Sherlock

Posted the clip below for my friend Sue who put me on to the Sherlock series. Benedict Cumberpatch has to be the best Sherlock ever - "the wall had it coming". There's never a dull moment at 113B Baker Street. Gossip has it that Cumberpatch may be the villain in the next Star Trek film. Hope they don't put him in some stupid makeup/facemask and let him be himself.

Severed head in the fridge - Sherlock - BBC. Magnificent

Still in love with the Boosh boys

Been watching clips of The Mighty Boosh on youTube. I still find them funny and am still in love with Noel. So clever, so funny, so pretty. I've posted this little clip of "Jurgen Haabermaster's" masterpiece for you to enjoy.
Saw an hilarious 1980-something clip of Princess Diana trying to speak Italian, thanking the Italians for being so Italian. She spoilt the effect by adding a sotto voce comment along the lines of "try and work that out if you can". Prince Charles thought Florence was wonderful largely because there were so many English people there.
First day of my holiday today. On the first day of a holiday, time just seems to stretch away, like a freshly made bed, like a hot fruitcake straight from the oven, or a crystal wave taking you away with it. Poetic, innit? But I'm sure you know the feeling.
Random thoughts today:-
 A rooster crowing in the distance makes my suburb feel like its out in the country. Glad he's in the distance though.
The function of newspapers is not to inform; it's to give you a new selection of things to feel outraged about every morning.
Allora, a domani, raggazi.

The Mighty Boosh - Julian Barratt as Jurgen Haabermaaster - BBC comedy

Weapon Of Choice by Fatboy Slim

"Weird" Al Yankovic - Amish Paradise

What?

Went out to dinner last night and realised I am going deaf! The restaurant was very noisy, a group next to us had imbibed not wisely but too well, and I was trying to have a conversation with a charming and lovely 16 year old girl on the other side of the table. And I could not hear her! I think she was asking me something - after I had asked her to repeat it twice, I realized I couldn't ask her a third time so settled for smiling a lot and nodding. Poor child probably thinks she was talking to an idiot, some crazy old bat with early-onset Alzheimers. I do know she's learning Latin this year, and dislikes e-readers.    There's hope for the younger generation yet, grumph, grumph. Now where did I put my ear trumpet?
Had a great time tonight with youTube. I love it, love the way it's not just rock and roll, but opera, jazz, country, musicals, orchestral, chamber, etc. And you can choose what to look at, you're not obliged to just gawp at whatever crap They choose to show you on TV. I can paraphrase Samuel Johnson, and tell you that when you're tired of the Internet you're tired of life.

Okuti Valley view - looking up toward the big rock

The big rock's probably not this big - artistic license. Not very used to using coloured pencils, but they are easier to tote around than paints.

More pics from Little River Show

                                      Vintage cars and blokes

                                        
                                      Speedy sheep dog getting a bit carried away
                                      

                              Small Thelwellian girls  return flushed with victory from the show ring

                        I have no idea what the purpose of the Little Wonder was, but it worked really well.

Vintage dairying equipment- a real niche enthusiasm

Calloo, callay, o frabjous day!

Okuti Valley Eco-stay has just been picked as one of the Top Choices for places to stay in Canterbury in Lonely Planet's revised edition of their New Zealand guidebook. Congratulations!
Went to the Little River A & P show on Saturday. For those of you overseas (or offshore, as people say who think they are cool), A & P stands for Agricultural and Pastoral. It's where farmers and country dwellers can get together to compete at horse-riding, wood chopping, sheep shearing and rounding up sheep with dogs and whistles, plus cake-baking and preserve making contests, and all sorts of good wholesome fun. It was a lovely day, nice and hot, and the animals looked great. Horses, dogs, sheep, piglets, even a rat or two. It was the Little River A & P Association's 100th anniversary year, so some brave people were dressed up in  period costume.
The theme of the day, I guess, was the human/animal interface.What struck me most about the day was how much we depend on animals for our welfare, and how much they depend on us for their happiness.

The rudbeckias are from Okuti Garden, I think they are "Prairie Sun"