Quote Of The Day

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

Friday, February 26, 2021

The Comeback @ Noel Coward Theatre...

Just before Lockdown v3.0 Stuart and I squeezed in a trip to the theatre to see The Comeback at the Noel Coward Theatre in London's glitzy West End.

The Comeback, written and performed by Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen, is a comedy mocktail consisting of some fizzy short-form sketches, a dabble of slapstick, a generous amount of mistaken identity and garnished with the odd Dad joke. Needless to say we loved it.

The 'plot' was that a famous but fading comedy double-act performing on the other side of the red curtain hanging on the stage and we the audience are with our chaps, their support act, back-stage.

There were laugh out loud gags, the boys have great comic timing, there were numerous creative fourth wall sketches, a polished TV celebrity sketch (we had Graham Norton the night we went) and many successful games with the audience using the rule of three. A sort of well-thought out modern pantomime with knowing post-modern winks to the variety genre and the audience.

We laughed like drains. But then there was an whiff of Last Night in Sodom in the air with fresh Covid restrictions pending.

Thursday, February 25, 2021

'Steelers: the world's first gay rugby club' - Official Trailer...

Looks really heart-warming. It's at a couple of LGBT film festivals (for online viewing) but then I guess it will appear on stream platforms too. 

https://www.steelersthemovie.com/

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Batman’s Mum…

How does Batman's mum call him in for his dinner? 
She doesn't because she was brutally murdered in front of her son, leading him to become a violent vigilante who believes society's problems can be solved by beating up poor people instead of alleviating poverty.

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

It's carpets! It's madness! It's carpet cleaning madness!...

It's carpets! It's madness! It's carpet cleaning madness!

This little baby shook the whole street when it was fired up but it brought my deep shag up a treat.

The carpet cleaning had to happen as we've had the builders in for the past couple of months re-doing our loft space; new ceiling, refurbed shower room, refurbed windows, fixed doors, fixed locks, new floor and wall tiling, fixed roof, reclad the eaves, entire fresh insulation, rewired electrics, & fresh plumbing. And lots and lots of dust! Hence the carpet cleaning.

Happy to get the place back to ourselves to be honest.









Monday, February 22, 2021

Friday, February 19, 2021

Highbury Pool Rises From The Ashes….

Back in 2018, one of the Islington’s most popular leisure facilities was hit by a devastating fire. Now, thanks to the fantastic hard work of Islington Council, GLL_UK, and contractors, Highbury Pool is ready to reopen when #Covid19 restrictions allow!  













Tuesday, February 16, 2021

It’s A Sin. We're on Episode 4. People say it’s good one...

Really looking forward to catching up with It’s A Sin. We're on Episode 4. People say it’s good one.

The show is bringing up such strong and personal emotions for many. And some particularly sad ones for me. I lived also in a big gay house in the mid-1980s. Mine was in Fulham. 7 gay men together all in our own rooms. One bathroom. One kitchen. Wild parties. 4 are now dead. We all fiddled while Rome was burning. I went to way too many funerals. Too many memorials.

10 years later it was worse. Of the 45 or so friends at my 30th birthday party at my flat in Finsbury Park, 9 are now dead.

Returning to the show, I’ve seen some very negative reactions too - many from people wanting to see more. More about women/lesbians. More about the gay politics and class politics of the time. More about the fear/shame of getting tested. But it is a drama after all - not a truth and reconciliation exercise. Impossible to address everything in just 5 short episodes. Russell T Davis originally planned 8 but C4 said they only wanted 5. Which is such a shame.

I hope RTD writes more about the topic though. Series 2? It has had such a great reaction. So maybe.

I am also very mindful of what strong emotions it must be bringing up in people who are HIV+ today. Watching their own trauma as drama. As entertainment. It must be bringing so much back for them too.

A powerful watch. It’s must-see TV on a Friday night. Bring on episode 4.

Monday, February 15, 2021

The Duchess of Bray...

There once was a Duchess of Bray

Who, you might find it strange when I say,

In spite of her station,

And high education,

Would often spell cunt with a "k".

Friday, February 12, 2021

True Grit…

What with the council cutbacks and no salt left for the roads I guess we'll just have to grit our teeth. #snowjoke

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Short Name #Facebook ...

Nothing to do with anything really but top tip for Facebook mentions…  If you start to type someone’s name in a post you can select the full name like "John Smith", right?  Well, if after selecting the name you do a back space it just deletes the family name and shortens it to just “John”. Neat, huh? #TopTip

Monday, February 08, 2021

Sir John Soame's Museum...

Just before Lockdown v3.0 Stuart and I squeezed in a trip to the Sir John Soame's Museum in London's glitzy Lincoln's Inn Fields. 

SJSM is a house museum spanning the original home of the famous neo-classical architect, at numbers 12, 13 and 14.  

The museum is free to get in but full of riches. A complete wonder.   

Some of Soane's paintings include works by Canaletto, Hogarth, three works by his friend J. M. W. Turner, Thomas Lawrence, Antoine Watteau, Joshua Reynolds, Augustus Wall Callcott, Henry Fuseli, William Hamilton and 15 drawings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. There are over 30,000 architectural drawings in the collection. Owing to the narrow passages in the house, all decked with Soane's extensive collections, only a few visitors are allowed in the museum at any given time, and a formation of queue outside for entry is not unusual - especially during these times of Covid.  

With a mix of awe and frustration, there are few labels, the lighting is discreet; and there is no information desk or café. That said the guides on hand are full of enthusiasm for the museum and happy to chat about the collection and point you to the next highlight.  

Fun Fact: The museum was established during Soane's own lifetime by a Private Act of Parliament in 1833, which took effect on his death in 1837. Soane engaged in this lengthy parliamentary campaign in order to disinherit his son, whom he disliked intensely. The act stipulated that on Soane's death his house and collections would pass into the care of a Board of Trustees, acting on behalf of the nation, and that they would be preserved as nearly as possible exactly in the state they were at his death.  

Well worth a visit - when it reopens.  ​






















Thursday, February 04, 2021

Thought I’d do my Tax Return online. It didn’t go well...

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7523/42*3.5

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I'm filling in an old school form next year.

Tuesday, February 02, 2021

Wet Saturday afternoon, radio on, cuppa, and freshly baked cake... Perfect Combo!

It was a wet Saturday afternoon, we were listening to Dave’s new play First Out on BBC Radio Four, with a cup of tea in hand and slice of Stuart’s freshly baked sticky orange marmalade cake!  Perfect combo.