Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Today we finished watching Chernobyl, the mini-series produced by Sky/HBO. It has rightly been nominated for over a hundred accolades and won 64 so far. I thought this was an incredible series, very well written and paced with excellent performances throughout. Not a binge watch though - you need 24hrs at least between episodes in my opinion! The whole tragic, avoidable incident of the explosion at Chernobyl is quite extraordinary and I still find it hard to believe how recent it was. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Not only do these stories and truth need to be better known, but it proves beyond doubt that cover-ups and lies lead ultimately to tragedy. There is also an excellent podcast which accompanies the series called "The Chernobyl Podcast" which provided some further insight into the filming of the series, but also countless other stories and facts that they didn't have time to fit i...
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Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown The government have now suggested only essential travel to Spain including the Balearic islands so a whole new swathe of people have had their dreams of a holiday dashed. I am sure the government are acting in our best interest on this, but I really feel for all those people and many thousands of others who aren't going on holiday any time soon. It's funny, a holiday seems like a bit of a luxury sometimes but when you work hard all year, a bit of travel, adventure and relaxation seem well deserved. This has been such a weird year. For some people, I imagine that not having to look at their same four walls for a week is a desperately needed break. Mentally, physically. Folk with families who have been home schooling during all this must be doubly exhausted. Staycations have become the obvious option but accommodation is now in short supply and prices are rising. Tent in the garden it is then....
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Today I listened to some music really, really loudly. And it was good. I like a lot of different styles of music, really depends on my mood, but today was all about some banging dance anthems which I blasted out and enjoyed being transported briefly in my head to another place. I haven't been clubbing in YEARS but nothing beats that shared enjoyment of music, especially when that beat drops. Clubs, music festivals and generally any live music events will have been decimated by this pandemic, which is incredibly sad for not just those who have suffered financially but for the music fans too.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Today I think it rained pretty much all day. Yep, that's July in the UK for you. Today for dinner I made a (vegan) lasagne. I've pretty much nailed this recipe during lockdown and I'm quite pleased with it. All of the taste, none of the animal products. My (vague, not written down) recipe is onions, garlic, some veg (generally courgette, mushrooms, peppers, carrots) sauteed. I then add in a tin of tomatoes and some soya mince from Holland & Barrett (inexpensive and versatile). Next, make a bechemel sauce (soya milk works best and I used Sainsbury's baking block) layer it up, chuck it in the oven for 30 mins, bingo. Delicious.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown I don't like wearing a mask. I'm a little claustrahpobic but I put up with the discomfort because I think that they help. I don't think it's that hard to wear a mask - for most of us, it's only when we are in shops or on public transport that it is actually mandatory. You don't have to wear one in a restaurant, a pub, in the street or the gym so generally it will be a limited amount of time. So why aren't people doing it? Is it arrogance? Do they believe that Covid-19 is a hoax? Do they not think it will help? A Delta airlines flight recently turned around mid-air and returned to Detroit because two travellers refused to follow the air stewards requests to wear their masks. I applaud the pilot - a zero tolerence approach seems to be the only way to get some entitled people to follow the rules. In the UK, you can receive an on the spot fine of £100 for not wearing your mask on pu...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown I heard about this from one of my favourite podcasts, Make Me Smart. This is a website called "Looks Like You Need Iceland". On the website it says: " You’ve been through a lot this year and it looks like you need the perfect place to let your frustrations out. Somewhere big, vast and untouched. It looks like you need Iceland. Record your scream and we’ll release it in Iceland’s beautiful, wide-open spaces. And when you’re ready, come let it out for real. You’ll feel better, we promise." https://lookslikeyouneediceland.com/ So if you need to really scream and have it released to the wide open space of Iceland, here is your opportunity. Enjoy.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown My tweet about watching Hamilton and re-creating the west end at home went a bit viral yesterday which was quite exciting! It was re-tweeted by @HamiltonMusical to their 1million followers and it was quite fun watching the little "like" hearts clock up. In case you want to see the tweet, it's below! (this is likely the highlight of my week...) Miranda Colmans @mirandacolmans Level 1: Recreating the west end/broadway at home Curtain up 7:30 Time for @HamiltonMusical on @disneyplus Ice-cream at the interval I LOVED IT SO MUCH ALL OVER AGAIN! Oh @Lin_Manuel you super talented man And I miss theatre #Hamilton #HamiltonFilm
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Today we watched Hamilton on Disney Plus. This was pretty much the reason I subscribed in the first place and as it's quite long, I thought it best to schedule it in. And we made a night of it. Curtain up at 7:30pm, (vegan) ice-cream at the interval and we genuinely clapped in all the appropriate places. I loved the show when I saw it in the West End - I was one of the first big group bookings I think, there were 19 of us! I've listened many times to the soundtrack and it was a real thrill to see it again. It felt live and I got goose bumps with the opening chords. It is hands down one of the smartest musicals I've ever had the pleasure of watching and I'm going to be re-watching and listening again very soon.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Yesterday we ate some of the potatoes we had grown! I successfully grew food! This literally blows my mind I have wanted to do this for so long and I'm just delighted that at least 70% of what we have planted has grown in some way. I tried a couple of peas too and they were so sweet and wonderful, it's genuinely delightful. Can you tell I'm excited?
