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Jacqueline

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Everything posted by Jacqueline

  1. Yes, I don't know whether it is funny or pathetic or both, the way social media never fails to respond, like a seething mass of bored piranhas having a feeding frenzy on a new rumour dropped into their tank. Never mind facts, let's just overreact! I don't doubt some were genuinely disappointed that nobody had died. I am not surprised Prince Philip is hanging up his ceremonials, who could blame him? I doubt the Queen will do anything other than continue, gradually, to hand over some of her responsibilities. When you look at the line up waiting to take her place, it is rather scary to think, given the ages involved, that the inevitable is drawing near. I say long may Elizabeth ll reign over us but one has to be realistic. Then again, I am of the view that the monarchy is an anachronistic institution, with no place in modern times and when Her Majesty goes, that should be an end to it. No doubt others will disagree. I am just expressing my own opinion.
  2. I wonder at the utter hypocrisy of the modern age, where we are supposed to be so advanced and enlightened. Watching a few chart hits - showing my age! - on a music channel last night, about 8pm, not late night, it was the usual sort of thing with barely dressed women cavorting provocatively. Any men were of course, fully dressed. What century are we in now? I had to laugh at the irony of one video in particular, with some female popstar prancing in her bra and knickers, singing about sex 'n' drugs, her backing dancers similarly attired. What passed for lyrics included the word b*tch but it was bleeped out. In a video on mainstream tv, depicting scenes I found offensively tiresome for their utter banality, we can see her simulating sex and apparently in a drug induced trance, but we are not allowed to hear the lady say a rude word. Other than that, it was an almost uninterrupted run of barely dressed women posing explicitly in tiny costumes and pretending they weren't bothered about being dumped by their ex, cos they're strong women who don't need men. Although, they make a living out of singing about how much they're so not bothered. Still, it shifts product and that's what counts. I would put all these trashy productions into Room 101.
  3. Talking of things best done at home, a woman parked her car outside my house about half an hour ago. I thought she was on her phone but now I can see she appears to be having some sort of eyebrow plucking session. She's got her tweezers in one hand and her compact mirror in the other and is really going for it. Can it really be such an emergency? At least she has pulled over. Added to that, we have the builders in. Efficient though they are, the noise, dust and upheaval are making me want to weep. They did ask if it was ok before they put the radio on - we've had one or two that just came in and put the radio on without so much as a by your leave, followed by me turning it off again - and one of the current crew likes singing along. So, we have drilling, wood cutting, radio, singalong and the fantom eyebrow plucker. How many eyebrows can a person have, or maybe she is drawing them back on. I think I could quite happily live in a caravan by the sea. Top of the range model of course. Not like the one friends kept near Cuckmere. Always had a funny smell. They never found out what it was. Edited to say we also have some serious builder's bottom from the chap doing the floorboards and singing. Would put Kim Kardashian in the shade, literally!
  4. Sorry if I'm showing my ignorance as to how these things work, but I am a little surprised to read that Symphonic Dances is only about 50% choreographed. Isn't this cutting it rather fine for rehearsing and refining a work that lifts off in less than a month?
  5. Yes, I am looking forward to my viewing on May 11th. I seem to have had my ticket and been waiting for the big day for ages. Don't want to tempt fate but fingers crossed there won't be any cast changes. Promises to be a classy evening.
  6. We are having some replastering done at home and have packed everything away, apart from the tv and comfy chairs. Last night I had nothing to do so I watched a new game show called Big Heads. For those unlucky enough to have missed it, the idea is that contestants compete for a prize of £10,000 whilst wearing oversized heads in the image of famous people. Last night was an eclectic but instantly recognisable line up of Trump, May, Einstein, Adele, Camilla D of C, Simon Cowell and Mo Farah. The intellectual level of the proceedings is on a par with It's a Knockout. A winning formula as people repeatedly falling or being knocked over and getting wet seems to cause endless - almost hysterical - merriment. Well, us simple folk like it. Truth is generally stranger than fiction, but I have to admit that I was amused by the sight of "The Donald" dressed in a wee Willie Winkie nightshirt and with his underpants round his ankles, being chased by a giant shark. Mrs May was knocked out in the early rounds and the whole thing went on for an hour , so at least half an hour too long. Can't wait for next week's exciting episode.
  7. Apparently, the new shops are mostly food outlets and tobacconists. To add to the hundreds already trading. When we moved here, we commented that we had never seen so many places to buy "food" in one relatively small place. How it is not the fattest town in England I don't know, can't be far off. Everything is chips, chips, chips, burgers, kebabs and more chips. There was a proper deli years ago. I was talking to the owner one day and he said he had to fight the council for permission to open. They opposed it on the grounds that people don't want poncy overpriced deli stuff, they want chips. In a rare deviation from the norm, the council was right. The deli bombed after lasting a surprising 6 whole months, the last one being a closing down everything must go sale, in which they did their best trade. There has been a fish and chip shop there ever since. On the rare occasions I walk through town, the smell of fried food and specifically onions is nauseating. Going down, according to the report, are estate and employment agencies as people do more of that sort of business on line now it appears.
  8. Thank you for the advice. I am inclined to give it a miss as I assume the rest of the bill must be quite short, minus the interval padding, so not worth all the travelling and expense for me.
  9. Breaking news in the local rag tells us that no fewer than ten new shops opened in town last year. Further down the article, a brief mention that nine other shops closed. So is this good news or bad news or even news?
