Tubular Bells - The Dance

Tubular Bells - music by Mike Oldfield

Tubular Bells - dance performed by Mahoo and the drama group of RVS Comp School for the OAP's Harvest Hot Pot Supper Autumn 1979

Our Drama teacher had said our next performance would be to entertain the OAP’s at the hot pot supper, it was three weeks off and she thought we should perform and dance to the very popular Tubular bells, unfortunately she didn’t have a copy and asked if anyone could get hold of one, quick as a flash my hand went up, my brother had the album and had been playing it constantly as you did in those days when you got a new record especially if you had spent all your pocket money on it. She handed me a blank cassette and on a rainy Sunday afternoon I had the old cassette recorder that you had to press play and record at the same time and we had the album on the turntable, we synchronised and click, we had to be quiet for the full 25 mins of recording. And so did everyone else in the living room, mum was ironing and my dad was reading the paper. We played it back and thought it sounded ok.

The following week after rehearsals in the main hall we were ready to perform, tubular bells, me and my friend Susan had black footless tights on and leotards this was way before the colourfulness of the kids from fame, it was a very serious and sedate affair, the oldies enjoyed their hotpot supper and had apple pie with custard and tea and biscuits was just being served when the lights were turned down low and out there we were flung into the floodlights, this was my chance to show the world, well the oldies of reddish that all those years dancing at home along to pans people was not wasted, I was that talented child who wore my mums chiffon scarves and occasionally her long black wig, I was a dancer, a performer and my name would soon be in lights

We began as nymphs dancing through a forest, then suddenly got lost, the music turns much darker (especially the bit were the devil talks backwards) the stage hand flicked the strobe lighting, and the laughter began, what was this laughing? , it wasn’t a comedy; this was a serious piece of art. The show went on but I was hurt by this injustice.

On the long walk home with my mum we discussed the performance and my mum said, “Well maybe they were laughing because it looked like an old black and white film with the strobe”? The audience were not sophisticated enough for me just yet

Milk Runaround!

Dear Reader

As if i didnt have enough going on at the moment, after cancelling my milk delivery almost a year ago, out of the blue i get a letter requested £10.78 which shows up as an outstanding balance! well i put them straight, i put up with the worst service ever and when they should be sending me an apology, a free dairy crest diary (with recipes and pictures) and possibly a hamper by way of apology, they are requested money read on for my letter ..................

RE: outstanding £10.78 showing on your records

Rnd:017 Account No: 005442

With reference to your letter dated 15^th January 2009. Your records are correct in showing that I no longer have milk delivered from you, I have not had milk delivered for at least 8 months if not longer. I dispute that I owe anything on the account.

Delivery was unreliable in many different ways. I went through weeks of the milk being delivered after we had all left for work, and on warm days this meant that the milk had gone sour when I came in from work and was undrinkable. Then despite asking many times if I could pay every two weeks, he would come to collect the money when I wasn’t in (it isn’t unusual in this day and age to work full time, therefore arrangements to collect at suitable times should have made good sense) I cant remember now if the final straw was me paying something like 6 or 8 weeks money all in one go, or the time when I paid two weeks money only to find that my husband had also paid.

Certainly it was with a heavy heart that I cancelled the delivery arrangement and began to buy it from the garage over the road, I believe in keeping people in jobs and this went against everything I believe in, but at the end of the day, the service was shoddy, unreliable and I would now question his record keeping.

I hope this brings the matter to a close.

Yours sincerely

Maria Kenny

Strongly Worded Letters

Dear Reader

Its true the kenny family, I include myself in this even if i own the name legally through mariage, the truth is its been seeping through my bones since the mid 80's, have been through the mill, the funeral is this friday, and I have just finished typing up the eulogy that sean is hoping he will be able to read at the church, no one will expect him to get through it in tact, there is no shame in that. I have just realised that my way of coping with Johns crushing demise (four days on mega strong morphine at hope hosp) and subsequent death (1st January 2009) was a strange mix of "strongly worded letters" and retail therapy and yet more competitions, I have ended up with complimentary tickets to see a film of our choice at the odean, a single duvet, sandwhich maker, attachment heads for an electric toothbrush which dont actually fit the toothbrush unless you sellotape them on (yes its tricky but i do hate waste) a crazy black hat which i thought made me look alluring, but now find the two boys on reception think i look like frank spencer, in fact one of them actually said "oooh betty the cats done a wooopsy on the carpet", how come madonna and half the female population in france can wear berets and look chic, when i where one i manage to look shit!.

We all need our diversions, i need to stop blogging and wash some dark clothes for a funeral, this will be about the time where i find buttons missing, and zips broken.

More on that story later

Mahoo