Blogs of note

Having a look at this section on the Blogger dashboard and came across this site - made me smile.

A Chorus Line

Rehearsal for the shows went well last night. Still concentrating on Pinafore at the momentbut we basically managed to set nearly all the chorus numbers in Act II. Actually, what seems to happen is that we come on at staggered intervals during "Carefully on tiptoe creeping" (sadly the men's entrance seems less creeping and more mincing...) and then stay on for the rest of that Act - brilliant! I was amazed how much we managed to get through given the disaster that was last week. And Mavis even managed to re-set parts of the Act I finale (much less standing around now - everyone's involved) - not quite finished that yet but hopefully will next week when we start Trial as well - hurrah!

Tired

Feeling really tired today - I guess that saturday night's bed at 1am, up at 6.45am to drive back to Ipswich (although L did the driving thank goodness) didn't really help! And when I'm tired I get fed up with making an effort - re the diet. sat at work today and just thought "oh f**k it, I'm having a Kit Kat."

But I didn't so hopefully there will be nice choccy biccies at the rehearsal tonight - and hopefully a bit more to do. We rehearsed the Act I finale of Pinafore last week - all very well, but the main point of interest about half way through is a block of chorus interweaving with each other to bring Josephine and Ralph to the front. Could be impressive if anyone actually understood what was happening and as there are more men than women, there are a few of us women (me included) who have been sidelined while this takes place. we've started making up our own dances and are considering bringing in some magazines to fill the time... Hopefully a bit of Trial tonight - we have to find our own costumes for that and I found a great mini skirt at the weekend - okay the diet will be worthwhile if I can wear that and not make the rest of the chorus feel physically ill!!

Sunday again

and it's been a week since I last blogged properly. where has the time gone? Been pretty busy actually - we've been on a new diet (which seems to be going okay - best part being that I can eat as much fruit as I like!!) and our new secretary has started at work. She seems to be getting on okay and best of all is coming back next week - brilliant! We haven't managed to scare her off yet!

Also had a worship cttee meeting, spent all of Wednesday evening finishing off the bathroom (which now looks great), had first orchestra rehearsal of the term (the Tchaikovsky is really hard!) and then went to nottingham for a Chinese. which was great but tiring and then harvest festival and Suffolk Strings today. Phew - now off to watch Spooks. We've only actually watched series 1-3 but I've caught up on all th goss from series 4 from Wikipedia...and I know who dies!

I like the song okay!

Stradivarius

Travelling between offices today I caught a bit of the Jeremy Vine show and the topic was the problems musicians are now having flying with their instruments because of the new security regulations. As an intro, they played a clip of a musician/comedian called Mitch Benn singing a song about their woes - very funny! I have been trying to find it through the Mitch Benn website and the BBC website but had no luck. I tried putting "mitch benn song about musical instruments on planes" into Google and the first in the list was a link to another blog with the clip! Hurrah.

I've decided

As I'm going to be away for both rehearsals, I'm going to enjoy the Planets from the safety of the audience.

Home Again

What a terrific week in the lakes we've just had! Weather was a bit haphazard the first few days but all the afternoons were gorgeous and Thursday and Friday were lovely all day. You can read more about our explouts here, but suffice to say we were both desperately in need of getting away from the house and work things and it was a truly relaxing weekend - physically tired but mentally refreshed!

So now it's back to reality - I have a meeting on Tuesday evening I'd forgotten about (! thought it was later in the month...) so have been hurriedly sending out agendas and minutes by email (thank goodness for email!), and then of course it's back to work tomorrow. I was feeling quite anxious about it - I always do after a holiday - but especially this time as I know I left things behind which I probably should have dealt with, butlack of space and a secretary is starting to take its toll (ooo, listen to me!). I've even been having dreams about it! But I went to church this morning (Racial Justice Sunday in the Methodist calendar) to find some calm and there was a short reading which mentioned being anxious. And I thought about how I really don't have much to be anxious about - I'm not persecuted for my faith, I don't suffer prejudice because of my race or colour, my country is not in the middle of a civil war or suffering from a corrupt government, I have a home, enough food and drink, a loving husband and wonderful family (and I could go on). So I'm going to get it all in perspective and just take tomorrow as it comes.

Bathroom Ahoy!

