A Lazy Day ©

I love lazy days, especially in summer-time when it's hot and sticky and the only active thing you can manage to do is peel yourself off the couch to drink a litre of water.

I love to be able to sleep in, though my bedroom tends to be at least 5 degrees hotter than the rest of the house, I can still manage an extra half hour or so under the high-speed fan.

The best lazy days are those when the temperature is comfortable and you've got all the chores under control and then you can simply plop down in your favourite chair to watch a movie or read a book. Our DVD collection continues to expand although the choices are becoming much more limited as time goes by.

There are a number of movies from the 40s and 50s that I enjoyed as a child that I try to interest the rest of the household in, but for some reason others find it hard to watch if it's in black and white. It's such a shame because there were many fabulous movies from those eras (and many atrocious ones as well). But generally the movies I love were those that grabbed hold of my imagination or sense of humour.

I was recently fortunate enough to obtain a copy of a science-fiction movie called "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" that I adored as a child. While the title is a bit lame, the story is about an astronaut that endeavoured to survive in the hostile land. His first priority was obtaining enough air, then water, then food. What I liked about the movie was that it was situated on another planet and therefore anything was possible. In addition the viewer was drawn into the man's thoughts and struggles to survive. One of the difficulties after a few months was his feeling of isolation abd loneliness, a concept that we would be hard pressed to understand because this man realised that he might be stuck there alone for the rest of his life. Though the special effects are very bad by today's standards, the story still stands the test of time.

Another movie that I purchased was called "The Major and the Minor" starring Ginger Rogers as a young woman who has to dress up as a young teenager to return home by train. After a problem on the rail-line, she is taken home by an army major and all types of mishaps and mischief ensues. While this movie is not quite as funny as I remember it, the concept is still a good one today.

I couldn't even recall the titles of the movies and had been searching for them on the internet for a few years, and hey presto, both names turned up at the same time and were both available for purchase.

One of the other movies that I loved was called "The Brass Bottle" with Tony Randell and Burl Ives, about a genie in a bottle and the problems he causes his master. Unfortunately I was not able to locate a copy of this DVD, but I'm hoping they will re-issue it soon.  This one is definitely worth a look.

Of course there are many other wonderful older movies that are worth getting to know including "It's a Wonderful Life" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" to name just two.

Lazy days are also good for complete relaxation and to indulge in a nice cool ice-cream. ©