Archive for April, 2009

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Vets Might Fly by James Herriot

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

2009_james_herriot_vets_might_fly_coverWith some fiction novels, you don’t know what journey you’re going to go on, or what characters you’ll meet, but with a James Herriot book, you should definitely know what to expect. Recently back from our stay in the Yorkshire Dales, it seems apt to finish reading one of the books from one of the county’s most famous sons.

Vets Might Fly is the fifth book from the pseudonym of James Alfred Wight, made famous by the highly successful BBC TV series, All Creatures Great and Small. Published in 1976, two years before the tales hit the small screen, the 255 page, 28 chapter volume is set just after the veterinary surgeon is enlisted into the air force during the Second World War.

Taking the form of a collection of short stories, referenced by the author reminiscing from the various locations his flight is sent to (and sparked by events that happen in his air force training), it’s safe to assume from the pen name that the book will be tales of Yorkshire farming folk. And that’s exactly what it is. Which doesn’t sound either the most exciting or interesting read, and while Vets Might Fly may not be the former, at times it is most definitely the latter.

I hadn’t read any of Herriot’s work for a number of years, but after Rhian had picked this one up for me in town around the time we returned from the north last summer, it seemed the right time to get reacquainted. I’m glad I did, too, as from the story of Mrs Beck’s cat Georgina, to Kim, the Gillard’s dog (with many cows and farms inbetween), the vet’s encounters with his patients and their owners are superbly well crafted.

There’s enough medicality and humour to carry the stories along effortlessly, and as the characters are based on Herriot’s real-life waiting room (or are in fact, genuinely real), they are all believable and three-dimensional. He describes both his experiences and his beloved Yorkshire countryside in vivid detail and clarity, and his genuine fondness for both shines through.

You probably couldn’t get away with writing a book of this type in the present day. In our want-everything-now world full of celebrity culture, I very much doubt it would sell. These gentle tales of farming folk are very much of their time, but it’s a time I enjoy. Reading Herriot’s work, you are transported into his world, howling gales across the majestic fells and all. And that world is very much an enjoyable and safe and reassuring place to be.

  • Vets Might Fly by James Herriot, Book Club Associates/Michael Joseph Ltd 1976, ISBN 978-0718115128

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Tight Fit: Fantasy Island

Monday, April 27th, 2009

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We were around Mark’s again on Friday evening for another evening of ‘80s rose-tinted sunglass gazing. We did Eurovision 1983 in January, and 1984 in March. With this year’s contest looming on next month’s horizon, our latest travels back in time were to remember talent shows such as ITV’s The Fame Game from 1985, a sort of X-Factor predecessor, but with much more glitter, bad hair, and shiny outfits.

Kate Robbins’ theme tune and an appearance by Morris Minor and the Majors aside, not one act went onto any sort of notoriety (although some are still singing for a living), but it got me thinking about other acts and music from the period. Tight Fit and their immediately likeable 1982 number five hit, Fantasy Island, in particular; I remember recording the song onto a sky blue-tinted clear Memorex cassette, from a box of old 45s that my mum had brought home from a place of work.

Why I recalled this high-camp three-minute piece of sunny pop in particular, I don’t know, but on rediscovering it this weekend, didn’t realise how much like ABBA the British threesome sounded. The girls’ vocals sound just like those of the Swedish super group, which is ironic, because just as Steve Grant, Denise Gyngell, and Julie Harris became overnight stars, ABBA’s light was fading. The song itself was in the Dutch Eurovision Song Contest heats, and followed the group’s more widely recognised number one hit The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

Bright, sunny, and typically ‘80s, the video which accompanied the single was equally of the period, with the trio frolicking on beaches, and zooming around on speedboats, in typically skimpy costumes. That was to be the memory that most members of the record-buying public were to have of the group, however, as the follow-up release, Secret Heart, only reached number 41, and the three went their separate ways soon after, achieving just two years of mild success.

