Saturday 17 November 2012

And We're Off....





At the Drama School Ball
Dark Horse here, or Helen-welcome back those who have seen the first post, and welcome those who are reading this for the first time. This is the second of my blogs which as we stated in the initial stages is a sort of 'personal South Bank Show' where anything may be written about...........anything goes !! For my background-please see the first blog ! This gives an overview of the blog's premise.
Here goes...........










Firework-pic by Helen




Pumpkin photo by Helen



Son with sparkler-Photo by Helen

Hope you all enjoyed Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night if you did venture out through the smoke. Number One Son had a great time with setting up and helping to set them off. Also employed with the odd sparkler-luckily the weather stayed fine if a little blustery and very cold.







The time of the increased darkness brought the use of a cinema voucher which had hitherto remained in a box since last Christmas.
Not just any voucher but one for 'The Directors' Hall'-very posh !

My dead men at the Directors' Hall-Photo-Helen
Directors' Hall-Pic, Helen
I saw 'Skyfall' and thought it was entertaining and a good film but not the best Bond film as some have dubbed it in my view. Not much humour or sex this time but impressive stunt scenes, chases and much more of Judi Dench. Will say no more about it otherwise I will spoil it for those who have yet to see it. (If you thought you knew the elderly man in it and couldn't place him it was Albert Finney.) Which brings me nicely on to my next topic.




Actors' Stories


'Lawrence of Arabia' directed by David Lean had a stellar cast of actors which included Sir Alec Guiness. In one scene set in a tent, one of the actors Henry Oscar as Selim was required to quote heavily from 'The Koran' in a section called 'The Brightness'. This would have been fine but several times he had stumbled and failed to remember it properly thus causing the actors in the scene with him to have bouts of the giggles-especially Peter O'Toole who was playing Lawrence. This eventually became almost hysterical and out of hand. Eventually Guiness exploded with "gentlemen, gentlemen, remember we are professionals, let us remember that....." and stormed out. Lean decided the actors needed a break to sort themselves out. They paced around the tent with O'Toole chanting to himself. " I must not laugh, I cannot laugh, I will not laugh, if I laugh again it is the end of my career, I must not laugh, I cannot laugh, I will not laugh...." 
Guiness walked around to himself, "I hope they don't laugh, they must not laugh......" It was decided to place parts of 'The Brightness' everywhere Oscar looked. On the table, on his arm, on the lamp, above the bed etc.so that he could not forget it and was prompted wherever he looked. In walks Guiness."Action!" shouts Lean.
Guiness:
"Welcome 'awrence, welcome welcome- we have just been listening to Selim reading from the Koran from a selection called 'The Brightness'. Sit down and listen, and now Selim..."
Turns to Henry Oscar who is all glued-up, words everywhere he looks and says
"Give us the Brueeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeee."



Two old actors appearing in a touring play which had been running for a long time were having difficulties. One night they were in the midst of a performance and they were thinking of what they were going to have for dinner that night or what card game they were going to play later and suddenly they both dried stone dead.(Which means forgetting your lines....) The girl in the prompt corner whispered a line to them. Nothing. She hissed the line again a bit louder this time. Still no glimmer of a response. Finally she shouts the line very loudly. One of the old actors slowly rises and walks over to the prompt girl.
"Yes we know darling we heard you the first time-but which of us says it ??!"




An Agatha Christie play was in its final denouement and the Inspector was going around the suspects questioning their movements. He reaches the prompter's corner and dries.
The prompter hisses "Try and remember."
The actor is outraged by this and still is stuck. Again she shouts "Try and remember". This happens several times.
Eventually the actor playing the inspector storms over and grabs her by the lapels. She gags:
"Try and remember what you were doing on the night of the eighteenth....."
   

One story I recall from performances is this. Was in the middle of a Chorus scene during 'The Sleeping Beauty' and suddenly became aware of the gentleman behind me-who seemed to be fiddling with something and it started to feel like he was 'touching me up'. I was rather livid about this........As we came offstage I accosted him angrily although he was twice my size and basically tore him a strip off about being unprofessional etc. Along the lines of what the hell was he playing at........??
He meekly said "So sorry me ring broke and I was trying to pass it to you........." Needless to say I  wished to drop through the floor !


