lilac 8 January 2008
Oh the cruelty of age, and a costume you have not worn for over a year. I knew I had grown a paunch before Christmas – the food and everything surrounding Jam and Jerusalem, for example, was too too good to resist and life was sedantary enough before and after that but enough of my excuses – and I did nothing much about it. Today, the belly was hideously exposed, at a costime fitting, in a wedding dress I wear for the Taming of the Shrew which is all the more unforgiving because it is made of VERY SHINY LILAC material. It still fits everywhere else and has kindly just protruded where my tummy is now, which is all too nice of it. The designer loves the fabric and I think there’s little chance of changing the damn thing. I look like I might be 3 months pregnant but as I’m not and I don’t want to start a rumour I can’t even act coy if people wonder that aloud near me. ARGH. It’s sit-ups time and I still don’t think I’ll have enough done in the 2 weeks available to me before I scare the paying public who innocently come to the show expecting a bit of entertainment and not a salutary lesson about overindulgence-and-lack-of-exercise-in-middleage-and-what-it-can-do-to-you. I am off to hunt out my Spanx now and think I may also have to invest in another pair – possibly the attractive ones with a bit of ‘leg’ in them so that the folds of flesh pushed downwards won’t be visible in the lilac monstrosity – it showed up all the knickerlines available to it today.
panic 7 January 2008
Okay, I’ll admit it – already I feel behind in 2008. I ignored the start of the year as I hate any of the Auld Lang Syne palaver (spelled ‘bollox’ by the way) and then suddenly between travel and trying to get together a clean outfit, for the first day of re-rehearsals today for SHREW, it’s a week in and I am chasing lost time. The house is still in Christmas crisis mode with sundry items flung all over, the wash pile is impossible and I can’t find ANYTHING. Plus I took a break from writing while on hols so that’s come back to bite me now in terms of panic. And all this without a drink – have decided to give it a rest for a while cos there are more hours in the day when I do and I cannot face a hangover and all that entails right now. I hate being on the back foot.
The paperback format of BRIGHT LIGHTS AND PROMISES is out on Thursday so I do hope that those of you who haven’t read it yet will give it a twirl. And I guess I can look at that and remember the time when I was writing it and felt it would never happen…
As to the play – I cannot believe that I have forgotten so much of it. Mind you, I have the theory that my brain cells are dimninished enough now to have to be re-used all the time so they can’t be hoarding stuff that I’m not currently using…this might explain things…might not…
6 January 2008
Saw the movie Michael Clayton yesterday, starring the delectable and fabulous George Clooney, which I loved. What a guy. I love his choices, workwise, and the way his head operates. He has amazing taste and foresight and is a damn fine actor. I’d say he’d be great fun on a night oout too.
Hard to believe it’s back to work tomorrow. I am starting re-rehearsals for the touring version of The Taming of the Shrew and the book must be got back on track. Many memories of Krakow and Lviv to keep me going throughout – as is always the way with a holiday, it’s now hard to believe it ever happened.
Forgot to say we had a meal in a place called Kupol on our last night in Lviv. We had trekked over there in the snow the previous night too but they’d closed early. Anyhow, over we went again because it had got great recomendations everywhere. Well, it was the laziest meal ever served up. And mine was cold. There was a total couldntgiveashit attitude about the place and if you are tempted to go, don’t – go to Amadeus near the old square instead – the atmosphere is lovely, the food great and the staff a joy. Kupol is a waste of time.
6 January 2008
Forgot to say that at lviv airport the internal flight was checked in by 2 ladies by hand – one wrote the passenger names on a sheet of paper and the other gave out boarding cards on which she placed a little sticky seat number taken from a sheet that had a diagram of the plane on it. Very cute.
4 January 2008
Shriek – back in the uk n on the, yet again, fab phone (when it suits it) we had mayhem at lviv airport 4 our internal flight cos an eticket is nought there. In fairness we had opted to collect the tix there but to locate the aerocvit office was an adventure. We were in the frankfurt line 4 a time then the right one 4 kiev til told we had 2 have paper tix..cue us runnin round the airport like loons at 8 in the morn. Some kindly types took pity and at their leisure helped us. It made me realise that we take travel and our right to it and therefore the world so casually now. Have we lost the sheer occasion of travel?
3 January 2008
It was minus 11 earlier today here in Lviv and I will admit it felt like it too. However, I still gave Richard my famous (perhaps also my first and only) tour of the Rynok Square which is the ancient heart of the town. This came complete with commentary and a visit to one of the city museums housed in the mansion at no.6, which also has, I kid you not, a small waxworks on the top floor. We couldn’t resist going in though the fee was an exorbitant 10 hrivnas (1.5 euro or a sterling pound). It was the best selection of random, quite bad, waxworks ever and just delightful as a result. There are about 20 figures of fictional characters and historical figures from Shrek to Alexander the Great (looking not unlike Colin Farrell, tho not blond, thank goodness) and Harry Potter to Putin and Steffi Graf, all in appropriate poses. Tremendous.
On the trams you pay your fare to a collector who goes up and down the aisle with a bag called a kangaroo locally – the bag rather than the person, I think. Anyhow, I was fiddling in my own bag on a journey when a woman offered me her fare – I was all on for taking it and giving her change but Himself stopped me. Anyhow I thought it was hilarious till Richard pointed out that all of the collectors are ladies of advanced middle age in knitted caps…perhaps not as funny then as I had thought or the compliment I had taken from the incident.
