My ironing pile is all done and I am up to date, well for today.  I will start again tomorrow with all the bedding and towels.  Ironing is such a discussion these days.  Our Boys say that their things don’t need ironing at all and are quite happy to wear things out of the dryer or off the line.  I always say that if they have been in the washing machine then they need ironing. 

I actually don’t mind ironing, so long as I have things to watch on TV.  Sometimes though it can almost take as long to find something to watch as it does to iron!  I have watched a few films, Horror mainly (getting ready for Halloween!).  I have also been re-watching the original “Frasier” series.  It always used to be on our TV screens on a Friday evening at 9.00pm and DH and I always watched it BC (before children).  I love the characters and their interactions which made it very funny, although I always thought that David Hyde Pierce was the better actor of him and Kelsey Grammer. 

There is going to be a new series of Frasier with just Kelsey Grammer in and I just don’t think it will work.  I am sure that people watching this new one, who have never seen the old series, will like it but I will not be watching because I think we will miss the other characters. 

I watched this the other evening!  Hmm; six episodes about two young, newly married British people transplanted to New York for his work.   However he strays and his wife finds out and she decides, because of a past history of her own father cheating on her mother, on revenge rather than divorce!  Well Jenna Coleman who plays the lead was supposed to be Welsh, however her accent came and went!  I got to the end of Episode six  and was not impressed!

I watched this the other evening and loved it.  I have seen all the Insidious films and thought them very clever.  If you don’t like horror then this is not for you but if you do it is good!

By tomorrow I will have another pile of ironing and will be looking for more things to watch!!! 

Happy Wednesday everyone.  Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Copyright: ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

It was announced yesterday that Dame Angela Lansbury passed away aged 96.

As you know if you read my blog, she was in one of my favourite films, Bedknobs and Broomsticks but is well known to younger viewers as Jessica Fletcher in the TV show “Murder, She Wrote”.  However she acted in many, many films, TV shows and plays during her long career only retiring four years ago.  Despite this long career she was really underrated and should have received far more recognition of her work but I suppose that as she worked for so long that showed that people respected her work.

Having seen the Harry Potter movies, I see a lot of Angela’s portrayal in Bedknobs and Broomsticks in Professor McGonagall, which is not suprising as J.K. Rowling is the same age as I and no doubt watched the film when she was little. 

RIP Dame Angela Lansbury

1925 – 2022

Susie xx

There comes an age, usually after your teens, which you reach and in your mind you never really move on from it despite the birthdays which come and go.  For DH it was 17 when he could learn to drive, that was the age he wanted to get to and for me it was 25.  Don’t ask me why but 25 to me seemed to be I was an adult, not a Kidult ie 18 but not really an “adult”.  This was in 1989 and I had been married for a year, working, my own home and was killing it at life!!!!   In 1986 I was 22 and started living with DH which is when my life really started, so the films we went to see then remain very much a big part. 

Of course now those films are middle aged and I always say when something like this comes to your attention it is only then that you realise that you are getting older too, not those birthdays which come and go every year!!!!!!! 

These are my favourite middle aged films that came out in 1986.

“Highlander” was one of DH and My’s first dates.  What is not to love in that it began in Scotland and had a film score by “Queen” and what a score it was, our favourite song which became DH and my’s song “It’s A Kind of Magic” is from the film score!  Haven’t watched this for a while but originally had it on VHS tape and then bought it on DVD (how many films and albums have you done that with?).  Still love to watch it now.

“When Harry Met Sally” I loved and again bought it on VHS, DVD and have it on my iPod as well!!!  If I EVER want to watch a feel good film and immerse myself in the ’80’s then this is what I put on.  It really is based upon Pride & Prejudice but we can forgive Norah Ephron for using Jane Austen’s book as her inspiration and Harry is definitely not Mr Darcy but he is the 1986 version.  I loved the idea of moving to New York and living in the City that never sleeps and I loved the clothes and the bookstores and that Sally was a journalist.  We lived in Nottingham at the time and for the UK it is a vibrant city, not quite open 24 hours but DH and I had the same sort of life as Harry & Sally, all before “BC” – Before Children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My final middle aged film is “Labyrinth” with another kick ass score by David Bowie!!!  It was the romatic film of 1986 and who would not want to dance with Mr Bowie in that fabulous dress worn by Sarah, but the true heroes of the film were the Jim Henson characters especially Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus!

Hoggle

Ludo

Sir Didymus!

