Jacqueline

My first sighting of this fine actor was as Henry Percy aka Harry Hotspur back in the late 70s, when the Beeb did that terrific run of Shakespearean plays. We had Richard ll, Henry lV parts one and two and Henry V. They were so well done and had so many good actors, I was finally inspired to read and understand Henry V properly for my O levels, rather than just trying to memorise large tracts of quotes to fill up the essays. There are certain actors and actresses I thank for inspiring me to read behind the lines as it were and Tim Pigott Smith is one. RIP.

Have just read Judith Mackrell's review in the Guardian courtesy of our links. We are all entitled to an opinion and we all see things in different ways. However, in this instance I have to say, for what it's worth, I categorically disagree with her opinion of this production.

'Tis a lovely morning so got my garden furniture organised and was sitting outside with the paper and a coffee. It was all very pleasant apart from a muffled but insistant knocking sound. I tried to ignore it but there it was, getting inside my head and spoiling my karma. I went indoors and the sound was louder. It was coming from upstairs and turned out to be my beloved, who is doing a bit of painting in prep for putting the house on the market. He had, I would have thought unwisely but I wouldn't dream of saying so, removed the handle from the bathroom door, gone in and closed the door rather too firmly, only to find he could not open it. Hence the annoying - for me - and increasingly vexed knocking. I was momentarily tempted to pretend I had not heard him and leave him in there. But in the end I relented and helped him out. I thought it was funny, like the time he fell through the kitchen roof while trying to replace the felt. He wasn't hurt. That wouldn't be funny. He wasn't amused either and that made me laugh even more. Happy days!

The ROH website describes the new production of Swan Lake as containing "additional choreography" by Liam Scarlett. Perhaps the obligatory tavern scene and some brazen tarts somewhere and maybe a real lake, subject to health and safety. Swan costumes made of the finest materials available to humanity and an appearance from " a very special guest" to be announced nearer the time, in accordance with how much budget is left over.

I agree absolutely and have nothing to add to what you have said above, other than I had all but given up on Cinderella and so was ready for it not to be on the list. To my eyes, there are also one or two odd combos. Gloria, The Judas Tree and Elite Syncopations? Mmmmmm....

I saw this guy on the news, going about his business at night, with a ladder and "sticky backed plastic." Reminded me of Blue Peter when they weren't allowed to advertise on the Beeb, so couldn't say Sellotape. I do agree that the abherrant apostrophe, which so used to vex the late Keith Waterhouse, is rather annoying. It demonstrates a lack of understanding of the language and how to use punctuation correctly. I used to be a bit of a stickler for correct English, but as I get older I find my grammar deteriorating, mostly from laziness and being used to txtng abbreviations. Actually writing out whole sentences and punctuating them correctly is a bit of a chore now. All errors are entirely my own. I hope Bristol Apostrophe Man never make's a mistake !

Yes, that's the one. Thank you. It is well worth a look. As I recall we turned in off St Martin's Lane (?) It was like stepping back in time - I believe the buildings have been in existence since the 1600s - and hard to believe we were but a stone's throw from all the traffic and noise of modern London.

I don't know about the deserted warehouse but I am pretty sure that little Dickensian street/ginnel/snicket, call it what you will, where Tamara posed with the gaslight in shot, is just up the road from the Coli. It is a fairly narrow little lane and easy to miss, but of historical interest, with as I recall original shop frontages. My mother took me there after she had been on a tour of ye olde streets of London.

I enjoyed this programme and will watch it again on iplayer. I agree it is a lot to cover in an hour but I think they succeeded. The classical version and the modern were skillfully interwoven, with plenty of footage of both. I can never see too much of Cojocaru's Giselle. She really is exquisite. I thought the history of the story was well done, putting it into context with the times, regarding attitudes towards and prevalence of what was seen as madness. As such, I found the explanation for Giselle's weak heart leading to her death very acceptable, particularly alongside Cojocaru's portrayal. Rojo is a very effective presenter. She does demand your attention but then rewards you with an interesting, eloquent and engaging talk about her subject, which she clearly knows very well. There were interesting contributions from all concerned. How I wish I could have had someone like Gavin Sutherland as my music teacher! I would very much like to see the new Giselle. But having seen all those glorious clips of the classical version, that magical score and choreography, the costumes and the mime, the rather mystical shots of the forest at sunset in this beautifully filmed programme, the original does it for me. Well worth watching. More please.

I've booked to see Ferri and Bonelli in M&A. I thought they were a particularly good partnership in Woolf Works. They had that certain something. I had hoped to see Yanowsky in this triple as well but tickets were flying off the shelf and I only just managed to get a decent seat for the 8th in the balcony, despite being in the queue just after 9am. Unless there are some good returns, I will be more than satisfied just to see her in Mayerling. As will my bank account! Probably heresy to say it but I am quite bored with the Polunin saga now. As I have said before, I wish him well and I am glad to have seen him dance M&A with Rojo. But if he dances this time with Osipova or whether he returns to the RB or whatever, I really don't care anymore. I am more interested in who will dance Oberon in The Dream.

