Motto

I am pleased to see the handover between Tony and Gordon completed. I like the solemnity of Gordon in contrast to the bright and breezy Blair. I was taken by the new prime minister's use of his school motto, "I will try my utmost", to launch his term of office. As a teacher I like the reference back to schooldays. I am not sure that it is a great motto though and much prefer my old school and Bradford's, "Labor Omnia Vincit" (Work Conquers All). One of the things which hastened my departure from the education scene was the innumerable initiatives and changes which seemed to pile up one on top of the other, before the preceding ones had been properly digested and applied. Therefore Gordon's promises of "changes" doesn't exactly fill me with the delight he might be expecting. One of the contributors on this morning's Today programme (required listening in this household) said something to the effect that what we don't want is more changes but rather the getting right of some of the changes already made. We need to work at getting things right first time rather than constantly changing to make up for the fact that we haven't quite solved the initial problem with the initiative we have just proposed. There seems to be a culture where we already have wide ranging laws which cover many of the situations to be found in our society. However rather than applying them with a dash or more of common sense, our legislators at all levels spend more and more time trying to write in the small print to cover ever more closely defined incidents. They disappear into ever decreasing circles of their own making rather than tackling the problem. We don't need more laws or rules just better and more sensible application of the ones we have already got.
I don't know very much about it but wonder if partition might be a solution to the Iraq situation. The country seems to this poor student of history to have been cobbled together anyway so why not let the Kurds form a state in the north and manage themselves. Is there a way to partition what is left into Shia and Shi'ite enclaves? Even give the south east corner to Iran if that helped. Leaving the south west corner to be the new Iraq or give it a new name altogether. The coalition would need to defend this corner but would be better placed on the borders against outside pressures while the interior was managed by a new Arab administration, and this could be democratically elected if that was the wish of the people there.
Last night the best beloved met the Bench artistic panel to show them her pitch for a production in the 2008 season. I have a couple of ideas in mind as well but couldn't get my act together in time for the play selection process which completes on Thursday July 5th with a vote by the whole company. I may have to delay my pitches until later this year for the July, September and November slots. Although one of the ideas might be the even year alternative to Supernova which takes place in odd years at the moment. This is something I am working on for the Bench and reporting to the committee and panel on in time for the Annual General Meeting in September. I am working as director of movement for the best beloved's proposal if it gets selected. I had better collect together some thoughts about the job but there is time yet.

Health check

I was signed off by the hospital cardiologists yesterday and told that my new arteries should last on average 10 years.
I was x rayed for my lower back problem and the x rays are being sent to my GP for further investigation. I also have to see my GP about my right shoulder problem as it is a separate issue from everything else going on.
I have been excused two lots of tablets - these were for water retention and diuretic purposes but asked to double the rampiril, an ACE inhibitor to widen blood vessels and lower blood vessel. The consultant said, though, that my blood pressure was fantastic.
She also answered, when asked what had caused my condition, that it was just "bad luck". The factors are prevalent in men between 45 and 60 and it is still not clear why some people succumb and others don't.
Smoking is an enormous factor and I am so glad I gave up smoking 30 years ago just before we started having children.

Flying

The Best Beloved and I spent four days in France at Duras with Terry and Robbie Cattermole, two of the most hospitable friends who are great company so a great deal of laughter ensued.

We decided to fly down to Bergerac where the Catz would collect us before making the 40 minute drive back to Duras. We flew from Southampton. Neither of us are great fliers - read previous blog about fear of heights and best beloved's problem with ears at altitude. MuleBoy can't understand why my fear of heights doesn't affect me too badly up in a plane. I think it is something to do with the fact that my brain can't really comprehend the idea of flying at all. I did have trouble with the idea of flying but read an excellent self help book which convinced me that aeroplanes are designed solely for flying (which is why take off and landing are the tricky bits) and that rather than trying to fly the plane by my own will power I should leave that task to the pilot and his crew.

I have successfully adopted this approach and sat down to read the Guardian bought in the airport newsagent before embarkation. I discovered the following story told in the letters page. It was the culmination of a whole series of letters about a singing airline pilot.