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‘Allo ‘Allo! the stage show

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

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We were whisked back to wartime France last night, and arguably the best of the BBC’s comedic output from the 1980s. Over the past couple of years we’ve rediscovered the innuendo-packed and crazy tales of café owner René Artois, who, in bizarre story twists, gets involved in helping both the German forces and French Resistance in WWII.

Created by comedy legends David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, the TV series ran from 1982 to 1992 on BBC1 (with 85 episodes in all), and is fondly remembered by fans of a certain age. Renowned for its smutty one-liners and infamous catchphrases, even though we’re currently watching season 5, its appeal hasn’t dimmed yet. Whether we’ll feel the same after another five series remains to be seen, but it’s impressive how the few main recurring storylines are interwoven throughout all the episodes, creating new plot twists along the way.

If you’re a child of the 1960s and 1970s, then you must have seen the show, so I won’t detail the main plots, but with an assembled cast which have been taken to the hearts of TV viewers the world over (the series has even just been bought by Germany), the programme has become a cult watch, so we were excited when it was announced that the ‘Allo ‘Allo! stage show was coming to town. And by town, I don’t mean London; it literally was coming to town, right here in Chelmsford.

We missed it in Southend last year, and so revered are the tales of the bumbling café owner, that even a local am-dram version sold out, so we booked tickets as soon as they became available, and last night we took our seats in the front row of the balcony.

A long-running touring show now in its 25th year and written especially for the boards by Croft and Lloyd, the 2-hour story has been booked for 3 London runs, with cast changes throughout, and last night was no exception. The only original cast member in the current show is Vicki Michelle, playing Yvette Carte-Blanche, René’s amorous waitress, who just by the nature of her long-standing part, unintentionally upstaged most of the other cast members. Jeffrey Holland, best known as Spike from Hi-De-Hi! played the part of René, taken in the TV shows by Gorden Kaye.

The show itself is based on the 1992 version of the live tour, and, as you would expect, featured the infamous references to sausages, portraits of the Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies, British Airmen, and exploding cheeses. It was well-written and acted, and although we were constantly comparing the actors on stage to the well-loved characters from the TV show, the cast did a sterling job, speaking the roles with their best phony accents, trying hard to sound like their on-screen counterparts.

There was, in effect, only one set, but that didn’t matter; the scene changes were well managed, and not at all hidden. Actors in French peasant costumes moved the scenery, and then became part of the scene itself. No black costume trickery here. Though more smutty than the TV show – though only the end of the pier variety – its dirty innuendo went down well with last night’s packed house, with laughs in all the right places.

What did we think? Listen very carefully, we shall say this only once… It’s a sure sign of a cult or hit show when it’s still going strong a quarter of a century after its inception. Going on last night’s performance, ‘Allo ‘Allo! is certainly capable of wowing both TV and theatre audiences alike. The stage show is certainly not a forgery of its television relation, is enjoyable nostalgia, and there’s definitely no need for it for it to be packed inside a larder with a knockwurst sausage just yet.

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Easter in the Dales

Monday, April 20th, 2009

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After a break of eight months, we were back retracing our steps in the Yorkshire Dales over the long Bank Holiday Easter weekend. It was nice to be back so soon after our last visit in August, and going up by train Thursday evening after work, and coming back yesterday morning via the excellent National Express East Coast service straight into the office made a pleasant change.

They were certainly an action-packed four days. On Good Friday we went to Richmond, which we missed last time, and walked around the hill upon which the castle sits, catching the River Swale falls, the likes of which are almost around every turn in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. A grey and damp day did nothing to dampen our spirits, though, and we spent the afternoon in Barnard Castle, before taking afternoon tea at the French chateau-like Bowes Museum.

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Views of green stone-walled fields and sheep litter the pretty Coverdale

On Saturday morning we mooched around the centre of Darlington (it was our base for the long weekend, staying with Viv), before the weather broke and we were treated to very un-Bank Holiday like sunshine, which made the drive into Coverdale and down to Kettlewell very enjoyable. Driving over the steep green hills dotted with sheep and stone walls really does make you want to live there, cut off from the world, surrounded by the beauty of it all, but if you pick the right place, just a short drive from the nearest town.

