Oh the utter joy of Wednesday afternoon! Even though the sky looked bruised and heavy with rain, I had my flowery raincoat and my pink umbrella, so really, to me, there wasn't a cloud in the sky! The lovely friend who I was meeting for lunch was delayed a little, so I popped into the Oxfam bookshop, where I found the most fabulous book- a heavy old tome called '10,000 Things'. What a wonderful, eclectic, random jumble of things! There are little plays, quotes from Shakespeare to do with the weather, 50 Arabic Words We Use Today, and other such lovely thing. I really couldn't resist it!
After a delicious lunch at the noodle bar, there was just enough time to drop into work to borrow a kitchen knife (I had bought a battenburg cake in Marks and Spencer - wonderful vintage packaging at the moment- and needed to slice it up before taking it to the theater to share!) before scurrying up to our theater which also has a cinema screen. We always knew that 'Housewives Choice' was bound to be popular, but although we arrived on time, a formidable woman barked at us 'no tea, we've run out, you're too late!' and ushered us in while muttering about how there were more people than they were told! Really!
We found seats, my lunch friend and another friend from work and I, and we were immediately plunged into utter darkness, which makes sharing out battenburg very tricky indeed! A light came on and a man made a little speech about the film, just as though we were in war time days, and it ended with an air raid siren! Then the wonderful films began. They were so good, I wish, wish, wish that we could live then, just for a little while, and also that they sell this show on dvd! If you get a chance to see it, do!
The first film was a rather matronly woman, standing at a kitchen table. The narrator, in clipped tones announced 'This Is A Country Woman!' which made us giggle right away. She went on to narrate The Country Woman making rabbit pie- including what sounded like 'rubbing fet into flar'. We learned that the best way to get ink out of an apron is to rub a tomato on it, and the best way to smarten up your husband's ties is to wrap them round jam jars of hot water! There was one short film of a couple taking afternoon tea by their fire, and it made me long to have that room for my very own. I ended up compiling a little list of domestic details that I want to introduce into our little home- and eiderdown on the bed, a particular kind of flowery wall paper, and a proper tea with scones and a tea cozy at least once a week!
After the film, we did a little shopping, enjoyed a hot chocolate, and then went home. I am sure that each of us were thinking about The Country Woman rubbing her fet into her flar, and turning over all the wonderful domestic details we had seen, like rummaging through a button box of treasures.
Such bliss! Oh, and if you click on the title to this post, it will take you to the BFI page with more details about the Housewives Choice!
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing little insights into your life. I love the way you can find the enjoyment in everyday life - something many of us forget to do. You have inspired me to follow your example and live in the present, savouring each moment. Your afternoon at the cinema sounds wonderful, I so wish it would come to Scunthorpe.
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