RECIPES

Sunday 3 January 2021

The Hobbit Trilogy and A Prison Riot

 

Well, I have done it.  I have watched all three of The Hobbit movies on DVD.  I laughed, I cried, I got sweaty palms sometimes, but I did it.

I thought it was quite a good story (it must be 15 years since I read the book) although it seemed to drag out sometimes, possibly because I was watching the extended version.  The final battle dragged out for so long that it became tedious, but overall, I enjoyed my nine hours of viewing.

The three movies were 1) An Unexpected Journey, 2) The Desolation of Smaug, and 3) The Battle of the Five Armies.




Waikeria Men’s Prison has been the focus of a prisoner riot the last few days.  Waikeria is a large rural area south of Hamilton, with multiple ‘prisons’ for various category prisoners. 

The men involved say they were “protesting inhumane conditions,” and they are probably right.  I have heard that prisoner treatment is not always as good as it could (or should) be, and the building involved here has been classed as unfit for use but was still being used while another facility was erected.

However, the men have been using very violent tactics to get their message through.  Nearly the whole of their unit has been burnt down and dangerous threats were being made to staff, but I see on the News just now that the remaining 16 men have thankfully handed themselves over to the authorities.

We have had some heavy showers here today, with a lot of thunder crashing around over lunchtime.  When the sun peeps through the clouds all the steam rises off the house roofs and we open all the windows to try and catch the smallest bit of breeze to make the humidity more pleasant.

As I am about to post this we have had another mighty crash of thunder followed by the call of a pheasant and the raucous squawk of a blue heron.  I guess birds are no more fond of thunderstorms than the rest of us!

Have a great day 😊

Margaret.

 

16 comments:

  1. I didn’t see the last Hobbit movie but enjoyed the first two. It always amazes me how the animals along the boardwalk respond to bad weather. Amazing creatures!

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  2. We did the play of The Hobbit when I was a senior in high school, but it was not anything I liked. I was happy to be part of the set design crew and not be IN the play lol. I've always loved a good thunderstorm, the louder the better (I was a storm chaser back in the 1980s). My son is like me on that lol.

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  3. I could take a thunderstorm now that we're in the middle of winter. I don't care for humidity, though. The best to you.

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  4. You make me wonder if I should read The Hobbit...there are several books that everyone has read but I have not. And I have not watched the movies.

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    1. The movies here were classified as R15 with "strong fantasy violence" so not to everyone's taste. I find the violence portrayed so excessive that it bordered on the silly and ridiculous - though it was obviously not real life, so I could handle it.

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  5. I think I would like to watch those movies but haven't got around to it...meant to all last year!

    And in Auckland (NZ) same type of weather - occasionally it looked like it was clearing up/sun - then bingo down it would come again. Hope Watercare (house hold water dam people) happier about all that rain :-)

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  6. Hello,
    I watch these movies years ago, I could probably watch them again. I hope the storm did not do any damage. Take care, enjoy your day! Wishing you a great new week ahead!

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  7. We are in a cold dry spell, whilst most of UK has had snow, sadly we often miss snow falling here, it's a couple of years since we had snow on the ground here.

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  8. It has been a very long time since I read any of J R R Tolkien, but thoroughly enjoyed his books. Maybe time to do it again. I have not seen any of the movies.

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  9. I read the Hobbit books a long time ago but I haven't seen the films, perhaps I should put them on the TO DO list.
    I haven't heard about the NZ prison riots on the news here in Canada, sadly the media seem to be concentrating on Covid news at the moment. But I suppose that's more important while we are still in Covid lockdown.

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  10. Congratulations!!!!!!!

    Super accomplishment!

    Gentle hugs...

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  11. I don't know why but I just can't get into the Hobbit films. We were also keeping watch on that news story, it's a bit of a worry.

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  12. I hadn't heard anything about the NZ prison riots either. As a previous comment said, the bulk of our news is about Covid. I can only take a few minutes of it and have to shut the TV off. Too depressing for me.

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  13. We have escaped all but a few showers and about three rools of thunder the other day... but it[s been hot and humid here today!
    Stay safe
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  14. I felt I'd been punished enough after about an hour of the first film, definitely not my thing. I'm glad you describe that Waikeria Prison event as what it was - a riot. I kept getting hot under the collar when the news media were so careful to describe it as a protest. Some protest! Sounds like those storms were hitting far and wide. I will listen more carefully when the next one arrives to see if the local birds are objecting. It's warm and humid enough here today for another storm to build.

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Thank-you for visiting my blog. I love it when you leave a comment so please feel free to have your say. Have a great day! Margaret xx