And here we go....

It's panto time again!  Yay!  Crazy chick that I am, I agreed to Direct this year...

 

We're putting on Treasure Island at Verwood Pantomime Society, and the performances will be the last week of January.  The more astute (ok, read long serving readers) will recall that we've done Treasure Island before, 5 years ago, and I blogged about it here.  Crazy enough as it may seem, and I'm still scratching my head about it now, Mr B has landed the role of Long John Silver (quite funny considering he's only 5'7").

 

Lunch Lady Jan, impetuous fool that she is (love ya, hunny) has been suckered into agreed to come and watch this year with the Gorgeous Gordon.  So who else out of you lovely ladies will be tagging along?

 

Oh.  I forgot to mention.  Lil Miss B has secured herself a rather plum role too.  She's the Sea Spirit - the same role I played last time.

 

Not that I had a say in this, I hasten to add.  The auditions are done in front of a panel of 5 judges of which I am only one, and in both cases my beloveds were put into their role without a word of choice from me.  Oh no, I didn't get a say, really.  I'd rather Lil Miss B hadn't been in it at all (she originally wanted to do back stage) and Mr B would actually have been rather lovely as the dame this year.  But we do have to consider the blend of cast carefully, and I have to confess that my co-judges have probably got it just about right...

 

So....

 

Here we go again!

WOYWW 137 - Zzzzzzzzzz

We're back for another session of WOYWW and this week for me it's decidedly Zzzzz.  Well, that's what you'll all be doing after seeing this oh-so-dull photo of my desk. Nothing exciting to report this week, other than the making of one Thank You card as a sample for Mr B because he needs to make a fair few in a hurry. On Thursday.

It's also a bit Zzzzz because we're all tired after the weekend's three shows - we have a mid-run rehearsal tonight and then three more shows at the weekend coming.  Followed immediately by a post show party, and then we strike the set on the Sunday morning.  Huzzah!  I want my Sundays back.  I love panto, but Sunday rehearsals are a real bind.

That's my lot though - for more delightful desks, visit Dunnit the Desk Diva where you will find some interesting diversions for your day.... Mind you, last week I was tearing my hair out because about a dozen of your lovely blogs just froze on me, and I could only read, not comment.  I think it was an issue at work, so I'll try and do you folks first this week!

WOYWW 136 - Curtain Up!

Another week, another WOYWW....  head via the link to Dunnit Dimensions and let the desk -hopping commence!

For me, a short post this week as my desk hasn't changed an awful lot.  Apart from some new stash I bought on Saturday from Shopkeeper Gal before heading off to the crop.  Some nice bargains too - a fab stamp of Venice for starters, for just £1!  She's also started stocking Craft Stamper, which is an absolute bonus because otherwise I have to go all the way to Amesbury for it or buy it online - nowhere else locally sells it (and I'm too lazy to ask my corner shop to stock it). 

The crop was fun - I didn't actually do any cropping - instead I made a trident for the panto.  Here it is in it's finished state - on my real workdesk this week because I've been painting it in the kitchen where the light is better and there's space to lay it out.  Made from a broom handle, multiple layers of double walled corrugated cardboard, some specialist road tape (don't ask!), four Maya Road chipboard scrolls, and silver and copper paint.  

And here's a gratuitous shot of Mr B as Long John Silver at rehearsals on Sunday.  ROFL.  We did an entire day, and by the end of it, he was exhausted.  We all were.



Curtain up on Friday 13th!   Arrrrr!

WOYWW 135 - Panto season! or, the one where the desk goes vertical

Here we are again - WOYWW has hit us headlong into the New Year, so I hope it is a happy one for all of you!

It's that time of year again.... oh yes it is....oh no it isn't.... sigh.  I can't resist it...

Anyway, my desk this week has been mostly vertical, as I have been helping my good friend Nettie and her partner Rob paint the scenery for Treasure Island.  Nettie does the big stuff (scares the crap out me), Rob blocks in, and I've been making stuff look round, like I do.  I give you exhibit A:

exhibit B (we need baskets, they said) :

Bigger view of what's going on - I've just been adding depth and shadow and stuff, and not working on the big bits.  Sorry they're blurred - it's me iPhone you know!

But my desk hasn't only been vertical - Tuesday night it was definitely horizontal and I have just finished making two maps for the panto. Treasure maps of course. And here I say All Hail the Duke of Distress - for t'is his inks wot made it possible. All done using a black Sharpie, and the lovely inks Walnut Stain, Rusty Hinge, Faded Denim, Peeled Paint, Festive Berries and Black Soot. Ta Dah! Makes life so much easier, and so much more realistic, than using a tea bag, dontcha think?

Oh, and if you're interested, the island is based on a slightly stretched Christmas Island.... LOL.  Had to be done, really!

Catch you on the hop...... Arrrrrrrrrrr......

WOYWW 127 - ARRRRRRRRRRRR...... again.

Wahey!  That was the week that was, that was!  And here we are again, with another round of WOYWW desk-hopping hosted by our beloved MC Mrs Dunnit.  For all the deets go here but don't forget to take a picnic and a compass because you might be a while once you start. 

As you can see, we still have a Charmed Stocking in progress on the desk.  I've discovered that needlework now needs to be done in small bursts because gripping a needle sets my carpal tunnel off.  That and pumpkin carving.  Doh.

On Saturday I attended another of the Big Crops and had a bit of an epic fail.  It didn't help that I didn't get there until 1pm (Lil Miss B had urgent need of a Guide uniform - £32 for t-shirt and hoodie, if you please!!) but the grand turnout on this occasion wasn't even quite a whole layout (compared to the four I did at the previous crop).  I fiddled, I tweaked, I cut, stamped and glued.... and then had to wait till I got home to add the flourish and the lettering.  Not being able to finish it, and the brewing headache I had, meant that I lost the mojo to do more.  I will have to look at that and rectify it this month. Mr B said it was down to the 3 p's - Piss Poor Preparation.  I just said "what preparation?"  To be fair, I hadn't even emptied my scraptotes from the last time, so hadn't really prepped properly.  I had prepped, it was just a month earlier.  LOL

So here is a close up of the finished LO for your delight and delectation.  Once again, Lil Miss B is a tad niggled that it's yet another photo of her (I quote "and why did you have to take a close-up??") but I think that secretly she's pleased.  I like how it turned out, no matter what she thinks!

If you've got this far, well done! 

Other major news in the B household is that we finally got the results of the auditions we took part in on the 30th October for Treasure Island.  Well, we actually got a phone call from the Director rather than just the email that everyone else got because he had a rather special request.  I've been asked if I think I can manage to take a small principal role AND be the society's Stage Manager for the show.  The role in question is the Spirit of the Sea, with appearances at the beginning and end of both acts.  I get to recite some rhyming couplets, not sure if there's a song involved (probably) and do the walk-down at the end, but as that's the role I was hoping for, I naturally said yes!  Being Stage Manager doesn't faze me - I've done Production Management in theatre since I was 14, so I've pretty much grown up with the backstage influence.  It's only since I've been with Mr B that I've had the confidence to step into the limelight again.

The others?  Lil Miss B has got a place in the chorus - kudos to her because 20 kids tried out for chorus and only 10 were chosen - and Mr B is......