foolish 17 January 2008
I am foolish old biddy and no mistake. My feet were so cold the other day that I decided to act on my dream of buying a real pair of UGGS. I should have known things had got off to a poor start when I couldn’t actually find a shop that had them. I settled on another fab Australian brand which features luxury sheepskin boots in exactly the same mould. They were expensive but I was panicking and cold-footed and it had started to rain out SO on the grounds that they would stretch I bought a size down and wore them for the rest of the day…and the squashed toe feeling I put down to too long toenails. But even when the nails were clipped the squashedness remained and I had to give into the notion that they will take a lot of stretching…and even then may never fit properly or with any true comfort. So, I have since bought two knock off pairs – one black and the other camel-coloured – and they fit like gloves IN SPITE of the fact that they too are a size ‘down’ from normal. And they cost a FRACTION of the price of the original boots. And go with even more outfits because there are two pairs of em and not just the one. I am an idiot.
For those in Ireland who might be at home and adjacent to a tv tomorrow night I will be on the Late Late Show (3rd part, I believe, though tune in for the whole lot, obviously)
the dog 16 January 2008
I love a bit of science fiction. So does my mum. In fact, one of our shared and abiding memories is of when she visited me at college in Dublin just as the movie ALIEN came out. We had a look at the poster and decided it was for us…not knowing what we were in for. Well, in space no one can hear you scream, but they sure can in the Savoy cinema on O’Connell Street. We were terrified when the creature first burst out. LOVED the movie though we were scared half to death. I have always had a fondness too for OMEGA MAN starring Charlton Heston and I believe it’s based on the book I AM LEGEND which is now out as a movie. SO, my question is this – could someone tell me what happens to the dog in it because if I go and it breaks my heart it will be Bambi’s mother all over again and I will be very very sad and won’t be able to forget it. Okay, I know BAMBI is a cartoon but so is THE LION KING and I couldn’t go to it either because I knew I’d be too sad at what happened to his Dad and cartoon characters slay me when there’s tragedy. I didn’t go to HAPPY FEET in case a penguin bought it but now that someone’s told me the small sadness therein I know I can face into it. Yes, I know I am an eejit, but I thought that if I was forewarned of any nastiness in I AM LEGEND involving the lovely German Shepherd dog, should there be any and there might not, I might have a fighting chance of being able to deal with it. HELP…
By the by, welcome to all the new visitors to this site and daily blog.
planes 16 January 2008
I spoke too soon – tonight’s return flight to Dublin was delayed over an hour…swings, roundabouts – actually they’d probably be quicker.
Had a lovely chat with Jenni Murray this morning on Women’s Hour, then did a pre-record for another show saying which track of music I had inherited in my life and which I would pass on. I picked Nothing Rhymed by Gilbert O’Sullivan as the former – I had a crush on him as a youngster and think it’s a great song. And De Danann’s Irish/Trad version of The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba as the latter – I defy anyone not to be insanely happy during and after hearing it.
Then onto Richard and Judy in the afternoon. The interview FLEW by – 8 minutes is FAST in tv terms, especially when there is much to be said and the company is good.
Back to throwing myself around a theatre rehearsal room tomorrow and trying to nail down my lines, so no time to get above myself. Such is life.
Earlier 14 January 2008
This time as i passed through dublin i got shunted onto an earlier flight proving perhaps that what goes around comes around? Those of you following my travel adventures last week will be able to picture the karmic shrug i gave. Also it proves the folly of ever trying to second guess the cosmos or indeed an airline…i am in london for more book publicity. Tomorrow morning i am on women’s hour on radio 4 then tv with richard and judy in the afternoon so do tune in if you get a chance.
the razz 13 January 2008
Went on a bit of a road trip from teatime onwards yesterday. It was the result of those delicious pints and madness that can happen after the church bit of a wedding when everyone says ‘why don’t we go to the pub while the photos are being done?’ Which we did some few months ago, choosing a town and pub halfway between chruch and hotel in the mid-to-northerly end of Ireland. It was a nightmare getting there and many gave up and headed to the hotel but the hardy 6 who made it pledged to meet again, and regularly too, in months to come at that selfsame venue…the first of which gatherings happened yesterday. It’s a divine madness in that we drew up some rules in a constitution etc. Now, I’d love to tell you more but the first rule of this club is that what goes on in it stays in it and I dare not risk expulsion for breaking this cardinal article. After some lovely pints (first in a week, back on the dry now) we repaired to a nearby hotel and had dinner, stayed the night and laughed a lot. We are to convene again in April and I really do think that we will. Bonkers.