On the last night of the same panto. some stage-hand had placed plastic sick in the font to make us laugh. Not really a fan of practical jokes but it produced some merriment.


On the final night of 'Worzel Gummidge' some stage wags had rigged up pulleys at both sides of the stage and out of the corner of my eye I spotted something/s moving back and forth. They were little toy hedgehogs being worked by said stage hands. Tried not to laugh and turned upstage in case !



The Witch and I as one of her robotic guards in one of our Pantos had so scared the children that we decided to do backstage tours afterwards to show that we were nice people really !



Met Dame Judi Dench after she had come offstage playing the lead in 'The Cherry Orchard' by Chekov in the West End. She was lovely and could not have been more welcoming. She signed my programme and when she heard that I and my two fellow pupils were at Drama school she said that she hoped that we would work together but she would be playing our Grandma............she did tell us to drop her a postcard to let her know how we were getting on. We never did do this-maybe one day we will........as we left I recognised Michael Frayn the playwright, director coming along to see Judi carrying some flowers. What a nice lady she is !

 



Meeting Lord Attenborough



New Walk Museum-Pic taken by Helen.
 For some years Lord Attenborough has has been collecting Picasso ceramics and has amassed quite a collection now. His intention to leave it to the museums of Leicester. I was at the New Walk Museum when he launched his exhibition and signed copies of the catalogue. I hadn't intended to go as I thought there would be no way we would get to meet him. How wrong I was !!There he was mingling and talking to people. He had spotted Number One Son from a long way off as I had picked him up to cuddle him. Approached Lord A. gently and he asked if I would like a picture. Would I ?!!He picked up N.O.S. and here is the picture !


With Lord Attenborough.(Don't know who the bearded man is on the left !)



Some Picassos-Helen

Lord Attenborough holds court.(Helen.)





Was so pleased to meet Lord A. He was a Leicester Lad through and through and had fronted and chaired so many organisations and of course was an exemplarary actor and director-I prefer him as actor. Was heavily involved in the BAFTA and RADA where he trained. I always felt I was on hallowed ground when I passed by his photograph at the foot of the Little Theatre stairs. Hope it will always remain there. I never pass it without looking at it. I give thanks for all that he and his brother Sir David has done for the arts and for Leicestershire as a whole. I shall always recall his kindness to me on that day. Bless you Richard x 

















  

Short Soapbox




 Please stop dyeing dogs-they do not have a say in the matter


Similar vein-stop using children as political slogans


Buses stop leaving early or late-just be on time


Before you do anything which involves others please ask if anyone minds ?!


Fingerless gloves-why ?!


Stop whinging and just do it !


Large Company tax evaders should be made to pay as they penalise the small man in the street-and lady


Please go out and vote-an abstention is a vote for the status quo.(Not the Pop group.....)


 Please can we have the pavements gritted-they are like an ice-rink. Is it any wonder that there are masses of people in A&E with broken limbs and sprained ankles ??!!

 

Writers' Houses and Worlds



 In deepest Dorset there is the former home of the author Thomas Hardy-run by the National Trust. (Don't try to get it on your SatNav as it is not on for some reason.) Also don't rely upon there being a Public convenience there as there isn't one. (One wondered where the staff went then ?!Woods nearby possibly.....as my son was forced to disappear behind a group of trees too.) I however had to wait until the next village for this purpose.Having lowered the tone now I shall raise it again with some pictures.

Thomas Hardy's Cottage in Dorset-another stranger in the picture-Panoramic Pic-Helen.





Monument to Hardy-self explanatory-All pics by Helen


 What struck me about being there was that although it was sparse-it was very peaceful-a must for any writer grappling with his work. No gift shops or playgrounds here just the writers' retreat and worth a visit. Read the inscription on the monument.



Cloud's Hill (Helen)


Now we come to 'Cloud's Hill' former home of T.E.Lawrence-yes of Arabia again.And he was a writer as well. There is a small hut near the house showing biographical DVDs with a bust of him and masses of information and background on the walls. Not sure where to look first. Again a peaceful retreat. If I thought that Hardy's cottage was on the sparse side then this was bordering on the most basic to survive. His bed was very high up-not sure the reason for this maybe it stems from being safe from any attack which would have been drummed into him in the Army. There was a gramophone and a domed cheese server. Not much at all but then I suppose he was used to this whilst living in the desert. (Just as Gandhi had very few belongings-it also may have been spiritual.)



