plain he will not be given immunity but will be allowed the required level of freedom together with has two personal assistants, an African original man and an Asian origin woman with the CIA throwing one of their oriental top agents and thus after two episodes the scene is set for the series, in keeping with the Bourne, carton capers superheroes and transatlantic Spooks traditions and where the maker of Spooks have created a new series for Sky I. This reminds that the fourth series of the Boardwalk Empire with Lucky Thompson is schedule to appear soon.

I also watched Flog it where there was the usual mixture including man who purchased an item for under £100, where the retailer offered to but it back for several times what he had paid and which he now was selling but insisted on a minimum of £1200 when in fact the market was only just over £1000 within the £800 to 12000 suggested. That is known as being greedy. I also watched part of the Antiques Road Show recording the Strictly and X Factor results show and Down Abbey and downloading for early viewing the film Django Unchained which was one of the top films last award season.

 

Sunday night September 15th on ITV

It is Monday 16^th September 2013 just before I set off to by GP Health Practice for a cardio vascular check up having by coincidence I am sure just received in the post an invitation to a scan check up £40 for one and £150 for four separate scan checks. Interesting,

The weather on Sunday was awful so I did not go to cheer on David Weir, Mo Farah and the up to 50000 others who brave blustery cool to cold and wet conditions for the Great North Run. The level of spectators which ahs reduced over the years was also significantly down not surprisingly. In the event the race between David Weir and his Canadian rival ended when the latter had mechanical problems and dropped out. And Mo was beaten as much by the condition as the current Olympic and World Marathon champion with the one of the great of all time also from Ethiopia also participating thus three generations of great runners were present.

I enjoyed watching the Newcastle victory at Aston Villa by 2 goals to 1 ( Ben Arfa and Gouffron scoring) so that they are now equal second on points and eight in terms of goal difference. Newcastle should consolidate with a home win against Hull at home Saturday, a game which I may have gone to see had I not decided to attend the 40 40 final at Lords on the same day. Sunderland will struggle to gain a point at West Brom on the same day.

I also watch the first part of Chicago Bears game in the NFL which I now know they won 31 30 having previously won their first game of the regular season at home 24 to 21 two tight finishers. The other tam I have supported being given a shirt on Christmas is the San Francisco 49ers who won their first game 34 to 28 against the Green Bay Packers while yesterday they were trounced at Seatle 29 to 3.Not good Seatle also won their first game away 12.3 so they have started the season looking good,

Yesterday evening I spent five hours looking at the programmes on the ITV channel commencing with Prince William demonstrating his concern and commitment to wild life conservation, primarily in Africa in recorded programme from Kensington Palace in the week when he formally left his role in the military after seven years and becomes a full time Royal devoting himself to official duties, supporting causes and being a good father. Late in the evening he was attending an event where one of five nominated wild life conservationists was to receive the first award he has set with the organisation Tusk and where he was accompanied by the Duchess on her first public function since the birth of Prince George.

This was followed by the gooee Surprise Surprise where the major story ending the programme was of a boy who survived two leukaemia outbreak where his life hung in the balance before a bone marrow donor was found and where the parent and the donor were not aware of identities for the period of two years. The man had offered to help someone he knew but did not match but was a 10/10 for the boy so went ahead. The programme was designed to encourage new donors to come forward and amen to that. It is difficult to watch ed the excruciating goeeyness at times but there are some good and moving stories in what will be a ten week series.

Following Surprise Surprise is the penultimate double audition for the X Factor where first there are studio auditions followed by presentation to the public. A sixteen year old boy from Scotland performed better before the audience and was the headline act getting TV interviews the following morning. A group of three brothers follow in Beejee footsteps and there was also a Take That type boy band of band but no female caught my eye.

It was then time for the last in the short series of Vera Northumbria Police Detective series which included a shot of South Shields beach walking and Newcastle club land stairways different levels from the key side. The story concerns a man ex police man stabbed just before he was due to meet a young woman he had picked up in a bar although why the two did not immediately leave together is nonsense although without the follow there would have been no story. The young was as nasty piece of work so no tears over his demise however the law is the law and various people all came into the frame although the young he had met was quickly ruled out.

