Jam, curry, Wagner and vampires

That sums up an unusual Saturday:   we had an excess of loquats from our tree in the yard, so for the first time in my life, I tried making a jam.  Result at breakfast this morning:  pretty good.  

After that, moved into making beef rendang - sure I buy the paste (I have recommended the brand before), but chopping up the chunk of beef shin takes a while.   

While doing these time consuming activities, I got through the whole of Das Rheingold (the Opera North recorded version) on YouTube on the TV for the first time, too.  That led to me explaining over dinner that it's clear to me now what Tolkien was missing - a wage dispute by construction workers resolved by kidnapping the client's sister-in-law until they get paid.   Oh, and an ugly, lustful dwarf who, in modern terms, goes all incel after being taunted by three women that he'll never get it on, so to speak, with anyone.    Yes, the sexlessness (dare I say - insipidness) of Tolkien has never been clearer.   Then again, I haven't reached the incest in the Ring cycle yet.  Which, I wonder, was part of the reason Hitler was a Wagner groupie?  

Onto another German thing - watched the popular new Netflix film Blood Red Sky.   Yes, it's Vampires on a Plane, but gee, it's made with a heap of energy.     The movie has a poor review on Roger Ebert.com - I haven't heard of the guy who writes the reviews there, but I now know I can safely ignore him.   It wasn't perfect, but it looks great and there's not a dull moment:  I can understand why it has been popular.  

So, quite the day.