A Quiet Christmas

For that’s what it has been. I feel like I’ve been off work for ages, but I know I needed it. There are things I could have done, and maybe should have done, but I haven’t.

I’ve really done very little. Christmas Day was spent with friends (until the end of Doctor Who – damn Russell T Davies for making me cry again on Christmas Day!) I came home for the Strictly* Christmas Special.

Boxing Day, I spent at home, apart from visiting my Aunt. I’m not sure she even knew it had been Christmas.

The following day, I ventured to the shops and bought a new fridge freezer. It’s being delivered next week, so I started the de-frosting of the old one yesterday. It's taken me two days! I almost got frostbite, hacking the chunks of ice off. The new flooring and carpet gets fitted the week after, so the work on the house should soon be finished.

I've ventured to the sales, and bought shoes I didn't need, (but they were pretty). I’ve eaten too much chocolate, drunk too much fizz, and basically vegged out. It’s been good. But I think I'm ready to do something now

*I think this is where I go ‘whoohoo!’ Ok, maybe he didn’t win, but it was 'Per-fect-ion'! Cue big smile on my face for Christmas Day.

All over for another year

Well, it was the final last night. I got through it by being at a ‘Strictly’ party given by friends. I’d been a little dubious about going, as I thought I might be the spectre at the feast, given I really am not over it yet, but they said the magic words ‘dress up’ and ‘wear sequins’. The world will always seem better when you’re wearing a posh frock.

Truly, I didn’t think any of the repeated dances were as good as the first time round. I thought Alesha looked very nervous, and knackered, given her training level. I do think that having to do five dances in the final is just too many. Yes, I know they’ve lost a couple in both of the last couple of years, but they could have done something about it. A three person final would have been much better. I'm really pleased that Alesha won. She deserved it.

Of course, my highlight was when my boy came back. We may have only got a curtailed version of his salsa, but he was having fun. Shimmying at the judges (actually, probably at Arlene) and hi-fiving with some of the audience. And a reappearance of that shirt could never be a bad thing! I have to say I have really admired his attitude over this last week. He’s been all over the media, obviously gutted, but gracious and dignified. It’s a hell of an achievement to get that balance right, and he has. (I haven’t, I know it and accept it, but then you know what I'm like).

I really hope that next year they get rid of the dance off, that the judges don’t give out quite so many 10’s, and that they move the results show back to Saturday. It was so much better last night when you knew it was live, and there was no chance of any spoilers. It never felt the same when you knew it was recorded, and therefore edited.

Next year, I know that I will get addicted again, and that I will have a new favourite. Whether it will be as intense as this year is doubtful.

But for now, roll on the Christmas special. I may be back!

It was only a matter of time

You remember ‘the dress’?

Well I’ve been watching it as the sales started. It got reduced first of all to £98. Still too rich for me, and I managed to resist trying it on again. Yesterday I went into Laura’s and looked at it again. It was reduced again. And I mean reduced to a frankly silly price level.

I went and got my nails done, I thought about it. I went back and picked it up, just as a friend walked into the shop and saw me. That was it. I tried it on. I still loved it. There was no longer any reason to resist. After all, it is Christmas.

Though I’m not sure how justified I was going next door into Hobbs and buying another dress in their sale. But as both dresses come to less than the original price of ‘the dress’ I think I’m allowed.

Now I have to find the occasion to wear it!

From 'Geth' to 'Gethin'

It's not where you start, it's where you finish. The face says it all. He's totally in the zone in the second picture from Saturday night. I would say that the first picture is 'Geth' and the second 'Gethin'.

I can’t pretend I’m not gutted, because I am. The dream is over. Somehow, in my heart of hearts I think I knew that this would be the last week, though I didn’t expect things to pan out as they did. I think it’s fair to say that a few tears have been shed since Saturday night.

For the first time this series I was out, and missed watching ‘live’, so I had to keep putting in a few votes when ever I got a moment. I was at the theatre, so I was pleased there was an early interval, so I could get a few more in before the voting deadline, but of course I didn’t know how things had gone.

I didn’t get home till after midnight, but I knew that I had to watch it before I went to bed. I saw Alesha do a fabulous quickstep, and Matt do a very average Argentine Tango*, which was mainly Flavia, then Gethin took to the floor for his Paso**. It was strong, it was dramatic, but it wasn’t his best dance. I think it was undermarked by most judges, and slightly overmarked by Len.

Round two, two more AT’s and a waltz from Matt. I liked Alesha’s AT which was sultry and dramatic. Matt came out for his waltz. He completed it, it wasn’t a patch on Gethin’s from the other week, or Alesha’s from earlier in the series, as it didn’t have the emotional connection, but quite unbelievably it got 4 10’s. I think my level of disbelief was the same as when John Barnes got a 10 for his salsa. And I thought Len’s standing ovation was disgraceful***. I think then I knew it was all over. A lack lustre and averagely marked dance would have made me pretty hopeful. As I looked at Gethin and Camilla’s faces before they went onto the dance floor, I could see that they knew too. They still came out and did what for me was the best AT of the night. Dark, brooding and romantic. They got 36. They were bottom of the leader board. I knew it was going to take a miracle, and I don’t believe in those.

Watching the results show was very hard. I knew he was going to have to dance again. I was actually surprised that it was Alesha who went through, so I think that proves that Matt’s sympathy vote was a one week wonder. It’s possible that Gethin got the highest public vote. I thought their AT was even better second time round, and the emotional connection between them was fabulous. But as they stood before the judges, I knew. They’d marked that waltz ‘perfect’ earlier, how could they not put him through now. All credit to Arlene though, for picking Gethin and Camilla, but it made no difference.

