Theatre: Sign of the Times......

Another theatre trip, actually there are quite a few more coming up.
Last night's was very funny.

Presented by Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds
By Tim Firth

From award-winning comedy writer Tim Firth (Calendar Girls, This Is My Family) and directed by Karen Simpson (Some Like It Hotter), this comedy drama explores the power of words and dreams in our changing world.

Frank is the Head of Installation at Forshaws, a commercial lettering factory, and an aspiring novelist. Teenager Alan is his reluctant trainee, more interested in his band and his iPod than the complexities of bracketing systems and electrical isolators.

However, this pair of Yorkshiremen have a lot more in common than they realise…

‘excellent… splendidly funny and touching’ - Daily Telegraph
Just two actors from beginning to end and a very funny clever script.  A great night out.
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Cinema: Kingsman, The Secret Service.....

Last night as the usual Wednesday crowd were not meeting up friendH used her "Orange Wednesday" 2for1 cinema offer and we went to see Kingsman after a Harvester meal.

Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton), whose late father secretly worked for a spy organization, lives in a South London housing estate and seems headed for a life behind bars. However, dapper agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) recognizes potential in the youth and recruits him to be a trainee in the secret service. Meanwhile, villainous Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) launches a diabolical plan to solve the problem of climate change via a worldwide killing spree.


Bit of an odd film which we thought would be funnier than it was, although Samuel L Jackson with a lisp was quite funny, he was the baddy. It was adapted from a comic book with all the characters much larger than life. It could have been light entertainment as some sort of spoof fusion between Avengers/James Bond/Austin Powers if it hadn't had so much blood and guts fighting, far too gory in places for me, so eyes tightly shut for a lot of the time. Although I had to look when exploding heads became a firework display to music..... told you it was a bit odd!
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Chutney fest.....

NieceVM will change to nieceVH when she gets married in June.

When we had our family day at Christmas she tasted my home made chutney and got all excited and decided that it would make the perfect wedding favour for her guests.  So she asked me for the recipe which I was more than happy to give. Then I pointed out that there wouldn't be another crop of plums between December and June but I should have enough in my freezer if they want to make it all here.

So a date was set, I weighed the plums I had and I did all the maths to sort out how to get 160 baby jars from my recipe that one batch (which I've already doubled from the original) makes me 3-6 jars depending on their size.....then gave her a shopping list, keeping all my fingers crossed that I'd calculated correctly.

On the day nieceVM arrived just after 9am, with sisterS and her friendE, I was impressed as they live a two hour drive away! Very soon after Daughter arrived with the children so before long we had the plum prep factory going!

No sign of O as he hid away with granddad because he didn't like the smell. 

Great excitement when the first batch was ready to spoon into the baby jars.

The jars all filled (think we were five short of target unfortunately) and sitting to cool when we sat for a late lunch about 2pm. Then all jars wiped over and reboxed by about 4pm which everyone knows is the perfect time for tea and cake and time to chat.

Daughter had put on Facebook "Had a wonderful day today. 3 generations of women working together chatting about old family stories". And it was a wonderful day
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Theatre: All My Sons....

It's been a while since the last theatre visit so it felt good to head off with friends T&P. T hadn't been too well so we were glad she was better and didn't cancel.  P had nearly cancelled because if a persistent cough but came anyway armed with water and cough sweets and she survived quite well.

Presented by Talawa Theatre Company
Written By Arthur Miller
Directed by Michael Buffong

It is 1947 and Joe and Kate Keller, an all-American couple, are living with the ghosts of World War II.

Joe is a successful, self-made businessman, a loving family man and a pillar of the community. He is a partner in a machine shop building fighter plane parts. Joe and Kate’s happiness is clouded by one thing – their son is missing in action, presumed dead by all but his mother …

All My Sons is a searing investigation of honesty, guilt and the corrupting power of greed. The play was Arthur Miller’s first success, establishing him as a leading voice in theatre.


All three of us enjoyed it. Every actor fitted their character well and the twists in the relationships were very believable. Nice set too.

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I'll tell you later.....

This title made me smile as a memory of a job I had to take just because it fitted in with school hours and holidays.  It was factory work and we mostly sorted small laminate squares into the trays needed by the machine that produced colour/sample cards for the retailers. This was part time and casual labour so we could take the school holidays off but they could also lay us off when work was slack which wasn't so good. We mostly worked as a large group of women at a very long table, sitting on upturned buckets, uncomfortable, very boring tedious work but usually a real laugh as we talked and joked to pass the time. However I sat towards one end of the table and if a new topic started or a witty remark made at the other end I couldn't hear (we always had the radio up loud too) so I'd say to Jean "what did they say" and she'd always say "I'll tell you later".... It became a standing joke!

However,  this time I'm saying that because when I'm really busy there's no time to blog, unlike when I've all the time in the world but nothing to blog about hahaha. So what's been happening. ..

