enjoyed State of Play before Chianti refuel

I enjoyed watching 'State of Play'. A good and mainly tightly scripted conspiracy thriller about newspapers, relationships, politics, police against morality questions around friendship, self serving ends and ways to derive 'truth'.

There's some structural conventions, like in a good blues song, to make it easy to absorb - a short opening scene during which someone is eliminated from the plot. Helicopters, aerial swoops around skylines, CIA Langley, clickety clackety noises and a special synthesizer sound reserved for the prowling man with the big gun.

A scruffy metropolitan Saab-driving reporter (Russell Crowe) whom all of the cops know, eye-candy cub-reporter accomplice (Rachel McAdams) who writes the 'Capitol Hill' blogs for the paper(chalk cheese etc). Tough Brit scene-stealer editor trying to sell copy to stop the newly acquired paper from toppling (Helen Mirren). An entourage of only semi-named cops who are mostly a step behind the wily reporter's investigation centred on his ex room-buddy senator (Ben Affleck with a cheesy Philadelphia accent).

Snappily paced, with a few longer scenes to give time to breathe a little. Some settings confused my sense of the 2009 period - I found myself checking a car date sticker in one scene to be sure. The cluttered newsrooms full of paper were for me more evocative of 70s movies than a 2009 paperless workplace, but hey, maybe the press still do it the old way.

With references to Watergate Building (been there!) whizzing around Washington (ditto) and Georgetown (yup), there was a combination of homage to other reporting stories and perhaps just things to make it easy to fix the location for a global audience.

By random co-incidence I'd also watched 'Body of Lies' a few days ago, with Crowe playing against Leonardo di Caprio (another good popcorn film) and it was interesting to see the way Crowe can change his whole appearance and demeanour for the different roles. Less so with Affleck, where I thought it more a good casting choice for him as the neat but flawed senator.

And back to the blues song formula, one hopes in a film like this that certain things will happen; the genre needs the underground car park scene, helicopters, convergence of the unconnected, the important twist when you think you know what has happened. Its all there.

BUT. I gather this was adapted from a BBC screenplay produced some years ago. I'm wondering in hindsight if there's still enough of the original plot arc there to have limited some of the choices from what a modern rebuild could do? I'm guessing it was a mini-series, which could explain why I thought there was an end in sight around 2/3 of the way through (end of episode?).

Also the blog/new media savvy gal with the faux 1940's columnist name Della Frye, could have driven more into the plot. Don't just give Crowe a Blackberry, do something more interesting with the social media. Instead, Crowe ends up instructing McAdams and Affleck on spin management. A modernist twist here could have been more fun.

That's me being a tad over critical though; was this a film to watch before drifting along to an Italian restaurant for some good conversation over a glass of wine?

Will I watch it again when its a DVD or on Sky?

For sure.

Joanna Lumley is next Prime Minister

I know rashbre central leaked the "Harriett Harmon for Prime Minister" story a few weeks ago. It was long before it made it to the popular media and created many 'painted into a corner' denials.

We're now seeing the alternative scenario develop. As sundry further (very) senior Ministers get their strange cleaning allowances scrutinised and Harriett has to take the role to explain them, we can reveal that an absolutely fabulous person is being groomed as the next premier.

We're now seeing Joanna showing the government how its done before she makes her play to become an independent candidate and populist Prime Minister because the others on offer aren't good enough.

She may even stop the current Deputy Leader and Prime Minister spending their governmental time talking about over-privileged domestic allowances whilst the economy continues to burn.

signs of US economic recovery

rashbre central likes to be ahead of the curve and the lifestyle media detectors are sensing recent United States fiscal measures beginning to move things into a better place.

The signs of this are not always obvious, but the issue of these stamps will almost certainly precede a new Bull market, stimulated by the accompanying feelgood factor.

my cycling encounters a car treasure hunt

This morning I re-pumped the thin tyres on my speedy bike and decided to go out for a spin in a few twisty lanes. I did okay with the hills but had inadvertently chosen a route which was also being used for one of those car treasure hunts. Clearly popular, turning the normally tranquil single track lanes into something akin to school run traffic congestion.

It was out of sync with my own mindset, which was to meander and occasionally pause to look at cows and horses. There was revving of engines, awkward five point turns, large scale maps and plenty of clipboards and mobile phones in evidence. I also seemed to be invisible to several of the motorists who were determined to accelerate along the very centre of the mainly single track, requiring me to pull over to let them noisily pass.

It wasn't simply a case of diverting to another route, I suspect that most of the area I'd selected was part of their course.

I did adjust my route and diverted briefly past a small trading estate which brought a wry smile to my face. It was a location I'd used when I was scribbling my second attempt at a novel and needed somewhere to place some folk who were up to no good. A few days ago I was sent an allegedly final draft of novel one, and seeing the sheds reminded me that I've a partly written novel two, which could be pulled back into daylight.

I'll admit that before some structured shopping this afternoon, I've just spent an hour with Scrivener starting to re-arrange what I sometimes refer to as 'The Square'.

Having a ball... float valve (polymer)... fitting time in the roof

The joys of a Bank Holiday weekend. I seem to be involved in domestic chores at present, mainly climbing around in the roof.

