Quote Of The Day

"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake - Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower (1887-1956)"

Monday, March 18, 2024

Eastwood Observatory 15-17 March 2024…

20 friends
14 fiftieth birthdays 
2 years in the planning
1 observatory
1 weekend
A lot of laughs. 

What a fantastic time we had celebrating lots of joint 50th birthdays together at Eastwood Observatory; chatting, eating, drinking, dancing, singing, swimming, hot-tub plunging, playing tennis, climbing, walking, and laughing - one hell of a lot of laughing. 

Thank you Denise, Kerry, and Monica for all the organising. It was something special. 

(A bit Big Brother, a bit The Traitors, a bit Saltburn.)






















Friday, March 15, 2024

Opening Night @ Gielgud Theatre...

Last night Stuart and I went to see Ivo van Hove's production of new musical Opening Night at the Gielgud Theatre in London's glitzy West End.
 
Hmmm. Not brilliant.
 
First the good stuff; van Hove's usual visual flourishes of on-stage video were all present and correct. The free-flowing, almost improvised style was there too. Rufus Wainwright's music and lyrics were pleasant enough. And the talented cast of Sheridan Smith, Hadley Fraser, Shira Haas, Nicola Hughes, Amy Lennox, John Marquez, and Benjamin Walker were all very good.
 
It's just the songs were all a bit bland. The acting equally so. And the script utterly under-whelming.
 
The plot - based on John Cassavetes' film - simply went nowhere. A theatre company is preparing to stage a new play on Broadway. "But drama ignites backstage when their leading lady is rocked by tragedy, and her personal turmoil forces everyone to deliver the performance of their lives." (or so it says here.)  It actually got a bit boring.
 
Self-indulgence and theatrical naval-gazing are all well and good when you like spending time with the characters.  I didn't.
 
 ⭐️⭐️

 


Thursday, March 14, 2024

National Anthem…

For Glastonbury, I might get cancelled for this but I would find it disrespectful if people don't stand for the National Anthem. 
Personally think it's beautiful & get goosebumps every time I hear “the best thing about being a woman, is the prerogative to have a little fun” So moving

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Arsenal 1 - 0 FC Porto…

Arsenal 1 - 0 FC Porto… 
(HT, FT, AET  1 - 0) 
(Agg 1 - 1) 
Arsenal won 4-2 on penalties  

Phew!  What a night!

Arsenal have reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years after beating Porto in a penalty shootout following a night of nerve-ripping tension at the Emirates Stadium.  

Our boys went into this last-16 second leg 1-0 down but drew level when Leandro Trossard put us ahead on the night four minutes before the interval with a smooth finish following brilliant work by captain Martin Odegaard.  

By full time we were still level on aggregate 😬  

Extra time, my friends   

Thirty minutes later neither team had been able to find a winner. It had been a scrappy 120 minutes of footie. 

Penalties, my friends     

What followed was undoubtedly Raya's finest night since arriving at Arsenal.  

Raya made the saves that mattered, turning Wendell's second penalty for Porto on to the post before kicking the rebound clear with his heel then confirming the win with a flying save from Galeno.  

Cue wild scenes of celebration around the Emirates.

Great night out. 

Onward and upward my friends. 

@Arsenal
#COYG
#ARSFCP
























Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Dune Part Two…

If you’re looking for a very long all-round action adventure tragic revenge mystery sci-fi blockbuster sandy sequel, this is the film for you!

It’s big, it’s bold, it’s full of amazing cinematography. Hans Zimmer’s music is simply wonderful. The film is packed full of massive armies, towering sand dunes, massive worms, blinking twinkly pairs of blue eyes, and the smirks of sadistic villains. 

Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson are all fabulous. Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, and Dave Bautista are all great. Christopher Walken is, you know, just Christopher Walken. 

Roll on Dune Part Three (Messiah)!




Monday, March 11, 2024

Mother’s Day…

Lovely Mother’s Day Sunday roast yesterday courtesy of my beautiful sister Joanna. Thank you for hosting Stuart and me, my darling. 
Great to spend time (and way too much laughter) with Myrtle, Joanna, Simon, Charlotte, Jos, Manning and Felix. ❤️






















Sunday, March 10, 2024

Arsenal 2 - 1 Brentford…

The sight of Ramsdale cupping his ears towards the Brentford fans last night after Havertz's late winner was a clear indication of his relief.  And ours. 

Arsenal had been in utter control in the first half. Rice scored a beauty after 19 minutes. Things were going great.  

