Pure Pumpkin Awesomeness

Just when I thought nothing could intensify my recent pumpkin-cravings, THIS HAPPENED.

Well, I guess we all know what I'm doing on Monday.

Fun Friday :)

A few fun things today, complete with Youtube videos. Enjoy! xx

1. The new theme song for the upcoming James Bond flick has been released. Adele was clearly the best choice to sing this rather epic number - what a lovely voice. Every time I hear one of her songs I'm drawn in by the depth and soulfulness of of her voice. ♥ Gorgeous! I also really love the graphic design for the "music video" - the font choice and timing of the lyrics on screen was just perfect and didn't distract at all from the impact of the instrumentation or vocals. Well done, designer(s), well done.

 

2. After reading this post, I'm inspired to line up some documentaries to watch with Wilson on some of our upcoming date nights. (We set aside one night per week that's just for the two of us to spend time together - easy enough before having kids, we'll see how long that continues once we have a little munchkin or two running around!) These three look intriguing to me... any other recommendations?

BABIES (Been wanting to see this one since I first heard of it a year or two ago. Babies!! ♥)

 



 

 

 

FIRST POSITION (Yikes - that "foot stretcher" looks like a medieval torture device!)

 



 

 

 

THE BLUE PLANET (Okay, technically this is a mini-series and not a documentary, but it still looks fascinating to me. I'm also interested in the highly acclaimed film Earth, which I believe was produced by the same team. This clip is from one of The Blue Planet episodes. The music drives up the intensity so much - love it!)





Hello, Harvest!

Ever wondered why three of our seasons (summer, winter, and spring) have but a single name, while the most glorious of all seasons (ahem, no bias here!) can be called either autumn or fall? Just the other day I made an off-hand comment to Wilson about how it's called "fall" because that's what the leaves do, but I wasn't sure where the term "autumn" came from.

Said question was still rattling around in my brain earlier this week when I stumbled upon this article, which explains the whole linguistic conundrum beautifully. Apparently before either "fall" or "autumn" appeared in mainstream English usage, the period between summer and winter was generally referred to as "harvest." I must admit, that term has a nice homey, traditional ring to it that I quite like.

I'm sure most of us city-folk have little cause to call this season "harvest" anymore, but don't you think it's a nice reminder that despite having 24/7 access to pretty much every kind of food imaginable, there is still a pattern to growing things and the harvesting of crops that no cutting-edge technology or international trade can ever fully replace? In any case, call it what you will, I do so love this time of year... pumpkin-cravings and all! :)

xo,
Kate

P.S. Linguistic article found via Tim Challies' website. That man finds the coolest stuff on the web!
P.P.S. My favourite part of the article is the very last paragraph - love the whole Britain vs. America dynamics, tee hee!

Lewis

Friends, allow me to share my new obsession favourite pastime with you:

I am officially in love with this series! Poor Wilson will attest that I have no interest in watching anything else these days, and have basically absconded with the entire set between the library and my parents' private collection. Pretty much every night that we don't have other plans, I curl up on the couch, bat my eyelashes and sweetly suggest, "Honey, want to watch an episode of Lewis?"

There are a plethora of reasons I am smitten with this show. First of all, the Masterpiece Mystery! production itself is a throwback to happy childhood memories of movie nights with my parents, when we would gather 'round the screen and watch the ever so elegant Diana Rigg introduce that night's feature presentation (usually a Hercule Poirot mystery with David Suchet masterfully portraying Christie's brilliant detective). I still remember quite clearly the Masterpiece opening title sequence which I completely adored: a Gorey-esque animation in sombre hues with the occasional splash of colour and a "fainting woman" who had swooned on the edge of a crumbling parapet. Oh, BBC, even your opening credits are noteworthy.

Which brings me to point #2: the BBC seem to have rather a unique talent for consistently producing high calibre TV series. (In our family, other favourites include Foyle's War and Midsomer Murders). Maybe it's merely my British roots showing through, but I often find the quality of their programming to be head and shoulders above what we're producing in North America. I just can't resist British comedies, British mysteries, and even the occasional British romance/drama. Now if only the dialogue of these shows wasn't drowned out by the noise of gravel crunching underfoot, or what have you! But aside from that strangely British idosyncrasy, the production quality of this particular series is superb. Wonderful camera angles, story-telling, dialogue, and a talented cast that bring to life characters you can’t help but fall in love with.

 

Thirdly, Lewis (or Inspector Lewis, as we say on this side of the pond) is set in Oxford, which is pretty much the most ideal place to shoot a TV series, ever. I mean, it's Oxford! Steeped in tradition, birthplace of brilliant thinkers and some of the most beloved authors of all time, full of quaint shops, old churches, stunning spires, and home to two on-screen detectives who get to flip open their badges and say "Oxfordshire police" in charming British accents.

Excuse me while I swoon.

Lewis features tight plots that still twist deliciously and keep you guessing ‘til the end, a sublime cast, sumptuous visuals of Oxford and surrounding countryside, and a palpable chemistry between Detective Inspector Robert Lewis (Kevin Whately) and Detective Sergeant James Hathaway (Laurence Fox) that makes the whole series sing. Throw in enough Shakespeare quotations to satisfy even the fussiest English teacher, plus a dash of Latin and Ancient Greek (it is Oxford, after all!) and what more could a girl ask for?

Aside from providing a delightful distraction from the drudgery of daily duties, Lewis has sparked in me a passion for a trip to Oxford. Just to wander around Oxford’s many colleges, have a picnic in the Botanic Garden, stop in at the local pub for a pint glass of orange juice... Sigh. Well, maybe one day... A girl can dream, can’t she?

In the meantime, I’m getting my fill of Oxford via any season of Lewis I can get my hands on, and picking up British slang while I’m at it (to wit: “dishy,” “get it sorted,” and my personal favourite, “rumpy-pumpy”). I might secretly be cherishing the aspiration to introduce some of these phrases into mainstream Canadian conversation, but you won’t get me to admit that at one point I started reading a passage of Jane Eyre aloud in a British accent. What?! You can’t prove a thing!