Wednesday 14 June 2017

And Talking of Time Slips ...

I have just spent fifty minutes with the President of the World.  Those in the know will nod because in all probability, they have too.  Those not so in the know will know The President of the World by another name; The Doctor.  Yes, all those Whovians- today is the day I pay tribute to Doctor Who.

I vaguely remember seeing William Hartnell in this role back in the year dot.  I am not sure how young I actually was but I do know that for weeks I'd stomp about chanting "I am a Darek" because I couldn't say Dalek, so I must have been pretty young.  In those halcyon days, Doctor Who was in black and white and had a half hour slot around 5pm on a Saturday.  I have seen a lot of monsters - some quite convincing, those early ones not so - and I can remember being enthralled by the adventures of the strange little man in the tailed jacket and check trousers.  I doubt if I understood half of what was going on but I do thank it for introducing me to the world of Sci-Fi.

Over the years, rather like James Bond (another favourite, is there no hope for me), the Doctor has been morphed many times. More times than I thought actually but in the TV series, I can think of these, Patrick Troughton, John Pertwee (who grew up to become Worzel Gummidge), Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi.  Maybe I was growing up at the time but I remember losing interest after Peter Davidson and rekindling interest from Christopher Eccleston onwards and I have been an ardent fan ever since.

But it has changed.  It has evolved.  These days, the episodes run to fifty minutes and come on at 8pm on Saturdays - long after I'd have been in bed first time round.  So when did it stop being a children's adventure series and become pure escapism for adults - with, one has to admit, some quite adult themes running through its orange veins?  

Even this far down the line though, I have a certain fondness for it.  My favourite baddies over the years have included the Daleks (of course), the Cybermen, the Angels of Death and the evil mannequins that smashed their ways through shop windows and went on the rampage, all the more terrifying for their completely expressionless plastic faces.   There has of course also been an army of sidekicks along the way. Does anyone remember Frazer Hines as Jamie or Wendy Padbury as Zoe? Then there was the adorable K9, the Brigadier and of course Bessie the Edwardian car who was the Doctor's main form of transport when the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) went AWOL (Absent With-Out Leave) for a couple of seasons.

So who will be the next President of the World? Could The Doctor, rather like The Master who became Missi -  regenerate as a female?  I think Sandi Toksvig would do the role enormous
justice; what say you?

Tuesday 6 June 2017

Ooops - another Time Slip .....

I am totally mortified that I have not written a post on this blog for over a month.  I just don't know where May went.  I think I blinked and missed it!  Since the last post there has been two Young Writer sessions and I spent a week in Ilfracombe, North Devon with Steve.  I think, somewhere in the middle, I also went through some kind of personal crisis and I actually blame that for the time lapse. I am ok now, by the way, in case you wondered.  It wasn't any one thing at its root as opposed to a whole lot of things.  But it is funny how a week in a hotel, in a different location, helps to restore things and put them back into perspective.

We were staying at a hotel near a small bay.  During our week there we visited Clovelly - magical place.  I didn't even know it existed until a week ago!  It is a village built entirely into a steep cliff. No vehicles are allowed down its narrow cobbled main street.  Instead the locals get about on crudely made sledges constructed of wood and chicken wire.  The only way to access this enchanting place is via the visitor centre.  Once you are through that the only way is down. And down. And down.  It took us an hour and a bit to get from the top to the tiny little bay at the bottom.  We paused on the way  at a quaint crooked little pub for a cream tea lunch, visited a tiny chapel and the Charles Kingsley museum.  He lived in Clovelly as a child and it is believed that his inspiration for The Water Babies was drawn there.  Also on the way down is the donkey sanctuary.  Donkeys were once the only form of transport available there so they are much revered and well loved.  I have to admit that moving to Clovelly would likely as not be a logistical nightmare.  How would we, for example, transport our six foot king size bed down a steep incline less than thirty feet wide including the houses on either side!  There was also a kind of mysticism about the place that I cannot explain but I will say this - if you are ever in North Devon you must visit Clovelly; it is like something from a Daphne Du Maurier novel!  Or Walt Disney!

We also visited Lynton and Lynmouth, Combe Martin, Woolacombe and Barnstaple where we were taken on a short guided walk by the eccentric Tom who, dressed in his cape and tricorn hat, had the habit of shouting "Oh Yea" if he thought the attention of his captive audience was waning.  We had two boat trips out from Ilfracombe Harbour - presided over rather magnificently (and somewhat oddly) by Damien Hirst's 'Verity' sculpture which depicts a hugely pregnant lady holding a sword and set of liberty scales.  The boat trips were brilliant.  One was to bypass the Smuggler's Caves (smugglers are almost held in as much esteem as pirates these days) and the other was to try and catch a glimpse of some of the local wildlife. We did catch a glimpse of some frolicking porpoises and one rather curious bull seal who regarded us curiously for several moments from some distance away before deciding we were not interesting enough and diving back below the surf.- but a glimpse was all it was.  Still it was lovely being out in the open sea. But then I am a Cancer crab and anything to do with the sea utterly enthrals me.

There were lots of other highlights - the Tunnels Beaches, Watermouth Castle and lots of pretty little villages - but generally speaking I think the break did both Steve and I a lot of good.  We have visited different areas of Devon many times over the years but I really think North Devon is my personal favourite.  Not only is it completely beautiful - it has a healing element to it that is unique.