New Year, New Decade - 2020

View from my balcony, in the afternoon of New Year's Eve 2019.

 

Fireworks, around midnight

 “Every new beginning comes from
some other beginning’s end.”
~ Seneca (Roman philosopher, mid 1st century AD) ~

After a generally gloomy, foggy and dark November-December, the very last day of 2019 offered a glimpse of blue sky and sun in the daytime, a sliver of New Moon at sunset, and a perfect clear night sky for New Year fireworks in the evening.

When I woke up this morning, the world outside my windows was once again swept into familiar grey fog, though - with  howling winds to accompany it. I guess 2020 felt a bit like most of us - rather reluctant to get up and get started on the job of clearing up the mess left over from last year!


For the 19th year in a row, I spent New Year's Eve at home, with the same small group of friends as usual. Three of us used to live in the same building, back when it started. One usually has her sister visiting for New Year; and the other now also has her mother staying for Christmas and NY.

 

 'Old ladies' postcard picture by Inge Löök 

I'm borrowing this illustration, because a/ I did not remember to take any photos before midnight, and b/ we're not really the "let's take selfies" kind of crowd anyway... 

Part of our tradition is to watch a film. This time, we watched two.

The first was Watership Down, animated classic from 1978 based on the novel by Richard Adams. She who brought it remembered it as good. I recalled thinking the film was not as good as the book. Someone else had read the book, but had not seen the film... Okay, so we watched it. She who brought it kept saying "I don't remember this". (Somehow she had managed to forget all the sad and cruel parts.) Those who hadn't read the book kept wondering who was who (or where or what or why). Myself, I reread the book only a couple of years ago, but most of the time found myself unable to sort out the story line in the film anyway. - At the end, we agreed that the landscape drawings were pretty and the music good... but...

To cheer us up after the rabbit chase, I suggested also watching a Swedish comedy. (Solsidan/The Sunny Side) Everyone knew the main characters in it from a TV series, and it took us through the rest of the evening and gave us some laughs. But we reached the end before midnight, so did not miss out on the drama of also seeing 2019 turn into 2020...

Happy New Year, everyone! 

Last Minute Celebrations (2015)

As usual, I spent New Year’s Eve at home with a few friends. Three of us used to be neighbours in the same building from the mid 1980s and some years into the 21st century; and since the New Year 2000/01 we have been celebrating every New Year’s Eve together. Most of those times, the sister of one of those friends has been with us too; and for the last few years, also the other friend’s mum. And again this year all five of us were able to meet up for an enjoyable evening with food, talk, a film, some fireworks (seen from the windows), and a sparkling cider toast to the new year.

My friends also seized the last-few-hours-of-2015 opportunity to celebrate my 60th birthday (back in August) by presenting me with two more Moomin mugs: Moominmamma and Snufkin.

I showed you my previous three in one of my December posts.
(I got one from other friends visiting on my birthday, and then I bought two more myself later in the autumn.)

The film we ended up watching was Paddington from 2014 (with among others Hugh Bonneville, who played the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey – and in this film, Mr Brown).

One my friends in particular can be rather sensitive to anything involving too much suspense or sadness… So safest for these get-togethers is to watch family-friendly feel-good films that I’ve already seen myself (so that I know how they end!)  Usually I try to have two or three different suggestions (of films I’ve seen over the past year or so) and then check with my guests which they prefer. We all enjoyed this one (including me, although it was the 3rd time I watched it).

Books, Films, TV & Nature

Besides manuals for the new TV and other appliances I did not read a whole lot in the month of September…

The novels I did read, were in the form of audio books.
Earlier in the summer (I’m not sure if I mentioned it before) I read Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by Lady Fiona Carnarvon of Highclere Castle  (=the setting for the TV series "Downton Abbey"). In September, I also listened to the sequel, Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey. If you like Downton Abbey, there’s a good chance you’ll be just as fascinated by the real life stories – or even more so!

I also listened to two books by Alexander McCall Smith. One was Bertie plays the blues, which is the 7th in the 44 Scotland Street series. I’m not sure I’ve read all the previous ones, but I doubt that matters much. They’re rather like a TV soap opera in the sense that if you miss an episode (or a season), it’s not all that hard to catch up, as things are repeated a lot… 

On the whole, I think I enjoy his No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (set in Botswana) more – even if those tend to be a bit repetitive as well by now. The Handsome Man’s De Lux Café, which I listened to last, is the 15th(!) in that series.

On TV, I’m following Poldark, a “new old” British drama broadcasted here this autumn (on Saturday nights). I missed the first episodes but was able to catch up on my new “smart” TV (once I’d got the internet etc sorted…) Breathtaking background scenery from Cornwall in HD.

I’m also looking forward to re-watching some of my favourite DVD’s on the new TV. Started with the Harry Potter films… Last night The Goblet of Fire (=No. 4).

Meanwhile, Nature is putting up quite a show of its own outdoors though, this time of year – so I can’t spend all the time watching TV!

The Birds

I was reminded of the Hitchcock movie The Birds today (walking through the park in town).

