Well well well, the last day of, and my last Blog of 2009, and a bright sunshiny morning it is. The year itself has not been so bright and shiny, mainly due to the health problems that came to light, in particular our Douglas being diagnosed with cancer. Hopefully that is now all over. A house requires maintenance especially a big house like this. A garden needs maintenance, especially a big garden, but with Douglas away in England for treatment and me virtually an invalid incapable of doing anything, everything has been left to Chris, a great deal too much at times I fear but, as the Greeks say, ti na kanoume; What can we do? It would be so nice to be able to afford engaging help both in the house and the garden but, alas, currently that is out of the question.
DCG publications are about to come out with my musical version of PETER PAN. Evidently, except for England, it is now out of copywrite. Interesting that on the back cover under “Other Titles Available” there is a list of twenty three theatre works, including five musicals. It would have taken only one of those in the fifty years I have been writing to have been a success and today we might have been in the position of hiring that extra help. Ah, well, it was not to be so there is absolutely no point grieving over it. Be thankful for what we have which, compared to many, is quite a lot.
I sympathise with poor Sofia Tolstoy who it appears was forever in the same boat trying to balance her finances with no help at all, just the reverse in fact, from her husband. My heart goes out to her. Maybe though her husband wasn’t the complete monster she makes him out to be (idiosyncratic perhaps?) and it could be that she was her own worst enemy; but then for most of us I suppose, we are our own worst enemy.
Yesterday evening we watched for the second time that delightful movie “Mrs Henderson Presents” starring Judy Dench in the eponymous role. What a lovely actress she is. If she were Japanese she would be a living treasure. This is the second time we’ve watched her this week having previously watched “Ladies In Lavender” where she shared the spotlight with that other living treasure, Maggie Smith. I remember I first saw Judy Dench many years ago in a production of “Romeo And Juliet” at The Old Vic I seem to recall and, although I didn’t think much to her Romeo, she has always been for me the definitive Juliet.
I didn’t know anything about Mrs Henderson, owner of the old Windmill Theatre in London. When I was still fairly new to London I always thought it was just Vivian van Damne and I always imagined him to be a woman – because of the first name I suppose. Apart from the fact that I don’t think the Windmill was as glamorous as the film made out, rather tacky in fact, it is a lovely movie. Mrs Henderson was evidently another idiosyncratic personality and Miss Dench played her to the full. Chris suggested we send her my play “Red In The Morning” but I don’t think I have the heart anymore. I am just tired of sending out manuscripts only to have them disappear into the wild blue yonder never to be heard of again.
And on that note I will wish all my dozen or so readers a very happy, healthy, prosperous and fulfilling New Year.