Masham Players Spring Production 2008

Our spring play for 2008 is the gentle comedy "The Bolt Hole" by Langton
Smith. This is a three act play set in an isolated farm house on Dartmoor
and has a cast of four women and five men.

The reading for the play was held in January and was well attended. Since
then rehearsals have been progressing steadily with a good deal of fun and
laughter. In addition to 'old hands' we are pleased to welcome a new
producer, Susan Rouse, plus four newcomers to the Masham stage.

We wish them all the best and feel sure that they will all enjoy their first experience of "treading the boards" at the Town Hall . . . and we all know what that feels like ;-)

Venue: The Town Hall, Masham, North Yorkshire.
Performance dates: March 13th, 14th, and 15th.
Curtain up at 7.30pm. sharp!
Tickets on sale from Marsden Pharmacy, Market Place, Masham, during normal business hours.

Life's a Beach!

To celebrate the sunshine and a special date in our personal calender Sat Nav (Gloria) and I decided to have an away day. Because we live in the heart of the countryside we thought it would be nice to go to the beach for a change. Sat Nav had a yearning to see the sea. So we packed the car, told our dog Jack that he was in for a treat, and headed off to Filey.

As you probably know things never go as smoothly as one would wish in our camp! Our journeys are legendary.
Yesterday, Sat Nav was on good form until we reached a roundabout complete with diversion signs, that we hadn't seen until we were ready to come off the roundabout at the wrong exit. Sat Nav got in a flap when I said, 'a trip to the opticians might be in order!'

What followed was a very interesting and totally bloody confusing detour, zig zagging through an industrial estate, a large housing estate, ending up in a Morrisons petrol station.

Sat Nav went in to ask for help and the extremely kind and helpful cashier who used to live in Filey gave her perfect directions to get us back on course. A big THANK YOU is in order here.

We arrived at Filey expecting to see a deserted beach and a handful of people. Despite the sunshine it's still winter. So you can imagine our total shock to see that the world and his wife were there, complete with a nation of dogs and hardly a parking space to be found.

Of course we did find one because I always believe that I will and set out to join the throng.

We enjoyed a walk along the beach, were intrigued by the sculptured cliffs and the happy holiday atmosphere. Jack wanted to be everywhere at once, and he couldn't understand why this big puddle could move. Although he's not one for getting his feet wet in normal circumstances, he was desperate to take a closer look at the North Sea and tried to take me with him ;-)




You'll be pleased to know that our journey home was without hiccups. And, as with all of the best story's, we drove off into the most beautiful sunset you can imagine.

All-in-all a truly special day - although at one point I was on the verge of sacking Sat Nav!

One more thing. Beware! Inflation hits Filey - make a note that the middle 'attended' toilets will cost you 40p for a pee!!!!!!!! So if you need to go, don't go here!

Happy New Year 2008

Hope your new year celebrations went with a bang, and that you're not nursing hangovers today.

Sat Nav and I boogied our way from 2007 into 2008 with only brief interruptions to refill our glasses. Sat Nav is nursing a G&T hangover today, whereas I am not because I only had one glass of Whisky - that was for you Cynn!


We sang and danced to Abba, Shirley Bassey, Shania Twain, Madonna and Olivia Newton-John. Sat Nav's rendition of Don't Cry for me Argentina has to be heard to be appreciated lol! And guess what? She videod me singing Mamma Mia, and not only that, she wants me to upload it for you all to see. Hmmm . . . I'm not so sure lol!
She is very persuasive . . . but what do you think I should do?

Here's wishing you all a healthy, happy and musical 2008.

The Cat's Away

It's been a week of drama for Sat Nav and I. First the Magic of the Musicals, and then Masham Players (our local amateur dramatic society) were performing their autumn production of 'The Cat's Away' on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This was directed by our good friend and fellow myspacer Brian, who described the play as 'a comedy of a misconstrued situation, misplaced intentions, an over-bearing mother-in-law, and broken garden ornaments!'