We are off to the Opera House now for a concert – no idea what it’ll be but bound to be fab, then a splendid dinner and farewell to Lviv as we fly out early in the morning.
2 January 2008
Today Lviv is back to normal, which means that traffic is allowed again on the main thoroughfare and, at each end, crossing the road is taking your life somewhat in your hands. Yesterday the town took to the streets, often in horsedrawn carriages and one of those had those charming bells on that sounded just like Dr Zhivago.
We visited a Renaissance gem called the Boyim Chapel today, just off the ancient square, and it is quite the most amazing chapel I have been in. It’s very blackened form the outside and looks tiny, then when you enter it goes up and up – a combination of actual height and clever use of a sort of double cupola. All carved and painted and extraordinary. It was for a local wealthy merchant family but the Bishop at the time refused to consecrate it as it depicts the devil grinning evilly beneath Judas’ chair in a Last Supper scene.
We made for the large cemetary on the edge of town – it’s the Pere Lachaise of Lviv. We seem to have got off the tram either a stop too early or late, depending on what way you look at it, and may even have been on the wrong route – suspect it has changed slightly in past while…Anyhow it led to a minor adventure, stopping to ask a passing nun what way to go (she spoke to us in russian) then a bit of a scramble through a snowy park and in a tiny back gate that only us (now) and the locals know about…the things you learn. It’s an amazing place with all sorts and styles of grave and commemoration. I love a good graveyard and not in any morbid way – I think they are peaceful and beautiful, for the most part, and great for taking a buggy for a stroll, if memory of walking young relatives serves. My feet are now blocks of ice and so the rest of me may have a wee dram of something in a pub to warm up, along with a slice of bread and cheese – so civilised.
Richard did a bit of site policing and has spotted my favourite misspelling ever so far (well, surely I have more in me) it’s from yesterday and what should have read artsy (souvenirs) read as arsty…there something in it!
In the evenings, worringly, while tucked up in bed in the hotel I have become unhealthily addicted to Hungarian TV – there is a programme on at the moment which is very music hall and you never know what you’ll get. Great.
1 January 2008
Well, it has been done – we have found an internet cafe – bet we will be falling over them from now on. Many thanks to the wonderful Jason for coming on board and saving the day yesterday – I could not have faced into 2008 without having said have a happy one etc. And, yes, I know a lot of you were half hoping he’d be on duty for a few days…
Apologies for my attempts to do text speak from the (formerly favourite) new phone in Krakow (which refuses to work here) – didn’t quite come out as I had hoped and dreamed but it got so tedious spelling everything out I thought I’d go for something hip…
The journey overland from Karakow in Poland to Lviv in Ukraine is not really for the faint hearted. We got the direct train during the day but it takes about 12 hours and that meant we’d not be arriving in Lviv until midnight – or so. So, we had the plan to get off at the border town – where the wheel gauge has to be changed (takes 2 hours) as the Ukrainian trains run on a different lot to the rest of Europe (this is usually put down to Stalin fearing invasion from the West by train but in fact came into being quite a bit before him and his rule) and maybe to get a bus from there. It was dark and cold when we alighted and you can imagine my surprise when Richard, fresh from a conversation sort of in Russian with a man standing at the top of some steps, said 60 euro and he’ll drive us to Lviv…which he did…I was terrified though we were in luck to have encountered a decent type. We arrived much earlier than if we’d stayed on the train and the man practically drove us to the door of the hotel. However, we will NOT be repeating such an action in my lifetime. Indeed when I told my brother Ian – father of Jason – about it he muttered something about had I not seen the movie HOSTEL…I may or may not check it out now…
New YEar’s Eve in Lviv is an experience. There was a doo on in the hotel so we couldn’t score any food and ate the contents of the mini-bar instead. Then we took to the streets where at midnight some lovely looking municipal fireworks went off and then everyone just lit up and set off whatever they had themselves – anarchy beyond words (and I am a scaredy cat when it comes to the combustibles). We did spot one 1930’s looking fire engine in a side street, ready, but without anyone in it. As we loped off home we heard the cheery sounds of some emergency services heading off somewhere. Everyone had a great time though.
Today people are promenading, and we have a better sense of the city. A gentle snow is falling – very pretty – but it is promising to get very cold later. Our guide book, bought in Dublin, is fairly inadequate, so all hail the Green Sofa Gallery on Virminsky Street where we bought some great arsty trinkets today and a good guide book devoted to Lviv plus a decent map. (The Tourist Office seems to have disappeared and anyhow this is not a high season for tourists, just a few of us intrepidos) We are now officially rocking.
More anon…
31 December 2007
Hello everyone!…This is Jason(sorry!), Paulines nephew, Pauline is in the middle of Ukraine and her new phone refuses to let her on the net. Shes hunting down an internet cafe as i type but if she doesnt make it in time she wants to wish you all a very happy new year and all the best! She`ll be hitting the new year before us all so if its shit she said she`ll let us know…. ***********HAPPY NEW YEAR************
29 December 2007
Well walkin around krakow is to have the weight of many centuries histories on your shoulders and yes that’s a cliche til u see benazir bhutto killed on our watch. I am on the fone so cant talk proply about it now but wil..other thing is that shakin stevins is headlinin on new yr eve in krakow so get here if u can