Trotting Along......





Tree detail-Helen

Hello again, hope you all had a lovely Christmas and thank you for returning to read and hopefully be entertained.This is extremely overdue and thanks for your patience. The fourth of my blog posts is upon you and the personal 'South Bank Show' continues......as ever an amalgamation of subjects and personal views. 

 

 Christmas Thoughts



Well, how was your Christmas ? The year to me had gone incredibly quickly, I could not believe another Christmas was on the horizon.......I felt very unprepared but as usual I managed to pull myself into line and be ready by the appropriate time. Number one son had been ill with school-acquired ailments. His Christmas performance this year was entitled 'Young Ebenezer' based upon guess what ? And what was his part ? One of three Devils who visit the main man during the night. I was hoping that he might put himself forward for a larger part but not this time. He is quite a performer at home and is capable of much more than he does....still at least I only filled-up three times during it...A cup of tea and a mince pie after it in the small hall whilst son was gathering his belongings...I bored people by telling them for the thousanth time that I was at this same school. They still have the same copper water jugs with dents, and the original wooden benches used for P.E. Hope I have stood the test of time as well as my school items have.....Christmas Eve felt very strange. Managed to get away from the chaos that was my living room and wrapping paper everywhere to join my parents and listen to the Carol service on BBC2. An Oasis of calm. Christmas Day I had my parents over for the day. Mum told me she wasn't used to 'being waited on'. I told myself inwardly to keep calm, and things seemed to be going fine in the kitchen until I burned my hand on the oven and then noticed having timed all to finish cooking at the same time that my garnish items were far from ready. What to do.....? I removed all other items from the oven and put the disobedient articles on the top shelf and whacked the temperature to maximum. Take that stuffing balls and 'pigs in blankets'.....had to do some juggling of items to keep them hot.
Phew, it turned out alright in the end. I was convinced that it had been a disaster, but compliments all round to my surprise for the meal and particularly the sprouts and the honey-roasted parsnips and roast potatoes. I hit the Cherry brandy and the white wine by this point.......
'HAPPY NEW YEAR' and fellow Christians remember to cut each other some love and forgiveness as you weave through life's rich tapestry........CHEERS !!!

Dad and Number 1 son tucking in to my home-cooked Christmas lunch-
do you think he still looks 'unimpressed ?'

 

Actors' Stories-some of my own......

I was about to come onstage whilst playing the Bawd in 'Pericles' at The Old Fire Station Theatre in Oxford. My right-hand person playing 'Boult' had a very dishevelled and ripped shirt as part of her character.....as I grabbed her arm and said "Now Sir, hast thou cried her through the market ?" her sleeve totally came away in my hand with a loud  tearing noise. I couldn't pretend it hadn't happened and as it was 'Theatre-in-the-round' where the audience are surrounding you- there was no hiding place to turn to laugh. I tried not to laugh but I'm afraid I did along with the audience. I added some 'Shakespearian made-up stuff to account for it, but enjoyed it with the audience.


Props/wardrobe malfunctions. Well, had to eat a bag of crisps in 'The Man' at the Little Theatre whilst on sofa. One night picked it up the wrong way up and contents spilt. Since then over the tannoy in the dressing rooms could be heard a distinct crunch as each actor sat on them in turn. Stage Manager wondered what on earth these noises were......

Dropped a tin tray backstage with a clatter whilst playing edith in 'Blithe Spirit' at the same theatre due to make-up on the hands mixed with perspiration. Of course this was during a quietish part of the play....

Before contact lenses and without my glasses I tripped over a black stage weight in the darkness whilst in the same play...luckily this wasn't very loud....


I accidently sewed a tapestry to my lap whilst in the play 'Siddown Sid' and quickly pulled it and snapped the cotton before I was due to exit.........


My long maid-dress got caught around the ancient dentist chair  in 'You Never Can Tell' at the same theatre. I had to give it a firm yank whilst pretending to do something maid-like.....thus able to kindly leave the stage.....



Also the strap of my character's handbag became caught around the arm of the seat in 'The Man' again and had to quickly flip it off before I could leave the stage.......


No costume malfunction but leave of senses....during the same play I sat onstage and thoughts had wandered....I thought 'which door do I go out of and when do I go out of it ?' But then I thought just follow it through and it will become clear. Thankfully, I did and it was alright...phew !



In 'You Never Can Tell' again I rocked up to the wings ready for my entrance. People started laughing at me. I had got my wig and maid headpiece on back to front. I raced off to rectify.....


'Blithe Spirit' again-I was quite late once due to public transport problems and laddered my black tights as I rushed to put them on.


I was in 'Murder in the Red Barn in London at the Arts Theatre I think as part of our drama school plays and had put on false finger-nails which were quite long-only trouble was once these were on I was incapable of dressing/undressing myself having never worn false nails before... Male fellow student buttoned up my blouse for me and helped me with my other costume elements.........


More 'Actors' Stories' coming soon...........

Book musings...

Anthology-Pic Helen

Well this year I had another success with my poetry-with one poem included in another anthology and in a forthcoming book 'Poets Of The Year'.......This is only a small step but a step nonetheless. I'll keep working...
My friend Barney Bardsley's book 'Old Dog' was published and had good reviews, please see my review of it on the famous website which caters from A to Z....suffice it to say that one must never judge a book by its cover. Her book is so much more than a book about a dog as it touches on the human condition and so much more. Remember a book is for life and not just for Christmas......

Short Soapbox

Don't get me started......well ok here goes.....

Manners, I am disappointed when I don't get an acknowledgement when I hold a door......

Young female bus passengers who play the music way too loud, I am coming for you.....

On the same subject, we all know the old chestnut of pretending to read the bus timetable and then staying where you are.....there's a queue you know. If only people at the front of the line would say something to them......

Can we only allow guide dogs on buses ? Not Bill Sykes 'Trophy' dogs and certainly not allow them to sit on the seats......

You won't ever catch me at the Boxing day sales.....

Bring back the 'Startrack' system....then we shall know there's a bus on the way.

Suggest setting up a filtering desk at the A and E so that patients are sent to the appropriate treatment centre as soon as they arrive......


More Soapbox in the next post.............

Night night !!

Well a somewhat shorter post than normal but I have Christmas as a reasonable excuse........
Do stay tuned for another unpredictable diatribe in the fullness of time.........
All the best and HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL !!!

Dark Horse x