I cannot believe so many things have happened since my last blog, which was a shocking 6 months ago. How could I have left things so long, I ask myself...
Well, firstly, I discovered I was pregnant (yes, it was thankfully planned!) back in May 2008. Not wanting to jinx anything, Noggin and I decided to keep quiet about this for as long as we could, at least with the exception of our very nearest and dearest.
This was easy enough, until the morning sickness started kicking in. I was commuting two hours every day with black bin liners in the passenger seat of my ford focus, up and down the M3 every day, and then trying to keep sudden trips to the toilet and looking like death warmed up as much as a secret as I could at work, not wanting to share the news until we knew we were reasonably out of the danger zone of those first few months of pregnancy. It was pretty hilarious, thinking back, I couldn't even brush my teeth without being sick, god knows how I managed to attend meetings looking and feeling the way I did without people thinking I must have a disease or be on drugs...
Anyway, the news could eventually be released, and so the following months, with the loss of energy, busy job, long commute, and general lack of time, meant that the dear blog slipped out of view for rather a long time.
Noggin and I had always said we were happy to wait to get married. He'd wanted to wait no longer than two years after our engagement back in the summer of 2005 , but we were so contented just the way we were, that there seemed no real pressure to organise a wedding.
The one thing he really wanted was to start a family, which we finally agreed at the end of last year would be something we would try for. I had always thought I'd be at least 30 before considering kids (I'm 28 now folks) but he had some pretty compelling arguments, and well, the idea had been more and more appealing to me during the last couple of years, maybe because of the relationship and how we are together. Anyway, enough of trying to make you feel nauseous, the point is that with every month that passed in the pregnancy, I was feeling more and more uncomfortable with the idea that we would be waiting to marry a year or two after the baby.
Now don't get the wrong idea, I am in no way religious, or have ever really had a strong desire to conform to social pressures, so it surprised me more than anyone else that I was having a gradual build up of some kind of marital conscience... maybe it was some kind of emotional 'nesting' or whatever that crap is they reckon us preggers ladies go through when we're busy making a baby - whatever the reason, I wanted to be married to my fella, and to do it before the little squirt arrived into the world. So, we made the decision on the 9th Sept 2008 that I should go ahead an organise a wedding. In six weeks.
Preeeeeeeettttty mental. Yep, especially while rather pregnant and with a busy full time job 40 miles away from where I live. We had families based in both the UK and Norway to think about, what with Noggin being a viking and everything (or so I like to secretly think, I'm sure he has a horned helmet and a reindeer skin stashed away somewhere) and no idea whether we wanted to have the wedding in the UK, or abroad.
We decided on the Chelsea Registry Office, and booked the ceremony for Friday 24th October 2008. I started searching venues for the reception in London, looking at everything from pubs, restaurants, bars, art galleries, the odd museum, gardens, iconic buildings, rental homes, everything.... and then I found the London Bridge Hotel - what a relief. A massive thank you to Susan Clark for helping ensure that everything was as effortless as possible during the planning process.
We booked our friends and family into a mixture of cheaper local hotels and the London Bridge Hotel itself, to ensure different budgets were catered for. I found a local florist familar with the hotel, and explained I wanted a simple white rose bouquet and button holes. My maternity dress was a real lucky find (and risky!!) as I purchased it on a whim on the internet about 3 weeks before the wedding... that had to be the only really nerve wracking part of the planning process, as for a while I thought I'd be walking down the aisle in anything white and large enough to handle my huge bump and increased boobage (by this stage they had their own gravitational force, and were seriously competiting with the bump) - I was having nightmares of me being like a pregnant Waynetta Slob, in a white velour tracksuit and pumps, complete with swollen ankles and knackered expression on my face... bouncing up the aisle to a slightly petrified Noggin the Nog.
Thankfully, the dress turned up on time, and for a steal at £163 was a real life saver. Aside for some rather last minute alterations (can you believe it was actually a little too large) made kindly by a local dress maker I know, it was perfect. A grecian style ivory gown especially designed for someone with a big, big bump.
My sister and bestfriends, hearing that our budget was too tight for bridesmaids, were amazing - insisting that they would be bridesmaids and that they would find some suitable dresses to wear themselves.
