I'm so glad that we came to the seaside in the rain

39) The Seaside. My grandparents lived in Blackpool, so that probably explains why I like the sea and the sand and the candyfloss. Visiting them was like going on holiday; in fact some summers, before my parents got a taste for camping in Northern France, we used to swap houses with my grandma and grandad for a week - I think they got the rawer end of the deal. Packed summer seaside resorts are fun, but I like them out of season too when half the shops are shuttered and the caffs stay open to serve cups of tea to pensioners and one lonely dog stalks the beach. I love the faded gentility and the 30s grand hotels in semi-dereliction. I like the empty proms and the amusement arcades.
Most of all I like the light. I'd probably kill myself before I lived in Morecombe or Skegness, but the light sweeping off the coast at both of these places is amazing. British seaside towns have their own peculiar qualities; the seaside in the US or France or Italy is quite a different thing. Sophisticated party towns, not down on their luck ex-places.

The smell of chips on a summer evening in Southend -
With every sense I think of you, it sends me round the bend
"Love that moves the sun in heaven, and all the stars…"
This is just a fraction of what is rightfully ours

I'm so glad that we came to the seaside in the rain

39) The Seaside. My grandparents lived in Blackpool, so that probably explains why I like the sea and the sand and the candyfloss. Visiting them was like going on holiday; in fact some summers, before my parents got a taste for camping in Northern France, we used to swap houses with my grandma and grandad for a week - I think they got the rawer end of the deal. Packed summer seaside resorts are fun, but I like them out of season too when half the shops are shuttered and the caffs stay open to serve cups of tea to pensioners and one lonely dog stalks the beach. I love the faded gentility and the 30s grand hotels in semi-dereliction. I like the empty proms and the amusement arcades.
Most of all I like the light. I'd probably kill myself before I lived in Morecombe or Skegness, but the light sweeping off the coast at both of these places is amazing. British seaside towns have their own peculiar qualities; the seaside in the US or France or Italy is quite a different thing. Sophisticated party towns, not down on their luck ex-places.

The smell of chips on a summer evening in Southend -
With every sense I think of you, it sends me round the bend
"Love that moves the sun in heaven, and all the stars…"
This is just a fraction of what is rightfully ours

Dang Hippy

40) Trees. Everyone loves trees don't they? Except loggers, maybe. I love the way, when you get close up to a tree, you can see how old it is even without chopping it up to look at the rings. I love the way they hold up their branches so elegantly. I love the shapes they make against a cold winter sky and the moment in March when you see the first bud.  I like the avenue-view of a morning when I walk to the tube and the sun is shining through the traffic light leaves. Green empty spaces without trees look cold and barren. I like secret woodlands where the trees hide bluebells and fungi.

But I don't like the next door neighbours' tree that overhangs our garden, stealing the sunlight and sucking up all the water. Dropping blossom and twigs and leaves all over the vegetable patch. That tree can just get lost.

 

Dang Hippy

40) Trees. Everyone loves trees don't they? Except loggers, maybe. I love the way, when you get close up to a tree, you can see how old it is even without chopping it up to look at the rings. I love the way they hold up their branches so elegantly. I love the shapes they make against a cold winter sky and the moment in March when you see the first bud.  I like the avenue-view of a morning when I walk to the tube and the sun is shining through the traffic light leaves. Green empty spaces without trees look cold and barren. I like secret woodlands where the trees hide bluebells and fungi.

But I don't like the next door neighbours' tree that overhangs our garden, stealing the sunlight and sucking up all the water. Dropping blossom and twigs and leaves all over the vegetable patch. That tree can just get lost.

 

Food glorious food

41) Vegetarian food. I would have just said: Food or: Eating, but I've been vegetarian for 20 years, so thought I should caveat this interest. Sometimes I'm tempted to eat some of the things I never tried before my 'conversion': oysters, venison, foix gras, seabass, caviar, grouse, pigeon pie, but I think they would make me sick. There is so much else in the world to eat that isn't little piggies and cows and it seems a shame to not partake of them. It's more about the preparation and the ingredients - a soggy service station sandwich is not the same as a fresh bread-roll with fancy cheddar and a nice chutney. I love pad thai, broccoli roulade, onion tart, masala dhosa, patatas bravas, mushroom vol-au-vents, chow mein, canneloni with spinach and ricotta, nut roast, shepherds pie, moussaka, felafel, hummous and pitta, mee goreng, sushi and ramen, brik, bobotie, quinoa, vegeburger and chips, babaganoush, vine leaves, goulash, chilli-non-carne, corn on the cob with butter, mottor panir, spring rolls, dai vada, vegebangers and mash, lasagne, cous-cous, fajitas and burritos, caponata, tagine, vegetable pie, strudels and stroganofs, chestnut casserole, veggie haggis and tatties, feta borek, ratatouille, imam bayaldi, salad, pizza, pumpkin ravioli, risotto, polenta, pancakes, vegetable kebabs and cheese souffle. Heck, I even like lentils.

I don't like quorn though.

