Separate Tables

Separate Tables is a 1950s movie version of two of Terrence Rattigan one act plays of the same title.
It is essentially a study of nine different types of loneliness and centres its story among the singletons that frequent a small genteel English hotel following the war.
It's a powerful film of a powerful play and the cast Rita Hayworth, Burt Lancaster, David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Wendy Hiller all play at the very top of their game
The main storyline has a retired and lonely major ( Niven) outed as a fraud and a fairly unsuccessful dirty old man. The other guests are reluctantly organised into agreeing with a bitter old widow (an odious  Gladys Cooper) that the major should be asked to leave the hotel but before he is about to go, the Major has to run the gauntlet of the breakfast dining room where the residents are gathered at their own, particular isolated separate Tables.
After one of the party breaks ranks and greets the shamed Major, gradually the others , including Cooper's neurotic daughter Sybil ( Deborah Kerr) join in, and film is left with the gentle optimism  of the kindness of ordinary people.
It's a lovely ending to a rather sad film

A Scotch Egg .......lost

The expected storm has hit Trelawnyd hard in the night.
So hard that the graveyard cockerels haven't crowed this morning,
They are struggling to keep their feet in the Church yew
I have slept badly
It's 5.45 am and I'm going to work soon
I went to see my aunt Judy yesterday
She gets discharged next week
She remains slightly dysphasic after her stroke
But laughed a little in between the more serious conversations .
The lady in the next bed was from Trelawnyd
And Judy pointed the fact out before I sat down
I have a lot of time for this lady, my aunt's neighbour, as she once made one huge glorious scotch egg which she entered and won in the one and only scotch egg class in the cookery section.
It looked like a magnificent grenade of a scotch egg
It was so big that it had to be lifted with two hands!
The cookery judge said she had NEVER seen anything quite like it EVER
IT WAS HEAVEN IN BREADCRUMBS!!! It was a monster....it was fantastic!!!
And I never got over the fact that the lady involved took her scotch egg home with her!!!!
And I never got to taste it!!!!!

An Italian In His Undercrackers

Look closely at the diners 

I was worried about the food.
After all Chic Eleanor is a fine diner and sara and her Italian Professor have lived their former lives in France and Italy where good food is as normal as breathing
I kept things simple with homemade soup and sourdough bread I baked yesterday morning, I then chose an all in one chicken,chorizo and veg dish smothered in garlic and herbs which impressed everyone and things were going swimingly until Eleanor jumped at the touch of hot dish of buttered beans and unexpectedly  flung them into the Italian Professor's lap
Things then got all a bit blurry with guests leaping and swearing in foreign tongues and with much
 shouting and trousers being pulled off!
Chic Eleanor maintained her composure throughout and sipping her wine said quietly
" I have appeared to have caused a calamity" as my other guests ran up to the bathroom to tend to a groin of third degree butter burns.
But things soon calmed down as everyone returned to finish their main courses. The Italian Professor sitting quite unconcerned in his underpants for the rest of the night.
I laughed until I cried.
A lovely night

Dear Philip

Philip Schofield, tv presenter comes out gay after thirty years of marriage

Dear Philip,

You came out on tv this morning.
You were brave and anguished and obviously felt that a pubic announcement was the way to go.
I send you my best wishes.
I send you my support.
It was obvious that you have discussed this at length with your immediate family.
Your concern for them was palpable and I hope the new definition of yourself will be easy on them all.....sometimes it's not only the news you have to share that is the important thing, it's the way you share it is vital.
It seems to me that you have shared your news with integrity...but
Being gay is just a tiny part of you
In many cases it's the least interesting thing to explain
Your family will continue to love you
Your friends will too.

For the most part, in this complicated, angry little world, being gay is no big deal anymore.
And I thank goodness for that.

Chin up
Tits out
And best wishes

John Gray
Trelawnyd

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I'm having a gentle sort of day today.
My rib fracture seems to be more of a set of pulled muscles ( I know drama queen) but the pain is just as bad, so I'm dosed up on painkillers as operation dog snot removal is underway.
Trendy Carol ( sporting a lovely mustard coloured winter coat and matching hat)  called around with an unexpected gift and Polish Monika knocked on the lane window to see if I wanted her to walk the dogs....
I've made spiced butternut soup and baked a sourbread loaf

I'll leave you with this shot of Just how well  the French Fire Service protests against cuts to their pension ....

Extravagances

With a new mortgage and all of the household and animal bills to cover ( as well as a divorce solicitor to pay as soon as she scratches her nose) my finances have been a constant worry over the past year.

