"It seems to me" says Fanny Hill sagely, "Life is very complicated and we must all get through it as best we can." Or at least the gorgeous Rebecca Night says it, because Andrew Davies said it, and maybe even John Cleland said it. And now I'm saying it. It must be true. There's an interesting little video about Andrew's adaptation of the classic !8th Century novel here.
Some good lines in Corrie this week, too. "I could do with a Get Out Of Gail Free card" sighs Eileen, sagging at the prospect of another close encounter as her son prepares to limp into a wedlock-facing situation with Gail's daughter Sarah. That's if psycho-boy David doesn't lob a sabataged girder at the vicar or ramraid the Registry - it is a few weeks since he casually semi-slaughtered anyone so he's overdue for a kill. Third time lucky, David! Easy to see why Eileen finds Gail creepy: she smiles eerily through adversity, though to be fair that's all she knows of life. You should watch more soaps, Gail, that would wipe the grin off your face. What's this stuff doing on a writer's blog? Well, John Betjeman apparently compared Coronation Street with Dickens' "Pickwick Papers" for scope and range of storylines and characterisations.

It seemed appropriate to spend the embers of the dying year - especially as Frome's big Halloween party was last week - at the movies watching 'And when did you last see your father?' I've never read Blake Morrison, though I do nuzzle next to him on library shelves sometimes, so I'm not sure how faithful the script is to his memoir, but the film leans heavily on the skills and charm of Jim Broadbent and Matthew Beard as young Blake. Any long look at human frailty and death is inevitably moving but this one seems oddly passionless and never really engages with the questions it nags at. Should love be long-suffering? Why not. Life is.

Lured by autumn sunshine Haz and I went to Longleat today - poignantly, the last of our regular-ish weekly writing dates. Haz is moving to a new town, a new job, and a new life. "Be bold, for boldness has magic in it." Goethe's words are as familiar as Klimpt's kiss these days, but it's still not easy to take that leap of faith we need before our wings will grow. Heartfelt good wishes to you Haz, and to all of us making new beginnings.

Off now to Sherborne House to lead a story-writing workshop.
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