  10. A number of Grand Tier front row seats now available for the Ferri matinee. I have booked accommodation for the Thursday or would change my ticket to sit where I wanted. Anyway, you takes your chances and all that. I noticed there were quite a lot of good seats for the Vertiginous Thrill Bill matinee with Osipova. I am almost tempted but not at all sure about this programme as the Strapless reviews were so negative before.
  11. Crank up the Battle Bus! Is it petrol or diesel?
  12. I like the thought of just saying "quite average." I also dislike terms such as so and so "blasts" or "slams" something they don't care for very much. Aggressive tabloidese I suppose.
  13. Nothing to report from the incredible, shrinking Sunday Times today. Is it my imagination or is the paper doing an Alice and getting smaller and smaller? I did like the Telegraph article seen in today's links, regarding the ROH's latest appeal for donations. I received such a letter and admit it had a similar effect on me to those mentioned. Given the state of the world and that appeals usually focus on what one might term real and in many cases, desperate need, it does seem beyond parody to be asked to donate money to pay for crystals to adorn a caterpillar's shoes , the glue with which to adhese them and various other sundries. Although I realise the appeal is aimed at those most likely to appreciate the cost, having seen a number of productions that were a "triumph" of expensive style over substance I wonder about budgetary decisions sometimes. Still, if people want to donate, that is their choice. There was also reference in the letter to an amount of money that would pay for seven tutus for the new production of Swan Lake. Is this perhaps a clue as to what is in store if they are strapped for cash - a reduction in the corp numbers. Or perhaps there are seven more swans to cover the additional choreography. What excitement!
  14. Isn't it trifaw, cwumbaw? Our Adele being the queen of estuawee English? Then there's that famous ditty by Billy Jo Spears - Blanket on the Ground. For years I thought she was singing Just because we are married, don't mean we can't sleep around. Funny, that's exactly what I thought marriage did mean. I have since discovered, having heard the song again recently, she was actually singing We can't SLIP around. Presumably a reference to the possibility that despite being married, folks can still have fun. With the person to whom they are married. Oooh I see.
  15. Current tv ad earworms for me are "Easter cr*p" at insert supermarket name here. They must be saying Easter crack, as in eggs. But it doesn't sound like it. Come to think of it, neither version sounds too good. The other ad is for a brand of fabric conditioner which will provide "comfort in tents." Must be powerful stuff as that is quite a big ask, unless you are glamping perhaps.
  16. When I receive my inevitable prizes for services to literature, I will say thank you very much for giving me these awards which I thoroughly deserve and although the creative process was a nightmare and a trauma, if the money's good, I'd do it all again. I would of course, do my best to look "ever so 'umble" throughout.I might even squeeze out a few tears. I wouldn't thank anyone cos I done it all by myself.
  17. I don't know Hulme or Manchester in general, other than what you hear and read about big city crime, regeneration and so on. I think it is a matter of keeping things in perspective. No disrespect to your sister but I would treat what she says with caution as it sounds rather over excited and factually questionable. I have read that Hulme is unrecognisable now, compared to how it used to be, but in any case, city living is very different to the provinces. My first experience was an enormous culture shock and I had to wise up fast, develop street savvy and learn to look after myself. I also had the disadvantage of being in another country, so had to learn the language pretty quickly as well. There is sure to be plenty of advice available to students, about how to develop common sense and keep safe. An invaluable opportunity for young people having to take real responsibility for themselves perhaps for the first time, to listen and learn from those who really know.
  18. I am very much looking forward to this triple and would have liked to see it more than once with different casts, but am content with my one ticket. It has certainly sold quickly, despite questions over casting now answered. I am fully expecting it to be wonderful, along with Mayerling next month. Having seen what's on offer for 2017/18 it will be a while before I darken the ROH door again.
  19. Mmmm, what a good idea. I have plans to write a book, so a lengthy cruise to distant and exotic places would be necessary for artistic reasons. Just interesting would do, they don't have to be exotic. They do have to be distant though!
  20. Many thanks for the link, Janet. It is as you say, marginally better. Although describing the work as "ponderous and gloomy" seems astonishing really, given the visual imagery alone. For me, it was a terrific afternoon's entertainment at the Lyceum. Casanova was never going to be a particularly sympathetic character, he was too self absorbed to be someone you could care about. But we were not being invited to care about him were we? I thought Tindall was just after making him more than the one dimensional lothario of legend and in this I felt he succeeded. We learned quite a lot about him and what motivated his actions, not least the times in which he lived. I found the programmes notes useful and interesting, but would probably have been able to follow the action without them. I'll never know because I cannot unread the programme and see the ballet again. But I certainly do want to see it again. Anyway, each to their own.
  21. Interesting article and as mentioned above, not behind a paywall. Unlike the review of Casanova by Debra Craine. Could someone give me the gist of what she said if possible. Thanks.
  22. I would also choose the Grand Tier but slightly to one side. I have found sitting dead centre gives a feeling of being miles from the stage,. I generally go for seat A40 or its left side equivalent. The Grand Tier is just right for Swan Lake, not too high or low.
  23. We share the car tho I use it more during the week. I don't think it is really about the windows or anything in particular. It's just the way he is. I remember his mother telling me fault finding was his specialist subject from a very early age. In common with this type of personality, he is not so keen on having his own shortcomings pointed out.. I have learned to bite my tongue. Retirement's going to be a laugh a minute. Perhaps I will book him on a very long cruise. Then another one.
  24. I thought the black swans were part of Rothbart's crew.
  25. Can't believe it, the nitpicker extraordinaire is banging on about the car again and when am I going to clean the windows! I should've left him locked in the bog yesterday, packed my stuff and moved to Australia!
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