The top ten........

........I have been a member of my local Operatic Society for nearly fifty years, I retired   from performing many years ago but as I was honoured with a L:ife Membership I like to keep in touch when I can which these days is not as often as I would like,.  During the lockdown the members have taken to the internet to organise quiz nights and concerts and this week there is even a disco.  To keep us further entertained one very clever young man organised a poll to find the member's most popular musical.  As you know I have sturggled with keeping this blog going, I can only marvel at the amoount of effort it took. You can find all the entries on Alex's blog Alex Writes Stuff here which, incidentally, is usually dedicated to some entertaining and interesting book reviews.(I told you he was clever).

Three of mine didn't make it into the top 100, definitely an age thing I think because I had not heard of a couple of shows that did,  I remarked that it would be interesting to repeat it in 10 years time with the same members.

It was really hard to chose and took me a few days but it was great fun and brought back many magical moments in the theatre, interesting that none of the shows I have performed in or worked on made my list. 
So finally my Top 10 with reasons and favourite song.

Crazy for You – Good all round but the best Act 1 finale of any show I’ve seen. Favourite song = I’ve got rythmn

Me and My Girl – Same again good all round . Nostalgia, comedy, romance and a touch of the Cinderella’s. =  Once you lose your heart.

A Chorus Line – Original West End version, no interval and I’ll swear I didn’t breathe for the last ten minutes  or so. Definitely not the film version = One

Merrily We Roll Along = not the travesty at the Menier  Chocolate Factory a few years back. – Old Friends

Follies –  It was difficult to chose when it came to Sondheim –Beautiful girls.

Into the Wood -  not the film = Witches lament (Children will listen)

Salad Days -  Sweet  taste from the past.  Memories  of seeing the original in London in the ‘50s and of our production at the Hall. = We said we wouldn’t look back

La Cage aux Folles  - Have loved every production I have seen , from the original West End with a wonderful George Hern to John Barrowman a few years back . I have long wished that the Society would give it a go = A little more mascara.

Jersey Boys- love the songs and it was so well constructed. = Who loves you Pretty Baby

Nine- Again not the film which was truly dreadful.  Loved working with the Youth theatre on this but would love to see an adult production at the Hall. – My husband makes moves/the Grand Canal segue Every Girl in Venice.

Well there you go, not sure they are in perfect order. Some people who know me will be surprised not to see  Hamilton or Wicked  on the list but they would definitely have been in the next ten.

My Chelsea......

......it should have been the Chelsea flower show this week, in its place there are a series of television programmes looking back.
My garden is tiny but how fortunate, in these isolation times, that we have this small space, my heart goes out to those who don't have even a balcony. We have been able to enjoy the exceptional weather of the last few weeks and one of the results of this weather is that all the roses have come early and all together.

 

How about this beauty, scent is good too

 

and this is not a rose but it is certainly very happy, it has grown from a small cutting given by a dear friend who sadly died so in rememberance I am especially happy to see it thriving.

 

Let's go out............

.........well not really, of course in our locked down state.

I came across a story about the restoration on Rembrandt's  "the Night Watch" in the Rijk Museum.  Apparently to aid with the work of restoration they have photographed the work in thousand of pixels so that it can be examined without using microscopes. I am not sure if this is the actual photograph they are using but it is a fascinating way of getting closer to the painting than you will ever be able as when I goes on display again it will be diplayed in a glass case. A few years back on a brief visit to Amsterdam we were taken to a church in the evening which had various people in costume dotted around the edges of the chuch.

After a little while we took our places and the church began to fill with more characters in costume who eventually composed The Night Watch before our eyes.

Great fun, a very memorable evening. I once sad Van Gogh makes me think I can paint, Rembrandt shows me that I can't.

Well, well, well..........

Last time I posted Rob Gronkowski had just announced his retirement. It didn’t really end my life, though it may have looked that way.  Now low and behold he is coming out of retirement and joining his old mate Tom Brady, not in New England but in sunnier climes in Tamp Bay, Florida.  I enjoyed the glory years and will treasure the memories that  I hope their twilight  years will not spoil. I have always thought that “Retire at the top” was a good adage.

So here we are in lockdown for Covid 19 virus.  Because I am my husband’s carer in many ways life is not much different from normal but the restrictions on coffee with friends or popping out on a whim gets a little trying at times. We have a lot to be thankful for, my sister in law contracted the virus visiting her brother in hospital, the day before the lockdown and we have spent an anxious fortnight but she is now on the road to recovery.  I wish the media would give us more success figures instead of the just the daily death toll. Knowing what we went through my heart goes out to anyone with loved ones who are suffering. One of the other things to be thankful for is our garden, though tiny is is an outdoor space we can enjoy so we can take full advantage of the glorious weather, it seems ironic when the children cannot play out and trips to the countryside are forbidden even the Easter Bank Holiday, which usually guarantee rain and freezing temperatures was bright sunshine..


I actually started this post a couple of weeks ago, not much changed since then but there are rumblings to an easing of restrictions. It is the 75th anniversay of VE day tomorrow and being unable to goout and buy flags (or even have it delivered on line before June) I dowbloaded a file from Etsy and made my own.

This is a piture of my Lockdown crafting to date. Four journals, some bunting and a small town.