Oaks aplenty

I forgot to blog yesterday! I only realised at the end of Match of the Day (Chelsea played an uninspired draw with Aston Villa, though they ARE still at the top of the table) and was way too tired. Anyway, not much happened yesterday as I decided it was going to be a bludge-day…which it was.

I did watch a rather fine movie last night, though. Nightwatching by Peter Greenaway. I love Greenaway’s work. he’s very singular in his film work. He’s an artist (as well as a film maker) and knows his art history very well. Nightwatching is based on Rembrandt and his painting The Night Watch. I’ve seen the original in Amsterdam. it is an amazing painting. HUGE! Anyway, apparently it has 52 clues in it (someone counted them) and Greenaway attempted a sort of CSI thing to prove a murder and other crimes have been included symbolically. Very clever. Using the painting, he creates an entire story around the painting of it with the burghers of Amsterdam as the main protagonists and Rembrandt as the ‘hero’.

The whole thing is filmed beautifully, though very shadowy (just like Rembrandt’s style of painting) and each scene is like a Dutch painting only moving. Not just Rembrandt, either. There’s also some Vemeer. Anyway, I’m not sure I can recommend it as Greenaway only really appeals to a certain type of film goer. It’s slow and measured and very artistic. Still, I loved it and will have to watch it again to catch the things I missed.

Anyway, today started bright and sunny, though a tad chilly. A big improvement over yesterday’s changing weather – rain, black clouds, sun, blue sky, rain, black clouds, etc. The walk to the shops was lovely and everything looked wonderful and full of autumn. I decided to treat myself to some venison tonight because it looked nice and there was only one steak left.

Back home, we had a lovely lunch and watched an episode of How to Read Churches, which Carmen quite enjoyed. Particularly the hounds of hell featured in one medieval painting. The book looks at many churches that I want to just rush out and see! Pity they’re all over the country.

For today’s walk, Carmen decided we should go along the oak tree path. We haven’t been along it for ages but since the cows have all gone south for the winter, it seemed a good idea on such a glorious day. Here she is sniffing the path.

Carmen finds something nice to sniff on the oak path walk

It was a lovely walk but there were LOTS of people in the park today. All along the Queen’s Bottom, streams of groups wandered along, like Monday morning traffic heading up the A3, only very slowly. Dogs aplenty for the girls to annoy or ignore as they saw fit. Fortunately the oak tree path was empty apart from us so for this bit we could pretend the park was ours. Not that the girls ever pretend. They KNOW the park belongs to them.

Back at home, I hit the garden shed for some tools and started clearing away the grass and rubbish that has grown around the bases of the trees and shrubs. I’d forgotten most of them have mowing strips, they were so over grown. Well, not any more! I always have to be pushed into gardening but when I get started, I find it very relaxing and rewarding.

One more photo before I go to the kitchen and eat Bambi. This is the poodles racing back to me along the Avenue of Trees. I love the way they do this. Carmen must have cheated to be so far ahead of her sister.

Poodles racing along the Avenue of Trees - Carmen in front