Planet Earth

It was great wasn't it? Or was it? There's been a mini-backlash inflicted on this series, and I've got to say I'm not surprised. There were, of course, some wonderful sequences - the 'chandelier ballroom', that snow leopard chase, lions looking very out of place as they traipsed across a desert - but in between it all felt a bit pedestrian, as if trekking across Mongolia, or pot-holing for a week was too much for them, the wimps, and they didn't have any energy left for the other half hour of the programme. Ok, that's a tad harsh, but you see what I mean. As Sam Wollaston pointed out today, it was the commentary which let it down most often (though I doubt this is all down to David Attenborough, as Sam insists), peppered as it was with natural history cliches. I actually had a bet with my dad before Sunday's show aired to see who could get closest to guessing how minutes into the programme it would be before David asserted something along the lines of "Now this desert may look inhospitable, but actually it's teeming with life!". It was the first thing he said. Oh dear. Later, when the rains came, dad suggested it was only a matter of time before the phrase 'burst into life' came along. He was so right.

To pick holes in this undeniably brilliant series is picky to say the least but, let's face it, dear fellow bloggers, this is what we do. :)

Quality T.V.

Lisa and I have many things in common, not least a love of high quality T.V. Now, Hustle just about sneeks into that category - bizarrely because it has become even sillier this series, and thus forging for itself a completely different course to its rather more staid older sibling, Spooks. As such I feel it my duty to flag up Adrian Lester's masterly Charlie Chaplin impression in Friday's episode which even rivals Johnny Depp's from Benny and Joon - and that's saying something. I think my absent host would have been very impressed.

Hello...? *tap tap*... am I on?

So this is weird. Like rifling through someone's drawers while they're away...

For those of you who don't know me, I am the aforementioned Anna, a relatively new blogger who's currently feeling like she's just been invited to sit in the Staff Room and is excited but also nervous about knocking over the spider plant in the corner. As the lovely Lisa has explained, I've been invited to babysit for a time while she's away living the high life in NZ (!) so, armed with Kipper The Dog DVDs - the thinking person's children's TV show - here I am.

That's perhaps enough extended metaphors for one post, so I'll jump back to my own blog until Lisa actually leaves. Until then, say your teary goodbyes, and I'll be back with Dr. Who info and my feet on the furniture very soon... ;)

Sitting with the toddler blog

Okay, so Rullsenberg Rules is hardly a baby blog anymore, but like any toddler, you wouldn't want to leave it on its own for too long.

So very kindly Anna of the extra-specially lovely "Theatre is life..." has agreed to sit with the toddler blog whilst I am away in NZ. Now, I shouldn't need to say 'go gentle' with her as she's been blogging about the same length of time as me. And as she has her own blog she won't be bothering you as much as I do. But she is suitably qualified to rave about Doctor Who (very important) and am convinced will be a great host whilst I'm fretting on the otherside of the world about conferences, dissertations and impending builders on my return...

I'll be dropping in till Thursday night, but the countdown has well and truly started...