The first few rehearsals didn't go well at all, and we thought the play was jinxed. It certainly was a case of the cast pulling everything together at the eleventh hour. In amateur dramatics time is a huge commitment with everybody giving up their valuable time. One of the cast ended up on antibiotics two days before the opening night, another had a sore throat, but carried on valiantly. And the lines . . . well they just refused to be learnt :-) So much so that we thought we were going to have to send Brian for therapy lol!

Ticket sales for Friday and Saturday were very poor because Friday clashed with children in need and Saturday clashed with a musical event happening in the church, so in line with that Sat Nav (business manager) didn't bother to order any extra ice creams for Saturday night . . . big mistake as it turned out. But she is blaming Fiona for that because she talked it over with her and their decision was unanimous lol!

Thursday night we had almost a full house. I was usherette and sold ice cream with Sat Nav and Fiona. My, don't I live the high life. On Thursday nights the cast and crew prepare and serve the audience with an after show supper. You have to be quick on your feet and get out of the way of the stampede down to the supper room at the end of the show.

Friday night I am happy to report we had almost a full house too, I am happy to say that word had got around just what a great production it was. The cast and crew all signed a programme, and so did the writer Ian Hornby who had traveled quite a way to attend. Brian auctioned the programme for children in need and raised £30 which Sat Nav will be banking for them tomorrow. Ice cream sales went well, but going on past performances Sat Nav and Fiona still decided there should be enough. Wrong!

Saturday night sales started very slowly and then whoosh . . . almost a full house again and guess what? They ran out of ice creams. Sat Nav was mortified.

So congratulations to the director Brian who pulled it off in the end and to the cast and crew.

It makes me realize how much I miss treading the boards. Maybe next time. Whoops! I can feel a song coming on.

Masham Players Spring 2008 Production dates 13th, 14th, 15th March.

The Magic of the Musicals

Last night Sat Nav and I were excited.
We were braving the traffic and heading up the A1 again, in the dark ugh, en route for Darlington to see The Magic of the Musicals Show at the Civic Theatre.
For once the traffic was a breeze so we arrived early but, when we got to the theatre, it was under siege. This was obviously a very popular show.

Settled in our seats in the front row of the dress circle - and coincidentally I was sitting next to a fellow author - we waited expectantly for the show to start. Wish the seats were a bit more comfortable though, and, we could have done with more leg room.
At 7.30pm the curtain went up and the theatre became alive with The Sound of Music (and so did Darlington), then together we Climbed Every Mountain, loitered High on a Hill with a Lonely Goatherd, and rode along in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Bliss.

Next up were two of my favourite Abba songs, Waterloo and Mamma Mia. Well . . . I had to sing along, didn't I? (Don't worry, I'd already asked the people around us not to throw their Malteasers at me when I sang!)

Along the way we had some Summer Loving from Grease and lingered for a while on The Street Where You Live (Sat Nav's favourite).

This was one hell of a show. Melanie Stace was the female lead vocalist, and gave a cracking performance. Dr. Hyacinth would have loved her glittery purple dress.
Robert Meadmore was the male lead vocalist. He kindly encouraged the audience to sing along with him - which we did with gusto!
The charismatic Wayne Sleep surprised us all with his vocal talents and his brilliant dancing. He is just so clever . . . his funky version of Swan Lake was brilliant.

We had the absolute joy of live music from The Magic of the Musicals Orchestra (Sat Nav is now seriously considering finding time to go for those Sax lessons she has been talking about for ages . . . I've ordered cotton wool for myself and the dogs to protect our ears!).
Then there were the singers and dancers who were very much a part of this show. What can I say about them except that the girls were as sweet as a Spoonful of Sugar . . . lol!
And my God they must all be really fit to sing and dance at the pace they do.