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Well I made the submission deadline - by 6 minutes. Ridiculous. However, I then felt all jacked up and excitable about my story and couldn't sleep and in amongst my thoughts remembered that I hadn't spell checked the document... argh! There is no real excuse for this other than I forgot and I'm really pretty annoyed at myself. My one consoling thought is that I sent it in PDF so at least any spelling errors won't be underlined in red...? Apparently my subscribers have not been receiving my blog via email for a couple of weeks and have suddenly received a backlog email of all of my musings. That's a lot of ramblings to read and I thank you dear reader for sticking with me through the madness of lockdown and of my jumble of thoughts.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Deadlines. I am a person who needs a deadline. Or my Virgo tendencies like a deadline. And a list. And a schedule. I digress. I have always wanted to be a person who finishes things ahead of a deadline. But I'm not. At school, I was always a last-minute Larry with homework. This was partly poor time management on my behalf and partly because I didn't have a lot of time as I spent most evenings doing something along the lines of ballet, drama, rehearsals for am-dram etc and my homework was a much less enticing prospect. I did however always get it done. This is where I got good at late nights. At university I got a bit better, I think the size of the essays was quite daunting. But I definitely had several late nights finishing things in time. This time my excuse was all drink related - I was either out drinking or I was working in a bar serving drinks to other...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown We made pizzas today. I didn't take a photo because it was not a pretty sight. Pizza dough makers on YouTube will make stretching the dough look all very easy and straightforward but IT ISN'T! First error - not enough flouring of surfaces and hands. Second error - exacerbated by the first error, should have put the stretched dough onto the tray it was going into the oven on before adding toppings. Some suggest you heat the tray up first, from pizza #3 I know this didn't make a difference. It was pretty much impossible to neatly slide the pizza onto the tray, so I made mine a calzone which made it slightly easier. Other members of the house ended up scooping it as a big ol' mess onto the tray and throwing it into the oven... However, even with our hole-y / calzone / piles of dough and toppings not looking quite the way we anticipated they tasted YUM! So will be making this again, with a few preparation ...
Location: London, UK and Hertfordshire COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Well today was a momentous day. Today I left London for the first time since March 13th. The furthest I've been since then is 4.5miles away and I've only travelled that far a handfull of times. This is very different to my status quo. I am in and out of central London anywhere between 1-7 times a week depending on work shifts and auditions and I've not left Zone 4 for 125 days. I think this may be the longest I've stayed within such a small area in decades. I miss London. I miss the buildings, the buzz. Everytime I see a central London location on TV or film, my urge to return to explore my city a little more comes back. Image from: https://www.mypostcard.com/en/designs/holiday-greetings/I-love-London-holidaygreetings-london-summer-travel-send-postcards-online-10567
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Love & Information - Part 3 The day after the night before. I had a good sleep which I haven't for the last few nights - all anxiety induced sleeplessness I'm sure. My performance anxieties were less to do with acting or line learning but all tech related - technology allowed us to rehearse together and then perform to friends and family all over the country (who may never have been able to see the show otherwise) but what if it failed? Luckily, other than WhatsApp going down briefly, we made it. There are always post-show blues. It's a bit like grief - you mourn for the friends and relationships you have created and for the work itself, the performance or the performing of something you've enjoyed. Reflecting on the experience, I'm so pleased we pursued the production and didn't abandon it and let Covid win. THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Developing and then playing 11 characters over 2 hours was a grea...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Love & Information - Part 2 Performance Day! At 6:30pm the countdown timer started - we'd be going live to the world in 30 minutes! And yes it really was the world, we had viewers all over the country and abroad. After a minor technical difficulty which was dealt with by producer and tech guru James with utter calm and professionalism, we were live, looking into our cameras and performing our socks off. I was in 11 scenes which meant 11 costume/hair/earring changes for me. And although I changed my top half 11 times, my bottom half remained in my trackies and slippers which was quite a joy. In between scenes, I could use my own bathroom for make-up and hair alterations and bedroom for wardrobe. I'd pop down to the kitchen to get my "champagne" for Wedding Video or to feed the cat. So there are definitely some advantages to performing from home. I've performed in lots of places - outdoors on grass...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Love & Information - part 1 Dress Rehearsal Day! Tonight was our final dress rehearsal for the one and only Zoom performance of Love & Information by Caryl Churchill. Had we not had the Covid-19 outbreak, it would have been the dress rehearsal as well, but in a theatre and with a cast who had all met each other in real life and stood within a 2 meter distance of one another. However, we didn't want to let a little thing like a global pandemic stop us, so we rehearsed weekly between 1-3 times, depending on the scenes and all learnt our lines as we would have done normally. The beauty of this particular play (50 short scenes) is that it really lends itself to being broadcast. If you don't know the play, it's a bit like eavesdropping in on conversations between people - like you've just dropped into their bathroom, joined them while they are out for a walk or at a dinner party or in the playground. Mos...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown In earring news, I seem to have healed my ear piercings! Hooray! Having found my original sleeper earrings, popped them in and kept them in for a couple of weeks, turning them frequently (which was quite painful!) they seem to have healed and the holes are happy again. What a weird sentence. My goal was to get my ears ready for a performance on Tuesday as I change my earrings along with my characters which means 10 earring changes - doing this in rehearsal is what alerted me to the fact that my piercings had indeed tried to close!
