Deb's 2nd kidney stone removal surgery in 4 months finally happened today. She was first on the table this morning in Leamington, which meant a very early start for us. We left home at 5:45 am to get Deb there by 6:45 am. She was out and back in the car well before 10:00 am and is currently at home, resting comfortably, as they say. Or perhaps not so comfortably. She has a stent in place for the next two weeks, and can't go far from home. She has some happy pills to take for the first few days. Her newest urologist is keen to discover the reason why these things are happening. Not only did he zap a 1cm beastie this morning, but he also found two more in her kidney which he also removed. So now we can concentrate on getting her RA back under control again, then worry about her lung blood clots. Fun times. Funny thing is she will likely be ready for a trip to London next month, but my foot is still holding me back. I went off anti-inflammatory pills for several days to see how things were going. I'm back on the pills today. I've had no contact from my physician regarding the recent ultra sound results. I guess I will have to contact him.
We finally watched the final episode of Season Three of Picard. It's not that it's bad, but it's just the same old stuff over and over again, this time with the full old timer crew from Next Generation taking part. There is nothing new in Star Trek, and there hasn't been for years. In this series the big bad Borg are back, the writers seeming to forget that the first season was all Borg related, too. With a full ending that saw the evil Borg queen combined with a good human, thus ending her days of tyranny. No mention of any that in season 3. Sigh and ho hum. I will spoil the ending for everyone by saying that at the very last second the good guys manage to save the Universe and everyone in it, with barely a scratch suffered. Good job you guys.
We've been watching a British series called Canal Boat Diaries, where "Robbie" takes on English canals by himself for five seasons of narrow boating. Robbie is a good bloke, and his boat, the Naughty Lass--a pun on the Nautilus--has many quiet adventures on the mostly peaceful canal. Robbie is an explorer at heart, always on the move (albeit slowly) and always looking forward to the next lock or bend in the river. The English canal system is a true marvel of the world. While the US also had a vast canal system, it was abandoned long ago and never rebuilt for pleasure boaters. Ontario also has a great canal system, though I have never seen a long series about it.
Two recent films are up next. To The Devil A Daughter is a suitably gory Hammer film from 1976 and directed by Peter Sykes. It has a big name cast that includes Richard Widmark as the Van Helsingish hero, Christopher Lee as the Dracula-ish villain and Nastassja Kinski as the 17 year old nun who is at the centre of the evil plot. She was only 15, and appears in a total nude scene near the film's end. A number of unnecessary deaths plague the film, not to mention the nude scene. A filmy flowing gown would have been much better (for the actress, too). It was Dennis Wheatley's second collaboration with Hammer.
Now showing on Criterion as part of their Nunsploitation series.
We last watched Port of Shadows in May 2014, so it was high time to see it again. From 1938 the film was directed my Marcel Carne and stars the immutable and unflappable Jean Gabin as a soldier who has deserted. He becomes involved with the incredibly beautiful Michele Morgan, stuck working for her lusty godfather played evilly by Michel Simon. It's a great little film filled with small but interesting characters and situations. The film seems to centre around a small dog that befriends Gabin when he saves it from being run over by a truck. The dog follows him everywhere and might be the most interesting character in the film. As soon as the dog joins him Gabin's luck turns to the better. However, the one time that he leaves him behind is the one time that his luck runs out. The dog returns to its shadowy life in the woods, along again. I felt sadder for the dog than for the woman who lost Gabin to a low life cheap hoodlum. A recommended film.
Leaving Criterion Sept. 30th.
Mapman Mike
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