Information Centre (Helen)




After visiting the house if you travel down the road there is a restaurant/cafe which has many links to Lawrence and especially interesting or macabre depending upon your view is the table which holds the cake selection there. It was the bier which was used to carry Lawrence's casket down to the churchyard !* But something clicked with me that its function had gone from a sad one to a happy one. 'Post Nubila Phoebus' after the clouds comes the sun I think the translation is although as a girl I wasn't allowed to do Latin at school but might have liked to.....one for my Soapbox feature another time perhaps.....

The Bier which carried the casket of T.E.Lawrence to the Churchyard (Helen)





I must show you the local church, in whose grounds Lawrence lies, as it has some unusual and beautiful windows.


  
Pic by Helen


Photo Helen

Pic Helen
You guessed it- pic Helen





Finally we come to one of the houses where  'Pride and Prejudice' for the BBC was filmed with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. It is a B&B in Teigh, Rutland called 'The Old Rectory'.The lady who runs it provides a cream tea and allows a tour of the house and a look through her photo album. The only thing she asks for is a donation to church funds to be passed to her. Her house was used for the Reverend's scenes played by David Bamber.     



(Pic Helen)
 

Son unimpressed


 
Featured in P&P the Reverend's room (Helen)



One of the bedrooms there (Helen)



One more look ! (Helen)



Coming up in the next Mosaics installment..........

 

 

Some Book reviews

  

Son's Sayings

 

Soapbox

  

More Actors' Stories 

Sport For All and Specifics

Music-A Prelude









See you soon !                  Lots of love....

 

















Thursday 25 October 2012

UNDER STARTER'S ORDERS......


Dark Horse-Oil Painting by Helen
 Salutations !!!        
(This is how Charlotte the Spider greeted Wilbur in the moving children's book 'Charlotte's web.')  Thanks for joining me, Dark Horse,or Helen, in the first of my many ramblings and fragments as we gallop across the plains of my mind..it will be a great amalgamation of things. Mostly about the arts,culture,literature,music and inevitably the sharing of myself and views. A sort of personal 'South Bank Show'. Whatever happens it will not be predictable. In this opener I shall be setting the scene......... 






First of all you need to know a little about me.Well, I have three 'A' Levels in English, Art and Theatre Studies-am involved in the Arts and trained firstly at College on the  Foundation Course in Drama and Theatre Arts and then ending up  at The Oxford School of Drama.(Am a member of Equity.) Have also had some poetry published, articles in newspapers,and as guest correspondent for the Little Theatre Guild and was shortlisted to do some voices for 'Spitting Image'.Am very good with accents and can do most-with a facility for comedy and impersonation.(I have been reliably informed.....).Have narrated two audio books,composed music for Peter Shaffer and for many drama school productions and sung for Princess Margaret for the Keats/Shelley House charity etc.Former County Golfer a long time ago.....!More 'claims to fame' in later posts !! Do contact me via the comments box right down below the post if you wish. Now read on....



In Dorset






Number One son with Monkey
I have one son who knows exactly how precious he is !!!
Basically I shall bang on about whatever takes my fancy or gets my goat as they say......I will also be sharing with you anything that number one son says which is noteworthy-when remembered ! There will be actors' stories, and items of news both general and specific. Also there will be a regular 'Soapbox' feature whenever I feel the need for a rant or a lecture !!! Also will take account of your own publishable suggestions for future articles for the blog and comments to share.







Also we shall be looking at Writing, famous and not so famous authors and their homes/lives and commenting upon books sometimes and films and I shall be opening a gallery of some of my paintings for general interest and some theatre pictures for entertainment value! Also if there are any events forthcoming, I shall place them near to the foot of the page.Also will be putting some short films on here.  Music by me will be added too when I have dusted off the machine......... 


Reading Oscar Wilde's collected plays at Drama School





***************************************************************************



C O M I N G  S O O N   T O  T H I S  B L O G :







Actors' Stories 


How a giggling bout during the shooting of 'Lawrence of Arabia' was resolved but not as you might expect.



