Some Kind Of A Summer
Aug. 25th, 2024 07:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eiffel_71Our four shows at the 17th Century Village, from 23rd to 26th July, went well. The audiences all loved it. I nailed my comic Welsh accent each time. I ended up using the old religious book Glyn had brought as a stand-in for a Bible, as the front of the leather cover is coming off my much loved Pepys at both top and bottom, to the point where only about a sixth of the height is untorn. On the Thursday Jo came up to congratulate me at the end as we stood in two lines to thank the audience for coming. My mother and Jade came on the Friday, and Jade was over the moon to win two tickets to next summer’s production in the raffle. The Mayor was in the audience on Friday. During Ian’s speech after the curtain call he called the Mayor up to say a few words, the Mayor made a passionate appeal to people to support local arts initiatives, then he talked about how the group had been formed in 1986 and called Ian, Glyn and Carol, the three surviving charter members of the company, to step forward. He did mention Aussie, the other founding member; you could see Carol was deeply affected. I held her hand when she rejoined me in the lineup around the edge.
Then came the final night at Swanmore on the Saturday. The weather was kind this year so we were out in the garden. Glyn hadn’t brought her book so my Pepys was pressed back into service. Thankfully the front cover stayed on. The Swanmore people did us proud again for the after-party with a lavish selection of cakes and nibbles including plenty of cheese. We all signed a thank you card for Ian and Glyn. I talked to Carol, Mark and Sarah, mostly looking forward to Macbeth in February.
With the play’s run over, the following two Wednesdays saw me back at the pétanque club, finally with my own set of boules bought from France - engraved for someone called Gérald who’d changed his mind, allowing me to pick them up at discount. I’m getting a boule on target here and there, but still seeing quite a few go wayward. Nicole says I need to get used to my new smooth boules after previously playing with the club ones with lines engraved. That makes sense.
Sunday the 4th was a highlight, Tiffany (she of I Think We’re Alone Now fame) played the Concorde Club in Eastleigh and on the gate I was able to pay £25 for a VIP upgrade. This allowed me to meet and greet Tiffany before the show. She was lovely, hugging me and allowing me to kiss her on the cheek, then we had a photo taken. The support act was a singer called Nicola Marie who did a great set of 80s hits and had a cheerful line in between-song patter. I got to talk to her after her show, she was good company. Then Tiffany came on. She opened with some rockier numbers from her latest album, telling some stories from her career in between - including how she hated how the record company insisted she wear her hair when she first started out, hence her moody expression on her first album’s cover. She sang Robbie Williams’ Angels, going around the audience stopping by people as she sang; she had her arm around me with her head on my shoulder for half a verse. Then she went into a selection of her hits, including a beautiful rendition of Could’ve Been and concluding with a grandstand finish on I Think We’re Alone Now. We VIPs then queued up by the bar tent and were presented with signed 8x10s of the lady.
I saw FC Romania’s home matches on the Wednesdays of last week and this week. The first game, Ion asked why I’d travelled up - an odd question since he’d given me the season ticket - but he did thank me for my support and shake my hand. Caught up with Scott and Gary at each game; Gary updated me on London Seaward, who are doing well with an almost all new squad after nearly all last year’s players followed Dan to London Bees. I was glad to hear Jo is back in the side. The first game was a 0-0 draw.
On my way home the following day I called at a bookbinder in a village near Hedge End to ask if he could do anything for my Pepys with the falling-apart cover. He said he could do restoration work on it for about £200 but that the book wouldn’t be as valuable as it is in its current state. I agreed to have the work done but he said he can’t start until after Christmas, so I made an appointment to return in January.
Before the second game assistant manager George invited me into the dressing room to meet the team. He got me to introduce myself and told the lads how I travel from Gosport to see them, adding that if that wasn’t motivation to win he didn’t know what was. I wished them good luck and went to sit in the stand, where chairman Chris invited me into the home directors’ section. There was a groundhopper there I’d met before, who kept up a stream of chat for half the game about what games he’d been to, what games he had coming up, and where his travels with work were going to take him next - his job involves being at sporting events all around the world. Jealous doesn’t begin to cover it.
Alas, the second game was lost 4-1. On our way out through the clubhouse, Gary and I agreed the team were looking at a long hard season. Sadly, with my social club commitments on Saturday evenings I’ll only see the Roms one more time before New Year, in an FA Vase tie on a Sunday next month.
Saw AFC Portchester Ladies play a friendly away to Portsmouth Women Reserves. The game was played at the new John Jenkins Stadium but, alas, it was on Pitch 2 which, as well as not being listed on Futbology so I was unable to register this game, had no seats so I had to stand all afternoon. At least the staff let me pop into Pitch 1 without charging me admission, to get crisps and a drink from the tea hatch. It was good to say hello to the girls again, and chat at pitchside all game with my sponsee Sam who was out injured, even if they lost 2-0.
The following week I was back at the Wicor with Jade, expecting to see the Portchester Ladies Reserves in another friendly, but we arrived there to see a game in progress. Happily, we hadn’t missed the main event; the game coming to an end was a training one between the first team and reserves. It did allow me to say hello to Michele, Stacy and Aimee as they came off the pitch.
Jade and I met a familiar face - Lee, who used to be involved with Fleetlands. He’s now chairman at Infinity, whose women’s team were the visitors. He told us about the club’s ambition to progress and urged us to come down to Sidlesham to see their men’s team play, saying he’d give us complimentary admission. A quick check of the fixture website later, we agreed to go over there on Bank Holiday Monday.