So, Sat Nav and I applaud them. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and if you can get tickets to see the show . . . GO.
There aren't many performances left as the show finishes its UK run on 19th November at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham.
BUT, it is in London at the Palladium for one show only on 18th November at 4pm. Don't know what the state of play is with tickets but you might be lucky.
Flying Music presented the show so you might like to check out dates and venues on their website Flyingmusic

Got to go now . . . I need to be On My Own for a little while . . . Sat Nav is going out so I will be Master of the House till she gets back . . . lol!
Wait a minute . . . I forgot to tell you what their finale was . . . very appropriately the entire cast performed I Am What I Am . . . and the entire audience joined in. Terrific stuff.

Guest on Bishopfm Radio Show

I feel like road runner up and down the A1 . . . but I'm not complaining, I'm having a great time. In fact I'm beginning to wonder if this the life of a celebrity - if it is then I need a chauffeur! ;-)

This morning Sat Nav and I were up with the larks - no, we were actually up before them - so that I could guest on the Bishop fm Anita Atkinson Show which is 'up North' from us. Believe me, Monday morning traffic on the A1 is not for the faint hearted . . . and the price difference in petrol from one county to another! Well, don't get me started is all I can say except that natives in County Durham get a much better deal than us here in North Yorkshire! What I want to know is how can that be?????

Anyway . . . Anita had been to a party in Birmingham over the weekend and this morning her fingers were misbehaving - they kept pressing the wrong buttons!
Things are never straight forward in my life and this morning was no exception. There we were on air doing our bit when an e-mail arrived to say that I could not be heard! It seems the microphone I thought I was using was 'silent'. Anita's dyslexic fingers I expect . . .
Sat Nav had been looking forward to being part of the interview - or at least being in the studio to listen - but Bishopfm were without a receptionist so she ended up manning their telephones. Is she an angel or what? So a 'Big Hello' from Sat Nav to Linda in Florida who got up at 5am to ring and tell Anita how much she enjoyed her show. Sat Nav passed on your message.
I would like to thank everyone else who sent in e-mails and messages, some of you must have been up all night. I hope you all enjoyed the show.

Dreams

I keep a dream diary and have done for the last few years . . . as my dreams tend to come true (pre-cognitive), and when they do I am able to match the dream up with my diary entry. They also say we visit places in our sleep - astral travel.

Well . . . last night after receiving a very encouraging e-mail about my movie production, I dreamt I went to London and stayed at the Dorchester Hotel (no, Hyacinth wasn't there) and then I was on a plane flying to New York. And I must have been . . . 'cos today I feel as though I have jet lag, a bit wishy washy. Wish I felt better, I hate feeling yuk!
Could be something to do with the excitement of it all, I suppose! ;-) Maybe if I listened to some music it would help.

U2 UK

Last Saturday night Sat Nav and I, along with our friend Brian, went to see U2 UK and what a performance they gave. It was the first dance night I'd had in ages and my feet were screaming for mercy at the end of it . . . in fact they are still screaming, which means I had a good night ;-)

The audience was with this band all of the way and if you get a chance to see them . . . GO! They have a terrific sound and are not to be missed.

It was great to catch up with our friends Andy and Shaun - thanks Andy for taking the pics . . . you're getting better ;-) I hope the ones I took on your camera came out well, fingers crossed eh!

Skipping!

Can skipping be classed as a sport?

'Cos if it can then I've had a very sporty day today.

And why have I been skipping?

You've got it . . . it's so that I can still have my 'oats' for breakfast! lol!!! ;-)

Supermarket Shop

Well . . . neither of us like shopping - food shopping that is. You know what I mean . . . that totally boring but essential thing that takes up so much time when we could be doing other more exciting things!

Today was no exception 'cos we had to shop for dog food and because we aim to do this only once in a blue moon we buy a mountain of canned dog food when this need arises. Don't worry . . . our precious pooches don't starve! Today we had to stock up their cupboard out of necessity as we are off on the Whisky Trail in Scotland soon and our house-sitters are coming to stay.