Without going into too many more details, the day was absolutely brilliant. Even now, if we had twice the budget, I don't think I would repeat it any differently. We had an amazing ceremony in Chelsea (our super intendant was a chap named Bill, seriously Bill, you should be on the stage) were we got to choose things like music, readings if wanted, and the wording for vows. We were sent off with a large bottle of champagne and our wedding license, and took a wedding car back to the London Bridge Hotel. The room was decorated on a budget, but it is amazing just what a scene you can create with 40 or so mixed church candles and a bunch of tealights from Ikea, it was so simple, but so effective. Then, armed with an Ipod, some very personal playlists, and the best food I'd had all year, we throw a big bash at the Londinium Restaurant, which is hidden away under the London Bridge Hotel.
The bridesmaids were AMAZING, sneeking off after the speeches to decorate our hotel suite with roses and masses of petals, arranging candles, the remains of our wedding cake, champagne (great for Noggin, all the more for him) wedding gifts and chocolates. We were seriously impressed with the sheer amount of effort my sister and bestfriends went to in making sure it was as memorable a day, and night, as possible.
I'll get some photos up here asap.
The other reason I've been so pre-occupied, is that shortly after the wedding, Noggin and I decided that we wanted to make the most of the opportunities my impending maternity leave presented to us both. He had been thinking of working on his own terms for some years, and so took the momentus decision to leave the company he had been with for 10 years, and set up new opportunities for himself in both the UK and Norway. With neither of us due to be tied to the South Coast from December onwards, we made the decision to travel across to Norway, to join his family and spend some well earned time surrounded by some of the most beautiful nature of the south west coast of Norway, on an island called Bømlo. We were renting a house in Southampton which although quirky and interesting, with direct water access, was no place suitable to raise a newborn in the depths of winter.
It had only just had central heating installed and was still suffering badly from damp, among other things. It was also pretty poorly renovated with poorly covered problems such as rotten floors, leaking pipes and broken stairs. Sounds awful, and in all truth it was actually 'patched over' so to the untrained eye appeared a little old and disjointed, but essentially ok. However, to both of us, having been living there and having to deal with the problems on an almost month by month basis, we knew the mess that was hiding under the cheap laminate flooring, behind the bathroom and kitchen units, and upstairs under the 'interesting' blue carpets...
With barely a week to spare before airlines would be forced to refuse me a ticket, we decided that we would go and spend some quality time together with Noggin's family over in Norway, sharing his large open plan childhood home with his mum, W. We can stay here for up to a year, and potentially longer if we decide during the course of that permitted year that this is what we both want long term.
So, I am writing this now from a large timber framed house, staring out at the moonlight reflecting on the sea, with dark and distant mountains across the other side of the fjord. A fire is burning in the wood burner, and in the kitchen across from me the radio is tuned in to a local radio station, allowing me to smile at the sing song dialect of the Norwegian language - it's actually amazing how many simularities there are between Norwegian and German, and also English. Although I can barely string a sentence together, it is surprising how many things I am able to understand, though not always completely free from hilarious misunderstandings, of course.
It all sounds - and is - rather romantic, I'm really grateful that we are able to do something like this in our lives without being pinned down to particular locations in the UK due to work. So we've grabbed the chance with both hands, and taken the somewhat (to me anyway) risky decision to have the baby over here. My friends and family are all up for cheap holidays to see us through the course of the year, and it's great to see Noggin back in his element for the first time in what is about 12 or 13 years. We're also spending more time together than we've ever been able to in the UK, what with my maternity leave and his new working arrangements. It is also an island with no traffic lights (not one) and the brown goats cheese with jam takes some getting used to...
Anyway, must sign off now as this is turning into a monster of a post, even if it has been 6 months.
Photos and updates from Norway will be added, together with a pick up on movie news and stories... I'll have to see how just how different life is with the little squirt, who is due on 30th January (and estimated to be between 8 and 9lbs if she manages to go full term... YIKES) before I promise daily posts, but I will certainly be improving on the time between the last post and this one.
Cheers,
Lulu M
Thursday 8 January 2009
Well well well... Look what the cat dragged in.
Sunday 29 June 2008
The Happening...
M. Night Shyamalan's career (and ability) appears to be in reverse...
In a nutshell, The Happening is an intriguing idea, a sinister and suitably unusual apocalyptic vision - which is delivered with about as much panache and intelligence as a good school film project.
I'm starting to wonder whether the strength, and I believe, well deserved success of The Sixth Sense, The Village, and to some degree, Unbreakable, have actually been due to the presence of a phenomenal, well suited cast. Remove these elements, and low and behold, you have the Happening.
The story is definitely an interesting one, and no one can deny that M. Night Shyamalan is a master story teller, but whether he is in fact an accomplished director and script writer is a whole other matter...
