Life List: Watch All of the 50 Greatest Cartoons Ever Made

So Far, I’ve watched ten of the 50 Greatest Cartoons Ever Made. I thought starting at the bottom of the list made most sense.

My favorite so far is the longest: The Man Who Planted Trees, which won the Academy Award for the Best Animated Short in 1987. It’s a Canadian film, and the English version is narrated by Christopher Plummer. Have a look:

50. Felix in Hollywood
49. The Dover Boys
48. The Unicorn in the Garden
47. A Corny Concerto
46. Quasi at the Quackadero
45. The Book Revue
44. The Man Who Planted Trees
43. The Barber of Seville
42. The Cat Concerto
41. Rooty Toot Toot
40. Peace on Earth

Stuff to Make

Cool bib necklace from ReadyMade

Papier mâche balloons (time to try again)

Turquoise cowl

Houses by Night (this is really lovely)

and City Lights, Yemen (variations on a theme)

 

 

Sound Philosophy

“Well, I dunno. There’s things I’d rather not know. Seems to me… there en’t been nothing good for more than about five minutes ahead. Like, I can see now, this bath’s nice, and there’s a nice warm towel there, about five minutes away. And once I’m dry, maybe I’ll think of summing nice to eat, but no further ahead than that. And when I’ve eaten, maybe I’ll look forward to a kip in a comfortable bed. But after that, I don’t know, Lyra. There’s been terrible things we’ve seen, en’t there? And more coming, more’n likely. So I think I’d rather not know what’s in the future. I’ll stick to the present.” — Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass

Flying free

When I was born, Sunshine had already been living with my parents for more than a year, and I’ve spent my life expecting to enjoy his (rather crochety) company well into my own twilight years.

I never realized what comfort I took in that plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope I see you in The Great Blue, brother.

Charade

Recipes to Try from Sally Schneider’s A New Way to Cook

More a reminder to myself than anything.

Chickpea Stew with Saffron and Winter Squash
Coconut Milk and Banana Ice Cream
Bourbon Baked Beans
Baked Penne with Wild Mushroom Ragu and Ricotta Salata
Rosemary, Lemon and Pepper Focaccia
Cucumber Salad with Curry Cream
Salmon Cured with Aquavit and Juniper
Mozzarella Risotto
Greek Style Potatoes with Lemon and Thyme
Yuzu and Ginger wafers
Root Vegetable Crema
Green Mango Raita
Real Jellies
Lavender and Rosemary Syrup
Mashed Turnips with Crispy Shallots
Warm, Crispy Salmon with Balsamic Essence and Lentils
Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuits

But tonight I shall attempt Jamie Oliver’s Cheat’s Pizza menu, seen here. I’m really loving his 30-minute meals; for a dinner party last month I did the Piri Piri Chicken and sides (for eight), and it went off pretty well.

+++

Sally Schneider’s The Improvisational Cook is super-inspirational, as is her blog, The Improvised Life.

Gripe

Rather than sending in dozens of resumes for less-than-inspiring employers who won’t even consider me, I’d prefer to be developing a secret supper club or making plans for a Reading Weekend.

Boo.