I diagnosed the toilet issue; the plastic connector piston in the syphon broke, where the metal that hooked into it, connected to the handle.
It’s broken in such a way that the piston has dropped down, inside the body of the syphon, and can’t be retrieved. Gaah!
And this bog has many other issues. One of these was this:
This has been dodgy for years.
So I fixed it:
Much better.
The new pipe fits much better. I re-used the old bend-couplings. It seems ok? It’s not leaking as it did before.
But the main issue – the cistern isn’t working – remains unresolved. At least we can flush using a bucket of water. So the bog is usable. Albeit in a labour intensive and annoyingly primitive manner.
Chester came in bleeding profusely yesterday. And it was a devil of a job cleaning him up and keeping him in. Repeated attempts to put a plaster or bandage on him came to nothing.
I phoned an out of hours emergency vet, as our usual vet was closed. They wanted £300. Not possible! Anyways, we shaved and repeatedly cleaned his wound. And it seems to be healing.
We also gave him some calming pain killer type medication.
Doesn’t look too bad here…
Not what you want just before you leave for a weeks holiday. The first ‘proper’ holiday in, oh… at least five, poss more, years?
And then our friend and current house guest breaks our toilets flush mechanism. It was damaged already. But it could be made to work with the right technique. Alas, heavy-handed Pat’ has now broken it completely. It can no longer be bodged, as before.
Really we need a completely new toilet. As the old’un is shite, and has numerous issues, beyond the formerly dodgy but now totally buggered flush.
In the meantime, to flush the loo we must fill a bucket with water, and ‘manually’ flush the system.
Toilet as poo-rtal to Hell.
I have neither the time, money or patience/inclination to fix the toilet today, Sunday. The final day at home before we go away on holiday tomorrow.
Our departure tomorrow is already going to be pushed back a bit, by a visit to the vet, to get Chester’s wound checked. Teresa’ll have to cover that, methinks. As I’m in dire straits – and I ain’t Mark Knopfler – financially (as usual).
Not what one needs or wants on the eve of a much-needed holiday.
Excellent stuff. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. More’s the pity… I’ve watched this a number of times over the years. And it’s never disappointed.
Chris meets Vin.
It starts with an interesting set up scene, in which two of our erstwhile Seven meet, battling racism in a rough Western town. This immediately sets up our gunslingers as noble warriors. As opposed to the rather more tawdry outlaws that history so often reveals, lurking behind the mythical glamour of the Western genre.
Eli Wallace is perfect as Calvera.
And of course this is rightly so. As this is a remake of Akira Kirusawa’s Seven Samurai, transplanted to the Ol’ West (or South-West?).
Japanese poster!Bronson’s O’Reilly; as rugged as them thar hills.
The star studded ensemble cast is great. Delivering in spades. And what’s really good is that, with Yul and Steve as a binary focal point, the other guys don’t crash their egos all over the screen. But, rather like the mythically super-cool cats they play, slouch into their roles with a studied but light touch.
A nice on set production photo.
Even the supporting cast are very strong. From Henry, the decent guy corset salesman at the top of the film, to the poor farmers, such as Hilario, who enlist the aid of our seven pistol-totin’ heroes
Hilario (Jorge Martínez de Hoyos).
There’s no point synopsising the very basic plot, which is very much based on the Seven Samurai original.
What is interesting is that this American Western version, going rather against the stereotypes, is not only in colour, not black and white, but even adds certain other dimensions to the whole genre piece, that the Japanese original has less of: warmth, humour…
O’Reilly!? … Really?
Brynner is excellent in the slightly odd and potentially rather awkward role of moralist and philosopher gunfighter. And he has a suitably daft name/origin… O’Reilly, the Cajun. Say, wha’?
But he looks great. As do all our very macho heroes. In their different ways. Brynner’s compact dark clad figure contrasts strongly with the lean, rangy tan-clad James Coburn’s knife-wielding Britt.
And the slightly disheveled youthful earnestness and idealism of Chico (Horst Bucholz) contrasts nicely with the jaded world-weary nihilism of Robert Vaughan’s Lee.
And then there were Seven.
The landscapes/settings deserve their own billing. As does the music. And perhaps even the direction? It’s all consummately well done. Well shot, in stunning locations. Well directed and acted. Well conceived. So many things that so many modern remakes – I haven’t seen the modern remake of this film (and I don’t feel very inclined to do so) – get wrong, this gets right.
