Last night with the temperature climbing to a heady minus three Clare and I toyed with the idea of going for a meal but settled for a DVD and pizza instead.
The DVD we chose was Up In The Air. Directed by Jason Reitman (Juno) and starring George Clooney it is based on a novel by Walter Kirn and tells the story of Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert.
Ryan (Clooney) loves the life he leads, spending 290 odd days a year flying around the country "letting people go". Domesticity is not for him. His home is the airport, hotel rooms and the sky. When a young undergraduate at the company proposes that the work can be done via the internet and all staff are to be grounded to save money, his way of life is threatened. Having voiced his objections Ryan is told to take the young woman with him on his travels to see how he works.
I'm not sure what I thought of the film. Some great dialogue and the isolation of Clooney's character put me in mind of Lost In Translation (although in the case it was self imposed). The aerial shots and soundtrack are fantastic, and the film as a whole works but it left me feeling not much of anything. Why? I'm not sure. Pizza was nice though.
The Trip, BBC2's Monday night comedy written by Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon came to an end on Monday night but as I was out I only got round to seeing it last night.
Playing themselves (or versions of themselves) they embark upon a culinary road trip and over the course of six meals at six different restaurants in and around the Lake District, Lancashire and the Yorkshire Dales, they find themselves debating the big questions of life, such as how did I get to be here and where do I go next, over a series of culinary delights.
Directed by Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, A Cock and Bull Story, Welcome To Sarajevo and 9 Songs) the programme is visually stunning, informative and very funny.
Apparently it is being released as a film in the New Year but as a series I've really enjoyed it and hope there is more to come in the future.
Belle and Sebastian put on a great show at Symphony Hall last night. The show was one of only three nights where they were joined on stage with The London Contemporary Orchestra.
On a night that saw temperatures drop to minus 9 degrees it was well worth venturing out into the cold. Having got into Birmingham early we headed across town and ended up at The Slug and Lettuce for a brandy before nipping back over to the ICC for a baked potato.
Doors opened at 8 and not long after Daniel Kitson and Gavin Osborn took the stage. A comedian and songwriter respectively. Daniel narrated a story of unrequited love interspersed with songs from Gavin. An unusual support act but one that drew me in. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
After an interval the orchestra took the stage, a minute or so later the band joined them. There was a small ripple of applause before they went into I Fought In A War. A slow start building steadily. . The audience were quite subdued, mainly due to the surroundings, and after a while Stuart spoke and gave people permission to dance. The staff, however were still insisting people stayed in their seats.
The set itself was varied, taking something from most albums except Tigermilk. New songs included I Didn’t See It Coming, Travelling Light (one dropped from the new album), I’m Not Living In The Real World and I Want The World To Stop.
Highlights included Sukie In The Graveyard, The Boy With The Arab Strap (even the orchestra was dancing at this point) and I’m Waking Up To Us. The orchestra added a new dimension and songs such as There’s Too Much Love, Fox In The Snow and Lord Anthony sounded great. The show ended with Sleep The Clock Around which was nothing short of epic.
After everyone had left the stage the band returned for an encore. Someone from the audience requested Expectations and due to a problem with one of the guitars Stuart agreed until he realised he didn’t have the words with him. Instead we were treated to Another Sunny Day and Me and The Major. Both sounding great.
The last time I saw Belle and Sebastian was about 10 years ago and I wondered how their live show would be now that Isobel had left. On the strength of last night’s performance they were as good as they have ever been.
Birmingham today for the German market. This year's market seems to have grown and apparently is the sixth biggest German Christmas Market in the world, bigger than Dresden, Nuremberg and Berlin!
We got there mid morning and it was already busy. The temperature had climbed above freezing and instead of the cold it was the rain we had to contend with. Having browsed half the stalls we decided to pop to The Edwardian Tea Rooms in Birmingham Museum to grab a coffee and wait for the rain to ease.
Having left the museum we headed back out into the rain and made our way to The Electric Cinema, who at 12pm were having a poster sale for charity. We queued for about half an hour before we could have a look at the posters. I had one particular in mind (Skeletons) but when I had a look it didn't seem to be in the greatest of condition and so left empty handed.
From the cinema we went to The Green Room on Hurst Street for a drink and a bite to eat.
A bit of shopping afterwards before heading to my parents to see my brother who had come up from Cornwall for the weekend.
Birmingham was very busy and quite politically active. There was a demonstration outside BHS about it's tax avoidance and, close by, a student demo (signed their petition against tuition fees).
