Karaoke

Just as Paul found somebody to take with him to Karaoke at the Windsor Castle, they cancelled it. Honestly, we had a whole routine worked out!

Day Off

Today I have decided to take an unscheduled day off. I feel that I achieved quite a lot yesterday in terms of work and so today I shall just swim, do a little shopping and then catch Dirty White Boy at the Trafalgar Studios. (OK, that's actually work but I am sure it will be fun)

My Review of 2009

So many happy, happy memories. I really am blessed by some wonderful and thankfully slightly bizarre friends. Enjoy and make sure the volume is up.

Beaches Revisited

Whilst Beaches is a great movie, I was never touched by it as so many of my friends were. It was on Film Four tonight, one of the few channels that work so I took the opportunity of taking another look. Indeed, my initial view has not changed. Firstly, it was always a joy to remember Mayim Bialik as the young CC Bloom, who later found television fame as Blossom Russo in Blossom. Then there is the added joy of discovering Lainie Kazan as CC Bloom’s mother. For those in the know, Kazan was Barbra Striesand’s understudy for the Broadway run of Funny Girl and now makes a career as a character actress and cabaret artist.

Beaches shamelessly tugs at the heartstrings and features a romantic soundtrack by Bette Midler. It failed to win anything at that year’s Academy Awards and loosing out to Jodie Foster for The Accused and Geena Davis for The Accidental Tourist. It was good to see again and will always remind me of Andy Doyle and Rowena Davies, who were always touched by Wind Beneath My Wings.

Saying Goodbye

In the mad blur that was the move from Streatham to Sydenham I have just now managed to download the pictures of mine and Jule’s last karaoke evening together in London. We were joined by Janine, Cassy, Simon and Chris and a whale of a time was had by all. I was actually planning another night over at the Windsor Castle in Clapham next Friday but it turns out that Jivin Julie is no longer going to be setting up camp in Clapham Junction anymore. Truly the end of a era in many ways.

It's Clouds Illusions I Recall

The chaos surrounding the cloud over the UK touched me in several ways, not least the unexpected stopover by Vince and David in London. In the morning I was jealously wishing them well as they arrived in London and headed toward Heathrow. Before I realised what was going on their flights had been cancelled and I was calling around trying to get them tickets for a show. If they couldn’t be in New York that night, then at least they could be at the theatre – thanks, Peter Bull.

I met them both for dinner on Friday night and it was a real joy to chat with them again, even if Sean couldn’t make it. We talked over the fun times and I assured them that by Sunday they would be having breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Sadly it wasn’t to be and whilst I sympathise with their loss, I am extremely glad they are safe and Sean and I had the pleasure of entertaining them on Saturday night. For me, at least, it was a cloud with a silver lining.

Going Metric

At work I am constantly flumoxed by some people, often my age or younger, who refuse to measure using the metric system. Now I like to think of myself as an old fashioned guy at heart with a fondness for inches, but I have never been taught them. From my first day at school in the early Seventies, I have been taught the metric system. That’s approaching 40 years since the metric system became the norm in the UK – yet I still insist on swimming a mile every morning. As my speed and stamina increases in the pool I have decided that every day I shall attempt to swim 2k. In real terms, that means an extra 6 lengths of the pool. As I head back into my old work schedule, I shall start it on Thursday.

Flipper

Well a whole week has gone by without a single post and that's because I haven't stopped. I managed to squeeze in 7 miles in the pool this week including Wimbledon, Crystal Palace and Oasis. Not bad. I have noticed now that in the smaller pools, 27 - 30 metres, I am easily doing a mile in 30 mins. Something that was a goal for me 5 years ago, and one which I very precariously achieved for a single day, is now common place for me. It really is strange how a 50m pool has seriously increased my ability. On the downside, I have had no opportunity to do any squats or sit-ups – oh well.

My Week Begins....

I am off to the Wimbledon Studio tonight to see some short plays. I have opted to cycle although finding a decent route is a nightmare, it seems. Oh well, I should trust my instincts and simply head South West from London Bridge. Once there, assuming I am not too worn out, I shall swim in the pool. Apparently Sean used to swim then when he was at Wimbledon College.

Retro Doctor

I found myself getting quite excited about the new series of Doctor Who. Not actually about the series but about my Facebook Invitation to see the show at the Retro Bar. As Sean was off to Portsmouth for the weekend I found myself getting more and more excited about the night out ahead. I would see old friends and there was always a flirtatious air of excitement about Doctor Who en masse. Well, Retro Bar - what a let down. It was lovely to see Lloyd again and the excitement mounted as the Timelord countdown began. There were even people there in costume, which was a little bit scary. But that was that. The bar did not open till 5.30pm and directly after the programme everybody left. There should have been prizes for the best fancy dress; Dr Who Quizes; Galifray Cocktails; it was a marketing mans wet-dream that was completely ignored. We weren't even allowed to watch Dorothy afterwards!!! For crying out loud, so many of her friends were there that night.

