What to give up?

So, Lent is upon us once again. What to give up in order to remember once again the sacrifice of the cross is quite a tough decision. And that's before we get to the abstinance part.

Serlf-sacrifice or abstinance are a tad unusual in this day and age with few people actually practicing. I have just been to a service to mark the start of this six week period with 9 people including vicar, organist and reader. Even in the church, this is an unpopular time.

I have gone for that age-old favourite of giving chocolate a miss for a few weeks; tougher today as it is our main snack. I have also decided to do something positive and each day get in contact with a friend, showing them friendship and love,

In that spirit,
Love,
CJGx

Merry Wives but what about Merry Lives?

I should be finishing off a job form for Sheffield Hallam University’s ‘International Communications Officer’ whilst waiting for the parents to turn up.

Instead, I am strangely called to Blog. It’s a nervous twitch. So what’s been happening in this charming corner of Wales?

Wind, Rain and Snow. But it’s February and despite what the media (and various Midlands schools think) this is normal and can be coped with.

Jobs. Some movement there with the possibility of some work in the diocese communications division, a good chance of securing a lecteurship and an interview at Roehampton University for International/EU bids officer. I may have to decide what job I actually fancy at some point soon.

The biggest highlight has been going to see ‘Merry Wives: The Musical’ in Stratford. It got a tad slated in the initial reviews as being a bit of a musical dogs breakfast, for not really pulling off some of the gags and some of the performances being self-satisfied. I think they miss the point. This is not one of Shake’s finest plays, a bit of rush, a humorous bit of entertainment. The musical keeps this play going and I laughed right the way through in what was a feast for both ear and eye. The stunning ‘Letter for Letter’ song was beautifully choreographed with the contrasting songs of the wives and their husbands come together in a tango which had me in stitches. Then the Country & Western ‘Merry Wives’ song was nicely sung by the leading ladies as was the ‘Quintet in Great Wood’ where all the main characters look ahead to the denouement in the final scene. The songs came from ‘The West Side Story’ school of thought with themes returning and then performed concurrently to show how the lovers, wives, husbands and Falstaff’s stories all interlink. That said, the most touching moment was when Miss Quickly (Dame Judy Dench) held 1400 people in her hand as she thought about ‘the evil men we fall for’ in ‘Honeysuckle Villains’. A fantastic romp that I want to see again.

So, I was certainly merry having seen the wives, lets just hope that my life can meet that soon,
CJGx