UK Premier League

The football season is back with us again ...

This weekend saw both Manchester teams off to a good start -

City beat Sunderland 2-1

and this afternoon United beat Bournemouth 3-1 ....

I wonder what the season has in store for both teams ?

We'll find out soon enough no doubt .

Enough money has been spent during the summer break on players and managers.

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Thicker than Water

Yet another Swedish drama to entertain us on Thursday night TV.

10 pm More4 - Thicker than Water 

Tonight will be the second episode and we hope it will be as good as number one.

Mother, the owner of a failing and shabby guest house, commits suicide and through the terms off her Will attempts to control and reconcile her three children.

Ten episodes in all so one assumes that the story will develop nicely over the coming weeks.

Try it out .....

River Irk - Middleton

Today was a dry, sunny and rather pleasant morning - here captured in the lens is a small bridge over the River Irk at Alkrington Woods, Middleton

Trapped

More entertaining viewing on Saturday nights - BBC4 9pm

This time an Icelandic thriller - in English, Icelandic and Danish and it's called Trapped 

Very good - enjoyed the first two programmes last night.

Murder and lots of snow - wild scenery and intrigue.

Could get hooked ...

Stars Olafur Darri Olafsson as Andri the local cop who ends up having to deal with the murder as the big boys can not get through from the capital to his isolated town due to bad weather conditions. 

To add to his problems he has marriage/child custody problems and it looks like the Lithuanian Mafia are going to be involved in the case.

All good fun...

Queen's Park, Heywood

Early one morning Queen's Park.

Swan

The weather does not seem to have bothered this fellow - takes all the rain in his/her stride.

River Irk - Damaged Bank

The recent flood water has damaged the bank of the River Irk here at Alkrington Woods, Middleton

Alkrington Woods - Fallen Trees

During the rather wet winter that we have this year many trees in the woods have decided to upend themselves.

The root systems seem to be very shallow considering the size of the tree and closer inspection reveals the soil to be somewhat sandy - not good for anchoring tree roots ...

Wet weather ...

Wet weather is on the way across the Atlantic and is due to hit Northern England around Tuesday Wednesday .

8 inches is due to fall so I guess we can expect more flooding.

This weekend has been very mild for the time of the year - around 50f.


Back to the boots and over trousers .... Dogs still need walking !!!

Spin + Deutschland83

Currently we are well served on UK TV with foreign language films and very popular they are - an ever increasing number of people are viewing them...


Friday night 9pm More 4 is showing the French political drama  Spin starring Nathalie Baye as presidential hopeful Anne Visage. Lots of intrigue and romance (sex).


Deutschland83 is shown Sunday nights at 9pm on Channel 4 and is a cold war thriller set in West and East Germany.
Jonas Nay plays Moritz Stamm / Martin Rauch a Stasi agent who has infiltrated the West German army. His control Lenora Rauch is played by Maria  Schrader.


Both programmes highly recommended ..

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War and Peace

If you want some really good viewing then watch Drama of the Week , BBC1 Sunday night at nine o'clock.

This new version of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy has us sitting on the edge of our seats - the best programme of the week. Some would say it is not true to the book and is "sexed up" and "racy" but as I have not read the book I can not comment on that...

Stars Paul Dano as Pierre and Lily James as Natasha.

A story of love and war, the invasion of Russia by Napoleon and the lives of the aristocracy and wealthy elite.

Really good...

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Founded by King David 1 ( 1124-1153 ) Holyrood Abbey was raised to the ground in 1570.

Today it comprises of little other than the nave walls.

Dalry Place Edinburgh

Not far from Haymarket Station Dalry Place is a residential area untypical for the city centre in that it does not consist of tenement buildings.

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Scottish Parliament

Near to Holyrood you'll find the Scottish Parliament buildings - very very modern.

Grassmarket

From 1477 the Grassmarket which lies at the foot of Edinburgh Castle was used not only as a marketplace but a place of executions .

Today the place is a tourist haunt being surrounded by pubs and restaurants