Cream coloured parsnips and crisp apple strudel, Beetroot and bok choi and swiss chard with noodles - 10/10 thread,

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I am so glad you had a nice time and children had fun. I am pleased about the swimming thing - that sounds nice. Did you get any time to yourself?

(That holiday that I went on where I visited you on route I got time alone by locking myself in the car and listening to radio 4.)

Not much time, but did reading and staring while they were asleep in the afternoons. And having friend instead of partner was very different - they played together lots and were in very good spirits the whole week.

what did you read?

how is DP?

what was the most wonderful thing you ate/ drank?

I did like it, but I could hardly bear it, that horrible selfish girl when she wouldn't talk politics with the poor young man after seducing him, and poor poor Goran when he was really trying to be kind about her having her first orgasm , and ALL the poor children esp when the drunken father didn't come back and they were standing in the street, and the man having to watch his wife dancing with the other woman, and oh, everything. It only just about managed to be happy at the end and I was still very knotted up for all of them, it was dreadful. Poor Goran. The naked cardigan bit was very very funny though and then when he got his penis out in the kitchen and the straight sister came in and met them for the first time HAH! HAH! And Goran said "well it seems quite lively in here" LOL

oh it was good, but I couldn't watch something like it every week.

No, i don't suppose every week would be a good idea. I watched it when i was the most stressed i've ever been - off work and pregnant and going through awful tribunal - and went with friend and embarrassingly sniveled all the way through, but came out feeling really uplifted. I love Goran, he was so sweet.

Bee I ate the most amazing seafood paella, with squid and prawns and mussels and everything and it was the tastiest thing i've ever had, on a roof terrace overlooking a little harbour surrounded by banana fields. And i love the fresh bread with the basil and oil and garlic thing for dipping, and had some tasty calamari and gorgeous oniony tortilla. The girls loved all the seafood i was very surprised.

I also went for the worst meal i've ever had in my life. We were near this little area of restaurants in a plaza and it looked ok, all candles and outside tables - but it was run by several english couples - all leather jerkins and pearl lipstick and there was 'entertainment' - which was some purple faced old crooner with a grey ponytail and leather look shirt singing circle of life at us. Dire. And the food! None of them could cook. Everthing came in a kind of bizarre prawn custard made with carnation milk, and was totally overcooked and vile. All steak and chips. We were horrible snobs. And everything came with sparklers that the children tried to handle while still hot. And the only child food was nuggets and chips, and I asked for some sliced tomato as they like that - and they said sorry but they don't have tomatoes.

yes I imagine it was very cathartic. I really did like it, but I am not sure if I found it uplifting, except for that one scene at the end really which was kind of a relief from all the tension. Things kept going so disastrously wrong that even when something nice happened I was waiting for the inevitable fallout. Did you really find it was a generally upbeat film? I am wondering if it was me being a bit bleak or something. A lot of it has stayed with me and made me quite worried. Poor Goran

It was really sad in places, - the bit with the children and the restaurant especially. But generally I kind of found it uplifting. It wasn't exactly a feelgood movie, it was just that everyone was so human and flawed but basically ok really.

Goran would always be ok because he was sweet and so positive about things, and even that awful girl just needed to realise she was being silly and cry to her mum and go home. Everyone was going to be fine, even though things weren't always easy - I suppose that's what I found uplifting. When you have a series of unfortunate events that's a nice thing. And people were so completely different from each other in how they saw things but they could all somehow connect and be less lonely or frightened - like the neighbour or the sad plumber, people were infuriating and selfish and complicated but basically underneath they were good and nice and kind and I like that version of things.

I want to see this film nso I keepn skim reading your posts to not get too much info.

Opposite the youth hostel where I stay one night a week when doing my course is an arthouse cinema so I go to a late night film so I go to YH tired and go fast asleep.

I have seen Paranoid park about a skateboarder and next week I am going to see 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days

I think I like the kind of films of which we speak. Is it like days of our lives? tell me something else it is like that I might know.

that together film looks amazing...maybe when dh is not around as it doens't appear to feature any aliens or explosions or elves...
Boco, am more than I can tell you of your hols, but very glad yoo had a marvellous time.

Bee or filthy - get Franny to send it on if you like. As long as it comes back one day then happy for it to go on tour. You might all hate it and be traumatised by its bleakness though.

