Mahinda’s Little World

Right. I’ve been rather poor at keeping up recently, so I’d better start writing!

So…

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride

On Friday night, I moseyed into town to see rather excellent Corpse Bride.

First up, however, was Bare Bones at the Cornerhouse - basically, an exhibition featuring some of the original puppets from the film, as well as pre-production sketches. I met Si, and we spent half an hour or so happily moseying around the foyers looking at stuff, before heading to the AMC cinema to meet the others (Jordan, Paul and Ben).

 

I REALLY enjoyed the film. Okay, so it was aimed at kids and the plot was therefore rather transparent, but it was all marvellously executed with beautiful animation and clever gags. It ticked all the boxes, with comedy sidekicks, a wimpy anti-hero, and a proper pantomime villain all in attendance.

Ben (aka “New Pam”) had a somewhat different opinion, thinking that it was a bit difficult to follow at times, and had trouble suspending his disbelief…but I think Ben and I may well be the type who tend to differ in our film reviews anyway!

Anyway, I’m hardly Barry Norman, am I?

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride

After the film, we met up with Pete and Rosy (who’d been to see Saw 2. I would have seen Saw 2 too, except that I’d not seen Saw, so shouldn’t really see Saw 2 first) in the excellent Knott Bar for a few beers.

The pub conversation was lively, and Pete and I managed to thoroughly confuse Linden - she txted, asking if we were coming out to play that night, so we sent her alternative lines of the same txt. My half was:

…Knott Bar, and…
…fancy Anal Treats…
…*some text missing*

I’ll have to leave you to guess what the other lines were. Mainly because I can’t remember them.

Home reasonably early (for a Friday night), in preparation for a busy November 5th.

Treason and Plot…and Hockey

Got up on Saturday morning (okay, afternoon then) to go and play my first hockey match for the Sale 2nd XI. But I’ve already posted about that here.

After hockey, I went home and grabbed much needed showerage, before heading over to Jo’s place for chilli, parkin and mulled wine. Not necessarily in that order.

The lovely Steph cooked a lovely chilli (seldom has Quorn tasted so good!) and the mulled wine was pretty good, too. The parkin, despite Jo’s earlier warnings, was nice as well.

Pictures shamelessly stolen from Mark’s site

The fireworks were nice…

…and the bonfire was big

We had sparklies!

Bright light! Bright light!

Who was there…Jo and her housemates Steph and Amanda…random walkers in Mark, Torkjel, Julie and Gavin…and Mark (another one), whom I’d met when I went out with Howell for that Japanese meal in Wilmslow. There was another MADwalker too, but I really cannot remember his name. A Brentford fan, for his sins.

Anyway, we got the bus to Wythenshawe Park (well, to Northenden plus a walk), and managed to catch a few minutes of fireworks, before lighting lots of sparklers and waving them around. As one does.

I found Pete, Emma, Rosy, Laura, Kate, Matt L, Mark J, Pete R, Linden, Ed, and some others (I’m sure) hanging around about 20 yards from us, and they told us that we’d not missed much - there really wasn’t much by way of fireworks.

After the fireworks, the walkers (and me!) headed for the funfair. It was all bright and shiny and spinny. We went on the spinny-fasty-uppy-downy one, and the roundy-roundy-spinny-yellow one. That’s all the description you’re going to get.

We then got the bus back, and set up camp in the Woodstock - a rather fine real ale pub, which has unfortunately lost an awful lot of character in a recent refurb. There was no room at the inn, so we donned our coats and sat outside. I got called a freak by Amanda* for sitting outside in just a T-shirt (and trousers, obviously) while others were shivering in fleeces.

I may look a bit camp…
…but then there’s Ross

* Amanda. Jo’s housemate. Quite possibly the neatest-looking girl in the world. In the entire course of the evening, she managed to not get a single hair out of place. No windsweptness…no general fairground ride unkemptness…amazing.

Last orders came and went, and the group dispersed. I moseyed over to Kate’s place for a little party she was having with the others who’d been at the fireworks. Given that it’s all of 100 yards from my place, it’d be rude not to!

We all drank, chatted and played with burning things until the wee hours. My sparklies were the best, proving that size really does matter. They did tend to droop a bit, though.