Jolly chilly

Two good nights, with a lot of snow and 210 works of art inbetween. What am I talking about. Well it's pretty abstract I know, but then so was a lot of the art...
Last night a few of us... well OK then... director him, director her, producer, the ginger one, Albert, Ysabell, Cutwell, previous producer, footnote and bursar... gathered at the hall to record the entire show so that the cast can use it to learn their lines. We reckon we can sell the recordings on front of house. Or maybe not.
Footnote and producer did come up with a good knock, knock joke though. 'Knock, knock.' 'Who's there?' 'Ysabell.' 'Ysabell who?' 'Is ya bell not working?' Well we reckoned it was very, very funny and don't care what you think.
It was bloody cold down there. It always is in the hall. This, however, was ridiculous. As I had expected, secretary didn't join us. She was and still is feeling pants. I mean as in 'not well'. I don't mean as in my underwear. Although she does do that too. For sorting out the laundry of course. Yes.
Anyway, it was, as I said, a trifle cold. The coldest night of the year so far to my reckoning. There was plenty of snow when I woke up this morning. Needless to say, it took 40 minutes for a cab to get to the house and 45 minutes to do the normal five minute journey to Langley station. Mad. I cannot believe the way the whole country stops with a small fall of snow. Our Swedish reporter at the paper thinks it's hilarious.
I was at Brent Town Hall all day. Chairing a group of judges to select works of art by school students for an auction. Five judges, 210 pieces to judge and we had to be finished by 3pm. I wanted to be there by 8.30am. I arrived at 9.50am. Bloody snow.
It was knackering. We each had to go round filling out forms to decide which ones went up for auction (the best) which ones went into an exhibition and which ones went back to the schools (the worst). Then we had to see which ones we could agree on. Then we had to go round as a group to try to make a decision on the 50 or so which we had different opinions about. Bonkers.
We finished at about 4.30pm. After boxing all the art up into the right order in the right categories and loading it into a cab it was 6pm. Remarkably, I made it home in time to grab a quick meal before director him picked me up for rehearsal.
Of course, just like yesterday, numerous people were not there. And of course the same ten from last night were there. Plus pregnant wizard, town crier and high priest. Some people rang with good excuses, some with poor ones and some didn't bother to call at all. Irritating.
It was a lot of fun though. Memos to self; talk quicker, stride don't shuffle; be more angry at the end. Oh and next time bring down my own script with all my notes in it rather than secretary's.
The ginger one burned off CDs for those who wanted them and he is now off to Arizona for a week. Someone is going to have fun standing in for him...
It all gets serious from now on. Need to learn those words. We all do. That, after all, is why we were there in the cold until gone midnight last night. I hope the rest of the cast appreciate it, bless 'em.
Two more things. Ysabell has a mind like a sewer. Then again I knew what she was thinking, so I must be on the same level. All of us are in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. And judging by the expression on her face a couple of times tonight... Well actually the point is that we are the stars... Obviously.
The other thing is that the snow is quite funny in some ways. Secretary had a text from a colleague this morning saying: "I won't be able to get into work today, there's snow outside my house." Then her boss said she couldn't get in because her electric gates at the end of her drive and frozen solid and wouldn't open. Fantastic.

Thought for the day: 'We're walking in a Winter Wonderland.' Winter Wonderland. By loads of people. Secretary has about a dozen different recordings. She likes her Christmas music.