Food glorious food

41) Vegetarian food. I would have just said: Food or: Eating, but I've been vegetarian for 20 years, so thought I should caveat this interest. Sometimes I'm tempted to eat some of the things I never tried before my 'conversion': oysters, venison, foix gras, seabass, caviar, grouse, pigeon pie, but I think they would make me sick. There is so much else in the world to eat that isn't little piggies and cows and it seems a shame to not partake of them. It's more about the preparation and the ingredients - a soggy service station sandwich is not the same as a fresh bread-roll with fancy cheddar and a nice chutney. I love pad thai, broccoli roulade, onion tart, masala dhosa, patatas bravas, mushroom vol-au-vents, chow mein, canneloni with spinach and ricotta, nut roast, shepherds pie, moussaka, felafel, hummous and pitta, mee goreng, sushi and ramen, brik, bobotie, quinoa, vegeburger and chips, babaganoush, vine leaves, goulash, chilli-non-carne, corn on the cob with butter, mottor panir, spring rolls, dai vada, vegebangers and mash, lasagne, cous-cous, fajitas and burritos, caponata, tagine, vegetable pie, strudels and stroganofs, chestnut casserole, veggie haggis and tatties, feta borek, ratatouille, imam bayaldi, salad, pizza, pumpkin ravioli, risotto, polenta, pancakes, vegetable kebabs and cheese souffle. Heck, I even like lentils.

I don't like quorn though.

Veronica Mars is smarter than me

42) Veronica Mars is heir(ess) apparent to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She is a small blonde high school gal with superpowers (although hers are brains and not kungfu-brawn). She is on the same American network (UPN), even at the same (original) time: Wednesdays at 9 p.m. On first glance, the idea of a teen supersleuth sounded far too much like Nancy Drew meets the OC, but it was recommended to me by my American email chum Matthew who also got me into Lost, Wonderfalls and gave me too many Buffy spoilers when the BBC were lagging behind in showing the episodes.

Series 1 was showing on some minor cable channel (UK Living) and I hope, but I doubt, that Channels 4 or 5 will pick it up, but even so [sssh] downloading is always available so I won't spoilerise here. Save to say that it goes to darker places than Buffy would go in its portrayal of racial tensions, social class divisions, unfair contests, misogyny and the threat of violence and the enormous stupidity of a whole bunch of people, black and white, rich and poor. Morality is often blurred: Veronica takes cruel revenge on people she should just walk away from, uses people who deserve better and doesn't always protect, or bolster, the weak. If there is a theme to the show it is that Life is Unfair. The good don't always win; there have been two elections in the programme - one at school, the other at the sherrif's department. The deserving have lost both times. A little metaphor perhaps?

Both series 1 and 2 have run on the premise of the episode's Mystery of the Week tying into the overall story arc mystery of the season. We are now in the middle of Season 2 and I'm almost completely lost because the programme is pretty darn clever: important clues and red herrings abound with no differentiating between the two. It's great to watch intelligent TV that is just one step ahead of the viewer without being bizarre like 'Lost' or cryptic like 'Twin Peaks'. American telly has immense faults: adverts, sweeps, obsession with viewing figures, Paris Hilton, but it has these brilliant cross-over shows that the BBC would never be able to make because it wouldn't fit into its target groups.

Veronica Mars is smarter than me

42) Veronica Mars is heir(ess) apparent to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She is a small blonde high school gal with superpowers (although hers are brains and not kungfu-brawn). She is on the same American network (UPN), even at the same (original) time: Wednesdays at 9 p.m. On first glance, the idea of a teen supersleuth sounded far too much like Nancy Drew meets the OC, but it was recommended to me by my American email chum Matthew who also got me into Lost, Wonderfalls and gave me too many Buffy spoilers when the BBC were lagging behind in showing the episodes.

Series 1 was showing on some minor cable channel (UK Living) and I hope, but I doubt, that Channels 4 or 5 will pick it up, but even so [sssh] downloading is always available so I won't spoilerise here. Save to say that it goes to darker places than Buffy would go in its portrayal of racial tensions, social class divisions, unfair contests, misogyny and the threat of violence and the enormous stupidity of a whole bunch of people, black and white, rich and poor. Morality is often blurred: Veronica takes cruel revenge on people she should just walk away from, uses people who deserve better and doesn't always protect, or bolster, the weak. If there is a theme to the show it is that Life is Unfair. The good don't always win; there have been two elections in the programme - one at school, the other at the sherrif's department. The deserving have lost both times. A little metaphor perhaps?

Both series 1 and 2 have run on the premise of the episode's Mystery of the Week tying into the overall story arc mystery of the season. We are now in the middle of Season 2 and I'm almost completely lost because the programme is pretty darn clever: important clues and red herrings abound with no differentiating between the two. It's great to watch intelligent TV that is just one step ahead of the viewer without being bizarre like 'Lost' or cryptic like 'Twin Peaks'. American telly has immense faults: adverts, sweeps, obsession with viewing figures, Paris Hilton, but it has these brilliant cross-over shows that the BBC would never be able to make because it wouldn't fit into its target groups.