He was dignified, gracious and an absolute gentleman in defeat. The response of the audience was worthy of a finalist, and in my head and my heart that’s what he’ll always be. His career will be on the up and up, and I think Blue Peter will have attracted a few more viewers while he’s still with them. I guess in many ways I’m actually more gutted for Camilla, as she looked like she was trying not to cry as they stood before the judges. They are my finalists. A different week, a different result I think.

I really want Alesha to win now. In fact, I may even give her a few votes. But I’m not emotionally attached anymore. Well not until next year. But there’s still the Christmas special to look forward to. It often seems an anti-climax after the final. But it won’t be this year.

*Can someone explain to me why Matt did his AT first? My brain, which looks for the conspiracy theory, tells me that it was because it’s Flavia’s ‘dance’ and she would be able to get him through it if he faltered.

**If only he’d had a foxtrot, or any ballroom dance, I think we’d have had a different outcome

*** on the results show both Craig and Len admitted that part of their marking was because of his comeback from last week, which is basically WRONG. I’m starting to think he’s a better actor than I gave him credit for!

I've Passed!

I’ve known for a while that my OU result was due by this Friday, so I’ve been watching the post. There was a letter this morning with the OU postmark, so I sat down before I opened it. It was only a notice about registering for further courses!

So, I decided to check on line, not expecting anything. I logged in, and it popped up on my course record sheet.

Result: ‘Distinction’. I had to read it twice (actually more like about 4 times!). I got 83% in the exam apparently, and an overall score for my assignments of 84%, so I guess I’m pretty consistent.

They also provide more detail on individual answers (oh, how things have changed since St John’s when it was like pulling teeth to get any feedback at all), so I clicked on that. It seems my weakest answer was the Dickens one, which I’d actually felt was the most straightforward question. I got somewhere between 85-100% on both my Shakespeare and Romantic Poetry questions. Yes, that Romantic Poetry question that was really bad. To be honest, I’d hoped I’d managed a decent answer on Shakespeare, even though it was a pig of an extract.

I’m just a little bit chuffed. And I now have a Diploma in Literature.

(As an afterthought, hasn't the world changed, when my first thought about this is to blog about it, and to update my Facebook status!)

It's 'Chips and Wine' over again

It was a traumatic weekend in many ways. The nervousness starts early on Saturday, as I’m building up slowly to ‘showtime’. I commented to Cat that I now can’t eat a meal before the show, I can only drink wine, and I can’t settle afterwards. She can recognise the symptoms. Even I admit it’s not rational, but I don’t actually care at the moment.

I was thrilled that it hadn’t been a ‘one week only’ appearance for ‘Gethin’, and loved seeing him at the top the leader board. I really liked his American Smooth, and loved his jive – real high energy stuff – for which I think he got a deserved 10. I also love the way he takes on board all the comments, and doesn’t big himself up at all. Though I do think there’s such a thing as being too modest.

I was very surprised to see Alesha in the dance off, and thought it was undeserved. If you watch the routines, both she and Gethin went wrong, but they kept going, so you couldn’t tell. Matt just gave up, and I think he should have been in the dance off to prove he could do it. I don’t take any account of the ‘he’s young, he’s nervous.. etc’ He’s an actor, and one of the first things you learn is however bad it goes, you do not stop. Most of the time, the audience won’t even notice the error. I just hope the huge sympathy vote was a one week phenomenon, as, in a dance off, the judges will always save Alesha.

I can see that phone bill going a bit crazy this week.

The North/South Divide

It’s well known that my boss is a bit of a cultural philistine, but I’m not sure I like being tarred with the same brush!

We’re ‘down south’, chatting before a meeting, and M is telling me of her son’s audition at RADA. I ask about his audition speeches. Apparently he’s doing something from Romeo and Juliet, ‘and something from a play called ‘Bouncers’ – have you heard of it? I laugh, and comment that of course I know it, it’s Godber, it’s Hull. She’s clearly never heard of this ‘northern’ play.

My boss chips in that he once saw ‘Confessions of a Hull City Supporter’ and that he was brought up not to do theatre, or opera, or golf, as they’re posh. M comments that ‘you find that people are like that, in that they only like to do certain things’. It’s pitched in the nicest possible (but slightly condescending) terms but the inference clearly is that ‘it’s grim up north’, and we’re all still kicking the coal dust off our boots.

I mutter a comment that ‘we’re not all like that!’ and put my head down. Inwardly, I’m seething a little, as I don’t like being seen as a cultural stereotype!

More about the Welsh Wonder

Well, he’s got all sorts of alliterative names from Arlene – gorgeous Gethin, Gethin the gallant, I tried to come up with another on the same lines, but as it all tended to involve gyrations, I opted for something different. Seriously, how good was he on Saturday? I admit it, I was very nervous about his salsa, but he was on fire. And as for that shirt - ‘I didn’t realise it was see though!’ How cute is he?!!

I just hope he can keep it up now. He was just so loving it. His reaction after the waltz was lovely to see. He was hyper with it, and after the salsa, he didn’t know where it had come from. I know that feeling, when suddenly something comes from inside you and you perform in a way that you didn’t think possible. Maybe he’s finally been bit by the performance bug.

Respect is definitely due to that acting coach. So now we know, there’s Geth, quite shy, not comfortable with performing, and there’s Gethin, the dancer. It’s lovely to see how humble he is, and how little self confidence he has, but he doesn’t lay it on with a trowel like Letitia. He just shrugs his shoulders and gets on with it.

He appears so clean cut that I think quite a few people would like to look for a naughty side. I don’t think the Blue Peter image helps, as they probably have to be squeaky clean these days. I’m still gutted to read that they won’t let him pose without his shirt on!

All this will, of course, pass, but for now I’m enjoying it. After all, at least when I was sitting in a fairly boring meeting this afternoon, I could just drift off and think about that shirt.