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And in what couldn't have been better timing, the Autumn and Winter copies of Folly arrived in yesterday's post. My subscription expired before last Autumn's edition, and I didn't renew then because of exchange rates. But I'm now re-subscribed and it was good to catch up with them. I particularly love the illustrations in Folly. And, also well timed, we now have a new free-to-air digital channel that's all sport. Something to watch at last!
I also made the most of beautiful autumn weather to go for a long walk.
So, what else? Well, Hawthorn lost their opening game last night, to Geelong (Gabe's team) who they beat in last year's Grand Final. I was expecting that (it's a fairly normal thing for reigning champions to lose their opening game, in most sports) and the winning margin was slim, so I remain optimistic about back-to-back Premierships. Hawthorn and Geelong will be the two teams to watch all year, I think.
And we are still watching Secret Army. We are near the end of Season 2 now. I cannot believe how good it is compared with today's TV. Each episode is an hour and the characterisation is superb. You see shades of grey in all the characters, and at times even feel some sympathy for the head of the Gestapo, Kessler. So much time and detail has gone into it, and the writing and acting is excellent. I shall really miss it when we've watched the final series, though apparently there's a spin-off, Kessler, which I'll try to get hold of. And maybe I'll get Wish Me Luck, about women agents in occupied France, which I never watched when it was on telly in the 1980s.
I haven't been reading much at all this year. I re-read To Kill a Mockingbird and am now wondering whether to read some of the unread books on my bookshelves or whether to go to the bookshop this weekend and find something new. After watching Secret Army, I've a hankering to read some non-fiction about the Second World War, so if anyone knows of any really good books, please recommend. I mean human-interest type books, rather than military ones.
Comments
Is DuncanD male or female? Just wondering!
Second World War. I enjoyed To War with Whitaker by the Countess of Ranfurly, one of those very grand, indomitable women. It's about war in the middle east. Also Eric Newby's Love and War in the Appenines, about his experiences in Italy. ISTR he was an escaped prisoner and met his wife. Lots more but I can't think of them just now.
Edited at 2009-03-28 08:14 am (UTC)
The Folly illos look as if they come from old girls' comics. Does Sue have to chase copyright on them? If so, it would be incredibly time-consuming, especially with artists often unknown and long dead and the comic long defunct.
I quite liked Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies (who recently turned 100).
In the fiction line (even thought you said non-fiction), have you ever read Pied Piper by Neville Shute (of A Town Like Alice fame)?
Apparently Anne Frank Remembered is being re-issued for Miep Gies's 100th birthday, so I shall look out for that as I've never read it.
*grin*
My real introduction to War Matters, though, was through WW2 prisoner of war escape stories. I started reading them off my father's bookshelf when I was 9. The Wooden Horse, The Colditz Story, Two Eggs On My Plate, They Have Their Exits... Lots of good memories there.
Grant would love the Trelaur Centre and would want to put the WWI tank back together himself. Gabe would love it too. Is it open to the public or is it one of those things you can only do by private appointment and only if you have a specific reason for needing to see it?
I was really lucky to be on a weekend with a group of fellow First World War researchers, so we got the behind the scenes tour by one of the AWM archivists who also gave a speech at our formal dinner. It was fascinating not only to see everything, but his explanations about how restoration was done. I could have spent several days there.
I still remember one part of it vividly: [paraphrasing] "In your two churches you preach the love of God. You preach the love of God on Sundays, and then you hate each other the rest of the week."