Third embellished patchwork star (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)
Not a breath of wind in the Chilterns today and all is very quiet. The deep stillness aids vision and twigs, grasses and the few plants to have appeared stand out as clear as in a Pre-Raphaelite painting. The sky is empty – not enough currents to bring the kites out, the roads are almost devoid of cars and there are no figures out for a walk along the Quickset – a little pocket of time that could almost be the 1950s.
Embellished patchwork star : detail (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)
But slicing through the reverie, we are looking forward to the new Saturday evening double episode crime drama on BBC 4 (a European production with subtitles). How peculiar that vicarage life in this gentle village involves such regular viewing. The Reverend Septimus Harding would shake his victorian head in sad disbelief at the way a C21st clergyman finds relaxation.
12 Comments
What’s the crime drama of which you speak? Maybe we can get it here on Netflix.
Love, love, love all your projects. In UK this Spring for a treat! London delights?
The Icelandic thriller ‘Trapped’ mentioned in 2 other comments finished last week and is worth looking out for.
I also agree with Penny Cross that ‘Endeavour’, about the young Morse (she says it’s available on Netflix) is excellent – its late 1950s/early 1960s Oxford setting and the moral dilemmas of the time hit a deeper note of tragedy than modern murder dramas seem to.
At the moment we’re also working through 5 series of ‘Spiral’, a French police and legal drama which is a bit too full on blood and gore but the character development is fascinating and the picture it gives of French police and legal system (very different from our own) is jaw droppingly interesting. (Goodness knows how true to life it is!)
The Italian ‘Montalbarno’ – fantastic scenery and on/off love affair of Sicilian Inspector Montalbarno who never seemed to manage to finish a meal – was also fun.
Many thanks for you comment, Sally
I too have to have my fix of scandi noir on a Saturday night, but as I am looking at your blog halfway through, I think that I am probably not hooked on the latest one. I think that “Trapped” is a hard act to follow though. I love your stars and your talk of hares, chifchaffs and gold finches. I had a gold crest visit my garden this week. Pure joy to see it. bx
It’s relaxing to have a Saturday night double bill, isn’t it – I suppose a 2 hour film would do just as well? And as I’ve now learnt how to pace reading subtitles and sewing I’m extra happy.
Love the bright days, spring birds and animals but really very keen for a bit more warmth. Glad to hear about the gold crest.
There does seem to be a proliferation of crime dramas, doesn’t there!
And we are suckers for them – even my husband who is the most unaggressive of people (but now I think about it perhaps he just watches them because he knows I enjoy them … umm )!
One can never have too many lovely patchwork stars nor too much good crime drama, Mary. Saturday evenings seem perfect for watching it although knitting and eating at the same time is impossible so one can feel almost guilty at two hours of pure indulgence. Loved “Trapped”, getting into “Follow the Money”, recently devoured (on Netflix) “Endeavour” (the young Morse + Oxford setting = perfection), and have just finished the US version of “House of Cards”, the ultimate crime drama. But if I want to knit, BBC iPlayer have Charles Paris, Paul Temple and Sherlock Holmes at the moment. Such a treat.
For gentle watching and listening, two Siskins have begun to visit us here in north Norfolk, along with several Long Tailed Tits and a glittering of Goldfinches.
Thanks for all this information which I’m sure will help Sally in the US.
Love the period feel of Paul Temple on iPlayer – and the accents. (I find I can predict Steve’s lines almost all the way through and her drawl is a real hoot). One forgets how air travel, Heathrow and Switzerland were once the height of glamour, so it’s good to be reminded of it.
Haven’t got on with Charles Paris yet – bit too slow? Radio Sherlock Holmes is good as you feel it’s closer to the books. And Agatha Christie on iPlayer excellent too for the same reason (not that I don’t love the TV versions whether Joan Hickson, Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie).
Oh my goodness, I think you’ve just solved a mystery for me – I’ve just googled pictures of Siskins and Goldfinches and now think Siskins are our mystery birds. Many thanks.
And the RSPB site offers short audio clips of bird song to help further identification.
Must try that – I have a tape and the BBC’s Tweet of the Day was good until it became full of esoteric bird sounds the birds of which are never likely to be encountered in an English garden.
Another lovely star and greatly enjoying your added ‘momentary impressions’ of weather, visiting birds etc. with these posts. Our bird feeder is busy, but mainly sparrows. I do have some very nice wee blue tits, and greenfinches, visiting, but all too often great big ugly crows, which I am very cross about as I feel they have many more chances to find food than the smaller birds. I am frequently to be found banging the sitting room window that looks on to the bird feeders shouting ‘Picturesque Birds Only’ at the crows. They slope off but always return. X
I know what you mean, Penny. I used to get particularly fed up of magpies in the plane trees when I lived in London. The least disturbance set them off making their (very loud and unattractive) alarm calls which started with the dawn chorus – and was so loud it would wake me up – and would go on for hours and hours. You’re not the only one who’s a bit of a bird snob, Penny.