IT is here. IT has finally arrived. IT is not much fun today, nor for the foreseeable future. After this snowstorm we are to be hit with winds gusting to 100 km tonight and tomorrow, with temps dropping well below zero, and staying well below zero (Celsius) for many days ahead. Ah, the howling sounds of January in Canada. Detroit airport currently has an average departure delay of 81 minutes. However, we at the Homestead are prepared for nearly anything. The only thing that would affect us negatively this weekend is if the power went off for longer than 4 hours. With heavy snow on the tree branches and the electric wires, this is a very real possibility once those overnight winds kick in. We have a fireplace and plenty of wood to heat the central area of the house. All of the fridge and freezer food could live in the garage indefinitely. But we wouldn't have any hot water for tea, etc. Anyway, we are now only observers, having to accept what comes our way. We have the fire departments of our county on live broadcasts. A few wires down and a house currently burning, but most of the calls are for vehicle accidents. The first real snow of the season and people have forgotten how to drive in the stuff.
We dodged a big one earlier in the week, getting rain instead of the expected snow. But that storm gave us the lowest barometer reading I have ever knowingly experienced: 28.86. The lowest I have ever felt before that was around 29.3o. Normal is around 30.00. And with this most recent storm hitting us this weekend we are back down to 29.03! Amazing stuff!!
There are two films to report, but lately we have been rewatching the Dr. Who episodes that feature David Tenant and Catherine Tate on Prime Video. The original appearance of Donna Noble is in the episode called The Runaway Bride. It is one of Tenant's better episodes, despite the ridiculous spider monster at the end. The two actors seem to have an instant chemistry, and their repartee is hilarious. A running joke about pockets, for example, really sets this one apart. Partners In Crime, the first regular episode to feature Catherine, also introduces her wonderful and amazing granddad, played by Bernard Cribbins. Both he and Catherine (and Tenant) ended up creating characters that are completely unforgettable. Which is why we are rewatching those episodes. We will see if they stand up over time as being truly memorable. So far, yes. I love Donna Noble, and I think that she might be in my top three companions of the Doctor of all time.
In movie news, most recently we watched The Man With A Shotgun, a Japanese pseudo western from 1961, and directed by Seijun Suzuki. In widescreen colour, it is truly one of the weirder movies to come out of Japan. With the usual fistfights, gunfights, saloon girls, good guys and bad guys, the movie will still have viewers' jaws dropping frequently during this story about a man out for revenge on those who raped and killed his young wife. Lots of violence and more than a few surprises, Suzuki's early films are just as weird as his later ones, but in a different way. Don't miss a chance to catch this one. For us it is showing on Criterion.
My main choice last week was called All Things Bright and Beautiful, a BBC production from 1993. It is one of the Screen Two productions. Here is the description from Prime:
at a pious young boy, whose actions are misinterpreted, and then allowed by the boy to go on, until a kind of hysteria has hit their small town parish. It all begins with an innocent mistake, as the boy mistakes a hiding IRA refugee for Barabbas (hey, it can happen). The old time radio gets a supporting role, too, to help set the time the story takes place. The local priest is a complete shambles by the end of the story.
That's it from the Homestead for now. We are safe and cozy, and hope to remain that way. Autumn has vanished at last; here comes Winter.
Mapman Mike
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