Charmingly and disarmingly so. And that’s despite it ageing. It’s 64 years old now!
I should’ve been working today, this afternoon. But I’m not. So I’ve used the time this has afforded me to re-paint the fireplace feature wall.
Having fun, painting.Teresa joins in the fun!
Teresa was jealous of the fun I was having painting. So I let her join in.
Ta-dah! Just finished.
Two coats, just one tester pot. Fab! And the colour – Ceremonial Ochre, by Valspar (from B&Q) – is just as I’d hoped it’d be. Cool, calm and lighter than the previous heavy ‘port’ red we inherited.
Indeed, it has a Georgian Adamite flavour, which is exactly what I was after. Huzzah!
TV off. Uncluttered.
I love the above photo. It’s nice to see a decent expanse of the wall colour. In fact it makes me think I’ll probably extend this colour onto the walls either side of the fireplace. I’ve still got a whole tester-pot left!
Teresa was a bit anti-repaint. But now she loves it. Which is gratifying. I’m very pleased.
FOOTNOTE
Here’s a wee gallery of Robert Adam’s interiors that I particularly love. Taken from snaps of our terrific book on the man and his works.
I fully intend to incorporate aspects of Adamite design and style into our home, over time. And not just in terms of colours. But let’s wait and see what else I might manage…
Just re-hung the mirror, on the wall opposite where I sleep. It was portrait orientation before. Now, with less space over our new ‘tallboy’, it’s had to shift to landscape format.
It’s a bit high to be much use as a ‘looking glass’. But as a plain ol’ mirror, it adds Lewis Carrollian dimensions of space to the room.
We might want to shift the chest of drawers a few inches to the right? Get a bit of ‘flung-shoe’ symmetry happening!
Had to take down a guitar hanger. And that leaves holes that need filling. Mmm… holes that need filling… ‘snurk, snurk!’
Balls! Will the clutter never end?
Of course shifting stuff around has caused the tidal flows of clutter to wash up anew. The recently cleared chest of drawers to the right of our bed is once again a bomb-site/dumping ground.
But, like everything, frankly, it’s going to have to be baby steps; chip away at stuff little by little. Be patient. Stay calm. We’ll get there… one day.
I’ve been intending to watch this for aeons. Just not gotten round to it yet! I’m a big fan of the movie It Happened Here, by the same precocious directorial team of Brownlow and Mollo.
THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, Christopher Hill, 1975
I bought this for £2 today, at St Mary’s Bookshop, in Stamford (in preference to paying £5 for By The Sword Divided!).
Both the book and the Winstanley film came out in 1975. Coincidence? Or perhaps there’s a connection?
Anyway… I intend to watch the film, ASAP. And to read the book, as well. I may even take it – the book, that is – on our upcoming holiday?
Another church for the collection. Initially giving off vibes of a fairly run of the mill place, with not a great deal of particular interest.
The approach modes the church behind many mature trees. So there’s a nice ‘reveal’, as the building gives into view. The entrance is via a rather humble doorway (third pic in the gallery below).
As usual, with these old Anglican churches, if you look carefully, something – often many things – will reveal itself. In this case, it’s the panel paintings below. Sadly they’ve been effaced, literally. Vandalised by someone, possibly of a vengeful Puritannical bent?
I then walked around the back of the church, which is nicely situated in a very beautiful mature tree populated setting.
Not a superstar church. But worth a visit nonetheless.
I’ve passed this place numerous times, whilst out delivering. Today I had the opportunity to stop and snap the various bits of military hardware dotted about the site.
Pretty unusual – and impressive – to find so much large scale gear just sat there, on view. I’m intrigued, and want to know more! How does it all come to reside there, outside a roadside café/eatery?
Well, I sacked off an afternoon shift, choosing instead to take Teresa and I into Oxfordshire (I think!?), to watch The Sealed Knot re-enact the Battle of Cropredy Bridge.
It was two hours drive each way. And only three hours at the show. But it was, I think, worth it. Partly just to claim some life and leisure time for oneself, and one’s own interests.
Caption.
Blah…
Rather intriguingly, the versions of events depicted, narrated over the intercom, and described on the Wiki page for the battle, all differ!
The re-enactment was more or less a draw. But the commentators said it was actually, historically, a Royalist victory. The Wiki description of things is less clear cut. The fog of war? History is a lie agreed upon!?
Makes me want to read more on the subject. And edumacate myself, on the topic. If poss’.
