Week 49 of Gibraltar Diary

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Sunday 15th February 2009

Suddenly it looks like Spring here in Dublin and we start to go for a long walk. After a few yards we find that it is very windy and cold so we pop into a nearby cafe and read the papers.

Later I am bullied into a shopping expedition as my only jacket has gone into terminal decline. After hours of searching we come up with another one in a very stylish and spacious shop (Dunnes) that only costs 25 euros. Not bad.

Monday 16th February 2009

In the early hours my girlfriend drops her tweezers down the plug hole of her sink. Gallantly, I spring to the rescue and unscrew the fittings under the sink (where arrowed) and the tweezers are rescued from a watery grave.

In the evening we go to see The Wrestler which is just brilliant - albeit a bit gorey in places. What happened at the end I am not sure (did he die or live happily after with the girl) but no doubt Wrestler 2 will reveal all.

Tuesday 17th February 2009

In the evening I watch an Horizon programme on Fusion Reactors which will, at some far off date in the future, solve the energy crisis once and for all. Until then, we will have to rely on the pricing mechanism to make solar energy attractive.

Wednesday 18th February 2009

"Orange" is a colour loaded with political significance in Ireland. You don't hear the phrase "The future's Orange" from the mobile phone operator here in Catholic Dublin - maybe they are hiding under a different colour? "The future's grey" perhaps? Or how about "The future's pink with yellow spots"? Maybe not.

In the evening we go to see Tom Cruise in Valkyrie because there is nothing else on. I am expecting Hollywood Garbage but am pleasantly surprised. It is a very tense and gripping film and only slightly politically correct. I say that as somebody who has always found any film with Tom Cruise in it to be seriously bad.

Thursday 19th February 2009

I had not noticed this piece of art before ...

In the evening we go to see Revolutionary Road. As usual, the taxi driver has no idea where the cinema is but we have now mastered the route and we get there. The film is truly excellent, albeit a little depressing.

Friday 20th February 2009


Click on the part that interests you for bigger images

Quite what the helicopter is doing I have no idea but it flies up and down the River Liffey for quite a while.

Later we explore the hills south of Dublin. There is still a lot of snow.

Saturday 21st February 2009

Yesterday we passed a spectacular lake on the way north to Dublin but it was already dark so today we go back to further explore. It turns out that it is called Lough Tay and the Northern part borders the Guinness family estate.

In the evening we watch Lonely Hearts on DVD. Not a bad film but it doesn't seem to quite stack up - the way they both casually kill people seems bizarre but then we have no experience of such things and it may be that people with psychopathic personalities can act like that. Certainly it is based on a real case but how accurately, who knows?

Aah! Here is what actually happened and that has more of the ring of truth - well, it would, wouldn't it? In the film Martha is played by the absolutely gorgeous Salma Hayek (here are 98 pictures of her) whereas in the real case she was hugely obese so the jealousy theme begins to stack up. Worth seeing.

What is worrying about these kind of things is whether for every mass murderer caught there are countless deaths which people do not even realise are suspicious. For instance, Dr Harold Shipman killed hundreds of people before any serious investigation took place. Had he been more careful or contented himself by "only" killing a few dozen people, he could still be a respected member of the medical profession.


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