At some point in my life I will post properly again.

But in the meantime - Happy Birthday my lovely, wonderful man that you are, and thank you for doing so much to make my world a brighter place. I love you dearly. May your shadow never grow less.

It's that time of year again......I'm doing a birthday card from the website for the man (we did one last year which he loved) so if anyone wants to send their good wishes, send me a message on administrator@griff-rhysjones.co.uk or on here and I will add it to the pile! 

(It's fine to do it anonymously if you want, btw.) 

He's 56 this year - and as far as I'm concerned more lovely than ever.  Not that I'm biased or anything!

I've been on an opera course.  This is a good thing.  I haven't done anything like this for years - having kids, a husband, a house and No Fecking Money has put a total squish on the whole proceedings for about six years.  Anyway, I thought I would post little nuggets of cogitations during the proceedings but being a useless arse I failed to post any until I found them hidden away on my hard drive..... so here, late and considerably overtaken by events, we are...... hope they're not rendered even more boring by the fact that they're three weeks late.

Title shamelessly borrowed from Viala, despite the lamentable lack of goss!

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Week One

Monday
Well here I am.  Horrible stressful journey, horrible guiltiness for leaving Mr P with the kids for three weeks, argh....what am I doing here.   Really enjoyed today's listen to Laura being coached for the role I'm covering, so I'm going to learn glods.  Spent afternoon watching Scary Nick conducting Albert Herring, which was an education - bloody hell, when someone says Well, Britten always did it like this....you listen.  Glad not singing for him today, though, he picks you up on EVERYTHING.   Got yonked off to sing in the chorus for Boheme, which apparently I have to do.  Artistic director camp as Christmas and very funny.  Keeps going on about acting "with your nipples to the wind" which the blokes all find ridiculously entertaining.  Everyone seems to know everyone else, which is a bit daunting, but all seem v friendly.  We'll see.  Rang NBF on way home to see how he is :-(  poor old love, not having a good week. 

Tuesday
Apparently old mate of mine from Thursford coming.  Excellent!  Actually Took Part in a workshop today - sang two pages from Albert Herring and made everyone laugh.  This is a good start!  Was really getting into Herring rehearsal today, but Scary Nick got the hump when I was summoned off to sing my ten bars of shite in Boheme.  I cannot get my head round Boheme at all.  Met the MD today, funny looking out of proportion little bloke but seems fearsomely clever.  Charming Carlos is apparently the assistant, which makes it slightly less depressing that he looks about 12.   Long conversation with NBF when I got home.  Only slight ray of sunshine about end of his relationship is that he gets more time on Facebook. 

Wednesday
Decided to open negotiations about whether I was ever going to do anything more productive than sit on floor watching Nick this afternoon.  Apparently yes, but for now I must sit on the floor and watch Nick, or go to bloody Boheme rehearsals and learn the same six pages of chorus again (I can't keep it in my head for five minutes, ridiculous overromanticised crap.  Hate Puccini).   Anyway, Kelvin (Herring AMD) is going to teach us when he has finished teaching the main cast.    Spent lunch with delightful set designer bloke who is a fine chap and comes from Chesham.   Have both decided to abandon train journey in as costs arms and legs and is horribly inconvenient.  

Thursday
Wooo!  Had excellent, excellent session with Kelvin, henceforth elevated to godly status, who seems to think I am OK.  Really good sing, some fantastically helpful comments and am home now thinking that after all I May Not Suck Donkey Balls compared with everyone else.  Decided to drive in this morning.......misjudged traffic horribly and arrived two and a half hours early, then fell asleep in car park, leaned on half open car door and fell out of car at feet of Boheme AD (Camp William) who now has me pegged as a lunatic.  It gets worse when I try.    Lunch with designer again who is looking considerably stressed now.

