Sunday

It's a sunday and Al has gone to Nathan and Laura's to watch Aston Villa vrs Chelsea, so I've got a bit of peace and quiet.
Yesterday was Valentine's day. Sarah and John and Hannah and Rick as well as Phil and Ruth all came to ours to have food and a bit of a drink and we had a great night. Me Han and Sarah lived at Griffin in the 1st year, above Al and the rest of the boys, and in the block alongside us was Phil who even then was with Ruth - they're married with a baby and Ruth did our wedding photos, bloody good job Ruth, best wedding photographer ever! Since then we've all been friends. Sarah and John get hitched in May but we're not smug married's, we're just a bunch of friends of didn't feel bothered enough about Valentine's day to get all smoochy unnecessarily. Who said romance is dead?!
I cooked the puddings. I spent 4 hours making chocolate fudge, chocolate covered cherries infused with brandy and choc chip scones and Al made 2 types of lasagne... Mmm yummy! The guests arrived hungry as we'd instructed and it was a fun night, we had a real giggle and a catch up which is my favourite kind of night. Then as we're all boring and grown ups the Han/Sarah partnerships got back off to Wolverhampton in the car and Phil and Ruth headed back home to baby George, Ruth was driving too, so we even got to bed at a fairly un-scandalous time of 12.30 - so why do I still feel tired???
I suppose the main answer is Leukaemia CARE. Busy busy busy. Can't think. mind fogs up when I try and think ahead. All I can see it the A4 page that is my to do list plus the 300 emails and the database generated list to things to action by the end of this month. It's difficult not to get a bit defeatist. But every time I think it's not possible to do more something happens and we find a way; every task compleated is a small victory - even if usually it's replaced by 3 more.
The snow of course did its damndest to get in the way. I had to work from home twice because Birmingham roads were so slippery and snowy that I couldn't get onto the motorway to get to work. Still it was very pretty and was a good excuse to stay out of the way of the gym, something which I don't seem to need much help with recently, actually.
The play is going well. Went with Graham to the council on tuesday to go through ideas around publicity. Not going to get too involved with that as my reason for being there is the acting and nothing else. Still though, survived it and that's the main thing.
Next week is Nathan's birthday, week after is Leukaemia CARE's proms concert, maybe one day we'll even finish the wallpapering! In the mean time I try to go to church at least every other week and it's nice. I hear the bands being read out and look out for the excited couples, meet the newbies and keep in touch with old friends Jess and Graham, Mike and Jean. Jean's expecting baby number two, congrats! I like going to church. It is boring occasionally but it's strange little idiosyncracies make me smile and it makes me feel at peace in the middle of a hectic world. Rob's sermons always, but always, make me want to bottle them and take them with me. He always looks at things with such wisdom and serenity. There's so much to get het up about but he is always there taking things in his stride. The church I go to, St Nics, is consequently a calming, non-judgemental and welcoming place. I think and I'm pretty lucky to have found such a church as from personal experience I know they're not all like that.
So that's my life at the mo. I'd better get off and do the ironing. Plus I need to put the heating on again because my fingers are like ice. See you!

Nude with Violin

We had our first rehearsal on thursday, I loved it! The only bad thing is I wish I was on stage more. I am sad when I have to walk off to let everyone get on with their bits - what a nightmare I am! SO with fewer lines I'm just going to have to throw everything at Marie Celeste, my character. I've been looking on the internet for style ideas then I'm going to trawl the internet for retro clothes. If I can I'll be wearing the correct bra, shoes, necklace; everything!

Nude with violin by Noel Coward will be on at the Old Rep theatre in June, and I will be selling tickets. Hold on to your hats darlings!
(PS - for anyone who had rude thoughts about the Billesley Players website that's perfectly understandable. Like many small acting troups they haven't really looked after their website. However we are in the process of getting it updated so no more nasty comments ok?)

Fame and stardom beckons...

Well, ever since I was a wee slip of a girl I wondered if I could act but pre-GCSE drama didn't inpire, the subject at GCSE was unavailable and at university all the drama students seemed a mixture of hellish luvvie and over confident limelight gogger. I got to do readings with Dad's groups but that's not really what I would have had in mind.

Then real life kicked in and that was that. The gilt edge opportunities that youth haphazardly throws your way began to wane and still I didn't pick up the confidence to give it a go. Mortgage and MOT's, jobs old and new, the wedding... and suddenly I feared I'd missed any chance.

When I was little I always thought I could be anything and as I couldn't decide it was probably best to keep my options open. I took subjects that didn't narrow my choices and put off making decisions. The irony is that all these years of not making decisions culminate in one big decision: not doing something because it turns out you were too scared all along.

It's a lot easier to be scared of something you've never done than something you're preparing for so this January I took the proverbial bull by the horns. After googling "amdram" (good old google) I found lots of amateur dramatic companies and groups in Birmingham, among them the Billesley Players. Established in the 1960's the Billesley Players will on thursday begin rehearsing a Noel Coward play and it has just accepted its newest fully paid up member... me!
The funniest part is that the play is set in Paris and I play Marie Celeste (good name), who speaks entirely in french! God help me... (I researched this it is: mon dieu aide moi)

The curtain opens in June at The Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham city centre, a theatre with a very proud history indeed. Even Noel Coward himself has trod thos very boards, also Laurence Oliver and Derek Jacobi.

Tiny Bit excited!

motto fo 09

A friendly pixie gave me this bit of advice that I love "remember always that, as life is essentially pointless it’s only purpose HAS to be to give it meaning."

And on that note who noticed the Humanist advert that was taken out that has got the Christians all in a huff? The British Humanist Association took out an ad on buses that used the strap line: "There's probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life"
I'm a Christian and I think it's fantastic! Anything that gets people debating. But predictably the reaction is not to turn the other cheek but to get their saintly knickers in a twist. God christians are sometimes unbearable!

Today I saw an interesting line that I think rounds this up nicely. "Doubt is not the opposite of faith. It is a composite part of faith." And with that I shall get off this particular high horse.