The casting is weak and the actors are poorly suited to their characters; this is potentially not their fault, as both characterisation and plot are sparse and disjointed. Add to this the fact that the dialogue is truly appalling - and I really mean this - and the film reveals itself not to be the terrifying, promising experience it's alluded to in the trailer, (and first twenty minutes of the movie) instead ending up nothing more than an embarrassed, spotty kid in a cupboard, sheet over head, shouting BOO.
Almost comical in places, and oddly wrapped up, this strange little number is worth a visit just to experience a new plot idea, but not much else.
Hullo, stranger.
Well, well, well. I've managed to disappear for an entire month... what possible reason could there have been to tear me away from here, and more importantly, one of my favourite pastimes catching the latest releases at the picture house, I wonder?
A. Pretty. Big. Deal.
Noggin and I are pregnant; 12 weeks as of a few days ago. We've been holding this news in as tightly as we could (bar closest family and friends) and are finally starting to relax - the danger zone is passed and we can start being amazed that WE are actually going to be fully fledged, estate car driving, adults.
...........oooooooh baby this is mad, exciting news.
Oh, and I'm back.
Lulu x
Friday 30 May 2008
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Potentially one of the most interesting movies due out this Christmas (well, early bird and all that) is the adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald's fantastical, humourous and ultimately melancholic short story, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.
Director David Fincher's generally impressive track history includes Zodiac, Fight Club, Se7en, Panic Room, Alien 3 and The Game.
Rather like a Burton / Depp collaboration spells a particular style, I'm hoping that this Fincher / Pitt pairing will mean similar veins of dark humour, melancholy and intelligence, as with their previous collaborations, Fight Club and Se7en.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the tale of a baby, born as an elderly man - much to the shock and dismay of his parents - who then proceeds to age in reverse. Gradually reaching middle age, youth, and eventually childhood, his life is always unusual, often painful, affirming, tragic and humourous. Ultimately lonely, Benjamin's condition pulls those that share his life, (and their view of him) in and out of focus.
While the rest of the population ages and experiences together, he is doomed to fleeting moments of acceptance, normality, and love.
Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton star.
The only trailer available so far is in Spanish, but an English language version is sure to surface soon...
A dark and unusual tale, with the changing relationships between the beguiling leads likely to make us all appreciate the aging process in a whole new way, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button looks to be a well crafted, textured, cinema treat.
Current release date: Christmas Day, 2008.
~ The title of this post will teleport you to the official Benjamin Button website, though be warned there isn't much there (yet) accept for the occasional tumbleweed ~
Wednesday 28 May 2008
Missing In Action
Some of you, my lovely, tiny group of readers, may have noticed that I've fallen rather silent over the last week.
My apologies for disappearing... all I can really say at this stage is that I received some pretty crazy, life changing news on Saturday.
It's taken me this long to get my head round it.
Thursday 22 May 2008
The Men Who Stare At Goats (Really)
There I was, innocently mooching across the net earlier when I discovered a future film project that'll be right at home in the 'oddest name' family. Oh, that and it actually sounds pretty interesting.
"The Men Who Stare At Goats" is a novel by British journalist Jon Ronson, telling the tale of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion.
Ok, fine, so where exactly do the goats come in, I hear you cry? (Er, very quietly...)
Well, the battalion was reported to use paranormal powers - sufficient to kill a goat just by staring at it.
Anyway, the novel was adapted into a script by the man responsible for the upcoming How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.
Smoke House director Grant Heslov will direct, while his friend, (the continuously interesting) George Clooney, will star.
Night Night.
Wednesday 21 May 2008
Christian Bale signed into new Terminator trilogy
As I'm sure you will have heard by now, Christian Bale will star as John Connor in the next batch of Terminator films, with a trilogy apparently in the pipeline.
The team linked to the agreement is The Halcyon Company, headed up by co-CEOs Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek, a previously unknown force within the industry who have certainly decided to dive in, all guns blazing.
Back in May 2007, Halcyon secured the rights to the entire Terminator franchise, including all merchandising - and even some revenues still being gathered from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
Adding even more kudos to their relatively unknown currency, Halcyon have recently secured the highly-coveted first-look rights to the works of science fiction legend, the novelist Philip K. Dick.
Through this unprecedented agreement, Halcyon will have the first option to
develop in conjunction with Electric Shepherd for film adaptations, as well as
television and other media projects, based on Dick's vast body of works.
The first of the films will be distributed by Warner Bros, in 2009, under the title Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.
Click on the post title above to check out The Halcyon Company website; just watch out for those rather artistically polished power shots of Derek and Victor.