Friday
Well I shall never complain about workload again.  Had four hours of coaching, then two hours of Boheme Crisis, less foul than usual though as on stage and with actual MD.  Charming Carlos has been lovely and done a really good job but it is nice to be handed over.   Opening of Act 2 actually made some vestigial sense as well, wonders will never cease.  Then fantastic ensemble rehearsal with Kelvin, who is becoming my lifeline.  Am eating far too many cookies.   Had proper chat with Boheme MD over lunch and argued about whether Puccini and Britten had a comparable aesthetic in the setting of effectively conversational dialogue rather than set piece libretti which was thoroughly interesting but did nothing to dispel considered artistic opinion that Boheme is shite.   Think I might keep that one to myself.   Went to joyously bonkers workshop on Reiki healing and fell asleep during therapy session.   Had proper talk with lady playing Mum Herring, lovely lady with a fab voice.  Apparently she was in Cardiff Singer of the World!  Go her, she's great fun.   Really good session with Kelvin on my own afterwards - I might actually be quite good.  Shall go home to cogitate on this surprising piece of information!

Saturday
Half day today!  Boheme all morning then a run through of Herring with Kelvin.   Boheme setting complicated beyond belief, lol.  Finally broached with WIlliam that I am missing for next four days.  Reacted quite well all things considered!  Am really enjoying working for William, converse to all expectations.  He's seriously properly good.   Sat down to watch bit of Boheme today; cast really good although tenor getting massively on my tits - sort of chap who leaps out of cupboards and sings a top C at you to get your attention.  Normal people say Hello.   Baritone apparently hunky although does nothing for me.  MD very good indeed and less intimidating than scary Nick.  And laughs at my jokes, for which I am always eternally grateful.   Off to Buxton for Hell Conducting Experience tomorrow....help.  Hail, Sullivan, those about to die salute thee.....



 

Well, two days later and I am waiting to stop grinning.  And it hasn't quite happened yet.....

 

( Welsh Adventure..... )

 

Pol is now back from fangirl heaven. 

Normal service will be resumed when she can speak. 

Well, so, a thousand years ago I decided to make use of the fact that my lovely was away for two months by putting in place a Really Organised List of Stuff to get done before he got back.  Not that wherever he is makes the blindest bit of difference to my daily life, I stress, but it was just an excuse to Get My Shit Together.

So today I reveiwed all the relevant projects and have come to the following conclusions....

1.  Getting to bed earlier so I don't look like a panda.  Progress - sod all. 
2.  Organising house so it does not look like A Shithole and I feel justified in spending time on line:  sod all
3. Growing fingernails.  A Bit of progress!  I sort of have some.  Still not exactly worth a manicure though....
4.  Eating a bit less madly so do not turn into moose.  Hmm.  Jury still out on this one.
5. Having hair restyled and generally improving appearance.  Sod all.  I look like the bloody dulux dog. 

Dear me.  Not going unmixedly well then!

Apologies to everyonje I have ignored, not responded to/commented upon on so forth - I have been truly rubbish at staying on top of things.  It will get better.  It's got to really, before I disappear into the morass.....

Entire world has gone mad and i have Much Shit to do.  Bah.  And Mr P has got rancid cold and is being Blokily Ill.   Also Bah.

Have just watched Restoration Revisited.  May need to be scraped off floor at some future juncture.   Crikey.

A few disjointed thoughts...

I don't seem to have any time at all any more.  Where'd it go??

Speaking of such things, Where did navbar go?  I am most sad. 

The concert I'm supposed to be conducting seems to be going a touch tits up.  Thank god I'm just waving my arms about and not trying to administrate it.  Boo.

I've been paid some real money!  Hurrah for that. 

One of my most well-loved friends is really very unpleasantly and seriously ill.  How much I want to help is not possible to put down; sadly I suspect so will be my inability to do anything actually useful.

Restoration Revisited was excellent in every possible possible way, except that it made me very honey-sick and he is a long way away.   Might be a new prog in May though.  Hurrah.

Must go to bed.  Tomorrow is looking shambolic.

Happy Birthday, rhosyndu 

I am crap, I forgot! Hope you had a good one....

Most of my days being at present taken up with malfunctioning bodies (either mine or the small folks) has meant there's not much to post about.

But my lovely's doodle wot I bought in a mad moment on ebay has arrived and is cheering me up much.  It's like having a little bit of him here to keep me company.  While I'm barfed on.