This reminds me of a train journey to London a few years ago. I got on at Haywards Heath. The lady in question got on at Gatwick. She set her make up counter out on the table between us and proceeded to paint her face. I have never seen a transformation like it. I was sort of observing her progress in the reflection from the window. I didn't want to make it a case of Wot you lookin at! By the time we got to Purley ( famous place, squire) she was well on her way to looking like a different person. Having started the process barefaced, she was layering it on well past what suited her. As we approached Victoria, she went into the space where the doors are or were then. There she tipped her head forward and emptied what must have been a whole can of spray into her hair. Presumably to give it the "naturally" tousled, big hair look beloved of the 1980s. I took the view that as far as grooming is concerned, she had achieved her optimum look by the time we'd reached Clapham and she should have stopped there.

Pleasantly surprised by a well behaved audience at the Sheffield Lyceum yesterday afternoon. Pretty much a full house I think. There was a pre curtain up crystal clear announcement about use of phones and cameras being forbidden, which could not have left anyone in any doubt, even the most determinedly entitled. There was a bit of coughing but I think the performance had people drawn in from the off. It was one of those times the atmosphere was obviously one of rapt attention. Even the woman next to me didn't touch her rustly sweets more than twice. I was in the circle, watching people coming in as you do. Well, I do. A woman came in wearing a rather elaborate goth outfit, complete with top hat. Luckily she was seated somewhere behind me. Surely she would have been obliged to remove that hat for the benefit of whoever was unlucky enough to be sitting behind her.

I saw the matinee in Sheffield yesterday and couldn't fail to be impressed. Janet has already given a comprehensive description of the plot, which is also well covered in the programme. It is very helpful to have some foretaste of what is happening on stage although I agree, once characters are established the story telling here is such that it is easy to follow. The staging is stunning in its immediate and continuing visual impact. You really feel you are there in Venice and later at Versailles, with all the colours, fashion and etiquette. I loved the costumes and the dancing is second to none. It is a very physical piece with constant action and I was thinking how fit these dancers must be but nevertheless, what a demand on their stamina with all the touring. The choreography is interesting and instantly grabs your attention, a clever mix of old and new. It all seemed of its time and yet modern. The performance moved along at a cracking pace, there were no longeurs or fillers. Kenneth Tindall certainly knows how to tell a story coherently. There was a lot of action but each scene segued seamlessly into the next and it all fit together as a whole. There was an easy blend of intrigue, romance, tastefully done inter personal relations and even humour. The latter can be hard to achieve sometimes and often feels shoehorned in to get an easy laugh. In this case, I liked the scene where Casanova was having his portrait painted by an Andy Warhol lookalike and they were having some artistic differences. I felt enough aspects of Casanova's life were included to flesh him out as a real person. Mr Tindall has the skill to know what to put in or leave out as a choreographer, so you feel the story is told but in good time, not rushed or tediously long winded and repetitive. Less is more as it were. There are some current choreographers I can think of who could watch and learn from this production. There is a good range of other characters and I felt yesterday's Casanova - Joseph Taylor - along with in particular Minju Kang, Lucia Solari and Dreda Blow gave exceptionally nuanced performances. Finally, the score and this is my only criticism. I liked the music and I agree it is filmic in scope. It had some nice recurring themes and was absolutely right for the occasion. It was just, for my taste anyway, too loud. I don't know if it has anything to do with the accoustics or size of the theatre - the Lyceum is not a large venue - but by the time we reached the interval my ears felt battered. There were some scenes where a softer volume would have been more in keeping with the action and others where the volume was indeed more controlled. But even then, it wasn't long before the orchestra was back up to max and it did have the effect of smothering some of the action that should have been allowed to speak for itself as it were. This is no criticism of the orchestra - they played the score beautifully and it was an attractive score. It was just almost relentlessly too loud. I heard some other people comment on this after the performance so it wasn't just me and my sensitive ears. All in all, a very enjoyable afternoon. I'd recommend this ballet and would certainly go and see it again.

Called in the office on the ground floor this afternoon. They have a framed certificate stating they were the runners up in the Happiest Office competition. They are officially the second happiest office in the county I think, not in the country or even in the building. I'm not sure how high the happiness bar was set - all the time, most of the time, at least some of the time. As one of the runners up said, you can't be happy all the time. If that was the requirement, the winners must have been faking it. Coming second is an easier standard to maintain. No surprise our lot didn't bother entering the comp, or even know about it. I had never heard of it but I would've been prepared to make an effort. Especially if there was a cash prize.

Oh no, I couldn't do that. I need to find out what "mistake of the day" is or I won't know what to worry about. Which is a worry in itself. Possibly even a mistake too.

Ye Daily Rag - you know the one - warned yesterday of the biggest mistake we all make after going to the gym. Who is this "we" I wonder. It wasn't the stuffing of chocolate down necks as reward for good deeds on the treadmill. It was failing to give the body sufficient time to rest and recover from exercise. Today's warning is about the mistakes we make when doing housework. Too obvious to list but nevertheless, a bit of a worry. Best to keep out of harm's way by avoiding both gym and housework. Just go straight to the chocolate.