Make an effort, Retro bar or next time I'll go to the Griffin for the evening.

Sophie Mason - Licence To Lurk

Zoomed In This Morning!

Got to work in about 30 minutes this morning! Wowsa! No school run you see. Thought I'd post this as it reminded me that I went to see Frisky & Mannish at the Sydney Opera House when I was there. They were doing their usual shtick as opposed to Wagner, naturally. This image was created by Scott, who had evidently come over all artsy-craftsy.

Hard At It

I am looking forward to getting back to my normal routine, however. And having some time on my own during the day to catch up with my writing. Also, the move has knocked a hole in my keep fit regime, and although I have been swimming regularly, it has been nowhere near as it used to be in Streatham. I sense that now I have been able to adjust that slightly- especially over the long weekend and now that I am a little more secure with my schedule and the area, I can get back into the keep fit habit. This last week I have managed to swim 6 miles – not bad, but I can do better.

I am also going to go ahead full throttle with my 6 week regime of Squats and Sit Ups. Mal – a friend of mine on Facebook – insists that Squats are the exercise to perform to put your arse back in the right place. Sit Ups – well, obvious really. Here goes and I shall keep you informed.

Moving Home

Was chaotic, sad, scary and seriously badly timed. It seemed no sooner had I come home that I had to begin packing and dealing with the usual trauma that surrounds such a time. Thankfully friends were on hand to offer help and advice along the way and finally, with the help of Sean, David and Paul, on March 13th I moved into Christina’s flat in Sydenham. I am still getting used to living with a stranger and despite our very obvious different backgrounds, I think things are going fairly well. As we are short of staff at the office at present, I am also covering at work so spare time has been at a premium. Certainly, one thing I have noticed since I moved here is how I never appear to be in!

Why the big smile?

Scroll down to find out....

Rowena

My host for the holiday was one of my oldest friends, Rowena Davies and I must say I cannot think of a more lovely companion to travel across the world with. We had our difficult times, some fraught times but much of the three weeks was spent laughing, relaxing and chatting with somebody I love dearly. I was so glad I could be there with her when her son got married.

When in Potts Point look out for Mrs Madrigal

Also, I wasn’t quite expecting to be so constantly reminded of San Francisco, whilst in Sydney. Whether it was the long hills or flights of step that snake through the Kings Cross, Potts Point and Woolloomooloo, or the endless magnolia and fig trees, I kept thinking back to my time there.

Challis Lodge

Challis Lodge was a real find when it came to budget accommodation. It is definitely worth opting for a balcony room and there is no air-con, but the staff were, on the whole, very friendly and if you’re short on money, there was nothing finer than sitting on a balcony, watching the world go by on a balmy night.

Easy As ABC

Whilst in Sydney, indeed whilst in many of the places I visited whilst in Australia, I managed to avail myself of the Pool facilities. In Nowra, after attempting 70 lengths of the 13 metre pool at our house – gahhhh…too dizzy for words, I fortunately discovered a 50m about a mile away.


In Sydney itself I had a couple of choices but undoubtedly I opted for the World Famous ABC Pool in the Domain. Apparently, people had been swimming here for hundreds of years and once organised, Andrew “Boy” Charlton broke a couple of world records here. Indeed the pool was eventually refurbished and named after the much admired Charlton, who was a contemporary of Johnny Weismuller and Buster Crabbe. Anyway, the ABC Pool was easily the best part of my visit, allowing me to swim as the sun rose over the harbour and as the vast flocks of Fruit Bats returned to their roost in the heart of the Botanical Gardens.

Images of Oz

It seems a little bit strange that I have not yet really referred to my trip to Australia yet. Admittedly it was the first thing on my agenda as soon as I was blogging again I must say I had an absolutely lovely time. The climate was certainly changeable and if you really wanted proof that we have buggered up our planet, then I was offered a valid argument. Practically from our arrival it rained and for most of the time I spent in Nowra, where the wedding was to take place, Sydney had the worst floods for many years. A week later, Sydney suffered the hottest midnight recorded in over 30 years. As I say, climate change indeed. Thankfully we had our $10 steak at the World Famous (everything is “world famous” in Australia) The Bourbon just before the roof caved in under the pressure of water.

Enough With The Excuses

Even I have got bored with my own indecision and dily-dalying regarding updating my blog. I am now doing so, bit by bit, the first leg of this being to move most of the theatre related stuff to Unrestricted View - my new Theatre Blog aimed soley at recording my visits to the theatre and links to the make-up community in the UK and further afield. Parties after said visits shall be recorded here, naturally, along with personal postings, mind-numbingly dull references to swimming and excercise and blokes who have managed to catch my eye. So, without further ado, here is a brief rundown of what has happened throughout March....and my goodness, haven't I been busy!