Arian Sudbury - Baldy's Blog
A few moments ago, I discovered Adrian Sudbury, appearing on a Breakfast News feature on BBC 1. 
Adrian is a journalist who, in November 2006, felt a bit rough, and decided to call in sick.
What Adrian didn't realise at the time was that he had developed not one, but two types of leukaemia, running at the same time, which according to medical literature is the only known case of this type of condition. This means that no known prognosis is available for Adrian, and he has recently decided to stop with his treatments.
I can't pass on to you the speed with which seeing this confident, funny, sure footed guy discuss his disease with such dignity has moved me.
Adrian writes a brilliant blog - please, if you do just one thing today, check it out: http://www.baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/ Here, Baldy shares his experiences of the disease and his treatments. I've added a permanent link to his blog under the 'brown paper bags...' section to the right.
The point is, and this is aimed at myself as much as any one else reading this - if I'm honest, I don't even consider the possibility of being a bone marrow donor. Many of us, myself included, struggle just with the idea of blood donation - so bone marrow sounds like a step too far; invasive and scary. But lets face it - it probably feels this way to people like me because we have no realistic understanding of the processes involved; and rarely come face to face with the situations facing leukaemia sufferers such as Adrian.
Tonight, I'll be reading Adrian's blog. I encourage you to too.
Chin up Adrian, (and Poppy) and thank you raising this issue up as well as you have; you're an example to us all.
Monday 19 May 2008
Flash Bang Wallop
Being into photography, my breath was completely taken away by this surreal shot of a 'dirty storm' eruption in Chile.
Caught by Carlos Gutierrez, and released by Reuters, this fantastic image shows an electrical storm feeding into an eruption - an event which is apparently not as rare as one might think.
"After 9,000 years of silence, Chile's Chaitén volcano (pictured on May 3) is erupting with lava, ash—and lightning"
The post title'll whisk you off to National Geographic, if you feel like learning more.
Saturday 17 May 2008
Blindness
The film chosen to open Cannes this year is, at first glance, a rather surprising choice.
Blindness tells the story of a mysterious plague sweeping through modern America, rapidly resulting in mass loss of sight. Sufferers experience no warning signs of infection or physical trauma, until it is too late and sight is lost.
Seen from the eyes of a woman who is immune to the effects of the disease, watching helplessly as her husband, and community, fall into darkness; Blindness considers humanity, and loss of civilisation, as we lose the ability to visually perceive each other and our behaviour.
The poster seems to hint at the many 'slightly horror, possibly sci-fi, but not much between the ears' offerings that seem to have been quickly splattered across our screens in the last couple of years.
With Julianne Moore in the lead, all I could think of was Forgotten, and the fact that with the exception of Far From Heaven, she doesn't seem to have done particularly well with her film choices for a number of years. But, to be fair, she's capable - she just needs to the right kind of material to get her teeth into.
So, what is a film like this doing opening the 2008 Cannes film festival (apart from the probable business deals which went on behind the scenes, to secure the considerable status and benefit of being the opening film)...?
Well, on closer inspection, the signs are actually rather good:
Firstly, Blindness was directed by Fernando Meirelles, the Academy Award Nominee responsible for passionate, sincere, intelligent projects such as City Of God and The Constant Gardener. Add to this the fact that the film is adapted from a novel by Nobel Prize winning author Jose Saramago, ('Essay On Blindness') and things start to seem very good indeed.
The cast includes Julianne "oh-no-don't-let-this-be-another-mediocre-project" Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Sandra Oh, and the brilliant Gael Garcia Bernal, which should be a good sign.
While the official UK release date is yet to be announced, across the pond US cinemas will start to screen Blindness from the 16th September 2008.
I'm holding my judgement until I've seen it, but, considering the excellent track record of Meirelles, I for one am looking forward to it.
To help you make up your own mind, click on the title of this post to go to the official Blindness website, where you can watch the trailer. (There seems to have been a few gremlins with the embedding code offered on their site unfortunately, otherwise I'd have it showing here) - Enjoy.
Wednesday 14 May 2008
Brains Perform Best, When They're Hydrated!
Have you seen the new ad with Brains from Thunderbirds yet? Yes, that's right - remember Rhythm Is The Dancer, by Snap...!? Check it out.
Again, the post title takes you somewhere... Parker's Lament.
L x
New films, ahoy!
Wow.