One errand is to retrieve some possibly seasonal clothing which has been filed for future reference and another reason is to fix the errant leaking pipe where a cistern is overfilling.

It should be a few minute task, but I have my usual suspicions that I will need specialised equipment and possibly some support from International Rescue.

drive by photography as advanced window shopping

An example of a 'drive by shooting', where I could see something interesting in a gallery shop window but didn't really have time to take a proper look.

The pictures by this artist caught my eye, but we were in a hurry, so a quick grabbed shot from across the street had to suffice.

But it was enough to get the name of the artist, so a google later and I'd tracked down Alexej Ravski and the picture.

my Thursday travel backpack still needs to be emptied

I sometimes post a bus or taxi picture when I remember that I'd originally intended to have a sort of London theme linked somewhere within this blog. My recent travelling, both for holiday to Normandy and also to the Temporary Apartment for what is now approaching three months means that the London theming has slightly declined.

Thats not to say I haven't also been around town. A meeting with my Boston friend was in London, a theatrical visit to the Barbican, a South Bank meal at Riviera, business meetings in the City and sundry trips to Portobello Road and the Electric are interspersed with my travel.

But its all gone a bit piecemeal on my understanding the recent UK news events. I'm told that the planes are so full on Sundays now because its the people heading home from their shopping expeditions to cut price London. My friends at the barbecue the other evening were telling me that local (foreign) TV advertisements were selling 'Bargain Britain'.

Whenever I see a picture of Gordon Brown, he either looks morose or has what looks like a photoshopped grin. I know he is supposed to be figuring out how to pilot us out of his recession, but it looks as if there's a fire on every engine at the moment. Choose from corrupt bandwidth-stealing politician expense declarations, car scrappage allowances for those who mainly drive quite old second hand cars so that they can take big loans to buy new ones or a whole series of other questionable situations.

The current government has been in a little longer than the age of the cars which get these refunds, but instead of we voters getting a rebate it looks like a further ten years is needed to get back to a neutral position. Even the Government's petition site seems to suggest that the next thing the Prime Minister should do is resign, with some 34,000 signatories last count.

He won't of course.

And the people taking snaps of one another in Heathrow wearing those blue face masks last weekend. It was around Wednesday when I caught up on that piece of news. A taxi driver asked me where I was from.

"UK", I explained, "Ah, Swineflu", he replied, as I initially tried to work out if it was some kind of local insult. I finally realized it was about H1N1 (swine), not to be confused with H5N1(avian) flu all of which is clear at the aptly named Pandemicflu.gov website. Now I knew why they'd been wearing the facemasks.

So I'll be taking it easy this weekend- my overseas counterparts have been taking Labour Day in its various guises - which created a few unexpected gaps in Friday's schedule. I've a backpack of travel stuff to unpack, but its deposited on the floor at the moment waiting to be unzipped. And there's something strangely liberating about having a full weekend ahead, instead of just a Saturday. Perhaps I won't worry too much about 2019's return to balance. The guys predicting 1999 didn't do such a good job either.

entering a purple zone of tranquility

I'm in the well hidden purple quiet lounge at the moment after a day of intensive workshopping. Bundled into a hot car at the end of the session and back to the airport almost in time for the early flight.

But not quite.

A few minutes of blackberrying, some short emails and now I've decided to shut down until tomorrow and maybe just sit quietly and drink a coffee.

Actually I've still got piles of things to do, but instead I'll spend time in this slightly post industrial tranquil place, interrupted by the loud plane announcement system at two minute intervals.

sent from a handheld device

one of my time capsules has croaked

It's slightly annoying to discover that the time capsule I use to back up one of my computers has converted itself into a white brick.

I don't solely rely upon the device as a backup but I still consider the device to have been a relatively recent addition to the environment (albeit outside of warranty), probably with a main purpose to outlive the system it is backing up.

Anyway, after varied attempts to revive it, I pinged it apart and retrieved the 'Hitachi Deskstar' terabyte disk from inside it. I diagnostically tried it without the disk but not even the network lights would come on at the back of the unit.

Something rather terminal has happened inside of it. I feel a "dear Apple" email is needed.

panoramic sheep for insomniacs

The sheep were gently grazing and I didn't feel in the least bit tired. I didn't even feel the need to count them, although it's easier if you click through on the picture, which is slightly bigger than the clip I've taken..

april showers pitter pattering all around

Thor is wearing the seven league boots tonight and dragging galleons by their chains over rooftops against a carbon sky. I can smell soot, hear sudden sheet metal crashes and see blasting shards of white light from behind the nearby buildings.

I've got the window open and can smell and taste the rain as it smacks the glass roof several stories below me.

I'm not sure if the gods are angry or if it's just April.
sent from a handheld device

Lazing by the Thames before heading to Heathrow

We decided to head for Gabriel's Wharf and some South Bank sunshine. A restaurant by the River Thames and Embankment where we could people watch.

It may be touristville in this part of London, but there's always plenty to happening.

No chance to get caught up in the marathon activities this year as I have to head out to the airport anytime soon.