So there we were all set ready to wander round like the Stepford Wives . . . boring. But, first, we needed a trolly and I made my selection carefully, or so I thought. Of course I got the only damn one that wouldn't drive forward but kept waltzing to the left . . . it did drive backwards beautifully . . . in a straight line too . . . how bloody useless is that? And it totally beat Sat Nav!

Of course, we managed to find a couple of bargains for us as we drifted through the aisles and fell on a 2 for 1 offer on shredless marmalade . . . too good to miss we agreed and felt almost excited!

At the checkout we joined the queue and Sat Nav counted the tins of Chappie in our trolley ready for the cashier. We know that it is much easier to count them and pass one across to be scanned although they always look bemused at the quantity. Today we had a selection of other dog food too.

The young cashier said, obviously trying to be friendly, 'Your dogs are eating better than you!'

'Oh no,' I replied (I couldn't help myself ha ha), 'we're making curry.'

'Oh that's nice,' came a very solemn reply . . . and then she froze and stared at me.

Of course I was laughing, 'Only joking.' I said.

'I can't believe I fell for that one.' She laughed, no she actually beamed, and it was good to know that we'd brightened her day.

In fact she laughed all of the time she was scanning the rest of our shopping through.

And then just as we were walking away, Sat Nav, being a sometimes sociable woman smiled sweetly and invited her round for a curry when she'd finished work . . . . . .

Dentist - Renewel of Filling

8.30am I set off to the dentist for a filling. I was not particularly looking forward to this but at the same time I wasn't scared either. I trust my dentist.

It was a sunny morning - and would you believe the sun is still shining - and to take my mind off my impending trial I sang out loud and long to the radio on my half hour journey no doubt frightening the wildlife to death . . . lol!!!

As dentists go mine is one of the best, and a real friendly place to visit. They play Radio 2 (is it to deaden the screams lol!!!) even the nurse sang along this morning. I won't mention whether it was in tune or not, but she was happy and that's what singing is all about. She did manage to vacuum my tongue a few times during the treatment but it's still in one piece and not bruised lol!!!

Louise, my dentist, is a laugh a minute and certainly puts you at ease. She decided I was just the right guinea pig to try out a new tool. And then she clamped my tooth - something I had never had done before. I said, 'I don't think I like that.' And she said, 'That's probably why I've never done it before.'
Mmmmm, that's something for me to remember for the future.
She calls the heavy drill Shake Rattle and Roll which says it all really - it just happens to loosen your ear wax too. So, if you need your ears syringing, and a filling, just visit the dentist and you get them both done at once lol!

Anyway, my mouth wasn't as solidly frozen as it would normally be after this visit and Sarah (nurse) explained why that was. No, don't ask me to explain, it's far too technical for me. It meant as soon as I got home I could drink a cup of tea without slurping and dribbling all over the place . . . yippeee!!! Still haven't had a kit kat yet though lol!!!

Forgot to mention the installation of the new air con in the treatment room - I am now suffering from the effects of wind chill........

Book Signing in Borders Bookstore York

After a week of thunder storms and downpours we set off for York complete with wellingtons and umbrella but wondering if we would need a canoe!

Luckily we didn't but we did have trouble finding our way in . . . so much for clear internet directions hah! But Tom, the manager of Borders bookstore, came to our rescue and talked us in. Gloria makes a very good sat nav! Although I think she needs updating lol!!!

We were a little late and left the brolly in the car . . . big mistake as it was absolutely degging it down when we came out of the store. Of course we got lost on the way out. How anybody can find their way around without being a native is a mystery to me and many other drivers who were looking as bemused as I was.

After saying all of that we had a terrific afternoon with the Borders staff. My books were beautifully set out ready for me and the hospitality was excellent. Tea and a muffin courtesy of the store were greatly appreciated, and I'm an authority on muffins now.

So sincere thanks to Tom (extra big thanks from Gloria who swears she would have navigated us into the Ouse if it hadn't been for you), Peter, Adam and Lorraine. You brought sunshine into a rainy day.