There was a female corporate lawyer with the additional motive of wanting him to find info which would help the take over of a local brewery by an interested company. The brewery was owned by his brother in law where later in the two hour programme she admits she also had an affair with the man. He had been investigating her father and discovered that he had served in Ireland and subsequently changed his name. The father the daughter and the sister had all been to a function at Newcastle race course at the time when the murder occurred. Photos taken at the time confirm that the daughter was present throughout but the father appeared to be missing for about half an hour. Fortunately he had gone for a smoke with the manager of the course.

The brother had also made contact with his former girl friend who had since married with two children to a nasty bit of work. A record for violence he was found to have beaten up the former boyfriend when he came a calling and had also attacked his wife. However there is no evidence although charges are brought regarding the violence and the girl is provided with witness protection although it is not needed when it is found that the young man purchased a flat for them in the girl’s name in London. She now denied the husband was home and he admitted to the theft of lad from a church.

A petty thief was found to have used the credit card of the dead man and the thief admits to stealing and using the card but to murder. The man late also admits he broke into the property of man sister looking for documents he had not been paid because he not found what was required and had stolen the credit card as a consequence.

The sister and her husband lived at a farm which had been left to the sister alone because she had looked after the parents until their death while son had been doing his thing away from the area. It is then established that the girl had made or was giving over half the value of the property but why when there was no legal need to do so,

It the emerges that the brother had wanted the total value of the farm having discovered that her husband was wanted in Ireland for the murder of his own father It was also established that the sister had gone to lie down in a room for an hour claiming a headache. She admits to killing her brother and the husband is also arrested admitting to manslaughter.

Do you think you know who you are September 2013

The highlight of the evening was Do you think you know who you are South Shields Sarah Milligan who forged a nationally recognised career for herself after her marriage broke up and wanted to know if her family had always lived in the north east and she discovered two to great great ancestors. The first born Whitstable on the South East Coast is shown to have been a diver and this leader her finding that he was one the first divers anywhere in world which commenced at Whitstable and led him to join an expedition to Holly Island where there had been a major sinking and loss of life off Holy Island involving a passenger steamer from Hull. Sarah was initially concerned that her ancestors had profited from raising belonging of those who died at the going rate of 40% but a notice in the Shields Gazette reveals that he brought up belongings free so they could be sold to provide for children orphaned in the tragedy.

The man had stayed in The North gaining secure and respected employment on River Tyne locating wrecks and other underwater threats to shipping. He had married and had five children but there was no money as thought at one time within the family.

The second relative was born in the Orkney islands and had then accepted a five year contract as a labourer with the Hudson Bay Fur company in Canada but because if competition had been sent across country in winter 350 miles to an outpost at Albany but because local fishing failed to provided enough food the ancestor and been sent back only for the man to found almost dead and with severe frostbite by an indigenous local. However it was necessary to sever both feet to save his life. He had eventually returned to Britain where he married and had children. Both men had triumphed over great adversity and both men were shown to have had good hearts, married and raised children, with good messages for Sarah to be proud of.

I have noticed a new direction in the most recent editions of this excellent series where the basic information about a family tree is found out in advance by a professional genealogist rather than showing or encouraging individuals to undertake this aspect themselves and thus reducing business for this growing profession as a consequence of the programme although as from my experience the professional genealogist can make mistakes, especially if they are acting for someone at a distance.

The programme is now concentrating on individuals within family trees who offer the prospect of recorded occupational or other information such as travel information of interest which is of interest to the subject and will make good programme viewing. In the instance of an Asian Indian whose family had been an Kenyan Asian the subject about whom I missed the introduction and therefore knew nothing of his celebrity nature. The programme went first to Kenya to learn why his grandparent had come to England and also to India to learn something why the move was originally made to Kenya. The majority of those of Indian nationality came to Kenya when recruited by the British to build a railway and where the work was such that an very high percentage were killed or severely injured and only a small proportion elected to stay when their contract ended. His grandparent had become an early general shop keeper in on the new towns that had sprung up along the railway line. When the country gained independence the Indian population were given the opportunity to stay and become full citizens of the new state, giving up their British passport or losing their ability to own property and occupational status, Many chose to come to the UK and many if not the majority opened the local all hours corner store as well as the Indian food restaurant and Indian food supply provisions that play such an important role in our community today, although many of their generation have progressed into all aspects of the employment society. Back in India he went to the village of his roots bringing him a better sense of identity and understanding of the courage and effort of his ancestors. In the instance of his mother/grandmother he learned that her mother had been a child bride at the age of six to a boy of ten and that although she borne many children only 2 survived, unusual even for India likely because of the very young age when she was likely to have commenced giving birth.

