Once Upon a Time... in Leamington

On Saturday we go over to Leamington to visit Son and of course to do a Parkrun. L may not be quite up to running at the moment so instead she decides to walk Leamington parkrun with Son. Yes, that shocked us too. She’s signed him up with a barcode and everything. He seems surprisingly up for it but I’m sure he’ll never do another one and he looks well ready for his breakfast afterwards.

In the evening, we're at Broadway.

Set in 1969, Quentin Tarantino's new film 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood' is two stories ran in parallel. The first is total fiction and concerns Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a TV cowboy in the long running series ‘Bounty Law’.

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Rick is now a fading star as Hollywood moves on to newer and younger things. So Rick is attempting to reinvent himself but is only being offered bit parts as a bad guy. On the downward curve alongside him is his stunt man Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). They are drinking buddies but while Rick lives in luxury in the Hollywood hills, Cliff lives in a trailer with his dog, Brandy. 

Meanwhile, living next door to Rick on Cielo Drive is Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) with his wife Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). Cue the second story, a factual one that is about to get the Tarantino treatment.

The film is set in the months leading up the real life murder of the pregnant Tate and all the other occupants of the house on Cielo Drive at that time. Tarantino slow burns through that period filling in Rick and Cliff’s story and dropping in casual encounters with Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) and some of his ‘Family’ members. Cliff even visits Spahn Ranch to see an old acquaintance George Spahn (Bruce Dern) where the Family are now holed up.

Where is the film going? Of course with Tarantino you can never be sure until you get there. He could have recreated the murders. He certainly wouldn't have baulked at that. In fact you find yourself waiting for tragedy to strike knowing that with Tarantino they would have been in equal parts brilliant and unwatchable but he didn't. Thankfully he didn't. The title of the film implies this is a fairy tale, where endings can be anything you want them to be, so all bets are off.

Overall it’s a long, but mesmerizing, film with all the usual immaculate detail along with an incredible soundtrack (naturally), great cinematography, great acting especially DiCaprio and Pitt among plenty of famous names both as actors and as characters played by other actors. Typically there’s plenty of drugs and violence, and a stirring of controversy in casting Cliff as a wife killer among other things in the film to get people wound up but most of all Tarantino does what he does best. He tells a great story.

Some Quentin Tarantino movies of late have disappointed, this one doesn’t. This is right up there with his best. He might as well retire now.

(Saturday 17^th August)

Twilight And Dawn

On Saturday L and I both run Clifton parkrun and then head off in opposite directions.

L heads to Leamington on the train to spend the rest of day with Son as it’s his birthday this coming week. While I head to Newark to supervisor our team in the Crufts Team Qualifier. Sadly I don’t have a dog in any of the teams with MD being now in the twilight of his career and the Lad only just past dawn. We reunite later in Beerhedz at Nottingham Station.

I’m back at Newark again on Sunday, supervising more teams but I’m back home just after lunch after deciding not to wait to MD’s one run which was right at the end of the day. Sadly none of our teams troubled the qualifying places.

(Sunday 26^th May)

A Reoccurring Theme

I do a run with the two girls on Sunday, L and Daughter. We meet up at Forest Rec and then run to Beeston. I get the bus home from there while they head back to Forest Rec to pick up the car. The boys are left at home and the Lad only has time to accumulate two tea towels plus a few toys in the hall. He seems disappointed at my quick return.

In the evening we head over to Leamington to see Son, where we take dogs in the White Horse. Son’s GF is on crutches, having apparently broken her ankle falling off a ledge while taking a selfie or something like that.

Monday night dog training is allegedly starting up again and the Lad will just love it. Although it won’t be starting this week... not enough people. This could (again) be a reoccurring theme.

The Lad’s haul in hall today is two tea towels, a dish cloth, two dog toys, a pair of knickers and a bottle of multi surface cleaner. WTF.

On Tuesday Gary Rowett leaves Derby for Stoke. Ha ha. The grass is always greener eh Gary... But Stoke? Really? I spend Tuesday in London, waiting three hours for someone from our customer’s IT department to turn up.

Wednesday, I’m on the bike and in the Yard (for beer and pizza) then later at dog training.

After a particularly fraught morning dog walk on Tuesday L reports that boys were angels on Wednesday morning and asks if I’ve had a word in their ears? How odd. I’ve been having a word in MD’s ear for 10 years. Never worked before.

Thursday I’m on the bike again and get home to be greeted by the Lad with bits of shredded dish cloth hanging from his mouth. Good to know he’s kept himself amused again. Then it’s tennis for me while L is out on the lash in Derby. We meet her off the bus later.

Friday is a touch wet, so I don’t bike and the rain keeps all sensible dog owners indoors so L and the boys have a pleasant morning walk as there’s no one for MD to fall out with.

(Friday 25^th May)

Rare Thing

It’s that rare thing the Sunday lie-in today and then later we head over to Leamington to see Son.

We load the car up with boxes of his old belongings that are still hanging around the house. He seems thrilled to receive them.

In Leamington we revisit the Five Rivers for a curry and very good it is too. 

(Sunday 18^th December)

Simply Not Meant To Be

Today is a momentous occasion, it is Doggo’s 15^th birthday. I, sort of, celebrate it with a pub lunch. He would have liked that, had he not been stuck at home.

L is in Leamington meeting up with Son although yet again there is a fatality on the line (this always seems to happen to her) which disrupts her journey. It wasn’t her train involved by the way.

I pedal home quickly with the intention of getting the lawn cut before heading off to pick up L from the train station. Unfortunately (for the lawn) but, as it turns out, fortunately (for me) L gets home earlier than expected and distracts me with a better offer. The lawn can wait.

She also forgot to take Son the chocolates we bought him in Bruges, so we conclude it’s simply not meant to be and eat them ourselves. 

(Wednesday 10^th August)

Kit Kats But Not As We Know It

It was Son's 25^th birthday yesterday. Blimey, what an old git. So, as it's a Bank Holiday today, we go over to Leamington to the White Horse, for what must be (appropriately) the 25^th time, for a late lunch.

They have yet another new menu and the lamb steak I have is possibly the best meal I've had there yet. It’s small though, so I munch through some of my late arriving birthday present on the way home. These are Japanese Green Tea flavoured Kit Kats, very odd but somehow very addictive.

I also get a a bottle of something Japanese which may, or may not, be beer but no one is sure. L is made to wait for her pressie, as it’s not been ordered yet...

(Monday 30^th May)