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Duffy, Mummies and Celebrations

Saturday 1 March
Duffy is tiny, a slight figure in a black, nipped in, strapless cocktail dress with gorgeous red patent stilettos, but, boy, does she pack a punch! From the minute she steps on to the stage and throws single roses out to the audience, she has everyone eating out of her hand. Fresh, charming and clearly enjoying every moment she is a joy to watch. It feels churlish, therefore, to criticise but my slight niggle is that the material doesn’t quite live up to her performance. The stand-out tracks, when they come, are sublime. ‘Mercy’ sends the audience wild, indeed, squashed, as we are, in the moshpit there is some out and out bad behaviour which is downright annoying. But, my goodness, this girl is only twenty-three and bursting with talent – expect to see much more of her.

Monday 3 March
Ma rings and admits she is in pain with her back – quite extraordinary behaviour for her on both accounts. I question her closely, advise her as best I can from 250 miles away and ring again a little later to check progress. Ma says she’s fine and doesn’t need me to rush back to the south. She’s one of the strongest willed people I have ever met but her body is frail and it worries me to look too far into the future.

Here at Hotel H, Mil and Dil are our guests and Tom too is painfully aware of time passing. Amongst other mysterious ailments, Mil’s been experiencing heart palpitations for which there are no medical explanations but which make her anxious and fearful. How do you reassure someone who can’t be reassured?

Wednesday 5 March
Well I’ve had my fill of trying to soothe brows that can’t be soothed. FTT is frustratingly close to completion but I can’t write so I’m going outside to stain a fence. Says a lot, doesn’t it? However, in the midst of the doom and gloom about ageing P’s we have good news. The delightful Martin, who runs the Apple Gallery http://www.applegallery.co.uk/ Godalming, rings to say he has sold two of Tom’s large paintings. I’m so pleased for Tom who really deserves recognition. I hope the person who bought them enjoys them… and tells all their friends!

Gawd, I’m always banging on in this blog about my nearest and dearest and how proud I am of them. It’s not a question of showing off but about celebrating the fact that their hard work is being rewarded. Stepson Two’s band, Clocks, have a new full release single out on 7 April. ‘Old Valve Radio’ is a track I’ve been playing in the car a lot. A perfect pop song, it conjures up summer but remains edgy thanks to Stepson Two’s characteristic bittersweet lyrics. For music channel fans, the video, which is just terrific, is on ‘The Hits’ now and is also on the playlist for ‘Q’ and ‘The Box’.
Hwyl fawr!
Painting is 'October below Craig Cau' SOLD

Comments

Elizabethd said…
Parents of a certain age are a worry when you live far away, does your mother have a good sympathetic Dr? Maybe you could talk with him?
How lovely to have paintings sold, and they are so evocative of your area too.
abcd said…
What a talented family you all are!
I love the the painting, the colours really appeal to me but after a little look further down my favourite would be the one of the chapel window.
I worry about my parents even though they are close enough to visit so I can imagine how much worse it must be when they are far away.
Hope the shoulder continues to improve.
Milla said…
you NEVER come across as boasting, congrats to both Tom and stepson. Good luck with that final surge... put down the paintbrush, the fence really does NOT need an eighth coat.
Good grief of course you should sing your your family's praises. You are clearly a talented bunch and we want to celebrate with you - you are not keeping that much fun to yourself.

Hope you Mum is ok - not good to be too stoic. I have no idea how you reassure someone who won't be - there is a kind of refuge in the not wanting to be reassured!
Inthemud said…
Duffy sounds amazing, glad you enjoyed it.
Hope your mum's back will be ok soon, such a worry when you are so far away, same here for me and my parents, can't just pop in to see if all is well , have to drive for 4 hrs.

Not boasting at all, lovely talented family, that's great!
Cait O'Connor said…
Glad you enjoyed Duffy, she has a great voice, I saw her on The Culture Show.
You have every right to be proud and share your good news.
Woozle1967 said…
Well done to Tom and Stepson - talent deserves to be recognised as there are always too many people around who like to put things (and other people) down. So, stick your chest out and let it puff with pride, my girl!

It's too chilly to do the fence - make a cuppa and get cracking with the writing!xx
Pondside said…
Of course you should keep on 'banging on' about your nearest and dearest. If they can't count on you then who???...and they are very talented and we enjoy reading about them!!! So there! Please keep at it!
What an action-packed week you've had - it's no surprise you haven't had time to knuckle down to FTT. The last bit is probably the most tricky to get absolutely right (says she, still struggling with the beginning of chapter 2!) but you will get there (unlike me!).

And Milla's right, you never come across as boastful. You've obviously got a very talented family and it's only right that you should be proud of their achievements. And I'm so glad to hear of Tom's successes.
Maggie Christie said…
Congratulations to Tom and to stepson, I'm really enjoying hearing about Clocks success. Lovely painting, by the way, I'm not at all surprised to see the SOLD next to its title. Good luck with the rest of the fence painting!

See you soon for that coffee, xx Mags.
hope mum is OK. Now a quick chorus of 'prunes ...glorious prunes'...
Inthemud said…
Chris I've given you a bottle of bubbly for your most inventive answer, much more exciting than the real answer. Do pop along to my blog and collect the button.
Flowerpot said…
sounds like the whole family are high achievers right now! Hope your mum is OK and you get back to the last of the rewrites.
Lots to celebrate there! Hope your mum is ok. I would love to be nearer to my family, whether up the generations or down. Life would be so much easier.
Lane Mathias said…
Congratulations to Tom for the sales. Well deserved!
Congratulations also to stepson 2 and Clocks. Sounds like they're really going places.
(it's never boasting btw. Hard work and talent should be celebrated and shouted from the rooftops)

You're almost there with FTT. Keep going Chris:-)

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