margaret 12 January 2008
Ah, a lovely send off for a lovely lady today. Margaret Shortall’s funeral was as gracious and wonderful as the woman herself. What I didn’t tell you yesterday was what an extraordinary woman she was – and she wore this lightly, I can assure you – she met and fell in love with a man called Frank whose first wife had died leaving him to bring up 6 sons – yes, you read that correctly SIX…she took on the rearing of them, and then she and Frank had another son Gary (my mate). Frank died some years ago when Gary was 15 or so. They rightly adored her and she them. She will be much missed and I know she would have been really proud to see her seven sons today as they stood by her grave, fine men all, roses in hand ready to give their last farewell and salute.
bed and a book 11 January 2008
How can another week be almost over and I still feel I am running to stand still? I will never get the hang of this darn year. The way it is at the moment I am just glad to have clean undies to put on in the cold, dark mornings. I am on the dry (though I get some dispensation pints tomorrow cos of a long standing ‘date’ for badness which I will report on thereafter) and so all I want to do is sleep. Actually that is not true, what I really want to do is sleep about 11 hours a night, then get up, make a cup of tea and get back into bed with a good book. Then when people ask I will say ‘oh I took to the bed in January’ (and Feb too if I thought I’d get away with it) and everyone would think it was because of depression and I would know it was the happiest month of the year. Anyhow, it’s useless to dream as rehearsals have to happen, my belly(s) are swinging low (like a chariot?) and a novel has to be tackled and done. Lovely. Just lovely.
And a lovely lady and mother of a friend, who I had some very fine nights out with, passed away yesterday and that’s not fair either. Margaret Shortall was her name and she was one of the Good Ones.
saliva 10 January 2008
I did 25 interviews on the trot today from the BBC in London to radio stations all round the UK which meant I talked for a solid four and a half hours. I hadn’t a drop of saliva left by the end of it. One interviewer, a guy, who’d read the book (BRIGHT LIGHTS AND PROMISES) was very taken with the notion of emailing the address for the main character Susie at work at Arland and Shaw and just as we signed off and the connection was severed I heard him encouraging all of his listeners to email too. Wonder if they made contact…
I had to laugh going through Heathrow tonight to the ‘Irish’ terminal because there were lots of ads for Aer Lingus with taxi signs on the planes suggesting that’s what it’s like to travel with them from country to country on that route…well, it should be but it ain’t, as my recent experience illustrates. And, yes, my flight was delayed but at least it existed this time.
I have finally got used to the new hairdo. The ladies of Jam and Jerusalem approve of it, I am happy to report. I hope you are all tuning in on Friday nights to BBC1 to check out the adventures of all the characters of Clatterford.
10 January 2008
Am on the phone so very hard to see whats gettin out there. Anyhow just wanted to point out that there are other airlines who are a hell of a lot cheaper to fly for the same shoddy treatment. And someone filling time to distract disgrumtled passengers thinking we will be taken in or appeased is only making a bad situation worse. I was too late to see the screening of course. And then some..
10 January 2008
The nightmare journey tonight was courtesy of aer lingus. I got myself to the airport in good time for the 2nd last flight to london. A 2 fold journey in that i could perhaps catch the end of a screening of jam and jerusalem and be ready for an early start to the publicity round for the buke coming out in paperback in the morning..we were on the plane by the time we were told we had been merged with the last flight. There was talk of late arrivals inbound impacting on our situation and so on in honeyed tones from the captain and many thanks for our patience which was presumed rather than actual and to be honest it all sounded like lies. When all of the passengers were on we were told we had agreed to all of this and were thanked. Well no we did not we had no choice at all. And by the way if i had wanted to be on the last flight i would have booked that. I know aer lingus is pretty much a budget airline now but if i want to be treated like this i can fly cheaper with more honest awfulness