One airline pilot used to arrive in civvies and seat himself amongst the passengers before the flight began. After a short while he would begin to complain loudly about the delay in the plane taking off. He would involve other passengers and the hapless cabin staff in loud conversations deploring the amount of time being spent on the tarmac. Finally he would leap from his seat and say something to the effect: "This is just too much. I can't wait any longer. I'll fly the bloody plane myself!" And with that he would disappear into the cockpit. I roared with laughter on reading the letter but am not sure what would have been my reaction if it had happened on a flight I was on.

On the day I came home I read another letter in the Guardian (they tend to come in self generating series) about the same pilot who would re-emerge just as the plane was about to land and say: "Does anyone know how to land this thing?"

Terry has a little rhyme about "farting" I must ask him to teach me.

I did hear the following on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue in a completing the proverb round (it appealed to the retired teacher in me): "If you can't beat them....." "What's the point in teaching?"

We have decided that we might use the train to visit Duras next time. The flight wasn't bad but we do like to be on the ground. It might also lessen our carbon footprint, but make it difficult to reach New York, and apparently our patio heater isn't good for the carbon exchange thing.

Facebook

I am always very impressed by the other bloggers that I am linked to. Archimedes is a cat and he writes much more interesting blogs than I do. Mind you, I would love trying to drag a pigeon through a cat flap.
Thanks to my son in law Nathan I am now enrolled on Facebook and have signed up as friends with lots of people I already know from the Bench. Presumably as time goes by I will widen my circle of friends but at least I am keeping in contact. The younger membership of the Bench Theatre seem to be much more into Facebook so I enjoy communicating with the young women. I have a reputation as an old roue, which I have worked hard to acquire and I am not letting go of it yet. So far on Facebook I have joined the Bench Theatre group naturally, the Cucumber group run by Sian who should be revising and the Top Friends.
Tomorrow Ingrid and I fly from Southampton to Bergerac. We are spending four days with our friends the Cattermoles In Duras. We haven't seen them for years and the last time we did they showed us a plot of land in the vicinity of the fire station where they were having a house built. We are looking forward to seeing the house itself and of course chinwagging with our friends, who are extremely hospitable and good company. Both Robbie and Terry have been retired for some time now and so we will look for some sage advice and lots of laughs about how to spend time wisely and well.

I am working slowly on my touring theatre company idea but with the help of a friend who has been there and done that I might begin to put flesh on the idea very soon.

Babes in Arms

Babes in Arms is this season's musical offering at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Written in 1939 by the Rodgers and Hart team, it is the original "Let's do the Show right here!" musical. Richard Rodgers is the composer whose famed partnership with Oscar Hammerstein produced many of the finest musicals in the golden age of musicals. The best remembered Rodgers and Hart musical is probably Pal Joey.
A group of youngsters are doing a season in a Massachusetts theatre for a tyrannical producer. Their talents aren't appreciated. They are roped into doing a "worthy" play written by a pretentious Southern playwright when what they really want to do is an up-to-date revue. Despite many hindrances on the way, true love and the staging of the revue finally overcome all obstacles in a finale that had the Chichester audience on their feet at the press night.
This is an entertaining show with good voices and songs backed up by imaginative choreography. The duets by Mark McGee (Valentine) and Donna Steele (Billie) are beautifully judged and clearly delivered. The lyrics of Hart are witty and clever. There is a super comic duo in Matthew Hart (Gus) and Kay Murphy (Dolores). The voices of Sophia Ragevelas (Baby Rose) and Lorna Luft (Phyllis) soar and belt out some really hot numbers. The movie version starred Judy Garland and of course Lorna Luft is Judy's daughter - and you can see the family likeness in stage presence and singing voice.
The musical direction of the dozen strong orchestra by Mark Warman is bright and breezy throughout. The choreography by Bill Deamer covers a wide range of styles and uses the company to the full. The lead male dancer is in the Gene Kelly mould, which I prefer to the willowier Fred Astaire. I like male dancers who dance like men.
The director, Martin Connor, keeps the show moving with verve throughout and has lots of inventive ideas. This is the sort of show in which to disengage the brain but just let the music and spectacle carry you along. Recommended weekend treat.