Last Wednesday was our usual crowd at the usual pub, except no friendDJ. We've all been really worried about him as he has been quite ill recently with all the treatments for prostate cancer and now he's anaemic and they are doing tests for diverticulitis, he's 71 this year,  but this night he was being taken out by another friend to see live music and we were all really pleased for him.

Last Thursday the monthly crafts at the busy bungalow was cancelled as T thought she was coming down with something and didn't want to give us get germs so I crafted at home in the limited space I have now hubby had finished downstairs and is disrupting everything upstairs to revamp what was his office now into my studio, I'll tell you later 😉.
In the evening was our art group in the little church hall, but only six of us,  and I drove Dave as he doesn't feel safe driving at the moment with anaemia fatigue but happy to come out for the evening. So art then onto the truck-stop for then end of the night with some live music.

Last Friday evening theatre with friends T and P. Seems ages since our last one but now we seen to have a run of them booked. About what we saw...  I'll tell you later 😉

Last Saturday, was chutney fest, which has to have a post of its own.... I'll tell you later 😉

Yesterday, hubby changed lights for my nephewE, again I'll tell you later 😉

Today more chutney as the house still smells of onions anyway, no plums left so using up frozen damsons. And obviously I'm blogging so I don't forget.

Oh and now following a post - "before-they-were-famous" - about my old youth club I think my memories of that special place deserves its own post too,  so you guessed it,  I'll tell you later 😉
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Before they were famous.....

As a youth I went to a youth club from the age of 9 to 19. Growing up in the East End of London from the 1950's through till I married in the 1970's (yes I'm that old) the youth club was a huge part of my life, allowing a great deal of independence in a safe(ish) environment, although we did push the boundaries quite often 😉

I have often told people of the famous celebrities that would visit the club as maybe a special guest on awards nights (much like they have prize giving in schools), I can remember meeting Ronnie Corbett who drove himself in his Rolls Royce which made us all gasp to see a roller in Whitechapel, although we giggled too as the driver could only just see over the steering wheel 😅

Frankie Vaughan was a regular supporter of boys clubs and Fanella Fielding were others I can remember actually talking to.

There were also lots of nearly famous bands that played at our Sunday socials and my friends are usually impressed when I tell them of the Jimi Hendrix Experience giving us a great performance during their first breakthrough into the UK.

Unfortunately there is so much I've forgotten that I was pleased when someone started a Facebook page for past club members (club hasn't existed for many years). And a current conversation has been all about the Sunday socials so here are quotes of what others have remembered for me.....

" Hendrix made his first hit hey joe in October 66 it charted in December 66 he was booked for Brady and his management tried to get out of it but he played the gig.so it could have been early December 66"

"Jimi Hendrix played at Brady on Sunday 19th Feb, 1967"

"I remember the Hendrix show well, it was on the Sunday that his single 'Hey Joe' went into the charts.... The hall was packed, ....Jimmy Saville was also there and we were standing next to Jet Harris. I must admit we spent most of the evening in the canteen as his music was not our taste! At that time a member/manager called Lenny ???  booked all the bands for the sunday socials, he worked in the music business and had good connections. Who remembers the nights with Gino Washington and the Ram Jam Band, Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, The Nice, Pink Floyd to name but a few? Good days...."

"Cliff Bennet and the Rebel Rousers were there great night"

"The kinks played lots of times, I seem to think they were called the Bollweevils"

"i think the baron knights may have played the most ."

"I recall Hendrix was paid 25 quid. He seemed very high. Backstage, he said next time I play here it's gonna cost you 75 quid!...... I remember forcing my brother to stay through the whole Pink Floyd show, nearly everybody walked out."

"It was true people didnt know what to think of that style of music at that time, we were all expecting to dance, as it was a dance right?"

Giving a little back.....

Our doctors' surgery is a teaching one and this week some student doctors were discussing gynecology.  As I've recently had a cervical polyp removed by day surgery they asked if I'd come in to be one of the case studies and I was very pleased that I had the time to say yes.

When I arrived there were four of us real patients and I think there were eight 4th year student doctors.  We had two sessions of half hour interviews with two students each time, so each student saw two patients. Our head GP was flitting between rooms overseeing everything.

They asked about everything so they got a full medical and social background too. They all took copious notes and told me they have to write up reports and discuss later.

I found it all very interesting and I'm sure for them meeting real patients helps them understand a different side to each problem/condition compared to or to go alongside what they learn at a lecture.
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Far room makeover......

This is what happened to our games room when Hubby decided it needed a change of purpose. First major change was to sell the pool table as it really wasn't being used much.

After being decorated (in the same colour as before) I had a major sort out which spewed out into the dining room too.

The arts-n-crafts stuff is much tidier as are the games. 

There's more room to get fit now,  so I've lost my main excuse doh! 

And today all the worktop was fitted and the office came down. 

So now it has so many uses it can't just be "The Games Room" so we're calling it "The Far Room" as it is the furthest away from wherever you might be in the house. 

Loved that as soon as the girls saw tidy games and a clear rug to sit on we lost our helpers ☺