Woman in mind

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November 10, 2007

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Out and about

It has been a very busy week.

“Woman in Mind” moved into the Theatre (Questors) on Sunday 3rd, and we managed a line run on Sunday evening. The Tech. on Monday went OK, but had a bit much acting / directing in it … we could probably have used the time better going over one or two tech areas again. Tuesday dress was technically OK, but very flat and fluffy – I think the actors had been rather thrown by cutting Q to Q for the tech, and it took a while for them to get back on terms with the material. Richard – bless him – had done some work clearing the scenedock, so we had more space backstage.

Weds and Thurs shows went OK. Friday was interesting – Richard got stuck on the trains / tubes, so I turned the dimmers on, went to preset, opened the House etc … when he hadn’t arrived by 1940 (advertised C/Up of 1930) I went on the board and took the show up for lights. He arrived around ten minutes in. Interesting for me to be back on a board, and it happened too suddenly for me to get very wound up with nerves! Fran covered the book for me.

I’ve been very tired all week – getting home after midnight, as the Victoria Line is still not running after 2200h, so I’ve been using Piccadilly Line followed by Rail Replacement busses. And at work every day, usually by 1030, but yesterday I took the morning off.

walk on the Heath

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October 29, 2007

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Out and about

A gentle walk on the Heath this morning – as I wasn’t at work until the afternoon. Unfortunately, I was leaning against a tree waiting to for the sun to come out to take a picture, when a large and ill-disciplined dog slammed into the back of me, knocking me over!

The assailant ran away – its owner was about 100 yards away, and totally oblivious to what went on. My back was not happy about being knocked over – walking up to the tube, and the day at work were very hard work indeed.

However, early autumn on the Heath …

one forward, several back

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October 26, 2007

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work things

Monday was coolish and sunny. Walking on to work I was struck by the leaves falling from the trees starting to reveal a view of the back of the Workshops building:

KWT from the park
It was pretty damn chilly at work!

For the rest of the week, it’s been cold and rather wet. Work has been tough – I’ve just caught up with the fact that sending out notices of License Fee increases needs to be done 56 days in advance … apparently, this historically has never been done, but if the Trust is going to get itself into being a sensible and effective organisation, this is the kind of thing that needs to happen automatically. Caroline has agreed to take Chair’s Action, and told me to go ahead … so I’ve got that to do next week. All a bit chaotic, as there seems to be only a tenuous relationship between the claimed area of any Studio, the claimed rate per square metre, and the amount actually paid. I suspect that I’ll have to do a short report to Finance Committee on this, to keep things above board.

On the whole, a hard-working and slightly miserable week.

Gunnersbury

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October 21, 2007

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Out and about

Off to Gunnersbury to see another rehearsal of “Woman in Mind”. I arrived a bit early, and walked down the footpath by the side of the line, and over the bridge at the back, to the place where I’d taken pictures of poppies in back in May. That area – at the end of the platform – is now completely bare.

May – poppies at the end of Gunnersbury platform
November – nothing there
All of which rather raises the question of why Poppy Day is in November!

As usual, I will be wearing a white poppy this year, to show my absolute opposition to war of any kind. I don’t see it as disrespectful – rather, I see it as honouring all those who have died in wars, including the conscientious objectors, those who were shot for desertion, and those who served in non-combatant capacities as their individual consciences dictated.

PPU leaflet front
However, I don’t usually start wearing it until after Hallowe’en. As usual, I expect to get a great deal of hassle from red-poppy sellers etc!

a day at home

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October 20, 2007

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Out and about, work things

This seems to be my first day at home for several weeks – desperately needed! Plans include slobbing about, a load of laundry, more slobbing about, roasting a chicken, chilling out with a DVD.

I’ve been suffering a cold for the week – not a very snotty type, more of an aching bones and feeling stupid thing. I’ve been going in to work later than usual – as I rather feel I need to be there five days a week at present, I’m concerned not to stack up too many hours.

Wednesday was rather grim – the first cold morning we’ve had, and the central heating is only on for an hour at getting-up time in the morning. I’d slept awkwardly, anyway, and been woken a couple of time by leg cramps .. I was pretty immobile and getting dressed etc were hard work. All the muscles on the lower left of my back were very tight all day … not actually hard cramping spasms, but certainly tensed up and hard. This makes me shorter on one side than the other, so I’m bent over sideways and can’t stand straight … it looks worse than it feels, but it does mean that I really can’t walk without the stick. It’s the first time I’ve been that bad since I started work, and caused several comments from Beverly and others, though I think they were reassured as I was pretty much my normal cheerful self, so clearly not in agony. Still, I do rather feel self-conscious when I’m in that state … guess it’s just a question of getting used to it! I was more-or-less back to normal on Thursday.