Play selection

In the Supernova play script selection, I would like to make the comment that if a play was rejected it was because it wasn't considered that Supernova was the correct vehicle for that play in its present form. This is quite different from saying a play failed or was rejected or wasn't good enough.
Some of the plays not selected needed more work than would be possible in the time allocated in the Supernova schedule. Some of the plays selected were of uneven quality but were more capable of being presented within the Supernova format and schedule.
Some of the plays selected were haunting and stayed in the mind for days after reading. Some of the plays selected were glib and efficient. This applied to some of the plays not selected as well. In the end it all boils down to the subjectivity of this particular panel of judges - another trio may have made different selections - but in the main we feel that the selection offered has the best interests of Supernova in mind and the majority of plays chosen would have been in any list by any panel.

Firstborn

Our Firstborn is starting a new job today as a Course Administrator at the University of Portsmouth. This means we have both daughters (Kitten is our younger) employed as Course Administrators at the University of Portsmouth but in different departments or faculties, as I think they are called.

Now our Firstborn is a mature young woman who has been married five years come the 4th of August. You would think that parental concern would be somewhat limited. If I was in full time work I suppose I would only be able to give fleeting attention to her situation but because I am at home, I feel nervous on her account.

I know she will do an excellent job as she is as conscientious as they come. Her contract is only for six months but she has a position at the University where she wants to be so will use some of her time there looking for the next position. We are delighted for her as she needs a regular job with regular hours. She has enjoyed her time as Box Office Manager but the hours were unsociable especially when acting as Duty Manager for late evening events. At least she shouldn't have the responsibility to lock up the entire University at midnight as was sometimes the case in her previous job.

We wish her well but like most parents we still wish we could face the anxieties and situations on the behalf of our children. We have never mollycoddled but the temptation has been deep and primeval.

The house

Ingrid and I have been discussing the house. This is our house as we paid off the mortgage at the beginning of the year. We had an estate agent come round in the week to look the house over and to evaluate its market value, which is approx £265000. We might be able to get a bit more and we might have to shave off some in order to get a buyer depending on the state of the market. However what it did was make us look more closely at what we have and what we want and perhaps also what we need. We are going to look at other houses but more to investigate what they have in comparison to ours.

We had been toying with the idea of an en suite bathroom attached to our main bedroom as we are officially a four bedroom house. Another idea was using the loft more creatively. Extending the lounge into the garden by means of a conservatory was another thought. The kitchen is looking tired and needs an overhaul. The estate agent convinced us that all these were good ideas if we intended staying but were not projects to embark upon if selling because the outlay would not be recouped.

Today we sat in our wonderful garden for lunch and the conversation turned to thoughts about the house. At the moment we have two bedrooms set up as bedrooms and two bedrooms set up as his and her studies. I make no apology for the bourgeois idea of a study as I like a private space to which to retire and these days occasionally to work ( total agreement with son in law Nathan there). This is sufficient provision for guests staying at the moment and one or other of the studies could provide temporary overnight accommodation if needed. Therefore there is no real pressing need for an en suite .

Ingrid loves entertaining much more than I do. I like it when its happening but I don't go out of my way to make it happen, if you see what I mean. The conservatory was intended to make the living room more spacious but my contention is that there would still be a metaphysical divide between those sat in the lounge and those sat in the conservatory, however cleverly the two were conjoined. It would also be a major investment and would use up a large proportion of our savings which we need to think about eking out more over a longer period. We decided the conservatory wasn't as good an idea as it had first sounded. I also pointed out that major family gatherings in winter will strain any establishment and should really occur in the summer when the garden can be used.

This led to the thought that we should extend and improve our patio and is the one idea we are going to look into as a practical idea as soon as possible this summer. This would have the effect of changing our water feature and perhaps compressing our flower beds into smaller more compact ones with more in them.

We are toying with the idea of extending the double glazing in our dining room to the overhang which would match what our neighbours next door have done. Another idea was having awnings over the patio to provide shade in the summer months. We will investigate these two ideas to see how practical they are.

Thank you for your indulgence, dear reader, but this post has helped me to clarify some ideas. It has also helped Ingrid and I to decide that for the next few years we intend staying here and our next move will be a downsize to perhaps even sheltered accommodation in our seventies so we our not a burden to each other or our children. They won't have any money left to them but, hey, what the hell?

Macbeth

I have signed up to see every show in this season at the Chichester Festival Theatre. One of the highlights had to be Patrick Stewart and a company doing both Macbeth and Twelfth Night.

