Image Credits:-
Most images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. One photo taken by Allison Symes, the other a family heirloom photo.
My post last week was a reflective one, given the recent (and most moving) funeral of HM the Queen. Usually national reflection is sombre because it is usually connected to Armistice Day/Remembrance Sunday etc.
But reflection can take other forms and I thought it would be nice to have a look at favourites – favourite films, books, music, TV shows etc. The old saying “the past is a different country, they do things differently there” is true but sometimes it is nice to pop back for a visit! And doing that can remind you of things which are well worth bringing back to your recall again.
Favourite Books
I could write, aptly, chapter and verse on this alone but thought I would limit myself to three. I will always love the Famous Five books. They got me into reading in a big away and they were fun but my tastes now are The Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice, and The Daughter of Time. Three different books – fantasy, romance, detective story with a difference – but they all showed me different aspects to writing.
TLOTR showed me the sheer scale of what can be achieved, P&P introduced me to irony in fiction, and TDOT made me change my mind about Richard III. I have so many books I can add to this list (where would I start with Wodehouse or Pratchett? I’d want all of their books included with one possible exception. I wasn’t that keen on Eric by Terry Pratchett which I think is the weakest of his Discworld series but the others more than make up for that).
Favourite Sweets
I was torn here. When I was a kid and my sister and I used to go the tobacconists/sweet shop at the end of our road. We both appreciated that you did get a lot of sherbet pips for your pocket money but I must admit I had a fondness for toffee crunch and cola cubes. Neither of these would be approved by my dentist back then or now! Now, I love those mini bars of Green and Blacks and, aptly for a Doctor Who fan, Jelly Babies go down well with me too. Still doubt if my dentist would approve.
Favourite Films
Again, The Lord of the Rings features here as I thought it was a wonderful adaptation (and a great advert for the New Zealand Tourist Board too). I thought Skyfall was the best of the Daniel Craig Bond films (though I did like Spectre and No Time to Die as well). And I have a great fondness for the Peter Sellers Clouseau films.
Then there is The Ladykillers, a classic Ealing comedy. On the animated front, I thought Up was well done and The Incredibles was great fun. (Have not seen the second one of those – any thoughts on it, anyone?).
Favourite Music
I do like a wide variety of music but in recent years have become a huge fan of classical music. I do vote in the Classic FM Hall of Fame annual poll and I usually go for Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Gustav Holst’s Jupiter from The Planets, and Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre. The latter was used as the theme for Jonathan Creek, a quirky detective show. I liked that too!
Favourite TV shows
I was a huge fan of the children’s TV series Rent-a-Ghost. Also liked The Ghosts of Motley Hall. Loved Thunderbirds (and still do – that march is amazing. See the YouTube clips – one is from the TV opening credits, the other is the wonderful Royal Marines version).
Black Beauty was often watched and again the theme is fabulous. Moving on a bit, I loved Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) – you might have noted the ghost theme emerging in what I’m picking here! I quite liked the remake with Bob Mortimer and Vic Reeves but you can’t beat the original with Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope.
Coming up to date, I must admit I now watch very little TV. I prefer listening to classical music as I write. Doctor Who is a must (and one of the few things I watch live). I like the quiz show Pointless.
Favourite Radio Shows
In no particular order, these would be The Goons, Just A Minute, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, and anything with Milton Jones in it. I love his word play skills. My late mother was a huge fan of The Archers and there is a fabulous spoof of this in The Spanish Suitcase for The Goon Show written by Spike Milligan in the 1950s. Still funny. Still an accurate spoof of The Archers. Brilliant stuff.
I never used to listen to radio much when younger. Yes, I used to tune into Radio 1 but that was about it. Mum always had Just a Minute on as she loved Kenneth Williams’ appearances on there.
Favourite School Lessons
No big surprises here but I loved English. I especially enjoyed Composition (which should’ve been an early clue to me it might be a good idea to tap into what I love doing and become a writer. I was slow to take the hint!). I would have liked to have done more on the music side, looking back. I had a few basic lessons only.
Moments in Time
What particular moments in time stand out for me? Well, there was the drought of 1976 followed by the Minister of Drought being appointed and within days the heavens opened. I remember often seeing Concorde flying overhead and the Saints bus going through the city when they won the FA Cup.
I loved watching Andy Murray win his first Olympic medal and go on to become the first Brit to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry. That is a lovely memory for another reason. I rang my Dad, who was a huge tennis fan, shortly after Murray won and it was so lovely talking to Dad about what a fantastic match it had been. Dad was overjoyed. I think he’d given up on seeing a British winner here. This was especially heartening as we’d lost Mum the year before so having something so cheering like that was a huge boost to Dad and I.
And more recently the late Queen’s skits with James Bond and Paddington Bear are stand out moments though I suspect the latter has outshone the former to an extent.
Hearing Big Ben toll was deeply moving and seeing the state hearse leave London via the A4 and the Chiswick flyover brought back memories. My family used to visit my father’s family in London and we often came into London via that route. I’ve passed by Fullers Brewery many a time in my time. The Chiswick House grounds are lovely too.
Conclusion
There is a time and a place for nostalgia. The important thing is not to wallow in it I think. Remembering your old favourites and appreciating your new ones is important. Life is a journey. It’s not static.
So over to you then. Any nominees for the above categories? I suggest limit yourself to one or two for each category and let’s see what collection of favourite things we can put together here. It doesn’t have to be warm woolly mittens, parcels tied up with string, and fluffy kittens here either! (And if you want to add in a category about favourite musicals please do. Mine isn’t The Sound of Music. I did like The Phantom of the Opera – back to the ghost theme again!).
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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Your past country was very different from mine. We had no TV and cough lozenges were the only ‘sweets’. I had a book about Rupert Bear and another about Old Lob, the Farmer and there was something about a chicken who thought the sky would fall.
There was a cinema which ran short films, Laurel and Hardy, Tom and Jerry, Movietone News etc. It ran all day, and you could sit through it three times if you wanted.
As for the radio, Workers Playtime was quite good, Children’s Hour rather girlie and ITMA, Dad’s favourite, somewhat beyond me. Dick Barton, Special Agent was brilliant, but they changed it to some stupid tale of countryfolk.
Those different past countries were not many years apart.
Many thanks, Mike, and it is indeed amazing what can change in the space of a few years. When I started my secretarial career, I was using a manual typewriter (and a very old one at that!). When I left, I was using a 486 computer! I used practically everything in between those two extremes though the funny thing is my mobile phone has got more computing power in it than that 486, which was state of the art at the time.
The fairytale is Chicken Licken if I recall correctly from my books of fairytales.
Used to love watching the cartoons on TV rather than at the cinema. I sometimes hear the theme for Dick Barton on Classic FM. Great music!