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown I've not watched a lot of Sally Wainright's work, but what I have seen, Unforgiven and Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters I had really enjoyed. Gentlemen Jack was on the BBC recently, featuring Suranne Jones (Wainright favourite!) in the lead role. It was fun, funny, pacey and the majority of the characters were women in all strata of society. I really enjoyed it and look forward to series 2. The show is based on the life and diaries of Anne Lister who I knew nothing about, but she was certainly a trailblazer and ahead of her time.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Today I went to a baby shower via Zoom! Another first! Baby showers aren't very common in the UK, although they are increasing in popularity, but this was for a cousin (that's the easiest way I can possibly describe this relationship!) in America, so I didn't know what to expect. It was actually super chilled and a lovely chance to see the mama to be be and the extended family, with a few games thrown in. This is one thing I'm grateful for - communicating with family and friends and being able to join in on occassions I would normally miss due to distance, it's a treat.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown I am fortunate to have a job at the moment and I have some annual leave to take before a certain date. I am normally one to hang to my annual leave and not use it willy-nilly, but the date is looming and with no-where to go I am at a bit of a loss with what to do. Personally, I don't fancy going anywhere at the moment. I really don't feel inclined to get on a plane to go anywhere - I don't particularly enjoy flying at the best of times - and the idea of having to wear a mask for the duration of the journey doesn't appeal. In previous years, the idea of just being at home with no-where to be was incredibly appealing, but as that's kind of the status quo at the moment, it's lost some of it's magic. So what to do with my leave - well, I think the garden and a book do still beckon and maybe a whole series on Netflix...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown I came across this incredible advert by BodyForm today - Womb Stories. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/bodyform-womb-stories-periods-taboo-stigma-advert-a9599346.html?fbclid=IwAR3w88bvuw1ctYTKoC521CnR5ux0KXkkPVEsscbqimfJPLx3ugQZoipqnRo Why is it so powerful? Because it doesn't shy away from the many things that women, 50% of the population, go through every month and also the many stages of conception and the issues that there can be around it. Blood is red, not the sanitised blue we have been shown for so long on commercials for sanitary items. We are very squeamish when it comes to talking about periods and we shouldn't be. It's one of the most natural things in the world and we all, women and men, should feel ok to talk about it. Periods can be debilitating for so many women and if we don't share this information, women will continue to suffer in silence. I know so many women, my self inc...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown In a week, I will be taking part in a play, performed via Zoom, live across the world! (potentially) It's been quite an experience rehearsing for a play, sitting at my computer, in my house, with the cat occassionally for company (I think she wants to be in it, she is a bit of a drama queen). I am looking forward to it and everyone has been working so hard - all the actors and our tech team - to make it the best we can. My biggest concern is anyone having tech difficulties as for example, my WiFi occassionally decides it just doesn't want to connect to the computer, so fingers crossed that won't happen!
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown In growing news, the veggie patch is thriving! The potatoes are still growing really well - we may be eating potatoes with everything come autumn. We also have beans, peas, tomatoes and carrots which are all clinging on. All the courgettes died, so we have planted some more to see how they get on. I am actually so excited at the idea of digging up my own veg to eat! Anyone who knows me well knows that I kill most plants and I mainly use the garden to sit in the sun and read , but I' ve long wanted to grow my own fruit and veg but never had the time or inclination. Now I've had both! I know a few friends who have also ventured into this brave new world too who are also excited by the idea of growing their own. It's also so brilliant for little ones so they can learn where their food comes from.