God Is In His Heaven

That oft quoted line from Browning came to me the other day as I surveyed the windswept links at Harlech from the safety of the lounge bar - I am nothing if not unoriginal - probably my mean grammar school education.

I had just completed eighteen holes at Royal St. David's in the company of Big Willy Mac. The wind was severe (this is an understatement), certainly sufficient to scare more sensible souls off the course. Thus the two of us had these world-class links to ourselves. Fantastic, bloody fantastic. No day for keeping a scorecard but I can immodestly tell you that I parred the last (as I had done on my previous visit to RSD) and secured a narrow victory, BWM having come to grief in a greenside bunker. BWM took defeat in good part (our lifetime score sits well in his favour) as a man might well do when he is a member of as august a club as RSD. BWM moved to North Wales only recently and still maintains a country membership at his original club, Cavendish in Buxton, another wonderful course. To have been a member of two such great institutions might seem a tad on the lucky side but I can assure you that Willy is a sterling being and deserves whatever luck comes his way.

I am at Plas Piggy, the last of the floors having been laid yesterday - it looks brilliant and has removed pretty much the last vestige of my own DIY improvements to the place. Tempus fugit - it is closing in on quarter of a century since we bought the house. The best investment of my life, even with the extortionate penalty Council Tax. 

 When last I blogged I was lamenting the truly dreadful film, Blacklight. A happier report today of a worthy film - Animal Farm is a 1954 animation (I believe it may have been the first such British feature) which faithfully adapts George Orwell's important fable. It is understated and for the most part avoids the temptation to burnish the story with any winsome comedy - it would be difficult to imagine Disney not falling into that trap. As I say, worthy, and thereby mildly underwhelming, but nevertheless worth the effort. Better still read the book again. 63/100.