Abigel

We have a new winter tradition and we love it.

For the fourth year going, Noni and I have watched the Hungarian TV series "Abigel" in the Christmas break. It's on two DVDs, with a total duration of about eight hours.

This last time we broke it up to three chunks. On the second night we found it almost impossible to stop. And that was despite the fact that we obviously knew the story very well by then.

So what's so fascinating about "Abigel" that keeps drawing us back? It's simple: a brilliant plot and loads of great characters played by the best acting talent Hungary had to offer in the eighties.

The film is a real gem - if it was not in Hungarian, it would be a blockbuster.

I see that Magda Szabo's "The Door" was received very well by critics when it was translated into English in 2006. Isn't it time for "Abigel" to be translated as well? I'd love to do it. Any interested publishers out there?

It's probably not the next Potter, but you never know. it's got the potential to be big.

Milkpan

Husband selected a nice new milkpan at Tesco's. We needed a new one because
1. after many years' of faithful service, the handle of our Ikea milkpan was now in the final stage of separation from the main body;
2. and the non-stick coating on our new Sainsbury milkpan started to peel off in day one.

So as part of his weekly big shopping event, he put into his trolley a shiny new milkpan.

As he was leaving the checkout area, he couldn't help overhearing the following conversation between his cashier and the next customer:

Next customer: "What a lovely milkpan that gentleman has bought. I'm kind o' thinkin I should run back and get one myself!"
Cashier: "Don't bother, it's awful."
Customer: "What do you mean?"
Cashier: "The handle gets so hot you will burn yourself. I bought one last week and had to bring it back straightaway."

Sometimes I kind o' think this world is going mad.