One of the things I find fairly depressing is the number of movies and TV series that are remade. Occasionally, I admit, there are good reasons. The 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice had a much bigger budget and, consequently, much more attention to accuracy and historical detail than its predecessors. The result was a far better version. Some fantasy and sci-fi stories can be better told because of the improvements in special effects and computer graphics.

However, nine times out of ten I just wish that someone would produce a new story (one that could equally benefit from big budgets and special effects) instead of re-using the same material over and over.

In a slightly different category are the series and films which suddenly reappear after a huge gap of years. Take the first Star Trek movies, made some decades after the original series finished. Plus, on a trashier note, both Dynasty and The Man From Uncle had returns made ten or twenty years after the original series ground to a halt.

And now they're making a new V film called V : The Second Generation. Cast are yet to be confirmed, but the old leads (characters : Diana, Julie, Mike and William) have all been approached. I liked V. It's sufficiently old that I didn't expect very much of it and even found the series moderately watchable. But this ? I suspect I will be looking out for it. But it will be with the fairly guilty air of having an addiction to something that I really should give up.

...when the physiotherapist is due.

The twins have their timetable carefully altered so that they are fed, changed and caged for her arrival. The floor is vacuumed and the level of tea bags is carefully checked.

I feel like those people who clean their house the evening before the cleaner is due.

Well, Buffy and Angel are drawing to a close. Both episodes were continuations of the final arcs of the series', but enjoyable in their own right.

( Buffy - End Of Days, Angel - Sacrifice )

Well, my days of Buffy reviews are almost over. I'll miss it. Probably.

Well, the return of chrestomancy to my Swordsmaster game is planned for Sunday. Will he come back as Istan/Kalen or will the players meet someone new ? They'll have to wait for the game to find out.

( Previously in Athory... )

Otherwise, I have a short story to write by the end of the month, a book to continue and an idea for a one-off (or possibly the first of a number of one-offs) which I want to write down.

Oh, and twins to watch (plus a new twins gallery to assemble).

Well, one really awful Buffy episode and one better Angel episode.

( Buffy - Touched, Angel - Magic Bullet )

In other news, the babies had an early breakfast. Why ? Because I was woken up by one of them crying. This is not unusual in itself, what worried me was that the baby in question was Bea. It turned out that she had got her leg stuck in the cot bars.

BadgerCon was over half way through and those people frantically writing games in their spare time were finished or nearly finished.

( The final games and a couple of free evenings )

I think that BadgerCon was the most successful Con by some margin. Consequently it is unlikely to be the last. However chrestomancy had definitely earned himself early retirement from the "making it happen" post and can sit back smugly with his gold medal (or possibly gold banana).

Sunday marked the start of the games kicking off with The Founding of Star Castle (Swordmaster), Gold Team IV, Sons of David (Cthulhu) and Glory (Ralph).

( Games, games and more games )

Afternoon feeding time looms, so I'll return to this later.

Two episodes with a certain amount of similarity...

( Buffy - Dirty Girls, Angel - Inside Out )

Well, this is likely to be my last update for a while. Certainly I expect next week's review to be delayed (and will only happen if I can get the video to work). Twin dumping is scheduled for late this evening and I still have plenty of packing (for them and for me) beforehand.

Oh and my P60 arrived in the post. A three figure salary for last year - the effects of paid maternity leave ending.

Today I tackled the lawn. It had grown rather high and I had been putting the job off for a while. A hour and a half of mowing and trimming later, however, it was looking much neater and shorter. OK, it isn't going to win any "neatest lawn" competitions, but I'm still pleased with it.

But now my mouse hand has stopped working properly...

Two very watchable episodes.

( Buffy - Lies My Parents Told Me, Angel - Players )

Just one more set of episodes, then I'll have to remind myself of how the video works all over again...