It is now Thursday September 12 and we shall see if it is to be a cricket day let alone a good cricket day from the Durham viewpoint.

A Wallender (The Pyramid) two more visits to Gibn with New Tricks and Minnie Driver Who Do You Think You Are.

I had intended only to write two pieces about my visit to London and to Northampton but given the impact of seeing the film Renoir and the nature of the Northampton experience it is best that I begin with the intention of restricting myself first to Renoir and the impact of that experience and to some TV..

I decided to stay in and watch the Third Test from Old Trafford on Sky via my lap top on Sunday morning August 4^th 2013 enjoying breakfast of two Danish pastries £1.20 and coffee before deciding how to spend the rest of my free time because Middlesex was in the process of defeating Durham during the third morning of the four day scheduled game at Lords. Had I listened more carefully to what fellow Durham supporters had said the previous day or checked fixtures on my computer I may well have gone to the Oval to watch Surrey play Scotland in the 40 40 over game.

The previous evening after returning from the cricket I watched Wallander in the Pyramid one of the, if not the most important of the dramatizations of the books. As with other Wallander dramatizations this season I may write at length when I have read the book although my determination to do some prolonged serious writing this autumn strengthens. In part this arose out fo the Wallander episode but more so because of film about the last years of the life of Pierre Auguste Renoir,

At one level the Wallander, as with Montalbano is a well written detective story which challenges to work out a solution and entertains through the characters involved. However I am drawn to Wallander and to Montalbano because I see so much of myself in them and their approach to life in general, to work and to relationships.

According to Internet research The Pyramid covers the whole career of Wallander in five short stories so that this dramatization only covers the first and the last. In an incident when as a young policeman he misses the opportunity to fire and stop a killer with the consequence that a young woman he admired is murdered. Although the circumstances were such the incident did not affect his subsequent career, he remained tortured by his failure to act and the loss of life involved.

Although 26 years has passed he is confident he has encountered the same villain when following up on what appears to have become a drug war and to pursue the suspect despite being ordered to concentrate on the local villain and leave the suspect to the separate police force involved. At the end of the episode when he is vindicated he resigns because he knows the investigation had become personal.

He has commenced a relationship with the friend of his God daughter who dies from an overdose, using heroin which has not been reduced to a level which removes the risk. The friend is a former addict who is working for the rehabilitation of others and she has is a degree of reality and directness coupled with passion which meets his every need and where for the first time he wants to enjoy life without always feeling guilty and allowing work to take precedence. I am looking forward to the book. He is able to put the past behind and move forward.

There was more striking chords when on return on Wednesday evening I caught up with the second part of the new series opener of New Tricks which coincidentally is set in Gibraltar just as issues about sovereignty begin to boil over fuelled by the attitude for the present Spanish Government and the Tory party led by Cameron. It was no coincidence, I suspect, just as the recent series TV on presented Gibraltar as a little Britain when the reality is the majority are mostly Spanish and speak the local dialect Spanish. I cannot now remember what aspect of the cold case led them to Gibraltar. The main story appeared to be death for young boy to a man who had been a seaman for many years but now worked on the docks where his daughter had some kind of administrative role. The man and the daughter refused to talk about the case and the local senior police officer assigned to manage the visit of the team also advises against giving this case attention, the only inherited cold case which the police officer had been unable to solve. The case is eventually worked put through drawing the boy made at first appearing to be soldiers temporarily resident returning from the Falklands war. However when it is realised the drawings of other children playing at being soldiers the team finds out that the present head of the continuing British military presence on the Rock was a boy at the time and that his father had returned from service in the Falklands. He had used his father’s weapon souvenir from the war as part of the game and not appreciated that it was loaded killing his friend. When confronted he is seen running through the Botanical gardens and taking the cable car to the top of the rock and then considering taking his life but he surrenders full of guilt and grief.

This is he first of three stories in the double episode about cover up with the second the one which brings the team to Gibraltar. This involves the head of an on line gambling company based in Gibraltar, one of his lieutenants who is killed with the police boasting they have one of the best detection rates in the world and murders are rare. The head of the unit is taken out for a meal on the yacht by the owner of the firm who is shown to have a ruthless side and who committed murder as well as attempting to blackmail the father of dead boy.

