20 September, 2008: An afternoon at the movies and prizes

An afternoon at the movies. No better way to while away a Saturday afternoon. Today Erna and I met in Brooklyn Mall for a long, chatty lunch. As dessert, we chose 'Caramel', a beautifully made Lebanese film set in Beirut. This movie was released at Cannes in 2007 and is a debut by Lebanese director, Nadine Labaki. A girlie movie? Well, being girls, we just loved the the tales of five women who meet regularly in a rather battered and cluttered hair salon and support one another as they face young love, old love, conflicting family loyalties and the fears of old age. The caramel, sweet and sticky, actually features as a depilatory in the beauty salon to remove anything from leg hair to moustaches. Eina! (Tr. from Afrikaans: Ouch!) It becomes a metaphor for the pain that is part of love, beauty and pleasure.


Saturday afternoons at the movies with my schoolfriends was always a great outing. First, the dressing up part. Should I look 'hip' in a white polo neck with brown corduroy bell bottoms or smart in nylons, low heels and a suit? A matching handbag, a touch of pale pink lipstick and lots of mascara completes the outfit. I dreaded a southeast wind blowing which would tear at my teased hair and flipups on the way to the bustop. As I lived the furthest from town, Sally and Susan had to synchronise bus times to make sure we all caught the same doubledecker bus. Armed with a Kitkat or a Cadbury's Milkbar, we were ushered by a white gloved usher brandishing a torch to our seats to watch: Dr Zhivago; Ryan's daugher; My Fair Lady; Zorba's Dance, to mention some of those great 60's movies. The best part was Seriously Discussing the Movie over iced coffee, topped with real calorie rich dairy cream afloat the dark bitter coffee. Cholestrol? We had never heard of it. Then the 30 minute bus ride home, a slow return to reality.

I have been the honoured winner of two blog awards. And I shall soon be awarded a 'Tardy' if I do not post them. Isn't this cute? Thank you, Carrie at Oak Rise Cottage. Carrie keeps up an interesting and ever-changing blog, showcasing many wonderful collections of collectables and vintage ware. The rules of this prize are:

1 Paste the logo on your blog (not on your fridge door! Doesn't it just look like a kiddies' love note?) with a link to the person who has awarded it to you.

2 Nominate 7 other blogs with their links.

3 Leave notes on their blogs (not on their fridges!).

So here goes. :

1 Smiling Sal

2 Little Red House

3 Sea Cottage

4 Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes

5 Me and My Shadow

6 It's all about the wool

7 Vanilla Lavender

Now for the distinguished You make my day Award specially designed for Willow at Willow Manor, who has passed it on to me.

Willow, you often make my day! And so does:

2 Sreddy, my teenage student of English, who writes with skill and sensitivity and can chat about Shakespeare, William Golding, Robert Frost and Jane Austen (among others) with an unusual appreciation. He has his own little blog at Say you, Say me