Life Work The Universe...... Whoops! Apocalypse - Almost

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My project plan for painting this week left out one very important factor - our Wedding Anniversary! Managed to avert an 'Apocalypse' through a candlelit dinner at home Thursday evening and taking Heather to one of our favourite restaurants in Aberdeen last night, followed by the new Sherlock Holmes movie. Apocalypse averted!

Sherlock Holmes was brilliant! Whoever cast Robert Downey Jnr and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson deserves an oscar! They are dynamite - a real force majeure on the screen.

Never mind the plot, revel in the film. Downey's reinvention of Holmes is magnificent, more visceral than most film and TV interpretations and in some respects closer to my own imagining of Conan Doyle's anti-hero. It's a smart, intelligent and fun movie. The cinematography is sumptuous and Heather, being a student of Henry Mayhew and Victorian London was immersed in Guy Ritchie's vision of London.

My fear had been that the movie would be some kind of League of Ordinary Gentlemen steam punk Victorian fantasy world, but it's not - no wild coach chases, leather coated submachine-gunners, unfeasible submarines or ludicrous rope swinging. Just good honest victoriana "apples and pears", "bless u guv'nor" rollicking action, where a man is armed with no more than sharp wits and a stout cane!

The film belts along at a cracking speed and there quite simply isn't a dull moment. We both really enjoyed it and look forward to watching Sherlock Holmes again on DVD!

We got home after midnight. On the doormat was a parcel from Khurasan Miniatures with my Felids and Mantis Stalkers! Great end to an evening.... Oh, these Mantis are very, very nice. I'm tempted to paint them today and will definitely include more in my next order from Jon. I'll do a quick review later if the power/internet hold out....

.....As we are being beaten by hurricane force winds and torrential rain since the early hours of the morning. The river has burst once again and cut us off. Power comes and goes and so does the phone/internet. Most disappointingly our palm trees, which we love for being so eclectic on the edge of the Grampian Mountains National Park, have taken a beating and snapped. I've been out and there's nothing we can do.

Have a great weekend yourselves!

Cheers
Mark
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If you don't hear from me for a couple of days - the power and or phones will be down.