But then Ramsdale allowed Brentford back into the game just before the break, dawdling on a backpass under little pressure and taking an extra touch which allowed a sliding Wissa to block the attempted clearance.  

Ramsdale could only watch aghast as the ball looped back into his goal, leaving him looking distraught and stunning us all into silence. WTF!  

Brentford’s game plan kicked in in the second half; fall to the ground at every opportunity. And if proof be needed that this was trickish behaviour, the Brentford physios didn’t come on - which if they did have would have meant each player would have had to leave the field of play for the usual 30 seconds.   None did. 

So hilariously, when Havertz pulled us ahead again after 86 minutes those diving Brentford players suddenly all then turned into Benny Hill characters running around like ants on a hot plate! So funny.   

A great result. 

Top of the League (for a bit anyway).   

Onwards and upwards, my friends.   

@Arsenal  
#COYG 
#ARSBRE























Friday, March 08, 2024

Nye @ National Theatre...

Last night Stuart and I went to see Michael Sheen take on Nye at the National Theatre on London's glitzy South Bank.
 
The casting director needs an award, Mr Sheen is in his element as Welsh Labour politician, NHS founder, and left-wing fire-brand Nye Bevan. 
 
Born in a Welsh mining town, Bevan was bullied by his teacher as a young boy for his stammer, and spent some time working down a coal pit.
 
His beginnings in local council and union politics saw him eventually progress to Parliament. There he became a fierce but lone vocal critic against Churchill during the war.
 
Sheen's performance is electrifying. There is a fantastic ensemble too.
 
The set design is also very clever. Sliding hospital curtains tumble around as if in a dream. And indeed, most of the action takes place as Bevan lays ill on his death-bed in bed having morphine-induced fever-dreams remembering his past.
 
My only minor quibble might be we don't get to see or hear quite enough of Bevan the man, what makes him tick. Aside from his sense of (in)justice. 
 
Sharon Small too, who plays his self-sacrificing wife Jennie Lee (also an MP for a number of years), gets all too brief a crack of the whip.
 
That said, it's a thrilling show with a climax that is rousingly poignant.
 
If you want to know how the NHS started - this is the show for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️












Thursday, March 07, 2024

Hotel…

Stuart said, "you treat this place like a hotel!"
He'll regret saying that when he sees the low score I give him on Trip Advisor for "rude staff".

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

The 50 LGBT+ Venues London 2023…

Been to 32/50. How about you?

(That said, some have since closed 😔)

The 50 LGBT+ Venues London 2023
 
Admiral Duncan
Arch Clapham
Buker Bar (formerly East Bloc)
Central Station (King's Cross)
Circa
Circa the Club
CMYK
Comptons of Soho
Dalston Superstore
Dome London
Duke of Wellington
Eagle London
Fire (including Lightbox and Protocol)
Freedom
G-A-Y Bar
G-A-Y Late
Gays the Word
Glory, The
Halfway to Heaven
Heaven
Karaoke Hole
King WIlliam IV
Ku Bar  (including Klub and Lounge)
Little Ku
New Bloomsbury Set
Queen Adelaide of Cambridge Heath
Retro Bar
Rose and Crown
Royal Vauxhall Tavern
Rupert Street
She Soho
Taco Queer
Ted's Place
The Apple Tree
The Bridge Bar
The Chateau
The City of Quebec
The Cock Tavern
The George & Dragon
The King's Arms
The Two Brewers
The Underground Club
The White Swan
The Yard
Union
Vault 139
VFD (Vogue Fabrics Dalston)
Village
West 5
Zodiac Bar
 

Tuesday, March 05, 2024

Sheffield United 0 - 6 Arsenal…

The Steel City showed precious little mettle last night. Within minutes we dominated the play. Taking the Sheffield team apart like a wet tissue. 

Like an oven-baked horse chestnut tree seed soaked in vinegar we were a tough nut to crack. We came, we saw, we conkered. 

But enough of the similes. 

Our boys had a field day at Bramall Lane. Six goals, clean sheet. 

Arsenal are now two points off the top, from what was their seventh successive Premier League win.

Onwards and upwards, my friends. 

The goals as they came:-

Ødegaard (5'minutes)
Bogle (13'minutes og)
Martinelli (15'minutes)
Havertz (25'minutes)
Rice (39'minutes)
White (58'minutes)

@arsenal
@regenersaurus
#COYG 
#SHUARS