WeatherGirl’s Station

In January 2005 I recommended a story, Cold Blood, that aired in five parts on BBC7. You can read my original article here.

Well it’s available again on the Beeb’s Listen Again facility. Check out the audio while you can here. Part one will cycle off the list on Monday as programs are only available for seven days.

Many thants to Brotzie for the heads up.

Pale imitation. So I don’t understand why you would remake such an iconic movie and not do something completely different. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the original but it was pretty damn good and emotionally engaging. As Gregory Peck hurtled towards his fate you cared what happened to him.

With this version, who gave a toss? Neither of the leads was particularly engaging, though it was nice to see David Thewlis on the big screen. There were a couple of scary moments but not enough to recommend the movie.

If you want to see The Omen buy the original on dvd.

Current temperature 82F/28C

I am very sad to report that our favouirte ‘old lady’ died unexpectedly this weekend. She came to us as a very tiny kitten after her mother was killed on the nearby railway line. She and her two siblings were rescued by a neighbour in the days before our community had a local humane society.

Portia was the sweetest kitten and would fall asleep on my chest after a hard day of romping and evading the evil Dingle Fritz, our other cat at the time also known as the Spawn of Satan. (We cut Dingle a lot of slack because we suspect he was seriously abused by someone before we adopted him.)

As the years passed she very much became the lady of the house and was given to spending the evenings hanging out in my lap. She had the daintiest pose when sitting on the floor and would cross her paws in a most ladylike manner.

As I have posted here, more recently she’d grown a fierce heart and intrepid spirit and taken to roaming the undergrowth around our home. She did not see the need to roam as widely as her younger brother used to but seemed satisfied in watching the world go by sheltered in the shade of Phi’s wild prairie plantings.

This weekend it appears that she was attacked by another animal. The vet felt that the combination of the stress, her heart murmur and age resulted in her inability to survive the attack. I found her Sunday afternoon, hiding in the undergrowth, reluctant to seek help and in very poor shape. Later that night she died at the vet’s when attempts to improve her condition proved fruitless.

We are all very sad at her passing and hope those who knew her will remember her fondly. Read what Phi and Sub Evil Boy had to say about Portia’s passing.

Current temperature 82F/28C

Dutch Elm disease is a serious problem in Morris and the local authorities are very aggressive about removing trees. Last year our neighbours lost all their boulevard trees because of this pest and we had serious suspicions that we would lose trees at some point too. Well it did not take long and this year we have lost two trees from our corner lot. We still have an elm around the corner but we are not hopeful for it’s long term survival.

Losing the two trees has drastically changed the view of our lot from across the street and removed a lot of shade from our property.

It seems that the ash trees on our property are now under threat from a bug called the emerald ash borer, which is making its way west. Currently it is in Michigan but the local tree advisory board is recommending that people stop planting ash trees because they are likely to be wiped out. This is not a happy thought for us.

Current temperature 66F/19C

The World Cup reaches its climax today. What will we do with ourselves now? I was 50% right on the finalists, so we have an Italy vs France this afternoon. A few friends are coming over for munchies and to watch the match so it should be an enjoyable affternoon.

So who will win? That’s a tough question. My logical brain thinks the French are probably going to win the tournament. My emotional brain is cheering on the Italians. Either way I suspect we’re in for a humdinger of a match.

Current temperature 70F/21C

They had a good run for their money but tonight Sub Evil Boy’s little league team were knocked out of the playoffs. We’re so sad.

Current temperature 66F/19C

One of the items I submitted to the embroidery exhibit earlier this year was an anniversary sampler I stitched for my friends Clare and Ray.

The piece was designed by Barbara Rakosnik, though I made a couple of changes to include the date, text and bottom band. The materials are 29 count Glenshee Linen with Kreinik Soie d’Alger.

I really like Barbara’s deigns and classes. Her instructions are well written and very adaptable. I used another piece that she taught as a class, Rose Without Thorns, as a wedding sampler for friends. Sadly the couple did not remain together and after a stay of a year or so in Arkansas the piece has returned to me.

Current temperature 73F/23C

The 2006 Tour De France is on and it looks like all bets are off as to who will win. With the big names out due to events in Spain and a couple of likely contenders out due to crashes in the first few days, I think this could be a really exciting Tour. I suspect we’ll get a lot closer to Paris before we know who will win, which pleases me greatly. I love it when it’s competitive. (That’s why the Vuelta is my favourite of the grand tours.)

To get connected to what’s going on check out cyclingfans.com

Current temperature 73F/23C

Alas England has been knocked out of the competition by their quarterfinal opponents Portugal. Despite what the US commentators said it was a very exciting match. It sure had me on the edge of my seat. Sadly it was the penalties that did it for us again. The good news was that even though England played with 10 men in the second half, Portugal still couldn’t beat them even after overtime. In fact being down a player seemed to inspire them and they threw everything they had into scoring a goal. It was not to be, ce la vie.

Else where in the competion, Italy beat Ukraine 3-nil, which flattered the Italians more than they deserved. Germany were lucky to beat Argentina on penalties. Argentina looked the better team but the luck ran Germany’s way. As for Brazil versus France, well the French seem to be getting their act together and beginning to look like possible champions. They played with great skill and passion and made the Brazillians look like also rans. The Brazillians were the most disappointing team in the tournament as the final ten minutes of this game proved. Whneen the crunch came and they got serious about trying to score they looked magnificent but by that time it was too late.

So we have an all European pair of semis. I’m expecting we’ll see a Germany vs France final.

Current temperature 63F/17C