Patrick Stewart is 67 in July of this year and I am sorry to say this shows in his Macbeth. The production is innovative with lots of good and clever ideas. It is also one of the clearest retelling of the plot or story that I have seen in a very long time. However it is a tale of passion and fury and unfortunately the title performance is too controlled. The Macbeth we meet in the opening scenes is a beserker, a leader who leads from the front bravely if rashly, with no thought for consequences or personal danger. He is promoted beyond his means by an indulgent king and tempted beyond his dreams by dark forces. Mr Stewart's first appearance in combat fatigues and shaven head does not disguise the fact that he carries himself with greater gravitas than the King Duncan of Paul Shelley dressed as a Soviet style generalissimo. The Soviet theme is carried through and the quotes from Joseph Stalin/ George Orwell in the programme underpin the approach here.

Perhaps there is too much deference to Stewart the star actor rather than to the performance itself. He is certainly provided with one of the best Lady Macbeths I have seen in Kate Fleetwood. She is sex and passion combined and her curse inviting in the forces of darkness is indeed tremble making. At times we see her whole body quiver with ambition and the fearfulness of the endeavour upon which she encourages her husband to embark. Her famous breakdown later in the play is clearly forestalled and anticipated by the burning energy the actress imparts into the opening scenes. If anyone has had the good fortune to see Judi Dench in the RSC production deliver "all the scents of Arabia" speech in the handwashing scene, they will know what perfection can be achieved in these great Shakespearian "arias". Miss Fleetwood does not achieve such status but then I found that all the arias or monologues subdued in this production perhaps smothered by the business.

Unfortunately the first encounter between the Macbeths is too restrained and too controlled - a senior diplomat returning home to his trophy wife was one image that flickered through my brain. The brutal co-joining of a man and woman, both surrendering to the impulses of their bodies, both listening to the pounding of the blood in their temples, goes some way to explaining the recklessness with which they abandon sense and surrender to the temptations offered by the forces of darkness.

The forces of darkness are well integrated into this version of the Scottish play and I particularly liked the scene set in a morgue where the weird sisters show Macbeth the future lineage of Scottish kings descended from Banquo. The sense of evil is palpable but without a God, can there be a devil?

The scenes on either side of the interval, where the ghost of Banquo mars the feast, are brilliant and unexpected. Occasionally the production and performances reach unsuspected heights. One such performance must be that of Michael Feast as Macduff. Another older actor, perhaps to match the Macbeth, Michael Feast brings real emotion to the part and perhaps uses the space at the Minerva better than most.

I would encourage everyone to see the production for the clarity of its telling the story of Macbeth. My reservation is that Mr Stewart, a renowned Shakesperian actor, left his playing of the title role till a little too late in his career.

Travel broadens the mind

My bank account also provides me with travel insurance as part of its benefits and this has been fine up to now. I decided it might be wise to acquaint them of my heart attack and triple bypass procedure as a courtesy and in case anything went wrong.

They assured me that for all other events unconnected with my condition, such as cancellation, loss of luggage, etc, I was still fully covered. However, if I needed cover for my condition, presuming I had a recurrence while I was on holiday, I would have to undergo a three minute medical screening over the phone before I could be quoted an additional premium. Casually I asked what sort of ball park figure would we be discussing. The answer was £300 - £500! Now I intend getting in as many trips as possible during term time over the next couple of years (we are visiting some friends in France in June, we are camping in northern France in July and we are spending 10 days in Andalucia - travelling by train- in September) but I would have to go some in order to make £300 - £500 worthwhile. My research online did yield the finding that the cost of an air ambulance from Spain would cost £12000.

I decided to do some shopping around online. After a lot of research, visiting sites and filling in endless healthcheck applications (myocardial infarction, triple coronary heart bypass graft, angina) I came across a range of policies from £20 - £70. Normally when buying wine I go for mid range, not the cheapest nor the dearest (as I figure my undeveloped palate won't appreciate fully the more expensive wine). However yesterday I plumbed for the £20 policy to cover my condition and my bank account insurance to cover anything else untoward that happens. My three planned trips will therefore cost me £60 additional premium for the cover, which seems much more reasonable, and thanks to diet and exercise I am feeling fitter. My cholesterol level is 4.72 compared to my brother's 3.9. Everything else is fine except my weight has crept up to 17 stone 1.

