I ate lunch with Jim Ball today.

Secret surprise. May let you know when I've actually got the design nailed (not literally). But I'm not sure of the timescale, it may be that by the time I approve it, the same session will be the actual ink. It's not large, but it is being drawn for me rather than me picking it out of a book.

In a group/ fundraising sort of thing? Or personally?
Either way it's cool.

I was at his training which was organized by a couple ladies from work who invited me to lunch. He's very dynamic in a crowd (ex football coach) and pretty chill in a small group. I tried not to be a fanboy. He started as an aide and now he'd this sought after Dr. The cool thing is he still works in the field. I don't know how many trainings I've taken from people who essentially washed out and make their living as experts.

Were these "washouts" giving you bad, outdated, or conflicting information?
I suspect this a subject where the training could be heavily influenced by the personal conclusions of the trainer.

I'm happy today to have found my reading glasses. I thought I lost them in a customer's car months ago. I've replaced them since then, and yesterday I found them in the office. I still don't know how they got in the office.

I went to the Strawberry Festival today. It was nice enough. Mostly I thought of mom a lot. Much history there. It made me smile.

So pleased it made you smile.
I know how much you loved her (and she loved you).

Nice.

This is how our loved ones live on, in us. I'm happy to hear your story infinite monkey. :)

Starling lover.

:p:

Tag 'em, foots.

Yes, but they're very tiny :D
Beekeeping is a kind of Zen for me, move slowly, study their actions and ommmmmm

Had two pieces of future-positive news this morning.
After a few days of horrible news.
Won't go into details as one may come to nothing, and the other is something I don't want to go into. Both require more work and luck, but as least I feel I'm doing something.

Even if I'm doing it on a far far tighter budget than I like (having to live for three weeks on one weeks money - I think you can guess what one of the horrible things was) I do need hope in my life. And hope there is.

I wish you the luck you need, and gumption to put in the work. Hang onto that future positive. X


Sent by thought transference

Now if y'all know me at all, you'll know I love me some musicals.
I had the chance to see Starlight Express put on by a local company, with discounted tickets through my church.
The poor person who subbed me has already had to put up with me singing down the phone, so it's your turn.

Not the singing.
Just the mithering on.

I loved it. Still buzzing.
Starlight Express is really hard to do well in amateur theatre because it requires such a range of talents, specialist staging and eleborate costumes. This production handled the singing excellently - the more extreme aspects of the skating were... skated around, and the costumes pared down.

But the songs, the songs, the songs.
I don't care if I'm a laughing stock for loving it for what it is. I grew up with opera and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Radio One being played equally. And although I adore Tim Rice, Richard Stilgoe turns a merry phrase too.

The only fly in the ointment came after, when a well meaning YOUNG Mum assumed I was one of the actor's Mum. Well, I did holler and whoop. And in hindsight (if she was watching) I did sing along with all his lines. But only because he was playing my fave character (Greaseball, who gets all the best songs imo). And yes, I suppose even without being all non-English anyway, I was in a neon sundress with lilac hair. So I may have been easy to pick out in a police line-up. And yes, yes again, it's possible that as this was a youth theatre group I could legally have been his Mum (it's hard to tell when someone is dressed up as a diesel train).

My consolation is that if he had been my son I would have been very proud. Acknowledging that if he really had been my son he'd probably have been in Strangeways [prison] now.

Anyway, it was an excellent performance. All the leads sang well. In fact they all sang well, the ensemble pieces were marvellous. Rusty - who I always found a bit too whiny to be a hero - moved me to tears. And there was an excellent girl as one of the coaches (probably Buffy, but the new version doesn't give them their own solos) who I'd liked to have seen more of.

My only two real regrets (aside from wishing I hadn't met the yummy Mummy who said I must be so proud) was that CB's character was shaved down to nothing; something I did know in advance. And that Greaseball wasn't five stone heavier and twenty+ years older, so I could fancy him, as I did the original Greasball when I saw it as a teen.

But I have to say I liked their version of Poppa more. I swear he said "Eeeeeh! Careful!" when they nearly took a spill during one of the races - held through the audience. Very Southern Bluesman :)

Greaseball's theme (from the original soundtrack - sound only)

I was a dinner guest tonight! I think Limey was the last person who cooked for me, back in January 2014.

Chicken casserole (okay, maybe that could have looked a bit cat-sicky, but casserole does generally) new potatoes, carrots, mashed sweet potatoes and cabbage.

And for dessert (they even made me dessert!) fresh strawberries and raspberries with proper posh vanilla ice cream. You know, the speckly kind.

Before that I had a long walk with the lady of the house, and a good chat about life in general. She also suffers from depression, but is still managing to work part time as a music teacher and freelance instrustor for her instrument. Then another good chat back at the house with her husband, who loves words like me. And a relaxed general talk over dinner with the two of them and their son who's back from Uni where he's studying Sports Science in a city I know tolerably well.

I felt like a proper grown-up.
They're good people.