“Don’t get me wrong, but to be honest, at the end of the day, when all’s said and done… do you know what I mean?”
Nessa (Ruth Jones) in the charming British comedy Gavin and Stacey (2008 – 2010). With news that there will be a Christmas special after 9 years, I just had to quote arguably the show’s funniest star.
I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it ’til my fingers bled
Was the summer of sixty-nine
Taken from the Bryan Adams song Summer of ’69, from his fourth album Reckless (1985)
“I’ve been through a lot and I realise the future can’t be controlled. I’m not worried. You can always learn to overcome difficulties.”
“You appreciate that it is very easy to die and you have to arrange your life to cope with that reality.”
It was with great sadness I read that Formula 1 great Niki Lauda had passed away at the age of 70. Courage comes in many forms and he had it throughout his life. The courage to go against his family’s wishes and follow his dream, the courage to drive a car at the fastest of speeds on all kinds of tracks and the courage to race (and win) again after a horrific accident that had lasting physical and mental damage. Farewell Niki Lauda, who was always far more than a 3 time Formula 1 World Champion.
She comes back to tell me she’s gone
As if I didn’t know that
As if I didn’t know my own bed
As if I’d never noticed
The way she brushed her hair from her forehead
And she said, “losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you’re blown apart
Everybody sees the wind blow”
Taken from the song Graceland from the album of the same name (1986). Though the song charted badly, it’s gorgeous sound and heartfelt lyrics have always been popular and the album is still considered to be one of the greatest ever.
If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen.
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in the epic superhero film Avengers: Endgame (2019). The phenomenal film, which brings to an end the Infinity War saga, is already the second highest-grossing film of all time.
If life seems jolly rotten,
There’s something you’ve forgotten!
And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing,
When you’re feeling in the dumps,
Don’t be silly chumps,
Just purse your lips and whistle — that’s the thing!
And always look on the bright side of life.
Taken from the song Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, as memorably used in the film Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979). The message of the song has become a British anthem, reached number three in the charts in 1991 and was even performed at the 2012 Olympics.
Alex Raphael 