The art of blissing out

I'm sure it started in 1981, when I started helping out on a Saturday morning "fruit bun day" in his hot bread shop.

My younger brother did his apprenticeship in bread manufacture with my Dad in his shop, but Saturday mornings was my brother's day off. Although I'd always served customers in the shop on Tuesday and Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings for extra "pocket money" - and worked full time in our depot shop throughout 1980 - I agreed to start going in extra early on Saturdays to help with the making of fruit loaves and fruit buns. In the 70s and 80s, it was actually illegal for New South Wales bakeries to make fresh bread on weekends, so hot, sweet loaves were our draw card to exhaust the supplies of bread (made late Friday afternoon) for the Saturday morning shoppers. Different times!

Anyway, it was also in the 1980s that I found I could so easily drop off to sleep in movies.

Admittedly, if the group I was going to the movies with on a Saturday night insisted on going to a late session, then I was guaranteed to drift off early into the film due to my early starts on the Saturday morning. Except for something like "Raiders of the Lost Ark", when a friend, Ruth, hammered on my arm in all the scary bits. (She did it quite Ruthlessly. Tee hee.)

"Superman 3" (although I was jetlagged for this); and the tank chase scene of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" are also memorable films in which I struggled to stay awake, not matter how much wanted to enjoy the film.

Other times, and right through until recently, I find myself simply "blissing out" - with no bakery hours to blame! A sure sign I'm reaching the age where needing grandpa naps is compulsory.

With the repetitive movements are lulling me into a trance, I have strong memories of sleeping through almost all of "Me, Myself and Irene" and "The Cat in the Hat", despite the usually-hilarious Jim Carrey and Mike Myers, respectively. I also "blissed out" watching the humpback whales of "Fantasia 2000" (on a huge IMAX screen); the jellyfish scene "Finding Nemo"; the first time I tried to watch "Shrek" (although my appreciation increased after seeing the wonderfully clever "Shrek 2"); and - ho hum - much of "The Golden Compass".

Today, I was off with a friend, Leonie, to see "The Water Horse". A magical new film that explores the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, it's a fun story, beautifully and affectionately told. I'm happy to report that I didn't "bliss out", fall asleep, or even snore (which I've been known to do while wide awake). The special effects are so sophisticated; they've finally perfected SPFX movie eyeballs that look just like eyeballs. Magnificent!

If you're looking for a feel-good movie, this is it! Especially with a banana flavoured choc top ice-cream!