Friday I was in work for a few hours, to meet the Contracts Director for the electrician and stuff. I’d finished work by 1515, but stayed a couple of hours to use the photocopier to blow up the script pages for “Woman in Mind” to A4 …. somehow, I find working from a sub-sized script really difficult! All quite legal – we’re allowed to use the work photocopier if we pay. As usual, several interruptions from licensees needing to be let into studios, phone calls … just because I wasn’t really working, I wasn’t going to ignore them.

As I haven’t had a proper walk for ages, and probably won’t be able to once winter really sets in due to coldness, I stopped off at Gospel Oak on my way home – about 1730, towards the end of sunset. I walked up to Parliament hill, which had one guy with a string of little kites, another guy with a large sail … all very spectacular against the sunset, though it wasn’t quite as dark as this photo makes it look!

kites against the sunset

And so, out by Hampstead Pond, and a walk back down to Gospel Oak, then GoBlin home, by which time it was fully dark. Clocks change soon – ugh!

up and doing

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October 14, 2007

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Out and about

Well, it seems ages since I had a whole day at home!

Saturday was the Walthamstow Coffee Posse – just three of us this time. Vic didn’t show – ages since I’ve seen him and I’d like to know how he’s getting along … probably my fault for not messaging him to ask if he was coming! There was a new guy there – rather cute, around my age or a little older, energetic and great fun. Alas, I doubt whether we’d get on one-on-one: sometimes divergent views on politics don’t matter, but I don’t sense that’s the case here.

So back home via Tesco. Quiet afternoon, and an early supper at 1900h – Roast Chicken and stuff as I needed to pamper myself. The cold that has has been hanging around for a couple of days is definitely now established.

Sunday am I took the meat off the chicken carcass and boiled it up for soup, to the accompaniment of much pestering from my suddenly-devoted feline companion. I’m not sure that I’ll be feeling like eating much for the next couple of days, so she got more than her fair share of scraps. Also did a bread-baking.

So off to rehearsals for “Woman in Mind” (TW4) at Gunnersbury. Two trains on the trot were delayed / cancelled, so I had nearly an hour to wait at Highbury & Islington, though I escaped from the station and went and bought a paper to keep me occupied. Arrived towards the end of Act One on a runthrough, got a script from Freddie, etc. It seems in not bad shape, and is an interesting play – very dark for an Ayckbourn, though I’m not sure if the production is going to bring that out fully (a lot depends on the lighting etc, though). Mainly usual suspects in the cast – including Mark of course, who is looking well (being in love clearly agrees with him). One new guy (George, playing Tony).

After the reh, it had been planned to have a production meeting, but the only people who could make it were Freddie, Doreen and myself. So Mark joined us and we adjourned to the pub … which was actually a shit pub, all pretension and no delivery. They didn’t even have bitter lemon to do a St Clements! Chatted for half an hour or so, then Mark and I strolled up the road together and I disappeared onto the North London Line. Quite a wait for a train – I must have just missed one.

Back home, added noodles to the chicken soup and had a couple of mugs of it – not feeling up to anything much else! An incredibly early night – I was asleep by midnight.

what a week !

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October 12, 2007

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Food, work things

I didn’t go into work on Monday – I’d planned on having the morning off anyway, but needed an afternoon at home.

Tuesday was interesting – the first day of heavy rain that we’ve had since the roofing repairs were completed: and there were two serious leaks into studios on the top floor at the back. Roofing contractor was duly contacted, and summoned for a site visit on Thursday early. Then much chasing around getting organised about the electrician etc. Home via Tesco, late, and damp. I’d planned to make a cake, as it’s Beverly’s birthday on Thursday, and there’s a Management Committee meeting then. However, it occurred to me that she or others might not eat butter through excessive vegetarianism, so I’ve deferred the baking for a day.

Wednesday was also busy – nothing very constructive: just catching up on bits and stuff. Home rather after 8, and so to baking. It probably won’t be the most wonderful cake I’ve ever made, as the eggs (bought yesterday and still well in date) seem to be a bit old: at any rate, the whites were rather runny, and I had a devil of a job whipping them even to a vaguely “soft peak” state – thank goodness for Kenwoods, as I’d never have managed it with a hand beater!

