Weekend Weepies

It's been a glorious weekend, weather-wise. I finally got round to having a tidy up in my garden. A number of my pots broke over the winter, and the whole lot has been looking shabby for months, so I had a good clear up, threw away everything that was broken or dead, and bought new. I even did a bit of digging and weeding for good measure.

I decided to grow a few herbs, so I bought a herb-ish pot and some, er, herbs. I also decided to give up trying to grow anything in the bit of ground right next to my back door - I have a small trellis there and every year try to grow something to climb up it. But the ground's too dry and it never works, so I bought a big square planter to go under the trellis, and will see if I can have some success with sweet peas for the first time ever this year.

I also made the monumental decision to knock down my coal bunker. I've never had coal in it, and it's very ugly, but it provides very good frost protection for the pots that huddle next to it. Every year I pretend that putting lots of colourful plants on top of it will make it look nice, but who am I kidding? I've even thought about painting it, but that'd just result in a different coloured ugly lump of concrete. If I get rid of it, I'll have a nice little space on which I can put a table and chairs, so it's a no-brainer really. Just the question now of how to go about breaking up and disposing of a load of reinforced concrete...

So, that was my Saturday daytime. Then I spent much of the evening in tears! Without much on the TV, resorted to watching "100 Greatest Tearjerkers". As I may have mentioned before, I'll cry at anything so the results were pretty predictable... Some of the clips left even me cold - particularly anything football related - but a few of my 'favourites' were in there. (I'm not sure that something that makes me sob uncontrollably should be termed 'favourite', but I suppose I must love a good cry, as I sat up until nearly 1.30am watching! And I guess it's no surprise that I love these list-based programmes, list-lover that I am. Here comes another...)

Dead Poets Society - I haven't watched this film for years, simply because I cry literally from beginning to end. It's something about the sentiment of the film, the whole 'Carpe Diem' thing, that gets me.

Beaches - I know it's totally contrived to pull on the tear ducts, but it works. In fact, I don't even have to see the film, just a whisper of 'Wind Beneath My Wings' and I'm off!

The Champ - This is the first film that made me totally lose it. Little Ricky Schroder all snotty, telling his dead dad to get up. Oops - sorry if I ruined the ending for you...

Four Weddings and a Funeral - The funeral, of course. W H Auden. It almost makes up for Andie MacDowell's terrible acting. Almost.

E.T. - When I went to see it the second time, I gave a loud sob of relief when the flower came back to life and Elliott knew he wasn't dead. Despite the fact that I already knew what was going to happen.

And here are some that weren't on the list:

Brokeback Mountain - Forget the gay cowboy angle, and recognise it as a powerful film about forbidden love. Heath Ledger's incredible performance was profoundly touching. I won't be able to watch this film again for a while yet...

Bobby Simone's death in NYPD Blue - After picking up an infection that damages his heart, Bobby's (played by Jimmy Smits) only chance is a transplant. A nasty lowlife, suspected of killing his own mother, attempts suicide in the interview room and is found by Sipowicz, who considers letting him die so Bobby can have his heart. But in the nick of time(!), an off-duty cop is shot in the head and his widow agrees to the donation. The operation appears to be a success, but just as he's about to go home, Bobby takes a turn for the worst, and the whole precinct gathers around his bed to say goodbye. It takes 5 emotional and exhausting episodes for Bobby to finally die. Even my dad cried, but don't tell him I told you! He had something in his eye... Mark Green's death in ER followed a similar formula, though I think it was stretched out even more.

The last episode of Friends - I know, but I couldn't help myself.

Strictly Come Dancing - OK, I've gone too far. But, really, I'm still not over Gethin...

So, one more word on my weekend and crying. I've just been to see Juno. I enjoyed it a lot, but anything involving babies makes me weep, and this was no exception.