Tonight's The Night! (or not in our case)

It was our 33rd Wedding Anniversary on Friday, so we thought it worthy of a bit of a celebration so I planned us a fun day out! I bought tickets for Birmingham Hippodrome theatre to see 'tonight's The Night' the musical based on Rod stewarts music. It was to be followed by a meal in Ciello's a rather upmarket Mediterranean restaurant in the heart of Birmingham.

All was going well, apart from the weather, we arrived in Brum and started a little light shopping, Simon called us to say he was in town so we arranged to meet him in Starbucks. As we strolled up New Street arm in arm under our umbrella singing the song of the same name ( a sixties song) and laughing as we went, a young man in a suit popped out in front of us to ask us to take a stress test! I asked him 'Do we look stressed?' that phased him a bit and I added 'No mate I've seen your lot on the news' he disappeared into the throng of shoppers at that. He in fact was touting for business for the Scientology Cult and his little entourage had featured on the previous nights local news.

After our bucket of coffee, what happened to cups and saucers? With Simon we headed of for a light lunch and then to the theatre.

The first half of the show was great, excellent cast with great voices, a bit of comedy, a few scantily dressed ladies with legs up to their armpits, good dance routines. We were loving it! We had nothing against the first half of the performance at all, sadly nor did they!!!

We returned to our seats after the interval and eagerly waited for the second half, we waited, we got a bit wriggly, we looked at our watches and wondered what had happened. A few Manager's seemed to be rushing out behind the stage, then a stage hand came onto the front of the stage and took away all the lights and wiring. Now we were worrying that if they did not start the now 45 minutes late second half soon we would be late for our table at Ciello's.

Eventually a Manager came onto the stage and said that due to technical difficulties they could not perform the second half,(they could not lift the Iron curtain) instead they were going to put chairs in front of the iron and perform the songs concert style! Not even Margaret Thatcher had that much trouble getting the iron curtain up!

I was livid, having paid a considerable amount of money to see a musical I was not going to accept a few singers on a row of dodgy looking chairs. I also reasoned if we did indeed stay and watch this debacle we were in fact accepting the alternative and would have less chance of recompense.

I and many other disgruntled people made our way to the ticket office where many heated discussions took place. We were treated abominable and no-one was prepared to take responsibility for the problem apart than we would all have to write to customer services and each case will be looked at individually. Well I tell you now, I will get my money back even if I take them to the small claims court to do it!

The evening ended on a high thankfully after I had calmed my temper and my disappointment. We met up with boys who both looked amazingly handsome (Rob looked kind of pretty in a boy kind of way, he has grown his hair longer and it suits him very well, he also had on a pink stripe shirt, strangely pink suits his coloring)
Simon as usual was very smart and gorgeous, of course I am biased! Jaime who has just moved to Brum joined us as well, she really is a joyful larger than life lovely girl.
Dinner was more a work of art than food, dreadfully expensive but worth every penny, it more than made up for the afternoon. Not one of us could fault anything at all, it was lovely to finish the meal with my favourite Limoncello liqueur.

We went our separate ways after, the boys and Jaime to go to 'The Living Room' (a bar, not their house) to celebrity spot, we made our way back to the station to get the train back to Cov, composing a letter to the Hip as we went.

We had to take Ta-shi on a marathon of a walk on Sunday as the poor boy had been left so long on Saturday. It was so long that he sat down after four miles as if to say 'Ok enough, its not fun anymore'. He perked up when he met a Jack Russel puppy and had a bit of a gambol with him and found a second wind.

A Ronnie Barker Moment

A colleague and I had to pop into town at lunchtime yesterday to buy one of those birthday candles shaped in a number. It is the owner of our company's 60th birthday so we were dispatched to buy banners, balloons and the said candle for the obligatory birthday cake! We went to a little cake decorating shop which is charmingly old fashioned, wooden counter, parquet wood floor and a very helpful little lady. We stated our need, a 60th birthday candle! She proceeded to count out 60 separate little candles! Anne my colleague and a director of the company went positively pale as she thought of risk assessments and fire regulations of 60 candles on a cake in our listed 1920's 'art deco building. I stood there trying to suppress my mirth and resisting the urge to ask for fork handles and some O's.

On a different subject altogether as I was driving to work I listened to an astounding news report. Not sure if it was a government department or a health authority being quoted, but the item was that it was suggesting that special rooms should be set up so that heroin addicts can go and shoot up safely with clean needles and under supervision. Did I miss another report maybe that they have let all the lunatics out of the asylum? (oh no sorry of course we have, we went and elected them didn't we) Why stop here, lets set up a special supermarket where shoplifters can do their stealing in safety and without fear of prosecution. While we are at it maybe a dimly lit car park for effect so that car thieves can go nab a few vehicles without being tackled by those annoying little owners who dash out of their homes to protect their hard earned motors and get attacked for their sheer cheek. The possibilities are endless.

