West Side Story

 Anon may be sickened with this fact but I’ve just booked tickets to me and a friend to go and see West Side Story on Sunday. 

What a fucking extravagance ! 

What with me pleading poverty only yesterday with only one ten of beans to my name 

Anyway I was getting all haughty about Steven Spielberg’s upcoming version of the musical classic, thinking to myself that the original Jerome Robbins’ version could not and should not be beaten.

A BBC interview with Spielberg totally changed my mind

The reasons for the remake were simple in his eyes for he just could not bear the fact of several generations of the movie going public not knowing of the power of this musical.

And he’s right. 

Whole generations of younger people have never heard of the 1950 s version.

They know nothing of the sheer exuberance of the choreography, of the singing and of the innovative staging and so he wanted to be faithful to the original by presenting an updated but classic version, set in the New York streets with Latina actors instead of a tanned up Natalie Wood and George Chakiris.

I’m very much looking forward to the new production

And so I’m on nights again. I will pop off at Tesco on the way home to by provisions so don’t worry Anon  I shall be eating healthier today….last night my colleagues and I treated ourselves to an Indian takeaway on our break time which was a real extravagance ( I can feel Anon quietly shaking in repressed rage at the very thought of it ) 

Storm Barra

 It’s wild out there.

After work and dog walks, we all went to bed

I’m on night shifts until Christmas 

No food in the house when I woke in semi darkness 

I found chicken drumsticks , roast potatoes and a container of saved gravy in the back of the freezer and shared the feast with the girls in bed.

We are cuddling up to keep warm 

As Barra roars on

“ You see, no one ever called me darling before”

Yesterday I had coffee with a friend, Steven, who I’ve know for years

He’s gay but not “out” 

A decision I don’t quite understand in this day and age, but one I respect.

He’s younger than me and is in his late 40s

And all he wants is to find Mr Right.

I think he gets a little exasperated with me when Mr Right is mentioned , for I often lapse into Victoria Woods’ now classic mini documentary Mr Right where Anne Reid, playing spinster Pamela Twill famously muses

“Mr Right? …..hummm…I've met Mr Wrong…..I've met several Mr Reasonably Okays……….. I've spent a very long afternoon in a bus shelter with Mr Halitosis.”

 Steven always gets a bit haughty when I quote Victoria Wood at him and accuses me of not taking him seriously.

I apologise as I should do. 

He just wants to be part of a couple and always asks me if I’ve met anyone “ Nice” in the constant hope that I haven’t .

I never let him down in that hope.

“ Your problem John, is that you don’t try hard enough” Steven advised after telling me all about a frenetic date he had just had on Grindr “ You don’t put yourself out there?” 

I’m not sure just what he meant by “ out there” as to me the apps are all about sex and very little else

so I laughed at the dichotomy

I think I’m becoming content with being “ Charlotte Vale “ I told him

He looked confused 

“ Now Voyager? “ I explained and he shrugged . 

Steven is not a cinefile gay

I was going to become fully Bette Davis with Charlotte’s full and most famous quote in character

but settled with a half arsed version with a mild pouting 

“ Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars.”

Steven laughed and asked 

“ Who the fuck is Jerry?”

Christmas Card

This is my Christmas Card for all of Going Gently’s followers

For those that don’t know this is Finlay my first Welsh Terrier 

He was asleep sat upon the sofa like a little old man 

It’s been another challenging year for all of us, hasn’t it? 

Thank you all for your continued support, comments and good humour

2022 is going to be better 

It has to be..

Love 

John

Dorothy, Mary and Albert 

 

Olivia Colman/ The Queen Mother and The Last Duel

It’s been a nice evening. 

Before I watched the movie, I wrote the blog then watched this delightful video of National Treasure Olivia Colman reading one of the original Queen Mum’s letters to her mother in law  Queen Mary.

The applause pleased me as it wasn’t just for the scene stealing Colman. ( who deserved what she got) ……but it was also an affectionate nod to the Queen Mother , who always seems to have seen the best in people ( except for Wallace Simpson of course)

The chef had the best line..”France Will Rise Again”

The Last Duel was an excellent watch. Another swan song triumph for Ridley Scott 

Jodie Comer was especially good in this gritty portrayal of middle age misogyny and male pride.

