Once again, I suddenly thought of my blog and realised with some disbelief, that I haven’t posted anything for two months. I don’t know how that always happens! It was always the plan to write here regularly but it hasn’t turned out that way, mainly because time seems to pass so quickly. I often think of things I want to blog about but then never get round to it and so forget what it was I wanted to say!! Guess that’s age…but I’m not going to go on about that again!
Instead, I’ll go on about what I’ve been up to over this rather lovely summer…
I’ve been catching up with entertaining and we’ve had lots of dinner parties which I always love. In addition, we’ve been off to summer garden parties (only two spoiled by rain!), weddings, lunches, drinks and coffee mornings and all have involved lots of laughter, which is what I now believe is the only thing that keeps you young!
I think I’ve finally come to terms with the whole turning 50 thing. I dyed my hair, lost a few pounds and felt a bit better about myself. Both the grey hairs and the weight have returned with a vengeance but I’m cool about it now…..well most days I am! I think it was because we had a few more events to mark it over the summer, which I really enjoyed. There was a lovely summer afternoon do at our house for friends and family, a fancy evening party for family and close friends and a lovely day out with some of my oldest friends who I will always love and adore and who I’m so proud of keeping in touch with all this time over all these long years.
The boy is fully recovered and getting ready to go back to university. I’ve hardly seen him this summer as he got himself a job and when he wasn’t working he was out with friends and off on various holidays. Same with the daughter. She had several holidays but I couldn’t begrudge her enjoying herself as she kept reminding me that now she has started her working career she won’t get any decent time off again until she retires! A bit dramatic perhaps, but I can see where she’s coming from. Anyway, she’s enjoying work and is with an excellent company who seem to be looking after her well already! A bottle of champagne arrived for her last week …just to welcome her into the fold.
It really has been such a lovely summer. We have been blessed with great weather and I made sure that when we were together as a family, we were off to the seaside, or on picnics or out shopping or off for meals out. I still don’t feel I have had enough of them though.
In other family news, my mother collapsed last week. I found her and that was a shock and a half. Remarkably though, given I can get pretty hysterical, I stayed amazingly calm as I called the ambulance and went to hospital with her. She perked back up pretty quickly but although the doctors ruled out all the major things, they couldn’t work out what caused it. We brought her back home with some relief but over the next few days, the shock hit me and I went all quiet as I kept thinking of what might have happened. Honestly, I think I’ve had quite enough of hospitals this year.
Workwise, I have been to a number of castings and auditions and as a result I filmed another commercial yesterday with a really lovely team.
And after being cast last October, I was beginning to think it might never happen but filming finally took place with the director, Stuart Gatt, on his short film My Beautiful White Skin. I have no idea why but he cast me as a bitter old mother stuck in a wheelchair….but I loved every minute of it! It should be out at the beginning of next year and I’m really looking forward to seeing it, as the preview that he sent me looks so beautiful
I took part in a short play written by the very talented Lilly Driscoll. It was very poignant but great fun for me as I had to smash a plate which let me tell you, takes great talent and effort ! It was such an honour to work with Lilly and just a few days later I went to see her full-length play, Dirty Promises, which was absolutely stunning. She’s a name to watch out for,
Later this month, my first ever short play gets an airing at the New Writing evening at the Actors Centre. I’m so lucky that Mark Springer and Ursula Campbell, two fantastic actors, are going to bring my characters to life. Also, as soon as my son read it, he said he wanted to direct it which was incredibly flattering so I am really excited about it all. If any of you are in Covent Garden on 24th September, then come and see it !
Hopefully there’ll be more acting and writing over the next few months but I will make more of an effort to record life and thoughts right here on this blog rather than leaving it so long.
Meanwhile, I have been studying the work of the master of improvisation, Keith Johnstone, who I believe is a genius. Thanks to him I have become more spontaneous and I leave you for now, with one of his most famous sayings:
“There are people who prefer to say ‘Yes’ and there are people who prefer to say ‘No.’ Those who say ‘Yes’ are rewarded by the adventures they have and those who say ‘No’ are rewarded by the safety they attain.”
Which one are you, because I know which one I want to be
Life After The Beeb 