Bank Holiday

Hello all. I hope that you are ok. It was a Bank Holiday on Monday for those who celebrate, so a shorter week than usual. (This excludes everyone in Retail or Leisure who don't need Bank Holidays off, apparently.) I hope that you are enjoying my very careful and professional photo of Plymouth's Beckly Point - (student digs but spectacular, I think). The photo is in no way something that I have just pointed my phone at out of our current salubrious accommodation and then just flung onto the blog.

For those not from the UK, you will not have known that we are just coming out of our local council elections this week and what an eye opener that has been. I'd rather not mention the people who swept the board, if you don't mind, but can I just ask the following question? How can you possibly vote for someone when you have absolutely no idea what their policies are? People want to give the current government a kicking - twas ever thus. However, in the olden days, this usually meant voting for the Lib Dems. They may not be your party, but they were trustworthy and solid, and you knew what they stood for. Over the past few days, I have heard so many interviews that were a variation on the following

A. Anyone but Labour. I don't care who gets in. 

B. Can I ask who you voted for? 

A. Yes. Reform.

B. And what do you think they will do to make things better for you?

A. No idea. Don't know anything about them and don't care. Just hope they get Labour out. We need a change.

Now, call me old-fashioned, but Mussolini was "a change". I would take these people's vote off them. Not because of how they voted (although a Reform vote in Plymouth's council elections seems to have left us with a rag bag of racists/islamophobics and the return of the man who cut down all the trees in the middle of the night in the City Centre). It's just that democracy isn't perfect, but it's even rubbisher when you don't take the time to investigate where your vote is leading. 

Thank you. Thank you for sitting through my moan fest.

On a more edifying note. This weekend was Pirates Weekend in Plymouth. This is a marketing masterpiece. Plymouth has not ever really been a pirate hot-spot, but turns out if you encourage all the six-year-old cute little chickens to dress up in pirate suits and import Morris Dancers, marching bands, sea shanty singers and a man who makes a living dressing up as Johnny Depp - you are on to a winner, so well done everyone. 

Messy Church also encouraged everyone to dress up as pirates to join in with the general merriment. (I obviously ignored this completely. ) There was a half-hearted attempt to make the whole morning about pirates, but the Bible is a bit short on pirate stories, so the team just did a bit about a shipwreck, everyone sang "My Lighthouse" with great gusto and then went off to do some crafts. It all went down very well. Because I was a bit late signing up this week, I was put on signing-in duties. I don't mind - I enjoyed it. I was a bit challenged by what I suppose is a new trendy thing these days, which is giving your children rhyming names. So, when I'm faced with four little people called Jaydon, Laydon, Paydon and Zaydon, I'm going to need to say "Pardon" a few times, I'm afraid. (Please note, these names have been changed to protect the fact that I can't remember them properly)

We went to the theatre this week - a matinee - in the cheap seats. Well, it got us out of the house for a while. (Or "Building of Multiple Occupancy" as we like to call it. We went to see this

It's about the three famous comedians, sitting in their dressing room, talking about comedy and fame and life in general. For those of us who remember them in their prime, I think it's very funny and quite poignant. If you are too young to remember them, then maybe not so much. I still remember trying to explain "The Golden Shot" to my children. (" A Crossbow? In a TV Studio? And all you had to do was say 'Up a bit. Down a bit' ? And then a woman who can't add up comes on and tries to add up the scores in her head?) Well, when you put it like that, I suppose. Different times.

The actors are all amazing. Not so much physically, but the voices and mannerisms are spot on. Especially the Bob Monkhouse voice. He got it exactly right. 

Anyway, it's very funny and very sad. I came home and Googled Bob Monkhouse's life - he wasn't exactly Mr Popularity, and his home life was a mess - much of it self-inflicted. And Tommy Cooper wasn't exactly a dream life partner either. I think it is touring now - definitely worth a look.

Best thing on the telly this week for my money was the David Attenborough Tribute. It was all so lovely. It made me emotional a few times. And he was devastatingly handsome. It was a fine tribute to the Natural World as well. I don't know where you stand on the old Creation Debate (I'm not sure where I stand on it, to be completely honest with you.) I know a Christian who is also a marine biology professor, and he used to call creationists members of the "Flat Earth Society", but he loves God, so you pays your money, and you takes your choice. Still, watching the Attenborough tribute, I couldn't help thinking that things are so "fearfully and wonderfully made"

Anyway. Off to watch the BAFTAs now. May have some news re the interesting accommodation next week and a possible move back home. Don't hold your breath, though. We aren't. Have a great week.