16th May 2008
Charlie Bartlett
16th May 2008
Heatbeat Detector
16th May 2008
La Antena
16th May 2008
RFK Must Die: The Assassination of Bobby Kennedy
16th May 2008
Smart People
16th May 2008
16th May 2008
The Air I Breathe
16th May 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
22nd May 2008
Sex And The City
28th May 2008
Gone Baby Gone
6th June 2008
Wanted27th June 2008
The Dark Knight
25th July 2008
Tropic Thunder
8th August 2008
8th August 2008
How To Lose Friends And Alienate People
3rd October 2008
Quantum Of Solace
31st October 2008
Harry Potter 6
21st November 2008
Angels and Demons
19th December 2008
Monday 12 May 2008
Friendship, bacon butties and champagne
Isn't friendship great. Real, true, tell it like it is, stick through thick and thin, jump around in your pants, friendship.
One of my best friends is getting married this summer, on the second of August to be exact; the day after we share the day we were both born, same day, same year, and I'm loving the realisation that I'll be sharing one of the most important days of her life with her, and with our other very best friend - she used to be known, lovingly, as Wookie, (er, imagine a wookie that looks a little bit like julia roberts, well, had julia robert's family descended from an exotic land surrounded by beautiful clear lagoons... for a hint: 20°5, 57.5E) and occasionally still is. But for now, let's refer to her as Mrs B.
We've all known each other since we were about 17, but those barely two years together in six form where defining. And although for a while, (say, about 3 years) we didn't see or hear a hair from each other - and this was not with out the keen, and kind, efforts of Mrs B to get things back together (see, a true mate) - when you finally get back in the loop with your nearest and dearest, it's like one of you just popped to the shops.
Mrs B and I have begun planning the hen weekend for our fabulous friend.
Isn't it ironic that our best friend was once one of the wildest childs we knew, a proper, bonefide, devil may care, watch me while I sizzle, rebel. But she's always had a heart of gold - and was, and is, the best kind of fun imaginable.
Now, she's still got all that fire inside of her, but she turned out to be the most ladylike of all of us - cultured, smart, and one of those lucky people who can make an entire room light up with one easy, dry remark. She's also turned out to be somewhat of an authority figure, which I personally think is fantastic, (and hilarious, considering what we used to get up to at 18) and makes me smile from ear to ear. Let's refer to her as Audrey.
So we're in the middle of hen weekend planning, trying to come up with something unique and classy, without forgetting the cheeky streak of fun. And it's surprising - when you get away from the L plates, pink cowboy hats and condoms that so many people seem to feel have to go hand in hand with British hen nights, it's amazing what you can do.
And Mrs B totally excels as suporama matron of honour; she's come up trumps with simple, glam yet personal ideas, that'll make a weekend for us to remember and laugh about for a long, long time to come. (Til we're old and slightly smelly, I'm hopin'.)
Now I'm afraid I can't share any more details than this, (and maybe the clues in the title...) as the last thing I'd want is for her to realise what our plans are.
And it's on this note that I realise just how much I'm looking forward to seeing the new Sex and the City movie - it surprises me as I can normally take it or leave it with this kind of thing, but having caught up with most of series 3 and 4 again on Paramount Comedy recently, I'm chomping at the bit for sharp frocks, and even sharper lines.
Just wish I had the girls in the neighbourhood to enjoy it with... (Why can't we all live in the same county, just for a change!)
So yes, friendship, the truest variety, is definitely the best.
Night night.
(P.S. click on the title of this blog post to be whisked directly to the Sex And The City official movie site - a great site design which reveals some rather intriguing photos of the girls - mind the cheesy/trite music choice though, what were they thinking when they signed that deal; must have been money involved somewhere...)
Friday 9 May 2008
Introducing rssHugger - free web optimisation
"rssHugger aims to provide blog owners with a unique easy-to-use way to promote their blogs by sending them traffic, building backlinks for search engine optimization, as well as attracting new rss subscribers if the content is interesting to the reader"
Using the site has been intuitive, though there is an approval process whereby any blog sites wishing to make use of the benefits of rssHugger must be ok'd before listing will begin. This element ensures a certain level of quality to the database - so fingers crossed that Film Mundo will be accepted into the rssHugger family.
To find out more, simply click on this post's title above to be taken directly to the rssHugger website.
It'll certainly be interesting to experience the potential benefits of a dedicated site aiming to bring the needs of publisher and reader together, under one friendly roof.
Well it's the weekend, and I for one am relieved, and looking forward to bed.
Night night.
Thursday 8 May 2008
Iron Man part 2
Some pictures for you - I think you can see how badly wrong this film could have been, but what a relief, it was great. If like me you also have an inner seven year old boy (or not) go see this sometime. ....Now, I really am off to bed!
