Almost

I bought a box of chocolate eclairs for the support workers at the Care home this morning
And promptly sat on them when I got back in the car.

It's been that sort of day.

I've said this before but I do feel that I am existing in limbo land at the moment.
I have just six shifts to complete at the home and I'm still waiting for a start date at the hospice.
That start date is subject to health checks and one outstanding reference.
Once I start at the hospice I can then officially apply to take over the cottage mortgage.
Only then, will I know I can stay in Trelawnyd

Like I said ---- limbo land

I sat in Bluebell , sucking cream and chocolate from my fingers.
And thought
I'm almost there.

Family

It's been a busy week all told.
I've hardly been home given work, Sheffield and travelling.
Earlier tonight I completed a Samaritan shift with a new mentee.
He joked about my weight , which was inappropriate given our "new" relationship
I was tired so I didn't challenge it!
But , rest assured I will.
I got back to the cottage just before 10 pm and it was far too humid and close to remain inside
So I took Winnie and Mary for a walk around the Churchyard as night fell and dusk disappeared properly
We sat together on the raised bank on top of  Islwyn' s wall to watch the inky sky.  Winnie with her strong back against mine. Mary, on point on my knee, the contact between us all bringing a certain stillness to the group.
Albert ambled over, as I knew he would and he bumped heads with Winnie who bumped him back with a rancid burb and the two old friends leaned on each other as Albert's tail thrashed too and fro as he watched a fat rabbit dart from the hooded tomb on the side of the church towards the rectory gateway.
He didn't stalk it.
He just couldn't be arsed
We sat together for a while as the night cooled us all
With only me missing George's taciturn bad breath and grumpy aroos

And after half an hour or so the four of us got up out of the damp grass and slowly headed for home

Thank You

Once, we were obliged to send a thank you card when we received gifts or kindnesses or both.
I always think it's a sign of good parenting when such a note arrives, but alas, in today's busy world where writing takes an age and stamps can usually only be bought in soddin packs of twelve, little sweetnesses such as the thank you note  are as rare as hens' teeth.
However!
We do now have Twitter!
I have gotten into the habit of using my fairly barren twitter account as a thank you launch pad, especially when it comes down to visiting the theatre.
Actors are fickle characters and most will have a professional Twitter account where the handle of performer or actor  makes it into the pithy self description bar underneath their name.
So, when I have particularly loved a production and/or a performance , I can immediately stroke someone's ego with a supportive one liner and a cheerful emoji!
I love this ability to give positive feedback.
Having said this, twitter can be used as a force of evil too, as complaints can be tweeted just as quickly as pat on the back.
I was stood in the queue in Sainsbury's cafe  the other day ( they do a nice low calorie Thai curry) when I realised that the lady cashier had not got a scooby do! Twenty five minutes later I was still there waiting for her to master the till buttons when I got a tweet reply from central office apologising for the service!
" If You Can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" so said my mother , a woman who could bad mouth even mother Theresa in private !

And so I'm sat here in the kitchen with my bucket of coffee, looking at a pile of paperwork that needs sorting. ( above)
Have I done anything?
Have I bollocks!
I've just noticed that one of the puppeteer actors from Life Of PI has liked one of my praise tweets for one of his fellow actors. Now I feel obliged to send him one in return.
Thus is the etiquette of Twitter-dom
I've sat here for 35 minutes looking at tweets
And not a child in the house is washed! 

Grumpy Postie

There was a knock on the living room window around 11am this morning
I had been asleep just 50 minutes.
There was the grumpy postman, he wanted a word.
" Your dog is too vicious when I am posting your letters !" he said
Mary gave him a big, fat, fuck off, smile from her position on the back of the sofa
" You need to do something about it!" 
Mary couldn't have looked any more proud
I apologised for her behaviour , and limply assured him that I would do something about it
She learned the letterbox thing from William.
He delighted in baiting the postie.

The fun of Sheffield feels a long way away after the reality of night shifts.
It only seemed like yesterday that I was sat with friends on the roof terrace of the tiny Curzon cinema in George Street, sipping gin and tonics and talking intelligent talk!

Life Of Pi

I've had to think about this " review" for a while as real life, friends, too much coffee and night shifts have got into the way, but the overwhelming message I need to share about Lolita Chakrabarti's production of LIFE OF PI at the Crucible Theatre is that it is a stunning piece of theatre.

Everyone remembers the film with it's vast Pacific sky set pieces and CGI animals and so it was refreshing to start the play in a bustling, vibrant and colourful Indian zoo and city where a benign giraffe holds centre stage amid the chattering sweet relationships of the Hindi family owners. Through puppetry first seen via the productions like Warhorse and The Lion King, we are introduced to the main animal characters that would play so big a role in the story once the ship transporting the zoo to a new life in Canada sinks and PI (Hiram Abeysekera) is left adrift with an injured zebra, an Orangutan, hyena, and of course a Bengal Tiger.

The staging literally takes your breath away, with PI's hospital bed magically transforming into his lifeboat through an undulating ocean as translucent shimmering flying fish leap out of the water above his head and as boy and Tiger battle for supremacy the audience literally forgets that three men are operating the tiger puppet and the giant cat turns and spins in the confines of the lifeboat. 

There is an energy about Life Of PI , on and off the stage. Through word of mouth , The Sheffield audience had heard just how good it is, and by the end of the first half, they were cheering as the Tiger leapt gracefully over PI's head in order to kill the hyena.

It a wonderfully visual piece of theatre and surprisingly for someone who actually hated Warhorse , despite its wonderfully cleaver horse animations, I adored it's Indian themes and energy

Having said this, the small cast of mainly Indian and Asian actors more than balanced the special effects with some lovely performances and Abersekera absolutely stole the show as PI ...bringing a warmth, charm and playfulness his role as a boy intrigued by religion and battered by grief.

At the curtain call the audience stood cheering as one as they apparently have done every night since the production started a couple of weeks ago, and I left smiling at strangers , hoping that the production finds itself to a London audience where it can be appreciated outside South Yorkshire.

Pride

After the catch up excesses of last night, I'm sat near the famous Peace Gardens waiting to meet another friend for breakfast.
I have a lunchtime date too to fit in and I've decieded it's going to be a lovely day.

The rainbow flag is flying over this old steel city,
My home town

Nice Night

I think this photo summed up my trip to Sheffield

I ❤️ Sheffield

Never underestimate friendship
During rough times friends are the lifebelts of your world,
They keep your head above water

Today I'm in my hometown
and seeing eight dear friends in a well choreographed set of meet ups.
Vince, Bev and Maisie, Mick , Mike, Jane, Kathryn and hopefully a very arch Jonney H
Human lifebelts