Two old actors' facing difficulties


Prompters' tales



My own accounts of play experiences





When I met Judi Dench









Number One Son's Sayings:A Taster......


"Mummy where is Jesus buried ?" (Upon leaving T.E.Lawrence's resting place..)




" Do animals cry ?"



"You created me so you shouldn't shout."


"You are my life, if you die I be dead."


"I want to be a spaceman so I can stand on the stars".



"I know........you love me" (Rolling eyes.)



"Mummy, how can you see out of your eyes if they are just holes in your head?"


"You are the most beautifullest mummy ever......"


"There is no such thing as a loser, as a loser is not an object so doesn't exist........."


"I just died again, but I'm now I'm a Sergeant !" (Whilst playing a video game.)



G A L L E R Y

In formative years my brother Chris and I used to enjoy watching art and craft programmes once home from school and particularly the late lamented Tony Hart ones beginning with 'Vision On' and his other series.Surprisingly he used to be a 'Gurkha'.(A review of his biography coming soon to this blog.........)One of its features was the gallery where we could become art critics...........
I dabble in  painting and drawing when time allows,mostly oils but will be trying gouache and acrylics soon......in the meantime here are some of my pictures.

 Some of my paintings........

 

My Late Labrador, Whiskey-Oils
Elm Hill, Norwich-Watercolour






Squirrel-Oils


Elephant Man-Oils in two colours


Arreau, Pyrenees-Watercolour

              

Kingfishers-Oils



Laurence Olivier as King Lear-Oils
Stratford-Upon-Avon Swan-Watercolour
Church at Bazus Aure, Pyrenees-Oils
Mother Teresa-Oils in B&W



S O A P B O X   O R  S P E A K E R ' S  C O R N E R

ORIGINS..............
Speakers' Corner is one of Britain's most famous places for public debate and discussion. It is often seen as a shining symbol of Britain's entry into liberal democracy.
The official story of the origins of Speakers' Corner is now a familiar one …an Act of Parliament passed in 1872 (The Royal Parks and Gardens Regulation Act) allowed a space in the north-eastern corner of Hyde Park to be given over for public speaking. Much of the credit for the eventual passing of the 1872 Act is due to the activities of the Reform League. The Reform League had pushed the question of the right to speak freely in Hyde Park.
However the story as to the origins of Speakers' Corner does not actually begin with the 1872 Act. In fact the space that the Reform League appropriated for free speech in Hyde Park had already existed as a public place to meet and discuss for centuries before.

The place known today as Speakers' Corner began life as a place for public execution. In particular Speakers' Corner was home of the notorious Tyburn hanging tree. Established as a site for execution possibly as early as 1108, the first actual record of an execution at Tyburn was in 1196.

Situated in the north-east corner of Hyde Park, this place for state executions derived its name from a brook which ran beneath Brook Street: Tye Bourne. The junction of Tyburn Road (now Oxford Street) and Tyburn Lane (now Park Lane) provides its precise on. Today a stone plaque on a traffic island near Marble Arch marks the place where the gallows once stood.
No requirement to stand on a box here but obviously these are the views of myself and you may agree to disagree.
Couple of early thoughts to start us off....






Couldn't The London Marathon organisers have bent the rules and given the lady a medal who utilised a walking splint machine to complete the course-instead of relying upon others giving up their medals ??

Object to the 'captive audience' method of touting products at the exits of shops/other establishments as there is no choice but to perambulate past and there feels an obligation to speak or make an excuse as to why you don't have the time or the inclination to buy or sign up to the product.....


Couldn't we have had more choices for the role of London Mayor ??


Could some drivers stop driving so close and so quickly ??


Also why do people in some car parks speed along, cut you up and then behave as if YOU are to blame ??


Bikers Think !! Would be preferable to Think Bike !
Stop thinking you are invicible and Barry Sheen......

Cyclists who speed through red lights nearly killing the pedestrians...........


Also some cylists who ride in the pedestrian designated areas and whizz by one's ear.


Should make it clear that many cyclists are very good and ride with consideration to others......