Yesterday was also spent deciding on eight plays to be recommended for the Bench Supernova 4 festival of new one act plays. A panel of three judges, including myself, have spent several weeks reading them and met last night to draw up a list for recommendation from fifteen entries. Generally the standard of writing seems to me to have improved greatly from previous play writing competitions held by the Bench. I am not referring to the Supernova festivals as I have not previously been involved in the selection of plays. We were impressed by the quality on offer and as always the difficulty in separating the plays at the bottom of the list being recommended and the top of what would become the reject pile. I look forward to seeing the rest of the process through to final performances in September.

Reading

Saw a couple of examples of this idea recently and it made me smile.

Mother had read so much about the truly terrible effects of alcohol and chocolate that she decided to give up reading.

Sylvain Distin and Mulley Suntari have signed for Pompey which in my opinion is a good thing. Pompey is after Titus Shambles from Newcastle and Mark Viduka from 'Boro - these I do not understand! Admittedly my top choice of Dean Ashton from West Ham is unlikely now that they have avoided relegation. However other names such as Defoe have been mentioned and that is more like it. Another defender from Lyon and a striker from Rennes are also being discussed. I can't comment on these because I have no idea of the French leagues or players but still prefer Premiership experience. Although still think David Nugent is worth a transfer from Preston. Sulky Anelka and Blaster Bellamy wouldn't be shown the door if they turned up either.

Meditation

When I was working, "Thought for the Day" as part of the Radio 4 "Today" programme was part of my daily morning schedule. We still listen to Radio 4 in the mornings but not as avidly.

By chance we heard this morning's contribution while still abed. It dealt with contemplation or meditation. Its premise is that upon meeting someone the British tend to ask as their first question, "What is that you do?" Our Protestant work ethic makes us measure people by their occupation rather than what kind of person they are. Activity and being busy is an essential part of our mind set. In more enlightened cultures, the lack of activity is seen as the opportunity to contemplate or meditate. The speaker went on to say that this deep mental activity was not designed to solve the problems of the world, which in itself would make it a kind of activity. However the meditation allowed the thinker time to make sense of the world and to begin to understand it. The talk made me feel less guilty about my present state and begin to appreciate the opportunity given to reflect, contemplate and yes even meditate (sometimes even with my eyes closed). I do my exercises daily now on the patio (weather permitting) and though they are not very strenuous I love doing them out of doors and I love when the sun breaks through as it did this morning. I thought again this morning as I have on many mornings I would love to try yoga or Tai Chi in the salutation to the sun.

The main activity of this week is a "Specialised Annual Check" run by my GP. This involves 12 hour fasting before a blood test on Tuesday. I hope this will reveal the present level of my cholesterol as the only current reading I have is from 2003 - an odd state of affairs in the circumstances. I am also determined to make Leak and Potato Soup and Onion soup after last week's diet talk from the cardiac nurse - making your own avoids some of the salt traps inherent in commercially produced products.

The other activity is reading 15 plays for the Bench's Supernova 4 festival. The idea is to select 8 plays I consider suitable for production before settling on a final set of 8 after discussion with my two fellow judges/readers on May 24th. I love reading plays but it does require discipline, of which I don't have a great deal. I was also asked to think about a brief presentation at Thursday's Club Night of plays I think could be produced by the Bench: From the West End to East Street. I have a couple I would like to mention already and a new one hopefully arriving tomorrow. I hope not expected to produce excerpts for playreading as I now lack access to photocopying facilities.

Thoroughly enjoyed auditions for Measure for Measure yesterday. This is a set text production being produced and directed by Damon Wakelin for November. It will entail Sunday rehearsals but daytime as well as evening performances. We hope to know parts cast at end of week.

Collected photos from photographer yesterday in order to send off to one or two film extra agencies.

Mustn't get too busy otherwise no time left for contemplation or meditation, with or without eyes closed.

Pensions

I read daily with great interest the blogs of my family and friends. Archimedes and his two co-habitees are especially entertaining covering a wide range of subjects.

Recently Robin wrote one about pensions. I am of that generation that have done well out of pensions. Retiring as a primary school teacher in December I received an annuity and a regular teacher's pension monthly. This will enable me to be independent in my retirement as long as I am not too ambitious. I haven't really yet managed to explore the benefits fully. I have started to audit household finances and use price comparison websites to find ways of cutting expenses. I have a Senior Railcard which I had intended to use for regular but occasional trips up to London for theatre matinees on Thursdays (later will expand to Wednesday matinees once Cardiac rehab programme completed) but haven't had an opportunity to employ yet. I like senior cinema tickets - saw "Last King of Scotland" with a free cup of tea and a biscuit at 1100 on Tuesday at Port Solent for £3. In other words I feel a little guilty when I see how the youngsters of today are going to have to struggle if they want any pension at all.