After what has seemed like an interminable time, the bathroom renovations have finally been started today! (we've had the bathroom cleared for over a week now though as bathroom man said he was coming last Tuesday) Good job I washed my hair and shaved my legs today - means I don't have to worry about it tomorrow and then we're off the Lake District for a week so I can use the facilities there. Lucky old L has showers at work he can use - tomorrow my choice appears to be standing on a muddy floor in the bathroom trying to have a strip wash (not an elegant experience at the best of times) or "managing" without a shower tomorrow at work. Hmmmm not sure I can manage without some kind of washing and not sure my clients would want me to either! (not that I'm that dirty...honest)

also had a books down rehearsal tonight which was...interesting. I'm not sure any of the chorus felt particularly ready for that little treat - usually it feels like we've sung everything to death by this time so everything's really familiar. We're doing 2 shows this year though so I don't know whether that's got anything to do with it - some bits we really only have done once together. But still it didn't go too badly - I've got to find my own costume for Trial though. L suggested hotpants, fishnet tights and a low-cut frilly blouse (yes, you can guess the theme) - hmmm, apart from the ample thighage which will be on display (and may not be appreciated by those of a delicate disposition), not sure whether that's a genuine suggestion or something else....

Bookends

Have finally updated my reading list here after a it of a Eurostar marathon at the weekend. Finished the Big Over Easy and then strolled through the Murderous Marriage (an Agatha Raisin mystery) and Giotto's Hand ( by Iain Pears - completely different in style to the only other one I've read of his - The Instance of the Fingerpost). I've now started Until I Find You by John Irving - it's about a man who is the product of a union between a tattoo artist and an organist. The tattooist apparently does a very special Rose of Jericho which is apparently a rose with a secret... So...thinking I was being clever I tried to look for a picture of one on the internet - didn't really get anywhere, only found a website which had a review of the book and proclaimed that most of the people reaching their site managed it because they were looking up Rose of Jericho on Google! I'm so unoriginal.

Got started on John Irving while I was at uni - was going through an Alan Davies phase (at the height of Jonathan Creek) and there was some book thing on BBC where various stars said what their favourite books were - his was (apparently) "A Prayer for Owen Meaney" by John Irving which I promptly then went out and read! But it was good and I've really enjoyed others of Irving's as well. Yet to read The World According to Garp however and that appears to be one of his major works - whoooops! It's in my pile!

Impressive!

Hit song the day I was born

Number one on the day I was born appears to have been "Don't Give Up on Us" by David Soul, and album was "Red River Valley," by Slim Whitman. Oh well, at least I share my birthday with Mark Owen of Take That fame...

August in Paris

Had a truly lovely weekend in Paris - this is the view from our hotel window of Saint Severin church and the room itself was pretty good to. We were a stone's throw away from Petit Pont and so very close to Notre Dame as well. Arrive in Paris on the Eurostar - all went very smoothly and fortunately I escaped having my bag searched at customs as appears to be my wont. But strangely, there was a metal detector and bag x-ray machine at the left luggage place at Gare du Nord which I had no problems with when we dropped the bags off, but when we returned to collect them, I had to empty my pockets, remove belt and all jewellery before it would let me in! The machine seemed to be going off for virtually everyone though - L thought perhaps the guard was a bit bored and needed something to do!!


First evening we went and had a gawp at Notre Dame and a wander inside. It really is an amazing building although we missed going up to the towers. Thought we'd go back on Saturday, but in the end didn't have enough energy! Had proper fondue for the first time ever - we went for the "meat" fondue trying to be a bit brave and it was not at all what I was expecting. I guess I've only ever thought of fondue in the cheese or chocolate sense - for the meat version there was a pot of sizzling oil which we dunked big chunks of raw beef into and left to cook!! (you could never see that in England somehow). Yum.

Had a few drinks out on the main road to end the evening and a gorgeous whisky coffee.


Had a busy day on Saturday - thought we'd go the the Eiffel Tower, but found the metro line we wanted had been closed off. so we decided, what the heck, we'll have a stroll along there....hmmm. Started off at our hotel and walked along the river to the Louvre. Crossed the river so we could walk through the Louvre grounds (although we didn't go in) and marvelled at the sheer size of the place. Noted the pyramids and continued through the Jardin des Tuileries which were really peaceful at that time in the morning. We weren't tremendously early, but it was still quiet. Through Place de la Concorde and the up the entire length of the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triumph. Strolled down Avenue Marceau to the riverside again and crossed over to the Eiffel Tower. Absolutely incredible structure. We went up to the first stage and had a good gawp at the cityscape laid out around us, trying to pinpoint the landmarks we'd already been to that morning. Climbing down again, realised getting up Notre Dame may be a no-no!!


Caught the Batobus back to the Musee d'Orsay and then walked back through the Place de la Concorde up to Place de la Madeleine to Fauchon, a magnificent food shop. Absolutely amazing creations in the windows, and sadly we were too stingy to try any. The mint eclairs did look heavenly though! Back to the hotel for a quick rest and securing the services of a porter to unlock the safe (which L had somehow managed to break earlier...), dinner (steak and chips!) and then a ride on one of the boat trips along the Seine. Excellent and I'm so glad we went in the evening - everything looks so different at night and lit up.