I record these two stories although from my perspective they are incidental to the main story of interest which concerns Bryan, former Inspector, played brilliantly by Alum Armstrong as a recovering alcoholic whose wife Ester, also played brilliantly by Susan Jameson, shows great understanding and loving support, especially towards his moods and obsessions. He has great capacity to sift through detail and see patterns and connections which others do not, an ability which has always been an asset to me as well as something fo a curse.

He attends the leaving party of Inspector who two decades before was left in charge of young prisoner( black) who died from lack of medical attention when Alan was responsible for had left because of drinking. He had never recovered from the incident believing there had been negligence and had pursued the officer without success as the man had progressed through to retirement. He strikes the man at he leaving party leading to suspension and a disciplinary haring and consequently is not allowed to participate on the trip to Gibraltar. But he goes to Gib despite the sanctions because he cannot function without the work and this leads to him and Jerry ( Denis Waterman) having an adventure which involves being shut in a container, reminding of Mad Dogs, and arriving at a farm in the middle of nowhere in Spain but also in seeing and overhearing an exchange which leads to solving the main story.

On return Bryan’s disciplinary hearing is stopped by the complainant who withdraws saying he felt sorry for Bryan and this angers Bryan unable to explain the issues involved and leads to a confrontation where the retiring Inspector admits that he regarded the prisoner as he did most those taken into custody with indifference regarding them as scum Bryan secretly records this admission which he gives to the boy’s mother saying sorry. The significant aspect is that eh recognises that the man was and remains worthless and that he is able to move forward. The episode also bring into relief the broken relationship with his own son which is to be the main subject of the next programme. Alun has indicated his attention not to participate in the planned 11^th series as has present Team Leader Amanda Redman who is being replaced by Tamzin Outhwaite. The main interest of the double episode has been Bryan coming to terms with his past and being able to move on without the work and reverting back to alcohol.

Before coming to the main experience of my last two days in Croydon the opportunity is taken to mention the excellent third episode of the new series of Who do you think you are? with Minnie Driver, now a 43 year single parent with a four year old boy and living in California. This proved an excellent episode as Minnie discovers about her father and his parents and other family members. She is the product of a relationship between her mother who we meet, a former couture model and designer and Ronnie Driver, born in Swansea but whose family originated from Yorkshire.

She discovers that at he age fo 18 her father participated in the first major bombing raid of World War II in which half the flying crews of 120 men did not return. He received the second Distinguished Flying Cross of the War for first putting out a fire with his gloved hands which could have engulfed the plane and during a time when the gun turret in which he sat had all its perspective destroyed leaving his feet dangling in the open air. His plane had to be ditched into the sea and he had been responsible for getting out the life dingy and getting the surviving wounded crew to safety all but his closest friend who died and was left on the plane. Minnie meets the last survivor of the raid, a ground mechanic and who knew her father.

She did not understand why her father never referred to to the award and in fact is said to have thrown the medal into the Thames because he felt he did not deserve it. With the help of military historians she learns that because the raid was something of a disaster his bravery had been put in the spotlight and was give national as well as local press attention including of him showing his medal to his mother, the first time Minnie had seen a photo of her grandmother She learns that the father had two periods in psychiatric units before returning to the airforce, gaining promotion and marrying the daughter of the then Managing Director(?) of Cable and Wireless. The wedding photo uniform makes no reference to the DFC.

She is also able to learn something of her grandfather and in fact although her father’s parents had married after they both became widowed/widower they were not when he was born. She learns that his father’s job had taken him around the country hence the birth in Wales. She is able to uncover a same generation cousin loving in Stockton or was it Darlington although he is twice her age and from her in addition to gaining a photo of the grandfather she learns that he had a half brother who was a repertory theatre actor who married musical actress and that they had a daughter who also performed on the stage. Respecting the woman’s wish not be filmed there is a telephone conversation although it is evident there was also subsequent direct contact.

Minnie has had a successful film and TV career nominated for an Oscar for her role in Good Will Hunting She is noted for having a high profile relationship with its other star Matt Damon afterwards. She subsequently disclosed that her child’s father is a writer from the TV Show The Riches in which she starred in its 20 episodes with Eddie Issard.