Chairmen of televisual debates who are not impartial and keep interrupting when a guest is trying to answer the question posed........

The Turner Prize...........

An exhibition which has just opened where the subjects are blank canvases and empty  plinths.......a case of the King's New Clothes ?? Or is this a cover for the fact that the 'Artists' can't draw, paint or create any sort of art at all ??!

Could we sort out the Exams fiasco, people stating that they are too easy one moment then they are too hard the next-then having to re-sit them. Come along,could the combined might of Oxford and Cambridge not sort this out and support our Children and future generations ?

People who do not say 'thank you' or any other acknowledgement when you hold the door for them.
Further to this current climate of general sporadic rudeness.........don't you think, dear reader, that behavior on buses has become a disgrace ? Lack of respect, shoes up on seats, smoking,deliberate provocation of other passengers, slamming windows shut without asking others if they mind,not just having headphones which we can all hear but actually playing stereos etc out loud....drunken and bringing trophy Bill Sykes-type dogs on. Swearing and talking loudly about matters which are frankly best heard after 9pm and Pas Devant Les Enfants !!! What a performance-WE ARE NOT INTERESTED KINDLY KEEP YOURSELVES TO YOURSELVES AND LET US ALL HAVE A PEACEFUL JOURNEY HOME AFTER A STRESSFULL DAY AT WORK.....GROW UP AND LEARN TO RESPECT PEOPLE AND THINGS.That's better !

Think that has got us off the mark...........Now, what gets you riled and makes you stand on your soapbox ?? 





W R I T E R S  A N D  W R I T I N G


 To Come






We take a look at Thomas Hardy's house in Dorset






Also some aspects of T.E.Lawrence's house and pictures of the local church and its unique windows-with an unusual table for the cakes at the nearby restaurant.... 


I take you on a tour,after afternoon tea, around the house which was used in the making of 'Pride and Predjudice' with photographs...........



Views on poetry


Poetry anthologies containing my Poems !

                               


B O O K S,  F I L M S  A N D  M U S I C



Personal choice and recommends

Barney Bardsley is a writer who also taught us movement at the drama school and remains a friend specialising in T'ai Chi. Her book, 'A Handful of Earth' (Hodder And Stoughton) is about ten years of nursing her late husband Tim through his illness and subsequently it is about how she found solace, peace and some other personal answers from growing plants and vegetables on her allotment after his loss.Ultimately an optimistic read with seasonal recipes.Her new book about a special canine is called 'Old Dog' and is another heart-warming read, touching upon much wider themes than the title might suggest.




A  M U L T I P L I C I T Y  O F   T H I N G S




















A spotlight on a special uncle with a talent for drawing,writing who had a great intellect and was paralysed from the neck down.Will show some of his pictures created with a stick in the mouth including the above picture of Paddington Bear. He wrote his autobiography which no one knows about and also poetry and other novels. He was also a great collector of Napoleana,antique Rubiats of Omar Kayam, had a love of Paris and Creature Comforts and The Little Prince book. He typed using a series of different blows through a mouth-piece linked to his laptop. Inspiring.Also inspiring is that he met his future wife, my aunt, at Stoke Mandeville whilst she was his physiotherapist and her 'claim to fame' came when she was asked by Dame Margot Fonteyn to be her husband's personal physio, except that would have meant moving to South Africa and she did not wish to at that time...........Hoping continued success to Stoke Mandeville and its staff and patients. 






Article on the day I met Lord Attenborough...........




Article on composing music


Article on Sports, my own and thoughts on the Olympics and Paralympics in general








Anything goes !!!


So, why 'Dark Horse?' Well throughout life this phrase has cropped up about me frequently. Also that I am a creature of hidden talents or hide my lights under a bushel. Why 'mosaics?'Hopefully this will be due to the collection of pieces which contribute to the whole.Now is the time to step out into the global spotlight and share some things.Welcome to the journey. I am intending to post new blogs at least once a fortnight. There will be quite a bit of content here. Welcome comments and suggestions but Trolls be warned you won't get past the moderator.(Like the Terminator only more moderate and likes flower arranging..)"They Shall Not Pass !!!"
                                                      
Here comes a tune from my past-
So here we go, saddle up....... 







This post emerges at the time of National remembrance