Happiness, horror and hilarity in this week's newsletter
A warm hearted blog, a save the day recipe, and not one, but three review recommendations for you this week. Enjoy!
This week’s blog concerns three little words that have the power to make another person’s day and to show you care about them in a way they might not be expecting.
No, those words aren’t “I love you”, but obviously I’m not going to tell you what they are. You’ll have to read the blog to find that out. I will tell you though, that have some relevance to this picture.
Intrigued? I thought you might be. CLICK HERE to discover what they are and what they have to do with that delightfully smiley barista.
You’ll find these
WORDS OF WISDOM
from motivational writer (how I love that as a career description) William Arthur Ward are also relatable to THIS WEEK’S BLOG (I don’t just throw this stuff together you know)
THIS WEEK I’VE BEEN WATCHING…
Sometimes a television drama draws you in and compels you to watch because the quality of its writing and acting is so brilliant, even though its subject matter is both harrowing and horrifying.
Sometimes that impossibly watchable, drama is made all the more shockingly hard hitting and unforgettable because it’s not fiction, it actually happened.
The Sixth Commandment is the real life story of respected retired Stowe School schoolmaster Peter Farquhar, a devout Christian and closet homosexual who despairs about what he sees as his un-Christian longings and the fact that he believes it inevitable that he will end his days unloved in the way he longs for. Until, that is, he encounters a young student and churchwarden called Ben Field who quickly becomes indispensable to Peter and then declares his love for the older man.
That Ben is so charming and apparently caring, makes it understandable and inevitable that Peter falls for him so completely. That Ben is also a calculating, almost gleeful, murderer who, having inveigled his way into Peter’s life, persuades him to change his will to leave Ben his house and convinces Peter’s loving brother and sister-in-law that he has a non-existent drinking problem, then slowly and deliberately poisons him with increasingly powerful halluciogenic drugs dissolved into the cups of tea he so ‘thoughtfully’ makes for him, makes his crime all the more horrifying.
More shocking still, is that whilst carrying out his systematic destruction of Peter’s life, Ben is simultaneously beginning to enact exactly the same process with Peter’s neighbour, unmarried, retired headmistress Ann Moore-Martin.
It is only thanks to Ann’s devoted niece whose increasing suspicions of the mysterious young man with whom her aunt has become enraptured, that Ben’s appalling malevolence is uncovered and he is, after a lengthy police investigation, arrested, tried and imprisoned for his crimes (he doesn’t actually murder Anne, but she dies as a result of his mistreatment).
There isn’t a weak performance in the entire superlative cast, but Timothy Spall stands out as kindly, gentle Peter, imbuing him with mixture of goodness and vulnerability that could be bland and syrupy, but never is. Anne Reid is every bit as good playing her namesake character, a woman who prides herself on her intelligence and independence and who is utterly broken, physically and mentally by Ben’s murderous intentions, whilst Éanna Hardwicke is chillingly and believably charming as the pernicious poisoner.
You can watch THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT on BBCiPlayer
And see a trailer for the four-part series HERE
I know I’ve mentioned this recipe before, but it makes such a brilliant and adaptable what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-make-for-dinner-from-the-random-selection-of-ingredients-in-my-fridge solution that I wanted to remind you of it.
Because of its almost endless variability, I should just say this isn’t actually so much a recipe but rather a rough guide for making these delicious
PUFF PASTRY PARCELS
This’ll make six generous size parcels from one packet of ready made puff pastry and takes about half an hour from start to finish
Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas mark 7
Start off with a rolled out rectangle of puff pastry. Cut it in half longways then divide each halved strip into squares.
Smear one diagonal half of each square with either tomato paste, sun dried tomato paste, or cream cheese, leaving a small margin of pastry around each edge. Then top with whatever combination of ingredients you fancy/have in the fridge.
These ones, which I made last night, hence why I thought to mention them to you again, have sun dried tomato paste topped with tuna, red onion, red pepper and a little grated cheese.
Slightly dampen the edges of the pastry then fold over the squares from corner to corner so they make a triangle. Press the sides together using the prongs of a fork, then put on a sheet of non-stick paper on a baking tray and brush with beaten egg. I like to add a little sprinkle of seasoning on top at this point. Last night it was cayenne pepper. You could also top with grated cheese if you haven’t used it inside. Or even if you have, who am I to judge.
Cook in the oven until the pastry is golden brown. In mine that takes about 20 minutes.
FRIDAY FUNNY
I’d like to be able to say that my week has been as productive as the past couple of absurdly busy ones, but I have to admit that it has involved rather more of this than I care to admit
Before I go, and because it had to be done, since last week I’ve seen both the Oppenheimer and Barbie films - in that order (this had to be done too, I’m afraid, and yes, I’m dressed in pink from top to toe)
and I can report that Oppenheimer is very good, very clever and very long, and that Barbie is very good, very clever and very pink.
Whilst you might be able to tell why I’m not a noted film critic, I do recommend them both, for reasons that are clearly more different than my extensive reviews reveal. But do go to the toilet before you see Oppenheimer.
See you next week for more incisive insight and in depth analysis.