If you have never seen these three films then check them out over the weekend they really are feel good ones and in fact I will probably watch them.  They have also managed to stand the test of time, despite being 35 years old they have not really dated, even When Harry Met Sally which is firmly set in the 1980’s.  The only other film, which is not quite middle aged at only 23 is “You’ve Got Mail” another Norah Ephron film and yes this is on my iPod too!!!  I think by the time this does reach 35 it will still be standing the test of time!!!!! 

Have a wonderful weekend whatever you are up to, us?  – chaos; cars into storage, hire cars being delivered, vans to transport things places including Penny and somewhere in between the normal weekend stuff!!!  I will be back here on Monday, probably asleep at my desk!!!!!! 

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

1930 – 2020

The original James Bond, Sir Sean Connery, passed away today in his sleep aged 90.  The first James Bond film I saw was “Diamonds are Forever” which I loved but there were lots of his films that I loved including “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, “The Rock” and “The Hunt for Red October”.  However my most favourite film which DH and I went to see on our second date was “Highlander” which was set in the Scottish Highlands but Sir Sean played Don Juan Sanchez-Villalobos Ramirez but as always with a Scottish accent!  Loved this film especially as the film score was by Queen, my favourite band.  I still watch it now!

No matter how many actors play Bond they will always be compared to Mr Connery and although they all do bring something to the role, you always have your favourite and I do think he was the best.

Rest in peace Sir Sean.

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

As promised I thought I would let you know what I have been watching recently and during Lockdown.   I tend to like mysteries and science fiction but also some whodunits as well.  Here we go:

No introduction for this show.  The Crown has been really good and the latest series was out last year.

This is like a Stephen King novel.  An Island which is cut off from the rest of the World being overrun by vengeful Ghosts.

A group of nerds come together to solve problems no one else can, overseen by a Homeland Security Agent and an ex waitress who can understand the real world and interpret it for the nerds, whilst they help her with her genius son.

Getting into the right college is hard enough, getting into the right fraternity even harder but so much more when it is a secret magical society and you want to get revenge on them.

No need probably to introduce this, it is my favourite version of Pride & Prejudice, I have it on DVD as well!!!  Colin Firth as Mr Darcy!!!!

Always been a fan of the Star Trek shows, since I watched the original with my Dad!!!  So this version Discovery goes off in a different direction but still as good.

Whilst on Science Fiction, Altered Carbon is definitely up there!  New series just out and following on from the first series.  In this world no one dies, they have created a computer component called a Stack where your memories and mind is stored and if your body “Sleeve” dies you just get another. 

This is the series based upon the film “Mindhunter” about how the Behavioural Analysis Unit was first established in the FBI.  It is not for the faint hearted and some of it can be hard to watch.  They do use actual information from serial killers but it is very interesting. 

A normal family except the parents are monster hunters which the rest of the world don’t realise exist!  The children don’t know what their parents do until the two worlds collide.

Three misfits two in the local Whitechapel police force and one expert on the Ripper chasing cases in modern London but still attached to the Ripper cases!

Haven’t watched this yet but it is on my list to do so.  Hoping it will live up to all the hype around it!!!

The Expanse is on Amazon and Season 4 has just dropped.  Again Science Fiction but I like the way it plays out.  There is now a colony on the Moon and another on Mars and then there is The Belt and all of them are at war with each other.  Then an alien presence is felt and turns them all upside down, only the crew of the Rocinante can help.

No need to really introduce this either!  The series has now ended but the film came out last year.  The intrigue of a Country house above and below stairs, the modern version of “Upstairs, Downstairs” a TV show from the 1970’s! 

Game of Thrones ish with Geralt of Riva being the last of his kind hunting monsters although the villagers seem to want to hunt him more!!! 

Mom and children move back to the family home her husband left many years before after he is killed.  The Youngest finds a key, a very special key which doesn’t just open doors, if opens doors to other places.  Then more keys start to appear which do all sorts of different things. However someone else wants the keys.  Series 1 completed and Series 2 has just been ordered.

Science Fiction again.  I liked the original series so many years ago and the film but this new version is very good.  It is the same story but diverges about the lost bit.  Well worth a watch.

Those have been my favourites so far!!!  I hope you have found something you might like in them but as I say my taste is leaning slighting to the weird!!!!!

Another sunny day here so having worked this morning I will be doing jobs again this afternoon.  DH and Eldest went out early this morning to deliver some parts which are urgently needed and will be back later. 

Your Daily Treacle!!!! 

Happy Thursday everyone, stay safe.

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

DH and I missed seeing this film at the cinema and then we bought the DVD and have not got around to watching it (!) but it is now on our TV Channel so, whilst I have been in the kitchen this afternoon, I have watched it.  Brilliant! 

