table 12 March 2010
I have just heard on the radio that a high-chair has been invented so that people can have their dog at the table with them at mealtimes (presumably they chow down at the same time as the humans is the idea?). It’s some sort of contraption that hooks onto the table and the dog is strapped into it. That can’t work, surely? Firstly there’s the size of the dog to consider. And no dog I’ve yet met would like being strapped into a mad contraption like that. AND, do you really want the pooch at the table, eating noisily along with the rest of the family/menagerie – can’t see the mutts wanting to observe table etiquette much – hard enough making kids or a husband do that. I’d get into the hygiene argument except that as a former cat ‘owner’ I know that felines have their own ideas about where they can and can’t go re furniture and hygiene might have been an issue but reasoning with her was useless – she did her own thing. The G spent a lot of her life on the table as the view was great from up there, though if we were having dinner, she was put on the floor and kept distracted by her own meal – and she always got served first…
moths 11 March 2010
I NEED ADVICE/HELP. Last year I had a bit of a moth problem in the London flat. They were little fellas and their legacy is with me still. basically they seem to have chewed quite a few clothage items. And yesterday a live lad fluttered by me – actually he got plucky and too close and I caught and did away with him. But I’m a bit worried there might be more snoozing in various nooks and crannies ready to wake up and chew more of the things I like (they have chosen some nice tops and cardis, the little feckers). SO, what can I do to guard against this????
Off to see my editor, the lovely Clare Foss, this afternoon to get my rewrite homework…eeek!…it never ends…kind of excited to be getting to further grips with the book now. And really would love to think it might travel to some sunshine with me soon – wouldn’t it be bliss to be sitting under a brolly in the heat, tweaking the novel* and knowing a lovely treat awaits later in the form of a nice meal of a fruity cocktail – hey, a gal can dream, okay? *‘tweaking the novel’ sounds like a euphemism for something dirty, don’t it?!
brows 10 March 2010
I had a lovely time on UK breakfast television this morning with the amazing Lorraine Kelly. Not least of my pleasures was that the make-up artist (and she was an artist – she made me look, not only human but, vaguely attractive) plucked my eyebrows, a thing I am always afraid to get too jiggy with. She quite rightly identified that the lower, inner parts were a tad heavy and did away with them and OPENED those peepers up. LOVED it. And it was a totally unexpected treat. Normally the way of those shows, of necessity, is that you go in with not a lot of time to spare, get made up quickly (and beautifully, it has to be said, and I am always grateful to the magicians who do that) and the you go on IMMEDIATELY – there is NEVER time for anything else but today she did that AND then curled my hair with one of those conical things that looks like a sex aid (from what I hear, not like I would ever, EVER have seen one of the latter, you understand)
Thanks to you all who were delighted to see Libby back in SHAMELESS – I thought it was a really good episode and am mightily proud of it.
sandra 8 March 2010
There was a time when 2 great friends of mine had a top OSCAR party every year in Dublin. Interested types gathered, voted, bet money on who’d guess most winners, drank and watched the ceremony till dawn. If you won, you got the pot of money BUT ALSO your name was printed on the little plaque on the front of the fake OSCAR held in the house (my name went on one year and I have never experienced anything like that thrill!) HOWEVER those 2 BAGSES (Stephen and Dee – I’ll name them) moved to London to further their careers and the tradition died out, not least because no one else has/had the channel piped in to watch the thing on. So, first thing this morning chez moi the internet was checked for winners and I was truly delighted to see Sandra Bullock there – she is just magnificent and what a nice woman too and GORGEOUS – the frock was a triumph (and there were some unforgivable howlers out on that Los Angeles carpet on the night, n’est pas???). I think she is a really wonderful actress and she has just proved the point that you CAN do comedy and be equally good at the straight stuff – I thank her for pointing it out so brilliantly in her work – that is all…
(well, all except that I’ll wave to ye from the sofa on GMTV in the morning…)
10PM 8 March 2010
Er, as Joyce of Embra points out, SHAMELESS goes out on Channel 4 this Tuesday at 10 PM not 10am…no, indeedy, I don’t think it’s all that suitable for a 10am slot actually…
lambs 7 March 2010
Lovely train trip from Cork to Dublin this morning. I finally felt Spring properly and saw it in action. The fields were filled with tiny lambs (though that was a tad problematical as I remembered the lamb shank dinner last night, delicious as it was) and there were also a lot of foals on view too. When we got off in Dublin the train driver sought me out, told me I’d given him a lot of viewing pleasure over the years on TV and that it had been great to drive me from Cork and then he gave me what I hope is a top tip on a horse running in Cheltenham…am off to put me few bob on that nag in the morning. What a lovely thing (even if I don’t win a a cent!) My late Dad would have SO approved of that kind of encounter.
