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July 2010 blog
Hello, we’re already coming down the other side of this year, 2010 is just sliding by - Grumpy in the West End is now a distant blur and July has been frantic.
This week I get my honourary doctorate from Middlesex uni, hoorah, from now on I shall insist on being called Dr Eclair - and I will be asking people to strip down to their pants for me in the street - for surely that is a right of all doctors.
Now listen, sometimes one the joys of gigging is that you get to play places that you would happily visit on holiday - so, if you fancy a trip to Derbyshire, let me recommend this market town called Ashbourne - it’s ever so pretty, with a river and nice shops, I stayed in a B and B called ‘Just B’ and gigged on Friday and Sat nights in the Town Hall - they let me get changed in the council chamber, where I tried to prise open the wooden display cabinet containing the mayoral chains which I thought would go nicely around my neck – alas I was thwarted and I had to go on stage without the Mayoral bling.
However - I did buy a lovely grey linen coat with fancy big buttons and red piping (in the sale) from a shop called Sacs and enjoyed myself hugely - cheers Ashbourne.
We have been recording Twilight Baby series 2 for radio 4 this week, with Kevin Eldon and Felicity Montague - playing my husband and sister - we’ve had such a nice three days, second series are always much more relaxed - I love being at Portland Place - they just need to sort out a decent green room for the actors, as it is, they’ve blocked off a corridor and you just have to shout your gossip at each other from one end to the other.
Honestly I can’t understand why someone doesn’t just give me the job of running the world, life would be so much simpler if I were in charge.
I got a last minute call last week to step into the breach on Tv’s The Book club which was being presented by Jo Brand and Dave Spikey, someone couldn’t do it at the last moment and I was more than happy to fill in, had to read the book ’The Disappearing Man’ by Clare Morrall over night but I’m a quick reader (being a doctor and all that) and it was a very easy read.
Can’t say it was entirely my cup of tea, bit milky for my liking - but I wasn’t vile about it, as it didn’t merit vile-ness, I’ve read much worse - or rather I’ve got half way through much worse - life is too short to be reading stuff you don’t like.
It was lovely seeing Ms Brand (and fellow Lytham boy Stephen Tonkinson was also on the show) - managed to plug my latest comedy book ‘Chin Up Britain’ - which comes out in the Autumn published by Headline.
I also squeezed in a corporate lunch do, earlier on this month - now have you ever been to Sketch? It’s a fabulously posh restaurant/afternoon tea rooms off Regent street, the toilets are fantastic, you walk into a white pod, the size of an old fashioned telephone box, only in the shape of a white lacquered egg and each pod has a sound track, the first one I went into had an airport soundtrack and although I knew I didn’t have a plane to catch. I felt a bit anxious as I sat there listening to a last minute call to ‘passengers catching a flight to Malaga’!
Very clever - a tiny piece of theatre while having a wee.
Anyway I have my acceptance speech to write for my graduation tomorrow!
This month - so far - I have mostly worked but I did do some unfortunate karaoke at our local pub during a send off for some neighbours including the wonderful jewellery designer Alex Munroe and the actor Lloyd Hutchinson who are doing a charity bike ride for
fightforsight.org.uk
Knowing that I can’t sing someone thought it would be funny to pay for me to butcher ‘Islands in the Stream’ - which I duly did.
We have also had all the petrol sucked out of our cars - yes, someone decided to relieve us of our petrol in the middle of the night-breaking off petrol caps and sucking out the juice - sad really - I only had a tenners worth in mine but the old man had a full tank, he did lots of huffing and puffing and red faced fist shaking.
Right, I have speeches to write and the supermarket to visit.
Yours, until next time Dr Eclair
08-07-2010 |
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