01 November 2008 Saturday - Sir Henry at Rawlinson End

Today is overcast but does not look too bad. I have decided to tackle the alcove just inside one of the two entrances to the apartment. Currently it has a deep shelf, and underneath there are two sturdy rails for hanging coats. In front of the alcove is another rail which can be used to screen the contents of the alcove from view by curtainage..
The wallpaper in the alcove is not in good condition and I start removing wall it from one of the alcove walls. This takes the whole afternoon. Then I fill in all the holes that removing the paper has revealed. I decide that the other two walls are not so bad after all, and just to paper over the existing two layers of painted paper.
I cook day one of minced beef pasta and finish off the remaining third of a bottle of rose.
Now what to do for the rest of the evening? I flick through the TV guide on the television and nothing takes my fancy.
From my DVD collection I select “Sir Henry at Rawlinson End” and “Amelie”
I settle down to watch Sir Henry, which is a brilliantly made film about life, love and death on a typical (not) English country estate, with many memorable lines such as:
“I never met a man I didn’t mutilate”
“I don’t know what I want, but I want it now”
“If I had all the money I’ve spent on drink. I’d spend it on drink”

The film was written by the late Vivian Stanshall, of Bonzo Dog Doo-dah band fame, and of course the voice listing the instruments on Mike Oldfield’s original version of “Tubular Bells” e.g. “Two slightly distorted guitars”
It stars Sir Trevor Howard as the Sir Henry. There is also Denise Coffey as the (in)famous Mrs E. Pronounced Eee.
Ten minutes into the film, my sister J phones from Canada for a chat.