Loved La La Land. Infectious and engaging, with a pretty bold ending. Emma Stone's performance was particularly affecting. A paean to the Hollywood musical, to jazz and indeed LA itself. Great stuff.
Manchester by the Sea, by contrast, left me disappointed. Although the acting, largely, was...
Drakes - Marine Parade.
Amazing lunch -- and a steal at £20 for three courses. Mention web promo when booking.
Proper fine dining -- hake, with Sussex chorizo (?) risotto and mussels blew my socks off. Excellent wine by the glass. Cocktails (recommend the Love Potion) in the bar, while taking...
Had a six-month spell baking sourdough, using this method from The Guardian. Worked v well.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/14/make-your-own-sourdough
Get the starter right (organic rye) and you'll get decent loaves. Very little kneading required too.
Yes, went to a mate's wedding there. Stayed four nights. Wonderful place; attractive town, terrific pubs with high quality nosh and a decent pitch & putt course. Head out westwards for magnificent beaches. Beware the sea though, coldest I've ever swam in, and that was August.
Anecdote Alert.
A few years back, I took my son to Orient away.
Towards the bottom of the stand was an Albion fan going berserk; directing foul mouthed abuse, obscene gestures and a violent rage at the home fans.
Eventually my son piped up that she was the Mum of a pal his at primary school.
Interesting -- I struggled a tad with Station 11, thought it a bit of a curate's egg. That said, good bits were v good. Felt like a more literary version of King's mighty The Stand.
A Spy Among Friends - Ben Macintyre's excellent addition to the well-documented Cambridge Spy Ring. An interesting take on how Kim Philly was tracked down by his chum Nicholas Elliott and, to a lesser degree, James Angleton. Well written and skilfully plotted, despite a non-fiction piece...
Woodstock. Santana, The Who, CSN&Y, Ten Years After et al, plus Ritchie Havens amazing set. The stage announcements/crowd chants are pretty cool too.
Not just an album, but a social document.
Breaking Away.
A cycling story, featuring a 'town and gown' conflict between the blue-collar locals and the stuck-up students at the local university.
One of my favourite films of all time, it won the oscar for best original screenplay. Inspiring stuff.