Thursday was an early start – alarm went off at 0530: not good news as I hadn’t managed to get to sleep until after 0200h. I stumbled off the train at Brondesbury rather before 0800h and walked across the park as usual … a light fog, breaking up into interesting swirling tendril of mist, and not able to see across the park – very beautiful and a little eery.

Roofer was a bit late – 0840h – which gave me time to set up for the management meeting. Meeting was well-attended and went well, got lots done. Cake went down well, to my relief.

Left work early (1615), as I was meeting Mark Lancaster at 1700h. Always good to see him, although we were both feeling rather “bleugh”. It was great to hear about his new boyfriend – I hope it works out for him as he’s a great guy and could do with someone stable!

So home, and collapse for an hours sleep before supper, followed by an early night. I was actually in bed before midnight! Not working until Friday afternoon, so I didn’t set an alarm: woke about 1000h. Think I’m going down with some kind of lurgy – snotty, and not really on top of things, but hopefully I’ll improve as the day goes on. Tomorrow (Saturday) is the Walthamstow coffee posse, which I’d like to go to as I haven’t been for a while, and I see that Vic (who I like a lot) has put himself down as a “probable” for it.

awful autumn

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October 8, 2007

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Out and about

Last week was a bit of a write-off: back at work (OK), but very cold and damp and horrid. ‘Nuff said, probably.

Down to Green Mount for the weekend: Jane was there. She’s pretty low After the stuff on her thyroid, very untypical of her. Apparently, she has to be on low doses of thyroxine for a month before the dose can be increased. Unfortunately, thyroid problems are one of the things that runs in the family – there’s a link between vitiligo, hyper / hypo thyroid, and allergic / auto-immune stuff. I really hope they manage to sort out theright dose for her soon.

Mum was also very under the weather – she’s put her back out. Although she keeps saying that she knows it will get better in a few days, she was clearly in quite a lot of pain, and couldn’t bend to get at the oven or fridge etc.

Mum had visitors (Isobel and John) for the weekend, but they were off to a family wedding for nearly all of Saturday, and left early on Sunday, so I didn’t see much of them.

Saturday afternoon we went for a drive round the Cotswold villages – out through Combe, Stonesfield etc, and the to Minster Lovell, where Mum & I took a quick look at the ruins (Jane not being up to moving from the car, we didn’t stay long: as I’d been sitting in the back seat I mainly just wanted to stretch my legs for a couple of minutes.

Minster Lovell – Manor House occupied from 1440’s to 1740s
Thence to Burford, Jane having expressed a desire for a log fire and a cream tea. The baker (Huffkins) that Mum is keen on was very crowded, so we walked up to Sheep Street. The Bay Tree was closed for a private function, but we walked into the Lamb to be greeted by a roaring log fire, and the waitress just clearing off the table in front of it. Wonderful! The scone was good, the jam excellent, the cream rather mediocre, but the wonderful low-beamed ceiling and log fire more than made up for that.

And so back to Green Mount, Home on sunday mid-afternoon.

still moody

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September 25, 2007

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cats, Out and about

Still feeling up-and-down like a whore’s drawers: one minute fine, next minute tearful. I think it’s the autumn seasonal thing come on early …

In an effort to dispel this, I went for a walk yesterday late afternoon, as the sun was setting. Tube up to Tottenham Hale. As I walked over the railway bridge I saw that the vast building that has been used for self-storage units for the past few years is being pulled down – it looks as though the whole site will be re-developed. As there’s now a lot of slack alongside the rail lines, it would be nice if there was a properly integrated plan. Oh well …

demolition – only the facade remains

The setting sun casts a bit of an orange glow over the entrance to the Marshes:

I walked up to Stonebridge lock, admiring the residential boats. I wanna live on a boat – I always have wanted to live on a boat, even though I realise that cold and damp mean that it’s totally impractical for me! Let alone the lack of garden, etc.

residential boats

I walked back down the towpath, into the Rec. ground. By this point, I was suffering sharp pains in the hip – not sure if this means that I’m gradually losing muscle tone on that side due to back problems and using a stick (I hope not – I’m pretty good about walking to exercise). Damn painful, and several times I would have lost my balance and fallen over, had it not been for the walking stick.

So, on to Tescos for catfood: Greything has taken a liking to the little square foil tins of food of Tesco own-brand, which are pretty cheap. Not very ecologically sound, of course: though they could be re-cycled, I suppose. Still, it’s good to have something that she doesn’t turn her nose up at !

But still, Monday night I was not at my best, and Tuesday morning (with frequent rainshowers) has been little better. Perhaps I’ll be better next week, when I have more things to distract me !