Franny i think if you worried about this one, then please don't watch Lilya4-ever by him, have you seen Breaking the Waves? It's quite beautiful but bleak and wasn't really sure about the kind of religious message - but may have made that up as it was a long time ago. I think some of his films have an element of religion or kind of ultimate divine meaning. Together i just found lovely and humane.

Oh I get what you are saying Boco, but it was all just so painful - it just seemed to be showing that people, even really nice, basically good well-meaning people will hurt each other and fuck each other up, and embarrass and confuse and take advantage of each other in so many ways. Everyone was trying to reach out and make connections and they were all missing so badly - that silly girl and the politico, the dad and the son, the lesbian and the sister, the girl with glasses and the geeky boy, or the gay man and the lesbian's estranged dh. I ached for them all. Except the selfish girl who I wanted to kick

Yes Bee would you like it next then? Please email me and I will post it.

Sorry you have to keep skimming the posts about it, I have just been waiting AGES to talk to Boco about it

Maybe I just think that's what life is like, it's messy and painful and people get it wrong all the time - but there are still all these possibilities for wonderful friendships in unexpected places that makes it worth it in the end, or at the very worst that makes it all bearable and lifts it into humour rather than sadness.

That does sound bad actually.

But all those situations you mentioned, although painful were full of hope and possibility even if they missed, everyone was on the verge of finding out something about themselves and being a bit brave and making a change and just trying. I haven't watched it for a while, but i think the politico was the only one who seemed to have failed to do that because he descended into anger.

I also really related to the 13 year old when i was that age because my parents had those leanings - the bit where she is talking about how silly the adults are and how contrary - i really remember feeling like that.

yes I mean I didn't want to slash my wrists or anything

the characters were WONDERFUl and the actors all just right, they could not have been better really

erm I think it was very real and true and all that and that can be a bit painful to watch can't it? When you have things about people pointed out to you so clearly.

It seemed like the director liked them all very much. I couldn't feel so optimistic as he did though

I am really glad you sent it to me

you don't mind that I found it a bit aaargh do you? I find it very hard when people seem to criticise something I really love

God not at all Franny!
It's actually nice to have someone else watch something you've enjoyed whether or not they like it - just to share an opinion on it.

I think it's quite a personal film to me because of when i watched it and how it made me feel at that time, and I would never assume that would be the same for anyone else anyway, you know, like if you read a book at a particularly important time it means all sorts of other things.

Glad you had a good holiday Boco

Carrots, purple kale, sprouts, parsnips, broccoli.

That film sounds worthy but traumatic. I am a coward these days.

oh just please for next with the naked cardigan film - franny am emailing as we speak.

What-o book-o boc-o

(that line above only works if you pronounce 'boco' my way.)

It sounds wonderful, Boco, I'm so glad you went and it was good and you feel refreshed. I have just got back from the beach but it was dark, stormy and arse-clenchingly cold. Nice, but I'd quite like to lie on a warm one too. Was it sunny/warm most of the week?

Bee, I want to know if the city with the YH opposite arty cinema is the one I think it is.
And I want to knowe if you are bellydancing. I am getting obsessed with wanting to know and everybody keeps ignoring me.

I am looking to do belly dancing - very good for pelvic floor apparently. At the minute I am doing african dancing - which I love - is kind of sensual and powerful and you feel very uplifted afterwards.

Oh how can I hint where this town is - um, bridge???

Bonsoir everyone

DS woke up at 4.52 this morning, and was ready to get up fpr the day..complained loudly when put back to bed and got up again at 6am to go to the loo and went back willingly to bed and then got up again at 7.30.

The result was I didn;t really ever get back off to sleep from 4.52 (props up eyelids). I am eating cake with sticky toffee sauce for pure comfort.

Boco, it sounds wonderful and a little ...but no tomatoes, on a Canary Isle? Bizarre!

Avi what is your OU course? And what kind of building work?

I have skim read about the film and will come back to it later.

Pink you are so enthusiastic about us exercising and I for one have been failing miserably, but went to view second gym today and think this one might be a goer. They do loads of classes, particularly lots of yoga which I am desperate to start again.

Mrsc it was warm every day - sometimes cloudy and not really hot, but probably about 24 degrees every day. Just lovely. I'll show you some pictures if you like.

I'm not going to go on about this naked cardigan film anymore, but it is NOT worthy or traumatic, it's funny, very funny and sometimes a bit sad.

Bee still reading The Gathering by Anne Enright. I'm a slow reader atm. It's good.

24? That sounds heavenly.