A holiday of a lifetime

I'm back home again after taking the longest holiday away I've ever had - more than three weeks. A welcome treat after a lot of hard work writing over the past few months! (Incidentally, this is why I've not been updating comments on the blog until now - I haven't figured out how to do this remotely, as the app doesn't seem to allow it.) The centrepiece was a trip to New Zealand, and because it's such a long way to go, the plan was to have a mini-break in Singapore at the start and end of the holiday. I've never been to either country before, and so a tour company took charge of arranging our itinerary - the idea was to focus on memorable 'experiences' of different kinds and to enjoy a spot of luxury along the way. I was a bit apprehensive - although I've done a lot of travelling, I tend to be quite nervous in advance of big trips. And this one involved seven flights in all, five boat trips, three train rides, and a tram tour. Not to mention an unscheduled visit to a terrific scene of crime writing heritage. Thankfully, it all worked like a dream. There's so much to say: here are just a few of the highlights from the first part of the holiday.

I didn't quite know what to expect from Singapore, but I found I really liked both the place and the people. Our guide on a personal walking tour around the old part of the city and Chinatown emphasised the law-abiding nature of a society which is, I think, quite rigourously policed and which gives the impression of being very safe compared to many big cities around the world. The Marina Bay development, with evening light shows, is very impressive, as are the gardens nearby.

Then it was off to Auckland and one of many rooms with a great view, of the harbour. It was only a couple of minutes to the ferry to Devonport, a swish resort with a great second hand bookshop! And Mount Victoria is easy to ascend. A full day tour of that part of the North Island of New Zealand followed, a first glimpse of some of the stunning landscapes in this beautiful country. Our guide was part-Maori and she gave interesting insights into Maori life, about which I'd previously known very little.

Next came a road trip to Rotorua, with stops at some amazing glow worm caves, which you can tour by boat, a greenstone museum, and a kiwi house (kiwis are nocturnal, and hard to spot) and eco-park.

A spa day - the first I've ever experienced - came next, and then a visit to the amazing geothermal springs, which I found even more spectacular than the geysers of Iceland. This gave me the idea for a short story - it's a great setting. In the evening, a visit to a Maori village and a fascinating insight into Maori culture, with interactive elements as well as a feast and entertainment.

An internal flight took us to Wellington, with a chance to explore the furnicular railway and the botanic garden before a twilight guided tour through the incredible Zealandia eco-park. There were one or two kiwis to be glimpsed, as well as some remarkable flora and fauna. 

And then it was time to leave Wellington and the North Island for the next part of the adventure...

Rainy Day Women - BBC TV play (1984)

There are some gems to be found on YouTube that aren't readily available anywhere else (there's also a lot of pirated stuff, admittedly). Among the obscure items I've come across is a forty-year-old Play for Today written by David Pirie, now not only a well-regarded screenwriter but also an experienced novelist. The play is called Rainy Day Women, and Mark Lawson once described it as 'one of the neglected masterpieces of British TV'. 

This is essentially a wartime story, but it's framed in a manner that seems consciously to imitate The Go-Between, a book and film that I admire. In 1984, a young boy discovers a diary. The story told in the diary is the story of the film, and it's not only dark but thought-provoking. 

Charles Dance, an actor I've always rather liked, plays Captain Truman. He is sent to investigate rumours of espionage in a remote village, presumably in or around Lincolnshire. There he encounters a likeable and sensitive doctor (Lindsay Duncan) and a woman called Alice Durkow (Suzanne Bertish) who is hosting some land girls. Durkow is regarded with great suspicion. Is she a spy? Or even a witch?

The Home Guard are much in evidence, but these men are very far removed from the lovable characters of Dad's Army. They are a very nasty bunch indeed. One of the local men is suffering from impotence and it's as if the war has rendered the whole village dysfunctional, socially and sexually. Truman is a decent man, but he's inhibited by his own conservatism from confronting the menacing locals head-on.

Domestic violence escalates into murder and ultimately something quite shocking happens. We are only told about it, which unfortunately does lessen the impact, but at least Pirie avoids exploitative writing and poses interesting, and far from straightforward, questions about human behaviour and the nature of moral courage. In many respects this is a low-key and moody story, with a few shocking moments, but I can understand why Mark Lawson likes it.