Finding Time

The strange thing is that this blog is about what happens in my life, and yet the minute something happens in my life, I don't have time to blog. I'm cramming this in while on my daily journey over to West London for "Green Forms" rehearsals. It's not the most pleasant of slogs either way so how better to use this one than to get my blog up to date. Yes- after so many months of planning we are now halfway through rehearsals for our play and we open next week. Last week was very exciting as we watched tickets sales climb and climb, helped no end by some fab adverts placed by the aka team in The Telegraoh and The Times, and also a slow awakening on the part of friends and colleagues that it is actually on and that  they needed to book. I'm the same. A show can be on for months before I decide that I have to see it, and then I can be at least another two months before we have a discussion about when to book for. It's not a dilemma we face often as Rich has to see most shows for work and so I can very very often tag along.   However people did get along to our website and book so much so that for next week we are one of the hottest tickets in town being completely sold out. Which is the position in which we began rehearsals. Slightly frightening, but it hasn't taken the pleasure out of being in rehearsals each day with a very talented cast and an exceptionally goods production team. Little joys append themselves to the show each day. Yesterday we heard the first draft for the music by Chris Madin,one of the most gorgeous and talented theatre composers I know. It's perfect of course. We had rehearsal photos taken - thanks Craig Sugden, so we look like we've done lots of work even if we haven't. It's hard work. It's rare these days I get up at the same time each day to make the same journey for more than two consecutive days And yet here we are on day four with two more to go. Nothing can beat the joy of the rehearsal room, the laughter of trying out new ideas, the sense of achievement when you get a section on its feet, the frustration when something isn't quite working. Loving it all. Just before we started I went up to see Mum. She's back in a more depressive mood and not finding it easy to get up in the morning. Thanks to a bit of a push on social services, I have manged to get a second visit each day for her so now she can spend the morning in bed and then gets someone to come in at lunchtime and get her up and give her lunch. She's just like an old car. Once she's up and running she's fine. It's just getting her out of the garage that is difficult. She finds it frustrating and is annoyed with herself and after some rows and harsh words earlier in the month, I have had to adjust, acknowledging that this is how things are and will have to be for a while. Where we go from here we will see? In the meantime the joy of packed houses and lots of people to say hello to over the coming week. What more could one want? One sad note in our week was that on Saturday morning our dear friend Dame Lesley Strathie lost her fight against cancer. We met Lesley and her lovely partner Kevin some five years ago on holiday in Turkey and from the moment she came into our lives, she brought sunshine and laughter.  As one of the highest civil servants in the land she had a natural authority and calm, yet maintained a gorgeous twinkle and sense of  naughtiness at all times and we loved her for it. She was one of our funders for Green Forms and it seems entirely appropriate to Richard and I that we dedicate the production to her. We're sure that as a leading civil servant she saw more than her share of Green Forms and her wit, wisdom, and sense of fun will be sorely missed.