A rush of parakeets swarms over the garden. Hundreds of them, vividly green, rush over above us and, several minutes later, return to swoop again. They are magical and unexpected, even if several people in the backyard where the barbecue is being held have read about the escaped-and-breeding ex-pets of southern London. As sunset dies, so too do their frequency, until the skies are quiet once more.

The ITV Billy Piper Mansfield Park felt almost more like a summary of the book than a rendition of it at times. There were occasional scenes I loved - my favorite being when Fanny sits down to read Tom the racing news and Edmund pauses to look back at them. Mary Crawford was nicely acted; she was sympathetic for exactly the right reasons, completely honest about being a user. But mostly it was a fairly lightweight adaptation.

C.'s released some major new functionality for Splash of Wine - the best bit is the ability to make and use lists, as many and as varied as desired.

My newest Playmobil acquisitions seriously open up the options of recreating historic farming vignettes; also, now that I have a scythe (even better - two of them!), I can recreate classic Death personifications. Clearly these very scholarly goals are the reason I keep buying it.

I caught The Drowsy Chaperone a day before it closed in London, taking along a willing and visiting aerinah. The show was fabulous, a rich hour-and-a-half of commentary on musicals everywhere, guised as a show in its own right. A musical junkie at home in his messy apartment puts on one of his favorite records for the audience to hear, talking us through its plot as the play itself unfolds on the stage, transforming it. The Host and Underling were hilarious; so was the garden scene. Trix the Aviatrix had a wonderfully rich voice. I keep thinking about monkeys. Memories of it have been relevant to all sorts of things since, and making reference to it is nearly useful without more people who've seen it. (Thanks for the enthused endorsement, andromakie!)