A few shots from the show...

Some Shots of the Show...

Yes, we finally did it!







To see all the photos from our 'Anything Goes' production click here.

Charlie says....

You may remember me mentioning Charlie, the new boy in our Am Dram group for Anything Goes. I briefly mentioned him a while back. Well, I thought I'd mention him again, as I quite like mentioning him now to friends. Actually, everyone in the company keeps mentioning him. In fact, most of us know our markers for certain dance routines, simply based on knowing where we're standing in relation to where Charlie is. Yes, the ladies giggle and swoon as if they truly were 1920s flapper girls, all in awe of an incredibly charming environmental lawyer with boyish good looks who is apparently single, and well, actually straight! The gays amongst us, flirt, try and catch glances of his arms when the moment allows and resist trying to manhandle him in the wings.

I'm in the terrible, terrible, terrible position where most of the dance numbers have me holding his hand, or holding his waist, or having our arms linked, or in one scene, picked up and carried off by him. The director and choreographer obviously see the comic potential between the two of us with our extreme differences in height. Despite all this overblown cooing from all directions, I have to say, Charlie is a phenomenally nice guy. Cast the mop of thick jet black hair, cheeky eyebrows, chest like a bow of a ship and arms of Roman statuesque proportions aside - he's genuinely very sweet, very sincere and makes a conscious effort with everyone around him. I admire that, as I try and do the same. And we've now bonded. Well, I'd like to think we have.

He insists on being my partner at every opportunity, as if I am some font of knowledge concerning all things am dram and has even asked to meet up outside of rehearsals to practise even more. What is a boy to do? I suppose I must yield to his demands. What a cross to bear indeed, I hear you cry. It's terribly flattering as a performer to have such new found adoration from a colleague. I answered my phone late on Thursday night to discover it was Charlie on the other end, belting all the different song lyrics to 'Anything Goes'. This went on for about ten minutes. He was very chuffed with himself and wanted to tell me apparently and I just wanted to hug him for all his efforts.

Anyway, this was a very long note to really say "Here's a photo of Charlie, the good-lookin' one from my Am Dram group."

Off to Brighton...

Will be heading off to Brighton next week to begin our family holiday in Rye. So I thought I'd add my favourite photo from my last trip to Brighton Pier.

Ta Dah, it's wicked!

On my way home on Saturday night, and saw this poster site with the two favourite things I am looking forward to spending my hard-earned cash on next week. So much for saving money this month.

Virginia...

This is a truck, in the woods behind my Aunt, Alex's house in West Virginia. I took this picture ages ago, it now hangs up above my television, reminding me of how much I loved spending time with Alex. An incredibly inspirational woman and I learnt a lot of life lessons, while I was with her. I will always be indebted to her for that.

She'll never find it...

See, I'm having a cynical day today. I think the dog has run away as it's embarrassed by the fact their owner is called Babette. Or it's just a very, clever fly-poster for a new indie band.

She lives in a House...

My sister has a new house. A very nice house. Smack bang in the middle of Brighton. Next to everything. It has a patio garden. Wooden floorboards. And a white gate to enter it.

I covet this. Badly.

Everybody needs good neighbours...

I promised myself I wouldn't be one of those bloggers that post up annoying photos of themselves partying all the time with their friends but this one has relevance. If you live in London, or any major city for that matter, but especialy in uptight Britain - where a smile on the Underground to a complete stranger can signify a desire to kill, terrorise, stalk or at least invade someone's personally space quite rudely - you will know that NO ONE speaks to their neighbours. Well I do. I met mine at a party in the West End of all places. After talking about where we lived, we freaked out at discovering we actually are 'nextdoor neighbours'. Since then Sarah, Jerome and Lindsey have now been my local friends as well as neighbours. Yes, you may coo with delight now. We basically get quite drunk together to cut a long story short. In another 'Elton John - Circle of Life' tale, Lindsey's boyfriend Adj is in a band called Kubb, who I met last year at a television recording of Later with Jools Holland. Yes, a small world indeed. Yet these strange coincidences make up up most of my life on a daily basis. I do not lie, ask any of my friends. I obviously know far too many people. Oh rah! How pretentious does that make me now?

Moving swiftly on.

A Soldier Polishing His Cannon...

Back in June for the Queen's Official Birthday, the BBC News website released a series of photos of the Horsemen at Buckingham Palace preparing for the parade. I expected lots of gold trimmings and shots of brushing horse hair but was pleasantly surprised when this was the main photo. If there's ever an advertisement to retain the monarchy to keep people like him in service, then I'm all for HRH. I think my point of my post today was to say, I was born on the week of her Silver Jubilee and apparently she gave my parents a year's supply of nappies. I have no idea if that story is true but if it isn't, you can just look at the man polishing his cannon again.

Westminster

And this is why I live in London. Nice for nature to remind you sometimes, when you've had a bad day.

Evening All...

One of those moments that makes you sigh with happiness. Taken in the park opposite my flat.

The Laughing Buddha Looks On...

The Buddha himself. Sage. Sympathiser. Supporter. Onlooker, champion and general piss taker of my humble life. How his laugh mocks and comforts me so.