On Sunday we popped up to Montmatre and the Sacre Coeur, found some quiet gardens in the backstreets there and finally headed back to have a look round the Orsay museum - lots of Impressionist work. Great - you realise how poor reproductions of some of those works are - can never really quite convey the richness of the original's true colours. Then a quick crepe in the Tuileries (and see the happy duck after I fed him some baguette!) and back to Gare du Nord for the train home. Whew! We've already started a list of what we want to do next time we go...

Look after your muffin top

And if you don't know what one of those is, listen to those Sheilas Speak!

Floodtastic!

Went to Yarmo at the weekend to see Mum. after the compulsory lunch t the Boating Lake and whippy ice cream at the harbour's mouth we headed back in a massive cloud burst. I'm not sre you can really see it very well in this picture, but all the pavements disappeared

Typical me

This is my life.

I went to a well known supermarket recently (slap pert bottom twice) and had learned from L that they now have some self-service tills. So, ever eager to try something new (and fulfil my childhood fantasy of working a till), I thought I'd give them a go. why i thought I could manage this I'll never know.

First mistake - I bought alcohol. One bottle of cider in a total shopping basket of around 5 things. Had to wait for ages for someone to come and confirm that I was in fact over 18. Second mistake - while waiting for the age-confirmation, I put my keys into the shopping bag waiting on the counter for the bottle of cider. Queue flashing sign on screen telling me something unauthorised was in my bag. I had no idea what this meant, so flapped for a bit until a kindly assistant pointed out that my keys in the bag were telling the system that I had tried to take something I hadn't paid for...remove keys, everything fine.

I didn't know the counters were weight-sensitive!! No sympathy from L who thought it was obvious to everyone they would be weight-sensitive. Sometimes I wonder why I leave the house!

(but at least we finlly have a date for the bathroom man to come and fit our new suite! Hurrah!)

Decisions, decisions

Had a rehearsal of Suffolk Strings this afternoon - was asked whether I'd like to play in a concert in October with another orchestra. I was going to go to that concert anyway because they're playing The Planets. Now I can't decide whether I would rather sit and listen and enjoy the music (which would be great - I've only ever heard it on a recording) or whether I should grab the opportunity because it may be the only chance I get to play this work? (and apparently there are some cracking viola lines in it as well....)

Help!

The slugs advance

We have a bit of a slug issue in the front room - I've mentioned it before. we get up in the morning to find lovely slug/snail trail across the room in random places, but they're getting more aggressive...now starting to find papers which had been left on the floor with bits of them eaten/dissolved away by the creatures. Leigh's Trial by Jury score has been attacked. What next???!!!

That reminds me, I had a dream about the slugs - dreamt that I'd seen where they were getting into the room - I noticed the hole in the wall when i saw a cat get through it from outside. But when I went to check it with a man who'd come to fill it up, in some kind of alice in wonderland weirdness, the hole turned out to be a whole door which had been left open, which is how the slugs were getting in. Yes, I have freaky dreams.

Rehearsal tonight went well although I'm thinking of boycotting part of Pinafore - the entrance of the ladies (all 2 pages of it) has been cut! I fully realise that HMS Pinafore and Trial by Jury don't quite fit into our usual time slot, so some bits are going to have to be cut, but why one of the few ladies' bits? They haven't cut bogging Fair Moon - I'm sure that song cannot ever be sung well and not remind me of our university show?? Oh Dave where are you now.

Other than that, been trying to think of some interesting way for the ladies to arrive - I think aerial slide would work a treat. 'Specially if we have hooped skirts.

How is a raven like a writing desk?

Came across this in Jasper Fforde's "The Eyre Affair," which I'm reading avidly at the moment. Two replies are given in the book - "because Poe wrote on both", and "becausethere's a 'b' in 'both." Hilarious - but I then couldn't remember where I'd seen the riddle before - felt convinced it was Alice in Wonderland and of course it was. In fact, there seems to be a wide variety of possible answers, but I prefer the thought that there wasn't intended to be an answer at all, it was just some of Carroll's nonsense.

The Eyre Affair is great though - it reminds me of the Aberystwyth books I've read recently as well - the worlds they're sent in are close enough to reality to seem familiar and recognisable, but there are strange quirks which make them something else entirely, like magic being real, or a glut of cloned dodos. Just enough unreality.

Hurrah!

Have received my refund from the Post Office!!!!