Distractions

Another week goes by. More things have been distracting me from the task at hand:

Reading
Nine Lives – William Dalrymple
My first William Dalrymple book and I’ve got to say it left me a little underwhelmed. It’s good, but is is really worthy of the slavishly drooling reviews? I suspect he could publish his weekly shopping list and it would be instantly proclaimed as a masterpiece of the genre.

Having said that, there are some beautifully written passages that make you want to book a seat on the first flight to India. And I learned a lot about the various religions on the sub-continent, of all hues. I guess I should dig out one of his earlier books before passing final judgement.

Any suggestions?

Listening
Snake Eyes on the Paradise – Dragon
I had an Australia Day BBQ on the weekend. It was so cold I simply left the beer in the back garden to chill it. My neighbour Richard again proved himself a man of taste and refinement by turning up with a bottle of overproofed Bundaberg Rum.

But I digress. An important part of the Australia Day BBQ process was putting together an Aussie-themed playlist as a soundtrack for the day. My guests were largely English so I had to stick to the usual suspects – AC/DC, Midnight Oil, INXS, Kylie, Powderfinger, Icehouse, Crowded House, Men at Work. But I did manage to slip in some of the music I grew up with and loved – Sunnyboys, Falling Joys, Hummingbirds etc.

That took me down a very bizarre path, past the Angels, Spy vs Spy, Australian Crawl and Mental as Anything and led me to Dragon.

Now I know the Kiwis amongst you will quickly point out that Dragon were initially from New Zealand. But there was a time in the early 80′s when you couldn’t avoid them on the radio in Oz. Are You Old Enough? April Sun in Cuba. Get That Jive. Sunshine.

They’re all on Snake Eyes on the Paradise – Dragon’s greatest hits collection. If you’re an Aussie of a certain age it’ll bring back memories of the long drive to the beach on vinyl seats sticky with sweat. (That’s a good thing, BTW)

Watching
Mongol
I’d heard good things about this movie – from fellow author Simon Varwell if I remember correctly. So when I spotted the Blu-Ray edition for £8 at my local Sainsburys I popped it in my basket. I wasn’t disappointed.

First up – I don’t think it’s historically accurate. But if you’ve got Blu-Ray and a big tele it doesn’t matter. Just sit back and soak up the scenery. Kazakhstan and the Mongol steppes have never looked so good.

I also liked Honglei Sun’s knowing portrayal of Jamukha. He brings a little bit of Vin Diesel to 12th Century Mongolia. And the battle scenes are simply awesome – and a lesson to Peter Jackson on how CGI should be used.

Visiting
Lyngsfjord Adventures
My daughter loves dogs. I want to see the Northern Lights. I’m thinking why not go dog sledding to see the Northern Lights?

It was this thought process that led me to Lyngsfjord Adventures, a company that organises such things out of Tromsø, in far northern Norway.

Haven’t booked anything. It was just one of those ideas that float through my mind over the course of the day. But if we do it I’ll let you know what it’s like!