If you agree with their cause and would like to show your support there is a demonstration in the Bull Ring on Wednesday 8th December at 2pm. I'm sure they would appreciate your support.
Wrapping up warm and braving the ice we headed to Worcester for the Victorian Christmas Fayre. Despite the odd delay on the railway we managed to get there with very few problems.
We started on the High Street and browsed the stalls before heading round the corner to Friar Street where the majority of the fayre takes place. As we got to the end of the High Street we noticed a sign for a birds of prey exhibition. We headed into the shopping arcade to go and find it and found them just a few feet inside. Central England Reptile Rescue and Bird Of Prey Sanctuary had brought along some birds to raise money for their cause. Clare made a donation and I took a few photos, my favourite was Bob, the Little Owl. There were about 6 birds including an Eagle Owl, Barn Owl and Kestrel.
The stalls on Friar Street sold everything from roast chestnuts to jewellery. There are also some great little shops, my favourite being Mac & Jac's Cafe Deli.
Once we'd been round we went back again and bought one or two Christmas presents. Clare had a hot chocolate with a shot of brandy.
I really enjoy going to the Worcester Fayre. Everyone is really friendly and enters into the spirit of things, dressing up in Victorian costumes. You can also pick up something you won't find on the High Street. There are choirs singing carols, although we missed them this year, that really put you in a festive mood. There is also a fun fair.
The journey home was a bit of a chore. Standing room only on the train into New Street and a delay at Moor Street. Whilst on the station the snow started falling and having walked home from Solihull found that it stopped as soon as we go in.
The fayre runs until Sunday so if you are looking for something to do the weekend you could always pop along.
If you wish to make a donation or even help to re home an animal then The Reptile Rescue and Bird of Prey Sanctuary website is here.
RUSSIA! After a short delay the 22 executives finally reached a decision and the announcement made by Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA.
England's presentation , this morning, was a good one. Built around Eddie Afekafe's story (on the dole, no future, volunteers for Manchester City Youth Project, football changes his life) it featured David Beckham, David Cameron and Prince William. With a film that showed nations around the world watching English Football the presentation was slick and well presented. It seemed to be well received by all and Sepp Blatter called it remarkable.
Outdoor screens were erected around the country including Birmingham, London and Manchester and crowds gathered to hear the result. I don't know how it came about but this announcement became "an event". Was it the hope of a nation or was it the media building it up?
As the announcements began, rumours started circulating that England had been knocked out in the first round of voting. This proved to be true and it means that England will not host the World Cup until at least 2030.
Today's the day England find out whether their bid to host the 2018 World Cup has been successful. With the Prime Minister, Prince William and David Beckham amongst the delegation in Zurich trying to sway the votes. A presentation at 10.00 and the winning bid been announced at 15.00 has given the media the chance to report something other than the weather. From what I can gather it's very close and it's proving to be quite exciting.
The bid seems to have been strong but a Panaroma investigation alleging corruption of certain FIFA Officials and other allegations in the press probably haven't helped the cause. Something else that wouldn't have helped would have been the scenes of violence during the Carling Cup Quarter Final Match between Birmingham City and Aston Villa last night. Birmingham won the game 2-1 and face West Ham away in the Semi Final. After the match a pitch invasion by Blues fans led to flares being fired and seats ripped up as they tried to get to the Villa fans.
I'm not going to talk about the rights and wrongs of football hooliganism but I will say that a lot of these so called hooligans are the same fans that will travel the country week in week out, whatever the weather and whoever their opponent may be.
The West Midlands derby has always been a passionate affair, on and off the pitch and is often overlooked by the media. The game is usually played on a Sunday lunchtime at the insistence at of the police. Last night however it was decided that the game would not be moved and the trouble followed.
The game itself was scrappy albeit played at a fast pace. Blues took the lead thanks to a Seb Larson penalty after Lee Bowyer had been bought down. Blues scored again but this was disallowed. Villa then went up the pitch and scored, although this should also have been disallowed for offside. With extra time and penalties looming Zigic managed to put the ball in the back of the net and send Blues through to the next round.
On an evening when the temperature never made it above -2C I thought I was being clever staying at home and watching it on TV. Having seen the match and what followed afterwards I think I made the wrong decision!
Ryan (Clooney) loves the life he leads, spending 290 odd days a year flying around the country "letting people go". Domesticity is not for him. His home is the airport, hotel rooms and the sky. When a young undergraduate at the company proposes that the work can be done via the internet and all staff are to be grounded to save money, his way of life is threatened. Having voiced his objections Ryan is told to take the young woman with him on his travels to see how he works. 
