I woke up at 10am this morning in my Rossi's arms. It was a lovely way to end this fortnight's holiday.
That's the longest I've spent away from work for quite some time and the longest that Ross and I have spent in each other's company as well. Ross confirms that I do relaxation an awful lot better up here. Well, I'm not in charge of anything and I don't have a colleague working against me. When I'm not in work, I'm not in work. Period.
I still can't quite believe that Ross doesn't have a rail ticket in his back pocket and that he will be here tomorrow and the day after and the day after that as well. The next few weeks will sort things out as we both move into our respective work routines.
Meanwhile, today has been a general tidying up day. The tree has been dismantled and the decorations stored for yet another year. The cards have been removed from their resting places and scoured for addresses that need copying, etc. Even the Christmas cushions from Rod and Dale are back in their plastic bags. Colin was much taken with these when he came to visit. He thinks that the Father Christmas images that they portray are far more like a North American version of the Green Man.
We've also been tidying the house, finishing off some of the scraps of food left over from Christmas, depositing the empty bottles at the bottle bank and generally winding down. We've also remade the bed with fresh linen and used the new duvet cover and pillow cases which we bought in the John Lewis Sale yesterday.
We made a trip into the sales yesterday daytime. We looked round at furniture in George Henry Lee's but did not feel tempted to part with lots of money though the leather sofas and sleigh style bed were all tempting. Ross may go for a desk for his computer but, since it wasn't in the sale and since his studio isn't cleared out yet, there didn't seem much point in making the expense.
We did spend money at Virgin records. Ross bought some Steve Reich and some Poulenc. I bought an album of Cecilia Bartoli singing Vivaldi (to go with Ross's album of Gluck arias) and an album of French arias performed by Marcelo Alvarez who we heard in Rigoletto last autumn.
After a snacky lunch at Café Nero, we dropped in on
Liverpool's Conservation Centre. It's a very interesting display about the
various forms of conservation techniques used in Liverpool's Museums and
Galleries. It's full of interactive features and educational displays as is the
way these days. There is also what appear to be a very nice café which must
be sampled at some point.
In the evening we finally got to see The Fellowship of the Ring
directed by Peter Jackson. We went to see this mostly because Ross wanted to. I could
have lived without it. I'm on record as not having
finished the books because I got very frustrated with them. Ross seemed to enjoy
the film. He thought that it was quite good, that the settings were nice and that
Ian McKellen took a good part as Gandalf.
I don't think that the film avoids the problems of the books - they're over-long,
obsessively over-detailed, overly male and slavishly in thrall to the ethos of
the Icelandic sagas on which they are based. But I do think that the film is a
triumph, nevertheless.
Elijah Wood plays Frodo Baggins. We last saw him in Deep Impact which was one of my films of 1998. The special effects which make him a small Hobbit against tall humans mostly work. They are actually at their most noticably inept in the first ten minutes of the film. He is joined in the Hobbit camp by Sean Astin as Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee, Billy Boyd as Peregrin 'Pippin' Took and Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc 'Merry' Brandybuck (he used to grace our TV screens as Geoffrey Shawcross in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates - with Colin Farrell of Ballykissangel appearing in Tigerland, it would appear that British comedy dramas are a fertile source of Hollywood actors at present). In a nice touch, Ian Holm played Bilbo Baggins - he was Frodo in the BBC Radio series.
Ian McKellen was good as Gandalf, Cate Blanchett was a graceful Galadriel, Viggo Mortensen pouted and preened a little as Aragorn, Christopher Lee was consumately professional as Saruman, Sean Bean died gracefully as Boromir and John Rhys-Davies made an unlikely dwarf as Gimli. Orlando Bloom was gorgeous as the elf Legolas Greenleaf. We last saw him as a rent boy in Wilde. I'm sure he took his part well.
Ross didn't seem to think that the designs were at all affected by the general
illustrations that you see round the place. I thought quite the reverse. The whole
film felt like a moving fantasy cartoon poster from the 1980s. And it was quite
remarkable that it should be so. The matte artists and the foley artists must
have been working their tiny socks off.
The action sequences were incredibly gripping. My little legs were running on the
spot during the collapsing bridge in the Mines of Moria. And there was one
vertiginous shot from the top of the Tower of Orthanc at Isengard which did
my fear of heights no good whatsoever.
But I was a little put out by the constant retreat into faux Celtic mists.
Enya's music was the prime culprit. But the Hobbits kept lapsing into bad Irish
accents and John Rhys-Davies's dwarf turned out Scottish most of the time which
is remarkable since the actor is Welsh. These myths are Norse/Teutonic not Celtic.
