It’s been a really, really good week. Weather-wise it’s been approaching perfect – sunshine, mainly blue skies, comfortable temperatures, light breeze, etc. Not what we are used to by any means. Hmm, it’s supposed to rain most of today. Oh well.
The good weather has meant a plethora of gardening opportunities – lots of weeding and lawn mowing, just for fun. On Friday Ms Playchute decided that she would like to reduce the height of the hornbeam hedge which separates our “croquet” lawn from the vegetable patch/orchard. So, we both spent several happy hours attacking the hedge with secateurs and hedge trimmers. Of course, reducing the height by about a foot means that there are some quite large branches which the hedge trimmer is not quite hefty enough to manage. Ergo, Pen was compelled to use her secateurs and, eventually, the long-handled industrial calibre limb loppers! It all looks a bit ragged at the moment – much like me most of the time – but it will grow out again in the spring and be as good as new, unlike me.
We watched Triangle of Sadness the other evening which we both thought was good fun. It was recommended by a couple of our lovely neighbours and, although I was a little bit sceptical at first, in the end we both thoroughly enjoyed it. Penny was convinced that we’d seen it before but none of it evoked any familiarity on my part – that doesn’t necessarily mean that I didn’t see it before and have simply blotted out any recollection but it would be unusual for me to forget everything single scene. Hey ho.
In Ruben Östlund’s wickedly funny Palme d’Or winner, social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty. Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson). What first appeared instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival.
It is on Netflix in the UK so you may find it there wherever you are.
And, speaking of entertainment opportunities, Moreton Pinkney Film Night returns in October – hooray! Sadly, the first night happens to be on the evening we are leaving for the States so we shall miss it, much to our disappointment. The first film of the season is Wicked Little Letters which, although we’ve seen before, we would happily watch again – it is great fun. So, although we won’t be there, we’ve bought a ticket for Aleks, our house sitter which will give her a great opportunity to meet a range of folks from the village and, hopefully, have an enjoyable and entertaining evening.
I ran across a lovely photo essay about the UK Hobby Horse Championships which were held recently. I have to say, those hobby horses are very well trained.
That’s pretty much it for this week and, if you’re lucky, for the next six weeks – we’re away next weekend visiting friends so there probably will be no Picayune next Sunday, and then we’re off on our adventure to the States. Count your lucky stars!
Meanwhile, keep happy, keep smiling, keep exercising, be good, be careful, and keep safe. And be gentle to wasps and bees – we need all the pollinators we can get.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg