2010 AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

More to come once I've had a lie down (slight hangover, to tell the truth, but it was worth it).

Particularly want to tell you about the film 'The Painted Veil' based on the novel by Somerset Maugham, which played on BBC 2 last night - absolutely brilliant. I'm green with envy at such plot and character development. Must read the book. But really must lie down now!

Okay. Have had a good rest and, armed with a nicely strong Bloody Mary, I am resuming this post. And, by the way, thank you to the person from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who was the first to view my site in 2010.

One of my very favourite novels, one I used in my English teaching, is 'A Town Like Alice' by Nevile Shute. It's set mainly in Malaysia, including, Kuala Lumpur, so the very name brings back lovely memories of when teaching used to be not only rewarding but also fun.

So, New Year's Eve at the daftnotstupid household. John, myself and trusty guard dog and excellent companion, Archie, who had great fun at midnight running up and down the garden chasing and barking at all the sparkly fireworks cascading through the Winchester skyline (sorry neighbours) was a hoot.

Having had a smashing Xmas visiting relatives and friends, felt rather flat after Boxing Day. So many of us devote a lot of time preparing for Xmas but afterwards it's very easy to think 'what was that all about?' The goal has been achieved so what now? So, I wasn't feeling New Year's Evey one iota. And, of course, the cold, gloomy, rather wet weather wasn't exactly helping.

Come the evening, though, with the champagne opened, the log fire burning, candles lit, things started to slot into place in a quite delightful way.

Spent the earlier part of the evening working on the re-editing of Cyprus Blues, aided by a delicious glass of champagne. This re-editing is taking far longer to do than I had anticipated but I know it's worth the effort. I'm getting the text even tighter now and when I play back each chapter with via-voice, I'm liking what I hear.

Then supper (I make a mean curry), wine, wine, wine and more wine and a tele-fest.

Have really enjoyed the several Victoria Woods programmes shown during the last week or so - she really is an excellent writer and comedienne - and the repeat of the New Year's Eve episode of Dinnerladies, travelled well after all these years.

But the revelation to me, and what had me routed to my seat, not wanting to miss even a minute, was the film 'The Painted Veil' (BBC2 9p.m.), set in the 1920s and based on the novel by Somerset Maugham, who wrote in the era of British colonialism and gave such evocative insights into the lives of the Brits who were living abroad.

Starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts, it was about a newly wed couple who were not ideally matched to say the least. The husband, a scientist, had been posted to China to help with a cholera outbreak and his wife went, most reluctantly, with him. So the film charts what happens to them and how their relationship changes.

The Guardian T.V. guide classified it as a 'revenge story' but I think it was an absolutely overwhelming love story. Everything about it was superb - the acting, the character and plot development, the spectacular Chinese scenery, and the capturing of the mood of a nation as it rebels against its forced colonisation.

If you can get your hands on a copy of this film, then I recommend you get it and watch it. And, if you disagree with my opinion, then leave a comment. I love comments.

I certainly want to read the book for myself to see if that superb character and plot development are as exciting as in the film or whether the director and actors added a special dimension not found in the book.

Now well and truly in some kind of celebratory mood, we next watched Jools Holland - the best music show on tele. Always a joy to watch because the music's so good.

Was particularly impressed with Florence somebody, thought that Tom Jones proved himself to be a giant of a performer, and was pleased to see Boy George on his feet again.(If he lost some weight, stayed clean and had singing lessons to retrain his voice he could well make a successful new start.) The other acts were pretty good, too.

Somewhere along the line, John made an enormous dish of home-made pop-corn and we wolfed that down pretty damn quickly.

Oh, yes, and then it was midnight and the start of not only a new year but also a new decade. I like the sound of 2010. It has a strong ring about it. As if it's making a bold statement.

I think none of us have felt the optimism of better things to come that we expected with a new Millenium. There have been so many events in this last decade we could not have anticipated or desired.

And the twenty-first century does not necessarily mean progress or improvement. With an expansion of quantity comes, it seems to me, a decline in quality. Grab what's good when you can, is my motto, and cherish it.

Moving back to T.V. fest, seemed to be watching Glastonbury now. Bruce Springstein is still a great performer, is he not. And to our delight, they played a song performed by Stornaway, who we watched in Winchester.

They have a strong following and the recordings John made of that gig for his You Tube site have been very popular. I have a hand-written note somewhere written by the lead singer for the DVD he sent them of his recording. So, I'm hoping Stornaway make it big and that paper could be of value. (Well, one always lives in hope.)

Pity that Polly and the Billet Doux, who also played at Glastonbury, weren't filmed but I'm sure their time will come.

About 3.30 a.m.(where had all that time gone?) I slid gracefully to the floor in the kitchen and realised that it was time to go to bed although I don't actually remember doing so.

And this morning, we awoke to a clean blue sky and bright sunshine. Sorted.

The hang-over will go, life will return to normal, I'm jolly well going to finish Cyprus Blues if it's the last thing I do. And I'm going to grab every joyful moment when it comes along and I suggest that you do the same.

SO, A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR. AND DON'T FORGET THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE POWER AND UNITY (IN A PEACEFUL WAY). LET'S NOT LET THE POLITICIANS/BANKERS/STOCK MARKET TRADERS/SPECULATORS/ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE DOUBTERS etc STUFF THINGS UP THIS DECADE OR OUR LIVES WILL ALL BE RADICALLY DIFFERENT, AND PROBABLY NOT FOR THE BEST, BY THE END OF THIS NEW DECADE.