Even though this is a very scary film, thinking of the first time I saw it always makes me smile (or laugh). It was in my mid-teens (around 1970) at the cinema in the company of two girlfriends. In one of the most suspenseful scenes in the film, the people on screen are just sitting inside a house waiting anxiously for the next attack… The whole audience in the cinema is holding their breath too – it’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then one of my friends breaks the silence by whispering: “Why are they just sitting there? Why don’t they play Ludo or something?” – and to everyone else’s annoyance, the three of us burst out in giggles of the unstoppable kind only teenage girls can produce. Totally embarrassing – and unforgettable! (still, after over 40 years)

Zzz… And Happy New Year!

Better have one of these ‘zzz’ days today, as tomorrow night I have to stay awake! As has become a long-standing tradition, I will be celebrating New Year’s Eve at home, but with four friends joining me. I think this will be the 14th New Year in a row with two of them (and there were a few times before that too – but not the millennium, which I spent elsewhere). The three of us used to be neighbours as well as friends. The sister of one of them has also been with us for most of these New Year get-togethers. And since a couple of years, also the other friend’s mum.

Our tradition is to eat a little, talk a little, and watch a film. I’ve been trying to recall what films we’ve already seen (together)… and pick out a few suggestions for tomorrow. It’s not all easy… Preferably it should be of the feel-good kind, not overly long, not too complicated (or violent etc) and not too recently seen by any of us.

A bit late in the day (year) to ask for suggestions, as by now I’m restricted to what I already have in my private collection. But I’ll ask anyway. Have you got a favourite film of the kind described, that’s good to watch in the company of friends – and that you would not mind watching again even if you’ve already seen it?

Booking Through Thursday–Dream Cast

from DEB at http://btt2.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/dream-cast/

And while we’re thinking about books converted to tv/movies. Do you ever sit and wonder who could be cast as your favorite characters? (Please feel free to give examples!)

What actors do you think have done particularly excellent jobs with some of your favorite characters?

I do think that the casting of the Harry Potter films was very well done; that’s what comes first to mind for me.

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In general, I don’t really speculate much about casting. When I read certain books I might feel that I’d like to see it on film, but then I’m usually thinking more about landscapes or historical costumes etc, than about which specific actors I’d like to see do the characters.

But there have been films or series in which I have felt the casting to be “wrong”. One example is the Inspector Lynley mysteries which in my opinion played havoc with the whole background story in Elisabeth George’s books. Some quite important characters were removed completely and the rest do not look like they do in my head ;) (especially not Barbara Havers)

If a film/series is really good, the actors playing the main characters may take over the images one had in one’s head from reading – but this one has failed to do that for me:

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Just now I’m reading the last published book in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear – Leaving Everything Most Loved (2013). (Yes, that’s right. After having been “behind” in the series for years, for some reason I’ve now been catching up by reading the last three pretty much one after the other.) I think I could see Maise played by the actress who does Lady Mary Crawley in Downton Abbey… Had to look up her name: Michelle Dockery.

Trick or Treat

About a week and a half before Halloween, I ordered some DVDs from an online shop. Among those I wanted was a collection of three films by New Zealand film director Jane Campion.

When I received my package, it turned out that 3-disc box had been replaced by a totally different film, entitled The Condemned. Which, judging by the cover, I had no wish at all to see…

  -No thank you!-

Ah well – mistakes happen. I contacted the company; and within a couple of days I got a new package. I opened it eagerly, again expecting to find the films that I had ordered. Guess what met my eye? Another copy of The Condemned!

That’s when I began to fear that this might go on for ever…

However, third time round - and Halloween behind us! - the curse seems to have been lifted. Today I received yet another package. To my relief, this one did contain the right DVD-box.

Tomorrow I send back the two copies of The Condemned and pray they’ll not come boomeranging back! ;)

Now remains to be seen when I’ll find the time to watch the films I did order: An Angel At My Table, The Piano and Bright Star.

It All Started With One Lion

The photo above is for Straight-Out-Of-the-Camera Sunday
(Ha! What did I find when I went to get the SOOC link at Jan’s blog… She had been to the zoo as well!)

…

This weekend on Saturday I spent the day (or half the day) at our zoo. I've been meaning to go ever since I got the new camera back in May; knowing they also made some changes last year that I wanted to see. (Last time I was there was in 2009.) This weekend we had a return of sunny weather for a couple of days – summery, but not too hot... So on Saturday I decided it was Zoo Time.

I took 350 photos or so on my round; so you can expect exotic animals to be popping up under all kinds of themes on both my blogs over the weeks to come…

Actually I already started with some Savannah shadows for Shadow Shot Sunday in my Picture Book blog. (See link)

Before I go on to show more zoo photos, I think it may be a good idea to introduce you to

The history of our zoo

The zoo here in Borås was founded in 1962 by a man named Sigvard Berggren (1923-2011). He grew up in Stockholm and became an engineer, but was also always interested in wild animals and nature. He came to live in/near Borås in 1950. (Among other things he started a fruit juice company here.)