That's also a problem in our carpark with people who are not disabled but use the allocated parking spaces. When asked they say it was raining or those spaces are nearer the building or I wasn't planning to be long or some other nonsense. Same me me me attitude and stuff everyone else.

I liked Jeremy Clarkson's piece in the Sunday Times recently. He was talking about communal lavatories and how people who appear to be civilised, intelligent and capable of holding down responsible jobs are apparently incapable of using a loo and leaving it and the surrounding area in a clean condition. It is one of my pet peeves that our office loos start the day spotless, courtesy of our long suffering cleaner. Within a short time there are paper towels dropped on the floor, yards of loo roll, water and soap everywhere etc. Not to mention the loos left dirty, even unflushed. They all have working flushes and brushes are provided. Disgusting and totally unecessary to just leave it dirty. Numerous emails have been sent round asking people to please leave the facilities clean but there seems to be a hardcore who either have very low standards or are just lazy. How hard can it be to use a loo, flush it clean. Then wash hands without splashing water everywhere and put paper towels in bin provided. As for our building, the women are as bad as the men.

Attack of the nitpickers. People - no names but he lives in this house - who go out of their way to find something to criticize. Yesterday it was washing the car, whereupon he discovered some tiny scratches. Invisible unless you have your nose to them, but hey, he found them. They were duly pointed out to me and suggestions made as to how I might avoid future repetition. The scratches are my fault of course. Strangely, he didn't notice the 6" scratch on the roof or the slight vertical dent in the boot, which has been there since last summer. Hands up to that one. I reversed into a low bollard not long after we had changed the car. How I do miss those parking censors, not a feature on the newish model. He has either not noticed these areas of imperfection or he is not sure whether he inflicted them himself. Either way, he has not said anything. I never said anything either. What the eye doesn't see and all that. I did a bit of tidying up in the garden over the weekend, hardly an overgrown wasteland, just a winter garden coming into spring. I don't want a medal or expect any comment really. But I certainly don't want to be told, patronisingly, I need to keep on top of these things. Same with keeping the interior of the car clean. He carries on like it is awash with litter. There is nothing in that car that shouldn't be, except maybe a tiny speck of dust. There is, I believe, a time to speak and a time to keep it shut. The wisdom is in knowing the difference.

The method in the book was to put the paperwork into piles just according to which part of the case it related to. The box started to empty quite quickly once I separated the paperwork into headed piles. Then I was able to break each one down into names and statements and then take out the duplicates. I didn't get into alphabetical order or any order really, just what part of the case it was about. I wasted too much time on detail in previous attempts, plus this time I didn't get bogged down rereading it all or trying to cross reference and whatever. I also threw out anything illegible, faded and/or torn. In the book, the woman doing the sorting had been given the contents of the suspect's bins as well. Luckily I was only dealing with paperwork! Plus she was working towards the objective of getting a case back to court. My objective was just to empty the box!

Thank you, it is a relief to finally get it done. Just a few loose ends left and a mountain of shredding but I am sort of looking forward to that!

Well, I finally did it. The paperwork is sorted and the pile is reduced to one one knee high stack, so the big box is now empty and ready to be filled with something else. Or not. I haven't taken a year to get the job done, just the last week! I had taken everything out of the box and put it all back in again. I then tried sorting it by how much I could reasonably pick up, a handful or whatever. I made excuses. I put the lid back on and cushions on top. This weekend, the sun came out and spring cleaning commenced. The lid came off, all contents were removed and I started sorting with a vengence. I have just read a novel about a woman who acquired a lot of old paperwork all in a muddle as part of a case she was reinvestigating. I took my cue from her method of ordering. I have been quite brutal in the clearance and dispassionate, in that I have not allowed myself to get distracted by reading through everything. Anyway, it is done and I am relieved. I did find some old statements which I must have seen before but forgotten. Reading them again has given me an idea for a book. To my mind there is a story to be told, possibly even a film. Only the names, dates and any other facts would have to be changed. But that's hardly a new concept.

Well, I asked her and guess what? She said she didn't really want to go to either of those options. What she wants, what she really really wants is to go to Kedleston Hall. Okay then.

The tour I am thinking of is to the studio, where you can see how "things" are put together, costumes, sets and so on. You can have your pic taken pretending to pull a pint behind the Woolpack bar and no visit is complete without a trip to the souvenir shop, which is of course real, with fully working tills into which you can put all your money haha! The village tour, which to my mind, sounds much nicer, is as far as I can see only on selected Saturdays, because it is a working set. This tour takes about an hour and a half and I think it might be too much for my friend, who will be 80 and is not very steady on her feet. If the weather turned out to be inclement, it would be a disaster. I went to Harewood some years ago and it is a beautiful place. I don't know what to do now. I think I will just ask her what she would like to do. It will spoil the surprise but I'd rather get it right.

Has anyone been on the Emmerdale Experience? It is advertised on tv and a friend who is a big fan has a birthday coming up. I thought I might take her for a present. I watch the soap now and then so it wouldn't be a total mystery tour for me. A coach tour company in town is doing the whole thing for £32 per person, which sounds cheaper than buying a ticket and messing about getting ourselves there. Anyway, if anyone has had the experience, I would be interested to know if it is a good day out.