Those horrible events in Japan make quite an impression. Even though this is exceptionally violent I hope that the Japanese’s experience with earthquakes and tsunamis helps them overcome the situation. After all they did invent the term “tsunami” and one of the most famous images from Japan is Hokusai’s Great Wave from the 1830s. A sublime print that captures the strength and horror of such a wave. However not very close to the reality of the dark debris filled maelstrom that rampaged the shores on Friday. None of the beauty, just destruction and the resulting sorrow. My thoughts go to all the afflicted.
Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen celebrated the International Women’s Day by reshuffling the government. And lo and behold the two ministers that left were women, and the two to replace them are men. One of the female ministers, Birthe Rønn Hornbech, really, really, reaaaalllyyy had to go since she has been the source of some serious controversy about her ministry’s handling of citizenship applications from stateless people.
But I think it’s depressing that the Prime Minister would not maintain one of the few nice things he’s done in his time namely to have a 50/50 gender division among his ministers. And it just adds insult to injury that it happens on the 8th of March.
Another and much sadder thing in the 8th of March perspective is that the other female minister, Tina Nedergaards’s, reason for leaving was that her family was suffering from her absence from them due to her work as a minister. A woman makes it to the top, a woman leaves the top to take care of her family. Nice of her but rather old school if you ask me – I don’t see a man doing the same. Please get your act together, woman!
Søren Pind, Troels Lund Poulsen, Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Peter Christensen. Photo: Peter Hove Olesen
However. This government is a lame duck. Denmark will hold elections within the next six months. Personally I can’t wait! They might just bring us a female Prime Minister.
Today is a long wished for beautiful clear day in Copenhagen and it reminded me of some sunny days in Rome a year ago. Daydreaming about jumping on a plane and forget all about the daily grind while sipping espresso in some bar. Luckily it is shrovetide today and I get to eat a shrovetide bun filled with obscene amounts of cream. Comfort eating? No, no, not at all.
This winter seems to be endless. It began in earnest already in early November and it still holds us in its iron fist. But of course there are signs. Birds chirping, tiny sprouts in the gardens and of course lighter mornings and afternoons. At Hallamölle in Sweden masses of water predicts the coming of spring even though it still has to fight the ice. A beautiful sight.
It’s a curious thing that you can sit in the darkest corner of Southern Sweden (figuratively and mobile broadband’ly speaking) and talk face to face with friends in Cairo. But that’s exactly what my parents are doing in this photo. Sums up this week for me: the Middle East on the verge of something new and me and my family enjoying what the protesters might be looking for – peace, love and understanding + the resources to take a holiday.
Not that I ever experienced some English, German, Swedish, Dutch or Danish middle aged tourist run amok in a bar in Las Palmas… but this is exactly how I would picture it. And I can’t wait to see the whole film by Swedish filmmaker Johannes Nyholm. Because this is only the trailer!
Puss and I spent yesterday at home working from there. No power at the office. No really… no power… as in electricity. So we stayed at home and did some research and some writing and some thinking. Well Puss mainly did some sleeping and almost knew to stay off the keyboard. Good thing I’m left handed.
Simão the British Shorthair got his portrait taken some nights ago when I visited my parents with my brand new camera. I am looking so much forward to enjoy the liberty this camera will provide me with when it comes to low light conditions. It is said that a good photographer takes great photos with any cheap little camera, but I have grown tired of having to fight to get good pictures indoors and when light is low. I live pretty high up in the Northern Hemisphere for crying out loud – chances are it will be dark, dark, dark half of the year. I need my gear to be good. So YAY!
And Simão, he just loves to get that kind of attention – can’t you tell?
Sherlock Holmes is forever connected with long summer holidays in the family cottage by the sea where I read the stories of the master detective in my teens. And I still love Sherlock though its been years since I picked up one of the books. All that dryness and intricateness and the romanticism of foggy Victorian London – what’s not to love? So of course I have been watching some of the tv and movie adaptations and Jeremy Brett is so far my favourite. Downey Jr. was entertaining but it all felt a little bit too fancy though I liked the updating of the characters. And if “updating” is the keyword then BBC’s recent series Sherlock is really the thing. I just watched it and loved it.
Sherlock Holmes goes 21st Century with all that it entails – smart phones, internet, modern forensics, which funnily enough makes no difference at all because Sherlock Holmes has always been about the characters and Holmes and Watson just have to be perfect. And that they are in this adaptation. Benedict Cumberbatch (how wonderfully quirky a name can you get?!) is Sherlock and his slightly alien face combined with his cool, cool acting makes this a very interesting interpretation. This is not a nice person and yet you feel that you’re in on some joke and as long as you’re in on it you have to like Sherlock – even if he is, as he terms it, a high functioning sociopath:
And then there’s John Watson played by Martin Freeman whom I will always connect with his role as a stand-in actor in Love Actually but who is probably best known from The Office. Freeman gets to make John (this being the 21st Century first names are compulsory) a deeper character with a mind of his own and a tormented past as a military doctor in Afghanistan and this extra layer actually makes the character a more believable everyman than most John Watsons.
A small clip from their second meeting when John has come to see the apartment in 221B Baker Street:
Many reasons to love this adaptation, and a bonus one is that Lestrade, the police inspector, is portrayed by Rupert Graves who’s one of my favourites from series such as The Forsyte Saga. But watch it primarily for the chemistry between Cumberbatch and Freeman and enjoy those little humouristic hints at it being more than just a roomie-thing.
Annina Teatime 