On Wednesday we had an interesting talk about diet, cholestrol and alcohol from my cardiac nurse. This was enlightening and we have certainly started to look at the food we eat more closely. I enjoy cooking I have discovered and am into making soups, stock and sauces myself rather than buying them in. The nurse said my cholestrol level would have been ascertained during my stay in hospital but in fact it wasn't. The last cholestrol level reading I have was 2003! Fortunately my GP has organised a specialised annual check clinic for next Tuesday in my case and one of the things being looked at is cholestrol level. My reason for such detail is missionary - not enough people check up on such factors as blood pressure and cholestrol - you should know your own. GPs offer services which enable people to find out and even the simpler ones at pharmacies would indicate if you have a problem. Please find out for yourself and don't assume everything is fine!

Parental Birthdays

On the day of my mate, David's birthday (Happy Birthday Pal!) I thought I would just quietly commemorate the birthdays of my parents, who both died around the time of my wedding some thirty odd years ago now.

Perhaps the recent past has made me aware of the fragility of our existence and how much our memory relies on those left behind. I am grateful to my brother, the family tree historian, for the information.

Big James Patrick Corrigan was born the 23rd December 1909 or 98 years ago. My father's middle name was that of the family saint and all the male Corrigans bear that name except one. Dad was from Irish Catholic descent.

Nelly Corrigan, nee Frost, was born on the 6th April 1917 or 90 years ago. Mum came from good Yorkshire Protestant stock and apparently was incredibly self willed. Her firstborn, Michael Patrick, died at the age of six months from pneumonia. I would have died at six months from pneumonia if my mother hadn't insisted on taking me to hospital despite GP advice. If she had been another 24 hours I would not have survived but she had practical experience which made her go against medical opinion. When it came to my christening, she refused to name me after a saint who couldn't look after her children and so I was given the name John having been born in the parish of St John.

God bless them both!

The Last Confession

The Roman Catholic Church fascinates me since for the first five years of my life I was a Catholic. Nuns ran my first primary school and I remember the dispensation of milk and biscuits at break time as both ceremonious and physically fulfilling.
In Roger Crane’s new play, the cardinals reserve their most vitriol for “Communists” and one reference to the “Lutheran”. The former don’t share the belief in God and the latter don’t share the same approach to God. There has been enormous debate through the centuries as to how “the greatest revolutionary of them all” ended up being represented by the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican, Papacy and Vicar of Christ. An explanation I paraphrase for my own benefit is that when the Emperor Constantine adapted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire – a move inspired by pragmatism and politics rather than a conversion – he found he had a pragmatic and political problem to solve. The Roman Empire already had a highly structured official religion and his decision threatened a loss of dedicated architecture throughout the Empire and widespread unemployment. Therefore he decreed that this structure be used to dispense Christianity hence the introduction of priests and a hierarchy that is imposed rather than truly organic. This conflict between the perceived will of God and the running of a church of 800 million souls is at the heart of “The Last Confession”.
During the course of the play we meet three Popes and Cardinal Benelli, the Italian Pope maker (played by David Suchet). We watch the manoeuvring of men of power in their struggles for supremacy at the head of the vast Church. We learn about the legacy of Pope John, a radical, whose successor, Paul, goes to his grave convinced he is a failure because after 15 years he feels he has been unable to accomplish anything. In the election for a Pope that follows, and here Crane is quite graphic about the blocs and alliances within the cardinals that shift and flow, more reminiscent of an American presidential election, than an exercise of the will of God, Cardinal Benelli is instrumental in securing the installation of Luciani , Cardinal of Venice, as Pope John Paul I. Luciani is a simple soul( lovely performance by Richard O’Callaghan, who reminded us of our own lovely, Jasper Utley) who takes on the bastions of power surrounding him. He wants to send them home, release them from their burdens of authority and responsibility. Pope John Paul I dies after 33 days in power in somewhat mysterious suspicions. Cardinal Benelli attempts to investigate.
David Suchet is a marvellous actor full of nuance. He dominates the stage when he is on but is subtle. He portrays a cardinal beset by ambition but who believes “he has been brushed by the hand of God”. He makes us care for a very complex character quickly and thoroughly. He does not take the easy road of relying on his star status but works hard at making us aware of the humanity within, and this isn’t always edifying or pleasant.
The production has a terrific set by William Dudley, which captures the scale and grandeur of the Vatican but also implies the whispering intrigue that stalks its corridors. David Jones, the director, keeps the clarity of what could be a complicated plot through to the very end. There are lovely touches of ceremony. I particularly enjoyed the coronation of Pope John Paul I. I don’t feel any more sympathetic towards the machinations of the Vatican though I can concede what a mammoth task awaits any incumbent of the seat of St. Peter.
Jonathan Church and Alan Finch are to be congratulated on opening the new season in the main theatre with a world premiere of a fascinating new play.

