Lunedi Lunacy

Brendan O'Carroll's Mrs Brown's Boys was generally badly received by the critics in both Ireland and England when it appeared earlier this year. In the Irish Times Bernice Harrison thought "The whole thing is entirely predicated on viewers finding a man dressed as a foul-mouthed elderly woman intrinsically funny, ... but if you don't .... then it's a long half-hour." It would appear that enough people found it "intrinsically funny" for the BBC to order a second series. Though I do find most of the humour on the puerile side this little vignette with Agnes Brown (O'Carroll) and best friend Winnie McGoogan (played by O'Carroll's sister Eilish O'Carroll) struck me as funny in its honesty.

It reminded me of my own mother's reaction back in the early 70s to a workplace discovery. Bear in mind that my mother was born in 1902 in post-Victorian Ireland: she came home one night from the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, where she worked as a patients' aid, quite perplexed. She had been told that one of the male patients - a "really lovely boy" - went to bed with other men!!! Could I imagine that? And what would would they do with each other in bed? I tried to hide my amusement and feeling that it wasn't my duty to broaden her sex education that late in life, said nothing. Looking back on it now I'm sure her reaction would have been a mixture of disbelief (a son lying to his mother about a thing like that!) and Mrs Brown and Winnie's discomfort. Comedy, they say, reflects life.

11 aprile - San Satnislao di Cracovia

Pesce d’Aprile

Okay the penguin documentary - it was an April Fool's joke perpetrated by that mother of all April foolers - the BEB. Yes once again the stolid old, solid old BBC has pulled our leg - much as they did several years back with the Spaghetti Harvest. Fool us once shame on you, etc etc etc.

But its now after noon here in Italy and over at Italian Notebook, our friend GB has a more serious note on some restoration being attempted at one of the iconic sites in Roma. Its a shame for Holy Week but the sight of scaffolding and tarping has become quite common here - the Vittorio Emanuale monument has been under wraps since we arrived almost two years ago. Hopefully this newest project will bring a sparkle to the skyline.

01 aprile - Sant'Ugo di Grenoble

Mercoledi Musicale

Don't have a musical video this week because I was completely bowled over by this BBC documentary. It really is a revelation.



01 aprile - Pesce d'aprile

Lunedi Lunacy

A sure sign that spring is in the air!



24 marzo - dell'Angelo