Siambr Wen

 

Siambr Wen lies on the western village border 

Foolishly I left around a dozen sprouts on the kitchen worktop last night

This moment of utter madness allowed Albert to spend a happy few minutes after lights out playfully flicking a good portion of them onto the floor where Dorothy found them in the middle of the night.

I knew trouble was afoot when I was awoken by a whole series of sprout flavoured burps followed by some insanely veggie smelling and resoundingly loud farts. 

The kitchen floor resembled the La Brea Tar pits in Los Angeles when I got downstairs 

And I won’t describe the state of my Egyptian Cotton white duvet cover

I almost lost the will to live 

This afternoon I have delivered the village Christmas cards, some 40 in all. The ones earmarked for people on the outskirts of the village, I will do tomorrow by car, (that’s another ten or so) 

I don’t take the dogs with me as they never “get” walking up drives and paths they are not used to , so alone and with headphones in, the whole process lasts around an hour.

It only took me 45 minutes today as I had forgotten around ten cards.

The weather was cooling by 3pm . The sky in the West an ice/grey blue.

I photographed Siambr Wen, the remains of the. 16th Century country house that housed a room which doubled as a local courtroom. Siambr Wen means White Chamber in Welsh

It looked spooky and cold seen through the trees.

I was glad to get home to a warm cottage before the light changed.

This afternoon I’m watching The Last Duel on Disney +

Homemade gyoza dumplings for supper

Roast Chicken

 

I’m sick of wearing surgical masks day in and day out, so bought me a selection of coloured printed ones which are much more comfortable for my tiny hamster ears, which always seemed to be pulled in a Shrek-like position , like the mini rounded ears on a tubby panda 

I walked the dogs after a long lie in and bought all the ingredients for a proper roast dinner from Sainsbury’s ……Roast potatoes, a whole chicken, stuffing, sprouts , stuffing and veg….I was feeling like some old fashioned proper cooking.

I popped around to Trefor to see if he wanted a plate of roast dinner but he declined , (which burst my being virtuous bubble somewhat) so I  will see how much I make and will plate some up for Animal Helper Pat later.

I placed the Christmas Wreath carefully on the front of the cottage and started to hang the few cards which have been delivered so far and placed my only set of battery lights on the mantle to make the cottage feel a bit more cozy.

The kitchen is already vaguely smelling of roast chicken and I’ve dug out some red berry jelly which was a gift from German Bernard & Rosemary who live on the other side of the village.

(Adding red berry jelly to any gravy makes for a superior jus) 

Dorothy is dribbling in the kitchen reading chair and Albert has turned up in the hopeful wait for a nice piece of breast.

In the end I had enough for Mrs H , animal helper Pat and Mr Poznan 

Great fun cooking again for more than one 

Yazz - The Only Way Is Up

Gawd it been a busy day

The four staff on duty today were on their feet all shift.

And when we finally finished work

My fellow staff nurse looked at me with tired eyes and said with succinct economy  “ I’m Fucked!”

I bought two cheap scotch eggs from the local spar shop as huge waves lashed the West Shore in Llandudno. 

The whole of the North Wales coast is under flood warnings this weekend as gales push the high tide South.

The scotch eggs weren’t too calorific or tasty 

So I didn’t finish them as I listened to radio 2 on the way home

The Only Way Is Up by Yazz kept me awake

It transported me back to The Roxy nightclub on Bootham in York circa 1988

A club frequented by nurses on Thursday nights 

Accessed by a door and a staircase, a stones throw from Bootham Park Hospital just outside the city walls.

Thursday nights were alternative nights

Where nurses partied hard, and where we shared the dance floor with gay men and women , a few moody goths and a couple of badly dressed transvestites/ drag queens who spent long hours sat at the bar like Barbara Stanwick and Rosalind Russell after a dozen vodka martinis

I always wore a red bow tie back then , which complemented a set of red braces over my white grandad shirt.

And I alway danced like loon with anyone who would dance with me

Happy days

I’m top left…..Martin Kirby is the guy in the light shirt (/we are still in touch) the lady in green is Tracy Birkin , a wonderful nurse who could chase and catch any escaping patient whilst wearing high heels and a pencil skirt x