To top it all off, my football team, ASton Villa, won their game today (though made hard work of it in the first half…) and are in the semi finals of the FA Cup – hooray!
London tomorrow as am on GMTV on Tuesday morning at around 9.15am to flag Ms Libby Croker’s return to SHAMELESS on Tuesday evening (10am Channel 4 – it’s a CRACKING good episode and should not be missed)
simon 7 March 2010
Did a thing I don’t normally this evening – I was MC at a charity event – choridee to you and I ? – it was an actual Black Tie night out and they are rarer than hens’ teeth at the moment. BUT this was in Cork and THE RULES ARE DIFFEENT HERE. There was a lovely generosity in the place form the outset and a feeling that everyone wanted a good night out – and I think they got it while doing good (no reason why you can’t have it all and I mean that). The charity to benefit was and is Cork Simon Community who help the homeless. Story of the night for me was the Chairman telling the tale of how the powerhouse woman who runs the day-to-day operations phoned him last December after a particularly hard and cold and frightful night and said ‘last night no one was homeless in Cork’. WAY TO GO.
Also met SO many good people just now – people who should be afraid of me cos I have their numbers and I WILL stay in touch…yes, Cork and it’s population are that worth it…
simon 7 March 2010
Did a thing I don’t normally this evening – I was MC at a charity event – choridee to you and I ? – it was an actual Black Tie night out and they are rarer than hens’ teeth at the moment. BUT this was in Cork and THE RULES ARE DIFFEENT HERE. There was a lovely generosity in the place form the outset and a feeling that everyone wanted a good night out – and I think they got it while doing good (no reason why you can’t have it all and I mean that). The charity to benefit was and is Cork Simon Community who help the homeless. Story of the night for me was the Chairman telling the tale of how the powerhouse woman who runs the day-to-day operations phoned him last December after a particularly hard and cold and frightful night and said ‘last night no one was homeless in Cork’. WAY TO GO.
Also met SO many good people just now – people who should be afraid of me cos I have their numbers and I WILL stay in touch…yes, Cork and it’s population are that worth it…
contact 5 March 2010
The dongle went a bit slow, then nuts again, then I gave up on it hence the lack of contact. Mind you I did have that sweaty moment this morning when i saw that I had managed to be on the internet at some stage last night and I sweated that I might have blogged then couldn’t check whether I had cos of the dongle situation kicking in. And I have managed to do some foxy blogging while under the influence in the past. (Not this time though). Here’s why I was worried – I was drunk last night, my friends…quite, quite drunk. Not unusual, I hear you cry, but was there a reason, Pauline, an occasion mayhap? Well, yes, there was and a darn good one too. THE BOOK IS DELIVERED. There, I’ve said it. And wow am I one relieved author. I had the great pleasure of drawing a line through the number one thing on my To Do list which is ‘Write Book’. It will be quickly replaced by ‘Rewrite Book’ but not for a few days. SO I thought it best to lure my sister-in-law Rebecca into town and lead her astray through the medium of wine and pink fizz. We had a great time and felt very ‘London’. We are both suffering today but somewhat unrepentant also, it must be admitted. I am presently having a ‘cure’ in Heathrow and feel even more of this lack of repentance coursing through me yet again. Along with massive relief. I really did have to work very very hard to get the novel done and can only hope now that I have pulled it off (or at least have something that can be worked on and off). And I feel a bit washed out now. HOORAY though – HOORAY!
tweet tweet 3 March 2010
I am a bit of a dilettante and pleased about that too. I’ll admit I’m a bit of an addict to one particular social networking site and it is the best way I know of of wasting time while usefully staying in touch with people i might not encounter or speak to from one end of the year to another. It has positively strengthened some of my friendships. And it’s a great little release when the writing is getting on top of me. I also blog here, as you can all see(!). A lot of types follow this on Twitter, and Twitter is a thing I don’t actually understand that well but seems to be the posting of regular, short, usually irrelevant information for all the world to share (…what comes up from here is the fact that I have blogged not the piece itself). I think that might all be a waste of time too far even for me, which is saying a lot. But a pal, recently returned to me by the aforementioned social networking site, has pointed out that I am on Twitter but follow NO ONE so I think that means I am bucking the trend, resisting the system, and it makes me proud that somewhere in this stressed out husk that formerly masqueraded as a somewhat fully formed Pauline McLynn there is still a dilettante fighting her corner – it will do for now anyway…