Mrs Meldrew signing off!!!

Life is a bed of Roses

I am very excited and can't stop looking out of my window at my front garden, I have at last got a rose garden again. Safely planted out, I have some old favorites like, Grandpa Dickson, Remember me, and my all time favorite Just Joey. Also I have a brand new rose called White Diamond and a very rich red wine colour rose called Cardinal del Richeleau. Can't wait for them to bloom!

Wild Card

I am in no way a football expert but having lived and breathed football for 25 years with a football fanatic and coped with the highs and lows of moods that it brings, and the trials and tribulations of if our favourite team is on the up or not. So.... I can feel just a tiny bit qualified to comment on Svens choice of Theo Walcott!

What a truly marvellous opportunity for this boy and what a gamble for Sven, nothing to loose as I'm leaving anyway, Goran Erikson! It could work at least the other teams who would of studied hours of footage of the other players and will know just how the cookie crumbles with the whole team except Theo! They will be saying Theo who? Good Luck to the boy.

Ordinary Life.

Its been a fairly ordinary week! BJ goes to work and then surprise, surprise comes back home the very same day. We have been used to BJ going off to work on a Monday and coming home two weeks later. Its been great (most of the time) However I have had to remind him more than once that he is no longer living in a hotel, and that I actually including traveling time work longer hours than he. The very thought that I should suggest that leaving clothes where they drop is no longer acceptable and having a mutual tidy up before leaving in the morning did not go down too well at first. The trouble is I have always been the home maker and still am at heart but now we must either share the household duties and enjoy the bonus of my decent wage coming through the door, or I go back to mundane part time work and take care of the house. Actually there is no way I will give up my job, I would get a cleaner in first but lets not tell BJ!!!

BJ is enjoying his new job and seems to be settling in well, he has already been told to slow down, he is working faster than people can keep up with. He does think some of the work maybe a little repetitive and possibly boring after a while. I suggested that we arrange a more exciting social life to recompense. Poor boy looked a little startled I think he is worried lest I try and get him horse riding or abseiling! (Not a bad idea)

We returned to our dance class this week after a years absence, we got a big welcome which was great and we just about held our own. We had to swap partners with another couple some of the time to learn anew waltz routine but we managed. The class had learned a whole new Tango routine which rather flummoxed us, we new all the steps but not necarssarily in the same order as they were doing!
We have decided to drop down to the intermediate class for a while rather than the advanced as we need to brush up on our steps and learn new routines.

We have decided to stay put in Coventry for now. The new conservatory should be started by the end of May, this will give us much needed space for a decent dining area. I used to love entertaining but it does not feel right eating in the kitchen among the deritus of cooking pans etc. I look forward to Christmas lunch in the conservatory. Actually I think a consevatory warming family dinner will be in I think I will need to hire a Marquee, or re-order a bigger conservatory! As now we have our own darling boys, Rachel and Dan, Stuart and Jaime all living in the vicinity. What a delightful evening it will be. Trouble is as half this lot work in the catering or hospitality business it is going to be a logistic nightmare to get every-one together on one day. I will do it though so watch out kids I will be onto you soon for dates!

I am having a very busy period at work at the minute, we are in 'workshop' mode and are holding training workshops the length and breadth of the Country, all on a Sunday! Its not so bad when you get there, but the thought of working every other Sunday virtually from now until end of July is not good. I don't even get paid for them and have to take time in lieu. This is OK in theory but last year I was so busy that I lost a fair few days as I did not have time to take them all. I will not let that happen again! My boss is back to her old self and is being very sweet and kind, I don't know what on earth has been the problem but I am glad to have the old person back. Work is a great pleasure again!

Oh Dear what Can the Matter be

Oh dear what can the matter be
The secretary has been sleeping with the prime Ministers deputy
Sold her story to newspapers and the TV
A headache for poor Tony Blair

Oh dear what can the matter be
The prisoners have been let out of our old penitentiary
Should of been sent back to their own fair Countries
Now nobody knows where they are

Oh dear what can the matter be
Nurses shout and stamp at the hypocrisy
Patricia Hewitt saying your jobs are safe with me
Nobody wanted her there.


It may only be a local Election on Thursday but I know who is getting my vote of no confidence!

By the way if ever there is a case for brining back free eye tests for all, then surely it is now! Who in their right mind would choose to have an affair with the ugliest most uncouth man on the planet.