Today, The Guardian's Greatest Films of all Time: Vol 5 (Arthouse) shoehorns in 'The Godfather' and 'The Godfather II' as one film, which must be cheating on two counts since they had Crime as the category in Vol 2 on Sunday. But no 'Performance'? Surely some mistake.

'A Clockwork Orange' makes the cut. Ah, I'm getting it. Each category is chosen so that a Stanley Kubrick film will make the list. Tomorrow is Sci Fi...

Wherever I lay my hat, that's my hat*

It seems we missed the English summer while we were Euro-road-tripping in June and a bit of July. Since then, wherever I've lain my head (ie NW England and N Wales), that's been my pond. For 4 weeks solid. Moreover, this afternoon saw Cheshire's most severe storm in living memory - hail, thunder, species of domestic pet, buckets of brimstone, army-delaying-sized boulders, house-quaking quantities of heaven-sent wrath, and streets awash with blood and pus (hang on - cancel that last one, Keith Reid wrote that).

Reminded me of a good ol' Alpine storm in Val di Mello in June. One major difference: Alpine storm? All over in an evening and then you move on. Guaranteed sun next morning, regular as clockwork.

No such luck here. But pics don't lie - it did really happen...

*John Cooper Clarke

Val di Mello

Shoulder rotator cuff injury? Pah!


Linda on the via ferrata at St Julien, Buis-les-Baronnies, Provence