On a trip to Sudan in Africa in the mid 1950's, he happened to come across a three months old lion cub whose mother had been shot. He took it back to Sweden with him (in his own car). He called it Simba. When they got back to Sweden, he got a big dog, a collie, as playmate for the lion. The lion was allowed pretty much the same freedom as the dog until it was about 1½ years old. It was never chained or tied with a rope. As it got older it was given an enclosed exercise yard of about 3000 m²; and a female lion was also acquired as companion for it.

Simba became quite famous in the late 1950s by appearing in a Swedish film (Lejon på stan – Lion in town – 1959).

From my early childhood I have a fragment of a memory of going to see Simba (and possibly also the other lion) at Berggren's private property outside Borås. I can recall looking at it through a fence. There is no photo in my photo albums from the occasion. But I had both sets of grandparents in this area and it is very likely that we did go to Berggren's place on some occasion to have a look. (Probably after it got famous from the film, around 1960.)

Berggren and his wife made more trips to Africa, being involved in various environmental projects there. He also continued to import more African animals to Sweden. In 1962 he founded the Zoo in Borås, where the main feature was to let several different kinds of animals live together like on the African savannah, rather than being kept in separate cages or folds. (Not the predators, though... or it would probably have been a very short story.) This was a new idea back then (at least in Sweden) and it became an inspiration for others to follow.

 

Since then the zoo has continued to grow. Today it has an area of 380.000 m² (38 hectares). The savannah still looks pretty much the same but other areas have been extended. Besides the focus on African animals they also have some of our more rare Nordic predators: wolves, wolverines, lynx and brown bears. The latest development of the park (last year) is a new enlarged area for bears. But there are also a few species that are neither African nor Nordic - like Siberian tigers, racoons, penguins and sea lions. Altogether there are more than 60 different species living in the zoo. They have a special interest in caring for and preserving endangered species whose natural habitats are no longer really a safe environment for them either.

The zoo is kept open to the public from mid April until the end of October. In the winter some animals (like bears) are in natural hibernation. For some of the exotic animals that do not go into hibernation, the climate is also no doubt too cold for them to be outside (as much, or at all) in the winter. For those who do not have natural dens, there are stables. Some can go in and out as they please, some are in the stables at night, or it varies with the seasons etc; depending on each type of animal.

BTT: Books and Films

Last week I skipped the BTT question because I didn't have time to blog that day. Now I see that this week's question is kind of the reverse of last week's so I may as well jam them both together in one post.

1. If you could see one book turned into the perfect movie ... what book would you choose?

I hope they'll make a good job of The Hobbit. I have also been wondering if they'll go on to make the rest of the Narnia series (I have not yet seen the The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - I'm waiting for the DVD to be released here at the end of May). Snooping around the internet now I find that it seems they're planning to do The Magician's Nephew next. I will certainly be interested to see that, and I hope that with modern special effects technology they'll be able to do it justice.

2. Name one book that you hope never, ever, ever gets made into a movie (no matter how good that movie might be).

What pops up is my struggle a couple of years back to get through The Mysteries of Udulpho (written by Anne Radcliffe, 1794). I actually blogged my way through that book :) It is a very long-winded book and yet the long-windedness (interwoven with very drawn-out suspense) is somehow its essence. I don't think it would be possible to get a good movie out of it. Just to make sure, I went on a search to see if maybe someone had already attempted it... but it doesn't seem like anyone has. Just as well!!!

Everlasting Moments

I’m not sure if I’ve ever reviewed a Swedish film on my blog before, but today I will; after having checked that it does seem to be available also in the English-speaking world.

I watched it on TV last weekend and found myself fascinated. I think maybe some of you who perhaps normally do not watch foreign movies with subtitles might find it interesting, too. Not especially because it’s Swedish, but because it is about photography, and “falling in love with the camera”.

The English title is Everlasting Moments (in Swedish: Maria Larsson’s eviga ögonblick). It is a 2008 Swedish drama directed by Jan Troell, based on a book by his wife Agneta Ulfsäter Troell about an ancestor of hers. A young working class woman back in the early 1900s, Maria Larsson, happens to win a camera in a lottery. She is the mother of five or six children and married to an alcoholic husband. She intends to sell the camera, but the photographer she tries to sell it to persuades her to keep it, and learn to use it instead. The camera changes her life, and gives her an identity of her own besides being a wife and mother. The story is told through the eyes of the eldest daughter, looking back and trying to understand her parents’ marriage and her mother’s fascination with the camera.

One aspect that fascinated me was the historical perspective… It’s so easy to forget now that it’s not more than a hundred years ago since a camera was a very rare thing to own – and for a woman even more so! - and each picture had to be arranged with such care, and developed in the darkroom (I remember doing that with my dad sometimes back in my childhood)…  Now… “everyone’s a photographer”… ;) But it is still true what the photographer in this film says, when looking at Maria’s pictures: “Not everyone is endowed with the gift of seeing.”

Read more about the film and watch the trailer at IMDb.