I was going to leave a comment under my previous post re The Shoulder, but decided to put it in the body of this one instead. You are all so kind and thank you for your good wishes and sympathy. The shoulder has eased off considerably and is much better and lots of heat and warmth and hot water bottles and painkillers has done the trick. Also, not sitting at the laptop and using the mouse has helped. I had forgotten that I used to get like this when at work and on the computer for hours, but at least there I was interrupted by telephone calls, the boss and other things to do. The other day I realised I had sat working and clicking and dragging and writing and inputting for about six hours with half an hour for lunch. So my discomfort was totally my own stupid fault and I am now much wiser and will be more careful. But Jan, yes I will get those arnica pills you recommended the other day in Cambridge....
I drove over to Ipswich on Friday morning but it was OK and before my outing in the evening I was able to apply more heat and soak in a hot bath so all was fine. I went to an am-dram production of The Boyfriend in the evening and did not enjoy the drive very much as I hate night time traveling, but no other way to get there. I know the road well so it was not too bad and I just gritted my teeth and got on with it. Silly to be such a drip about driving in the dark and I have to do it as I am my own sole chauffeur and cannot rely on others if the need arises.
I have loved The Boyfriend for years - a gloriously silly pastiche on 1920's musicals by Sandy Wilson which I first saw years ago at The Players Theatre in London, and have loved ever since. Full of wonderful tunes, each number is a show stopper: The Boyfriend, I could be Happy with you; Doing the Riviera; It's never too late to fall in love and more and more. Not a duff note anywhere. The performance was, I am afraid, pretty awful and not very well sung, but the overall joi di vivre came through and it brought back so many happy memories of Patrick, me and the two girls watching the film of the same made back in the 70s by Ken Russell, and starring Twiggy as Polly Browne. It is totally over the top, Ken Russell doesn't do restraint, but utterly beguiling and Kathryn and Helen knew every note, every word and every dance move and it was a family favourite. Sadly, it is not available on DVD which surprises me somewhat and when I checked on You Tube nothing there either, but the trailer, the link to which I attach here so that you can have a look at it and see if you can understand why I love it to much.
Just finished reading an exciting new thriller by a new author sent to me last week which was pretty good and have been watching tennis on TV this afternoon and tonight it is sofa time for Strictly Come Dancing. This series has really been troublesome. Right from the start, with the sacking of Arlene and the BBC being accused of ageism, it seems to have been staggering along with the usual ejection of good dancers and the retention of the useless. Then two weeks ago,Ian and Jade had to withdraw from the competition as Jade suffered a severe knee injury and, as she is an Olympic athlete, had to leave. As she and Ian were in with a really good chance of the final, the dancing ability of the other couples this year being somewhat variable, this was quite a blow and everyone was sad to see them go.
The judges always have a couple or two that they are determined to see in the final and constantly over mark their favourites, despite their fervent denials to the contrary, and this year is no different. Couples who have turned in good performances have found themselves underscored whereas the two main contenders left seem to score highly even when making mistakes and not doing themselves justice. Then we have had one contestant, Abi, stub her toe a few weeks ago and have to dance in ballet shoes and being a plucky little woman got saved in the dance off; then Jade going; then Laila the partner of Anton du Beke who I simply adore, spraining her ankle and though trying to dance having to give up half way through her routine and being marked down by the judges who said they could not take her injury into account (as they had done precisely the opposite with Ali the week before, this was a bit hard to take), but the public vote got her through; now Ali has fallen over again (for someone who is a good dancer her balance seems to be lacking) and hurt herself badly, pictures in the press of her hobbling around on crutches and then on Friday practising the Charleston without a crutch in sight so that we do begin to wonder what is going on (and pretty certain tonight that she will get the plucky little woman vote again from the judges); and then to finish off the week, Ricky Whittle, the other final contender was arrested for allegedly assaulting a photographer (this is the same photographer who filed an assault claim against another Celeb a year or two ago but had to withdraw the charges so it looks as if this is a repeat performance of a paparazzi trying to be a nuisance) and spent a day in the cells so no practice. There has been a lot of talk about how it will affect his performance, but all of the cynics who post on the Strictly Forums, and I admit to being one of them, are pretty sure he will get through.
What would be wonderful actually is for these two to end up in the dance off as I would simply love to see the judges faces if this scenario happened! In the meantime, the other couples are beavering away and we shall see what surprises happen tonight. All enormous fun and I love it and am always sad when the tinsel, fake tan and false eyelashes have to be put away for another year.
So back tomorrow and shoulder should be more or less back to normal by then - fingers crossed and thank you all once again for your good wishes.
Au reservoir.
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