John Rhys-Davies also produced the film's most risible moment. There on the collapsing
bridge, heroes were flinging small beings across the gaping chasm before doom struck.
Aragorn looked at Gimli. The dwarf stoutly proclaimed. "No-one tosses a dwarf."
I'm afraid that I cackled audibly.
But, hey, that's the worst I can say. I shall probably go to the next two and, whilst this is unlikely to be my film of the year, I am sure I shall see worse in the next twelve months.
I shall finish there. Ross is in bed preparing for his meeting tomorrow with Social Services. He's been listening to the Steve Reich he bought whilst I've been listening to Cecilia Bartoli singing Vivaldi whilst I've been typing here.
And for your final delectation, as in previous years, here are Ross and my horoscopes for the coming year courtesy of London's Evening Standard.
Taurus
21 Apr-21 May
Learn to be adaptable. Show your lover you can read in the bath and still scrub his/her back. Give others space to be themselves. Develop your sense of beauty, grace and practicality.
Inspiration
Mars revs up your adrenaline level by mid-March. Romantic infatuation makes any shall-I-or-shan't-I? decisions obsolete, which is just the energy you need to feel persuasive, pursued and, quite frankly, hooked. By mid-April Venus swings into action and someone just can't get enough of you. Make music together, or just listen to your favourite adviser around 10 May. Whatever they have to say could make you either reach for the gourmet cookbook or be stunned into silent awe. The beauty of love puts you into a state of sensory overdrive for six months. And at the end of a perfectly exuberant May, what more could you want than each other?
Perspiration
OK, so you work like the devil but sometimes you need to play the saint, especially from 19 January to 9 February when Mercury's influence stirs a rebellious shiver through every bone. It is not so much keeping wolves from the door, as letting them believe you're a born-again Red Riding Hood. Cool customers await you over the boardroom - or restaurant - table, so act like a Goody Two-Shoes (yes, you can play the role if you put your mind to it) and you'll win an important tactical battle of wills. By mid-April you'll have gained ground, and it's safe to walk alone.
Aspiration
Breathe life into old plans in mid-February. Those ideas you dismissed as futile a few months back could become the ultimate key to personal success. Moonstruck as you may feel in March, someone gives you the chance to be on the first wave of something very lucrative. This one is tidal, so don't hold back just because you fear a few big breakers. The ethics involved are viable and, while the ideals may be a tad far-fetched, you're good at grounding all those fiery freaks around you. By 3 June, Venus's collusion with Jupiter puts more icing on the financial cake than you can eat.
Libra
24 Sep - 23 Oct
Live love rather than just longing for it. Learn to experiment with your sexual needs and articulate your desires. Become an expert in seduction. Make sure you are cared for rather than adapting to suit others' needs.
Inspiration
You feel like a barometer of relationship highs and lows in early March. This is your chance to persuade, seduce and elect a new set of values in your most intimate needs. And you do have them, even though the perfect partner doesn't seem to exist and you are gradually realising there is a better way to love - and that's to stick to what you know and trust. But mid-April a rank outsider gives you the feeling - or rather the thought - that perhaps you were wrong. Check your romantic inclinations. Are they back to front? No, they're forward-thinking and motivated, thanks to Venus's influence. But challenge a lover's version of events around 10 May. Mars is giving you the courage to demand that love be an experience, not an experiment.
Perspiration
Challenge and change arrive when you least expect them around 13 February. A working goal is in sight, but someone you desire moves out of sight and out of mind. This much realism temporarily puts a hold on your plans, but your idealistic, feisty spirit propels you into all kinds of travel adventures by mid-April. Avoid sympathising with your boss or a pretentious colleague in mid-May. They could be convinced there's a conspiracy to expose their sex life and possibly start imagining that it's you who's framing them. So be wary of your own charm, sometimes it is suspiciously too good to be true. By the end of June you've managed to stay clear of trouble, but be careful you aren't phased out by an inconclusive meeting around 23 June. Neptune's subtle link with Venus is making others deceptive. Don't fall into a trap.
Aspiration
Venus gives you an ambitiously creative surge from the middle of January until 12 February, with the ripple effect of high-profile status. Chase up the options, and don't feel you can't, or don't, have the courage to take them any further. This is your chance finally to admit you're hungry for success and acclaim. Mars roars on through your chart giving you a wanderlust spirit and a desire for sexual adventure. By the end of May, you are headstrong, self-confident and determined to have the best and give the best. Jupiter is giving you every reason to think big and act the part - just don't forget the details of love.