Publication

My Pompey Stadium (see previous post) was published in the Bank Holiday Monday edition of the Portsmouth News yesterday. Hurrah!
The ramshackle open house event held annually on the early Bank Holiday Monday took place under the groaning gazebo, which threatened to part with its moorings on several occasions thanks to the strength and direction of the wind. The rain held off (having tipped it down during the night) and the oldies like me sat outside while the youngsters sat indoors. I hadn't anticipated twenty people but there was a good buzz. Two of the guests actually moved our huge three piece settee to a better position in the lounge! I was disgraceful as usual and drank too much wine and ate the wrong kinds of food. In the end I had to go to bed at 8.30 p.m. and was fast asleep within seconds only to be woken at half past midnight when best beloved came to bed having cleared up downstairs. I tossed and turned for the rest of the night, perhaps guilt at not doing my fair share of the clearing up, but more likely dehydration from the alcohol and barbecued food.
I did have a twinge that my son in law and my best friend who work at Havant College did have to share the event with some of their own students. I hope it didn't spoil their day off work too much!
Best beloved has gone off to school this morning to help with a school trip to the Iron Age farm on Butser that she had arranged with her successor as Year 3 class teacher.
I am off to Port Solent to see The Last King of Scotland in a 11.00 a.m. showing for us oldies. Last Tuesday afternoon I saw Blades of Glory and Fracture at the Gunwharf Vue. The first was a screening for me and two others and the last was for me and three others.
Tonight we are off to the Chichester Festival Theatre to see the Press Night of The Last Confession, a new play starring David Suchet about the machinations of the Vatican on the unexpected death of a Pope.
Hi ho for the life of a retiree!

Pompey's New Stadium

The sheer scale and grandeur of the plans and designs for the new Pompey stadium take the breath away! This is real thinking out of the box - not for Pompey a concrete box stuck away on the outskirts of the city hidden on an old playing field site. This audacious idea will make Pompey a visit to remember for home fans and away fans alike and will put us on the map in football terms that must inspire the team to even greater heights.

Already the cavils about transport and how to get there have started - it will be impossible to park the car, etc. The only way I can get to Fratton Park is by train using the station and under present circumstances that can be quite a challenge in itself. But under present circumstances getting into and out of Portsmouth normally is a challenge.

If the same quality of thinking is given to the matter of getting 36000 people to the match and out again as is evident in the design of the stadium itself, perhaps we will begin to see solutions to the more everyday problems of transport around and within the city.

Portsmouth could become an exciting city in which to live, as famous in its way as Venice, because it has found modern and innovative ways for its citizens to move around.

Play Up Pompey and thank God for an exciting young chairman prepared to dream of the impossible rather than settle for the probable!

Musings

I am in the process of destroying my teaching notebooks of many years. It is a sad process but I am also aware that some of it is sensitive in personal information about classes and children so it needs careful editing in order to shred rather than just jettison.

One of the things I have been prone to is the gathering of exhortations - I am a simple soul and need to hang my principles on such things.

One I came across yesterday was not attributed in my notebook but I suspect is a Pie Corbett quotation. It is worth retaining for my grandchildren and other people's children as I believe it contains such truth and power.

If a child reads, it doesn't need to be taught English.
If a child doesn't read, it can't be taught English.

N.B. the use of the words "doesn't" and "can't because the last statement can be misread.

