Wet Wet Wet

So wet an umbrella won't even keep you dry.

For all of half an hour, I got to see a bit of Cymru, or as we English-speakers know it, Wales. It was a quick visit to a site in Cardiff though the rain made it a less-than-pleasant stop. The round trip was four times longer than the stay itself, but at least I got to experience the Second Severn Crossing from the comfort of a car. In any case I can now tick the box that says I've been to Wales, though I still plan a proper trip in the future.

The New Year has been dominated by work and bad weather thus far. For the past fortnight or so there has scarcely been a clear sky. We did get an afternoon of snow, which was a welcome sight at the office to no one but me. Of course it doesn't last very long once it's on the ground. Needless to say I'm not one of the suckers who has to drive in it. This country has once again been hit with flooding, especially down here in the Southwest, but that will hopefully turn around this week, or so says Auntie Beeb.

Despite the horrific weekend weather, I decided to take in some of the Slapstick Silent Comedy Festival down at the Watershed. This city certainly enjoys its film festivals. A few of the shows I was keen on seeing were either sold out or too dear but I was quite pleased with the two I chose.

The first was French Silent Clowns. It was hosted by comedian, television personality and author Paul Merton, and broadcaster/writer Matthew Sweet (not to be confused with the American singer). The show presented several short films from the early Twentieth Century, all French as you might have guessed from the title, and none of which I had seen (nor had Paul or Matthew for that matter). There were definitely some strange films in the mix from the Pathé brothers, one of which had a leopard attacking a pig, something one wouldn't even see on a nature programme in the modern day. There were also a couple of films by Max Linder, who was very influential on Charlie Chaplin. Each film was accompanied by improvised piano played live by a pianist who also had never seen the films. I didn't even realise this was the case until Paul Merton mentioned it after the first showing.

The second show I took in was Phill and Neil's Slapstick Heaven. The Phill and Neil in this case are Phill Jupitus, famed comedian, panel-show contestant and former BBC 6 Music DJ, and Neil Innes, one of the Rutles, writer, musician, actor and considered by some to be the seventh Python. The pair showed pieces made since the dawn of the talkies, showing the influence of silent slapstick comedy. They had clips from the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup, The Beatles' Hard Day's Night, The Rutles, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, clips from early Woody Allen films, and an absolutely hilarious sketch of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook spoofing The Thunderbirds. They also introduced me to some absurd(ist) British comedy with which I was unfamiliar in the form of The Goodies, and Reeves and Mortimer. All the while the amusing banter between the two tied the clips together nicely.

That was my excitement for the last little while. In a couple weeks I'll be heading to London to meet up with Brad, as he arrives in the UK for a work term. This will be the first time I've been back to London since my day of meetings last October, and indeed my first journey to London from Bristol. I'm still formulating plans for a short European getaway as well. Before all of that though, there is a short bus ride I plan to take westward to visit a seaside resort on the coast of the Bristol Channel. It will be my first look at a British beach, albeit a muddy one, in a town with a lot of decaying relics. It should make for some great photos... if this bloody rain stops.

Cheers.