The diet starts tomorrow

 
While having lunch with friends today I spotted a photograph of Elizabeth Taylor.
Why would a pub, the Lion and Unicorn in the tiny Trossachs village of Thornhill, have a photo of a Hollywood icon?
 
“She stayed here,” our friends said.
That sparked a series of memories from their own childhood, the time the  Beatles stayed at the Roman Camp in Callander , and the hotel now charges extra if you want to sleep in that room, to the filming of Dr Finlay’s Casebook, a series that ran for years.
 
“My black Labrador took part, he had to chase a burglar?” said D.
“How did they manage to get him to do that?”
“The burglar trailed a piece of raw meat.”
 
Another’s brother got a given a Mars bar by one producer for a small role. This was long before “extras” realised they could get paid money for doing this or requesting parents permission before filming children.
 
Today this part of Scotland with its spectacular scenery is a popular location for films with Doune castle top of the list as  set locations for Monty Python, Outlander and Game of Throne.
 
Still on the film theme we went to see Spencer at the Macrobert Arts centre.
Lured by the YouTube trailer I expected a cross between Downtown Abbey and The Crown. Instead it was more like a psychological horror-film, of unremitting misery about Princess Di and bulimia.
On the other hand it has had rave reviews including from The Guardian so perhaps we are old-fashioned and making too hasty a judgement. I would be interested to know what you think.