It was the Portchester Ladies third team that were playing Infinity. Despite my initial disappointment that it wasn’t the reserves, it turned out to be just as well that it wasn’t, as the Portchester thirds built up a commanding lead before Infinity threw in the towel on 68 minutes when injuries reduced them to eight players.
First a game I couldn’t count because the pitch wasn’t listed, then an abandoned game. Pre-season hadn’t been kind to me on the field, though meeting old friends saved the days from being complete wash-outs. I spoke to the referee as he came off the pitch after the players left the field, explained to him that I was a Futbology user and asked if it would go down as an abandoned game. He said it would go down as a Portchester win. So I’m counting it.
Then came the final night at Swanmore on the Saturday. The weather was kind this year so we were out in the garden. Glyn hadn’t brought her book so my Pepys was pressed back into service. Thankfully the front cover stayed on. The Swanmore people did us proud again for the after-party with a lavish selection of cakes and nibbles including plenty of cheese. We all signed a thank you card for Ian and Glyn. I talked to Carol, Mark and Sarah, mostly looking forward to Macbeth in February.
With the play’s run over, the following two Wednesdays saw me back at the pétanque club, finally with my own set of boules bought from France - engraved for someone called Gérald who’d changed his mind, allowing me to pick them up at discount. I’m getting a boule on target here and there, but still seeing quite a few go wayward. Nicole says I need to get used to my new smooth boules after previously playing with the club ones with lines engraved. That makes sense.
Sunday the 4th was a highlight, Tiffany (she of I Think We’re Alone Now fame) played the Concorde Club in Eastleigh and on the gate I was able to pay £25 for a VIP upgrade. This allowed me to meet and greet Tiffany before the show. She was lovely, hugging me and allowing me to kiss her on the cheek, then we had a photo taken. The support act was a singer called Nicola Marie who did a great set of 80s hits and had a cheerful line in between-song patter. I got to talk to her after her show, she was good company. Then Tiffany came on. She opened with some rockier numbers from her latest album, telling some stories from her career in between - including how she hated how the record company insisted she wear her hair when she first started out, hence her moody expression on her first album’s cover. She sang Robbie Williams’ Angels, going around the audience stopping by people as she sang; she had her arm around me with her head on my shoulder for half a verse. Then she went into a selection of her hits, including a beautiful rendition of Could’ve Been and concluding with a grandstand finish on I Think We’re Alone Now. We VIPs then queued up by the bar tent and were presented with signed 8x10s of the lady.
I saw FC Romania’s home matches on the Wednesdays of last week and this week. The first game, Ion asked why I’d travelled up - an odd question since he’d given me the season ticket - but he did thank me for my support and shake my hand. Caught up with Scott and Gary at each game; Gary updated me on London Seaward, who are doing well with an almost all new squad after nearly all last year’s players followed Dan to London Bees. I was glad to hear Jo is back in the side. The first game was a 0-0 draw.
On my way home the following day I called at a bookbinder in a village near Hedge End to ask if he could do anything for my Pepys with the falling-apart cover. He said he could do restoration work on it for about £200 but that the book wouldn’t be as valuable as it is in its current state. I agreed to have the work done but he said he can’t start until after Christmas, so I made an appointment to return in January.
Before the second game assistant manager George invited me into the dressing room to meet the team. He got me to introduce myself and told the lads how I travel from Gosport to see them, adding that if that wasn’t motivation to win he didn’t know what was. I wished them good luck and went to sit in the stand, where chairman Chris invited me into the home directors’ section. There was a groundhopper there I’d met before, who kept up a stream of chat for half the game about what games he’d been to, what games he had coming up, and where his travels with work were going to take him next - his job involves being at sporting events all around the world. Jealous doesn’t begin to cover it.
Alas, the second game was lost 4-1. On our way out through the clubhouse, Gary and I agreed the team were looking at a long hard season. Sadly, with my social club commitments on Saturday evenings I’ll only see the Roms one more time before New Year, in an FA Vase tie on a Sunday next month.
Saw AFC Portchester Ladies play a friendly away to Portsmouth Women Reserves. The game was played at the new John Jenkins Stadium but, alas, it was on Pitch 2 which, as well as not being listed on Futbology so I was unable to register this game, had no seats so I had to stand all afternoon. At least the staff let me pop into Pitch 1 without charging me admission, to get crisps and a drink from the tea hatch. It was good to say hello to the girls again, and chat at pitchside all game with my sponsee Sam who was out injured, even if they lost 2-0.
The following week I was back at the Wicor with Jade, expecting to see the Portchester Ladies Reserves in another friendly, but we arrived there to see a game in progress. Happily, we hadn’t missed the main event; the game coming to an end was a training one between the first team and reserves. It did allow me to say hello to Michele, Stacy and Aimee as they came off the pitch.
Jade and I met a familiar face - Lee, who used to be involved with Fleetlands. He’s now chairman at Infinity, whose women’s team were the visitors. He told us about the club’s ambition to progress and urged us to come down to Sidlesham to see their men’s team play, saying he’d give us complimentary admission. A quick check of the fixture website later, we agreed to go over there on Bank Holiday Monday.
It was the Portchester Ladies third team that were playing Infinity. Despite my initial disappointment that it wasn’t the reserves, it turned out to be just as well that it wasn’t, as the Portchester thirds built up a commanding lead before Infinity threw in the towel on 68 minutes when injuries reduced them to eight players.
First a game I couldn’t count because the pitch wasn’t listed, then an abandoned game. Pre-season hadn’t been kind to me on the field, though meeting old friends saved the days from being complete wash-outs. I spoke to the referee as he came off the pitch after the players left the field, explained to him that I was a Futbology user and asked if it would go down as an abandoned game. He said it would go down as a Portchester win. So I’m counting it.
