I’ve not watched “Barbie”, the movie. No matter how many people tell me what a wonderful feminist statement it makes, I still feel no inclination to watch it. I’ve not been persuaded by her donning outfits for various professions or occupations into thinking that she is a good role model. She remains an impossibly-shaped female. My antipathy to Barbie is nothing new. When my daughter was small I refused to buy Barbie for her and probably threatened my family with all sorts of dire consequences if they dared to fill that gap in her toy collection.
Now I hear that on the back of the success of a movie about one children’s toy, there are moves afoot to make another movie, presumably intended for adults rather than children, based this time on Bob the Builder, he who can famously “fix it - yes, he can!”. Now, he already has a longstanding TV series with the kind of bite-sized stories that make it possible for adults to watch with their small children without losing the will to live. So said movie, with real actors not cartoons, must be aimed at adults, maybe young adults with a bit of nostalgia for the tv series.
And I wonder what kind of spin they can put on Bob the Builder to give it a grown-up message relevant to today’s society.
Guardian columnist Zoe Williams has been bemoaning the loss of her bike. It has been stolen. While I can sympathise - I too would be bereft if my bike was stolen - one of the first things to go through my mind was the question: did she lock it up properly? There’s a man who lives somewhere around here (he used to live across the road from us but moved house years ago) far enough away for him to need to cycle into the village from time to time to go to the coop store. He always leaves his bicycle leaning against a tree down by the river and walks the short distance into the village centre. Maybe he thinks it’s safer there than outside the shop on the main road through the village, but still I am amazed by his trust in the local inhabitants.
As for me, I always make sure my bike is locked up when I leave it outside a shop, even if it’s where I can easily see it. I would be devastated to watch somebody take it away before I had time to rush put of the shop and yell, “Oy! that’s mine! Stop thief!” The only time I disregard my own advice is when I lean it against the bench right next to the fishman’s stall while I decide which fishy delights tempt me most.
It’s very likely that the places Zoe Williams leaves (used to leave) her bike are much less crime-free than our sometimes rather sleepy Saddleworth. I sometimes think (hope) that the Uppermill market stallholders know my bike by sight and would step forward and prevent a stranger running off with it. But still I lock it up.
Granddaughter Number Two has finally moved house. It seems to have taken a long (and stressful) time for that to happen. This morning I received a message from telling me she was locked out. She and her housemate/friend had stepped outside into the back garden with the dog. Her housemate pulled the door closed, leaving the keys inside. Oops! In the previous house this would not have mattered as the door needed to be locked manually whereas this one has a self-locking yale lock. Fortunately her father has a spare set of keys and took time off work to go and rescue damsels in distress!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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