PotCXXVIIpouri

 It's the summer and, relatively unusually in the UK, it has been summery. I have therefore been out and about, but, finding myself briefly back in the Casa Epictetus, here's a catch-up.

I have been in Glasgow for the second time this year. I still can't understand a word that the natives say, but they seem friendly enough. I went inside a tenement building for the first time and found it to be disconcertingly up-market. Also for the first time I tried a haggis pakora, these days just as traditionally Scottish as tenements. Probably more noteworthy was that I travelled up via the Settle to Carlisle railway, which I had never been on before. It is every bit as scenic as I had been led to believe it would be.

Two things about that photo. Firstly, you can't really see that view from the train itself; for that you're much better off walking the area, which I have done many times. Secondly, I didn't travel on a steam train. I did do so however when I went to see 'The Railway Children', part of the ongoing Bradford 2025 City of Culture programme. The film, the original with Jenny Agutter rather than the remake, which confusingly also featured Jenny Agutter albeit in a different role (*), was shot on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway (**) and so the day started with a trip from Keighley to Oxenhope on a train pulled by the very same engine saved from disaster by Jenny's red bloomers. Then, in what I assume is an engine shed with a few tiers of seats installed on either side, the performance took place. The action took place mostly on small platforms being pushed backwards and forwards along the track by stage hands. At the climactic moment a steam locomotive suddenly shot into the theatre. Most impressive.

You won't be able to see that because the entire run is sold out. You may however be able to catch 'The Ceremony', although I don't expect it to get a particularly wide release. In my previous post I observed that I had never been to a première; lo and behold, I now have and a Gala Première at that. The shine was slightly taken off things when we reached the end of the red carpet to be greeted by an officious lady with a clipboard who told us, quite accurately, that we weren't on the guest list and should have used the side entrance with all the other ordinary punters. However, by the time she had finished speaking my companion for the evening had already liberated a glass of fizz from a passing waiter and so it was all a bit moot. I very much enjoyed the film, most of which took place not very far from the Ribblehead viaduct pictured up above. It was extremely well acted, visually striking and quite tense. What is it about? Fair question; possibly the fact that there is good and bad in all of us. If you do go and see it then I'd be interested in your view of what all the quasi-mystical stuff with the goat (***) is about.

*      The sequel to the original was also shot on the KWVR and, inevitably starred Ms Agutter, who apparently thereby claimed the record for the longest gap between playing the same character in films.

**    Both Keighley and the Worth valley are part of Bradford

*** It might actually be a ram, reviewers are divided on the subject. 

There's A Bright Golden Haze On The Meadow

 It may astonish you to learn that your bloggist has never been invited to a film première, never walked the red carpet in his dinner jacket and black tie. One side effect of this is that I had never sat in a cinema alongside those actually appearing on the screen. Until, yesterday that is. 

As part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture I attended a screening of 'A Bunch of Amateurs', the 2022 documentary about the travails of the Bradford Movie Makers club, going since 1932, but possibly not going for much longer. I hadn't managed to see it when it first came out and was happy to take the opportunity to catch up with the film and the promised director's Q&A. It's a lovely film, both joyous and moving, full of pathos and comedy in equal measure. One implicit subtextual message - which may or may not be relevant to this blog's readership - concerned the mutual support and companionship available to men of a certain age from sharing in a common hobby. 

Watching it, however, turned out to be an odd experience. The Q&A was actually not just with the director, but also with the club members featured in the film, all of whom took their place in the auditorium. There is a scene early on in the film in which club members sit and watch the opening of 'Oklahoma', and sing along to 'Oh What a Beautiful World'; it eventually transpires that there is a rather poignant reason why they are doing that. So I sat there, flanked by people watching themselves in a film watching a film, whilst they sang along to themselves singing along to Curly McLain. Surreal.

Here is some Nice Jam:

All Over By Christmas

 Big technical problems at the Casa Dojo Mojo House Epictetus, which have been affecting all sorts of things. There has been a very brief bit of wargaming though. We're still in the Great War and using Square Bashing, but now it's 1914.

These are 28mm figures from Mark's collection. I think they're Renegade, but don't quote me on that.

Cavalry as well. The infantry which look as if they are French, are in fact French; Mark didn't have enough British.

The game is going well, but its conclusion has been repeatedly delayed. I am, however, confident that it will all be over by...