Went to see the movie ‘Cold War’ on Saturday. It was that rarest of things; the recipient of glowing reviews which actually lived up to the praise. And even rarer, it was black’n’white, and rarest of all; Polish.

And it really is a fantastic movie. Dark, depressing, but gripping and beautifully filmed. It starts in 1949 with Poland in the wake of the war and under the Soviet machine. The story follows a group of kids recruited to continue the tradition of Polish folk songs and dance. Who were taken to a lovely old abandoned manor house to train and learn. It was like Fame: Poland. And instead of Manhattans’ glowing skyline, the back drop was more… mud. Lots of mud. And snow.

It follows events up to about 1969, the effects of the Cold War, the Russianisation of Polish life, the loss of its own cultural identity and the general badness of life under the Soviet hammer. Which kind of bashes you on the head 6 times every day in case you might have found something to be a little happy about. And all through the filter of the songs and dances.

Its great. Go see, if you can find it. Black’n’white, subtitled Polish movies obviously lack the mass appeal of Harry Potter or Die Hard 27.

Sunday was a fab day. All sunshine and tennis and Lila. Because she’s moving. In with her other grandmother with her mummy & daddy for about 3 months whilst they’re re-building her house. So it can be made all lovely as she enters the most brutal period of toddlerhood and can smash the place up again and they can test the washability of crayons on the newly decorated interior.

And today is Rosh Hashanna, the Jewish New Year. Less a party, more a day of adding up all you’ve done wrong in the last 12 months so you can get forgiven on Yom Kippur 10 days later. Its all a bit catholic for my personal taste; I reserve the right to be a total bastard every day of the year. And the price I’m prepared to pay is to host 25 people for dinner tonight.

Boris Johson is not invited.

Happy New Year/Shona Tova

A xxxx