The last month has flown by. Spent a week in France at the end of August. Got back in time for the start of rehearsals for Candlesticks. (Have I mentioned this before perhaps?) I have been at quite a few of the rehearsals, opting out from a few because whether it is the lingering effects of ME, or the after effects of Covid in March – I seem to have dips in stamina which aren`t completely predictable, but do seem to be part of a pattern. Live a completely normal life, pay no attention to feeling a bit tired, keep going…and all is well, until suddenly, flop, and there I am, requiring a whole day in an armchair playing scrabble with my ipad, or sitting at my computer, quietly progressing with editing Paper in the Cracks. Just – be rested. That kind of thing.
Jenny Eastop, directing Candlesticks is the most good-hearted, direct, thoughtful and careful director I have ever worked with, and shows nothing but appreciation if I want to sit in on a day`s work. The cast, James Duddy, Sophie McMahon, Mary Tillett and Kathryn Worth, are a delight. Thanks, all. Although the issues in the play make me genuinely sad, the experience of watching it in production again is – fun.
Meanwhile, I have started to try and locate bookshops that will take a few copies of Tell it Not, and approached a couple of groups to see about promoting the book myself. My publisher Peter Gimpel is a long way away – in California. The Uk, I think, is up to me.
But in spite of, or because of the above activities, my brain has started to envisage new projects. Two 25 minutes plays, one a monologue, suddenly came floating over the horizon yesterday. Who knows. New ideas come, and new ideas go. It`s the ones that stick with you that make you buzz.
And meanwhile, today we watched quite a bit of the Queen`s funeral. As did several million other people, all over the world.