We are both huge Queen fans and “our record” is “It’s a Kind of Magic” by Queen which was released in 1986 when we started dating.  I was actually a huge fan of Queen from their first records in the 1970’s, all my friends were more into The Osmands or a Scottish Group called The Bay City Rollers, but I was definitely into Rock and in fact the first single I bought (showing my age now!!!!) was “We are The Champions”!!!!

Sadly we never got to see Queen live but in 2008 we did get to see Brian May, Roger Taylor and Paul Rodgers as Queen live in Nottingham and they were great and they had also included Freddie via hologram and it was a stunning set.  However I really do wish we had seen them live in the 1980’s.

Rami Malek who plays Freddie in the film is fantastic and deserved to win the Oscar for Best Actor but the other actors, Gwilym Lee (Brian May), Ben Hardy (Roger Taylor) and Joe Mazzello (John Deacon) were also inspired casting and Queen came to life in the film.  I think it also helps that it was produced by Brian May and Roger Taylor as well so is accurate. 

Of course the story is about the Band but it is the music which is really the whole thing of the film and to be honest is still as good today as it was when it was originally released.

This has set me up very well for the Retro 80’s Event tomorrow evening!  Hopefully I will get some good pictures for Monday.  Have a great weekend.

Hugs, Susie xx

I always have to watch something on TV whilst I am ironing.  A friend actually does her ironing listening to the radio and I am afraid I cannot do that.  So I thought I would show you what I have been watching recently. 

Sometimes the childrens’ films and programmes are much better than the adults!!!  I love “Madagascar” and it whiles away a couple of hours!

Scorpion is really good and I suppose falls into the nerd category but the characters are good and the actors portraying them excellent.  Sadly it was cancelled, as all the shows I seem to like are being!

Yes I know it’s a reality show but I just cannot believe these womens’ lives, I know a lot of it is scripted but really?!!!  It is the only one of the whole series I watch and again it passes the time whilst ironing!!!

I am a big fan of the Star Trek family of shows and “Discovery” has lived up to the reputation of them all.  I am waiting to see what “Picard” is going to be like as “Star Trek: The Next Generation” is probably my favourite of them all.

I think “Lucifer” has been a really great show and again after the next series it will be finishing!!!  As I say all the shows I like finishing, however it will mean that I will have more time for quilting and other things.  We do, however, record anything we want to watch and then we are able to wiz on the adverts!!!!!

I have a huge basket of ironing to do tonight so will be watching whilst ironing!!!

I hope your Tuesday is going well.

Hugs, Susie xx

Well after Eight seasons and the only question being who shall finally sit on the Iron Throne, we find the answer is no one!  Even Daenerys didn’t get to sit on it for one second after the final battle!  Are you disappointed with the finale or are you happy with the way it all turned out and it was not all wrapped up with a neat bow? 

My only thought is about Jon Snow and I may be missing it here but he obviously did the deed that no one else wanted to do but was punished for it by being sent back to the Wall where his journey really began.  However he goes through the gates at the end with Ghost and the Wildlings and to me that means that he has given up the Nights Watch and is making his life with the Wildlings as their King.  He did say in Episode 5 that he wished he was going back beyond the wall so that is where I think he has gone but everyone else seems to think that he is just going on patrol and escorting the Wildlings back but I don’t think so as he looks back when the gate comes down, as if saying goodbye.

My other thought at the end when Tyrion, as Hand of the King, is holding the first Small Council Meeting and they are all there, yes younger versions of the original small council members, that it is just the same as the first Season, which means that nothing really changes.  They are still arguing about the same things!!!!

I cannot wait for the book to finally be published to see all the intricate details of all the other characters that surround the main story to see how that all plays out, so please hurry up and publish please Mr Martin!

I think that whenever these epics end, like Avengers: End Game, you feel a sense of loss but hopefully the Prequals, of which I have one of the books to read, will be as good.  I am a little sorry the way it ended and that Daenerys did not get to reign after all that she had been through but then again her personality changed so I suppose it was a fitting ending!  Out of them all I think Jon got the raw deal but then if my theory above is accurate he did get what he wanted in the end.

After this I don’t think I will be watching much TV as all my favourite shows have ended and there are only a few left and I have not found any to replace them.  However that means more time I can spend doing other things like Quilting, sorting the Boys Memory Books out, gardening, spring cleaning, decorating.  Plenty of things to fill my time.

I hope you all had a good weekend.  I decided not to do any quilting as my eyes were very sore and everything ached so I had a weekend doing nothing!!!!  It did feel good actually to not do a lot!!!!  Next weekend is another three day weekend when we are going to finish the Spring Cleaning and also hopefully get some gardening done too!

Hugs, Susie xx

(All Images from HBO and owned by them)