Saturday, February 07, 2009

Vincent D'Onofrio in East Manhattan

TheReel just posted these recent pictures, with no more information than I have in the title (well, I thought it was about time I got in the Google Alerts again).

I asked them why they have right-click disabled. After all, we can all save them anyway on right-click if we use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.

You didn't know that?

You do now!




Badge

Another great episode, with Bobby on top form. I've added another bonus as the regular selection didn't offer up a good close-up.























Friday, February 06, 2009

Hall Place

There are a few Hall Places around. The one I know is in the London Borough of Bexley which, strangely, is in Kent!

It has a medieval great hall, but has been added to over the centuries. The grounds are gorgeous. The formal gardens close to the house have some topiary figures that have become very difficult to identify over the years, but are mostly heraldic figures. There are restoration works going on in the house, and building works in the grounds, so it was not possible to go inside the building, or even get close.

Way back when I was an amateur opera singer, we put on several shows in the great hall itself. It was a wonderful venue, and floating down the grand staircase in period costume made the building feel haunted.

The current approach to the building, showing the medieval wing on the right.


From the formal garden you can see the tower with the chequerboard stonework.
The two-storey bay window is in the hall itself.


This building on the site is now part of a restaurant.
You can see the contrast between the tudor bricks and the modern ones.



Maledictus

I've added another bonus at the end. Sadly, the bonus we'd all like - Bobby in drag - is not available.























Thursday, February 05, 2009

Yesterday

I think Bobby was too nice to the perp in this one, though I've enclosed an extra at the end where he shows his contempt - and a nice bit of neck!























Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Seizure

Lucky Dr Dwyer, getting manhandled by the good detective. Sadly, that didn't come up in this selection.






















Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Phantom

Yet another superb episode, though my numbers seem to have almost completely missed all the best closeups.






















I'm just adding a couple of bonuses - slideshows that I can't even watch because, no matter what I do (and I have tried a lot of Adobe's suggestions, to no avail) Flashplayer will not download.








Monday, February 02, 2009

Here Comes The Snow

London is one of the world's foremost cities. It has a massive and impressive transport system, with hundreds of local railway stations, mainline terminuses, light rail, underground, and buses galore (they ferry 6 million people around, I heard today, but was that a day or a week?)

The last time it snowed this hard was in 1991. I had a new car and a new job, and I didn't want to prang the car, so I took a bus. Yes, a bus. They were running reasonably well. I think the snow was worse than this, but the buses were running.

Today, there are no buses, trains and tubes are hit and, frankly, the city has ground to a halt. This is because the snowfall has been so heavy, says our illustrious mayor, Boris.

Boris, THIS IS LONDON! You can't let it grind to a halt because a few inches of snow fall.

Many schools are shut. Mine depends on school buses ferrying kids in, and they are not running. At least I won't prang my present car today. I won't get paid, either.

Watching the cats first thing was funny. They've never seen proper snow before. Beano was first out. Then Mitzi went, stepping into his footprints (difficult for her, he's huge, she's tiny). When Beano came back, he stepped in the prints he made on the way out. Dead comical.

My car has a nice, snug snow coat.


The garden furniture has its hat on.


A blackbird on the ground, one on the feeder. I feel so sorry for the birds in this weather,
and for foxes and squirrels and all the other little creatures that struggle to survive.



Semi-Professional

Another great episode. Serves creepy Arnie right for shoving John Lange under that subway train.




















Sunday, February 01, 2009

Final Farewell

Yesterday was my friend Lesley's funeral. After a moving service at the crematorium, we went a mile or two along the road to a hotel for a reception.

Woodlands Lane Hotel, Stoke D'Abernon, Surrey
As well as Lesley's elderly mother, her husband of more than 30 years, and family members, there were friends from every stage of Lesley's life, from school, university, neighbours, work colleagues from the earliest to the most recent jobs she held.
There was a champagne toast, a first for me at a funeral, and probably Lesley's own idea. She was great at making an entrance, and I think she would have loved to know she was making such an exit.
I'd known Lesley for nearly 45 years. She was 11 days older than me. She died 11 days ago. Tomorrow will be the first time ever that I will have lived longer than her. It's a strange feeling.

Homo Homini Lupis

We get a shot of the perp in this selection - but the picture was captured because of Bobby's hand holding the gun to the guy's head.