If we thought we were lucky on Saturday, then Sunday’s sunny spells were even more of a gift. We’d planned to go around Pen-Y-Ghent, one of the Three Peaks in the area, but not long after we’d got on The Stang to the Tan Hill Inn (made famous by the 1970s Everest TV ads, and the highest pub in Great Britain at 1,732ft above sea level) and stopped every few minutes to cross rivers on stepping stones and stand in slightly damp fields to take pictures, we realised that we’d woefully not allowed enough time to fit it all into a day.

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Blame that long holiday croissant/teacake/muffin breakfast. In the end, after a sunny lunch in Thwaite, we headed for Hawes (home of the Wensleydale Creamery, which we did last time), then through Gayle, and back down to Hubberholme, before once again stopping in Kettlewell. We hadn’t planned to end up there at all, but when Andrew announced that we had no reverse gear due to the gear knob coming off in his hand, we could do little else. And we only laughed because of the deadpan way that he told us, honest…

So, we didn’t make Pen-Y-Ghent, but we did make it home (the car surprisingly fixing itself, both long enough for us to enjoy the last day, and for Andrew and Sheila to make it home to Essex on Tuesday) for another large dinner, followed by more rounds of Rummikub and cards. Staying in Viv’s really has made it easier and more enjoyable than if we’d have been in a hotel, and with all our kit being taken up in the car prior to us leaving, we really couldn’t have managed it otherwise.

Bank Holiday Monday had planned to be a day in Durham, but although it was only a short car journey away, we took a detour and explored the industrial Teesport area of the north. A now faded source of industry (though oil refinery and power station chimneys still dominate the hazy skyline), it was a diverting visit, and after almost being stopped by the police for touring the estate, we travelled on the Middlesborough Transporter Bridge. Suspended in the nine-car carriage while it moved us 260 metres across the River Tees really was quite strange, but the speed at which it moved was impressive, the groaning of the wheels and cables a reminder of its heavy industrial past.

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Cars are carried over the River Tees in the yellow cradle (left of picture)

Durham itself reminded me both of Cambridge and Norwich, its gothic-inspired cathedral and large riverside paths taking in the best of both cities. Unsurprisingly, we looked in wonder around the cathedral and enjoyed a sunlit stroll by the river, watching eager dogs swim in the river, collecting sticks thrown by their owners.

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The magnificence and splendour of Durham’s gothic-inspired Cathedral

It really was all very relaxed, which sums up the four-day stay as a whole. Better than staying at home (where we’d invariably end up doing things around the house we shouldn’t, and not having a break), not only were the Dales their usually picture perfect selves, I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to spend the long Easter weekend.

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2009 Volkswagen Polo 3dr previewed by Motor Authority

Friday, April 17th, 2009

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VW has been keen to show us the five-door version of the new Polo, but sportier-looking three-door has been conspicuous by its absence. Due later in the year, Motor Authority has published renderings of the fewer door and rumoured shorter wheelbase model on its US-based website. How close these latest pictures are to the official look is a mystery, but going on previous conservative VW form, they’re more than likely accurate.

With the same basic shape an outline as the five-door, the three-door looks immediately sportier, and as if it could carry off the GTI treatment with some style. Engines are rumoured to reflect the choices in the family friendly five-door, with new 1.2-litre 102bhp TSI and 1.6-litre 88bhp TDI units being the highlights.

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As reported before, the new GTI is due to arrive sometime after the model’s official launch. With a new 1.4-litre TSI powerplant, it should kick out 170bhp, and take styling cues from the recently launched Mk 6 Golf GTI. BlueMotion eco variants are also part of the plan, possibly even hitting the streets before the GTI.

Whether the next-generation Polo forms part of VW’s assault master plan in the US remains to be seen, but with the company keen to triple its sales in the continent, few would bet against it. Production of the car has just been announced in India, adding to its other worldwide assembly sites, making the Polo a truly global model.

(Pictures courtesy of Motor Authority.)

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