I don't waste money on much.

I don't buy flash clothes. 

I drive a tiny economical car 

And over the months I now pay smaller direct debits than ever before

But I must admit that my one and only real extravagance is theatre

Like it's more easy accessible brother of Cinema , theatre has proved to be somewhat of a lifeline to me and with a nationally renown theatre just 20 minutes away, I have made every effort to see as many different productions as I can safely afford. 

The more experimental the production often means the Cheaper the ticket, and so, with the more "off piste" productions I can usually afford a couple of tickets and therefore can have company on a night out ( my poor friend Naomi must get a mention here as I have dragged her to some several truly dreadful nights out over the past year!!) 

I've also coupled theatre going with the catch up with friends, and so when I meet up with my Sheffield friends next week, we will also factor in the Sheffield based musical There's something about Jamie at the Lyceum and when I see Nu next in London , I booked a cheap as chips ticket to see a matinée of the wonderfully reviewed Come From Away!

Theatre feeds the soul ....like my choir, cinema and friendships

Tonight, full of painkillers, I went to see a fringe dystopian production American Nightmare at Theatre Clwyd with no more than 28 other theatre goers. 

I enjoyed it, it was interesting and provocative and I wanted to discuss it with someone when it was finished.

But of course I didn't ....

Thats the downside of going by yourself 😥 

The Dinner Party

I think I cracked a rib in yesterday 's fall.
Last night I spent a good hour in a hot bath in order to relieve the pain then had an awful battle getting out again so severe it became.
Luckily one of the villagers I know well is on strong painkillers, so after a minute's phone call and a brief walk in my pyjamas, I dosed myself up with some dihydrocodene  and then went to bed
Dorothy slept a millimetre away, with one guilty eye open on me  all night.

I still feel bloody sore this morning, but forced myself to go out dogwalking which was fortunate as
I bumped into Bernard-the -German who lives on Maes Offa
I say fortunate as on Friday I am hosting my first dinner party ( my first as a single person) and am in desperate need of professional cooking advice.
Bernard- the-German is a talented self taught cook who will share a full recipe anytime and anyplace and so in just two minutes flat I had been given a robust Spanish recipe for a chorizo chicken type casserole and was offered a black pudding alternative before I gave my excuses and moved on.
( he approved of my starter of homemade chilli squash soup with homemade sourdough)

The dinner party is in fact more of an evening supper for friends but this small event signifies something quite subtly important in my journey back into the singleton world.
It's a large step back into normality.
My guests are a gentle Italian academic and his warm and interesting wife and Chic Eleanor from the other side of the village,  so I'm in good, warm loving  hands.
Chic Eleanor texted me yesterday " Darling John , I can't wait to see you!" 
She's a sweetie!
I'm looking forward to see her and my other friends too....

Today is operation dog snot removal
Hey ho

Aches &'Pains

I took a tumble today.
Dorothy ran in to me on the beach and next thing I remembered I was face down on the sand smelling of shite.
The dog poo bag in my pocket had burst in the fall and I was winded
Bless she did look concerned

That was six hours ago and I'm home and now aching like a tart at the end of her shift
I can hardly get out of the armchair which is next to the fire.
I've read all afternoon though
A real rare luxury for me.

Hallelujah, The Fat Pony and open flies.......

I've had a lovely day.
First off came the chimney sweep.
I had swept the chimney myself but it had continued to smoke, so I got a little chap in to finish the job properly.
He came a year ago and fell in love with Winnie then, so it was lovely to see her lying next to him with her sleepy big head resting on the calf of his boiler suit as he beavered away.
I met a friend for brunch ( a glorious corned beef hash at "y Shed " ) then left him in a rush in order to meet my sister's at pottery class.
My pony was fired and glazed and looked mighty fine with his proud head, so I made Albert a selection of painted food bowls as Janet glazed her pieces and Ann threw some more pots on her wheel.
We've all loved our time with clay.

Tonight was choir and for an hour we all grappled manfully with Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah as Jamie ( sadly sans his 1940's RAF moustache )bounced around with his flies open.
I did notice at first, but soon forgot, ( I got lost in the practise and anyway didn't want to be accused as being a crotch watcher!!) Thank goodness for the quick thinking Hattie who had the prescience of mind of sending his music iPad the needed " your flies are open!!" message

I saw Trendy Carol too.....she thanks everyone for their kind wishes in the previous post!
"They were kind and they helped" ...she said