Weight

Before Christmas and before I was aware I had a heart problem I weighed 18 stone. One of the reasons, I thought at the time, which explained my breathlessness, was the fact that I was basically unfit and overweight (although technically the term should be obese!). Once I was retired I would be able to pay attention to such matters as diet and exercise without the stress and strain of just getting through the working week.
After the operation and my stay in hospital my weight had fallen to a fairly respectable 16 stone, although my target has to be in the 14 - 15 stone area if I am to be normal for my height and age.
However yesterday the day before I begin my Cardiac rehab programme I weighed myself and was disgusted to find it was now 17 stone. I have put on a stone in a month! I could say this shows my appetite is back to where it was but I was really pleased with my newfound sleeker look.

Alan Ball, 1966 World Cup winner, died of a heart attack - he was aged 61! - yesterday. Just a reminder to keep all concerns and carpings in perspective. Thank you for your work with Pompey, Alan, and I am looking forward to today's announcement in London about the fate of Fratton Park - and presumably some idea of where the new ground is gonna be. Watched the Villa Park game on Sunday and was once again struck by how toothless our attack was. Pompey's defending has improved enormously this season (is the presence of Tony Adams as assistant manager coincidental?) but we need strikers who can score goals.

Man U's defence last night was ramshackle thanks to injury list absentees but Kaka, Ronaldo and Rooney showed enormous quality and skill in the goals they scored to make it an exciting match even for the neutral. What price a boring scoreless draw at Chelsea when they play Liverpool in the first leg of their semi final?

Domestic bliss?

Ingrid has the bit between her teeth and is throwing herself wholeheartedly into transforming the house in this her first spring clean freed of work commitments. Something similar happened in the first three weeks of January when I concentrated on just cleaning.
The decoration of the lounge is now complete and we await the carpet laying on Thursday. We are negotiating with the furniture people to ensure our new suite arrives after the carpet laying but they only deliver one day a week so this issue is delicately balanced.
While waiting for the lounge to complete, Ingrid has attacked the spare bedroom. The end result is that both downstairs and upstairs are cluttered with items moved out of the rooms under decoration. The only resort for me is the garden, even though it was decidedly chilly yesterday. I watched, in the garden on my portable DVD player, Part 2 of La Belle Noiseuse, in which the incredibly beautiful Emmanuelle Beart spends most of the time naked. She has one of the most divine posteriors one could hope to see. However there is nothing salacious about the film as it deals with the creative process in an ageing master painter. More screen time is devoted to his attempts to render a likeness of Miss Beart on canvas so we see a lot of his hands and marks being made on blank canvas. The film takes a total of 2 hours 40 minutes on 2 DVDs and is supposed to represent the three days in which painter and model lock horns in a futile attempt to complete his final masterpiece. I am sorry to say the film felt like I had spent the entire three days in their company and except for the occasional divertissement of a naked Emmanuelle I really wasn't involved in the old man's story. Jane Birkin as the painter's former model and now his wife has certainly stood the test of time and gives the younger Emmanuelle a run for her money.
Wednesday sees the start of my cardiac rehabilitation programme in Langstone. I have set great store by this programme as I hope it marks the next stage of my recuperation towards the new me. At the moment energy still runs out and I can keep little in reserve, so feel I am marking time. A fellow heart sufferer says it took six months for full recovery, which means August 2.
I have ordered a medical dog tag from MedicAlert as advised by the ENT consultant from Southampton. This will inform medical practitioners that I am difficult to intubate (in ER, they refer to bagging the patient!) so if future medical aid or operations are needed, alternative arrangements can be taken. Apparently the tracheostomy was performed because I have "prominent lymphoid lingual tissues, reduced mouth opening and an infantile long epiglottis". The reduced mouth opening may account for some inarticulation encountered on the stage but will come as some surprise to those who have heard me in "full bellow".
The Bench Theatre are in the second round of a drama festival with "Grimm Tales" on Saturday and I am looking forward to supporting the event, especially as my Alice is taking over one of the roles (the actress is auditioning in London but is also appearing in Play It Again Sam at the Arts Centre so the firstborn is covering that part!)
May 2 is three months after operation and is also Ingrid's birthday. Dinner at Fat Olive's is planned.
May 3 is local elections and I am being a teller for an hour at a local polling station on behalf of LibDems (see previous post) although I have no idea what the task entails!